Y’all, this is good stuff!
First of all, whew!…what a weekend! I’ve attended graduation parties, driven five hours (one way) to see the beautifully God-filled wedding of my nephew and drove back home (five more hours) in one day, rose early Sunday morning to honor the graduates at Plant City High School at the touching and traditional Baccalaureate, have driven out to see and walk on the progress of the building of our new home, and celebrated the graduates at a phenomenal evening worship service and time of fellowship at my church. Can I have a weekend to recoup please?
All of the aforementioned have been great cause of celebration. Yet, I’ve had conversations with friends regarding other events in their lives that were not cause for feelings so festive. The dying of a loved one and the choices a good teen has made that warrants one to have a criminal record are among those conversations.
When I read this morning’s scripture, I was reminded that no matter the age or stage of life you are in, we serve a POWERFUL God! He CAN turn any event into glory. Yes! Whether the circumstance you are going through is filled with celebration or heartache there is HOPE. When we allow Christ to reside in us, and be grounded in and experience His love (a love that is incomprehensible), that is when we will be overcome by His power. His power is IN us! He has already overcame the world…we can too! May all the glory be given to The Almighty.
Listen. In Ephesians 3:17-19 we read these powerful words:
Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Ephesians 3:17-19 NLT
I pray them for you, as Paul did in Ephesians, and I want to encourage you to pray this scripture as well. Wait! Don’t just pray it, BELIEVE it. THAT’S where you will begin to sense the POWER of His word.
In closing, I leave with you the words to Jeremy Camp’s song, “Same Power”, that was sung last night at the grad service.
The same power that rose Jesus from the grave. The same power that commands the dead to wake. Lives in us, lives in us.
The same power that moves mountains when He speaks. The same power that can calm a raging sea. Lives in us, lives in us. He lives in us, lives in us. http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/jeremycamp/samepower.html
Right after we worshipped through this song last night, the families of the graduates were invited to gather around their honoree to pray for and encourage them. I looked into my Holly’s eyes and reminded her that the words of this song are true. That she has the power of God living IN her. Oh how I pray that she, and all of us, will remember the power within us and as the song also says,
We will not be overtaken. We will not be overcome.
Exclamation Point!
GLORY!
I pray that you will enjoy soaking up The Son every moment of each day. –Stephanie
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