I hate to take you into my brain right now—it’s such a cluttered mess. But I’ve been thinking about something and wonder if it’s just me, or if this is an experience such as is common to man. I hate to go out on a limb and ask because it involves the sin of doubt. I was reading in Genesis 18 where Abram was talking to God one day, boldly asking God to have mercy on the people of Sodom.
Abram asks, “”Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
Abraham works his way down to ten people. “Will not the Judge of all the earth do right? And the Lord responds. For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.” It seems this would anger the Lord, yet He is patient with Abraham’s questions. He continues to reassure Abraham that He will be fair in His judgment. I still want him to ask one more. “For the sake of one, would not the Judge of all the earth do right?” I know the answer in my head, but somehow I don’t believe in my heart that I alone am worthy of such a loving God. And the obvious answer is: I am most certainly not. But Christ is my righteousness, and He died for us to have this purity before the Throne of God. Can I trust God enough to know that nothing about His character is unfair, and that He never acts in a way that is inconsistent with righteousness and love? I’ve said it here before, but I believe what God says in His Word is true, but I don’t always believe He’d do it for me. I believe in miracles, but my faith short-circuits somewhere between, “God so loved the world…and God so loved Annette,…”
God is my loving God. I have to take God personally and believe His universal Truth is my Truth. I have to have faith that even for one, even for me, God extends extreme Grace.
Come Ye Sinners – Amy Grant & Fernando Ortega
annette geffert 
That is why we must remind ourselves every day of his awesome promises concerning us…the world, the enemy, all against us…I choose each day to believe the Truth…the voice of Jesus…the good Shepherd who would leave the flock for the one, leave the flock for you. leave the flock for me. I love my Rescuer!!!
soooo good talking with you today!!! hope your new bed is sleeping warm tonight!! Praying for you, sweet friend.
YES! HE would do it just for you. He’d save the city just for you. You make me think of Deut 7:7 – “IT was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD SET hIS lOVE ON YOU AND CHOSE YOU, BUT IT IS BECAUSE THE LORD LOVES YOU AND IS KEEPING THE OATH THAT HE SWORE TO YOUR FATHERS,.” HE has brought you to the place where you are. HE has redeemed you. Not because of any performance—-nothing you can do to earn His Favor, His Salvation. Nothing. Wonder what you think you would have to do to merit His Favor, His Love? All HE wants is a glad surrender and you are doing it! You are beautiful in His Sight and in ours!
For God so loved Annette G, for God so loved Karen, for God so loved Annette H, for God so loved Ang…oh that I could love that way, pure love for myself and every person…so hard to comprehend isn’t it, but we know it’s true.
Love, Annette H
It’s funny that we believe that God loves everybody else but we’re not so sure about ourselves. I wonder if that’s not another self esteem issue. After all, I KNOW me. I know the me that everybody else knows but I also know the me with all the icky parts, the one no one but God sees. And sometimes I wonder what He sees in me. The thing is, even though I don’t always understand what He sees in me, I am SO grateful that He sees something. (I think this is one of the reasons that verses that talk about His delighting in us, our being a precious treasure or possession and things like that mean so much to me.)
praying God’s blessings over you today…
love you,
karen
God so loved you, Annette. It is SO hard to grasp that He would do it again just for me! I don’t know if I’ll ever get that in the depths of my soul. Maybe one day I will. I hope you are relaxing in Him right this moment and feel His perfect peace! You are also loved by your friend up in Michigan!
Angie
xoxo