Hi Mom!

If your new to this blog you’ll quickly recognize that I write these things for my self and my mom is my number one fan.  You are welcome to join us and you can even click to follow this blog, over there on the right.  It’s March and this is blog number 3 for 2017, which may blow out the total number of blogs written last year…haha.  That’s a good sign for this year of ABIDE.

Here’s what ABIDE has looked like for me this year:

I’m deep into the writing of the exam answers for the ACBC Biblical Counseling exam.  In order to answer questions like: “Provide an explanation of and the biblical basis for the doctrine of substitutionary atonement, explaining the implications of this doctrine for human guilt over sin. Relate your understanding of this to the concept of false guilt.” , you need to have a fair (read overabundance) amount of abiding!! Who comes up with these questions anyway? I am so desperate for the intervention of the Holy Spirit in answering these questions that I SEEK Him desperately.  ABIDE.

I’m also currently counseling 3 lovely ladies through some really tough stuff.  As I prepare for each meeting I find myself completely useless and without any measure of ability to offer help, apart from the Good News of Jesus Christ.  And so, I Abide.  I beseech the Lord for His wisdom, for His healing, for His work.  I have nothing to offer, I am inadequate for these women but MY GOD is adequate, He is all Sufficient. ABIDE.

This morning my precious family slept in, well except the dogs…they are raring to go first thing and really love their routine of go outside, come in, eat, go outside, come in sleep, go outside….I get up with the dogs because I really love the routine of letting the dogs out, drinking coffee and Abiding!  I have 3 devotionals right now that I’m addicted too:

New Morning Mercies by Paul Tripp…..GO GET IT< OH MERCY

Faith Alone by Martin Luther….EVERY GOOD LUTHERAN READS MARTIN LUTHER

My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers….CLASSIC GOODNESS

Today, I was blessed to abide from 6:30-9:00 a.m. Blessed I tell you!  and then I got all sucked up into 1 Corinthians 6:19

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?  you are not your own, for you were bought with a price.  So glorify God in your body.

You are not your own, Tracy, you were bought with a price.  It cost the life of God’s son to redeem you.  It was not without sacrifice, it was not without pain, it was not without sorrow, but it was for God’s glory and it was to purchase you.  Tracy, you are not your own, you are God’s precious and dear daughter.  So, glorify God in your body.

Ya’ll this is not about working out or not eating pork or abstaining from GMO products.  Although, I did just start a 30 day Isagenix cleanse and I can tell you that my body is pretty happy….no, this is about your doing.  The whole context of this verse is about fleeing sexual immorality but God led me down the path of understanding today that this verse applies to my doing or my not doing.

Whether it be sexual immorality, or over eating, or not getting the rest you need or whatever, it’s not yours to abuse your body.  You don’t own it! You were bought with a price. Glorify God.

Now, my mind took this a step further and as I struggle with the FULLNESS of my everyday, work, family, counseling, church, study, etc….every minute is taken and I can sometimes feel weary.  But this morning I was refreshed to see that my body is not my own.  It was bought with price and my doing, my work is not my own.  The owner of the slave dictates what he does.  My owner is God Almighty and as He offers me my daily duties, I work as unto Him.  If He wills that I have full days, then I  have full days.  If he has 3 (or more) people that need to be a part of my life right now, to be gently led through their adversity, then its His work I’m doing not my own.  If my business ramps up by His blessing, and work is busy, then it’s His work I do because its His body I inhabit.

Do you see the freedom and joy in this?

Not my body.  Not my work. Not my own.

Abide