Happy Wednesday! 

I had a wonderful treat today.  My goddaughter and her mom came by and took me to lunch.  We had the loveliest time. 

I have spent the rest of the day with the Song of Solomon.  Our Hebrew friends consider this book the holiest of holy books as they view it as the love story of God and the nation of Israel.  Christians look at this writing as the love story of Christ and the Church.  Many biblical commentators look it as the story of human love with the most interesting metaphors.  I told my professor when it came to the passage where the male voice in the poem tells the woman her hair is like goat running down the mountain.  I laughed and thought, “What smelly and matted?”  I have been to that goat barn at the livestock show.  I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

Prayer:  “Lord, I rejoice in Your great grace that was expressed at Calvary so that I might know the fullness of Your love.  I rejoice in Your great gift of eternal life that has given me righteousness I could never gain on my own.  Empower me through Your Spirit to show and share this gift with others this day. Amen.”

“For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.”

Romans 1: 17

Righteousness is that which God is, has and gives when individuals receive Jesus as Savior by faith.  This is how we gain our likeness to God, we become “just” and live by faith.   We receive righteousness through the power of the Holy Spirit. We then reproduce that same righteousness as we live by faith.  We have no capacity to gain righteousness on our own.  Ok here it is…God gave us His righteousness, Jesus, who took upon Himself all of our sin and dying our death on the Cross as an exchange for our salvation and gives us His righteousness. WOW!

God accepts us as we are through the blood of Jesus so we no longer have to live lives full of guilt and shame.  We have righteousness because we are now motivated by the One to whom we have surrendered our Lordship.  Let us praise God for the victory given to us as His children and the complete head to toe blessings we have received.

Take joy in the journey.  Wear comfortable shoes and get some sleep.  Count your blessings and say 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.