Category Archives: Christian Life

“IT WON’T HAPPEN TO ME!”

Christian Life, ,

Romans 2:1, 3 NLT
[1] “You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things….
[3] Since you judge others for doing these things, why do you think you can avoid God’s judgment when you do the same things?”

Having exposed the wickedness of ungodly Gentiles, Paul turns to the Jews. They were smug in their belief that they were safe from God’s wrath because they were His chosen people, blessed and protected by the knowledge of His covenant.

In the main, the Jews were just as ungodly as the Gentiles. Their history was littered with accusation, condemnation and judgment for their idolatry and its effects on them.

Paul reminds them again, in case they had forgotten,

Romans 2:6-8 NLT
[6] “He will judge everyone according to what they have done… [7] He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers. [8] But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness.”

Possession of God’s Word and the blessings of His covenant are no guarantee that His people will escape His judgment. There is only one criterion for safety, lives that are in line with His instructions.

Obedience to God’s Word is not the way to be saved from God’s wrath. Salvation is by faith in Jesus alone, by God’s grace, but… the evidence that we have been saved from sin is in our attitude to sin.

If we think that we can continue in sin because God forgives, we are making a grave mistake. The attitude, “It won’t happen to me!” clearly shows that we have misunderstood grace.

Grace is free but not cheap. God’s grace towards us cost Jesus His life in the cruellest and most painful way. Grace cost the Father the agony of watching His Son die at His own hand.

Romans 8:32 NLT
[32] “Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all…”

To treat the grace of God as cheap is to belittle Jesus to the lowest of the low.

If anything, God’s children should be elevating the worth of Jesus to the highest of the high by hating and fleeing from sin as the most abhorrent of all human behaviour.

The cross is God’s unembellished declaration of His attitude to sin, anything that contradicts God’s holy and righteous attributes. He cannot abide sin. His plan of salvation takes care of every effect of sin on people; alienation from God, pollution of our souls, the power to drag us into hell…all these and more that separate us from God and His plans for a godly family od sons and daughters like His Son.

If we trifle with sin in any way, thinking that small deviations from God’s holiness don’t matter, we are in serious danger of losing our way. Paul was emphatic, writing to believers, that those who deliberately practise sin in any form will not inherit God’s kingdom.

Philippians 3:17-18 NLT
[17] “Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. [18] For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ.”

Galatians 5:19, 21 NLT
[19]”When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures…
[21] envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.”

Are we to live lives of sinless perfection, then? Impossible! As long as we are in these bodies, we will always wrestle with temptation and easily fall into sin. There is an ongoing war between our flesh and the Spirit in us.

However, if we do sin, and we will, inadvertently, God has provided a solution.

We have an advocate…

1 John 2:1-2 NLT
[1] “My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. [2] He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.”

… and we have a way out…

1 John 1:8-9 NLT
[8]” If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. [9] But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”

Paul reminds the Roman readers that the cross of Jesus has a powerful effect on believers if they understand what the death of Jesus means in their lives. It’s not only about forgiveness. It’s about a new life and a new way of living.

Romans 6:1-4 NLT
[1] “Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? [2] Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? [3] Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? [4] For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.”

In conclusion, our attitude to sin and righteousness are clear evidence of our standing in grace.

Romans 5:1-2 NIV
[1]”Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, [2] through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.”

What is Paul saying?

Our faith in Jesus, if it is genuine, has changed our standing before God from sin and condemnation to grace and God’s power. We have a permanent standing in God’s grace that enables us to recognise and stand against sin.

Romans 6:14 NIV
[14] “For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.”

However, God’s grace is only for those who are humble enough to admit they are wrong. The attitude, “It won’t happen to me!” will disqualify me from the grace I need to overcome temptation and sin.

James 4:6-8 NIV
[6] “But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” [7] Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. [8] Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

“It won’t happen to me”? Yes it will, unless you access God’s grace by confession, forgiveness, and humble trust in God to keep you from sin.

WHY NO OTHER GODS?

Christian Life, ,

God hates idolatry! He prefaced His instructions to His people with an emphatic…

Exodus 20:2-3 NIV
[2] “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery…”

… and launched into His resume of requirements for a covenant relationship with His people….

. [3] “You shall have no other gods before me….”

Throughout Scripture, God insisted that His glory was paramount in everything He said and did, and that His people should reverence Him and promote His glory in all the details of their everyday lives.

Isaiah 42:8 NLT
[8] “I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not give my glory to anyone else, nor share my praise with carved idols.”

God chose one nation to be the vehicle through which He would display His love and power to the ungodly, idolatrous nations around them; for example, He crushed Egypt with ten plagues and delivered the Isaelites from the power of Pharaoh, exposing the impotence of Egypt’s gods.

Isaiah 43:21 NKJV
[21] “This people I have formed for Myself; They shall declare My praise.”

Idolatry is the worst form of insult to God since idols are man-made, useless, powerless, reflecting the worst of human nature, and are, ultimately, both visible and invisible representations of demonic spirits. Idols are substitutes for the only true God. They can do nothing to us or for us.

The worship of idols is the expression of human defiance against God, unbelief in who He is, and a determined effort to replace Him with self. Since humans create their own gods in one form or another, humans regard themselves as the creator above the great Creator. People create gods in their own image to elevate themselves.

How does idolatry affect people? When people worship anything or anyone other than the living God, they are living out the essence of Adam’s rebellion. “I don’t need God. I can be God!”

The spinoffs of idolatry are clear.

Humans create gods like themselves, worship them and eventually become like them, entrenching in themselves the wickedness of their gods. Idolatry becomes a vicious circle of demonic control and wicked behaviour.

Hosea 9:10 NLT
[10] “The Lord says, “O Israel, when I first found you, it was like finding fresh grapes in the desert. When I saw your ancestors, it was like seeing the first ripe figs of the season. But then they deserted me for Baal-peor, giving themselves to that shameful idol. Soon they became vile, as vile as the god they worshipped.”

The greatest tragedy of all is that Israel attempted to marry their idolatry to the worship of God. They attributed to idols what God had done. They urged Aaron to make gods to represent the God who had delivered them from slavery in Egypt.

Exodus 32:4-6 NLT
[4]” Then Aaron took the gold, melted it down, and molded it into the shape of a calf. When the people saw it, they exclaimed, “O Israel, these are the gods who brought you out of the land of Egypt!” [5] Aaron saw how excited the people were, so he built an altar in front of the calf. Then he announced, “Tomorrow will be a festival to the Lord!” [6] The people got up early the next morning to sacrifice burnt offerings and peace offerings. After this, they celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry.”

As God’s children, we may no longer worship carved idols, but the remnants of idolatry are in us if we do not guard against the elevation of self in its many subtle forms. Let me highlight three ways in which we set ourselves above God.

  1. Self-importance and self-suffiency go together.

When we inflate our opinion of ourselves above who we are, we think we don’t need God or people. Pride is nothing less than. A form of idolatry. You have heard the statement about a proud person, “He is a self-made man who worships his creator!”

  1. Unforgiveness is another form of idolatry.

An unforgiving person displays an attitude of arrogance. “I am better than you. I didn’t say/do what you said/did. You owe me. I will not lower myself to your level. I will not let you get away with this. I will punish you by withholding my forgiveness. I… I… I…”

Withholding forgiveness is a form of manipulation, keeping the debtor in my power, playing God in another’s life.

Jesus forgave in the most extreme of cruelty and indifference to His suffering…

Luke 23:34 NLT
[34] “Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.”

  1. Self-pity is a subtle form of idolatry.

“Look what has happened to me. I don’t deserve this! Poor me. I am a victim. Please feel sorry for me. Please pay attention to my suffering. Me…me…me?”

Again, it’s all about me!

Jesus is the perfect example of a human who had the correct perspective in life.

Luke 23:27-28 NLT
[27]”A large crowd trailed behind, including many grief-stricken women. [28] But Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, don’t weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.”

In His temptations, He refused to deviate from the Father’s instructions and His commitment to obey Him. “It is written…” was His response.

In His suffering, He entrusted Himself to the Father,

1 Peter 2:23 NLT
[23] “He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly.”

His example offers us a way to escape idolatry.

There are also significant spinoffs in worshipping the living God, the true God of the Bible. Jesus, as God, is worthy of our worship.

Jesus did not reject worship.

John 9:35-38 NIV
[35]”Jesus heard that they had thrown him (the blind man whom Jesus healed) out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” [36] “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.” [37] Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.” [38] Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshipped him.”

The same principle is true, that we become like the object of our worship, when we worship Jesus, the Son of God. We become like Him.

2 Corinthians 3:18 NIV
[18]”And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

Likeness to Jesus is God’s goal for His children. He is recreating us into Jesus’s image so that His children will all resemble His Son in His eternal family.

Romans 8:29 NLT
[29] “For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”

Worshipping God is an attitude and a way of life that witnesses to our belongingness to Him.

Colossians 3:17 NLT
[17]”And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.”

1 Peter 2:9 NIV
[9] “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

Worshipping God, living every moment connected to God as the centre and focal point of our lives, is God’s purpose.

John 4:23-24 NLT
[23]” But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. [24] For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”

Worshipping God is the way we live in covenant with Him. In this covenant, sealed with Jesus’ signature in His own blood, is the guarantee of all the benefits of salvation and God’s provision for life. God’s requirement for us is to believe in Jesus. His promises are the conditions of His covenant, ratified and fulfilled by Jesus. We add our “amen” to receive them.

Worshipping God alone is central to everything we have been promised and everything we enjoy in the New Covenant. Conversely, idolatry in any form cancels our participation in this new life we have in Jesus.

1 John 5:21 NLT
[21] “Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.”

CRACKED CLAY POTS

Christian Life, ,

2 Corinthians 4:7 NLT
[7] “We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.”

We have established that God’s sovereignty is expressed, not in His randomly creating some people for heaven and others for hell, but in His purpose to have a family of sons and daughters recreated in the image of Jesus through His mercy and grace.

We are all essentially clay pots, made from dust and destined to return to the dust. No one can claim any privilege or position since we were all born rebels with Adam’s nature. We are all under judgment, destined for death except for God’s intervention.

Despite the audacity of some who claim authority or office that elevates them above the riff-raff in the church, there is no grounds in Scripture for anyone assuming any such title or function outside of God’s grace. Even the greatest of the apostles called himself the least. Through grace, God called him and equipped him for his task.

Galatians 1:1 NLT
[1] “This letter is from Paul, an apostle. I was not appointed by any group of people or any human authority, but by Jesus Christ himself and by God the Father, who raised Jesus from the dead.”

1 Corinthians 15:10 NLT
[10] “But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me—and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace.”

Paul claimed no calling or authority except by God’s grace. He appealed to the members of the churches to which he wrote always as a slave of Jesus and under His authority.

So, Paul saw himself as nothing more than an empty, fragile, and cracked vessel out of which God’s glory shone through his brokenness. He did not lord his authority over the churches as some do, but appealed to his divine appointment and his obedience to Jesus as the source of his authority.

Can those today who claim titles and offices say, as Paul said, “Follow me as I follow Christ”?

1 Corinthians 11:1 NLT
[1] “And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.”

What does Paul mean when he says that we are cracked pots? Let’s go back to David’s experience recorded in the Psalms.

Psalms 51:16-17, 19 NLT
[16] “You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. [17] The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.
[19] Then you will be pleased with sacrifices offered in the right spirit— with burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings. Then bulls will again be sacrificed on your altar.”

Why, if God Himself had set up the sacrificial system in His instructions for worship, did David say that God was not interested in animal sacrifices?

Instead of animal blood being a symbol of repentance and forgiveness, the people of God had used their sacrifices as an excuse for sinning.

Hosea 8:11-13 NLT
[11] “Israel has built many altars to take away sin, but these very altars became places for sinning! [12] Even though I gave them all my laws, they act as if those laws don’t apply to them. [13] The people love to offer sacrifices to me, feasting on the meat, but I do not accept their sacrifices. I will hold my people accountable for their sins, and I will punish them. They will return to Egypt.“

God had come to hate their sacrifices because they sinned deliberately and offered sacrifices for their sin. They had developed a completely wrong idea about their sacrifices, not as a symbol of their repentance but as an excuse to carry on in their rebellion.

Through his blatant disobedience to God’s laws, and his humiliating exposure of guilt, David learned that a broken (crushed and shattered) heart and a contrite (collapsed) spirit, are of far greater value to God than animal blood.

Brokenness, however it happens in our lives, is of great value to us because it keeps our feet firmly on the ground. Paul was fully aware of, and never forgot his history. He was a persecutor and a murderer. Grace had changed him but the memory reminded him of who he was without God’s grace.

He could, therefore, say with all humility, “Without Jesus, I am nothing more than a cracked clay pot.”

That is the truth but not the whole truth. Paul completes his expression of truth by adding,
“… But God’s presence is the treasure, the light in me that shines out of me through the cracks!”

What an amazing picture…we are not fancy light fittings, created to adorn an expensive, up-market home. We are fragile, cracked vessels made from dirt, that carry within us the glory of God. God’s glory shines out of us through the cracks and fissures that sin has caused. Grace has rescued and transformed us but the scars of our sin remain as a testimony to that grace. It’s our very fallen-ness that qualifies us to receive His mercy and forgiveness. He places His own Spirit in us to shine out of us because we, without Him, are nothing but dark and empty.

God has chosen to reveal His glory to the world in different ways, through the mirror of His Word, through the majesty of His creation, but most of all, through the mercy of His redemption….and He has chosen to shine His mercy through the holes that sin has made in these clay vessels.

Only God could have done that!

LOVE SERVES

Christian Life,

John 13:1, 3-4 NIV
[1] “It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
[3] Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; [4] so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.”

Is God humble?

A strange question, yet we must answer it because humility is high on God’s list of priorities. Turns out that the question is irrelevant but for one exception. Jesus!

Humility is an attribute of humanity. Therefore, pride, the attitude of self importance that elevates the proud above his fellow beings, can never apply to God as there is no one higher than He.

By contrast, the humble person accepts and fully occupies the space God intended for him or her, in partnership with the Holy Spirit, without intruding in attitude or action into the space of others.

The Father sent Jesus to occupy His space as the God-man during His time on earth. In His humanity, Jesus accepted and functioned fully in that space. His union with the Father, through the Holy Spirit, enabled Him to carry out the Father’s will in perfect submission and obedience to Him. Therefore, He could both claim…

Matthew 11:29 NIV
[29] “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

…and act in humility.

John 13:5 NIV
[5] “After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.”

What was the space the Father prepared for Jesus to occupy?

Mark 10:45 NIV
[45] “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

He came as a servant to serve both God and man.

A servant can only serve, first, when he accepts his position and role as a servant.

John 13:3 NLT
[3]”Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God.”

Jesus was fully aware of His position in the heavenly realm. He was God with all the authority and power of His divine nature. His humanity did not take away His attributes of deity, only veiled them for a season.

To fulfil His role as the ‘Ebed Yahweh’ of Isaiah’s messianic prophecies, the servant of the Lord, Jesus had to choose to be a servant. There was no resistance or reluctance in His attitude towards the Father. He was a servant who fully embraced and carried out His role.

Philippians 2:6-7 NLT
[6] “Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. [7] Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being…”

Although Jesus was a servant…a slave in fact, the meaning of ‘doulos’…He never acted from a slave mentality. He knew who He was, in every sense of the word. He was God Himelf, veiled in a human being. However, He chose to be a Son, completely subject to His Father, during His time on earth.

As Charles Wesley so ably wrote,

“Let heaven and earth combine­,
Angels and men agree,
To praise in songs di­vine
Th’in­car­nate De­ity,
Our God con­tract­ed to a span,
Incomprehensibly made man.

“He laid His glo­ry by,
He wrapped Him in our clay;
Unmarked by hu­man eye,
The la­tent God­head lay;
Infant of days He here be­came,
And bore the loved Im­ma­nu­el’s name.”
(Words: Charles Wes­ley, Hymns for the Na­ti­vi­ty of Our Lord (Lon­don: Will­iam Stra­han, 1745), num­ber 5.)

Jesus’ commitment to be a faithful servant of the Father coloured His every thought and action. Being a servant of God both humbled Him to serve sinful humans and elevated Him to the high office of an atoning sacrifice.

The Apostle Paul adopted the same attitude as Jesus in his life of serving and suffering. He accepted his role as Christ’s slave with unswerving loyalty and obedience, together with the authority his role gave him to act for Jesus.

Philippians 1:1 NLT
[1] “This letter is from Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus. I am writing to all of God’s holy people in Philippi who belong to Christ Jesus, including the church leaders and deacons.”

Paul viewed his suffering as an offering of worship and a badge of office. He rejoiced in the privilege of pouring out his life of service to others as a sacrifice to God.

Philippians 2:17 NLT
[17]”But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, just like your faithful service is an offering to God. And I want all of you to share that joy.”

He knew who he was but he never lorded his position as an apostle over those he served. He used his authority at times but only to stamp the authority of Jesus on the behaviour of God’s people. His authority lay in the anointing of the Holy Spirit for his office as an apostle. He had no authority of his own. Before God, he was an empty vessel bearing the glory of God’s presence in him.

2 Corinthians 4:7 NLT
[7] “We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.”

Even the Apostle John wrote, “As He was in the world, so are we.”

And so, Jesus could take up a towel and water, and wash His disciples filthy, smelly feet and lose nothing of His person, His position, His dignity, or His authority. His love for the Father called from Him His unique response…and example.

John 13:14-15 NLT
[14]”And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. [15] I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.”

John 13:16-17 NLT
[16]”I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. [17] Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.”

We are stamped with the image of God, redeemed and recreated in the likeness of His Son. We have His name, His power of attorney, and His Spirit in us. We are holy and beloved, God’s own children, elevated to co-heirs with Jesus, seated with Him in the heavenly realm…

…but we are His slaves, ‘douloi’

For love of the Father, He calls us to serve.

MOLLY AND ME – AGING?

Christian Life,

It’s inevitable! Molly and I are aging!

Molly came into my life nearly eight years ago, a tiny, strawberry dapple ‘worsie’ hardly bigger than my foot. She was inquisitive, bouncy, and full of mishief. The leader of my pack, a Yorkie, did the mischief and Molly joyfully joined in.

Molly is a “velcro” dog. The closer she can get to a warm body, the happier she is. Tosca would get annoyed with her because Molly liked to sleep on Tosca’s back!

I should rather say, Molly is not aging. She is maturing. Her ever-increasingly white muzzle and paws speak of age but her maturity peeps out in her behaviour…

…For example, she loves to stretch out on my recliner and watch me prepare meals. I have taught her to move to the back of the chair when it’s time for me to sit down. Now she spontaneously wriggles her long little body backwards until she flush with the chair back! So cute!

I often wonder how much dogs can reason. When Molly has the urge to go outside when it’s raining or when she can’t get out, she does her business in my bathroom as close to the toilet as possible. How is that for consideration! At least I don’t have to tour the garden to clean up her waste.

As I said, Molly loves closeness…and equality. She believes she has a right to eat what I eat. Not always good for her. She also sleeps where I sleep. She starts the night under the blankets, especially when it’s cold. However, when I wake up, she’s sleeping with her head on the pillow next to me! How is that for equality!

Her latest habit is to wake me in the night. She used to wake me for toilet purposes but now she wakes me just to say “Hello, are you awake?” She tugs on the blankets, bumps me with her nose, or wriggles around until I show her I’m awake. After reassuring me that she doesn’t need to go outside, she lies on my arm, gazing at me with adoring brown eyes. Then we go to sleep again, assured of our love for each other.

I wonder if Molly knows that the older we grow, the closer we get to having to part! It’s a sad thought, so I make the best of every moment we have together. When I go out, I settle her in her bed, cover her with our favourite red blankie, and comfort her with treats. Homecoming is always a joyful reunion.

How much the Father has taught me through my years with this little dog. The older we grow, the closer we become. It’s like this with God too. I often spend time simply loving God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, trying to imagine what heaven will be like in the eternal presence of God. Sometimes, He wakes me in the night, for no other reason than to give me time to think about Him.

I love His presence when I go shopping, or make crocheted toys, or prepare meals. My Helper is always there to guide and advise me and to help me make the right decisions. He’s always thinking about me, more thoughts than all the grains of sand on the planet.

Psalms 139:17-18 NLT
[17] How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! [18] I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand!”

Even if I don’t listen, He is still there. And when I wake up?

Psalms 139:17-18 NLT
[17] “… And when I wake up, you are still with me!”

What thoughts does God have about me?

Psalms 139:5, 9-10 NLT
[5] You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head….
[9] If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, [10] even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.

Good, blessing, favour!

So, thank you, little Molly, for all the life lessons I have learned through my partnership with you. You have carved out a tender spot in my heart that belongs to you and you alone. We both belong to God because He made us and He gave you to me to care for, for Him.

We have no idea how many days we have left together. When I go to my place or when you go to your place, together or apart, we will have good memories of precious times and all the love that glued us to each other here on earth.