Hang in There

Do you ever reach a point where you think life would be so much easier if you just went along with the rest of the world? Sometimes I think I think too much and need to just be more laid back.

I'm not saying I follow the scriptures completely or live perfectly, far from, but sometimes when I know I'm following what God has said to do it just doesn't seem right. It seems things would be much easier living by God's word, then at times its not, in fact sometimes its really hard. I hope you don't fall into the trap like I have many times of thinking because things are hard and don't feel right you must be getting it wrong. I have struggled with that some the past couple weeks.

I had Psalms on my mind all week as I was thinking about this but didn't turn there. Yesterday finally I decided to just look at it and I saw what I had been needing all week! Why don't I just pay attention to God immediately!!?

Psalm 1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord and on his law he meditates day and night...

These verses were such a consolation and encouragement to me to keep going, and yes, to think (meditate) about God's ways and delight in following the Lord. Not quit thinking so much or give in and run with world! God wants us to commit our way to the Lord and trust in Him (psalm 37:5) and to consider His ways and meditate on His precepts (psalm 119:13-16)

We really do serve a good God! One who wants us thinking and on our feet. Life is amazing with God, why would I ever really want to just chill and forget about trying to follow Him!? What a clever tactic of the enemy to entice us to think it must be easy to live without considering Him! We know better!!

Thoughts on Faith

I have a plaque in my office that reads “Faith is not believing God can, it is knowing that God will.” It has got me thinking a little bit. What do we KNOW God WILL do? Is that not presumptuous? I think it’s fine if the statement is portraying truths that we know about God from the scripture….He will deliver us, protect us, see us through & have what is best for us, etc. But I’m afraid it can be read in a way that promotes false and romanticized ideas about who God is. Not that I understand Him myself, but I don’t believe we can ask for anything we want or even things we feel we need, pray about it, believe enough that God will do it and have it automatically accomplished for us. This idea puts too much power in our hands and completely takes away the sovereignty of God. 

Even Jesus asked for the cup to be removed from him when faced with the cross. Unjustly sentenced to one of the most excruciating and humiliating forms of death, if there was a way out of it in God’s will he wanted to take it and he of all people deserved God's taking it away, but Jesus did not expect that God would certainly take it away. He knew if God's will was different than his own he would follow it, even to the cross. I think the plaque would be better worded “Faith is knowing that God can, but trusting Him when He doesn’t.” 

There are too many tragedies that God could fix that He chooses not to and too many paths that seem good that He says no to. I would hate to cause a weakening of faith in someone who reads it and portrays it in the wrong light. So, even though it’s cute and matches the color theme of my office and can be read the right way, I think I will take it down. Praise be to God Almighty, the author and perfector of our faith!

Proverbs for Life

I have realized there are things I have been praying for that I may not see changed the way I have been praying for them to. I have really sought God on this and have found that my heart can be at peace even so. He has lead me to Proverbs and allowed so many of those verses to penetrate my soul I wanted to share some of what I have embraced in His Word. I have to trust in God's sovereignty, I have to know He sees and knows and I have to trust Him with my heart and not harden it. I must not lean on my own understanding but acknowledge Him in everything. I won't give up or loose hope, but I will not continue to stay in the same spot and not grow because circumstances have not changed the way I expected. I'm submitting to God, in Him I will be strong, and I will stay faithful to Him even if He doesn't answer my prayers the way I think He should, the way I thought was best.

I have realized a Christian's need to sometimes pray for ourself to change doesn't always mean we are having to change because we are in the wrong. Sometimes we have to change in order to move forward.

The Lord watches our ways. He is our protector, not just over our physical bodies, but over our hearts and emotions and our whole lives. He will be our shield and He will watch over every aspect of our life.

Pray for wisdom and discernment, it is a healing balm to a hurting soul. It provides direction, encouragement, grace and purpose.

^{prov 2:7} He holds success in store for the upright,
   he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
⁸ for he guards the course of the just
   and protects the way of his faithful ones.

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

I'm doing Beth Moore's Believing God study right now and todays scripture was Psalm 139:1-5, 13-18. It discusses how God knows us intimately, He examines our thoughts and motives, and He knows our hearts. He made us in the womb and has all our days planned ahead of time. He knows everything about us. We are fearfully and wonderfully made!

As I read this I thought about the difference it would make if we would view people as God's wonderful creation and always be aware that He has a plan for them too. Initially thinking of my kids and husband, how I want my kids to see and realize how precious they are to God and how He has a wonderful plan and purpose for their life. How I want my husband to realize that too and lead our family down the path God has for us. I truly want to encourage them in that way.

Think of all the people in our life who would be affected if we viewed them and treated them with respect, regardless of the circumstance, due to the significance they really have in Christ. I'm not exactly sure how to do that, but I think a start would be to take seriously the plans and thoughts of our Christian friends when they feel God is leading them a certain way, to lift up and encourage those who may feel a lack of purpose or direction, and have a little patience with others because we know they are so special to God, even the lady who has 40 items in the 10 item checkout line!

Also, be sure of your own significance. God loves you, He has plans for you. He knows where you go and what you do. He knows your thoughts and what's in your heart and He cares about you! Everything about you! Sometimes I need to remember that too. When we are sure of our own significance, we will be happy to help others realize theirs!

Follow My Lead

Galatians 2:11-14 (New Living Translation)

Paul Confronts Peter

 ¹¹ But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong. ¹² When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile Christians, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision. ¹³ As a result, other Jewish Christians followed Peter’s hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.

Wow, the implications in these three little verses are amazing. Immediately you can recognize several of them.

1 - Paul, in his devotion, was not afraid to rebuke a brother in love when damage was being done to the gospel and to others.

2 - Human nature is hard to overcome when we precieve our reputations may be at stake.

3 - We are to love those who are different regardless of what others think.

4 - When we don't act as Christians but as hypocrits, people tend to follow and we bring them down.

Legalism will get us no where. Faith is everything and true faith does not discriminate. Let's not get wrapped up in what our church friends might think if they see us hanging out with "sinners", so long as we are doing it out of love of Christ. That's our number 1 command & calling - to love!

Calling All Christians

I am so proud to be in a town where the mayor will declare a day to pray for rain. We live in a drought and fire stricken land. There is nothing we can do about it but turn to God and I am glad our leader realizes this is where our source of help is found. As I read in 2 Chronicles 7:13-22, I see that it is up to us, those who follow Christ and have faith already, who need to not only pray but humble ourselves before God, seek Him, pray and repent. God requires more of us than simply asking in prayer. From 2 Chron 7:

¹³ “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, ¹⁴ if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. ¹⁵ Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.

It doesn't get more plain than that. He is a holy God who deserves our whole hearted devotion. There is no denying in light of the drought, fires & storms tearing across the US, not to mention the earthquakes and all kinds of devastation around the world, that this is a wake up call from the one true and living God.

Lose it all??

Thought: To anticipate losing everything for the sake of Christ. We always think of the promise "God will provide", but do we really know what that means? How many of us would even know what wholly relying on God to supply our needs felt like? If we look at examples from the bible of those who completely gave their lives in service to Christ, many had very few of what we think of as "needs" met.

I'm reading in Acts 4:32-37 about the early believers sharing all their possessions with anyone in need. In reference to these verses, the Matthew Henry Concise Commentary states "They did not call it their own; because they had, in affection, forsaken all for Christ, and were expecting to be stripped of all for cleaving to him. No marvel that they were of one heart and soul, when they sat so loose to the wealth of this world." I can't imagine what type of impact it would make in our generation and to our own souls if we chose to live life unattached to the wealth of the world and gave generously and affectionately to those in need.

As we go into Easter, I know we will be reflecting on Jesus' death and resurrection. He gave His ALL for us, how much of our all we are giving Him?