Joyfully Grateful 11-25-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I speak out Your name and welcome in Your Spirit. ... “I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He judged me faithful and appointed me to His service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence. But I received mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of which I am the foremost. But for that very reason, I received mercy, so that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display the utmost patience, making me an example to those who would come to believe in Him for eternal life” (1 Timothy 1:12-16). The other day I was praying in ministry with a young woman who was wrestling in agony deep down in her soul over a painful, shameful moment of her past. Suddenly she looked at me and asked, “Have you ever been ashamed of anything you’ve done?” One of the dark moments of my life immediately came to mind and before I even had time to think about it, I was saying, “Yes, I sure have.” For added confirmation, in a strangely humorous sort of way, my prayer partner seemed to find herself immediately saying at the same moment, “Yes, he sure has.” (She’s known me in two very different seasons of my life. And You’ve known me in them all, but You both are still willing to be my prayer partner!) But even as I was acknowledging out loud the truth of a painful, shameful moment of my own past, the emotion that rose up in me was not shame. It was not guilt or condemnation or even embarrassment. It was gratitude. I can even say it was a joyful gratitude. Not for what I had done, but for what You have done for me. You were reminding me of when I let You come into that dark moment deep down in my soul, where I had been bound up in self-condemnation, guilt, and regret for such a long time. You were reminding me of the peace and joy that flooded my soul when I finally gave it all to You, embracing the forgiveness of Your steadfast love and tender mercies. You didn’t take away the memory; You took away the shame. The scar of the memory remains, but when something touches that scar in the memory of my mind, only joyful gratitude to God wells up in my heart today. I know deeply and personally, part of what drove Paul to be so passionate in his pursuit of souls who needed to know the love of God revealed in the mercy of Christ. Thank You, Lord, for all Your “utmost patience” with Paul and with me. May You strengthen me in these memories of moments of all You’ve done for me, all You continue to do in me, and all You desire to do through me in the mercy and power of Your grace. May I be found faithful in the service to which You have appointed me of sharing the healing love of God and preparing the way of the Lord in the hearts and souls of women and men. With all that I am and all that I have, all by Your grace, I am grateful—joyfully grateful to You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Healing Prayer Retreat December 4-6. Come join us for a weekend away for worship and healing of spirit, soul, and body. You'll receive personal prayer ministry and understanding of biblical, spiritual principles of healing and freedom in Christ in a loving and safe environment, welcoming the healing presence of God. Hosted at the Asbury Inn at Asbury Seminary in Wilmore, KY. Please let us know right away if you're planning to come and spread the word! Sign up online: Information/RegisterHealingRetreat Contact Marilyn Walker, our Dir. of Ministries DirOfMinistries@aol.com Many of my friends have been expressing a desire to cover my ministry trip to Pakistan in prayer December 8-18, in specific ways. If you would like to join us, please send a note to me at tommyhays@aol.com or Pastor Linda Dulin, our Messiah Ministries Prayer Coordinator: dulin_linda@hotmail.com We have some significant additional expenses for this ministry trip and I would welcome your generous encouragement in prayer and financial support at this time for this opportunity to carry the Gospel of the Kingdom of God to the people of this Muslim Nation. I'll be leading a pastors' conference, a women's conference, and public evangelism and healing meetings at the invitation of my host ministry. God bless you and thank you! Subscribe free by email to me at Messiah Ministries --MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" Contribute Online or Order our Ministry Resources: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org