Dear friends and family,
I've been spending a lot of time at home lately...well, a lot of time in bed actually, since I've needed a lot of rest to recover from this sinus infection/cold I caught last week.
And it's always in these times of vulnerability, especially through physical and/or emotional brokenness, that I realize how much I must continue to seek God for His grace to sustain me.
So needless to say, I have had more time to read, reflect, and meditate, to pray through things that I've continued to struggle with.
And the lesson is, that God, in His sovereign ways, is teaching me more about surrender.
What does that really mean?
I think it's a complete end to myself. I think it's being humbled...and being stripped of my pride and any thought that I could be self-sufficient. I think it's telling God that my life is in His hands, that He can use me however He pleases, that I cannot and will not complain but will allow whatever circumstances to shape me into how He sees fit. I think it's trusting that everything that's happening, what I'm feeling is what is best for me right now. And I think it's asking the Lord to search my heart more, to reveal ways that I can continue to daily let go of "control" and let Christ reign as King of my life.
And beloved, surrender to the Lord is sweet indeed. :)
Grace and peace to you.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Lessons from the loving Father
Dear friends and family,
I hope you enjoyed a long and wonderful Labor Day weekend! I've been able to do a lot of reading lately, waiting to hear back about a few job opportunities. And as usual, reading leads to more reflection, more lessons to be learned and applied. Here are the latest:
1. Being a good steward of my time
Ephesians 5:15-16 is a great reminder - "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil."
I need to have a heavenly perspective, thinking often about what God's purpose is for me as revealed through His Word, about how Jesus could return at any given moment and that I need to be making the BEST use of what time He has granted. I need to ask myself what to "invest" in, WHO to invest in and love and serve...because being idle is so easy and natural, Watching tv can be the worst time waster of all if we're not careful...even if it's just something wholesome like Discovery or History or Sports.
2. Being reminded of my ongoing need for sanctification, to cultivate greater humility
1 Thes. 4:3 says "For this is the will of God, your sanctification". Romans 8:29 says "For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers."
In working with my discipler, it's becoming clearer than ever that I have to make a deliberate effort to "work" at dealing with my sins. I know this sounds obvious, but it is hard work. Old habits die hard. I'm so grateful that Kim has lovingly shown me the Truth, and continues to encourage and point out my sin, so that I can become more like Christ. I have to continue to reshape old ways of thinking and behaving by applying and conforming to what the Bible says I should think or do.
As a side note, I was cooking some frozen dumplings, separating some that were stuck together in the pot, noticing how the skin tore as I did so, even if I was careful and doing it slowly. I thought to myself, this is what God, the loving heart-surgeon is doing for us. He has to separate us from the sin that entangles, for our good, and sometimes it leaves scarring...sometimes, revisiting those areas where our sin has caused damage is still really rough, but over time, God brings restoration, healing, and rejoicing!
And, something I have to relearn over and over is that I am responsible for me, to let God deal with others, as He will, and that I cannot be overly concerned or needlessly worried about His care for them, His work in their lives. 1 Cor. 7:17 says "Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to Him, and to which God has called him." - which again reminds me that I need to be content where I am, to trust in God's timing.
3. A call to love and be joyful
Pastor John says that love is not jealous (wants what others have) and does not boast (wants others to want what you have). Love is a big challenge for me, especially loving people who may not love me, people that are hard to love, people who offer me very little in return. But we have to learn to imitate Christ and how to really give up our "selfishness" and "comfort", to push ourselves to care, because that's who God loves, because God loved us first.
Also, I'm convicted to practice more joy in my life, to be reminded to be thankful and rejoice (1 Thes. 5:16-18) that I have all that I need in Christ and am doing better than I deserve.
And even when circumstances don't go the way I wanted them to, or expected, that the Lord is doing something above and beyond my ability to understand, and that I need to rejoice anyway. :)
Well, that's all I have for today. God never ceases to amaze me as He patiently works with me, is eager to love and bless and meet with me, and how He always forgives me when I mess up.
Isn't He alone worthy of our whole heart? Isn't He alone worthy of our love and devotion? Isn't He alone worthy of our praise and worship?
Grace and peace to you.
I hope you enjoyed a long and wonderful Labor Day weekend! I've been able to do a lot of reading lately, waiting to hear back about a few job opportunities. And as usual, reading leads to more reflection, more lessons to be learned and applied. Here are the latest:
1. Being a good steward of my time
Ephesians 5:15-16 is a great reminder - "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil."
I need to have a heavenly perspective, thinking often about what God's purpose is for me as revealed through His Word, about how Jesus could return at any given moment and that I need to be making the BEST use of what time He has granted. I need to ask myself what to "invest" in, WHO to invest in and love and serve...because being idle is so easy and natural, Watching tv can be the worst time waster of all if we're not careful...even if it's just something wholesome like Discovery or History or Sports.
2. Being reminded of my ongoing need for sanctification, to cultivate greater humility
1 Thes. 4:3 says "For this is the will of God, your sanctification". Romans 8:29 says "For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers."
In working with my discipler, it's becoming clearer than ever that I have to make a deliberate effort to "work" at dealing with my sins. I know this sounds obvious, but it is hard work. Old habits die hard. I'm so grateful that Kim has lovingly shown me the Truth, and continues to encourage and point out my sin, so that I can become more like Christ. I have to continue to reshape old ways of thinking and behaving by applying and conforming to what the Bible says I should think or do.
As a side note, I was cooking some frozen dumplings, separating some that were stuck together in the pot, noticing how the skin tore as I did so, even if I was careful and doing it slowly. I thought to myself, this is what God, the loving heart-surgeon is doing for us. He has to separate us from the sin that entangles, for our good, and sometimes it leaves scarring...sometimes, revisiting those areas where our sin has caused damage is still really rough, but over time, God brings restoration, healing, and rejoicing!
And, something I have to relearn over and over is that I am responsible for me, to let God deal with others, as He will, and that I cannot be overly concerned or needlessly worried about His care for them, His work in their lives. 1 Cor. 7:17 says "Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to Him, and to which God has called him." - which again reminds me that I need to be content where I am, to trust in God's timing.
3. A call to love and be joyful
Pastor John says that love is not jealous (wants what others have) and does not boast (wants others to want what you have). Love is a big challenge for me, especially loving people who may not love me, people that are hard to love, people who offer me very little in return. But we have to learn to imitate Christ and how to really give up our "selfishness" and "comfort", to push ourselves to care, because that's who God loves, because God loved us first.
Also, I'm convicted to practice more joy in my life, to be reminded to be thankful and rejoice (1 Thes. 5:16-18) that I have all that I need in Christ and am doing better than I deserve.
And even when circumstances don't go the way I wanted them to, or expected, that the Lord is doing something above and beyond my ability to understand, and that I need to rejoice anyway. :)
Well, that's all I have for today. God never ceases to amaze me as He patiently works with me, is eager to love and bless and meet with me, and how He always forgives me when I mess up.
Isn't He alone worthy of our whole heart? Isn't He alone worthy of our love and devotion? Isn't He alone worthy of our praise and worship?
Grace and peace to you.
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