Time is Valuable

I have been challenged lately to take inventory of those things that are distracting and hindering me in going after God.  An initiative that shows I understand that "the days are evil" and that time is not retreivable.

I ask myself these questions:

How do you use your time? 

How much do you go after God in your "down time"? 

Does entertainment rob you of going hard after all that God has for you as an investment in the future that he has said He will give you? 

Will you have a good investment stored up one, three, five, ten years from now?  How about Tomorrow? 

What are you doing today to invest in tomorrow?

Do I seize the opporutnities right in front of me, right here, right now?  Or do I  put them off, thinking they will come around again?

It has been said that self-control is instant obedience to the initial promptings of the Holy Spirit.

Peace in Adversity

As I have engaged the celebration of adversity theme, my mind was drawn to this Daily Path to Peace of Heart and Mind (Philippians 4:4-7):

Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice! 

Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near. 

Do not be anxious about anything...but in everything...with consistent prayer...giving thanks...make your requests to God. 

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Celebrating Adversity

Sat in on a devotional this morning.  Theme: Celebrating Adversity.

If you get a chance to read the passages below, you can soak a bit in the connections for yourself.  In a nutshell, the challenge from Scripture is to celebrate adversity and the oportunities God gives in the midst of them, desptie them, and through them rather than taking the path of unbelief, complaining, and cynicism.

Perspective of heart is critical.  Faith is enhanced as we daily give thanks to God for His provision and for the adversity.  

We also need to share our struggles with each other for encouragement and prayer for wisdom and faith in midst of the difficulty.

I was also reading the first chapter of a book this morning on leadership (by Robert Clinton).  The theme there: Isolation...as a tool in God's hands for shaping leaders.  This isolation can come through crises, illness, persecution, discipline, self-choice or providential circusmtances to shape our inner person.

In all of this I was reflecting on the season at hand for our family (and share all of this as each of you are in a similar place).  I am reminded that, instead of falling for the temptation to criticize, complain (against God, institutions, organizations, or governments), grumble--instead of letting  my heart drift away from a place of faith, to rather realize that God is in control.  This adversity is not beyond His reach.  In fact, it has been allowed by Him and therefore is to be used by Him in shaping me more into His likeness. 

Personally, this is a sort of stirring-of-the-nest.  What has become familiar and safe, is now uncomfortable.  I am being prodded to step out, to trust Him more deeply, and thus realize my potential in Him more fully.  A season in which, if not all these things coming to an end as I have known them, I may never dare to step out in the things that are now stirring.  God knows I hesistate to leave the place of provision and familiarity.  More directly, to step into risky ventures that require qualification beyond both my perceived and actual capabilities or strengths, not to mention my confidence in Christ-in-Me.

Today's challenge: to gather with whomever you can, whenever you can, for three simple purposes.  

1. Simply begin by each giving thanks to God for His provision
2. Pray out an acknowledgment of your current adversity and thank God for it
3. Then have the others pray for wisdom and faith for you to walk in and through the difficulty.

Passages for reflection:

• Numbers 11 (consider how the people of God responded to adversity)
• Hebrews 3:7-4:2 (consider the  writer's challenge in how we respond to adversity)
• Ephesians 1:3-14 (Hear Paul's love for the Gospel message, and then in the next passage, his embrace of adversity because of that love)
• Ephesians 3:1-13 (listen for Paul's use of the tones and words "prisoner" and "sufferings" and "servant")

Simple

God's ways are simple.  His "yoke is not burdensome.  His load for us is light." (paraphrased) 

Resting in Him is also simple. 

The burdens of this life, the cares of this world.  The unsubmitted will.  The attitude, "I don't want to."  These are the things that deceive us into believing that His ways are heavy; that following HIm is complicated.

Surrender frees me from all that.  Yielding my will to His--just doing what I know is right despite (without calculating) my feelings--frees me to trust.

I know this war within me: what my redeemed spirit wants to do I end up not doing; what my redeemed spirit does not want to do that I do.

Who will save me from this complicated wretch that I am?! 

Thanks be to Christ Jesus our Lord!