Tales of Grace

Living by His grace, for His glory | Zar | 21 | PHL

[unworthymadeworthy]

Isn’t the phrase, “Nothing can separate us from the love of God” one of the most common yet most forgotten phrases? We’ve read it. We’ve known it for the longest time. Yet there are still moments when we feel so ashamed of coming to God with our cries just because we feel so far from Him. Oh God, how great is Your love for us! 

[unworthymadeworthy]

Why Is God So Big on Patience? | RELEVANT Magazine

“Love is patient…” “But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.” Seems…

Most of time, we (and that includes me) easily get tired of waiting on God because we think waiting on Him is just like waiting in line for our turn to pay our groceries, where the main objective is to reach the counter and pay for whatever you picked.

But the truth we all know yet refuse to accept and remember is that waiting on Him is a lot different. When we wait on Him, the fulfillment of His promises is not the main, sole point. The process of waiting is a blessing in itself and we are called to patiently and joyfully endure it. Maybe if we will see that there is a much bigger blessing in the waiting, it wouldn't seem so boring at all, would it?

[unworthymadeworthy]

Why There’s No Such Thing as an 'Unanswered' Prayer | RELEVANT Magazine

If you’re like me, every time I post something to social media I get an instant shot of adrenaline as I watch the likes and comments roll through. They come…

Most of time, we expect God to answer our prayers on our own "when's" and "what's." We expect the answers to come when we expect it, the way we expect it, forgetting that His ways are higher than ours, that He knows better than we do. But sometimes, we tend to miss His move, just because we're spending most of our time looking for the move, in a form we just made up in our own worldly, limited minds, and that's sad!

No asked prayer comes out unanswered. There are just some answers that go unnoticed just because we're looking for the wrong one.

[unworthymadeworthy]

[Late post again because there's so much to catch up on ever since the sem ended] . . Last week, all of my grades for my second semester in grad school came out. And when I saw it, all I can say was, "Thank You, Father. This is all You." . . The previous sem had been nothing but tough. I've experienced attending classes so lost and confused, tired and drained. I've experienced going home on Saturday afternoons feeling like I've learned nothing jut because I didn't have enough brain power to process the lectures. So many sleepless nights. Lots of unproductive days. I've spent some nights thinking if there's any purpose in doing all these. . . And during those moments, You have been there for me, reminding me of Your purpose. In times I was lost, You were my Direction. In times I felt like I know nothing and I didn't have enough time to prepare, You were my Wisdom. In times I am soooo tired, You were my Energy and Strength. And in times I considered giving up, You were my Encouragement. In times I felt alone in this battle, He did not just remind me that He is with me; but He also sent people to join me and push me in this journey. When I felt so mediocre, You became my Excellence. . . Father, for the nth time, You have reminded me that where You lead, you provide. Thank You for always being there to fill me up. Thank You for your restoring, renewing Love. May You always remind me that You will always be my completion. It is a blessing to be less just so You could be more. Marami pang darating na sem, Lord. Pero kayang kaya kasi nandyan ka. . . . // Posting this as well to remind myself regularly that in every situation, God is there, working. In every battle, He is not just fighting with us, He is fighting FOR us. // https://www.instagram.com/p/ByT5ZnRj9es/?igshid=sgcdb9yf470x

[unworthymadeworthy]

–Adrien Segal, Desiring God

I didn’t know my life was broken until He came and showed me how wholeness feels like. I didn’t mind the darkness until He revealed His glory and radiance. I’ve always thought I got it all right, until He showed all the ways I was wrong.

But surprisingly, I wasn’t even disappointed. Rather, I was overwhelmed–overwhelmed by the fact that no matter how wrong I was, He accepts me; no matter how proud I was, He never left me; no matter how many times I tried to ignore Him, He never gave up. Oh, what kind of love is that, Jesus? Thank You for opening up my eyes to all the things I was missing out before I encountered You. https://www.instagram.com/p/BrShyO0jGs8/?igshid=i6hhopjlutjn

[unworthymadeworthy]

What We Get Wrong About ‘Giving Our Testimony’ | RELEVANT Magazine

Often, testimonies within the church go something like this: 1. I thought I was a Christian, but…. 2. God did [blank] in my life… 3. …And now I’m at this…

"Real faith lives aren’t just rainbows and sunshine. Let’s stop acting as if they are."

Sometimes, in sharing our testimonies, we unintentionally make it seem like our lives suddenly turned 180 degrees after our first encounter with Jesus, like the struggles and hardships immediately disappeared like magic. There are times we forget that the transformation He brings is gradual and the journey of going deeper in our relationship with Him is a process--there are still struggles, there are still temptations, hardships remain. But the biggest difference from then to now is that we are stronger, we are braver all because we are facing these struggles with Him, through Him, and for Him.

[unworthymadeworthy]

🎶 "Endless mercy came to find my soul. Heaven's Glory took me, made me whole." 🎶

--Golden Streets - Victory Worship // For Your Purpose EP (2017)

I can never fathom the depths of Your grace and mercy, my God. No matter how many times we try to bind ourselves again with the chains You've already broken, You repeatedly remind us of the identity You have purchased for us as Your sons and daughters, found, saved, and made whole by Jesus' sacrifice. Will never have the words to thank You enough, but Lord, my heart is overflowing with joy. Thank You for breathing afresh on me.

[kindlykarlirose-deactivated2017]

I’m thankful that God is as firm a foundation as He is, that when I’m fed up with my circumstances because my vision is only for the here and the now despite my knowledge that He’s in control, in my weakness I’m thankful that He is as steady as steady could ever be and He can handle my anger and fear and confusion, guiding me and steadying me and holding me until I make it through to the other side where ultimately, I always see the way He was right all along and had the best in mind for me because His vision is whole picture and always has been. 

I can’t begin to put it into words but knowing in the moment that He’s right and good but not being able to fully grab hold of it without being disappointed in my current state - even then I know what the other side brings and I cling with every fiber of my being believing that He’s good and strong enough, holding onto me so it’s okay if my grasp is slipping - He always carries me through, we always get to that place where I can look back and know that this reason was there all along and that He’s only ever faithful, only ever good, only ever kind. And wow let me tell you, He knows me so well, He knows my heart and I’m never going to get over that. Ever.

[sabiniabi-deactivated20181015]

if God can make the heavens and earth in six days imagine what he can do in your life, and imagine what he has been doing in your life since the day you were born. I can imagine that our lives will be just as beautiful as the universe He created if we only let His hands move freely in our lives.

[allofthegrero-blog]

The Anatomical And Physiological Details Of Death By Crucifixion: By Dr. C. Truman Davis A Physician Analyzes the Crucifixion. From New Wine Magazine, April 1982. Originally published in Arizona Medicine, March 1965, Arizona Medical Association. Crucifixion was invented by the Persians in 300 BC, and perfected by the Romans in 100 BC. 1,It is the most painful death ever invented by man and is where we get our term “excruciating.” 2,It was reserved primarily for the most vicious of male criminals. Jesus refused the anaesthetic wine which was offered to Him by the Roman soldiers because of His promise in Matthew 26: 29, “But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.” 3,Jesus was stripped naked and His clothing divided by the Roman guards. This was in fulfilment of Psalm 22:18, “They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.” 4,The Crucifixion of Jesus guaranteed a horrific, slow, painful death. Having been nailed the Cross, Jesus now had an impossible anatomical position to maintain. 5,Jesus’ knees were flexed at about 45 degrees, and He was forced to bear His weight with the muscles of His thigh, which is not an anatomical position which is possible to maintain for more than a few minutes without severe cramp in the muscles of the thigh and calf. 6,Jesus’ weight was borne on His feet, with nails driven through them. As the strength of the muscles of Jesus’ lower limbs tired, the weight of His body had to be transferred to His wrists, His arms, and His shoulders. 7,Within a few minutes of being placed on the Cross, Jesus’ shoulders were dislocated. Minutes later Jesus’ elbows and wrists became dislocated. 8,The result of these upper limb dislocations is that His arms were 9 inches longer than normal, as clearly shown on the Shroud. 9,In addition prophecy was fulfilled in Psalm 22:14, “I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out of joint.” 10,After Jesus’ wrists, elbows, and shoulders were dislocated, the weight of His body on his upper limbs caused traction forces on the Pectoralis Major muscles of His chest wall. 11,These traction forces caused His rib cage to be pulled upwards and outwards, in a most unnatural state. His chest wall was permanently in a position of maximal respiratory inspiration. In order to exhale, Jesus was physiologically required to force His body. 12,In order to breathe out, Jesus had to push down on the nails in His feet to raise His body, and allow His rib cage to move downwards and inwards to expire air from His lungs. 13,His lungs were in a resting position of constant maximum inspiration. Crucifixion is a medical catastrophe. 14,The problem was that Jesus could not easily push down on the nails in His feet because the muscles of His legs, bent at 45 degrees, were extremely fatigued, in severe cramp, and in an anatomically compromised position. 15,Unlike all Hollywood movies about the Crucifixion, the victim was extremely active. The crucified victim was physiologically forced to move up and down the cross, a distance of about 12 inches, in order to breathe. 16,The process of respiration caused excruciating pain, mixed with the absolute terror of asphyxiation. 17,As the six hours of the Crucifixion wore on, Jesus was less and less able to bear His weight on His legs, as His thigh and calf muscles became increasingly exhausted. There was increasing dislocation of His wrists, elbows and shoulders, and further elevation of His chest wall, making His breathing more and more difficult Within minutes of crucifixion Jesus became severely dyspnoeic (short of breath). 18,His movements up and down the Cross to breathe caused excruciating pain in His wrist, His feet, and His dislocated elbows and shoulders. 19,The movements became less frequent as Jesus became increasingly exhausted, but the terror of imminent death by asphyxiation forced Him to continue in His efforts to breathe. 20,Jesus’ lower limb muscles developed excruciating cramp from the effort of pushing down on His legs, to raise His body, so that He could breathe out, in their anatomically compromised position. 21,The pain from His two shattered median nerves in His wrists exploded with every movement. 22,Jesus was covered in blood and sweat. 23,The blood was a result of the Scourging that nearly killed Him, and the sweat as a result of His violent involuntary attempts to effort to expire air from His lungs. Throughout all this He was completely naked, and the leaders of the Jews, the crowds, and the thieves on both sides of Him were jeering, swearing and laughing at Him. In addition, Jesus’ own mother was watching. 24,Physiologically, Jesus’ body was undergoing a series of catastrophic and terminal events. 25,Because Jesus could not maintain adequate ventilation of His lungs, He was now in a state of hypoventilation (inadequate ventilation). 26,His blood oxygen level began to fall, and He developed Hypoxia (low blood oxygen). In addition, because of His restricted respiratory movements, His blood carbon dioxide (CO2) level began to rise, a condition known as Hypercapnia. 27,This rising CO2 level stimulated His heart to beat faster in order to increase the delivery of oxygen, and the removal of CO2 28,The Respiratory Centre in Jesus’ brain sent urgent messages to his lungs to breathe faster, and Jesus began to pant. 29,Jesus’ physiological reflexes demanded that He took deeper breaths, and He involuntarily moved up and down the Cross much faster, despite the excruciating pain. The agonising movements spontaneously started several times a minute, to the delight of the crowd who jeered Him, the Roman soldiers, and the Sanhedrin. 30,However, due to the nailing of Jesus to the Cross and His increasing exhaustion, He was unable to provide more oxygen to His oxygen starved body. 31,The twin forces of Hypoxia (too little oxygen) and Hypercapnia (too much CO2) caused His heart to beat faster and faster, and Jesus developed Tachycardia. 32,Jesus’ heart beat faster and faster, and His pulse rate was probably about 220 beats/ minute, the maximum normally sustainable. 33,Jesus had drunk nothing for 15 hours, since 6 pm the previous evening. Jesus had endured a scourging which nearly killed Him. 34,He was bleeding from all over His body following the Scourging, the crown of thorns, the nails in His wrists and feet, and the lacerations following His beatings and falls. 35,Jesus was already very dehydrated, and His blood pressure fell alarmingly. 36,His blood pressure was probably about 80/50. 37,He was in First Degree Shock, with Hypovolaemia (low blood volume), Tachycardia (excessively fast Heart Rate), Tachypnoea (excessively fast Respiratory Rate), and Hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating). 38,By about noon Jesus’ heart probably began to fail. 39,Jesus’ lungs probably began to fill up with Pulmonary Oedema. 40,This only served to exacerbate His breathing, which was already severely compromised. 41,Jesus was in Heart Failure and Respiratory Failure. 42,Jesus said, “I thirst” because His body was crying out for fluids. 43,Jesus was in desperate need of an intravenous infusion of blood and plasma to save His life 44,Jesus could not breathe properly and was slowly suffocating to death. 45,At this stage Jesus probably developed a Haemopericardium. 46,Plasma and blood gathered in the space around His heart, called the Pericardium. 47,This fluid around His heart caused Cardiac Tamponade (fluid around His heart, which prevented Jesus’ heart from beating properly). 48,Because of the increasing physiological demands on Jesus’ heart, and the advanced state of Haemopericardium, Jesus probably eventually sustained Cardiac Rupture. His heart literally burst. This was probably the cause of His death. 49,To slow the process of death the soldiers put a small wooden seat on the Cross, which would allow Jesus the “privilege” of bearing His weight on his sacrum. 50,The effect of this was that it could take up to nine days to die on a Cross. 51,When the Romans wanted to expedite death they would simply break the legs of the victim, causing the victim to suffocate in a matter of minutes. This was called Crucifragrum. 52,At three o’clock in the afternoon Jesus said, “Tetelastai,” meaning, “It is finished.” At that moment, He gave up His Spirit, and He died. 53,When the soldiers came to Jesus to break His legs, He was already dead. Not a bone of His body was broken, in fulfilment of prophecy (above). 54,Jesus died after six hours of the most excruciating and terrifying torture ever invented. 55,Jesus died so that ordinary people like you and me could go to Heaven. All He Asks You is to Love Him, Your Lord, Your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’!!

[emiry214-deactivated20150619]

#42- He didn’t thirst for fluid. His thirst is for souls. For our hearts. For us.

[unworthymadeworthy]

In suffering and unprecedented circumstances...

Me: Oh God, why now? Why me?

God: My daughter, My son, I have made everything beautiful and appropriate in its time. Trust My plans, trust My timing.

[unworthymadeworthy]

Did God Write the Story You Didn’t Want?

When God writes your story in a way you didn’t want, remember that there’s more to your story than you can see or understand now.

“We are all works in progress. And we are all in the middle of our stories. We don’t know how things will turn out. We do know, however, that nothing is impossible with God. He gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist,” -- Vaneetha Rendall Risner

Most of the time, we tend to focus on what God took away from us, missing the point of all the He is doing. 

[unworthymadeworthy]

Christianity is not about not swearing. It's not about not having impure thoughts. Really, it's not about not at all. Christianity is about Jesus.

Judah Smith, ‘Jesus Is__________”

And everything gets wrong when we fail to see and fix our eyes on Him.

[quiet-spirittt-deactivated20221]

something God has been whispering and teaching me lately: 

“be content with Me.” 

[unworthymadeworthy]

SAME!

[unworthymadeworthy]

God, I want to seek You. I want to know more about You. 

[unworthymadeworthy]

The good news is that you don't need people's permission to dream. When God stirs your heart and gives you a dream, He'll provide you the grace to believe it, embrace it, and complete it. He will in time also assign others to encourage you, help you, and share in the victory celebration.

Bishop Ferdie Cabiling aka The Running Pastor, ‘Run: Endure the Pain, Keep the Faith, Finish your Race’

[afterhisownheart]

Every time I think, “This is it. I’ve done it. God has left me. He could never love me or forgive me after this,” I find the opposite to be true:

He never leaves me, and He’ll never leave you.