Lingering for His Purpose

“When he heard this, Jesus said, 'This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it'” (John 11:4, NIV).

When Jesus had heard that his friend, Lazarus, was near death, He did not rush to his side. He lingered two days before going to him. He knew the outcome was life for Lazarus, and a witness to the amazing power of God. At that point others around Him could not see that truth. They just did not understand why Jesus, who had healed so many others, would not rush to heal His friend. Jesus knew it was an opportunity to bring glory to God. Whatever sickness or problem or situation or danger we face, it is also another opportunity to bring glory to God. Jesus lingers sometimes in rescuing us, just as He lingered in rescuing Lazarus, so that we might learn a lesson in the midst of hardship, or grow closer to Him through a prolonged illness, or discover a depth of faith to believe in what we cannot see. He knows of our troubles and our illnesses, and He comes when the time is right for deliverance and healing. He does not linger in order to punish us, but to bring greater promise and purpose to our life.

Jesus loves the whole world that He died for. When you accept Him into your heart, and believe He is your Savior, His promises in His Word are true for you. Now here is a promise. “Heal me, Lord,” Jeremiah declared, “and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise” (Jeremiah 17:14, NIV). His Word is truth. He does save and He does heal. But His ways and timing are not ours (Isaiah 55:8). It is in His time. Always remember that no matter what you face right now, God is faithful. He will never allow more than you can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13). One day He will rescue and He will heal. In the midst of your pain and hardship, seek and pray for faith to believe.

“Then Jesus said, 'Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?’ So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, 'Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.' When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come out!' The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, 'Take off the grave clothes and let him go'” (John 11:40-44, NIV).

If you believe, you shall the glory of God. Believe it, and watch your stone roll away. Don't despair in the midst of your illness or your struggle or your problem or your heartache. Praise Him for His faithfulness to you even when He lingers for your benefit (Hebrews 13:15). He calls forth your healing, your deliverance, and your promise when His time is perfect. He rescues you from what would kill your faith and your spiritual life. You walk forth out of the grave clothes that have held you in bondage into His newness of life (Romans 6:1-4).
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Changed in the Spirit of My Mind

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:1-2).

 

What is the grace of God? It is kindness from Him that I don't deserve. There is nothing I can ever do that will earn His favor. His favor is a gift. His mercy delivers me from the punishment my sin deserves, and His grace blesses me even though I am not worthy. His grace that is sufficient for my every need would not be real if Jesus Christ had not loved me enough to die for me. But He did, and because of His sacrifice, His love, mercy and grace have rescued me. 

 

In view of His tender mercy that forgives my sin, I choose to offer myself as a living sacrifice, and live each moment in surrender to the amazing love that saves me. I choose for my mind to be constantly renewed and molded by His grace and His power. In choosing to live a righteous life, I honor His faithful obedience to sacrifice His life for me (Ephesians 4:23-24). An obedient heart is one that chooses to sacrifice self out of love and commitment. He was obedient to death on a cross. No sacrifice of mine can ever be as great as His sacrifice.

 

“Be renewed in the spirit of your mind!” Paul declares to the Ephesians (Ephesians 4:23, KJV). “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind!” He instructs the Romans (Romans 12:2, NIV). This instruction is life-changing. To be renewed and changed by Him is an obedient decision that I make. In return He brings His power to transform and renew my thoughts and my desires. It is my choice to “put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” Ephesians 4:24, NIV). It is my decision “to make every effort to add to my faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love (2 Peter 1:5-7, NIV). His promise is that if I constantly add these things to my life and if I am continually renewed in the “spirit of my mind”, I shall be effective in all that I do for Him (2 Peter 1:8).


The Message reveals Paul's message in 2 Peter: 1:5-8 in this way. “So don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus.”

A Fulfilled Vine

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5, NIV).

       

 God's power is real when the Holy Spirit lives in me. No matter how weak or how unaccomplished I might be, when I allow God to work through me, then what I do will be powerful. I need to remember this during days when I seem to slide back two steps after climbing one. No day is a failure when I have given it to God. His use of my surrendered day may not be apparent, but it is real. If I dwell in Him, and He dwells in me, then I will bear fruit. The fruit is not mine to bear. I am just the branch which carries the life of the vine to the fruit. He is the vine, and I am the branch. For the life of the vine to flow through me, I must surrender all that I am to Him. If I dwell in Him, and desire only His will and His purpose, His Spirit will not fail to flow through my life into the lives of others.

        Sometimes I just feel powerless. I yearn for the Holy Spirit to take over my struggle, but I feel He is blocked in my life. The only block that can hold His power from flowing through my life is self. If this is the case, then my yearning for Him must not be enough. There must come a brokenness of my will in every area of my life. Do I yearn for His power enough to surrender all that I am, all that I want, all that I have decided?  Do I not realize that when I hold on to the least vestige of myself I have told the Lord that I am the vine? That is pride. Think of Peter telling the Lord he was not worthy to have his feet washed. What appeared as humility in Peter was really pride. Peter was trying to hold onto the last vestige of himself by saying he was not worthy, and the Lord was asking for His total surrender. Pride. Self. Unworthiness. All are excuses to my absolute surrender.

        If I hunger to be a vessel of His love and His power, then I will seek to be broken of self. When self is gone, the Holy Spirit can flow―unhindered by my human limitations. For others to be changed by the power and love of the God in my life, I must live a surrendered life through which He can flow. If I yield completely to Him everyday, then I can be a vessel of all of Him flowing through all that I am not. When I am broken of self in order to receive all that He is, He can flow through me so that others can receive that which I alone can never give―His love, His peace, His joy.

        Lord, break me for your purpose. Get my selfishness out of your way today. Come, Holy Spirit, and touch and move through me. Love through me; forgive through me; encourage through me; rejoice through me; guide through me, and fill others through me. Holy Spirit, be what I can never be―YOU, alive and flowing through my life so others, too, may live.

I CAN COUNT ON HIM

I Can Count On Him
“I know what I’m doing,” says the Lord, “I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I’ll listen. When you come looking for me, you’ll find me. Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed. I’ll turn things around for you. I’ll bring you back from all the countries into which I drove you, and bring you home to the place from which I sent you off into exile. You can count on it” (Jeremiah 29:11-14, MSG).

God knows what He is doing. I don't have to know His plans, but I do need to trust and have faith in His love for me. When I seek Him with all my heart and desire Him more than anything else, I will discover more faith to believe in His promise of deliverance. “So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised” (Hebrews 10:35-36, NIV). I will not give up. He will richly reward my confidence and faith! If I persevere in living each day honoring Him, I shall receive His promise. 

My Lord will turn things around for me, and will bring me out of the place where I have suffered and felt abandoned. Out of His abundance, He shall supply all my need (Philippians 4:13). It is His promise, and I can count on it because I have faith in Him. I don't just believe “in” Him, I believe Him. The promise is not where I place my faith. My faith is in Him. If He loved me enough to give His life for me, He loves me enough to take care of what lies ahead. I can count on Him.

No Matter What

“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name” (Hebrews 13:15, NIV).

My gift to the Lord is a thankful heart. It is a heart filled with praise no matter what happens in my life. When things are hard—when fear and worry persist—when problems overwhelm, I will look for reasons to be thankful. I will seek to realize the blessings He gives that often slip by unobserved. The gift of thanksgiving in my heart—in spite of pain or problems in my life—is my sacrifice of praise.

There are always blessings, but they are often missed because my mind is focused on my circumstance and not on His faithfulness to carry me through it. My mind is consumed with worry or fear instead of His peace because I have not given Him my struggle. But if really seek I will discover the blessing of His grace that he extends to carry me. I often miss that grace because I am struggling so hard to control what I don't have the ability to handle. Often I am so consumed with the pain of my own life, that I miss what my own brothers and sisters face in their own. I miss the blessing of sacrificing myself for the sake of someone else.

Each day I will open my eyes to His blessings around me. I will realize that others have needs, and I will give myself away in spite of my own circumstance. When I reach out to others I am not so self-consumed with my own problems. My focus changes. My heart is placed on another person's needs, and the selfishness of my own will is broken. The wall which has imprisoned my own pain comes down, and praise and thankfulness spring up. I discover that in giving myself away, I receive more and more grace from Him. It is powerful enough to carry me through my own circumstance, and make me realize that I have not been left alone. The praise that once felt like a sacrifice no longer feels like one. Thankfulness and praise rise from a heart that knows He is able and will take care of my life no matter what.

Obedient Joy

“Being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8,NIV).

When I am obedient to God's Word, my actions reveal that the cost of Jesus' sacrifice means everything to me. Christ's obedience to His father's will at Calvary is my greatest example of obedience. It was His choice whether to lay down His life or not. He had the freedom to refuse. He was not compelled to give His life for me. He just did because He loved me. I am also free to accept and follow Him, or I can refuse and reject Him. If I go my own way, I miss the joy found in sacrificing my life for the sake of His.

When I am obedient to God's will in what I sacrifice, His sacrifice becomes the defining reason for my obedience. The sacrificial love of Calvary completely defines who I am. I discover that a humble spirit inspires obedience, and finds joy in living an obedient life. But when I refuse to follow Him, I become the prime example of the fact that disobedience stems from pride. It says “no” when the cost of personal sacrifice is too great, and has little reverence for the price that was paid at Calvary.

My obedience honors the cost of Jesus’ sacrifice, and goes where disobedience never will— into the very heart of God. This is where the joy of giving myself away for His sake 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” (2 Corinthians 9:6-7, NIV).

Do I want to freely, and never reluctantly, invest in His Kingdom by living an obedient life? Do I long to cheerfully give my life for His sake? My compliance to God’s will brings the greatest joy in what I give away. If I invest with joy, I shall receive the grace of His power and supply for my work. His joy is discovered in giving as Christ gave to me.

Giving

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood” (Isaiah 58:6-7, NIV)?

These two verses in Isaiah 58 give instruction to “fast” (let go of) my own desires and to do whatever I can for those who are hurting―to help those chained up in poverty―to help those struggling to break the burden of sin―to share with those accused unjustly―to provide a place of rest for those in turmoil. I am called to fast what I consider my own needs, and give away my “comfort” for the sake of someone in need. However, for my giving to be pleasing to God, my motive must also be right. I don't give because I am compelled. I give out of my love for Him. I give because He gave himself for me.

“When you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” (Matthew 6:3-4, NIV). I have known people who make a public announcement following an act of kindness or giving a gift. They appear to be altruistic, but in bringing attention to themselves, they reveal giving that has selfish motives. Perhaps they hunger for the recognition of man, and don't understand that God wishes their hunger to be just for Him. Not only have they missed the fact that giving in secret brings God’s reward, they miss another truth. When they quietly give, they empty more than their pocketbook. They empty themselves of the need for acceptance.

Do I give away my time and my money openly or secretly? Where does my acceptance lie? The Lord yearns for the lesson to take root in my heart. In selfless giving I receive the humble heart of a servant. I learn the truth of a great paradox―to die to myself is to live the greatest fulfillment in Christ.

Lord, help me to never give in order to receive recognition from others. If I give joyfully and sacrificially from a surrendered, and cheerful heart, my life will be fulfilled and blessed―not because I have given in order to receive, but because I have given out of your love. A promise follows, Lord, in the next few verses in Isaiah 58. I am so thankful for this promise. It is that reward Matthew writes of...the one that I will receive when I give myself away in secret. “Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I” (Isaiah 58:6-8, NIV). Lord, in giving, I receive you.

In the Midst of His Will

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2, NIV).

You love God with all your heart, mind, body, and soul. You live a surrendered and obedient life–one that seeks to please and honor the Lord. You seek Him everyday through prayer and the Word. You seek His intimacy because without it you are lost. You pray for others because if you don't, you will fail them and Him. You are available when He needs you, and you reach out to those who need help. He gives you what to say when you need the words, and He is able to direct your steps. You constantly seek to be closer to Him, and to be renewed by the power of the Holy Spirit. You belong to Him, and yet you are struggling to discover His good, pleasing, and perfect will for your life.

You have sought for a great purpose in your life that brings passion to your soul. You have cried out to God to know His perfect will. You know that if you are in His will, you shall be fulfilled. So you have struggled to discover it. In your seeking, perhaps you have missed the smaller purposes that can make up a greater one. Perhaps smaller opportunities that God has sent your way have been overlooked in the search for that great purpose God has for your life. And with that overlooked opportunity, you have missed the passion and fulfillment you have sought.

Open your heart each day with expectancy that you shall be used by God that day! Ask for opportunities to be used, and you shall receive. Discover the purposes of your day that bring glory to His name. Make yourself available with a joyful spirit. Discover your passion in what has been given for you to do now. With a yielded heart of surrender and a mind to receive the direction of His Spirit, you can test and approve each opportunity that a day presents. You can “commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans” (Proverbs 16:3. NIV). You shall be in His will.....His good, pleasing, and perfect will.

Quit striving to know that “great” will of God. Live for Him; love Him; serve Him, and allow the Lord to present His will to you. Find the purpose and passion in your day now. Be transformed and renewed daily. Take care of what He brings to you, and serve Him with gladness. Be passionate in your daily opportunities. And discover joy being in the midst of His will today! God does not consider any service as being small. If you seek and serve Him in what you consider the small things, you will one day learn just how big they really are. You shall “know” that you have found the great, passionate, and perfect will of God for your life.

The Green-Eyed Monster

“A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones” (Proverbs 14:30. NIV).

Envy. Jealousy. It is the green-eyed monster that if allowed will consume our life. Nothing good comes from envy. It springs from our carnal nature, and steals the fulfillment in life that God's spirit imparts. It kills the fruit of the spirit. Envy crucifies any love, robs our joy, and destroys our peace. Whatever patience we might have had is gone, because we are never satisfied. Whatever kindness and goodness we exemplified has departed, because we don't view another as someone to care about. We see them as someone to compare ourselves with. We have no self-control of our desire for more–we have no faithfulness that perseveres–we have no gentleness of heart because we are in a constant state of competition (Galatians 5:21-22). With envy, there is no peace.

Our verse from Proverbs basically says that peace is the exact opposite of envy. Peace gives life, and envy rots it away. When our heart and mind are at peace, we can live in His fullness. The body is at rest. There is no striving to have more or be the best at something. We can rejoice with others if they receive a blessing. Our heart is free to love, and not judge. We don't compare because there is no competition. Without all the stress of comparing and competition–when are hearts and minds are at peace, our bodies are at peace. There is life. If we are filled with envy and are always comparing our life to someone else–if what we have never seems enough–if we feel we are not the best at something, then our striving and unrest will wreck havoc on us. It will kill the spirit and the body.

“I gave you milk,” Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly?” (1 Corinthians 3:2-3a, NIV). How immature are we? Do we still need to be treated as spiritual babies needing milk? When will we grow up and walk in the spirit instead of the flesh? Jealousy does not only destroy our spiritual life, it breeds dissension and division. Envy does not only destroy God's ability to work in us. It destroys others. Now is the time to grow up. Instead of allowing envy to crucify the Holy Spirit in us, it is time to crucify this green-eyed monster.

If God's love is in us, there is no place for envy. Love is patient, and it is kind. Love does not envy. (1 Corinthians 13:4). It does not destroy lives. Love builds. Love creates. Love sees the best. Love does not compare, and it does not compete. The time for solid food has come.

His Peace is Real

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7, NIV).

There is a peace that is greater than anything my mind can fathom. It shields me from pain that the storms of life impart, and carries me through each battle that rages. There is a constant and abiding peace that is found only in Him. When my life is a roller coaster ride, swinging from one crisis to the next, His peace is my promise that, no matter what I think or see or feel or hear, it is entirely possible to have His quiet rest within me.

Philippians 4:6-7 are two are my favorites verses. This is because they have brought me peace in the midst of life's heartaches and struggles. The only reason they bring peace is that I believe what they say, and I act upon it. The instruction in verse 6 is clear. When it says that I am not to be anxious about anything, at first it's difficult, because fear always tries to rise up. But if I do what I am instructed to do in the next few phrases, my anxiety level drops. In every situation that I face, I am instructed in prayer to give God all my worries, fears, and every circumstance. When I realize that I can't carry life's burdens alone–when I realize that I'm unable to take care of them–when I finally trust God to handle them, He lifts the load and carries it for me.

Suddenly I can breathe! I don't have to have an answer. I don't have to protect anyone. I don't have to meet that need. I don't have to take care of a problem that is more than I can handle. His peace that verse 7 promises descends into my heart. With His peace comes His strength and direction to handle what I can't handle. There are things I must do because I can't retreat from life's problems, but if I follow His direction through each struggle, I will hold on to His peace. When I don't have an answer, He imparts His. When I can't protect someone, He offers something that will. When I don't have the means to take care of a problem, He reveals the way for it to be done. When I let go and allow Him to be Lord of my problems, they are no longer mine. They are His to handle and solve.

I can have His peace through the raging times of life–not just exist but live in His fullness of life, and not the emptiness of my own. I can't hide or run from problems and struggles of this life. But His peace, which always comes when I allow Him to have control, is beyond anything I can understand. It gives me what I need to take care of what I am unable to take care of without Him. His peace is real, and it is His promise.