The One Thing That Separates Us From God

"...there is only one thing that separates us from God, and it is not our sin. It is our self-righteousness." The Good and Beautiful God page 102

Wow. Really? Yes! Sin has been taken care of through the Life, Death, Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus. The new challenge is to continually remember that this isn't my righteousness or my holiness. To think so only feeds the pride of my flesh. It is indeed righteousness APPLIED to me. It is not because of my own merit or worth that my faith is counted as righteousness. No. Jesus is righteous on my behalf. And so therefore, yes, the righteousness in me is indeed perfect, but I am not the source of it. What greater priviledge can there be but to be containers of the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ?

Lord Jesus, let this reminder foster genuine humility deep within me so that I can bask in Your righteousness and delight in it as I see it manifested through me. You have made me for the purpose of displaying your love and grace to everyone I meet. Thank you LORD!

The Metamorphosis

I saw the change- the evolution took place
Your heart grew with compassion behind the same beautiful face
Like an explosion from heaven raining down care and concern
My Beauty was carried past the point of no return

From a small child you had joy and not a care in the world
Nurtured in wisdom, you were a loved and blessed girl
As you thrived and matured you learned to be an excellent lover
And the depth of your strength only began to be uncovered

Until one day out of love new hearts started to beat
A precious new life, a divinely creative feat
And that’s when I saw it right before my eyes
You blossomed into a mother worthy of heaven’s greatest prize

So I’m filled with thankfulness, amazement and joys
At the metamorphosis of my wife through this precious little boys
You have always been beautiful and your beauty will surely grow
Because your love for our children has only begun to show!

Written by Kirby for Stephanie on Mother's Day, 2004