Happy Friday!

Hello dear friends and prayer warriors. Today, Bruce and I took a few hours and visited Mom in Sherman. While we were there I also saw Daddy (of course) and two of my aunts. It was so great to see all of these precious family members. I caught Mom down in the rehab room doing her exercises with the most wonderful young therapist named Michael. Michael appears to care a great deal for his patients and treats them all with kindness. When some of the class members got a bit cranky and begin to tire he encouraged them with jokes and affirming words. I was very impressed. I probably told you that my Mom is not very tall and in fact is shorter than me. Michael told me that one day he was sitting on a stool beside Mom as she was standing up and they could see each other eye to eye. I got so tickled and the picture in my head remembering all of the times that I have been teased about standing up when I was already standing up. Mom laughed, too.

There has been one problem in that Mom’s legs, ankles and one of her hands have begun to bloat causing her to have to be wrapped like a mummy in gauze wrap on her leg. Please offer an extra prayer for this condition to reverse itself. Other than that, her rehab is going well and she is a model patient!

Prayer: Dear God, I fall terribly short of Your standard of righteousness. I am guilty of sin. My only hope is in Christ’s death on the cross. You have redeemed me. You have, by Your grace, given me new life. Lord, this life is too wonderful to keep to myself. Please show me today how to influence others for You. Teach me how to share the Good News of redemption with people around me who have not personally experienced Your grace. Lord, help me to live today as one who has been redeemed. Help me to not, in any way, disgrace Your name. Amen.”

Romans 3: 23, 24 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”

I know a lot of people who do so many wonderful things for others. They are strong servants of the church. They volunteer their time at the homeless shelter and visit those in hospitals and lots of other things. But even with all of those wonderful, caring actions they, just as all of us, are guilty of sin. This verse reminds us that the measuring stick for acceptability is the perfection of God. The world will compare us with other people, while the scripture teaches us that the only accurate comparison is God and we all fail to live up to His standard. Now, if that is true, where is our hope to be found? Our hope is found in the death on the cross of Jesus Christ. It is on that rugged, terrible cross that we were redeemed once and for all time. I Corinthians 7:23 tells us that “You were bought with a price.” Even though all people fall short of God’s standard, He freely and abundantly forgives each of us who believe and trust in His Son, Jesus.

Each day is filled with victories, successes, failures, wins, losses, accomplishments and struggles. Through all of these events God is with us. There is no way that anything we have done in victory or loss that escapes our loving Savior and Lord. For even when we have failed, God has been true and faithful. Our desire must be to know Him more intimately and bring glory to His name for He alone desires all of the glory.

Take joy in the journey and travel with someone you love. Step into the likeness of God and tell someone else about His goodness. Wear comfortable shoes. Count your blessings and say your prayers. Pray for Mom and Dad and thanks for keeping them in your prayers. Love you all, Bruce, Gaylene, Geni and Travis.

Gcapplenotes@aol.com

I am not moved by what I see. I am not moved by what I feel. I am only moved by what I believe and I believe God.