NO PLACE FOR SELF-INDULGENCE:

Well Mom and I officially had a very successful weekend putting up two and a half levels of scaffolding in the stairwell and painting the entire stairwell and hallway! QUITE THE ADVENTURE! Props to Mom for going on the top level of scaffolding – I was too freaked out…but did the gymnastics through all of the rungs and levels to hand her what she needed! GREAT TEAMWORK! I am so thankful for all of her help and am just lovin’ my little beach house!

I had a great devo this am I wanted to share, once again, God never ceases to amaze me with telling me exactly what I need to hear, when I need to hear it! Here’s another little snip-bit from Reflections for Ragamuffins:

No Place for Self-Indulgence:

The gradual transformation from an attitude of self-hatred to a spirit of self-acceptance is what occurs in the process of trying to be honest. Paradoxically, the human spirit soars in the daily endeavor to make choices and decisions that are expressive of the truth of who we are in Christ Jesus, not who we should be or whom somebody else wants us to be. Self-mastery over every form of sin, selfishness, emotional dishonesty, and degraded love is the less traveled road to Christian freedom. “You cannot belong to Christ Jesus unless you crucify all self-indulgent desires and passions” (see Gal. 5:24). The perfect  joy of Saint Francis, for instance, may be at the outset an unrealistic expectation, but each small victory over self-indulgence yields its own measure of elation. The beginning of Brother Leo’s peptic ulcer probably can be traced to the day that Francis explained to him the meaning of perfect joy: “Above all the graces and gifts of the Holy Spirit which Christ gives to his friends is that of conquering himself and willingly enduring sufferings, insults, humiliations, and hardships for the love of Christ.” Leaving levity in its place, there is no growth without pain, no integrity without self-denial, and neither is particularly attractive apart from the personal love of Jesus Christ.

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 1 Peter 5:6

This seemed to fit perfectly with a quote a friend sent me from our Crazy Love study – which I will continue tomorrow!

She mentioned how challenged she is by this quote by C.S. Lewis, “If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this."

…AND I am too!

Where have you seen God’s grace in your life today?