Praise to God for a Living Hope

 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

                                                                                                                  1 Peter 1:3-9

  This was the passage that was preached on at The Village on Sunday. It's always amazing when there is a sermon that you feel God is actually reaching down and writing the words on your heart. I felt His love and His presence wrap around me and just hold me and whisper words of assurance and peace.


Truth revealed to me in regards to the Joplin devastation.


1. We have been given a living hope that God has given us an inheritance that can never perish.
Why did this speak to me? Joplin has seen so much of the town perish, it's people, it's buildings, even hope has diminished. But God is preparing a place for us in heaven. One that rot and rust and devastation will never be able to touch. It reminded me that I am merely a visitor in this world and my home is with the Father. He will protect me and keep me until the day he calls me home.


2. Rejoice in the Lord for He is good....even in times of trials the Lords glory must shine through. You're faith should not be shaken by a tornado or other events in your life. It's the times like these that your genuine faith will be tested and refined. Be strong and keep faith so that Christ may be exalted.


3. Though you can not see Him, you believe in Him.
This is one of the biggest for me. You hear ALL the time...Where is God in the midst of this? Well, I can't see good in this...I can't see the God in this. But I know my God and I trust my God that He is there. I will continue to lift up and glorify my father in heaven despite the sufferings and hardships that come my way.


My God is all powerful, all knowing, and loves me more then words can express. To him be all the glory for the past, the present, and the future. I pray my life be a pleasing aroma to him and that I will remain strong and steadfast in my faith.

"Into the darkness you shine

Out of the ashes we Rise

There’s no One like You

None like You.

Our God is greater, our God is stronger

God You are higher than any other

Our God is Healer, awesome in power

Our God, Our God…

Our God is greater, our God is stronger

God You are higher than any other

Our God is Healer, awesome in power

Our God, Our God…"

       --- Chris Tomlin ---

The battle

 Hope vs Fear

     Where does being cautious end and the fear begin? I've been broken , then mended and then broken again more times then I care to count in my adult life so I, for good reason, have a very cautious outlook on life. When I was in my teenage years I would love without thinking. I forgave without being asked and trusted when others would run. Where did that girl go? I know that it's wise to guard yourself from hurt. What I'm struggling with is when does it turn from guarding to a coping mechanism based out of fear? I'd love to end this post with what I've learned and have grown through this but that's just not going to happen at this point so we'll just call this post Part 1.

Yes, Lord - Your will not mine!

"Stay in His will, whatever the cost, and He will never fail you"

Grandpa Owen

      Where will you go? What will you do? Who will you be? These are questions that we have all asked at one point or another.  We worry about the future and contemplate the past. In the past five years I have been through a lot. I had a baby, got married and got divorced. By human standards there are plenty of things over the last five years that I should regret. However, I have an amazing God. Through life's ups and downs there has been one constant. God. Now, have I been constant in my walk? Nope! I'll be the first to admit I was the lamb that went astray. I could choose to live in the past and always regret what happened but I refuse. Why you ask? Because I'm forgiven and I learned a lot about life, myself and what I really want out of life. I have a new respect for marriage that I didn't grasp before. I have chosen to learn from the past but I picked up the pieces of my broken heart and handed them to God!

     Now for the future. This one might actually be harder for me than handing God the past. Handing him the broken pieces was easier then handing him a future of endless possibilities. As a sinful person, my first instinct is 'I want, I want, I want'. I want to go here. I want to do this. This is what I want for my future. Selfish me!!! What I'm doing now is attempting to allow Christ full access to my wants and desires. I know that my prayer should just be YES LORD! Do whatever you want with me! This is easier said then done. I never realized just how badly I want security. I thrive on it but I know that if I am living in God's will right now then there is no better security than that.

I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.  Philippians 3:13-16

Forget the past, look forward to the future, but live for God today! If you are always in God's will on a moment by moment basis you will be able to look at the past and see God has taken you exactly where he wanted you as well as look forward to a prosperous walk with Christ in the future.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind' Luke 10:27

Less is more

Less is more. We hear this statement all the time so I decided that as with so many other things, I can incorporate this into my walk with Christ. I found myself being drawn to II Corinthians 12:9-10.


But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."


     Let's start with the background of why this verse was meant for me. I'm a very typical middle child. I'm outgoing, adventurous, strong willed, stubborn, competitive, hard headed, decisive...oh the list goes on and on. To make it short....I'm a very "strong" personality. Well, this attitude doesn't quite coincide with being the humble servant I have been called to be. All to often I find myself relying on my own strength to get through life's difficulties. BOY HAS THAT FAILED MISERABLY! I am nothing without Christ. It seems that every time I think I have a handle on a situation the rug gets pulled out from under me and I'm left with nothing but a sore bottom and hurt pride.

     Ahhhh there it is, Pride! Why oh why do I let my pride get in the way? So here it is....LORD MY WEAKNESS IS MY OWN PRIDE!!! There, I said it. It's out in the open. I get caught up in looking strong and trying to do things myself that I can't just accept that in honesty I need to be weak before my Savior. If I would just let go and let God take care of things then I would never fail. This is why I cling to the verse above as a life verse. I have to remind myself daily that I am nothing but God is everything. If I just take a back seat then my Jesus can shine through me and make more of a difference in 5 minutes then I could in a lifetime on my own.

    So there we have it. Less is more. The less I become, the more Christ can be seen through me. My prayer is that I may be humble and weak before Christ so that His power may rest on me. It's not about me. It's all about You, Jesus!

Once and for all...

I'm going to start by explaining the name of my blog and at the same time explaining who I am and what I believe.

    I, Meleah Tucker, am not perfect. I know, I know, you're shocked! haha I'm a sinner that has been saved by grace. I have a merciful Savior who loved me despite my imperfection. It's amazing to me, this grace that He has given to me. I don't understand it. I probably never fully will but it's been given to me anyways. When God sent His only son to the world He sent him - Once - and for ALL!
    I do believe however that if it had just been me....He'd have died just the same to save me. It was my sins that put Him on the cross and when I came to that realization I knew my life would never be the same. Now, does that mean I don't mess up? That my life will be all roses and a walk in the park? BY NO MEANS! I struggle daily to keep my faith strong and my life pure. I mess up....a lot! However, just as Christ came for all people, He also came once and forgave me of all. He only asks that I believe.

I don't deserve this love. I don't deserve this grace. God loved me anyways and for that to Him I give all praise, honor and glory forever and ever! Amen!!!

**Below is a song I sang once in high school and fueled the name for my blog**

Once and for All - Sandi Patti

I was tired
I was weary
Of running the endless race alone
I remember the emptiness
All the reward I had to show
You were there all the time
Holding on to my life
You heard when I cried

Once and for all
You gave it all
Held out Your hand to me
My destiny
Tore down the wall
Once and for all
Built between God and man
Love made me understand
You came, You died to save the world
For our hearts great and small
Once and for all

There's a longing in every heart
Needing the deeper touch of love
In our search we look everywhere
It's always been waiting there just above
You saw the world in its pain
In our struggle You came
You broke all the chains

Once and for all
You gave it all
Held out Your hand to me
My destiny
Tore down the wall
Once and for all
Built between God and man
Love made me understand
You came, You died to save the world
For our hearts great and small
Once and for all

This Heaven's gift the world receives
The love You freely give
You only ask that I believe
For me to truly live