To the Fullest Measure

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure. 1 Peter 1:1-2 (New American Standard Bible)

Written to Christians facing persecution and dispersed throughout many parts of the world, the Apostle Peter started this book of the Bible with some incredibly encouraging words. Right off the bat he wanted his readers to see and embrace the truth of who they were in Christ…..chosen, sanctified, and cleansed. Their true identity was not based on what they did, what they owned, or where they lived, but rather on who they were in Christ. Along with that, he desired for them to possess grace and peace in the fullest measure even though their circumstances were not the best. How encouraging to know that we can allow these verses to be a banner over our own lives.

When do I need grace and peace the most? When I am battling with personal issues. When I am irritated with myself or others. When I am fearful of outcomes that are yet to be seen. When I am over whelmed with a task at hand. When temptation seems stronger than my own resolve to resist. When I have failed. When my expectations are not met. When the doors of opportunity remain closed. When I take one step forward and several steps backward. When the things I most want to change are out of my control. When health fails. When patience wears thin. When others do not understand. When my feelings are hurt. When those I most want to please simply are not pleased. When problems remain unresolved. When I feel backed into a corner. When life happens.

Grace is God-given strength and peace is internal tranquility in the midst of storms and difficulties rather than the absence of them. It is the sense that you are being held together when you don’t feel you have it all together. It sustains you when all seems against you. It is not denial or mere positive thinking. It is available and abundant….ours for the asking. In times when I knew the internal or external storms were brewing I could simply ask God to fill me with His grace and peace. Within moments I was acutely aware of both. The early Christians needed them and so do we.

Father, thank you that You never skimp on the supply of Your grace and peace. Each time life gets difficult, You give me the fullest measure of both. I receive them with praise and thanksgiving. Amen.

It is Well With My Soul - Wintley Phipps
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYFjikyp7mQ

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.
　
　

Looking in the Right Direction

Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. 1 Timothy 6:17 (New American Standard Bible)

Three times, in the first book of Timothy, I came across the phrase to fix my hope on God. To fix has the idea of waiting with joy and full confidence, hopeful trusting in, expectation, and being set. Who I trust in and place my expectation and confidence in is usually the one on whom I have my eyes fixed. Fixing my hope on God (and hence my eyes) is meant to be a continual occurrence. A daily decision. What I find though is how easily I can take my eyes off God as my Source and place them squarely on the individuals He so graciously brings across my path.

Put me in a relationship where I feel cared for and my attention is suddenly struggling to stay fixed on God. From the age of 14, when I trusted Christ as my Savior and experienced the love of the body of Christ, I began to seek to fill the “Swiss cheese holes of my soul” with the nurturing of others. Just as a drug addict looks for that next fix and an alcoholic looks for that next drink, I can often find myself looking for that “high” that comes from a sense that I am loved, welcomed, and wanted. It feels safe. It feels strengthening. It feels right. But if it is viewed as anything but a temporary gift of God, then it is a counterfeit and can leave me in the throws of emotional quick sand.

As much as I enjoy rich relationships, I have come to see that two fears usually crop up when things feel like they are changing. I fear I will lose my place in the relationship and I fear I will eventually lose the relationship. God’s answer? Allow love to cast out the fear…His love for me and His love flowing through me.

Along with that, He gave me a picture through a friend of how I can begin viewing those in my life who minister to me and encourage me so much. Picture each act of kindness as a bouquet of flowers being sent by Him through an individual who is simply His delivery person. When people have sent me flowers or plants, I had no trouble knowing who the true sender was and it wasn’t the delivery person! They played a vital and noticeable role but my attention stayed on the actual sender. May it be no different with the bouquets God lovingly sends. May my heart and eyes not become fixated on the delivery person, but rather on the true Giver of the gifts.

Father, tears have fallen as I have seen this aspect of myself and hope has risen in me as I begin to see Your truths for me to embrace. Help me to live life Your way! Amen.

JESUS,Lover of my soul (it's all about You)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dD-ZdMOx_HY&feature=related

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.

Seeing the Advantages

But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. John 16:7(New American Standard Bible)

I marvel at Jesus’ compassion and graciousness. He not only told His disciples that He was going away but He gave the very reason His departure was necessary. Although they could not fully grasp either truth, He still gave it. Sometimes it is hard for us to see the advantages to the losses in our life, until long after the fact. With time and growth comes the realization of all that couldn’t or wouldn’t be possible if change had not been forthcoming and security blankets had not been removed.

I think back to many Bible characters who saw the removal of individuals from their life and also saw the necessity of those removals. God systematically brought people into their life to help prepare them for future ministry and work, and when the time was right, those individuals were removed. It was true of Moses and Joshua, Elijah and Elisha, Samuel and David, Barnabas and Paul, and even Jesus and His followers. Each had grown use to being under their teacher, mentor, and guide. I am sure when the time for departure came, each had to wade through the thoughts of not being ready for the change yet. At the end of their life though they could look back and see all that God intended for them beyond the circumference of their once enjoyed companionship.

These truths minister to me and cause me to meditate on the advantages that came with the removal of one who played a significant role in my Christian life and journey. I would have been content to be under her influence and teaching for the rest of my life and struggled to see any advantage come from the severing of our relationship. For a few years I saw no advantage! After time and growth, however, the advantages are coming into view and I am convinced none of them would be possible without the change. Those advantages? I finally saw the full scope of my emotional dependency, I reached out to God in a way that was not possible before, I began searching for answers to questions I never asked before, I began learning truths about God I never knew before, and I poised myself to connect with God in a way I failed to do when someone of significance was available.

For me, it was a person. For others it may be the removal of health, wealth, or jobs. Whatever the case may be, know that God has advantages to birth through the pain and discomfort that will come. He is not arbitrarily playing with your mind and emotions. He is passionately bringing you to a place intimacy with Himself and usability for His kingdom. He makes no mistakes.

Father, help me to trust You during the times of removal in my life. You give and You take away. Blessed be Your name! Amen.

In His Time - Maranatha Singers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wo-rGzx2OZk

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.

A Word for the Weary

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9 (English Standard Version)

While today’s verse is often used to speak of service for others, God made it personal to me last night. I related strongly with the word “weary”. Other translations use words like tired, exhausted, loss of heart, fatigued, and spiritless. It has the idea of fainting and going limp! God knew that was where I was at once again. He knew the cycle of thoughts that were playing over and over in my mind. Thoughts of despair, failure, being a burden, unlovable, in the way, and unchangeable. He knew giving up was an option that kept looking appealing. He knew the perceptions of myself and others that screamed louder than the truth. He knew my feelings of foolishness, shame, and embarrassment. With all that He knew He offered me the words of Galatians 6:9.…”Don’t give up. Don’t quit. Don’t give in to the thoughts. It is worth the fight!”

What’s “the good” He wants me to continue doing? Speaking truth. Taking thoughts captive. Applying Scripture and its principles to my life. Asking for help and prayer. Accepting the gifts of friendship He has blessed me with. Putting on the armor of God. Resisting the Devil, his lies, and his tactics. Reviewing who I am in Christ. Keeping in constant communication with my Father. Living by faith more than feelings and emotions. Getting enough sleep. Eating healthier. Being controlled by His Spirit instead of my flesh. The list of good things that are good for me is endless as is the power that comes from each.

Battles are tiring. As I think back on this most recent one I can very easily beat myself up for not being victorious. I eventually let the wrong thoughts take over and it affected my outlook and demeanor. I shut down and distanced myself from those who would help and pray if I would but ask. When it was all said and done I felt like an isolated mess. Yet God still whispered, “Don’t give up. Get back in the fight. Others are praying for you and believing in my power to change you.”

Do I fear the next battle? There’s apprehension because of my past track record. But with each battle there will be growth and lessons learned. There will be fresh awareness of God’s involvement and assistance at all stages. It is a process. I will see victory one step, one thought, one decision at a time.

Father, each time the battle rages and I fear I’ve lost the fight, You come. I will not make it without You. Amen.

Come to Jesus - Chris Rice
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjZEDg9ZGKQ

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.

A Call to Action

Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. "But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great." Luke 6:47-49 (New American Standard Bible)

A parallel verse to today’s passage is James 1:22, “Be doers of the word and not hearers only.” Jesus gave strong and contrasting examples of individuals who do and don’t put into practice His words. The similarities are astounding. Both come, hear, and build. But the outcome is dependent upon what is done with what is heard. Floods come to both as well as torrents, but the one not shaken, the one not left in ruins, is the one who lives out the truths he is taught.

I have no trouble coming to Jesus and taking in what He tells me. I have learned to recognize His voice as well as His Words. But I am shaken to the core when I do not practice the things He tells me. Scripture is full of sound advice to be heeded and applied. In many situations of life I know what to do, but like the Apostle Paul, there are times the doing of it is lacking. When that is the case, my house of emotions is shaken as the storms of life hit. God is reminding me that will not be the case if I will begin doing what He has shown me to do. He honors that obedience with strength, stability, and unshaken faith.

This was the center of a conversation I once had with a friend. She saw my struggles and knew when I was dwelling in dark emotional pits. Her words to me are always the same, “start doing what you know to do.” Each action in the right direction will lay a sturdy foundation for me as well as become a wrung to a needed ladder for rising above my moods and thoughts. There is no pretending or blaming, the choice is mine. But within that choice is the premise that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I am not left on my own to make the necessary changes. Each decision is accompanied by God’s grace and enabling.

Victory replaces failure when God’s Word goes beyond my ears. All that I desire for my Christian life and all that God desires for me are possible as I daily practice the things He tells me.

Father, I take responsibility for the choices I am making. I trust You to bring about the necessary changes as I obey. Amen.

This is My Desire - Hillsong
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XKxqqhOgVM&feature=fvw

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.

Out of the Cave

To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified. Isaiah 61:3 (New King James Version)

It was a year ago that I rear ended a vehicle and found myself in the emergency room with a broken sternum. Pain medication was necessary at first and limits were put on how much I could lift. My duties at work were changed to accommodate my need for healing. Prayers were spoken on my behalf and appreciated tremendously. It took time for the bone to heal and the limitations to be lifted. Eventually the tenderness subsided as well as the thoughts of the incident. Lessons were learned and life went on. Physical restoration can often be more quickly obtained than damage to our emotions.

It was over three years ago that a change in relationship shook my world and the eventual severing of it caused me to crash emotionally. I entered a cave of internal darkness that was profound and seemingly impossible to leave. The loss and questions consumed me for the better part of a year. Enjoyment for life eluded me. It limited my perspective on life and my trust in others. I had come face to face with a pain I had never known before and a view of my own internal world that was not comfortable or pretty. Issues that I had been able to anesthetize through the relationship were exposed and felt. My world as I had known it was forever changed. The “medication” that was needed and applied was Scripture, prayers (mine as well as friends’), and the willingness of an accountability partner to enter the cave and spend two years walking me to the exit.

I don’t know the exact moment that exit was found but recently I realized I was no longer in the cave of darkness and pain. I realized that battles being fought were separate from the loss. Joy and laughter were finding their way back into my life and I was actually finding more and more times free from the consuming thoughts that had been so much a part of me. God had brought about the emotional healing that others had assured me He would but I floundered to believe. This morning, praise and thanksgiving have definitely replaced sorrow and I am delighting in the things I see God doing in other areas of my life.

I share this for two reasons. First, it has been so long in coming that I cannot help but talk about it! He has done a marvelous thing in my life and I HAVE to share it. Second, I know that some who are reading this need a word of encouragement that God will eventually bring them out of the emotional cave of pain they find themselves in presently. For them, it is dark and cold. Life is at a stand still and they are not sure things will ever change. They will change, my friends. I have absolutely no doubt about that….but it will take time. Know that the prayers are being lifted on your behalf and welcome any who will enter the cave to help you.

Father, thank you for what You have done for me and what You will do for others! Amen!!!

Help Me - Kathy Troccoli (one of my "cave" songs)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmSSWHO8ueA

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.

Sufficient for Them as Well

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 (King James Version)

When my youngest brother died of Cystic Fibrosis at the age of 9, God’s grace was sufficient. When my mom passed away in a car accident in February of 2000 and left me with the crushing pain of feeling orphaned, His grace was sufficient. When I was asked to resign from teaching and found myself on the outside of a group that once welcomed me, His grace was sufficient. When a mentor saw the necessity to sever a relationship with me and I was not sure I would ever recover from the heartbreak, His grace was sufficient. When my own weaknesses and failures have haunted and taunted me in overwhelming measures, His grace continues to be sufficient.

I need those reminders this morning. Not for myself per se, but for people I love and care for deeply who experience their own heartaches, disappointments, and grief. I want so badly to change the scenarios of their life. I want to take away the pain, make things right, and cause each day to be encouraging for them. I don’t want them to hurt or be sad. I don’t want anyone to mistreat them or be unsupportive of them. Basically, I want only good to come to them.

Yet, if what I wanted came to pass, what Paul is talking about in 2 Corinthians 12:9 would not be their reality. They would not be made strong in their weaknesses. The power of Christ would not rest on them in their infirmities. They would not grow as Christians or deepen their walk with God. They would not see their dependency upon Christ increase. They would not experience God birthing ministry out of their difficulties. They would not seek God’s face, heart, or hands in quite the same way as they do now. They would not have the compassion for others in need. They would be comfortable but no longer striving to be conformed to the image of Christ.

It is imperative that I desire for those I love the same things that God desires for them. To see that God is working all things out for their good and His glory. To see that God has a purpose for allowing the things in their life that I would so easily want removed. The difficulties of their life are truly the chisels He uses to shape and mold them into a masterpiece. Eternity will reveal all that He accomplished for and through them. Until that time, I must speak over their life, “Not my will but yours be done, O, Lord.”

Father, I hurt for others this morning. Thank you for reminding me that they are more precious to You than they are even to me. Thank you for what You are doing out of love. I love them as I entrust them to You. For them Your grace is sufficient! Amen.

His Strength is Perfect - Steven Curtis Chapman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LC_lld_vUCY

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.