When “Normal” Isn’t What You Want To Hear

The last word in the world I wanted to hear fell on my ears all too soon. Normal. In one instant, I crumbled inside, tears sprang to my eyes, and fear of the unknown seemed to swallow me whole. 

My 24th year of life was confined to my house almost completely. I couldn’t even go to the grocery store without feeling like I was going to pass out any second. My muscles ached, my Brain was beyond foggy, and my energy level sat at a -10. The emotional toll compounded the physical strain when I realized infertility had come into the mix. And what word did I continually hear from doctor after doctor? Normal. 

The what if’s strangled my soul: Will I ever have a family? Will I ever have a social life again? Will I ever be able to pick up my career again as a nurse? I really felt the psalmist when he said, “He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog.” If anything was a bog or a pit, what I was living was it.

Dear sisters, I know I don’t have to tell you how it feels to be in a miry bog or a pit of destruction. While your pit may be cancer, a wayward child, or past regrets, you are up to your neck in it. 

But, while I was focusing on my own miry bog, the Lord showed me what this verse is actually about. Let’s read the whole thing.  “He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.” He, My Father drew me up out of that pit. He snatched me out before I drowned in despair. He is my warrior, he fights my battles. Why else would Moses say, ... “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again.” If the Israelites, with no military training, and in a mass of families young and old that had to be moving a snail’s pace with the Red Sea in front of them and angry Egyptians behind them isn’t a miry bog, I don’t know what else I could call it. 

What I love so much is the Warrior Jesus we see in place of the bog or the pit. The same Warrior that willingly fights for us today. The Lord not only pulled us out of the bog, he set our feet upon a rock and made our steps firm and secure. He gives us direction and intentionality in every circumstance, every time, every day. Cry out to him, dear one. Cry out to him through the most painful rejection you have ever faced, the scars that won’t give you peace, the words that cut you to your very soul. Keep your gaze intentionally on Christ alone, and let Him show you the warrior He is. When that happens, that bog or pit becomes an afterthought. 

Let Him pull you out and give you direction. Although weary and weak, we have Christ, our holy Warrior, against who none can stand fighting our battles, championing His will for us. I can’t promise you your situation will pass, but I can promise that your Holy warrior is constantly and proactively working on your behalf. Oh dear one, believe in Him. Believe His Words. Believe He hears. Believe He already has the victory. Believe He orders every step starting today until eternity with Him and walk. 

A Craving for Law

Psalm 19 

7 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.8 The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.12 Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.

When we think of laws, we probably think of restriction. In America today, we find restriction on things that we maybe frown upon such as the amount of taxes that come out of our paycheck or we fight for restrictions to be put in place such as ending abortion. But in Psalm 19, we learn about God's laws which are perfect because He is perfect and holy. While we are not to be under Old Testament Jewish law because of the fact that Jesus came to fulfill the law, we can easily apply this treasure of a Psalm to our lives. While those in OT had to follow these laws to obtain righteousness, we have the Lord's sacrifice in which we believe to bring about our righteousness- it is imputed to us (or is put "on our account" like a credit) through Jesus death and resurrection (Rom. 4:22-25) and us trusting in Him. However, we know that being a child of Jesus, we are called to a life of separation by following God's laws in His Word. (I John 2:15-16) What should our response be to God's laws?


1. The law is perfect so it converts or strengthens the soul- without laws we don't know what's right or wrong. God is perfect, we are not. Showing us what we're doing wrong so we can be more like Christ is essential to growth.

2. The testimony of the Lord is sure- we can trust what the Lord says is sure and true so that when we base our lives on the Lord's direction, we can not fail. Our dependence on the Lord is the safest place to be because His will and His way are perfect, true, and never fail. When we feel overwhelmed in decisions or even daily life, we are made wise in the Lord's direction.

3. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart- we can REJOICE in the laws of the Lord because we know He will never fail us, leave us, or provide no direction when faced with difficulty. I can rejoice in the knowledge and hope I have as a result!

4. The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. I know that I can't comprehend the pureness of the Lord because He is in reality completely and totally the definition of true purity. We are deep in dark sin, and the commandments of the Lord show us our need for Him! How totally not pure we are. Even though we have the choice not to sin in the Lord's strength as Christians, we have instances where we see how truly evil our hearts are as humans. If you don't see that, ask the Lord to enlighten your eyes to your impurity and seek the Lord's grace to purify! (While salvation is a one time thing that pays the penalty for our sin, we must seek the Lord's grace to truly change our motives and actions in growth as a Christian)

5. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. Respect for the Lord is inevitable as you come to know Him more- the infinite God who chooses to have a personal relationship with finite us!


6. The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether! The Lord will judge sin- and like I learned this week, sin will either be judged by holding the person accountable for their sin in eternity or Jesus for his sacrifice which paid that price already for us. Maybe we believe someone should be judged for their wrong actions now. Maybe we think the Lord showed too much mercy or even grace. The point is that judgment for sin is the Lord's responsibility and his judgments are always what they should be. How can we say we are worthy to judge others when the Lord forgave us all? Leave judgment to the Lord.


7. Do we truly crave and desire all of the above like honey or the sweetest treat? Like winning a pot of gold? Do we look forward to the purification process through growth? Do we plead with the Lord to enlighten our eyes and make us wise through His direction? Do we see God's laws as simply restrictions? Oh how we should crave the Lord and His direction- the light on our path that we desperately need!


8. There is great reward promised when we follow the Lord. And can we not trust the infinite, all powerful God? He does exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think!  (Eph. 4:20) On the other hand, we don't really have an excuse because we've been warned that the opposite will occur if we don't follow the Lord's direction.


9. v.12-13 sometimes we mess up and we don't realize it- we need to fervently seek the Lord's direction on this so we can become aware, repent, and ask the Lord's grace to overcome. Perhaps it's a sin in a relationship of the past that we hadn't grown enough to identify at that point. Be willing to repent when the Lord shows sin, and actively seek His direction on this and He will help you overcome.


10. V.14- I love how the Lord is described here- My strength which we must depend upon God's grace to follow the Lord's laws and direction. My redeemer- because we will fail but He has and will redeem when we repent and seek His mercy. David's plea here is of the heart and the mouth- He wants the Lord to change His heart to be the motivation God wants. He wants His actions to be led and motivated by God alone before sin even occurs. He also wants the words of His mouth to be pre-screened if you will by the Holy Spirit inside of Him. Can we not do great damage with our mouths?


O Lord, my Strength and my Redeemer, please guide my heart and my mouth before acting and speaking so that I can have the strength, wisdom, joy, enlightenment, truth, and righteousness that you freely offer. Make my desire for them more than the most precious thing on earth to me! Amen!

In Bold Pursuit

Mark 8:34-37

And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

In Mark 5, we find 3 people who all desperately sought Jesus. All 3 desperate, but all 3 recognizing who the Lord truly was as well. The chapter opens on the "maniac of Gadara" who was possessed by a legion (somewhere between 3,000-6,000) of demons. His description is truly terrifying in verses 3-5:

Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.

Even in his totally disoriented state, he recognized Jesus.  To approach Jesus as a total social outcast was bold. The people of the city had totally abandoned this man, so why should Jesus be different, especially once he recognized Him for who he was. We see in verses 6-7:

But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him,And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not.

The demons knew who Jesus was, and they had no power over Him. So their voice even recognized Jesus as the one true God. Jesus ends up casting these demons out into a herd of swine who end up falling off of a cliff. This man life is immediately changed, not only physically, but spiritually. In verse 15 we read

 And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. 

The people in this area were Gentiles, so they asked the Lord to leave. We're not exactly sure why although because they had many fake gods, perhaps they thought the Lord would use his powers to judge them. Perhaps they just didn't want anyone to effect their livestock since it was their livelihood. Either way, the Lord was going to leave. We see that our healed man is still desperate to be in Jesus' presence. In verse 18-20 we read,

 And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him. Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.

The Lord had compassion on this man that ran to worship him, even plagued by many demons and completely out of his right mind. He met his physical and spiritual needs because of it, and this man continued to crave the presence of Jesus. He implored or begged the Lord to be with Him. No longer possessed by demons, His heart was full of Jesus and He wanted to be a part of His ministry. Some say he was just afraid the demons would come back- but either way, He had become focused on Jesus and being in His presence. Instead, he obeyed the Lord without delay or question and told others of Jesus!


Two other people who are desperate to meet Jesus and who exert great boldness to come to Him enter the scene. Jairus, a synagogue leader responsible for coordinating worship, the building and contents of the synagogue who faced fury from the Pharisees was one. The other was a lady who had "an issue of blood" who would have been seen as unclean according to Jewish law (See Lev.15:19-30 for details). Jairus approaches Jesus because his daughter is dying and he knows who the Lord is. In verses 22-23

and, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet, And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live.

Again, we see that he falls at Jesus feet- an obvious sign of worship, and begged the Lord's help. While he may not have understood everything about Jesus, he knew enough to worship Him. He believed in Him enough to seek him desperately to heal his daughter. On the way there, we meet the woman with the "issue of blood." In verses 27-28 we read,

 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.

She didn't want to risk making him unclean by actually touching his person, but she believed in Him enough to know He had the power to heal her. She had spent all her time and money for 12 years trying to be healed, so she desperately sought the Lord and touched his clothes. The Lord noticed and asked her about it. In verses 33-34, she responds:

But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.

She again fell down at the feet of Jesus, and boldly proclaimed what she did all the while fearful of the fact that she had touched a Jewish man in any way and was considered unclean- again a social outcast. The Lord rewarded her faith by healing her and making her whole both physically and spiritually. She knew that she could not hide from the Lord her boldness is seeking Him, and because that is the Lord's desire for us all he rewarded her desire for his presence and power.

Back to Jairus, at this time, who must be frustrated in the delay. But Jesus, all knowing, knows that His timing is best and no matter what the girl's physical state when he arrived, he would be able to give her life. A person from the household comes to tell Jairus that his daughter has died. Jesus response to this in verse 36,

As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.

Only believe- only continue in the bold faith that you have already exhibited and all will be well. Upon arrival, the Lord reassures the scorners that the girl will be healed. He privately tells the girl to rise and she does! What rejoicing that must have been! But the Lord asks Jairus and his family to keep quiet about it. Obviously, Jairus and his family again worshipped the Lord and wanted to tell others. However, at that time and because Jesus had more ministry before confrontation with Jewish leaders, he asked them to remain silent. In verse 42 we see their reaction:

 And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment.

The responses to Jesus' presence was worship, a bold faith, and complete awe. Oh that we would have these responses to the Lord's presence everyday! Because of Jesus' sacrifice, we must worship him as our one true Lord. Because of who He is, we can enter the throne of heaven in bold faith that is not afraid to continually seek the Lord and His power in our lives. Because of His wonderful acts, how can we not be in awe of our truly AWESOME GOD! AMEN!

"Lord, I Believe!"

Without ever personally reading (or meditating on) the entire chapter of John 9, and only hearing of the account of the blind beggar being healed, I was delighted to find a picture of faith in the Lord that I want to have in me! We will explore the story outside of the healing account of the blind beggar, which is glorious in and of itself!

Jesus at first corrected his disciples by assuring them that his condition was not a result of the man's sin or family's sin. He states in verse 3- 5,

Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

Is not our lives' purpose to glorify God? How many times are we bitter or unbelieving in our circumstances when we should be focused on the Lord and how He will be glorified in our situation? Jesus again tells His disciples that He is indeed the one true God. So Jesus heals the man, and naturally the man goes and tells everyone- I would imagine His parents first! He had been reduced to a beggar because of His condition- this was truly a miracle and life changing event! I wonder how many miracles we miss out on or miss seeing because we're too busy focusing on our circumstances and all the negative surrounding us?

In walks our Pharisees, possibly you and me in some situations, looking for fault. Perhaps it's a person we know the past of that can't possibly be sincere in their faith. A person whose personal convictions make us uncomfortable. A pastor of a church that we feel is not up to standard. While I am not suggesting we accept all teachers as true, but compare their lives and their teachings to the Word of God, how many times do we compare people or leaders to our personal convictions or our personal church culture? (Before you think I'm picking on the more conservative, a legalist can be a "liberal" or "conservative" believer if they think they are the only ones who are right- Legalism is about attitude, not a comparison of personal convictions) If something matches up with the Scripture, we have no right to find fault. If the Almighty God is approving of this person's character or teaching, it should be good enough for us.

The Pharisees would not accept Jesus for many reasons, but the ones we see here are that they believe he is a sinner because he healed on the Sabbath. In verse 16 we see the Pharisees say,

Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them.

So to the Pharisees, because Jesus did not keep the rules, the ones they held dear that had nothing to do with salvation, he was a sinner and so completely discredited the miracle as a hoax. Although this healed man was obviously of age where he could give an account of what happened (which he had to do repeatedly), the Pharisees even called in the parents of the man. Their issue was fear. Fear of religious leaders and their influence and how contradicting them would effect them. We see in verse 20-23

His parents answered them and said, We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind:But by what means he now seeth, we know not; or who hath opened his eyes, we know not: he is of age; ask him: he shall speak for himself.These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue.Therefore said his parents, He is of age; ask him.

How many times are we afraid of speaking the Word of God because we may lose a relationship or be made uncomfortable? Maybe we will make less money, maybe lose popularity, maybe lose a friend from a long time ago because we can't go where they go anymore. Fear is not of God. He has given us as Christians the Spirit of power, love, and a sound mind!

Now we see a beautiful picture of faith from our healed man. Listen to his words in verses 27-38

 He answered them, I have told you already, and ye did not hear: wherefore would ye hear it again? will ye also be his disciples?Then they reviled him, and said, Thou art his disciple; but we are Moses' disciples. We know that God spake unto Moses: as for this fellow, we know not from whence he is.The man answered and said unto them, Why herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes.Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind.If this man were not of God, he could do nothing. They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out.Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.

The pharisees technically were more educated than this man, and the man's parents were fearful of them, so he had every excuse in the world to deny that Jesus had truly healed him, or that perhaps He wasn't of God and was of the devil. He didn't though- he defended His faith because He knew the truth and He didn't let anything- ridicule, intimidation, parental example, anything dissuade him from that. Then he comes face to face with Jesus- Jesus says He's the Lord and immediately the man puts his faith in Him and worships Him. He doesn't question the Lord, and he doesn't compare Him to the beliefs of His childhood. The Lord's word was enough for Him.

Oh to have a faith like that! Regardless of outside or inside circumstances, let that be my cry Lord! Lord, I believe! I will worship You and You Alone!

The Time of Your Visitation

Luke 19:37-40

And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen;
Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples.And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.

A familiar account of the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ. I can imagine the anticipation, the excitement, the joy of knowing that their deliverance was at hand. Both the people and the pharisees saw Jesus with human eyes. Pharisees in disgust because he wouldn't cooperate with their religious agendas to control the people. The people with triumphant eyes over the oppressive Roman government who cared little about them and treated them as second class citizens. Can you imagine the sadness Jesus experienced at the fact that these people didn't see beyond the present to his real reason for being here. In reality, in a little known Scripture passage to me, we see his grief over the situations unfolding before Him.


Luke 19: 41-44

And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.

The Lord Jesus wept over Jerusalem because of their blind eyes and selfish motives for their praise. Jesus longs to give His people peace, longs to stay the judgment He knows is coming, and longs for His people to know that His presence was all they needed. He was there in their presence on earth, and yet they still didn't see Him for who He was. The Great I AM!  As a result, His people were massacred- over 600,000 were murdered, and the rest were taken into captivity in pagan lands. All as a result of "not {knowing} the time of their visitation." Today, people still reject Him after seeing His hand in creation, feeling their insatiable need for Him, and longing for peace. Their sin becomes a dear friend to them and their eyes are blinded to Jesus Christ and His power to break the chains of their sin, loneliness, turmoil. Like the Jewish people, they are looking for someone or something to appease their needs for acceptance, success, peace, and the list goes on.  The fact that these are spiritual needs is not even on their radar. They try to be philanthropists, get behind social or political movements, donate all their money, go to self help sessions, all to no avail. And the Lord weeps over these people. He longs for them to get to know Him, He touches their hearts when they hear the truth and weeps when they reject Him again- His own beautiful creation. Please, know the Lord at the time of your visitation! One day, you will die and your eternal soul can be with the Lord- don't miss your time of visitation!!

Luke 19:45-48

  And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought;Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves.And he taught daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy him,And could not find what they might do: for all the people were very attentive to hear him.

A note to church leaders and Christian lay leaders here- most of the Jewish people's issues stemmed from their resistance to Jesus and His influence. At every turn, they opposed Him and felt threatened by Him. The temple had become an economic success for these leaders, and they were comfortable with that. They didn't want anyone interfering with that or making their relationship with the Roman government more  strained than it already was. Leaders- is the church you lead a "House of Prayer," or merely a house of programs, philanthropy, and witty Bible lessons? Are you more concerned about popularity, economic success, political success, and social standing than you are about exhorting your brothers and sisters in Christ that you lead? Your responsibility as a leader is to be growing in a personal relationship with the Lord that is a testimony and springboard to minister to those under you. Leadership is not for you to control and rise in power and earthly success, but to serve those around you and placed under you. Can you honestly say your leadership invokes an attitude of prayer?

If you don't know the Lord, please recognize this time of your visitation and trust in the Lord's perfect gift of salvation to you. If you lead in the church in any way, is your personal emphasis on prayer, are you truly seeking the Lord's direction in your leadership, and are others invoked to an attitude of prayer by your testimony?

Isaiah 55:6  Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

People Pleaser

I don't know about you, but I'm what they call a "people pleaser." Saying no to others when they have expectations of me is a rare thing. I'm not quite sure sometimes I know how to say "no." In reality, there are some that place unrealistic or impossible tasks upon us on purpose, but mostly I do it to myself. And it's pride pure and simple.

 How do I figure that? Well obviously my thinking is that if I don't get involved in the work that it won't do well or that people will fall apart because I alone haven't met their needs. There's a few things I learned by meditating on my desire to be a "people pleaser."

1. God is all powerful. While we have the blessing and opportunity as Christians to be involved in God's plan, He is the one that saves souls. He is the one that is the Great Comforter. He is the one that  knows our life and what He has planned for us to do. By me taking things over and thinking I have to insert myself in the situation, I become self dependent and get involved in areas the Lord never intended me to be in. That's hindering the Lord's plan, not furthering it.


Isaiah 40:28-29 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

I love the wording here because it's the Lord saying- "Did you forget who I am? I AM I AM!! And yes sadly, I forget. 

2. The needs of your family are more important. I don't know if it's just me but sometimes I forget that my family is my #1 ministry as a wife and mother. If they're suffering because of your involvement with others or even ministries in church, something's not right. (Totally guilty here). I realized while trying to do so much that my family and my home were being neglected. Now don't misunderstand and think that I believe women should do all the housework and child rearing single-handedly. But as a wife and mother my family has needs that I am called to meet. If we remember the virtuous woman, she made sure her family was provided for in all ways. She sells goods, plants gardens, clothes her family, is wise and kind in speech. Basically, she makes sure her family's needs are met. Oh why should we feel guilt for placing our family's needs above those of others or the church? That's not how the Lord sees it. 

Prov. 31:28-30

Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.

I want to be described like that as a wife and mother! 

3. No one can accomplish what they're called to do if they are exhausted. Don't get me wrong- the Christian path requires endurance and strength and to keep going in weariness. But it's not our job to muster up that strength. The Holy Spirit gives you that strength to accomplish His will. We are fed with the Word. We are sustained by His presence. We communicate through prayer. If our relationship with the Lord is our first priority and we learn to REST in His power, His timing, and His plan the stress starts melting. I am an instrument used of God to accomplish His plans for the spread of the Gospel and discipleship. Why not let Him do what He's going to do and enjoy the blessing of being a part of it? 

2 Cor. 12:9  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

We are to submit to one another as Christians and we are to tell others of the Gospel. But that doesn't mean you're responsible to others for your time and life. You're responsible to God for it. Our first priority is our relationship with Him, second our families. Ministry beyond that is an expectation of us as Christians, but it's the Lord's command- not family members or church family. You will give an account to God for what you have done in His name so let's rest in Him and let Him direct where our time should be spent. While we are called to submit to one another, at the end of the day we're all humans and the only one who can know what God expects (outside of obvious Bible doctrine) is between you and the Lord. So remember to live for the audience of one- the Lord. 

Mercy & Grace

What does the mercy and grace of the Lord look like? If you are a Christian, you have seen the mercy and grace of the Lord in His death, resurrection, and forgiveness of your sin as well as in the eternal life and home you have waiting. But, the Lord is always merciful and gracious to us in our Christian lives as well and we see it when "good" things happen like a raise, birth of a new child, success in college, etc. So where is the mercy and grace in the "bad" times: times of meager wages, sickness, grief in loss of a loved one, betrayal by a friend, etc.

"It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness." Lam. 3:22-23

"For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." John 1:7

In a previous post of mine, I defined grace in light of the Christmas story and the charge that Mary was given. I analyzed her response by putting her trust in the Lord regardless of the difficulty or persecution she would have to endure as a result of a virgin birth. Grace is to be seen as God allowing us to be a part of the spread of the Gospel. Ex. 3:14 reminds us that God is the great I AM and can accomplish all His will with no need for resources or support, yet he chooses to have an intimate relationship with us and uses us to accomplish His will. Now in order to experience that, we must be totally surrendered and trusting in the Lord- completely dependent on Him.

Is it not when our control comes in that the will of the Lord is not accomplished? That's too difficult- I'm too busy, that's too far away Lord, I'm not experienced or gifted for that Lord, I can't risk taking that pay cut Lord, that's not what I expected to do with my life Lord . . . we could go on and on. That's when we get into depression because we have personal expectations of what our lives should be based on personal ideals, planning, or outside peer pressure/expectations. For instance, the infertile woman with friends that are all pregnant. She feels less of a woman because of it and doesn't know if she can stand another baby announcement. The divorced person who was betrayed by their spouse- they feel like less of a person because their spouse was supposed to love them more than anyone and decided one day they didn't anymore.

Life is hard and sometimes we are so discouraged we can't make sense of anything. The devil uses this to paralyze us- to never make new relationships because of fear, to never move forward to a new position because of fear, to not live life fully because you feel as though you have to have someone/something to make you fully complete or happy. As Solomon says, all is vanity! The only one who can satisfy and lead you to your calling in life is the Lord.

So, let's go back to mercy and grace- next time you get a disappointing call that you didn't get the job, you fail a class that you've worked so hard to pass, a boyfriend doesn't work out for the long haul, you feel like you're loneliness will never end . . . remember, all of these things are protection, mercy, and grace of the Lord. Lean on Him and He will give you rest. Stop trying to control and let Him show you His expectations! It will be above and beyond anything you could have ever comprehended! (Eph. 3:20) While we don't know what's going on, why do we fear to trust an unknown future to an all-knowing God! His timing is best- and His blessings are overwhelming for those who trust in Him and wait on Him and rest in Him! Perhaps that "dream job" came with a nightmare boss! Perhaps that boyfriend wasn't actually a Christian but put on a good show, etc. While some things that happen in life are so difficult to manage, remember that the Lord can comfort, fulfill, and strengthen you like no other. He won't necessarily tell you why, but He will show you His mercy, grace, and will which are priceless. Praise the Lord- the Great I AM!