I have much to learn...

The following quote from puritan author John Newton was very convicting. He is obviously superior in character, godliness, knowledge and every other thing and yet he still humbly sees that he "has no right" to have a lowly view of others. To ever be impatient, or angry, or bitter toward them, because he himself sees his own need of grace. Lord, give me a heart like that!

"I am not to expect others to see with my eyes! I am deeply convinced of the truth of John the Baptist's aphorism in John 3:27, "A man can receive nothing--except it be given him from Heaven." I well know, that the little measure of knowledge I have obtained in the things of God--has not been owing to my own wisdom and teachableness, but to God's goodness. Nor did I learn everything all at once--God has been pleased to exercise much patience towards me, for the past twenty-seven years--since He first gave me a desire of learning from Himself. He has graciously accommodated Himself to my weakness, borne with my mistakes, and helped me through innumerable prejudices, which, but for His mercy, would have been insuperable hindrances! I have therefore no right to be angry, impatient, or censorious to others, especially as I have still much to learn, and am so poorly influenced by what I seem to know!" - John Newton

Because I am one of God's most impatient servants...

I know I've been writing about the discipline of "waiting" a lot lately, but it seems as though God in His kindness is still not done with me. This morning as I pulled up Elisabeth Elliot's new devotional that they post every day, I smiled as I read the title. Of course! God is good and E.E's wise words helped to give me fresh perspective, encouragement and peace once again. I can't even explain it, but the Lord has actually given me excitement at the thought of continuing to learn to wait on Him. God truly is faithful in all His ways, has never failed us and is worthy of all our trust and confidence. I know for me, waiting can feel like I'm on a windless sea going nowhere, but God is always sovereignly moving me toward the destination He has for me. I know the following quotation below is a bit long, but so worth reading.

Waiting by Elisabeth Elliot
"I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry" (Psalm 40:1, NIV).

The tests of our willingness to wait patiently for the Lord come almost daily for most of us, I suppose. Probably I am among the Lord's most impatient servants, so the lesson has to be renewed again and again. A tough test came when my daughter's family (of ten) was searching for a house. Southern California is not a place where one would wish to conduct that search. It's a long story, but at last, all other possibilities having been exhausted, a house was found, an offer made. That night word came that two other offers, of unknown amounts, had also been made. Dark pictures filled my mind: the others would surely get the house, the Shepards would be reduced to renting and we'd been told that rentals start at about $2000 per month (imagine an owner willing to rent to a family with eight children!).

"Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord" (Psalm 27:14, NIV).
I lay awake in the wee hours ("when all life's molehills become mountains" as Amy Carmichael said), repeating Scripture about God's faithfulness, trusting, casting all cares, waiting. I had to keep offering up my worries and my impatience. At four I was up reading the story of Abraham and Isaac. Abraham called the place where he had offered up Isaac "The Lord Will Provide." I took that as the Lord's word to me that morning.

Before nine o'clock, my son-in-law Walt called to say "Offer accepted. Other offers, both higher, turned down." No explanation. It was the Lord's doing.

Waiting requires patience--a willingness calmly to accept what we have or have not, where we are or where we wish we were, whomever we live or work with.

To want what we don't have is impatience, for one thing, and it is to mistrust God. Is He not in complete control of all circumstances, events, and conditions? If some are beyond His control, He is not God.

A spirit of resistance cannot wait on God. I believe it is this spirit which is the reason for some of our greatest sufferings. Opposing the workings of the Lord in and through our "problems" only exacerbates them. It is here and now that we must win our victories or suffer defeats. Spiritual victories are won in the quiet acceptance of ordinary events, which are God's "bright servants," standing all around us.

Restlessness and impatience change nothing except our peace and joy. Peace does not dwell in outward things, but in the heart prepared to wait trustfully and quietly on Him who has all things safely in His hands. "Peace I leave with you; I do not give to you as the world gives" (John 14:27, NEB). What sort of peace has He to give us? A peace which was constant in the midst of ceaseless work (with few visible results), frequent interruptions, impatient demands, few physical comforts; a peace which was not destroyed by the arguments, the faithlessness, and hatred of the people. Jesus had perfect confidence in His Father, whose will He had come to accomplish. Nothing touched Him without His Father's permission. Nothing touches me without my Father's permission. Can I not then wait patiently? He will show the way.

If I am willing to be still in my Master's hand, can I not then be still in everything? He's got the whole world in His hands! Never mind whether things come from God Himself or from people-- everything comes by His ordination or permission. If I mean to be obedient and submissive to the Lord because He is my Lord, I must not forget that whatever He allows to happen becomes, for me, His will at that moment. Perhaps it is someone else's sinful action, but if God allows it to affect me, He wills it for my learning. The need to wait is, for me, a form of chastening. God has to calm me down, make me shut up and look to Him for the outcome.

His message to me every day

Is wait, be still, trust, and obey.

And this brings me to the matter of counseling. Upon our return from a trip to England I found a pile of mail, so many letters asking me what to do about things, for example: a wife's critical spirit, unemployment, a wife who has abandoned husband and children, a single mother doing a job she hates, an unfaithful husband, a woman (who tells me she is Spirit-filled) having an affair with her pastor, a farmer who'd like a wife, a mother-in-law who is nasty to her daughter-in-law, a stepson who is angry because "we don't spend enough money on his children," a wife who snaps at her husband each time he tries to snuggle up, and a husband who "drinks like a fish, curses like a sailor, and says he loves God."

I wish I could write the same letter to everybody: Wait patiently for the Lord. He will turn to you and hear your cry. It is amazing how clear things become when we are still before Him, not complaining, not insisting on quick answers, only seeking to hear His word in the stillness, and to see things in His light. Few are willing to receive that sort of reply. "Too simplistic" is the objection. One listener to my radio program, Gateway to Joy, wrote, "I got so upset at what you were saying I ripped the earphones out and aid, 'I'll do what I want to do!'" But there are those who can say, "This is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation" (Isaiah 25:9, KJV). Here are two testimonies:

"I've lost my mother, my brother, my husband, and my baby. My song is More Love to Thee, O Christ."

"God picked up the scraps and pieces and made us whole--a whole woman, a whole man, a whole marriage."

Learning To Pray

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. - Matthew 6:9-13As I was reading in Morning & Evening this morning, the entry from Spurgeon was on the Lord's prayer. It struck me how beautifully deep and yet simple this prayer is and how it should inform our hearts and minds every morning. "O Lord, thank you for adopting us and that we can call You Father. Thank you for Your Holiness. Thank you that Your kingdom will come and Your will be accomplished. Thank you for always providing for our needs. Thank you for justification and sanctification. Thank you for providentially reigning over all the earth. Teach me Your ways...teach me to pray."

"This prayer begins where all true prayer must commence, with the spirit of adoption, Our Father. There is no acceptable prayer until we can say, I will arise, and go unto my Father. This child-like spirit soon perceives the grandeur of the Father in heaven, and ascends to devout adoration, Hallowed be thy name. The child lisping, Abba, Father, grows into the cherub crying, Holy, Holy, Holy. There is but a step from rapturous worship to the glowing missionary spirit, which is a sure outgrowth of filial love and reverent adoration--Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Next follows the heartfelt expression of dependence upon God--Give us this day our daily bread. Being further illuminated by the Spirit, he discovers that he is not only dependent, but sinful, hence he entreats for mercy, Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors: and being pardoned, having the righteousness of Christ imputed, and knowing his acceptance with God, he humbly supplicates for holy perseverance, Lead us not into temptation. The man who is really forgiven, is anxious not to offend again; the possession of justification leads to an anxious desire for sanctification. Forgive us our debts, that is justification; Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, that is sanctification in its negative and positive forms. As the result of all this, there follows a triumphant ascription of praise, Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever, Amen. We rejoice that our King reigns in providence and shall reign in grace, from the river even to the ends of the earth, and of his dominion there shall be no end. Thus from a sense of adoption, up to fellowship with our reigning Lord, this short model of prayer conducts the soul. Lord, teach us thus to pray." - Charles Spurgeon

Everyday's A Day To Celebrate...

As I was driving to work this morning I heard a story about a woman, who after being sentenced to three years in prison for being a Christian, exclaimed that it was the happiest day of her life to be able to suffer for Christ and be found in Him. The person then went on to ask, "What do we think will be the happiest day of our lives? The day we graduate? Our wedding day? The day our child is born?" He wasn't saying any of these things were wrong to find joy in. They are all blessings and ones God loves to bestow upon us. The story did make me think however about where I find my true joy. When the foundation of our joy is found in Him, we will then be able to enjoy the other blessings in life as He intended. With God as number one, all other things will be secondary, but sweeter than we can imagine.

“It is sad to see a Christian pursuing joy in coarse and earthly pleasures when he has more noble and angelical delights, second only in degree and manner of enjoyment to heaven itself. Our faith takes us to the third heaven. We roll and tumble our souls in beds of roses, that is, our meditations of justification, sanctification, and salvation through Christ. No day should pass without these enjoyments. Should not our soul have her due drinks, breakfasts, meals, snacks, and desserts, as well as our body? Cannot such meditations make pleasant work of our daily tasks? They would make time pass by like a boat with full wind and tide, needing no oars. They would make all of our days like holidays and celebrations.” - Tony Reinke

Preparation

The Lord has really been impressing on my heart as of late the fact that He is always providentially working in my life. Specifically, He has been teaching me the truths about His character and how He sovereingly works through trials, delays and disappointments to prepare us. The word "preparation" has also been coming up a lot over the past couple months. It seems to be in everything I hear or read. On Sunday two separate people spoke about preparation, some scriptures I was reading today spoke of God's high view of preparation and a blog post I came across had the following quote about none other than preparation.

"Like an astute coach or a gifted teacher, God prepares his saints for the tasks to which he has appointed them before he uses them. Moses, for example, spent forty years in the desert, herding sheep, before God called him to lead his people out of Egypt. What better preparation in patience could there have been for his assignment of leading an equally stubborn flock of people through wilderness for forty years? Similarly, David learned courage from his own experience as a shepherd. Later the one who had learned how to take on wild animals in the defense of his flock would be called upon to take on the biggest wild animal of all, mighty Goliath, in the defense of God's flock. God knows how to prepare his people for the tasks to which they are assigned" (from Living in the Gap Between Promise and Reality by Iain M. Duiguid).

It encourages me when I consider that everything I am going through and will go through has a purpose. It encourages me when I read story after story in the Bible and see God's detailed preparations and beautiful outcomes. It encourages me to know that God loves me enough to use His word and others to speak into my life in order to help me direct my gaze to Him more completely. It encourages me to know that even through present circumstances, He is using it as a tool to conform me to the image of Christ and make me more useful for what He has instore. So, we have to ask ourself, "What task is God calling me to today?" What herd of sheep are you called to look after today? Maybe it's a wearisome task such as a full work or school schedule, backed up chores at home, serving someone in need in the midst of your own busy calendar. It's preparation for a task. Or what about a wild animal like Iain Duiguid spoke of in his quote? Is there a prowling trial in your life? Physical, relational or something else? It's preparation for a task. I thank God for His care in preparing me for the tasks He will call me to.

Our astute AND loving Coach has us in training. Let’s look to Him in faith and meet our task with courage.

True Freedom

Romans 6

Dead to Sin, Alive to God
1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

Slaves to Righteousness
15 What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. 19 I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. 20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Taking Heart As We Wait...

“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” Psalm 27:14

Waiting on the Lord for most people is a daily occurrence whether they are aware of it or not. But the world and especially this generation has grown to detest waiting for anything. Fast food is no longer fast enough. If we see a checkout line that’s too long we often put whatever we were going to buy back and leave. The days of saving to buy something are over and credit is preferred. But God seems to highly value waiting. He understands that because we don’t like it, it’s the very thing we often need to help us grow. He used waiting to work in Abraham, Jacob, the Israelites and so many others. There was always a purpose and always a result for God’s glory and their good. Paul Tripp describes waiting this way,

"Waiting on God isn't about the suspension of meaning and purpose. It's part of the meaning and purpose that God has brought into my life. Waiting on God isn't to be viewed as an obstruction in the way of the plan. Waiting is an essential part of the plan. For the child of God, waiting isn't simply about what I'll receive at the end of my wait. No, waiting is much more purposeful, efficient, and practical than that. Waiting is fundamentally about what I'll become as I wait. God is using the wait to do in and through me exactly what He's promised. Through the wait He's changing me. By means of the wait He's altering the fabric of my thoughts and desires. Through the wait He's causing me to see and experience new things about Him and His kingdom. And all of this sharpens me, enabling me to be a more useful tool in His redemptive hands."

I know for myself I can be so concerned with what I’m currently waiting for that I forget to praise God for what He is doing and will do. I know that if I never had to wait for anything, I would most definitely be spoiled. My faith in God would be weak. My trust and contentment would depend on my circumstances. Through waiting He alters the very fabric of my thoughts and desires. God knows me better and loves me better than to let me have my own way and timing. But God is not unsympathetic with the fact that He knows it is hard for us to wait…that’s why in Psalms it says to “be strong and take heart”. So, whatever it is you are waiting for whether it be a job, well behaved children, a spouse, your dream home, the salvation of a friend or family member, deliverance from a besetting sin, injury, illness or whatever the case may be, take heart as you wait on God. He will never leave us no forsake us and He is right there with us as we wait on Him. How comforting and kind of God. Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord.

“But they are "the paths of the Lord" -His choosing; and, be assured, He will "lead His people by a right way." It may not be the way of their own selecting. It may be the very last they would have chosen. But when He leads His sheep, "He goes before them." The Shepherd portions off our pasture-ground. He guides the footsteps of the flock. He will lead them by no rougher way than He sees needful. Does a father give his child his own way? If he did, it would be his ruin. Will God surrender us to our own truant wills, which are often bent on nothing so much as wandering farthest from Him? He knows us better! He loves us better! Believer, it is the loftiest triumph and prerogative of faith to have no way- no path of your own- but with childlike simplicity and reliance to say, "Teach me Your paths." "Undertake for me!" Lead me however and wherever You please. Let it be through the darkest, loneliest, thorniest way- only let it bring me nearer Yourself.” – John MacDuff

Out of the depths, O Lord, I cry to You

When I am tempted to despair

Though I might fail to trust Your promises

You never fail to hear my prayer

And if You judged my sin

I’d never stand again

But I see mercy in Your hands

*

So more than watchmen for the morning

I will wait for You, my God

When my fears come with no warning

In Your Word I’ll put my trust

When the harvest time is over and I still see no fruit

I will wait, I will wait for You

*

The secret mysteries belong to You

We only know what You reveal

And all my questions that are unresolved

Don’t change the wisdom of Your will

In every trial and loss

My hope is in the cross

Where Your compassions never fail

Serving Others...

I have been thinking a lot about the verse in 1 Corinthians 1:4-7 and what it means to put the interests of others above myself. It seems that our whole lives are to be devoted to serving others and the exciting fact is that sacrificing for others really is a joy and blessing. God has uniquely made and gifted each of us to serve and bless each other. Carolyn McCully posted the following post on her blog and though it is highlighting Masculine Mentoring, what the Lord used to speak to me was how we are all called to lay down our lives for one another and the Lord has gifted us to do that. In the post, the wife is daily laying down her life for her children and submitting to her husband and her husband is laying down his life for her. Am I doing this with my family, friends and church? Putting others needs above my own could mean confronting them when it would just be easier to not say anything. It could mean offering to help take care of something in the midst of a busy season for them. It may be doing something they want to do even if it’s not my preference. It could mean guarding and protecting others even when it takes extra effort and they don’t want it. It could be taking the time to encourage someone. I know for myself, I often live a self-focused, self-serving life. I do this and that because “I” want to. I talk to that person because “I” want to. I am not being a keeper of that friend because “I” would have to work at it. I can’t serve you today because “I” am too busy. I am praying for a fresh heart to love others above myself and serve them for their good and God’s glory. How can I pour myself into others and what would loving the people God has placed in my life look like? The answers may look different then I think…

“One of the bloggers I follow, Justin Buzzard, wrote about the advice he received from an older man in his congregation upon the birth of his second son, Hudson:

...I am adding a prayer for your marriage. Clearly more stress and pressure will be applied with two young 'uns and all the great stuff you are involved in.

We talk about being "intentional" all the time. Over the next year you are really going to have to be intentional in putting Taylor's needs ahead of your own. She will be 24/7 putting the needs of two boys ahead of her wants, desires and needs...that's the just the way it is in this stage with multiple kids....so she is going to desperately need someone to pamper her and put her first...prioritize her.

Guess what? That is YOU. :) I know this sounds kind of like a raw deal (I mean, who is going to be pampering Justin?). But this is the Biblical model. Christ laid down his life so that He could present the church (bride) blameless. I think as men we have that same challenge. We need to be building into our wives by serving them, meeting their needs, putting them first in all things...that's how we lead them to a deeper relationship with Jesus.

Fight the very human desire to want something for yourself. When those thoughts come, try and transfer it to, "How can I take something off of Taylor's plate today?"I know this may sound a bit brutal in lieu of all you have going on....but God made you strong for a purpose. He gave you an abundance of gifts for a purpose. And He has provided many friends to pray for you all for a purpose...”

Doing Hard Things...

I have recently been thinking about the practice of “doing hard things” and thinking what those hard things in my own life look like. Scripture is full of stories of people having to do “hard things”. Some were situations thrust upon them to strengthen their faith. Some were choices they had to make in opposition of their desires in order to obey God. Whatever the case may be, it seems true that we are all called to do “hard things” for God. Doing “hard things” for God isn’t to gain favor and increase our standing with Him…through Christ, we already have a perfect standing with God and are complete. But He does call us to “hard things” for His glory, our good and sometimes the good of others. So, what “hard things” is God asking me to do? Well, in my own life, it seems that the things that are “hard” for me to do are because I want to do something else instead. When things get hard for me is when they are in opposition to my desires.

I think one of the most beautiful stories of someone having to “do hard things”, besides the story of Jesus, is that of Abraham. After waiting on the Lord for years to fulfill His promise to give him and Sarah a son, it had finally come true. But then the Lord asked him to sacrifice his beloved son. Because Abraham feared and trusted in the Lord, he was willing to do this “hard thing”. But God spared Isaac and blessed Abraham. Do I fear and trust in the Lord like Abraham did? Not even close. What desires have I made idols out of that would make it difficult to doing something hard regarding it? Often times being faced with “hard things” and having to walk them out proves our heart and motives about things as well. Just as Abraham was asked to sacrifice Isaac, we are sometimes asked to sacrifice what our heart or flesh loves. Some of the things we love may be good and some may not, but do we trust God enough to release them to Him? Do we love others enough to sacrifice our preferences for their good? Do we love God enough to honor and obey Him even when it’s hard? Sacrifice never seems to be easy…or else it wouldn’t be a sacrifice, but God always grants the grace and strength to walk through it. And He always works everything together for our good and His glory. The truth is, I need my heart and motives tested. I need to see why I do what I do. Do I make decisions based on people and circumstances or am I seeking God about what to do? Do I shy away from “hard things” or do I trust God to lead me through it and sanctify me in the process? The “hard things” God might call us to do will look different in everyone’s lives, but our response should look the same. God’s grace is sufficient and His mercies new every morning. When I choose to rely on God first and foremost instead of myself, the “hard things” He is calling me to do, not only become easier, but often become a joy as well. Doing hard things may look like climbing up the face of a scary mountain to us, but unlike earthly harnesses that can break and fail, God will never fail and will never let us fall. There is always a beautiful and breathtaking view to be enjoyed after a hard climb and often times, the harder and longer the climb, the more amazing the view.

“…who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness…” – Hebrews 11:33-34

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. – 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Trusting The Hands That Were Nailed To A Cross

Once again the Lord has encouraged me with these wise words from MacDuff. God cared enough to save my soul and He cares enough to work out the details of my life. So God, I'll trust in You.

PROVIDENTIAL OVERRULING

"All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who

are the called according to His purpose." —Romans 8:28

"My soul! be still! you are in the hands of your Covenant God. Were all the strange circumstances in your history the result of accident, or chance, you might well be overwhelmed. But "all things," and this thing (be what it may) which may be now disquieting you, is one of these "all things" that are so working mysteriously for your good. Trust your God! He will not deceive you—your interests are with Him in safe custody. When sight says, "All these things are against me," let faith rebuke the hasty conclusion, and say, "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" How often does God hedge up your way with thorns, to elicit simple trust! How seldom can we see all things so working for our good! But it is better discipline to believe it. Oh! for faith amid frowning providences, to say, "I know that your judgments are good;" and, relying in the dark, to exclaim, "Though He slays me, yet will I trust Him!" Blessed Jesus! to You are committed the reins of this universal empire. The same hand that was once nailed to the cross, is now wielding the scepter on the throne—"all power in heaven and in earth is given unto you." How can I doubt the wisdom, and the faithfulness, and love, of the most mysterious earthly dealing, when I know that the Roll of Providence is thus in the hands of Him who has given the mightiest pledge Omnipotence could give of His tender interest in my soul's well-being, by giving Himself for me?" - John MacDuff

Traveling Between Our Emptiness & Christ's Fullness

"As your days, so shall your strength be." —Deuteronomy 33:25

"God does not give grace until the hour of trial comes. But when it does come the amount of grace, and the nature of the special grace required is granted. My soul! do not dwell with painful apprehension on the future. Do not anticipate coming sorrows; perplexing yourself with the grace needed for future emergencies; tomorrow will bring its promised grace along with tomorrow's trials. God, wishing to keep His people humble, and dependent on Himself, gives not a stock of grace; He metes it out for every day's exigencies, that they may be constantly "traveling between their own emptiness and Christ's fullness"—their own weakness and Christ's strength. But when the exigency comes, you may safely trust an Almighty arm to bear you through! Is there now some "thorn in the flesh" sent to lacerate you? You may have been entreating the Lord for its removal. Your prayer has, doubtless, been heard and answered; but not in the way, perhaps, expected or desired by you. The "thorn" may still be left to goad, the trial may still be left to buffet; but "more grace" has been given to endure them. Oh! how often have His people thus been led to glory in their infirmities and triumph in their afflictions, seeing the power of Christ rests more abundantly upon them! The strength which the hour of trial brings, often makes the Christian a wonder to himself!" - John MacDuff

Though Clouds May Hide The Sun It's Always Shining...

I don't know if this is a real word, but Elisabeth Elliot used it so...the word is "humdudgeon" which means "a loud complaint about a trifle." She also wrote about a mother who told her children they had to write out any complaint they had on paper in two hundred words or more. This significantly cut down on the whining at their house. I may not be one to complain loudly all the time, but how often do I complain in my heart about my circumstances? Whether we like to think so or not, human life is full of trouble. When we are born, we can expect there to be joys ahead, but there will always be trouble as well. That is just a fact of life. We shouldn't ask why there is trouble, but how will we respond when it comes? If I compared my list of "troubles" with that of others, I know I would be ashamed of the complaining I have done in my heart. Contentment in any circumstances should be my response.

A spirit of calm contentment always accompanies true godliness. The deep peace that comes from deep trust in God's loving kindness is not destroyed even by the worst of circumstances, for those Everlasting Arms are still cradling us, we are always "under the Mercy."

I need to change my thinking and view every circumstance as a means God is using to make me more like Christ. Amy Charmical said this about how to view our circumstances, "See in it a chance to die," meaning a chance to leave self behind and say YES to the will of God, to be "conformable unto His death." Not a morbid martyr-complex but a peaceful and happy contentment in the assurance that goodness and mercy follow us all the days of our lives. So, I am hoping to turn the things I view as annoyances, hardships, injustice and trials as blessings, praise opportunities and God's kindness to actually do what He said He'd do, which is continue His work in me. The truth is...I have nothing to complain about.

This is the prayer of 17 year old Lady Jane Grey as she was imprisoned and about to be executed in 1554:

O merciful God, be Thou unto me

A strong Tower of defence,

I humbly entreat Thee.

Give me grace to await Thy leisure,

And patiently to bear

What Thou doest unto me;

Nothing doubting or mistrusting

Thy goodness towards me;

For Thou knowest what is good for me

Better than I do.

Therefore do with me in all things

What Thou wilt; Only arm me,

I beseech Thee, With Thine armor,

That I may stand fast;

Above all things taking to me

The shield of faith;

Praying always that I may

Refer myself wholly to Thy will,

Abiding Thy pleasure, and comforting myself

In those troubles which it shall please Thee

To send me, seeing such troubles are

Profitable for me; and I am

Assuredly persuaded that all Thou doest

Cannot but be well; and unto Thee

Be all honor and glory. Amen.

True Love...

I have often wondered what true love really looks like. We have the worlds view of love which consists of all the right factors being in place for them to “love” someone. As soon as those factors begin to change however, and they are not so appealing anymore, the love they had for their parents, friends or spouse may be in for a blow. When I want to understand what true and enduring love looks like, I need to look no further than Jesus Christ. He loved the unlovable. He loved us to the death. The dictionary has various definitions of love, but the true definition is found in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8,

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends."

Have I ever loved someone like that? I have seen how my love for people in my life is often self-focused. If they are behaving in a way I like, I love them. If they are kind to me, I love them. If they love me, I love them. But do I love them when they are unlovable? Do I love them when they sin against me? By God’s grace alone I think I do still love people even when it’s hard, but I am painfully deficient and want to do better. I don't love them like Christ loves me. I often love with a worldly and seflish love. I want to truly Love those God has currently placed in my life. I want to truly Love in future relationships. I don’t want to stop loving people when it’s hard or when they don’t fit into my preferences or ideals. Learning to love in the way that scripture speaks of is a process. And God often uses various circumstances to teach us. God is the Master teacher.

“Mercifully, God does not leave us to choose our own curriculum. His wisdom is perfect, His knowledge embraces not only all worlds but the individual hearts and minds of each of His loved children. With intimate understanding of our deepest needs and individual capacities, He chooses our curriculum. We need only ask, "Give us this day our daily bread, our daily lessons, our homework." An angry retort from someone may be just the occasion we need in which to learn not only longsuffering and forgiveness, but meekness and gentleness; fruits not born in us but borne only by the Spirit. As Amy Carmichael wrote, "A cup brimful of sweetness cannot spill even one drop of bitter water, no matter how suddenly jarred" God's curriculum for all who sincerely want to know Him and do His will will always include lessons we wish we could skip. But the more we apply ourselves, the more honestly we can say what the psalmist said: "I, thy servant, will study thy statutes. / Thy instruction is my continual delight; / I turn to it for counsel. / I will run the course set out in thy commandments, / for they gladden my heart" (Psalm 119:23, 24, 32).” E.E.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things. Love never ends. - I am praying that I can truly love this way one day.

To: You ~ From: God

A glory, a beauty, and a sweetness

(J. C. Philpot, "The Secret of the Lord" 1844)

How sweet it is to trace the Lord's hand in providence . . .

to look back on the chequered path that He has led us by;

to see how His hand has been with us for good;

what difficulties He has brought us through;

in what straits He has appeared;

how in things most trying He has wrought deliverance;

and how He has sustained us to the present hour.

How sweet are providential favors when they come

stamped with this inscription, "This is from the Lord!

How precious every temporal mercy becomes—our

very food, lodging, and clothing!

How sweet is the least thing when it comes down

to us as from God's hands! A man cannot know the

sweetness of his daily bread until he sees that God

gives it to him—nor the blessedness of any providential

dealing until he can say, "God has done this for me—and

given that to me." When a man sees the providence of

God stamped on every action of life,

it casts a glory, a beauty, and a

sweetness over every day of his life!

God's Perfect Will...

I know I reference the Boundless articles a lot, but they are just so good and insightful. I like how the articles are always helpful to everyone, even if it may not be about a topic that directly applies to you. The following one that I am going to quote from starts with a young guy writing in and asking a question about pursuing a job and marriage at the same time, followed by one of the Boundless writers response. Obviously this isn’t a position I’m in, but God used the part about His will to speak to me.

“One of the things we must understand about God's will for our lives is that it is perfect. No, it is not lived out by us perfectly. But in His sovereignty, He somehow brings His perfect will to bear upon our imperfect practice of it and works everything for our good and His glory.

I don't know how He does it. I don't have to know how He does it. I only know He is God and quite capable of working that out.

Part of what "perfect" means is that God's will for my life can't contradict itself. It's unified in all its parts. One part of it won't conflict with another. On the contrary, all parts compliment the others.

If you believe you are daily following the leadership of the Spirit of Christ in your life, and you are open to whatever God instructs at any given moment, then you don't need to worry about how or when it will happen. You only need to concern yourself with obedience to the will of God.

God wants us to hold our lives with a wide open hand as we pursue Him above everything, both business and relational. Most of us hold on so tightly we'd need a crowbar to pry us loose from our own grip. That's not a life of faith and trust in a God who will never forsake us.” – John Thomas

John Thomas also says that one of the evidences of following the will of God concerning decisions, is peace. Now we can’t abuse this advice by doing anything and everything we want and say we are doing God’s will because we have “peace”, but if we are truly walking in His ways, studying scripture, having godly fellowship and accountability in our lives and desire God’s glory above all, then one of the ways He can help us know His will is with a sense of peace for whatever we have decided.

One of the most encouraging parts of this article to me was when he said that God’s will for our lives can’t contradict itself. So, even though I have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God time and time again, God is still working everything out in my life for my good and His glory. All its parts, both good and bad, will compliment each other. God, wants me to live with open hands. He wants me to lift all my failures, dreams, hopes, joys, sorrows and everything else up to him and say that even though I am often tempted to hold on tightly to them, I can trust Him to do as He wills with all of it. I will never be able to live my life out perfectly…and though I can frequently think that my sin or decisions are going to thwart God’s will for my life and mess everything up…that is not true. God’s will is perfect, even when I am not.

Read the entire article by John T. here http://www.boundless.org/2005/answers/a0001862.cfm

Sweet Will Be The Flower

I was reading about someone who was struggling with fear for the future and she said this was very helpful for her…I can see why.

“This is how to deal with God. Praise Him before you are delivered. Praise Him for what is coming. Adore Him for what He is going to do. I do not think there is a sweeter song in God’s ear than the song of one who blesses Him for grace that has not yet been tasted, who blesses Him for answers that have not been received. The praise for past gratitude is sweet, but even sweeter is the praise of full confidence that all will be well.

‘Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive fail, and the fields yield no food…yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the god of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet and He will make me walk on my high hills.’ Hab. 3:17-19.

His mighty providence cannot fail so long as one of his children needs to be provided for. Your song, while you are in distress, will be sweet music to God’s ear. Go in the name of God… just commit your self to God. If you can only trust and praise God, you will see marvelous things that will utterly astonish you.”- charles haddon spurgeon

So, today my goal is to trust and praise God for all that He will do. God doesn’t need me to interpret His works, but simply to trust and walk in the good of them. It’s funny that my friend Candace put a few lines from the following song on her post today and I had the same song on my heart this morning. God is kind to reiterate things to us. Present circumstances may have a bitter taste to us, but as the following song says, sweet will be the flower. We can trust God's heart.

God moves in a mysterious way

His wonders to perform

He plants His footsteps in the sea

And rides upon the storm

Deep in His dark and hidden mines

With never-failing skill

He fashions all His bright designs

And works His sovereign will

So God we trust in You

O God we trust in You

O fearful saints new courage take

The clouds that you now dread

Are big with mercy and will break

In blessings on your head

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense

But trust Him for His grace

Behind a frowning providence

He hides a smiling face

So God we trust in You

O God we trust in You

When tears are great

And comforts few

We hope in mercies ever new

We trust in You

God’s purposes will ripen fast

Unfolding every hour

The bud may have a bitter taste

But sweet will be the flower

Blind unbelief is sure to err

And scan His work in vain

God is His own interpreter

And He will make it plain

Removing Links

Recently I have found myself praying to God almost moment by moment or hour by hour. When I feel anxiousness rising up in me, regrets or hopelessness, I am finding that I know I don’t have the strength to combat those feelings and thoughts on my own and so I am running to God for His help. There and there only, I find peace and truth for my fears. There the sweetness of His sovereignty overwhelms me. This practice of going to God more than I usually do has started to become like breathing to me, in a sense. My thoughts go to Him more often. My love for Him is growing. My desire to be near to His presence is stronger. This has only been possible through Him drawing me.

It saddens me to think that desperation often drives me to His throne of grace, but maybe He knew that is the only way I would go to Him…I pray that’s not true. My prayer and desire is to be just as close to Him, just as desirous for Him and just as desperate for Him, when everything in my life is going well. You see, I said that desperation drove me to Him, but the truth is, no matter how well I think things are going or I am doing, I will always be just as desperately in need of God and His grace.

Charles Spurgeon said that some people have learned to trust the smiles of God’s face, but they must also learn to trust the blows of His fists, and I see that as true in my own life. One of the ways God has been graciously speaking this truth to me has been through the Come Weary Saints cd. Every song is filled with the truth of scripture and it often seems like every song was written just for me. As I listen to it everyday, it convicts, strengthens and encourages me in a way that I am beyond grateful for. So, if someone were to ask me if I am thankful for all the hard times I have been through (and my hard times are nothing compared to most peoples!)…I would say absolutely, yes! It’s through difficulties that I have learned about God’s holy ways and how to trust in Him at all times. It’s through difficulties that I have grown to love more and love deeper. It’s through difficulties that I have seen what truly matters and what doesn’t. It’s through difficulties that God is refining and molding me. It’s through difficulties that I have seen God’s unchanging faithfulness and power. So, though I love when everything is going well in my life and I am certainly not asking for trial upon trial, I see that it’s through the fire that God’s work has been most affective in making me more like Christ. In a book called “Stepping Heavenward”, the author writes that there is a chain in between us and God. God is on one end and we are on the other. He is using every trial and difficulty in our lives to remove link after link in order to shorten the chain and draw us closer to Himself. No matter how strong sin patterns or idols may be in our lives, it's encouraging to know that God can break them! With every link removed, He often bring new blessings better than we could have imagined. I know I will never be deserving of my relationship with God or even of the people He has placed in my life, but I know that He has saved me and promises to continue His work in me until He returns or calls me home. And I know I can trust in that.

“I will make him draw near, and he shall approach me…and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.” – Jeremiah 30:21 & 22

“And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” – John 12:32

"As Long As You Are Glorified" - Come Weary Saints

Shall I take from Your hand Your blessings

Yet not welcome any pain

Shall I thank You for days of sunshine

Yet grumble in days of rain

Shall I love You in times of plenty

Then leave You in days of drought

Shall I trust when I reap a harvest

But when winter winds blow, then doubt

Oh let Your will be done in me

In Your love I will abide

Oh I long for nothing else as long

As You are glorified

Are You good only when I prosper

And true only when I’m filled

Are You King only when I’m carefree

And God only when I’m well

You are good when I’m poor and needy

You are true when I’m parched and dry

You still reign in the deepest valley

You’re still God in the darkest night

So quiet my restless heart

Quiet my restless heart

Quiet my restless heart, in You