I have about 20 minutes before I need to leave for my New Testament class, and I’m sitting here eating my usual breakfast of oatmeal w/eggs (i love eggs!)…
i just got back from taking Lee Lee on our also usual morning walks, and it is so sad…i can tell she’s getting more and more blind 
dogs age so much faster than humans, so even though she just turned 15 in august, it’s almost like each day is like a year that passes for her. anyway, pray that i will continue to take very good care of my lil ol’ geriatric. 
i love her sooooo very much.
anyway..
…something i was thinking about this morning…is that we are simply people who because of Christ, are FREE but how many of us really live that way? The sad truth is many of walk around with shackles on our feet and hands from the sins of this world that so easily entangles…when God has already set us free.
there is such power in “releasing the things we are in bondage to, to God.” how much stuff do we try to either take care of ourselves or carry burdens that we’re not meant to carry? I find that especially true with things i worry about…i think sometimes i’m so hard on myself because I think I can try to “free” or “fix” my own sin…instead of really releasing the things that i hold onto so tightly to God. What a confession! I realize that as a free person.. I need to really s u r r e n d e r my whole self to him.
i love that God not only WANTS us to give him our burdens, but He will do a WAY better job with our ‘areas’ than we could ever do without Him. Without Him, we are seriously nothing, and sometimes I forget that and think I really am something! God, remind me of who I am in you! YOU are the only thing good in me!!
so if any of yall understand where I’m coming from — here’s my simple prayer/encouragement for us
God i pray that as broken people, we would really see that You are our redemption. Lord, show us how we can really “be free from everything that keeps us from more of You.” Let us not find ourselves in the temporal things that the world tempts us to focus on, but let us spend out time and energies on truly knowing we we are in You and how You are using us and preparing us to advance Your kingdom on earth. I pray that as the more we give ourselves to you… that our HEARTS would look like Your heart…and we would love what you love and love people as you do. that our MINDS would be YOUR MIND…thoughts that glorify you and are constantly dwelling on Your Trust. BODIES that would be used for YOUR SERVICE..God..would we really see our bodies as holy temples… and glorify you with them. and would all of this outpour into our words and actions…so that we would edify the body, be a light to a dark world, and be a testament of the FREEDOM you have given us from the grip of sin. In Your PRECIOUS Name, Amen.
