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Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Finding Joy in Obedience




Do you know this story?  I know I do, and if I honestly admit it, at times, it is my own. God tells me to do something that I find terribly difficult, and I find a reason not to listen. If God is the greatest reason for my life, then my obedience is not an option, and it does not just happen. It is born of deep commitment to God. It certainly calls for my personal sacrifice. When it is born of sacrifice, obedience speaks my willingness to submit to God’s desires instead of my own. Often obedience contradicts the desires of my heart.

            We all can find reasons not to obey. “It is too hard for me to do that! I can’t give it up, Lord! I don’t have time to study the Word and pray. Lord, what would others think of me? What if I fail you, Lord? I can’t see how my doing this will help, Lord. I don’t feel the need to do that, Lord.”  The excuses mount until God’s voice echoes like distant thunder. With our backs firmly turned, and our hearts grown cold, we suddenly declare, “I refuse to do that, Lord.”

            Refusing God means the loss of God's presence in our lives. David, when confronted by Nathan for his sin with Bathsheba, immediately repented. “Do not cast me from your presence,” he cried out to God, “or take your Holy Spirit from me” (Psalm 51:11). He understood the danger of being separated from God was the loss of God’s presence. His cry for forgiveness speaks of his loving respect for God and his commitment to God’s desires (Psalm 51).

            Solomon refused to listen to the Lord, and allowed his weakness for the things of the world to destroy his relationship with the Lord. Near the end of his life, he looks back on wasted years and declares in Ecclesiastes, Meaningless! Meaningless! Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless” (Ecclesiastes 1:2)! The life of Solomon is a sad account of how he blew the undeserved opportunities God had given him. Chuck Swindoll refers to Ecclesiastes as a “graphic portrayal of a life lived apart from God.”
 
            Jonah ran from the Lord’s instruction to witness to the depraved city of Nineveh, and he ended up in the belly of a whale. It took disaster to bring Jonah a repentant heart. Even following repentance, Jonah argued with the Lord and his obedience was less than perfect.

            The Lord yearns for me to have an obedient heart—one that listens to the conviction and direction of the Holy Spirit as David listened—one which, unlike Jonah,  follows God’s will without argument. I certainly do not wish my life to be likened to Solomon’s—one lived apart from God. It is our responsibility for holiness of heart and obedience to God to be the most important disciplines of our lives.

            Disobedience stems from pride. Longing for personal acceptance by others, it says “no” when the sacrifice involves humility. However, true obedience reveals respect for the cost of Jesus’ sacrifice, and goes where disobedience never will— into the very heart of God. This is where the joy of obedient sacrifice is discovered.

            “Remember this,” Paul wrote, “whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work” (II Corinthians 9:6-8).
           
            God loves a cheerful giver who invests richly in His kingdom through obedience in every area of his life. My compliance to God’s will speaks of joy in my own sacrifice. If I invest with joy, I shall receive the grace of His total supply.  I shall discover His joy in giving—the joy of giving as He gave His life for me.

Friday, October 12, 2012

Thirst No More

If I drink of the water that He provides, I will never be thirsty. His water not only soothes my shattered spirit, but it heals me completely because it is living water.

"Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness," He whispers, "they shall be filled."

"Oh Lord," I cry, "just as a deer pants for streams of water, my soul pants for you. My soul thirsts only for you."

This is a thirst that shall always be filled. It shall always be satisfied.

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Real Discipleship

Real discipleship is taking care of the little things. Sometimes that is the last thing I understand. In my heart and mind I may tell myself I am ready to die for Christ, but then I don't live for Him in the the small details of my life. So many times this is the way it is toward those we love. We are ready to make a big sacrifice, but not make the smaller ones.

I must learn to sacrifice my own desires in every area of my life. I will rejoice in all things for this is His will for me. I must overcome prideful wants and surrender to Him in the smallest areas. He desires my service in the smallest things of life. I will learn to be His servant in the least thing, and then I may learn to be His servant in the greatest.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

My Life? A Message or a Mess?



Is my life a message or a mess? This is a question that makes me look intently at my life. What am I to other people?  What is my life saying? Is life about me or about other? I don’t want to be a part of the “me” generation, but what do my attitudes and actions render? Does my life have an anchored purpose or is it like flotsam- floating around with no anchor?  These questions challenge me to examine my life–each moment, each thought, and each action to really see if Jesus is my reason for existence.

Is He my anchor–the core of my very being? If He is my heartbeat, then His faith and His love within my heart have nowhere to go but outward. It cannot be inwardly directed or it will destroy me. If He has broken the selfishness of my heart so that I may be filled with His love, then how can I not want my heart to be broken for others? James was explicit when he penned that "faith without works in dead". Likewise, he lets me know that works without faith has little meaning. If I love Jesus, then my life is not about me. It is about the needs of others. My life should reveal the Savior who redeemed me and filled me with His love and promise. I should live His love in each moment, in each thought, and in each action. If He is my first love, then my life will show it.

So where am I now? He knows where I am, and the state of my heart–whether it is claimed or unclaimed. He knows whether my life is a message of His love or a mess that needs His focus of purpose. Ask yourself this same question. Jesus knows where you are, just like He knows where I am. Are you ready to be truthful with Him? Are you really ready to examine your own heart? Do you long to be His message instead of a mess with no anchor or purpose? Today let’s be real with Him so that we can be real with others. With open hearts let’s become His hands and feet.

Monday, October 8, 2012

Rise Above!

Rise above your fears into His peace and joy. You will discover His healing for the pain from your trials and struggles. Refuse to remember your shortcomings, and your mistakes. Refuse any feelings of failure, and the hurt from the past. Trust only in Him.

Your life in Christ is a race. It is a race that grows you into the discipleship He desires. So..... "Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls" (Hebrews 12:2-3, The Message).

What would you think of the runner who gave up when faced with the first obstacle in a race? That hurdle is meant to give you a lift upward... not pull you back. It is meant to inspire you to greater growth.

Are you ready to really run your race? Will you move forward, facing and springing over each obstacle with greater spiritual growth? Or will you run and hide and never discover the power He wishes to impart?

Saturday, October 6, 2012

SOME CAN LOVE MORE

"Some" can love more. "Some" discover that submission to the Holy Spirit means more in their life instead of less. "Some" learn that His control in their life is better than their own. "Some" find that listening to Him keeps them from choosing life instead of death. "Some" discover that submission to His control and knowing what He desires empowers them to move in His will. And when they do, they are filled to overflowing with His Spirit and love. Am I "some" of this kind, or am I the "other"? I want to be one of the "some" who love more.

Friday, October 5, 2012

Practice His Presence




In the midst of change, Christ is with me. In the midst of the storm, He is my safe harbor. He keeps me from the breakers that would crush me. But He is more than just a secure sanctuary. He is my strength to not only endure, but to overcome. I can never fear change when He never changes. He is the one great constant in my life–the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). As I give Him my fearful heart, His peace calms my restless spirit (Philippians 4:6-7). Abiding in Him, He claims my thoughts and I discover that I, too, can be strong. I can be steadfast and unchanging. I can know His peace that carries me above the fray.

I must practice the presence of God, and seek Him daily in prayer, study, and devotion until His presence becomes like a habit–unconsciously rendered. I unconsciously learn to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). He is just “there” at the moment I need Him. He is just “there” in moments of sudden fear when
, without Him, my world would cave. But practicing His presence has brought His immediate peace in that moment. My heart has prayed unconsciously and He has heard its cry.

I don’t know always know to give Him my suffering and fear, but the Holy Spirit intercedes for me (Romans 8:26b). He prays my heart’s cry when I am unable to mentally render a thought. It is in a moment like this that I understand His peace. I have practiced His presence until He is always with me–unconsciously and consciously. I may go through my busy day with no problem, and my conscious mind is busy with my job, my schedule, and my list. I learn something that rocks my world, and the Holy Spirit immediately arises from the depth of my unconscious spirit to calm my shattered mind. Practicing His presence has brought His presence. I am steadfast in Him, and unchanging in my trust in His faithfulness.

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Be Still

BE STILL

Lost in this moment with You
The world cannot find me.
But lost in You, You find me.
I am discovered.
I am safe.
So quiet this time.
So perfect because only You exist.


Why did it take me so long to seek?
Why would I not long for Your healing love
To pour over me and flow through me?
I have stilled myself.
I wait for Your thought alone-
For Your Word to stir within my heart.


My mind hinders no more.
It is clear and expectant.
Oh, speak to me.
I have not known or
Longed to fathom such depths...
Until now. Until now...


Oh, be still my beating heart.
He is here, and suddenly
Deep calls to deep.
All Your waves and breakers
Wash over me and fill me.
His heart reaches mine,
And nothing else matters.
I now know You
As you have known me.

I am free.


Be still and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10).

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Deep Calls to Deep

Why do I sometimes struggle so hard with faith in God's love? He is my Lord, the healer of my heart, my mind, my spirit, and soul. The moment I have a need, He is with me. If I could just really understand the depths of His love, then I would understand that no pleading is necessary for Him to come. The need in my heart calls Him to me. He is my loving father, and I want to realize with my innermost being that He desires healing and the fullness of His Spirit alive in me.
The psalmist describes this depth of my needthis longing, and God’s answer. “Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me” (Psalm 42:7). The unfathomable depth of the Spirit of God calls to the depth of my spirit, and bids me to let go. At the moment I surrender, the fullness and power of the His Presence sweeps over me.

           “Call to me,” He whispers in my heart. “My spirit longs to commune with yours. Please don't ever forget that the deepest healing of body, and mind, and spirit comes from the surrender of your spirit to mine. Release your deepest fear to me, and all the healing of my power is completely at your disposal. The moment you have a need I am with you.” My need is His chance to provide, and my opportunity to allow my faith to believe in what He has promised. A little mustard seed of surrendering faith is all that I must plant in the soil of my spirit to receive the fullness of His power. It is such a small investment, but it unlocks all of His supply.

           My decision is to surrender all to Him. His promise is to live in me. With the power of God in my life, nothing that tries to destroy me will prosper. There will be no problem too great, and no worry that will consume my thoughts. My mind will be fixed only on Him, and instead of fear, He will consume everything about me. His joy and peace will reign, and I will be His completely.
 
          I long for His peace and His power! The Holy Spirit calls to my spirit, and asks for my surrender. He longs to wash over me, but I must give all that I am. I must hold nothing back. When I yield all of myself, the fullness of God becomes the fullness of me. At that moment I am no longer my own. I have been fully purchased and claimed by the Savior who gave all for me. At that moment I am free.

Monday, October 1, 2012

No Heart of Stone

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26).

Has someone hurt you? Are you unable to forgive what they have done? Is your heart now as cold as stone? Jesus asks for you to forgive. He waits for your response. He offers hope through conviction. Satan wants you to remain wrapped up in anger and bitterness. He wants your hardened heart to grow even harder. Christ forgave you. Are you willing to offer what He has freely given? Will you actually do as He asks? Make something good come out of what is bad. Turn it around for God’s glory. Open your heart so that another might be healed. Allow forgiveness to set you free from the bondage of anger and pain. The Lord will remove that heart of stone, and give you a heart that forgives. Once opened your heart will rejoice in its freedom. Out of your life will flow rivers or living water. You will discover that forgiveness is a mighty work of God which springs eternal in the human heart.

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