Past, Present, Future.

    For my fifteenth birthday, my mom decided that she really wanted to get me a purity ring.  I thought that it was a really cool idea, so we started looking.  We didn't have to look very hard until we found the perfect one.  I wasn't planning on getting anything super duper nice or expensive, so my mom and I immediately bee-lined  our way to the clearance section in the jewelry department of JC Penny's.  I looked down and saw the perfect one.  Three emeralds (my birth stone), beautiful placement, diamonds.  I immediately figured it was out of our price range.  Then, when we looked at it, we saw that it was on 90% clearance!! Yeah, 90% clearance!!!  We then asked the lady to take it out of the case for me to try on.  It was a perfect fit.  As I held this little ring in my hand, I looked at the inside and saw that there was an inscription.  Between little diamonds placed on the inside, there read the words "Past, Present, Future."  Just like my precious Lord.

    Needless to say, this ring is very, very special to me.  You'll never see me without it. It serves as a reminder of my promise to God, and His promises to me. When I look at it, I'm reminded that Jesus hand picked it out for me and I'm also reminded of His precious promises.  He never changes, He never fails, He is always faithful, His love is unconditional. Hebrews 13:8  "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."


  Something Jesus has been teaching me lately is how worthy He is.  No matter how I feel, what has happened to me, or what I think, He is ALWAYS worthy and deserving of my utmost praise and adoration.  Sometimes I'm not going to understand why He lets things happen or what He is doing, simply because He is God and I am not.

Isaiah 55:8-9

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, 
   neither are your ways my ways,” 
            declares the LORD. 
 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, 
   so are my ways higher than your ways 
   and my thoughts than your thoughts."

   

   When we don't understand what He is doing, His timing, where He is leading or why He is letting something happen (or not happen), we need trust in His promises, His character, and most importantly, His bountiful, overflowing, all-consuming, passionate, unconditional love for us.

   Because of who He is, He deserves our everything.

  Who He is does not depend on our personal circumstances or feelings.  For that, I am thankful.  

  When you aren't feeling anything, understanding anything, or seeing what lies ahead, trust in the One who holds the past, present and future.  Dare to obey Him, to give Him your everything.  See what He can do with a life fully surrendered to Him.

The world has yet to see what God can do with and for and through and in and by the man who is fully and wholly consecrated to Him. I will try my utmost to be that man. -D.L. Mood