Yoga...It's What You've Been MIssing In Your Life?

Last night as I found myself actively participating in the ceremonial lounging on the couch, I was strangely caught up watching a show on Yoga.  You know what I am talking about, flipping through channels and all of a sudden a senseless show you don't even like entrances you.  Then you finally stop watching only after the show wastes an hour of your life, or someone asks, "Why you are watching this?"  Yeah, that was me!  While I was watching the "enthralling" yoga show, I heard one of the hosts say she felt as if she had been missing something religious from her life.  She also added that there was a big hole, and it seemed like nothing could fill it until she discovered yoga.   

Many things in our lives are used to fill the proverbial "hole".   It is that overwhelming empty feeling that we constantly throw junk into so that we feel fulfillment once again.  1 Timothy 6:7-10 says:

For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. ⁸ But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. ⁹ Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰ For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

What is it that you fill your life with?  I know I have my own devices and temptations that I keep at bay.  The point is, I do this successfully through God.  He filled a large hole I had in my life with peace and grace.  There are many people in this world that work harder at ruining their lives by chasing harmful desires and money than seeking God.  I really wanted to speak to that woman on the television and let her know that an exercise is an escape and will bring that momentary peace and relief, but God promises His forgiveness, grace and peace forever if we follow Him.  To wrap things up for this installment I leave you with the one verse that even unbelievers have heard several times.  It often gets overlooked by Christians because they have heard it so much over the years as they came up through the church, yet it holds God's ultimate sacrifice and promise in one package.  It's hard to believe that God cannot fill that hole inside of you after reading this verse.

John 3:16-17

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.



Why Reading Can Save Your Life......

I remember sitting in the phew on Sunday morning as a teenager wishing the pastor had somehow written a shorter sermon that week.  My mom would constantly hit my knee or shake my shoulder to wake me from my slumber just in time to here some more garble in the background from the pastor and doze off once more.  At the time I could have cared less about what a guy in back of a pulpit had to say to me.  I always thought Sunday mornings were for my parents and all of the other adults in the congregation.  That was a grievous error on my part.

Buried within those sermons that I tried so hard to fall asleep during was scripture from the bible.  To an adolescent teenager these words were just as important as the homework that had been put off until Sunday night, due Monday morning.  Listening to those words now brings me to a place that I have never been before in my life.  A book I have been reading as part of our bible study group, "Just Do Something," states that most people do not actually mature and move out of the adolescent phase of their life until their early 30's.  I would have to agree in my case!  This week I read through Proverbs 11 which spoke on wisdom and issues dealing with moral and spiritual maturity.  It was a pretty incredible read because even the unsaved individual can read it and see the inequities in their life.  God works if you allow Him too, and He has definitely shown me where I have fallen short.  The key to all of this is softening my heart and listening to what God has to say through His words in the bible.  The bible is no less important than the words Christ spoke to the disciples in the days He walked the Earth.  Just put yourself in God's shoes for a second and marinate on this..........if you wrote a letter to your loved one and then spoke the words to them as well, would the words that were written be any less important?
Read scripture on a regular basis and it will amaze you the change it will have in your life.
Proverbs 11
 ¹ The LORD detests dishonest scales,
   but accurate weights find favor with him.
 ² When pride comes, then comes disgrace,
   but with humility comes wisdom.
 ³ The integrity of the upright guides them,
   but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.
 ⁴ Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath,
   but righteousness delivers from death.
 ⁵ The righteousness of the blameless makes their paths straight,
   but the wicked are brought down by their own wickedness.
 ⁶ The righteousness of the upright delivers them,
   but the unfaithful are trapped by evil desires.
 ⁷ Hopes placed in mortals die with them;
   all the promise of^[a] their power comes to nothing.
 ⁸ The righteous person is rescued from trouble,
   and it falls on the wicked instead.
 ⁹ With their mouths the godless destroy their neighbors,
   but through knowledge the righteous escape.
 ¹⁰ When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices;
   when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.
 ¹¹ Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,
   but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed.
 ¹² Whoever derides their neighbor has no sense,
   but the one who has understanding holds their tongue.
 ¹³ A gossip betrays a confidence,
   but a trustworthy person keeps a secret.
 ¹⁴ For lack of guidance a nation falls,
   but victory is won through many advisers.
 ¹⁵ Whoever puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer,
   but whoever refuses to shake hands in pledge is safe.
 ¹⁶ A kindhearted woman gains honor,
   but ruthless men gain only wealth.
 ¹⁷ Those who are kind benefit themselves,
   but the cruel bring ruin on themselves.
 ¹⁸ A wicked person earns deceptive wages,
   but the one who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward.
 ¹⁹ Truly the righteous attain life,
   but whoever pursues evil finds death.
 ²⁰ The LORD detests those whose hearts are perverse,
   but he delights in those whose ways are blameless.
 ²¹ Be sure of this: The wicked will not go unpunished,
   but those who are righteous will go free.
 ²² Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout
   is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion.
 ²³ The desire of the righteous ends only in good,
   but the hope of the wicked only in wrath.
 ²⁴ One person gives freely, yet gains even more;
   another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.
 ²⁵ A generous person will prosper;
   whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.
 ²⁶ People curse the one who hoards grain,
   but they pray God’s blessing on the one who is willing to sell.
 ²⁷ Whoever seeks good finds favor,
   but evil comes to one who searches for it.
 ²⁸ Those who trust in their riches will fall,
   but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.
 ²⁹ Whoever brings ruin on their family will inherit only wind,
   and the fool will be servant to the wise.
 ³⁰ The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
   and the one who is wise saves lives.
 ³¹ If the righteous receive their due on earth,
   how much more the ungodly and the sinner!

The Roller Coaster You Don't Have To Ride..........

How is life like a roller coaster?  Well, in all actuality it is not.  Most often people will describe life in this manner because of the ups and downs we all go through emotionally based upon events that occur everyday.  However, those that fully trust God really will not view life in this manner because the fear of what's to come and what has come is overshadowed by the peace God provides through His love and grace.  Yet isn't that the hardest part sometimes in a relationship, trusting the other individual with all of your heart. 

This post will be simple and to the point.  I was blessed to hear these words myself, and I hope they resound in your mind and stay with you long after you hear them.  Pastor Steve Richards (Smokey Point Comm. Church) made the following points when it comes to trusting Christ:
-The only way the journey of trust begins is if we surrender everything to Him!

-You will never know God enough to trust Him unless you are ready to truly surrender all aspects of your life to Him.

-God is the source of wisdom and the source of all knowledge.

So what can we all take away from this?  There will come a time when you must settle up with Christ and trust in Him with all of your heart.  God doesn't always have to break us in order to accept His grace and the sacrifice of His son dying on the cross for our sins.  For those of us that have already accepted Him into our lives, give God all of your trust just as you gave it all the day you asked Him into your life.  This is where I struggle the most in my relationship with Him.  It's not about being the person I know I should be, it's about being the son I know God wants me to be. 

Proverbs 3:5-6
⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart
   and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶ in all your ways submit to him,
   and he will make your paths straight.

Who is influencing who?

Once upon a time there was an obnoxious guy who always joined in with the typical "Guy" things whenever he got in a group atmosphere.  You know what I'm talking about, wedgies, freezing underwear, napkins in the top of the salt and pepper shakers, and the list goes on.  There was always the classic dried bengay in the underwear as well!  At any rate, he always thought the best thing was to fit in no matter what social atmosphere he was presented with, and for a while he did a good job. 

One day this guy in our story found out that fitting in and meshing with the crowd around him had some pretty big consequences that couldn't always be seen.  He never saw the coworker that went home and cried at night because he had spread malicious remarks in the office.  He never heard the people around him that remarked on how "negative he had become."  So many things had transpired through the ideal that he could just roll through life and live how he wanted.  Then one day he became curious, as any prideful person does, and asked a few important people in his life what kind of person he was.  The answers weren't all roses!  The fact that he had practically dropped almost any sign of being a christian from his daily repertoire also did not help his case.  For many  years after graduating high school he had become a "Sunday morning Christian." 

Well, our guy had now come to a point in his life when several big decisions had come up and he continuously blew everyone of them.  God was always there for him, but he was not there for God.  The guy in our story was me, and now after all of my issues and strife I finally made that turn back to Christ.  All it took was a trip away from home and a bible study that God changed my life with.  How amazing is that poem "Footprints", and how true it is.  God's will for me is never going to be clear because it is "God's will", and not mine.  I like that because every time I thought I had things under control I fell on my face or didn't quite score to high as a good person. 

The next time you are in that group or workplace atmosphere think about what you are doing.  Are you sitting there cussing up a storm?  Are you maliciously ripping on your coworkers, people you meet everyday?  Many people wish for nice people and close friends to surround them, yet they would turn around and slander the first person they could to take attention from their own inequities.   How hard would it be for you to change and give those around you a chance..............

John 8

¹ but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
   ² At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. ³ The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group ⁴ and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. ⁵ In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” ⁶ They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
   But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. ⁷ When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” ⁸ Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
   ⁹ At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. ¹⁰ Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
   ¹¹ “No one, sir,” she said.
   “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” 
 ¹² When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

A Day Off

Over the last week or two I have made it a point to share with God how grateful I am for each and every blessing in my life.  Even things I viewed as having a negative resolve were lifted up.  You have to have the good with the bad in order to grow. 

I don't know how many people even read this blog, however, here is your chance to put in writing how God has blessed you recently, or in the past.  It can be short or long, detailed or concise, but please share!  It may be something big or small that blessed you, but regardless of what it was or is, your comments are welcome.

The Joy of Knowing

How hard is it to keep up with all of the new electronics and stuff out there to buy, pretty hard!  My down fall used to be handguns a while back.  I thought of them as cool things to have and also as a status symbol. I found myself in the same train of thought when I bought my motorcycle.  Often the thought of, "How cool would I look with that," circulated in my head.  Reality sank in several times, however, I always reverted back to having to have the next coolest thing I was into.  Bri was ready to kill me a few times (not figuratively) as I went on my buying escapades.  Haven't we all been there at one time or another?

Micah Dodson, a Seattle area church planter, asked a very important question Saturday night at church, "What does it mean to follow Jesus?"  I always thought following Jesus was asking Him into our hearts and doing good for the rest of our lives.  I could not have been farther from the truth.  How you see Jesus will change how you live for Him.  A question that truly illustrates the heart of the matter for those of us that are saved is: What are you willing to sacrifice so that others may have the joy of knowing Jesus?  Micah answered the question with 1 Peter 3:15
  ¹⁵ But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect...

If you are not saved and you are reading this, give me the opportunity to tell you how God helped me.  I often wondered what Heaven was.  Matthew 13:44-50 says,

The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl

    ⁴⁴ “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
   ⁴⁵ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. ⁴⁶ When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

The Parable of the Net

    ⁴⁷ “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. ⁴⁸ When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. ⁴⁹ This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous ⁵⁰ and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Material things fade in this world, but God offers us a new life both here and with Him after everything is said and done.  Thank you cannot express how grateful I am for God putting that message before me on Saturday night.

Two times the enjoyment...........

^{For so many of us we look around and find friends and family in all directions. I have been fortunate enough to have not only my family, but my wife's incredible family as well to raise me up when I have hit some pretty low times.  There are also many friends out there that have always been a call or click away that God has truly blessed me with.  Having that support network makes the difference in good and bad times.  The most important person though that God has placed in my life is my beautiful and caring wife.  Though we are complete opposites at times, she is always there to help lift me up when I have a hard time making it through the day.  I can see the way God works through all of these people............so what is the common thread?  They possess the fruit of the spirit and act as God calls us to:
Galatians: Chapter 5
22} But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 

^{1 Peter: Chapter 3
8} Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. ⁹ Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

Lord I pray that you guide all of us to care for one another regardless of the circumstances, and may we always ask for you to strengthen us and leave our emotions behind. Amen
 

<sup>Prayer is a powerful thing when lifted up to God.  There has been many a time when I got myself in a bind and prayed for God to hear my cry for hope.  Although I have posted about prayer in the past, I wanted to throw this back out again as God blesses me day in and day out.  I don't always get what I am asking for from the Big Man upstairs, however, He gives me what I need.  That is worth more than any gold or precious jewel in this world.  Matthew and Mark are both incredible books in the bible to read about prayer.  Just throwing that out............

Matthew 6:5-6
5</sup> “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ⁶ But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you

For Him............

Sometimes it is easy to lose myself in what's considered being an average person in the world.  Average is not what God has called us to be.  Each one one of us is special to Him........  I figure I would let God do the talking since He gives me everything anyway.  Here is one of my favorite chapters in the bible.  I have mentioned it before in previous posts.  I hope God will bless you with hearing it as much as He has me.  Pay attention to verse 14 and thereafter.

Psalm 91

 ¹ Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
   will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.^[a]
2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
   my God, in whom I trust.”
 ³ Surely he will save you
   from the fowler’s snare
   and from the deadly pestilence.
⁴ He will cover you with his feathers,
   and under his wings you will find refuge;
   his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
⁵ You will not fear the terror of night,
   nor the arrow that flies by day,
⁶ nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
   nor the plague that destroys at midday.
⁷ A thousand may fall at your side,
   ten thousand at your right hand,
   but it will not come near you.
⁸ You will only observe with your eyes
   and see the punishment of the wicked.
 ⁹ If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,”
   and you make the Most High your dwelling,
¹⁰ no harm will overtake you,
   no disaster will come near your tent.
¹¹ For he will command his angels concerning you
   to guard you in all your ways;
¹² they will lift you up in their hands,
   so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
¹³ You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
   you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
 ¹⁴ “Because he^[b] loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him;
   I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
¹⁵ He will call on me, and I will answer him;
   I will be with him in trouble,
   I will deliver him and honor him.
¹⁶ With long life I will satisfy him
   and show him my salvation.”

God Carrying Me.........

Last night I was blessed to attend Seattle Harvest, part of the Harvest Crusade series.  The music and message together really spoke to everyone in the Key Arena, including me.  I often find myself having a harder time than other Christians in receiving the true meaning from a sermon.  In plain English, I try hard to apply it to my life but am not always successful in capturing what God is trying to tell me.  Last night this was not the case.  One important message stuck out from the others and it was delivered through a guy by the name of Nick Vujicic. 

Nick is an incredible person on many levels.  He was born with no arms and no legs, yet God has blessed him immensely.  Nick said that even though he asked for a miracle and none came, God made him the miracle by allowing his words to save so many people around the world.  But last night the point that hit home for me was one of our faith toward God.  To paraphrase those words, Nick was speaking with Greg Laurie when he said that God is faithful and strong.  Even though we cannot see around the next corner, God will carry us around every corner.   This brings to mind that poem, "Footprints."  I constantly pray that God will carry me even when my fear is at it's greatest.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (New International Version)

 ⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart
   and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶ in all your ways submit to him,
   and he will make your paths straight.^[a]

FOOTPRINTS

One night a man had a dream. He dreamed
he was walking along the beach with the LORD.

Across the sky flashed scenes from his life.
For each scene he noticed two sets of
footprints in the sand: one belonging
to him, and the other to the LORD.

When the last scene of his life flashed before him,
he looked back at the footprints in the sand.

He noticed that many times along the path of
his life there was only one set of footprints.

He also noticed that it happened at the very
lowest and saddest times in his life.

This really bothered him and he
questioned the LORD about it:

"LORD, you said that once I decided to follow
you, you'd walk with me all the way.
But I have noticed that during the most
troublesome times in my life,
there is only one set of footprints.
I don't understand why when
I needed you most you would leave me."

The LORD replied:

"My son, my precious child,
I love you and I would never leave you.
During your times of trial and suffering,
when you see only one set of footprints,
it was then that I carried you."

PLEASE READ......The words speak for themselves.

So many times in my life have I been through bible studies, conferences, seminars, and special series' at church for one topic or another hoping to get some ounce of inspiration that would finally allow me to let God consume my life.  Tonight I am writing this blog post because it is finally clear to me what I have missed all these years when it comes to truly knowing what Christianity and a relationship with God is centered around.  Amazingly, after hearing 3 verses in church God let me know that He wants me to put Him at the center of everything I do in my life.  It sounds so simple, yet many Christians fail at it because they focus on being a "good christian" by going to church, doing good deeds, being good to others, and so on.  When I started to turn my life around in the last couple months I thought, "If I am a better christian then my walk with God will be incredible."  I failed to to see what Romans 11:36 says in very plain english (posted below).

Romans 33-36
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and^[i] knowledge of God!
   How unsearchable his judgments,
   and his paths beyond tracing out!
³⁴ “Who has known the mind of the Lord?
   Or who has been his counselor?”^[j]
35 “Who has ever given to God,
   that God should repay them?”^[k]
36 For from him and through him and for him are all things.
   To him be the glory forever! Amen.

I was born from Him, I am saved through Him, and everything I do should be for Him.  The part that especially struck me hard tonight was my lack of confidence in sharing God's strength, faithfulness, and incredible impact on my life with my close friends.  If I let them go on living life without at least sharing His word then I have truly failed as a friend and child of God. 

After service ended tonight at our church there was a worship time set aside for anyone to come up to the alter and truly spend some time talking with God.  I found myself wondering how awkward it would be walking up there and also wondering how my wife would react.  As I heard the music start to play and I  gently nudged against my beautiful wife to walk out of the pew, I found myself hand in hand with my best friend, walking up to the alter and kneeling down.   I was so blessed by the experience...... 
Lots covered tonight, but the point God wants me to make is that He should be at the center of your life every second, of every minute, of every hour of every day.  I know I will catch myself slipping, but I know I will stay the course.

Forgiveness: Parable of the unforgiving servant

Forgiveness is a huge word to comprehend because the word is not the focus, it is the action behind the word itself that validates it's very existence.  Recently I made it a point to set out and apologize to everyone at work that I had spoken malicious things of.  It was incredibly hard to swallow my pride, especially since I looked down at them from my supposed high point for so long.  God would not let me forget these individuals as He placed each instance in my mind day after day, and how I acted poorly in each case.  Once one sincere apology came out there was always another incident in my mind where I made a poor decision to verbally attack someone else.  For a little bit I felt so ugly when I realized the type of human being I had become inside.  The part that was hardest was finding the strength to actually say the words that could tell the other person I was truly sorry.  For that I had to once again lay my plight at God's feet and kneel as a sinner.

While thinking of the topic of forgiveness I remembered a favorite parable of mine from the bible, the parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:21-35).  For those of you that do not know the story here it is straight from the bible.

                               Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
"Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.
As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him.  Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

"The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.'
The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

"But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded.
"His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'

"But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.
When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.

"Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to.
Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?'

In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

"This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."
(NIV) Matt 18:21-35

Many emotions come from wrongs done to us and those acts that we commit against others.  Everyone always feels pain, embarrassment, pride, and a slough of other emotions.  It was the hardest thing for me to ask forgiveness of others when my pride had gotten in the way, and even a harder thing to forgive those whom I thought I could weigh judgement on.  Having a tender heart and a slow tongue are things I now pray for all the time.  When I forget to use either of them I once again kneel down and ask God to forgive this sinner.

God's grace

Everyone of us has been in that position where something horrible has befallen us or we are stuck between a rock and a hard place.  For those who are saved, we reach out to God asking for his mercy and strength in our time of need.  For those who are not saved, they curse the world or depend upon man to come to their need.  Although trials may come, and some of them can be prettty overwhleming, God will never give us more than we can handle.  Through the storm will also come hope for those who call upon the Big Guy upstairs and lay themselves and their trials at His feet.  The question is, why does God help us and give us the strength and/or items to live on?  Ladies and gentlemen, the answer is always His grace.

My pastor once mentioned the definition of grace being, "An undeserved gift."  How fitting is that when we often give very little to God as we meander through our daily lives.  I have often been the one to forget Him when things are going so well in life.  I have even had the shame of thinking that I did it all on my own.  Let's dig peeper though.  My Mom is a breast cancer survivor today because of God's grace and salvation in her life.  Even if she hadn't made it, the understanding that God blessed her with the salvation of heaven is there.  I think of all the wicked things that happen in our world and wonder how such an incredible God could think that we deserve any better.  God offered his son as a sacrifice.  His ultimate gift was to save us through His son.   It took a long time but now I have the heart and the right frame of mind to accept the grace that God has bestowed on all of us.  There is the key to all of it; you have to accept that which God willingly offers. 

Psalm 91 gives a good account of God's strength and His promise to us.