Looking Unto Jesus

"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." ~ Hebrews 12:1-2

It's amazing how the Lord can bring every aspect of my life together in one moment--to show me that He is in control, and that He has a wonderful purpose and plan for my future. I opened my Bible tonight to Hebrews 12:1-2, which is a favorite passage of mine, that encourages us as followers of Christ to fix our eyes on Jesus and what He has in store for us. Then He brought together my daily readings from 31 Days of Praise and Streams in the Desert in order to encourage me to stay on the course that He has prepared for me.

Father, I'm so delighted that You are both loving and sovereign, and that You cause all things to work together for good to those who love You, to those who are called according to Your purpose. So I thank You for each disturbing or humbling situation in my life, for each breaking or cleansing process You are allowing, for each problem or hindrance, for each thing that triggers in me anxiety or anger or pain. And I thank You in advance for each disappointment, each demanding duty, each pressure, each interruption that may arise in the coming hours and days. In spite of what I think or feel when I get my eyes off You, I choose not to resist my trials as intruders, but to welcome them as friends. Thank you that each difficulty is an opportunity to see You work...that in Your time You will bring me out to a place of abundance. I rejoice that You plan to enrich and beautify me through each problem, each conflict, each struggle...that through them You expose my weaknesses and needs, my hidden sins, my self-centeredness (and especially my self-reliance and pride). Thank You that You use trials to humble me and perfect my faith and produce in me the quality of endurance...that they prepare the soil of my heart for the fresh new growth in godliness that You and I both long to see in me...and that my momentary troubles are producing for me an eternal glory that far outweighs them all, as I keep my eyes focused on You. I'm grateful that You look beyond my superficial desire for a trouble-free life; instead, You fulfill my deep-down desire to glorify You, enjoy Your warm fellowship, and become more like Your Son. ~ from 31 Days of Praise

Every difficult task that comes across your path--every one that you would rather not do, that will take the most effort, cause the most pain, and be the greatest struggle--brings a blessing with it. And refusing to do it regardless of the personal cost is to miss the blessing. Every difficult stretch of road on which you see the Master's footprints and along which He calls you to follow Him leads unquestionably to blessings. And they are blessings you will never receive unless you travel the steep and thorny path. Every battlefield you encounter, where you are required to draw your sword and fight the enemy, has the possibility of victory that will prove to be a rich blessing to your life. And every heavy burden you are called upon to lift hides within itself a miraculous secret of strength. ~ from Streams in the Desert

Thank you, Dear Jesus, for loving me so much that you take the time to speak to my heart. When I am discouraged, you restore my hope. When I am downtrodden, you renew my purpose. And when I am daunted by my own weaknesses, you remind me that true strength is found in You alone. I love you, Father, and I want to follow your path for me, no matter where it may lead. Amen. 

Victory in Jesus

"Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. 
Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you.  I will hold you up with my victorious right hand."

~Isaiah 41:10

His Eye is on the Sparrow

Earlier this evening, as I was worrying obsessively about something I couldn't control, God was gracious enough to speak to my anxious heart. I looked outside the clear glass storm door to the entrance of our humble abode, and saw a tiny bird hopping around on our concrete step. Then it struck me: God had His eye on that little bird! No matter how small or insignificant it's life may seem, God cared about that bird, and was glorified as it fulfilled its purpose. How much more, then, does He lovingly guide the lives of His children as they seek to please and follow Him?

Dear Jesus, thank you for loving me so very much. Thank You for caring about every area of my life, and for promising to guide me as I choose to trust and obey You.

Trials that Transform

I thank You for the bitter things
They've been a friend to grace,
They've driven me from the paths of ease
To storm the secret place.
~Florence White Willett

Father, I'm so delighted that You are both loving and sovereign, and that You cause all things to work together for good to those who love You, to those who are called according to Your purpose. So I thank You for each disturbing or humbling situation in my life, for each breaking or cleansing process You are allowing, for each problem or hindrance, for each thing that triggers in me anxiety or anger or pain. And I thank You in advance for each disappointment, each demanding duty, each pressure, each interruption that may arise in the coming hours and days.

In spite of what I think or feel when I get my eyes off You, I choose not to resist my trials as intruders, but to welcome them as friends.

Thank You that each difficulty is an opportunity to see You work...that in Your time You will bring me out to a place of abundance. I rejoice that You plan to enrich and beautify me through each problem, each conflict, each struggle...that through them You expose my weaknesses and needs, my hidden sins, my self-centeredness (and especially my self-reliance and pride). Thank You that You use trials to humble me and perfect my faith and produce in me the quality of endurance...that they prepare the soil of my heart for the fresh new growth in godliness that You and I both long to see in me...and that my momentary troubles are producing for me an eternal glory that far outweighs them all, as I keep my eyes focused on You. I'm grateful that You look beyond my superficial desire for a trouble-free life; instead, You fulfill my deep-down desire to glorify You, enjoy Your warm fellowship, and become more like Your Son.

~Taken from 31 Days of Praise, by Ruth Myers

Great and Precious Promises

"He has given us His very great and precious promises." ~ 2 Peter 1:4

When a shipbuilder erects a boat, does he do so only to keep it on the scaffolding? No, he builds it to sail the seas and to weather the storms. In fact, if he does not think of strong winds and hurricanes as he builds it, he is a poor shipbuilder.

In the same way, when God made you a believer, He meant to test you. And when He gave you promises and asked you to trust them, He made His promises suitable for times of storms and high seas. Do you believe that some of His promises are counterfeit, similar to a life vest that looks good in the store but is of no use in the sea?

We have all seen swords that are beautiful but are useless in war, or shoes made for decoration but not for walking. Yet God's shoes are made of iron and brass, and we can walk all the way to heaven in them, without ever wearing them out. And we could swim the Atlantic a thousand times in His life vest, with no fear of ever sinking. His Word of promise is meant to be tried and tested.

There is nothing Christ dislikes more than for His people to publicly profess Him and then not use Him. He loves for us to make use of Him, for His covenant blessings are not simply meant to be looked at but should be appropriated. Our Lord Jesus has been given to us for our present use. Are you making use of Him as you should?

O beloved, I plead with you not to treat God's promises as something to be displayed in a museum but to use them as everyday sources of comfort. And whenever you have a time of need, trust the Lord. Charles H. Spurgeon

Go to the depths of God's promise,
And claim whatsoever you will;
The blessing of God will not fail you,
His Word He will surely fulfill.

How can God say no to something He has promised?

taken from Streams in the Desert

God is Our Refuge

"The LORD is good,
a refuge in times of trouble.
He cares for those who trust in Him!"
~Nahum 1:7

God is our refuge--He is always there for us when we need Him! A thought came to my mind after my work-day ended yesterday: "It's going to be okay!" This may not seem like a huge revelation, but I guess I would have to say that for me, it is! I tend to be pessimistic (I like to call it realistic, but either way, my natural inclination is not to have a positive outlook), and just the idea that things are going to be okay, that they're going to work out, was comforting. And the reason I could say things would be okay? GOD! He is in control. He loves me. He wants the best for me. Yes, I'm struggling with different issues in my life, and it's never easy. But the truth is, I have a God who lived and died and rose again, all to give me the opportunity to have an eternal lifetime of knowing and loving Him! I have to say, this is definitely something worth praising Him for!

Becoming an Overcomer

Another theme that God has been weaving through my life is the idea of being an "overcomer." When I face difficulties, discouragement, or doubt, I tend to succumb to the temptation to give up--instead of relying on God to overcome these giants.

During my lunch break at work the other day, I flipped on the radio in my car and was encouraged to hear the song, "Overcomer," by Mandisa. The words really spoke to my heart! The chorus of the song reads:

You're an overcomer
Stay in the fight ‘til the final round
You're not going under
‘Cause God is holding you right now
You might be down for a moment
Feeling like it's hopeless
That's when He reminds You
That you're an overcomer
You're an overcomer

I certainly didn't FEEL like an overcomer at that point, or even that I could become one. But that night, God reiterated His desire for me to grow in this area. My devotional reading from Streams in the Desert spoke about overcoming difficulties. One of the most poignant sections stated:

Giants represent great difficulties, and they stalk us everywhere. They are in our families, our churches, our social life, and even our own hearts. We must overcome them or they will devour us, just as the ancient Israelites, fearing those in Canaan, said, "The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size" (Numbers 13:32). We should exhibit faith as did Joshua and Caleb, who said, "Do not be afraid...because we will swallow them up " (Numbers 14:9). In effect, they told the others, "We will be stronger by overcoming them than if there had been no giants to defeat."

As I face new--as well as familiar--giants each day, I have God's promise that He will never give me more than I can bear, with His help (1 Corinthians 10:13). With His Word in my mind and the Holy Spirit in my heart, I have the ability to overcome anything that the enemy puts in my path. I need only to rely on Him and to allow Him to transform me into an overcomer, day by day.

He Lifts Me Up

                        

As I was driving home from work yesterday, the perfect song come on the radio while listening to my favorite station, K-Love. I would like to share the lyrics of this song and how God used them to encourage me after a long day. The song is by The Afters and is called "Lift Me Up."

You lift me up with your love
You lift me up with your love
You lift me up with your love
You lift me up

Waiting for the sunrise
Waiting for the day
Waiting for a sign
That I'm where you want me to be

I am grateful for my job, but it is certainly not my dream job. However, God is using this time and place in my life to shape me and to grow me. I was reminded of this as I was listening to this song. I had asked God for help and strength for my projects, and He had given it to me. It was the first time in a while that I could truly say that I had experienced victory over my struggles

You know my heart is heavy
And the hurt is deep
But when I feel like giving up
You're reminding me
That we all fall down sometimes
But when I hit the ground

It had been a difficult day. I made several mistakes, which I HATE doing. I am a big perfectionist, as well as a people-pleaser. These are areas in which God is actively refining me. I had fallen down--made mistakes, messed up, fallen short--but I didn't have to stay on the ground, because God was lifting me up.

You lift me up when I am weak
Your arms wrap around me
Your love catches me so I'm letting go
You lift me up when I can't see
Your heart is all that I need
Your love carries me so I'm letting go

You lift me up with your love
You lift me up with your love
You lift me up with your love
You lift me up

The burdens were too much; I couldn't carry them any longer (Matthew 11:28-30)! My desire to be perfect, and my inability to accomplish this, was causing me great stress. But in my weakness, God is strong (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). And His love and grace were enough to keep me moving forward.

I know I'm not perfect
I know I make mistakes
I know that I have let you down
But you love me the same

And when I'm surrounded
When I lose my way
When I'm crying out and falling down
You are here to

Lift me up when I am weak
Your arms wrap around me
Your love catches me so I'm letting go
You lift me up when I can't see
Your heart is all that I need
Your love carries me so I'm letting go

Again, I HATE making mistakes. But God is showing me that I don't have to contort them into big catastrophes, as is my natural inclination. Ok, so I messed up; I made a mistake. But this doesn't mean that I can't move forward, learn from my errors, and try to do better the next time. God's love for me doesn't depend on my performance--praise Him! I can rest assured that He will catch me when I fall, wrap me in His arms of love, and give me the strength to keep going.

I can see the dawn is breaking
I am feeling overtaken with your love
With your love
I don't know what I can offer
In this moment I surrender to your love
To your love

God's love for me is new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23). I don't have a lot to offer the Author of the universe, but when I surrender to Him, to His grace, and to His perfect plans for me, I will truly be living a purposeful and satisfying life. Because He lifts me up and supports me, I can let go and let Him take control!

You lift me up when I am weak
Your arms wrap around me
Your love catches me so I'm letting go

You lift me up when I am weak
Your arms wrap around me
Your love catches me so I'm letting go
You lift me up when I can't see
Your heart is all that I need
Your love carries me so I'm letting go

I can see the dawn is breaking
I am feeling overtaken with your love

You lift me up with your love
You lift me up with your love
You lift me up with your love
You lift me up

Love in Action

The Lord has been teaching me a lot about love--the hard way! As I encounter different life situations, I am becoming more and more aware of how much I need God's help in order to put His love into action. 1 Corinthians 13 is a beautiful summary of the characteristics that godly love displays. The first two of these characteristics are patience and kindness. "Love is patient; love is kind..." Stop right there. That's enough of a challenge to keep me engaged in battle every day for the rest of my life! At my workplace, I am faced with constant decisions regarding whether or not I am going to put this into practice. Will I stop what I'm doing in order to listen to and help a co-worker with a question? Do I get frustrated when someone doesn't understand and/or agree with my point of view? Can I keep the annoyance out of my voice (and more importantly, out of my heart!) when I am called upon to undertake a task or tackle a problem that doesn't directly relate to me? I have to say, I fail at all of these challenges every single day! However, God is working on me. He's working IN me. He's working THROUGH me, and giving me the strength and help that I need in order to love how He loves. It is definitely a struggle, but it is one that causes me to depend on Him, and to surrender my choices to the One who lives and breathes love. For God IS love--and, praise His name, His love is flowing through me! I pray that He will continue to empty me of myself and fill me with His selfless devotion a little more each day.

Joy in the Journey

In my parents' garden

Today was a rough day. I started out by oversleeping, getting stuck in traffic on my way to work, and arriving at my little cubicle with a feeling of defeat. If this was how my day was beginning, who knew what the remainder of my shift would be like? Nevertheless, I asked God for help and settled into my routine.

It just kept getting worse. I had leftover work from the day before, more work given to me in the morning, and before I was able to make a dent in any of that, even more kept piling on top. I started feeling anxious. How was I going to get all of this done? Would I be able to complete each of my tasks with excellence? I worked right through to the mid-afternoon mark without stopping, but finally realized that I was so overwhelmed that I needed to take a break. I heated up my frozen meal and headed out to my car. Blasting the air conditioning and getting comfortable in my car seat, I was at long last able to relax a little. I said a prayer: God, I can't do this. Please help me! I'm trying my best, but I feel like that's not enough. Thank you that it IS enough for You, and help me to continue to work at it with all of my heart, in order to please You, and to not worry about what other people think. I called my husband--he told me to take a few deep breaths, and he read to me a devotion from Our Daily Bread. What an amazing husband I have! Even though his day wasn't going any better than mine, he took the time to encourage me. I texted my mom to ask for her prayers, gobbled down my food, and headed back inside.

The afternoon proved to go better than my morning. I focused on my work, knocked a good amount of it out, and even though I didn't get everything done, I felt like I could breathe again. As I walked out to my car that at the conclusion of the day, I thanked the Lord for--once again--carrying me through.

Our God is good! In the difficult times, He teaches us to rely on Him more fully. He shows His strength in our weakness. He displays His glory through our feeble attempts at obedience. And all the while, He shapes us more and more into the people that He wants us to be.

There is joy in the journey!