Celebrations!!!

So I am not usually up this early in the morning.  The house is quiet and will be just my husband and I until this evening.  We are hoping to accomplish some serious prayer and job searching today.  Praying for clarity today!

As I was reading the scripture this morning I was struck by a few parables, the ones most of us know all too well.  The one about the lost sheep and the lost coin.  The 1 lost sheep out of 100, and how you go and look for the lost one and then rejoice when you find it.  Or the lost coin, when you search and search until you find it, then rejoice when you do!!  Both of these end with the same thing.  "there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents..." and "there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents."  Do you think that your sins are just too big to forgive?  Do you ever feel ashamed by them that you don't even want to talk about them with God?  Remember the TRUTH!  Heaven rejoices when we repent.  God doesn't condemn us or look down on us but celebrates with us when we repent.  How cool is that?

When I was reading again the story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15) I caught some words that I hadn't before.  This son, took his inheritance and spent it all in wild living.  He lost everything and was feeding the pigs when verse 17 says "But when he came to himself..."  He must have had a moment when all of a sudden he thought "what am I doing?"  He must have thought he had been out of his mind.  So he went home to his father hoping to be treated as a servant but instead his father celebrated his return with a feast.  The father said "for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.  And they began to celebrate."

No matter what you have done Jesus loves you.  He wants to celebrate with you a free life.  A life that embraces his forgiveness - a new life.

We are so free!!!