Remember His Faithfulness, Part I

12:55 p.m. Today's project is to encourage the women in this evening's Heart to Home scrapbooking class by recalling God's faithfulness to His people with a short message.

While some classes don't necessarily lend themselves to specific devotional topics, all manner of handiwork imitates our Heavenly Father's infinite, eternal work that continues every second of every day throughout the universe. We glorify and identify with Him when we put our hands into creative work. Psalm 19:1 says, "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork." We glorify God when we tell others of the great things He has done. Just today, He kept my Jeep from sliding on a slick road! (And over the last two days, to our family's and friends' amazement, He sent $500 I jokingly stated that I needed.)

One craft that no one could dispute in the category of preserving memories is scrapbooking. This evening, the ladies will bring their photos, and our instructor Candace will provide the 8"x 8" books, stickers and embellishments. In the 90 minute class period, they will be well underway to completing their project. And even as they are recounting for one another the stories behind their pictures and enjoying great fellowship while they work, the Holy Spirit will be bringing their attention to how the Lord made all of these things possible, even their very lives and the births of their children.

Every human being should devote some time each morning to thanking God for another day to wake up in this world. For sure, all believers will wake up thanking and praising Him in the next! Revelation 4:11 describes the praise of the 24 elders who cast their crowns before the throne of God in heaven:

You are worthy, O Lord,

To receive glory and honor and power;

For You created all things,

And by Your will they exist and were created.

How much we have to thank and remember God for!

Deuteronomy 7:9 tells us through Moses what God says about Himself: "Therefore know that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments."

As much as we need God's mercy and forgiveness daily, how much more do we need to remember that His mercy and forgiveness are constantly available to us? All we need do is ask, never reaching a point where God won't forgive. For every time we sin, believers should have an accompanying memory of how God forgave us, and went before us to make things right, whether it was between ourselves and Him, or whether a third party was involved. Because ALL sin is against God (Psalm 51:1-4) we need to confess to Him first--and speedily! Then we go to the other person with a properly prepared heart...

Then, as the bitterness and harm of our sins work their way through to their just consequences, we are promised a greater memory yet, of how God transformed the moment and redeemed the time, so that He would be glorified in our changed hearts!

And I'll "scrap" to that!!