God has been so gracious to me throughout my life, even when I paid no attention to Him. In 1988, in a moment of emotional and spiritual confusion, I flipped through my Bible and came across a prayer in the third chapter of Ephesians. For some reason, I was intensely drawn to read it over and over, finally even memorizing it. I had no idea why. I was not even serious about my faith in those days. After memorizing it, I did not pick my Bible up again for four years. Then, in 1991, I couldn’t put it down.
Today, I know why I was so compelled to memorize the following prayer:
Not only was this my Heavenly Father's desire for me at that time of confusion, but it became the prayer that so accurately conveys my heart’s passion and the reason behind my writings. It is my desire for you to be “rooted and grounded” in this Love. The kind of love that will lift you above your trials, calm you in the midst of storms, guide you through the maze of worldly temptations, walk with you in your valleys, and rejoice with you on your mountain tops.
The love of Christ will hold you when you are sad, lonely, or frightened; He will bind up your wounded heart and wipe away the tears. He will welcome you with open arms and a holy kiss when you reek from the stench of sin and rebellion—that kind of love. And He is the kind of love that would be spit on, be stripped of His garments, would endure thirty nine lashes with a Roman’s whip and then suffer an agonizing death on the cross—just for you. That kind of Love.
I want you to know Jesus, the power of His resurrection and the intimate fellowship of the Holy Spirit. I want you to experience the surpassing greatness of His love, filled to overflowing with all of His fullness to the glory and praise of God the Father through Jesus Christ the Son.
I hope you will enjoy this book. I hope it stirs memories of your own childhood or parenting experiences and causes you to view your life through the lens of God’s divine providence, even when you were unaware of it. I hope the next time you find a rotten potato, it will remind you of the rottenness of sin. I hope the next time you sit down to a bowl of chicken, noodles and mashed potatoes, you will think of God’s manifold blessing of mercy, peace, and love. I hope you will begin to create your own biblical parallels throughout your days.
God’s creation testifies not only to His ingenious creativity, but also His unfathomable love, His indescribable beauty, magnificent grace, and boundless wonders. How great is our God. How great is His love for us. He beckons us from the moment we are conceived and follows us throughout our lives, gently drawing us to our knees. Then, in a tender moment of sweet surrender, Jesus takes our hand as we open our hearts to Him so that we might receive all that He has for us. God bless you now and forever in your marvelous journey through life’s inevitable sticker patches.
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time, now and forever. Amen. (Jude 24, 25)
Grace and peace in Christ,
Shari England
Today, I know why I was so compelled to memorize the following prayer:
“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man; so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge; that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generation, forever and ever. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:14-21)
Not only was this my Heavenly Father's desire for me at that time of confusion, but it became the prayer that so accurately conveys my heart’s passion and the reason behind my writings. It is my desire for you to be “rooted and grounded” in this Love. The kind of love that will lift you above your trials, calm you in the midst of storms, guide you through the maze of worldly temptations, walk with you in your valleys, and rejoice with you on your mountain tops.
The love of Christ will hold you when you are sad, lonely, or frightened; He will bind up your wounded heart and wipe away the tears. He will welcome you with open arms and a holy kiss when you reek from the stench of sin and rebellion—that kind of love. And He is the kind of love that would be spit on, be stripped of His garments, would endure thirty nine lashes with a Roman’s whip and then suffer an agonizing death on the cross—just for you. That kind of Love.
I want you to know Jesus, the power of His resurrection and the intimate fellowship of the Holy Spirit. I want you to experience the surpassing greatness of His love, filled to overflowing with all of His fullness to the glory and praise of God the Father through Jesus Christ the Son.
I hope you will enjoy this book. I hope it stirs memories of your own childhood or parenting experiences and causes you to view your life through the lens of God’s divine providence, even when you were unaware of it. I hope the next time you find a rotten potato, it will remind you of the rottenness of sin. I hope the next time you sit down to a bowl of chicken, noodles and mashed potatoes, you will think of God’s manifold blessing of mercy, peace, and love. I hope you will begin to create your own biblical parallels throughout your days.
God’s creation testifies not only to His ingenious creativity, but also His unfathomable love, His indescribable beauty, magnificent grace, and boundless wonders. How great is our God. How great is His love for us. He beckons us from the moment we are conceived and follows us throughout our lives, gently drawing us to our knees. Then, in a tender moment of sweet surrender, Jesus takes our hand as we open our hearts to Him so that we might receive all that He has for us. God bless you now and forever in your marvelous journey through life’s inevitable sticker patches.
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time, now and forever. Amen. (Jude 24, 25)
Grace and peace in Christ,
Shari England
Shari, Your passion certainly shines through in all of your writings. You are so very talented and I know that your gift comes from your Heavenly Father. I know that you will continue to Bless others for the Kingdom of God's sake. Continue to chase after God, and Bless us with His revelations.
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