The End of the Story

Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. 2 Corinthians 2:14 (New King James Version)

I am not one to turn to the end of a book and read the conclusion before I have started the book. Although I may wonder how the story will end, I do not want to take away from the element of surprise that awaits me. In life though, there are times I need to see the end of the story for my own situations. Today’s verse is the “end of the story” I need to see, rejoice in, and embrace. It is my banner of truth to hold up and hold on to when I have walked in failure once again. When the thing I most detest in myself has reared its ugly head again. When my weakness has shown itself strong once again.

I came across this verse this morning after entertaining the thought that in a particular area of my life I will never see change, never see victory, and never see freedom. Why? Because I keep repeating the same scenario, results, and consequences. Worse yet, others are witnessing it! When it is all said and done, I walk away giving up on myself and wondering if they are giving up as well. Disappointment in myself includes the sense that I have disappointed others as well as God. The mental list of false “truths” I have come to believe is not only tragic but toxic as well. God’s intent is to counter that list with one of His own making and it has breathed life and hope into me.

For starters, He ALWAYS leads me in victory. Always! No exceptions. There is not an area in my life that stands outside the circumference of His promise. No matter what I think, no matter how I feel, no matter how long the trail of failure and sin, victory is promised me in Christ. God has not given up or conceded defeat. He is all about winning! While my sinful choices do not please Him, they are destined to become the backdrop to the display of His grace, mercy, strength, and power. Those who have seen me at my worst will be most aware of what God can do in the life of one who presently stumbles and struggles. What they see in me does not cause them to question God’s ability to work, hence they look to Him to do what they know I cannot do without Him. Who better to lift prayers on my behalf?

Discouraged? Not any more! God has once again used His Word to give this child some backbone! The head that recently hung in shame and regret is now raised in praise and thanksgiving to the One who is going to lead me in victory!

Father, I came so close to resigning myself to defeat. You, on the other hand, spoke the words I needed to hear. This morning, I receive Your forgiveness as well as Your promise. In the name of Jesus, my Victor, amen!

Set Me Free - Casting Crowns
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sio1WyIxGy4&feature=PlayList&p=479AE5E8ED0B9972&index=54

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

Live Like THIS!

As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him; rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Colossians 2:6,7 (King James Version)

If ever there was a key passage for living a victorious Christian life, it has to be this. What a challenge! What an invitation! Each phrase is a power house of truth that I want to embrace and experience.

Walking in him is what I do when I follow His lead and example. When I live with His heart, attitude, and mind. It goes beyond just walking with Him. It is the heart of being in relationship with Him. Seeking His face, implementing His truths, keeping in step with Him, imitating Him, desiring what characterized His life to now characterize mine, living under His direction, practicing His presence, and living my life in and by His strength and Spirit. Walking in Him also implies forward movement and progression. It is a daily journey!

Rooted and built up in Him is a picture of stability and attachment. My daily connection with Christ is where my growth is going to come from. He must be my life source. To be firmly set, fixed, and grounded in Him. It has the idea of taking up residence whereby He becomes my habitat. To live my life attached to Him, relying upon Him, receiving from Him, and fully depending upon Him.

Established in the faith is found in my connection to His word. My core beliefs and doctrines. This is not possible if I rarely open His word and read it for myself let alone actually study it. Mark 6 talks about four things that can happen to God’s Word when it is introduced to a person as seeds. Satan can steal it, it can fail to take root, it can be choked, or it can bear fruit. It hinges upon the receptiveness of my heart. In order to be established in the faith, God’s Word must be established in me!

And finally, abounding in thanksgiving. Am I walking in awareness and appreciation of God’s goodness, faithfulness, love, tenderness, and companionship? There is so much to praise and thank Him for on a daily basis. I want it to ooze from me! To be in a mode of continual spilling over. To have the heart of David who could never seem to vent about his difficulties without it turning into a concert of adoration and admiration of God.

Father, empower me to be a living example of these truths. Amen.

Draw Me Close to You
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FB1yDv9_N1k&feature=related

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

Glorying in Our Weaknesses

And He said unto me, "My grace is sufficient for thee, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Most gladly therefore will I glory rather in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 (21st Century King James Version)

Paul went from asking that something be removed from his life to rejoicing in it. How? He saw what God could do in and through that weakness. He saw that Christ’s strength was perfected in it and His power would descend upon him in that area. In other words, God’s ability and influence would be seen and experienced as well as His work accomplished in the places that would normally make Paul cringe.

I have often asked God to remove certain tendencies and weaknesses in me. Not so much the physical weaknesses (as was Paul’s case) but the emotional ones. I have asked Him to change me or at least deaden me to things that pull at me. I have read books. I have consulted others. I have attempted behavior modification. I have listened to speakers. One thing I have not done, though, is glory in it. Neither have I rejoiced or boasted in it. I have seen it as nothing but a despicable part of myself and tried in vain to distance myself from that part of me.

Paul is serving as my example today. In his weakness he served his Creator. In his weakness he pointed others to Jesus. In his weakness he displayed the work of God in his life. In his weakness he walked in victory. How? He was governed by God’s divine grace and power. God was able to work in and through Paul in his weakness and His working was all the more evident because of it. Rather than limit Paul, it unleashed the power of God in him.

Scripture attests to the fact that God chose weak vessels to accomplish His work. Most of the ones God worked through felt disqualified or unqualified. The truth of the matter was that they were the most usable. The same is true of us today. Why? So God will get the credit and not people. Even those who possess great abilities and talents must acknowledge those things come from God. While they may have worked hard to develop those gifts, God is the One who enabled them to do so.

If my weaknesses can be the backdrop for God’s grace and power to be displayed than I choose to embrace them and glory in them. Rather than something to be dreaded and grieved over, it is now something to joy in for God’s influence and strength rest on me!

Father, I invite You to do Your greatest and most powerful work in my area of weakness. I will give You the praise for all that means and looks like. 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.

When It is Given to Another

Go up to the top of Pisgah, and lift your eyes toward the west, the north, the south, and the east; behold it with your eyes, for you shall not cross over this Jordan. But command Joshua, and encourage him and strengthen him; for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which you will see. Deuteronomy 3:27, 28 (New King James Version)

In today’s passage, not only do we witness God’s final answer to Moses’ desire to enter the Promised land with the nation of Israel, but we also hear His instructions as to how he is to interact with the one who is to take his place as the next leader of God’s people. He is given a view of the land but denied entry due to a disobedient act on his part. That had to have stung. Yet, I marvel at what God instructs him to do with regards to Joshua….command him, encourage him, strengthen him. Further reading reveals that Moses did just that! He whole heartedly supported the one who would be privileged to do what he would not be allowed to do.

I compare this scenario to that of King Saul when he knew that David was to be the next king of Israel. Jealousy and hate ruled Saul’s heart and actions. Rather than command, encourage, and strengthen, he sought to kill him! Both men lost their desired positions and opportunities due to their own actions and yet the way they responded to the consequences and their “replacements” were polar worlds apart.

Although Moses’ and Saul’s situation had to do with consequences, I am asking myself which scenario would more closely resemble my life if someone were given an opportunity I wanted for myself? In all honesty, without the grace and work of God in my life, I am more like Saul than Moses (minus the intent to murder). My flesh gets riled when what I want is withheld from me and “handed” to another person….even a friend. When disappointment marks my path, I don’t do well with “rejoicing with those who rejoice.”

Many have been the times I have had to take an honest look at my heart, admit the truth to God, and ask for His grace to overcome the dictates of my flesh. That is just the first step though. It takes additional grace from Him to then become the encourager and strengthener of the one who is chosen by Him to carry out that which I long to do. To partner with them rather than stand opposed to them or in competition with them. It is part of learning to walk on a solid foundation of trust in the heart of my Father, for He knows the plans He has for me and others ….plans to prosper rather than harm!

Father, when I am disappointed may it never be in You! Help me to come to the place of receiving “No” from You as easily as I receive “Yes.” Help me to interact with others in a way that pleases and honors You. Amen.

Do I Trust You - Twila Paris
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSopilUouw8

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

Walks in the Wilderness

For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hand. He knows your walking through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing. Deuteronomy 2:7 (Amplified Bible)

God’s words to Israel are His words to me as well. What He says He has done and is doing is exactly what He has done and is doing. I don’t like the times when my journey entails walks in the wilderness. Times when things are not exciting and all seems to be at a stand still. I grow uncomfortable with what seems like routine and sameness. Yet I find reassurance in knowing that at those times, God blesses my work, knows my walk, accompanies me, and supplies my every need. Of all those promises, the one that touches me most deeply this morning is His knowledge of my walk.

He knows what I am up against. He knows the battles that lie ahead as well as the ones in my head. He knows the self doubt, the questions, the uncertainties, the worries, and the insecurities. He also knows the growth, the victories, the aha moments, and the things that will move me to tears as well as laughter. He knows who will cross my path. He knows the losses and gains, the lessons learned and relearned, the disappointments and delights, as well as the length of stay. He knows what is needed to sustain and refresh me. Every aspect of the forty years the children of Israel spent in their great wilderness was known and attended to by God. In the same way, every aspect of my wilderness experience is known and attended to by God.

Lest I get the idea that wilderness times are dull and uneventful, I must think upon those times when the children of Israel witnessed miracles and took in important life lessons. There were battles fought and won IN the wilderness. There was the supplying of needs IN the wilderness. There was personal guidance by day and night IN the wilderness. There was confrontation for sin IN the wilderness. There was God’s voice and presence IN the wilderness. It was not just a time of wandering but rather a time of interaction with God and one another.

I don’t want to miss what God has for me at this time in my life. I don’t want to think of it as simply waiting on the shelf! I want to come out different than when I entered. In order for that to happen there will need to be changes in my perspective, my passion, my mindset, and my heart. Each day affords me the opportunities to learn and grow. May I take those opportunities with fervor and zeal!

Father, my view of being in the wilderness is changing. Help me to see it as a unique time rather than a time I at which I cringe. May today be filled with You! Amen.

With All I Am - Hillsong
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMrAafe7Mns&feature=PlayList&p=EAE85BEDB2E61503&index=0&playnext=1

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

To Serve or Be Served

Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. Matthew 20:28 (New American Standard Bible)

In the past week, I have pondered this verse many times. Jesus’ characteristic of looking to serve rather than be served does not come to me naturally. Left on my own, I fall short of living my life with others in mind. When I enter a room I tend to look to people to encourage me, make me feel welcome, show me love, and give me attention, rather than vice versa. My expectations of them are high and the disappointment comes often when those expectations are not met. Seeing this aspect in me is not easy or comfortable and neither is admitting it to others. Yet, I am convinced I do not stand alone. I am convinced others struggle with “me-ism” as much as I do…..focused more on self than on others. I am also convinced I am not alone in my desire to live my life in a different way.

I asked God to show me what I can start doing to bring about change. He quickly brought today’s verse to mind then He proceeded to give me practical ways to carry it out. His instructions to me? When I am with people, start looking for ways to make them feel welcome and wanted with good eye contact, smiles, listening when they talk, showing interest in them, drawing them into the conversations. In other words, start doing for others what I have had done for me in the past. Those same things that touch my heart and make me feel loved are the things I must now demonstrate to others.

If these are done solely in my own strength they will not last. But if they are done as a result of my daily walk with God, they will flourish. If they are done with the help of His Spirit working in me, they will bear fruit. If they are done by His ability coming through me, they will make a difference.

As I come to God and ask Him to show me things I can begin doing, I am acutely aware of my need for a changed heart. He is the true heart changer and I rejoice that with my cooperation that change will take place. Change of desires, change of expectations, change of what and who I am focused on, change of my purpose in relationships, and change in the motives behind my actions. This is not behavior modification or self reformation but rather a fresh realization of how dependent I need to be upon God in order for real and lasting change to come about.

Father, I have spent too many years trying and failing to live differently. I now look to You to do what I cannot do on my own. Amen.

Make Me a Servant - Maranatha Singers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rznoe3zKxM&feature=related

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

Is It Not Enough?

They assembled together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, "You have gone far enough, for all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is in their midst; so why do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?" Numbers 16:3 (New American Standard Bible)

Korah’s jealousy over another person’s position lead him to act out in rebellion and eventually cost him his life. He failed to see that Moses and Aaron were given the places of leadership by God rather than by their own choosing or that of others. He failed to grasp the truth that his position and calling as a Levite was not insignificant. Jealousy over another person’s place, possessions, or position needs to be recognized, acknowledged, and abandoned before the consequences play themselves out in painful ways.

God had one question for Korah as found in Numbers 16:9, “Is it not enough for you to be separated by God to do the service of the tabernacle?” God was reminding him of not only his life’s calling but Who it was that was doing the calling. How much he missed when he minimized God’s purpose for his life and compared his life to that of another.

Can I relate with Korah? Absolutely! Yet, I find great comfort in the reminder his story serves. Too often I can look at the ministries others have and be overcome with feelings of envy and discontent. I can forget God has His own desires and purposes for each of our lives. I can forget God’s ways and thoughts are higher than my own. I can get the idea that I am less loved, less noticed, or less important to God due to the fact that what He does in and through me looks different than that of another person. When opportunities for a particular service elude me or positions of ministry remain out of reach for me, I can mistakenly place a big question mark over the significance of my own life.

God’s answer? Trust Him to do what is best for all. See the worth, meaning, and value of what He has called me and others to do. Rejoice in the variety of vessels He uses to get the work of the Kingdom done. Learn as much as I can during this time in my life as it very well may be a time of preparation for what is to come later. These are the ways to avoid or stop my heart, actions, and thoughts from becoming like Korah’s. When asked if what God has me doing is enough, I want to proclaim with joy, “It is MORE than enough!”

Father, I rejoice that You are not a God who plays favorites in Your work on Earth. With You there is no unimportant task or insignificant vessel. Keep doing a work in and through me for Your honor and glory. 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.