"During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission." Hebrews 5:7
Submission..... now that's a loaded word, huh? It tends to make people squirm upon reading it. There's usually such a negative connotation behind it. We hear that word and automatically think about a loss of freedom and control over our lives. Whether it's a command for children to submit to their parents' authority, wives to submit to their husbands, or Christians to submit to the Lord, it's an uncomfortable thing. By nature, we want to hold the reins. We don't want to hand things over. We don't want to let someone else get behind the wheel. Yet, when we look at Jesus' example, we see submission.
The Lord directed me to submit to Him in accordance with His word just a few days ago. It was in an area which is probably most difficult for me to relinquish control--- motherhood. This particular instance involved my son wanting to follow his desires over what the word of God commanded. It was a beautiful, sunny Saturday morning. We had returned home from a basketball game and my son wanted to go out and shoot a few hoops. We had been rushing around that morning to get ready and he hadn't yet had his quiet time alone with God. Before he shot out the door to play some basketball, I asked him if he'd had his quiet time. His response was, "Mom, I wanna go out and practice some more. I didn't make any of the shots at the game today. I've gotta practice if I'm gonna get better." Of course, as a mother, everything in me wanted to remind him of his skewed priorities and how he needed to think about that. I wanted to convict him to put God first in his life. However, God had other plans. I felt an immediate conviction in the Holy Spirit to keep my mouth shut on the subject. After my son walked out the door, I prayed. "Lord, I know you don't want me to nag him on the subject. I feel like I'm constantly having to remind him to do things. I want him to want to do what is right in your eyes. Father, convict him to want to spend time with you alone in prayer and in your word," I prayed silently.
I went on about my business of doing breakfast dishes after my son walked out the door. The Lord had given me a peace about it and I had determined to let it go to the point of even forgetting about it. I could hear the ball pounding on the pavement outside while I went about my daily chores. About 45 minutes later, I heard my son come rushing in the house and shuffling up the stairs. I had moved onto other things when I heard him enter the room sometime later. "Mom", he said, "let me tell you about what I just learned in my devotional study today. It was pretty neat.....". He trailed off into a story about the scripture he'd read and the application story of a boy about his own age who'd wanted to do what was right in the eyes of the Lord. I just cracked a little smile as I listened intently. How much sweeter it had been to do things God's way.
I'll never underestimate the power of praying on the behalf of others. As the scripture tells us, God hears the prayers of his children when those prayers are lifted up in faith and reverence. He longs to have us relinquish the control to Him. He has it all in His control anyway. We need to just give it over to Him already! Honestly, I think back on that situation and determine how it would've probably ended up had I decided to take matters into my own hands. Oh, my son probably would've done his study, but he would not have delighted in it. He would've been doing it just because his mom gave him that command. Instead, by turning it over to God, we were both blessed! I was able to see prayer being answered and my son was able to follow through on something out of the conviction of his heart. That's the way it should've been all along. After all, we want to mold our children to be able to lead lives pleasing to God once they grow up and leave. Sometimes it's best to leave the conviction to the One who knows us best.
Heavenly Father, thank you for the power of intercessory prayer. How marvelous it is to see you answer our prayers and petitions! Thank you for those who have prayed on my behalf and thank you for hearing the prayers I lift up for others. You are the Almighty. You are my Counselor. Thank you for working in my life and moving me in your will. Guide me and direct my paths. Allow your Holy Spirit to intercede in my prayers that I may pray that which is pleasing to you. Thank you for making me righteous by your extended hand of grace and mercy. I love you, Lord. In the name of my precious Savior, Jesus, Amen.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Love Like No Other
"Beloved let us love one another because love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God." 1 John 4:7
I'll never forget the births of my children. What a precious moment in time. It was an overwhelming love for these tiny little bundles of joy who'd been placed in our care. I'll never forget the tears of joy and amazement my husband and I both felt the first time we held each of them in our arms. We stared astoundingly at each perfectly formed feature. We felt their tiny little hearts beating and determined which features they had that resembled our own. How marvelous and incredible that moment was.
I look back over moments in time in life in much the same way we used to watch home movies with the video projector casting wonderful memories on the wall of our den in my childhood home. Memories of the loving arms of my parents wrapped around me as a child, my own wedded bliss, and thoughts of days gone by with my own children flood my mind. Walking down memory lane brings about emotions of bliss and comfort. I hold onto the memories with fondness.
It's undeniably easy to look back on fond memories of family and have loving thoughts and feelings. It comes naturally. But what about those who aren't friends and family? The ones the Word of God commands us to love? That kind of love doesn't come quite so naturally. The kind of love we're to extend to the man who is making obscene gestures to us in the middle of traffic, or the cashier who has had a long day and decides to take out her frustration on us, well, it doesn't come about quite so easily now does it? It's easy to love my husband who has such a love for me, but much more difficult to love my accusers. Why is is so difficult? It's difficult because it's entirely contrary to our human nature. We have a sin nature that longs to seek vengeance. We want a comeback to those who are rude to us. We don't want to treat them with loving kindness. That would mean we're surrendering, giving up, wouldn't it? Well, we are. We're surrendering our vengeful hearts over to God. We're trusting his mercy and sovereignty to handle everything on our own behalf.
Scripture commands us to love others because "Love is of God." What about the unlovely? Well, it's a choice to surrender ourselves in that manner. It involves coming out of our comfort zone. It involves smiling in the face of the cashier who has just been rude or apologizing to the person you accidentally cut off in traffic. It involves letting down our defenses and allowing God to take over. It's not fun. It makes us feel vulnerable and, at times, like we're allowing self defeat. However, it is the best way for others who don't know Jesus to see Him, to know His manner and what he represents. It shines the light in a dark world.
We can accomplish showing displays of love to the unlovely by being in a state of prayer. When moments of tension or discord arise, we can send a petition up to God to give us the words to say. He can intervene on our behalf if we'll give the situation over to Him. It requires a humility of heart and a desire to become more like Him. You see, if we begin each day by asking God to make our desire one which pleases Him and then go to Him in prayer throughout the day asking Him to guide us, loving the unlovely becomes possible. And what's more, we become pleasing in the sight of the Lord. Just as we're pleased when our children are getting along and display acts of kindness to one another, the Lord is pleased with us, His children.
If you know Jesus in a personal way, make a conscious effort to display love to the unlovely. By doing this, you make yourself a vessel which the Lord can use.
Heavenly Father, thank you for the unconditional love you have for me. Thank you for giving me the power to love the unlovely. Lord, it's a constant battle of my flesh. It doesn't come naturally to me. Sometimes it even feels like I'm giving up when I love and forgive others. I feel the need to redeem myself-- to set the record straight. Please give me an eternal perspective on it. Lord, when I come across someone who has said something ugly about me, been rude, treated me or others with disrespect, help me to remember that I'm not perfect. Help not to wallow in the ways in which I've fallen short but to use them to have a heart of understanding toward others. You forgave me when I certainly didn't deserve it. You cast your love on me when I was unlovely. You paid a debt you did not owe and I owed a debt I could not pay. Thank you for paying it on my behalf. Thank you for loving me. You are the Almighty. You ARE Love. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen.
I'll never forget the births of my children. What a precious moment in time. It was an overwhelming love for these tiny little bundles of joy who'd been placed in our care. I'll never forget the tears of joy and amazement my husband and I both felt the first time we held each of them in our arms. We stared astoundingly at each perfectly formed feature. We felt their tiny little hearts beating and determined which features they had that resembled our own. How marvelous and incredible that moment was.
I look back over moments in time in life in much the same way we used to watch home movies with the video projector casting wonderful memories on the wall of our den in my childhood home. Memories of the loving arms of my parents wrapped around me as a child, my own wedded bliss, and thoughts of days gone by with my own children flood my mind. Walking down memory lane brings about emotions of bliss and comfort. I hold onto the memories with fondness.
It's undeniably easy to look back on fond memories of family and have loving thoughts and feelings. It comes naturally. But what about those who aren't friends and family? The ones the Word of God commands us to love? That kind of love doesn't come quite so naturally. The kind of love we're to extend to the man who is making obscene gestures to us in the middle of traffic, or the cashier who has had a long day and decides to take out her frustration on us, well, it doesn't come about quite so easily now does it? It's easy to love my husband who has such a love for me, but much more difficult to love my accusers. Why is is so difficult? It's difficult because it's entirely contrary to our human nature. We have a sin nature that longs to seek vengeance. We want a comeback to those who are rude to us. We don't want to treat them with loving kindness. That would mean we're surrendering, giving up, wouldn't it? Well, we are. We're surrendering our vengeful hearts over to God. We're trusting his mercy and sovereignty to handle everything on our own behalf.
Scripture commands us to love others because "Love is of God." What about the unlovely? Well, it's a choice to surrender ourselves in that manner. It involves coming out of our comfort zone. It involves smiling in the face of the cashier who has just been rude or apologizing to the person you accidentally cut off in traffic. It involves letting down our defenses and allowing God to take over. It's not fun. It makes us feel vulnerable and, at times, like we're allowing self defeat. However, it is the best way for others who don't know Jesus to see Him, to know His manner and what he represents. It shines the light in a dark world.
We can accomplish showing displays of love to the unlovely by being in a state of prayer. When moments of tension or discord arise, we can send a petition up to God to give us the words to say. He can intervene on our behalf if we'll give the situation over to Him. It requires a humility of heart and a desire to become more like Him. You see, if we begin each day by asking God to make our desire one which pleases Him and then go to Him in prayer throughout the day asking Him to guide us, loving the unlovely becomes possible. And what's more, we become pleasing in the sight of the Lord. Just as we're pleased when our children are getting along and display acts of kindness to one another, the Lord is pleased with us, His children.
If you know Jesus in a personal way, make a conscious effort to display love to the unlovely. By doing this, you make yourself a vessel which the Lord can use.
Heavenly Father, thank you for the unconditional love you have for me. Thank you for giving me the power to love the unlovely. Lord, it's a constant battle of my flesh. It doesn't come naturally to me. Sometimes it even feels like I'm giving up when I love and forgive others. I feel the need to redeem myself-- to set the record straight. Please give me an eternal perspective on it. Lord, when I come across someone who has said something ugly about me, been rude, treated me or others with disrespect, help me to remember that I'm not perfect. Help not to wallow in the ways in which I've fallen short but to use them to have a heart of understanding toward others. You forgave me when I certainly didn't deserve it. You cast your love on me when I was unlovely. You paid a debt you did not owe and I owed a debt I could not pay. Thank you for paying it on my behalf. Thank you for loving me. You are the Almighty. You ARE Love. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
"Nascar"
"For by the grace given to me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you." Romans 12:3
I hate traffic. It's probably one of my biggest pet peeves in life. I usually find myself in it wondering how half the people on the road around me were ever allowed to be licensed to drive. C'mon! And the traffic where I live? Horrible. Well, I guess it could be worse, but it's aggravating nonetheless! I mean, there are days when taking a left onto the main highway seems more daunting than performing brain surgery blindfolded. Which brings me to my story......
Two weeks ago, I was in the middle of the usual traffic. I was trying to make the best of it. I had the kids in the car with me. We had the radio blaring and were really enjoy singing along. I barely noticed the cars flying around me. I don't even remember where I was headed, but I distinctly remember the conversation with my son that soon took place. "Mom", he said, "I thought the speed limit sign said 55." "Yeah, it did son" , I replied. I then paused and thought, in all my puffed up ego, how ridiculously fast all the other drivers were driving. So, I said it (my mistake). "Yeah bud, those people are driving way too fast. It's ridiculous. Someone is going to cause an accident." My son paused for a moment, which I'm guessing he took to consider my remarks. Then, in a contemplative state he replied, " Well Mom, I wasn't really talking about them. I was talking about you. The speed limit sign says 55 and you're going 62." ...........Um... OUCH! I guess there's nothing like a child to deflate a parent's puffed up ego! Well, obviously I was silenced for a moment. The instant thought which popped into my mind was, "Well, the cops usually give a grace frame for speed. I probably wouldn't have gotten a ticket. The people flying around me would've been the culprits." But no, that wouldn't be a good thing to say to my son. I might as well tell him that the rules apply to everyone else but me. I can just manipulate them for my own convenience. So, what choice did I have but to swallow my pride and fess up? I didn't-- at least not if I wanted to be a good role model for him. So, I apologized and told him that I'd been wrong for not obeying the traffic rules. The law is the law.
Well, my lead foot is a bit of a joke in our house. When others are riding with me, I'm very vigilant. However, when I get my music going, I often look down to find I'm going much faster than I should be. My husband has even nicknamed me "Nascar". He gets great pleasure in teasing me about it! I'll be the first to admit, I fully deserve all the teasing. Oh yes, my family gets much entertainment from these things at my expense. I egg them on and just go with it. We have to be able to laugh at ourselves sometimes and over the last two weeks, I've definitely pondered back over that incident and enjoyed a laugh or two at my own expense.
It has also occurred to me, however, that God looks at sin the same way. Where I saw others going 70mph while I was going 62mph, God just saw speeding. We were all breaking the law-- no matter if it was by 7mph over or 15mph over. So it is with sin. We want to put our own hierarchy on sin. Yet we have tunnel vision. We like to make things just in our own eyes. It's almost comical how we think we've got it figured out and God just needs to jump on board. Yeah, we definitely need to have our ego-inflated balloons popped from time to time.
The revelation I've received in all this is how important it is to measure our heart motive in everything we do. While I can confront my brother in love when I see him stumbling, I must be sure of my heart motive. Is it pure? Do I do it because I genuinely care about his/her needs. How about my acts of service? Do I do them to give the glory and honor to God? Or is it just to receive the pat on the back or the accolades from admiring onlookers?
We live in such a society where it's constantly drilled into our minds that it's all about us. We need more "me time" or we need to treat ourselves more often because we deserve it! Right? Well, if we look at Jesus' example, not really. He came to serve and everything He did was to bring glory to the Father. Thinking on that snaps me back to my spiritual reality. While it's fine to treat myself occasionally, I remain mindful of the fact that life isn't about me. While I can confront my brothers and sisters in love, it had better be just that-- love. After all, I'm only human too. Self-absorption is something everyone battles from time to time. We're prideful creatures. We all desire to be recognized, to be liked. Yet our purpose here is not for our own recognition, but to bring glory to God.
You know, in going back to my story, I realize what an ongoing battle it is. My son now takes great pleasure in watching my speedometer for me. To be perfectly honest, it drives me crazy!! Everything in me wants to push the boundaries and go just as fast as I can without getting a ticket. That's such human nature, isn't it? We love to test those boundaries. For that reason, I have to get in prayer and the word of God every single day. I have to ask God to forgive me and help me start anew. Like I said before, it's a refining process!
Heavenly Father, you know my heart. You know the inner struggles I have. Lord, please let your desires be my desires. Help me not to think more highly of myself than I ought in any situation. Help me have a loving heart toward others. Help me to be a godly example to my children and others who don't know you. All glory and honor belongs to you Father. Let me do nothing to hinder that. Thank you for this day. I praise you for it. In the precious, loving name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
I hate traffic. It's probably one of my biggest pet peeves in life. I usually find myself in it wondering how half the people on the road around me were ever allowed to be licensed to drive. C'mon! And the traffic where I live? Horrible. Well, I guess it could be worse, but it's aggravating nonetheless! I mean, there are days when taking a left onto the main highway seems more daunting than performing brain surgery blindfolded. Which brings me to my story......
Two weeks ago, I was in the middle of the usual traffic. I was trying to make the best of it. I had the kids in the car with me. We had the radio blaring and were really enjoy singing along. I barely noticed the cars flying around me. I don't even remember where I was headed, but I distinctly remember the conversation with my son that soon took place. "Mom", he said, "I thought the speed limit sign said 55." "Yeah, it did son" , I replied. I then paused and thought, in all my puffed up ego, how ridiculously fast all the other drivers were driving. So, I said it (my mistake). "Yeah bud, those people are driving way too fast. It's ridiculous. Someone is going to cause an accident." My son paused for a moment, which I'm guessing he took to consider my remarks. Then, in a contemplative state he replied, " Well Mom, I wasn't really talking about them. I was talking about you. The speed limit sign says 55 and you're going 62." ...........Um... OUCH! I guess there's nothing like a child to deflate a parent's puffed up ego! Well, obviously I was silenced for a moment. The instant thought which popped into my mind was, "Well, the cops usually give a grace frame for speed. I probably wouldn't have gotten a ticket. The people flying around me would've been the culprits." But no, that wouldn't be a good thing to say to my son. I might as well tell him that the rules apply to everyone else but me. I can just manipulate them for my own convenience. So, what choice did I have but to swallow my pride and fess up? I didn't-- at least not if I wanted to be a good role model for him. So, I apologized and told him that I'd been wrong for not obeying the traffic rules. The law is the law.
Well, my lead foot is a bit of a joke in our house. When others are riding with me, I'm very vigilant. However, when I get my music going, I often look down to find I'm going much faster than I should be. My husband has even nicknamed me "Nascar". He gets great pleasure in teasing me about it! I'll be the first to admit, I fully deserve all the teasing. Oh yes, my family gets much entertainment from these things at my expense. I egg them on and just go with it. We have to be able to laugh at ourselves sometimes and over the last two weeks, I've definitely pondered back over that incident and enjoyed a laugh or two at my own expense.
It has also occurred to me, however, that God looks at sin the same way. Where I saw others going 70mph while I was going 62mph, God just saw speeding. We were all breaking the law-- no matter if it was by 7mph over or 15mph over. So it is with sin. We want to put our own hierarchy on sin. Yet we have tunnel vision. We like to make things just in our own eyes. It's almost comical how we think we've got it figured out and God just needs to jump on board. Yeah, we definitely need to have our ego-inflated balloons popped from time to time.
The revelation I've received in all this is how important it is to measure our heart motive in everything we do. While I can confront my brother in love when I see him stumbling, I must be sure of my heart motive. Is it pure? Do I do it because I genuinely care about his/her needs. How about my acts of service? Do I do them to give the glory and honor to God? Or is it just to receive the pat on the back or the accolades from admiring onlookers?
We live in such a society where it's constantly drilled into our minds that it's all about us. We need more "me time" or we need to treat ourselves more often because we deserve it! Right? Well, if we look at Jesus' example, not really. He came to serve and everything He did was to bring glory to the Father. Thinking on that snaps me back to my spiritual reality. While it's fine to treat myself occasionally, I remain mindful of the fact that life isn't about me. While I can confront my brothers and sisters in love, it had better be just that-- love. After all, I'm only human too. Self-absorption is something everyone battles from time to time. We're prideful creatures. We all desire to be recognized, to be liked. Yet our purpose here is not for our own recognition, but to bring glory to God.
You know, in going back to my story, I realize what an ongoing battle it is. My son now takes great pleasure in watching my speedometer for me. To be perfectly honest, it drives me crazy!! Everything in me wants to push the boundaries and go just as fast as I can without getting a ticket. That's such human nature, isn't it? We love to test those boundaries. For that reason, I have to get in prayer and the word of God every single day. I have to ask God to forgive me and help me start anew. Like I said before, it's a refining process!
Heavenly Father, you know my heart. You know the inner struggles I have. Lord, please let your desires be my desires. Help me not to think more highly of myself than I ought in any situation. Help me have a loving heart toward others. Help me to be a godly example to my children and others who don't know you. All glory and honor belongs to you Father. Let me do nothing to hinder that. Thank you for this day. I praise you for it. In the precious, loving name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
But How Can I Be Sure?
Well, I began this post trying to convey an important message to you in my own words, but as I thought over it and prayed over it, I began to realize that there's no reason to reinvent the wheel. For that reason, Iwant to share the following link with you. It's conveyed much more eloquently than I could do myself. It could be life changing for you, so don't neglect reading the following article. I am praying for you, friend.
http://www.insight.org/library/articles/how-to-know-god/relationship-with-god.html
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Refiner's Fire
"But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire and like launderers' soap." Malachi 3:2
"Why me, Lord?" How many times have I asked those words? I often asked them rhetorically, as if there were no answers. I've always asked them in times of despair, times of heartache and suffering. In those dark times, i haven't had the strength or understanding as to why I would have to endure such trials.
Those who know me best probably can predict the story I'm about to share. It's the story of the darkest trial I've faced. It was in the fall of 1998, November 21st to be exact. My husband and I were young, no children, and enjoyed the freedom of the weekends. On that Saturday in November, we were so excited to be riding with some friends to see a college football game. When we arrived, we were to meet my brother who was a student at this rival school at the time. I had teased my brother all week about it. My team was playing his team. He was such a good sport about it, though. I'll never forget the message he left on the answering machine earlier that week, " Can't wait to see you sis! We'll meet up on Saturday! I love you." I'll remember those words always, because the call I received the morning of game day changed my life forever.
My dad called my husband around 11 am that beautiful Saturday morning and informed him that the police had called their home and told them my 20 year old brother had been found dead early that morning on the college campus. It was an open, unsolved case. My dear husband was left with the daunting, unfathomable task of informing me. He knew how close my brother and I were. After my husband, he was my best friend, my equally terrible golfing buddy, the guy I laughed with and shared memories. My husband knew this would absolutely devastate me. He put his arm around me and broke the news. "NO, NO, NO! Why, Lord? Why? This isn't happening. There's some mistake.", I cried. Yet, there was no mistake. The unimaginable had happened.
In the following months, we found that the case would remain unsolved with the only clue we would be given by law enforcement was that there was foul play involved. I spent months tossing and turning in bed at night, wondering who could've done such a thing and why. It didn't make sense to me. My brother was sweet, funny, and just an all-around great guy. The other thing I didn't understand was why we were left with no answers. I mean, at least others going through such trauma had closure. This was just unfair. It should've been someone else. ......Or should it?
You see, in time I began to realize that my thoughts aren't God's thoughts and my ways aren't His ways according to Isaiah 55:8. As I began to realize that, His truth was revealed to me. After the funeral, I saw a number of my brother's friends come to know Jesus Christ as their personal savior. I saw others go through their own tragedies while God gave me the words of empathy to extend to them. I could understand their pain where others could not. In addition, I began to see this difficult time, along with other trials, act as a refining process in my own walk with God. I am slowly, but surely, evolving into the servant He intended me to be.
Over the years, I've realized that real growth, the kind that can endure the fiery trials, comes from the perseverance and faith we maintain in the midst of hardship. We hold fast to the knowledge that as Psalm 46:1 tells us, "God is my refuge, an ever present help in trouble." So, I can't do it on my own. I can't do it in my flesh. My thinking is too finite, too temporal in nature. But I can do it by His grace. He's my strength and my comfort.
Lord, help me to remain steadfast in my faith in times of trial. I pray that others will see you working in me and want to come to know you personally as a result. Refine me into the woman of God you would have me to be so that in the end, you can look at me and say, "Well done my good and faithful servant."
"Why me, Lord?" How many times have I asked those words? I often asked them rhetorically, as if there were no answers. I've always asked them in times of despair, times of heartache and suffering. In those dark times, i haven't had the strength or understanding as to why I would have to endure such trials.
Those who know me best probably can predict the story I'm about to share. It's the story of the darkest trial I've faced. It was in the fall of 1998, November 21st to be exact. My husband and I were young, no children, and enjoyed the freedom of the weekends. On that Saturday in November, we were so excited to be riding with some friends to see a college football game. When we arrived, we were to meet my brother who was a student at this rival school at the time. I had teased my brother all week about it. My team was playing his team. He was such a good sport about it, though. I'll never forget the message he left on the answering machine earlier that week, " Can't wait to see you sis! We'll meet up on Saturday! I love you." I'll remember those words always, because the call I received the morning of game day changed my life forever.
My dad called my husband around 11 am that beautiful Saturday morning and informed him that the police had called their home and told them my 20 year old brother had been found dead early that morning on the college campus. It was an open, unsolved case. My dear husband was left with the daunting, unfathomable task of informing me. He knew how close my brother and I were. After my husband, he was my best friend, my equally terrible golfing buddy, the guy I laughed with and shared memories. My husband knew this would absolutely devastate me. He put his arm around me and broke the news. "NO, NO, NO! Why, Lord? Why? This isn't happening. There's some mistake.", I cried. Yet, there was no mistake. The unimaginable had happened.
In the following months, we found that the case would remain unsolved with the only clue we would be given by law enforcement was that there was foul play involved. I spent months tossing and turning in bed at night, wondering who could've done such a thing and why. It didn't make sense to me. My brother was sweet, funny, and just an all-around great guy. The other thing I didn't understand was why we were left with no answers. I mean, at least others going through such trauma had closure. This was just unfair. It should've been someone else. ......Or should it?
You see, in time I began to realize that my thoughts aren't God's thoughts and my ways aren't His ways according to Isaiah 55:8. As I began to realize that, His truth was revealed to me. After the funeral, I saw a number of my brother's friends come to know Jesus Christ as their personal savior. I saw others go through their own tragedies while God gave me the words of empathy to extend to them. I could understand their pain where others could not. In addition, I began to see this difficult time, along with other trials, act as a refining process in my own walk with God. I am slowly, but surely, evolving into the servant He intended me to be.
Over the years, I've realized that real growth, the kind that can endure the fiery trials, comes from the perseverance and faith we maintain in the midst of hardship. We hold fast to the knowledge that as Psalm 46:1 tells us, "God is my refuge, an ever present help in trouble." So, I can't do it on my own. I can't do it in my flesh. My thinking is too finite, too temporal in nature. But I can do it by His grace. He's my strength and my comfort.
Lord, help me to remain steadfast in my faith in times of trial. I pray that others will see you working in me and want to come to know you personally as a result. Refine me into the woman of God you would have me to be so that in the end, you can look at me and say, "Well done my good and faithful servant."
Thursday, January 14, 2010
My New Blog
Hello to all my new readers! This is my first blog ever! I don't really know what I'm doing, but I'm excited to be here. :)
I began my morning in prayer. As I opened my Kay Arthur study, I was directed 2 Corinthians chapters four and five. As I read and meditated on them, I realized a real purpose in my existence here. I came to a real understanding of what being an ambassador for Christ really means. Having recognized I'm a sinner in my own unrighteousness, my Holy Father loved me enough to allow His only son to be murdered, crucified on a cross, for all of us! His son, who had been united with Him in the beginning would see for the first time what separation from His Father felt like. How excruciating that must have been-- even beyond the physical pain. He went through all that for someone like me? I feel so unworthy. Yet, by surrendering my life to Him, believing these truths, and following Him, He makes me worthy. There's so much purpose in that belief. I was put on this earth to bring glory and honor to my Creator. Not only that, because Jesus rejoined His father in heaven after the crucifixion, guess who was left behind to carry the torch? ME and all who know Him as Savior!
I have to chuckle sometimes at the loaded thoughts he lays on my heart at 5:30 in the morning. I haven't even had enough coffee to feel completely conscious yet! Yet, I know each morning, He's waiting to meet with me. He gives me the strength and courage I need to make it through each day. I know that whatever comes my way, He's there to guide me. How exciting that is!
For now, I hope you all have a blessed day!
Verse for the day:
This is the day the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:34
I began my morning in prayer. As I opened my Kay Arthur study, I was directed 2 Corinthians chapters four and five. As I read and meditated on them, I realized a real purpose in my existence here. I came to a real understanding of what being an ambassador for Christ really means. Having recognized I'm a sinner in my own unrighteousness, my Holy Father loved me enough to allow His only son to be murdered, crucified on a cross, for all of us! His son, who had been united with Him in the beginning would see for the first time what separation from His Father felt like. How excruciating that must have been-- even beyond the physical pain. He went through all that for someone like me? I feel so unworthy. Yet, by surrendering my life to Him, believing these truths, and following Him, He makes me worthy. There's so much purpose in that belief. I was put on this earth to bring glory and honor to my Creator. Not only that, because Jesus rejoined His father in heaven after the crucifixion, guess who was left behind to carry the torch? ME and all who know Him as Savior!
I have to chuckle sometimes at the loaded thoughts he lays on my heart at 5:30 in the morning. I haven't even had enough coffee to feel completely conscious yet! Yet, I know each morning, He's waiting to meet with me. He gives me the strength and courage I need to make it through each day. I know that whatever comes my way, He's there to guide me. How exciting that is!
For now, I hope you all have a blessed day!
Verse for the day:
This is the day the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:34
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