Live Forgiven

God is teaching me to live like I’m forgiven.

 

I recently read a book by Max Lucado in which he said because of Calvary, we can make choices. He reminded me that I can choose to live forgiven.

 

I struggle to leave behind the things I did in the past. I sorrow over them. How can I share with others the joy of god’s mercy this way?

 

I have begged for forgiveness, and God promises to forgive. This is a promise I can accept.

 

1 John 1:9:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 

 

God’s Word commands us to forget the past so He can do something new and wonderful in our lives.

 

Isaiah 43:18-19:

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”

 

Philippians 3:13-14:

Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

 

I can’t forget my sins, but God promises that He has.

 

Isaiah 43:25:

“I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.”

 

Psalm 103: 12: 

as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

 

This is a battle against Satan which God yearns to help me win.

 

1 Peter 5:8:

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

 

Psalm 51 is such a comfort to me.

 

David committed adultery, then tried to cover it up by committing murder. He and his wife had to suffer the loss of a child through all of this.

 

But David didn’t give up. In Psalm 51, he writhes over sin he has committed. He pleads for God’s help, His forgiveness, and to have the joy of his salvation restored.

 

Psalm 51:1, 12-13, 17:

 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.

 

David knew that God would accept the plea of a truly repentant heart. And he knew that forgiveness was the best motivation for him to share God’s love with others.

 

And what wonderful grace God shows David.

 

Acts 13:22:

After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’

 

Father, I pray for the trust of David. Help me to accept Your mercy and joyfully share Your love with those around me.                 

Psalm 119:137-144 Tsadhe

צ Tsadhe

You are righteous, Lord,

    and your laws are right.

The statutes you have laid down are righteous;

    they are fully trustworthy.

My zeal wears me out,

    for my enemies ignore your words.

Your promises have been thoroughly tested,

    and your servant loves them.

Though I am lowly and despised,

    I do not forget your precepts.

Your righteousness is everlasting

    and your law is true.

Trouble and distress have come upon me,

    but your commands give me delight.

Your statutes are always righteous;

    give me understanding that I may live.

 

“Father, I can never express enough how thankful I am for your word. Through all my hard times and sorrows, through every struggle and uncertainty, I find hope from you in the pages of my Bible.                                     Strengthen me, Lord, and use me to bring hope to others.” 

Sweet Memories, Made Me a Little Teary

July 22, 1997: Sarah cleaned up all the toys in the basement by herself, and then told Kathy, "I'm so proud of myself."

July 25, 1997: Last night Sarah said, "I love Jesus so much, I just can't say how much."

The other day, in the midst of our ant infestation, Ping-Hwei was filling some ice trays at the sink. With disgust in his voice, he cried to Kathy, "What! Counter! Animals!"

August 1, 1997: When Sarah's not having a fun time, she says, "I'm a little bit boring." When Rebecca thinks a day is not fun, she says, "This day is bored."

Sarah asked to have some of Murray's exotic mocha coffee, and Murray said she could have a little. Sarah told him, "I'll be sorry if I forget and drink it all."

Caleb had a hamburger with the works for supper, pretty potentially messy. When Murray handed Caleb the sandwich he told him not to put it down until he was done eating it. Caleb replied, "Look, Daddy, I'm going to throw it up in the air!"

August 20, 1997: Yesterday, Ping-Hwei asked why our cats have four feet. I said that they're animals, and many animals have four feet. He said, "I want four feet."

Sarah just asked me to get her the toy dishes to play with. As I walked with her to get them off the shelf, she said, "I'm smiling, because I'm a cute little girl."

August 24, 1997: In the car the other day, we were eating bagels. Rebecca looked at her cherry bagel and said, with serious intent, "I like the ones with hair all over them."

August 25, 1997: Rebecca stayed with Grandma this week. On the way home yesterday, Sarah said a little sadly, "Benjamin looks sad; maybe he's missing Rebecca playing with him." I thought maybe Sarah was missing Rebecca too.

August 29, 1997: Sarah had an ouchy which was irritating her, and she said in frustration, "I wish we were in Heaven!" Caleb agreed, "No crying, no sad, no mad, no dying."

Today was a freshman orientation day at Ping-Hwei's high school. I asked him what he did at school today, and he replied, "I had ice cream.”

September 1, 1997: Sarah was saying that at school, she was going to remember to pray to herself at lunch, and Caleb said, "Last year, I'd start to open my lunchbox, and God would remind me, 'Don't forget to pray.'"

September 3, 1997: Last night, Sarah said that a little boy named Caleb in her class was singing Celebrate Jesus, and I said he probably loves Jesus. She said, "Well, I asked him, and he didn't say anything." Last week she told me that in a doctor's waiting room once, she asked a little boy if he loved Jesus, and he told her not to talk about that sissy stuff. I told her she's a good missionary.

In a long line of traffic, Sarah said, "Why do you stop if there's no stop light?" Murray said, the light is way up ahead, but what would you want me to do with the cars in front of me, anyway? She said, "You could go, bump."

September 6, 1997: Sarah is talking a lot like us. Today she was talking to Ping-Hwei, and said, "Caleb, Ping-Hwei, whoever you are..."

September 7, 1997: Murray is making sub sandwiches for supper. He asked Rebecca what she wanted on hers, and she replied, "I want everything but onions and ointment." Murray asked, Ointment? "Yeah, like catsup." Ah, condiments.

Cry Out To Jesus

There was a song a few years back called “Cry Out to Jesus.” I was reminded of this song recently.

When I’m feeling down, not about any one thing in particular, but just about many things, I want to cry.

My husband wants to comfort me. I feel ashamed to share it with my children or my friends. I want to weep and sob, but what can they do for me? What can they say?

I’m a mess, and I fear sharing this depth of sadness with people.

But I can cry out to Jesus.

God invites me to share the depth of my pain, even if I don’t understand it, with him. He can take it. He wants to. He cares for me.

Hebrews 4: 16:

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence,

so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Psalm 56: 8:

You keep track of all my sorrows.

    You have collected all my tears in your bottle.

    You have recorded each one in your book.

1 Peter 5:7

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmVxRl5bc4Y

Third Day - Cry Out To Jesus (Official Video) – YouTube

Let Us Listen

Micah 6:8:

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

One thing I’ve heard more than once, when the problems of racial injustice in America are discussed, is that the church has not stepped up and helped as we should.

After the horrible things that have gone on this summer, I wanted to be a part of the church that would help. An important step, I believe, is to listen to what people have to say. Below is a note from my friend Stats Ky Bey.

We have more in common than we realize. We share the anatomy of eyes, fingers, toes. We share the desire for family, friends, home. We share the need for a father, protector, provider. And, most importantly we all need a Savior.

So, let’s think about these common needs as we think about that a man was shot seven times in the back. And, before we add the imaginary differences found in our psychology, what do we think about the fact that a man was shot seven times in the back.

If you are like me, you may be thinking, “Why wasn’t one shot enough?” And, if you are like me, you may be wondering, “Why wasn’t two times enough?” And, if you are like me, you may be wondering, “Why wasn’t three times enough?” And, if you are like me, you may be wondering, “Why wasn’t four times enough?” And, if you are like me, you may be wondering, “Why wasn’t 5 times enough?” And, if you are like me, you may be wondering, “Why wasn’t 6 times enough?”

And if you are like me, you may be wondering “Why was this man shot seven times in the back?”

We have more in common than you think.

Now, if you are not like me, you may be thinking, “That man should have been shot more than seven times in the back, good riddance!” And, if this is the case, let’s add in the biases of race, status, education, position, authority, and everything else that will stop us from asking the hard question of, “Why was a man shot seven times in the back?”

Key words to consider here? They are man, shot, seven, times, and back.

Is the issue with the word man? Maybe not every man, or every life, is seen as equally valuable? What do you think? Is every man, life, valuable?

Is the issue with the word shot? Does everyone who can shoot have the right to shoot? Does the freedom to shoot outweigh the responsibility to shoot? Do those who have the freedom also realize that they have the responsibility of acting in good conscience?

Is the issue with the word seven? Can we not see how much seven is? Do we not realize seven means, I intend to do this not once, not twice, not three times, not 4 times, not five times, not six times; but, I intend to do this seven times. If someone does something 7 times you would begin to think that it is no accident.

Is the issue with the word times? How many times does this have to happen? How many times do we have to hear the same story? How many times do we have to say this is not right before someone hears us? How many times?

Is the issue with the word back? Are we just going to turn our back? Are we just going to go back to the way things were? Are we just going to go back and forth and make no progress? Are we just going to go back to the question, “Why was a man shot seven times in the back?"

We have more in common than you think. We can change, we can speak, we can care, we can share, we can behave differently. We can pray, we can stay, we can teach, we can reach, we can be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding, in the work of The Lord!

It is easy to be discouraged by what is going on. It is easy to ignore what is going on. It is easy to dismiss the way things are and hope that someone else deals with it. But, we all, in our own garden where The Lord has placed us, can be the voice of change and continue to speak truth about what is going on. Ecclesiastes 3

To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under

heaven: A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a

time to pluck what is planted; A time to kill, And a time to heal; A

time to break down, And a time to build up; A time to weep, And a time

to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; A time to cast away

stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to

refrain from embracing; A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to

keep, And a time to throw away; A time to tear, And a time to sew; A

time to keep silence, And a time to speak; A time to love, And a time

to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace.

Habakkuk Questions God

I love reading in the Old Testament when people were willing to argue with God. I think that shows a level of trust—they trusted that God would listen and not reject them because of their confronting him. I find this in Habakkuk.

Habakkuk complained to God because of the evil in Israel. Why did God ignore it?

Chapter 1:2:

How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save?

God said he would use the wicked and fierce country of Babylonia as a punishment, but Habakkuk couldn’t believe that was the right thing to do.

Verse 13:

Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing. Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?

God responds that in the end, he will judge wrongdoing.

Chapter 2:16,20:

You will be filled with shame instead of glory. Now it is your turn! Drink and let your nakedness be exposed! The cup from the Lord’s right hand is coming around to you, and disgrace will cover your glory.

The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.

Habakkuk is humbled, but still he prays for mercy.

Chapter 3:2:

Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.

In the end, Habakkuk knew, whatever trouble there may be, he had hope with God.

Chapter 3: 17-19:

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.

Ane Mulligan, Southern-fried fiction

My guest this week is author Ane Mulligan. Enjoy.

When people learn I’m an author, they want to know what kind of books I write. My brand is Southern-fried fiction. In all my books, no matter what era they’re set in, you’ll find an ensemble cast of strong women, facing life’s issues together.

I grew up wanting sisters. I only had a brother; both of us were adopted. While we had an idyllic childhood, I longed for sisters. I gathered girl friends around me in place of nonexistent sisters. That continued into adulthood, and those friendships influenced my writing. Of course, little did I know what God had in store for me. The story of my discovery of my birth sisters is here, on my website:

https://anemulligan.com/adoption

In High Cotton is the first in my Georgia Magnolias series. It’s probably my favorite of all the books I’ve written. I love this story of a young widow, raising her small son during the Depression. I also grew to love the other characters, who took on life as Maggie gathered them around her.

Sadie Moreland, half Yamasee Indian, who became a mentor to Maggie. Duchess Alden, Maggie’s sister, who arrived in Rivers End without any skills other than being a good hostess.

Then there’s sweet Pinkie Yates. Maggie’s little boy found her beaten and battered. He told his mama he’s like the Good Samaritan in the Bible, and they had to take her home. Maggie’s mother-in-law, Faylene, is a tower of strength.

I’ve had a lot of fun researching and writing this series. One of my favorite aspects of this was the Depression era recipes. Southerners used peanuts as a staple protein in their family meals, and I tried a few out on my family. I share several recipes in the book, and I thought y’all might enjoy seeing one of them.

Macaroni Papoose

1 package macaroni, broken in ¼-inch lengths

1/3 c milk

grated cheese

small amount horseradish

thin slices raw smoked ham

Cook macaroni until tender, spread slices of ham with macaroni, horseradish and cheese.

Roll slices and skewer or tie together. Place in shallow baking dish with milk.

Bake in moderate oven (350 degrees) for 35 minutes. Serve hot with dish of crushed pineapple to sprinkle over each “papoose” as desired.

If you’d like to read the first chapter of In High Cotton, go to https://anemulligan.com/georgia-magnolias-series and scroll to the DOWNLOADS

Ane Mulligan has been a voracious reader ever since her mom instilled within her a love of reading at age three, escaping into worlds otherwise unknown. But when Ane saw PETER PAN on stage, she was struck with a fever from which she never recovered—stage fever. She submerged herself in drama through high school and college. One day, her two loves collided, and a bestselling, award-winning novelist emerged. She lives in Sugar Hill, GA, with her artist husband and a rascally Rottweiler. Find Ane on her website: https://www.anemulligan.com 

Amazon Author Page: amazon.com/author/anemulligan

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anemulligansouthernfriedfiction 

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/AneMulligan 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anemulligan/

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/anemulligan/ 

The Write Conversation: https://thewriteconversation.blogspot.com/ 

In High Cotton

Southern women may look as delicate as flowers, but there’s iron in their veins.

                             

While the rest of the world has been roaring through the 1920s, times are hardscrabble in rural South Georgia. Widow Maggie Parker is barely surviving while raising her young son alone. Then as banks begin to fail, her father-in-law threatens to take her son and sell off her livelihood—the grocery store her husband left her. Can five Southern women band together, using their wisdom and wiles to stop him and survive the Great Depression?

Available online at

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2WOLShX 

ShopLPC: https://shoplpc.com/in-high-cotton/

Target: https://www.target.com/p/in-high-cotton-by-ane-mulligan-paperback/-/A-80663388

and in bookstores.

Mulligan pens a story full of southern charm with a cast of characters in a cute Georgia town you won't easily forget. Makes me want to sit down with the lot of them for a glass of sweet tea. — New York Times Bestselling Author, Rachel Hauck

“What was the last book that kept you up until the wee hours of the morning? Last time I looked at the clock it was almost 2am and I was reading Ane Mulligan's "In High Cotton" which comes out Aug 3, 2020! I had to force myself to put a bookmark in my Kindle.” Mimi Noble on Avid Readers of Christian Fiction