Fulfill Your Divine Destiny Combo Set 10 Steps to Fulfilling Your Divine Destiny - book, workbook and audio CD. Lord, Are You Sure? New book by Marnie Pehrson - A roadmap for understanding what God is trying to teach you from life experiences and how to decipher what He wants you to do next. My Beloved Christ (CD) Vickey Pahnke and Randy Kartchner finally combine their years of experience to celebrate the many roles Christ plays in our lives—Creator, Shepherd, Friend, Exemplar, Messiah, etc. Moving lyrics and lush, symphonic sound make My Beloved Christ inspirational and compelling.

One of my favorite depictions of the Savior is the Christus by Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen. It’s a snow white marble statue of the Savior with his arms outstretched, palms open, the tokens of the remarkable sacrifice He made for me engraven upon the palms of His hands (Isaiah 49:15-16). As I stand before this statue, it is as if He beckons me, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls" (Matthew 11:28-30).

Besides the matchless gift those scars represent, His open palms symbolize all that He stands for, died for, everything He is, and everything He teaches and exemplifies. His hands are the opposite of the clenched fists so commonly found in this hardened world. His outstretched palms are the antithesis of tight-fisted greed, unforgiveness, self-centeredness or stinginess.

With Him there is an overflowing abundance of love, kindness, mercy, longsuffering, forgiveness, patience and a desire to do good, lift, build and bless. Was there even once that He turned someone away for being too old, too young, too rich, too poor? Did He ever command, "Go away, there’s not enough for you here?" Did He ever say, "Oh, you’re too far gone, there’s nothing I can do for you now?" Never!

If we could only live as the Savior lives and love as He loves! I believe happiness and peace only come to us in this troubled world when we strive to live as He lives, as we release our need for control, our desire to dominate, to be right, to get the last word, and our compulsion to tenaciously hang onto the things we possess.

He taught, "But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil."

"Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again" (Luke 6:35-38).

How easily we forget that every good thing we have comes from Him! Every gift, talent, and resource emanates from Him. It is only when we come to trust in His abundance - His boundless ability to forgive, to love, to bless and supply all our needs - that we relinquish our tight-fisted hold on the things of the world and experience the blessings He has in store for us. He put it this way, "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." (Matthew 16:25).

It is said that faith precedes the miracle, but it is only through sacrifice that we build faith. What sacrifice are you willing to make to develop the faith necessary for your miracles? Will it be to give more generously to others? Will you release an old grudge? Will you relinquish your need for control in some area of your life? I promise that as you make such a sacrifice upon the altar, blessings will flow to you. As they do, your faith will increase. With your strengthened faith, it will be a little easier to let another thing go and then another and another. Little by little, your faith will grow as you release one more thing that ties you to this tainted world, so that you may enjoy the blessings of His Kingdom.

It is my experience that He loves to bless us! He lives for it. It’s why He came, why He died and why He rose again the third day and stands on the right hand of the Father (Acts 7:56). I bear my solemn witness that Jesus Christ lives, that He loves you, that He is our one and only Advocate with the Father. He is our Redeemer, the very Lamb of God, and with His sacrifice He purchased us, paid the unfathomable price that we may return to live with God again! (Ecclesiastes 12:7) But His work wasn’t finished there! He still lives, answers prayers and desires to bless you on a daily basis. If you want to obtain those blessings, you must open your palms as He opens His. Sacrifice a piece of yourself: give, love, lift, bless and forgive and it will come back to you one-hundred fold! (Matthew 19:29)

Written by: Marnie Pehrson
Marnie L. Pehrson is a wife, mother of 6, founder of SheLovesGod.com, and author of both inspirational Christian titles such as You Can't Fly If You're Still Clutching the Dirt: How to Stop Worrying and Achieve Your God-given Potential and historical fiction novels like "The Patriot Wore Petticoats". Be sure to download her free ebook Nothing Is Impossible for Those Who Believe. You may read excerpts and samples of her books and ebooks at www.MarniePehrson.com. She also frequently adds to her gratitude column here.

The author may be contacted at http://www.MarniePehrson.com webmaster@shelovesgod.com.

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