It's funny to think about where I was a year ago. No job offer yet, still checking school websites for the latest openings 24/7, completely open to going anywhere that the job would come from. I really thought I had it narrowed down to a few specific cities...all three of which were fairly close to home. Interviews were lining up, things were beginning to come into focus, and in the back of my mind I completely thought everything would work out exactly the way I was hoping it would...it was just a matter of time.
Spring came and went and summertime soon set in, leaving me still just as wide open and available for any job to come a-knockin' than ever. A few doors had closed (some had never opened), but I was okay with it. Other opportunities continued to come my way, still in the same general areas that I had originally planned out as being "perfect." I prayed for God's will to be done, but deep down, knew that I would really just love for my desires to be fulfilled, hoping that God's matched.
That summer challenged my thinking in HUGE ways. God showed me, even aside from the job situation, that He could do "immeasurably MORE" than all I could ask or imagine. I began to develop new friendships with people who truly loved the Lord, and that community I had so longed for from my college FCA days was beginning to be supplied again. "Immeasurably more..."
Then the call came...the offer I had been waiting for since walking across the stage at Littlejohn as an official college graduate. But it didn't come from anyone in my hometown or surrounding cities like I thought. Nope...it came from 4 hours away, down by the coast, completely out of the blue. I didn't really understand it, but because of the way it fell completely together, I jumped in, ready for that "adventure" I had been holding out for.
Standing on (almost) the other side, this year hasn't been easy. I've been homesick more than a few times, overwhelmed, confused...
...but not abandoned. Never alone. Not one time.
It hasn't been the easiest year, but God has taken that homesickness and has allowed me to find a community of believers in my new "community" He's placed me in...people who are following hard after Jesus and desire to seek Him, know Him, be found by Him. COMPLETE answers to prayer...
He's taken that overwhelming feeling and has placed His peace within me to calm every storm to a whisper. Every time I feel like things are beginning to become too much to handle, He's stilled my heart every time with the reassuring knowledge of who I am in HIM, resting in the Victor of this present age and age to come.
He's taken the confusion that so easily comes alongside anything brand new, and demolished it with clarity through His Word, alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. Though I don't understand everything that's come my way this year, He's allowed me to see the difference between being "confused" and being caught up in "childlike faith," waiting on HIM with a dependence so deep, so fervent, that ultimately my "not knowing" brings Him greater glory than if I had been given every answer to begin with.
So, what's next? What "plan" do I have on the radar?
God doesn't require my lists, my "perfect" plans, or my ideas of what's best. (Praise HIM!)
I think Micah 6:8 says it best:
"He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require
of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your
God."
Plans, shmans. He has SHOWED me what is good.
If you had told me I would be where I am right now a year ago, I would
have laughed (politely, of course). :) But isn't that kind of the point?
God uses the "foolish things to shame the wise," and I'm blown away by
what He's taught me here and what He's chosen to allow me to step into
and be a part of. Regardless of where He places me next year, I can be confident of this: He will continue to show me time and time again that His
ways are NOT my ways...they are SO much better!
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Acts 7
I'm rereading Acts right now...and because the Word is ALIVE and ACTIVE, the Lord continues to open my mind up to new truths that I've never stopped and seen before! Completely speaks of the Lord's incredible goodness to us...He desires for our hearts to know His more. What a concept...
I'm just gonna dive right in with what I've been processing through this chapter...there's so much here!
1. First off, I think it's absolutely incredible that Stephen continues to speak of God's faithfulness now, while on trial for his life, instead of speaking of his innocence. Stephen chooses to focus attention on God and His truth, even when it would've been easy (expected, even) to shout out his case from the rooftops ("I've done nothing wrong"; "I'm only proclaiming truth"; "I'm a servant of the Lord")!
2. As he walks us through the story of the fulfilled Promise, certain things jump out at me:
*vs. 17: "As the time drew near for God to fulfill His promise to Abraham..."
This tells me:
~the Promises of the Lord are NEVER put on the back burner/forgotten
~Abraham wasn't even alive to see all that God planned as part of the Promise He made, but it was okay! God still fulfilled it. Abraham saw parts of the puzzle begin to come together, but the finishing touches and remaining pieces were added in when GOD saw fit, even though that meant Abraham was no longer around. God didn't "slip up" and forget that Abraham died before he saw the whole promise fulfilled...He planned it this way!
*vs. 20--"At that time Moses was born, and he was no ordinary child."
~"at that time"--when the new and majorly oppressive pharaoh took over and mistreated God's people...it was at THAT time that Moses is brought into the world! He definitely wasn't ordinary...he had been created by the God of all things to bring HIS PROMISE to fulfillment! ("for such a time as this," anyone?! :) )
*vs. 55--Even as death is approaching, Stephen doesn't shudder or focus on the anger all around him: "But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God."
~His eyes are and remain steadfastly locked on His King and eternal life with Him!
I'm just gonna dive right in with what I've been processing through this chapter...there's so much here!
1. First off, I think it's absolutely incredible that Stephen continues to speak of God's faithfulness now, while on trial for his life, instead of speaking of his innocence. Stephen chooses to focus attention on God and His truth, even when it would've been easy (expected, even) to shout out his case from the rooftops ("I've done nothing wrong"; "I'm only proclaiming truth"; "I'm a servant of the Lord")!
2. As he walks us through the story of the fulfilled Promise, certain things jump out at me:
*vs. 17: "As the time drew near for God to fulfill His promise to Abraham..."
This tells me:
~the Promises of the Lord are NEVER put on the back burner/forgotten
~Abraham wasn't even alive to see all that God planned as part of the Promise He made, but it was okay! God still fulfilled it. Abraham saw parts of the puzzle begin to come together, but the finishing touches and remaining pieces were added in when GOD saw fit, even though that meant Abraham was no longer around. God didn't "slip up" and forget that Abraham died before he saw the whole promise fulfilled...He planned it this way!
*vs. 20--"At that time Moses was born, and he was no ordinary child."
~"at that time"--when the new and majorly oppressive pharaoh took over and mistreated God's people...it was at THAT time that Moses is brought into the world! He definitely wasn't ordinary...he had been created by the God of all things to bring HIS PROMISE to fulfillment! ("for such a time as this," anyone?! :) )
*vs. 55--Even as death is approaching, Stephen doesn't shudder or focus on the anger all around him: "But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God."
~His eyes are and remain steadfastly locked on His King and eternal life with Him!
Monday, February 20, 2012
ENOUGH!
"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him Who called us by His OWN glory and goodness." ~2 Peter 1:3
His power at work in me is ENOUGH! It's everything I need; not just for life here on earth, but for the pursuit of godliness too, preparing me for my heavenly home!
"Through these [His glory and goodness] He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires." ~2 Peter 1:4
Because of His glory and goodness (Who He is), other gifts are given to us--His promises. These promises bring two crazy cool/humbling things into the picture:
1. An invitation. His promises invite me to be a direct part of HIS DIVINE NATURE...He IN me! He's changing me to align my soul with more of Who He is (remember from before? Among so many other things, He is GOOD)!
2. An escape. His promises also free me to flee from the corruption of this world...including the root of most corruption: evil desires (anything apart from God's holy and perfect will for me). This makes total sense when you think about it: As I'm participating in the Divine Nature, my heart, mind, and soul are being crafted to look more like my Holy and Good Father!
Mmmmmm! So so so good.
The incredible thing is we can participate in this RIGHT NOW...as in, right this second. If you are a child of the King, He has placed His power inside of y o u !! You don't need anything else. IT IS ENOUGH! Believe that this power has been freely given, claim it, and move forward in grace.
For me, I just really needed to stop and meditate/focus on the fact that His power is EVERYTHING I need. EVERYTHING. I'm still wrapping my mind around that, but as I continue to dwell on the magnitude of that statement, the Holy Spirit has continued to pour out understanding and peace, which is so amazing!
His power at work in me is ENOUGH! It's everything I need; not just for life here on earth, but for the pursuit of godliness too, preparing me for my heavenly home!
"Through these [His glory and goodness] He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires." ~2 Peter 1:4
Because of His glory and goodness (Who He is), other gifts are given to us--His promises. These promises bring two crazy cool/humbling things into the picture:
1. An invitation. His promises invite me to be a direct part of HIS DIVINE NATURE...He IN me! He's changing me to align my soul with more of Who He is (remember from before? Among so many other things, He is GOOD)!
2. An escape. His promises also free me to flee from the corruption of this world...including the root of most corruption: evil desires (anything apart from God's holy and perfect will for me). This makes total sense when you think about it: As I'm participating in the Divine Nature, my heart, mind, and soul are being crafted to look more like my Holy and Good Father!
Mmmmmm! So so so good.
The incredible thing is we can participate in this RIGHT NOW...as in, right this second. If you are a child of the King, He has placed His power inside of y o u !! You don't need anything else. IT IS ENOUGH! Believe that this power has been freely given, claim it, and move forward in grace.
For me, I just really needed to stop and meditate/focus on the fact that His power is EVERYTHING I need. EVERYTHING. I'm still wrapping my mind around that, but as I continue to dwell on the magnitude of that statement, the Holy Spirit has continued to pour out understanding and peace, which is so amazing!
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Thinking Ahead
"Now listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.' Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes."
~James 4:13-14
For me to say, "I'm going to do this tomorrow" DIMINISHES the power that is fully God's, not mine. I can't see the future--not even a tiny bit (not a few hours, days, weeks...even a SECOND ahead)--but so often I talk and act like I can!
It doesn't stop here, though...ohhhh, get ready! :)
"Instead, you ought to say, 'If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.' As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins."
~James 4:15-17
It's being stressed here that instead of plotting out plans for the future, think about what lies ahead with one particular thought overriding everything else--"If it's the LORD'S will!"
I realized as I was reading over this part of the passage that I'm much more prone to saying, "If it's Your will, God" when I'm talking/praying about something seemingly far off, like praying for a husband to love, care for/be cared by, respect, and serve with or kids to love, instruct, and nurture one day. I hardly ever talk about either one of those without first clarifying, "If it's YOUR will, Lord, these things will happen."
I'm quick to say that I know these events are in the future, but other things occurring in my immediate future (like the next hour, day, week, month) I am much more likely to simply state matter-of-factly what will or will not be done at different times...
...even though, really, I still have NO way of knowing if I'll even be alive to do any of it!
SUCH a wake-up call here! It's arrogant (and pride is a sin, so it's EVIL~vs. 16), to say/think that I know enough about my life to say for sure what will happen next, how it will happen, etc.! It doesn't matter if I'm dealing with the immediate or seemingly distant, my Heavenly Father is the Storyteller of my life and the ONLY ONE Who knows and sees everything that will play out for the rest of my days! I am a mist...let me not be quick to forget, especially in the hustle and bustle of routine.
Application-wise, I'm going to specifically be praying for the Holy Spirit's complete help in moving my mindset from an attitude of "I will" to "If the LORD wills, I will."
"If the Lord" first;
"I" second.
"If the Lord...THEN, I."
I'm not about to tell you I think I've got this all figured out and the road ahead of me with this new mindset is going to be a piece of cake...not a chance of that! What I CAN say is that as I begin consistently trusting the Lord verbally/mentally/spiritually to show up in all kinds of different ways using this mindset, my faith will RADICALLY grow, stretching to depths and heights I've not even dared DREAM about! How do I know? I'm trusting in the God Whose Hands hold the stars I'm looking at outside of my window right now...the One Who is near when I call...Who is with me even now...Who promises THIS:
~James 4:13-14
For me to say, "I'm going to do this tomorrow" DIMINISHES the power that is fully God's, not mine. I can't see the future--not even a tiny bit (not a few hours, days, weeks...even a SECOND ahead)--but so often I talk and act like I can!
It doesn't stop here, though...ohhhh, get ready! :)
"Instead, you ought to say, 'If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.' As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins."
~James 4:15-17
It's being stressed here that instead of plotting out plans for the future, think about what lies ahead with one particular thought overriding everything else--"If it's the LORD'S will!"
I realized as I was reading over this part of the passage that I'm much more prone to saying, "If it's Your will, God" when I'm talking/praying about something seemingly far off, like praying for a husband to love, care for/be cared by, respect, and serve with or kids to love, instruct, and nurture one day. I hardly ever talk about either one of those without first clarifying, "If it's YOUR will, Lord, these things will happen."
I'm quick to say that I know these events are in the future, but other things occurring in my immediate future (like the next hour, day, week, month) I am much more likely to simply state matter-of-factly what will or will not be done at different times...
...even though, really, I still have NO way of knowing if I'll even be alive to do any of it!
SUCH a wake-up call here! It's arrogant (and pride is a sin, so it's EVIL~vs. 16), to say/think that I know enough about my life to say for sure what will happen next, how it will happen, etc.! It doesn't matter if I'm dealing with the immediate or seemingly distant, my Heavenly Father is the Storyteller of my life and the ONLY ONE Who knows and sees everything that will play out for the rest of my days! I am a mist...let me not be quick to forget, especially in the hustle and bustle of routine.
Application-wise, I'm going to specifically be praying for the Holy Spirit's complete help in moving my mindset from an attitude of "I will" to "If the LORD wills, I will."
"If the Lord" first;
"I" second.
"If the Lord...THEN, I."
I'm not about to tell you I think I've got this all figured out and the road ahead of me with this new mindset is going to be a piece of cake...not a chance of that! What I CAN say is that as I begin consistently trusting the Lord verbally/mentally/spiritually to show up in all kinds of different ways using this mindset, my faith will RADICALLY grow, stretching to depths and heights I've not even dared DREAM about! How do I know? I'm trusting in the God Whose Hands hold the stars I'm looking at outside of my window right now...the One Who is near when I call...Who is with me even now...Who promises THIS:
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Consider Him.
Hebrews 12
Run the race that's been marked out. Run it. Put my whole body, mind, and spirit into this race path that the Lord has me on ("run with perseverance"~vs. 1). I know that because God has me running this path, it's going to look different from others running, too--even different from those who are closest in proximity to me (friends, family). The temptation would be to see them turn a corner and want to follow them, taking my eyes off of Jesus and where He's leading.
When I do that, frustration, discontentment, jealousy, sometimes anger, and sadness inevitably begin to set in, because my path is becoming darker and darker by the step since it's no longer illuminated by my Glorious Light. He has not left me to stumble in the mess I've made, though--He's been right there with me as I've traveled this deviated path, and gently reminds me of His ever-present Help as He stops me long enough to gaze at Him. It's here I find complete and utter peace, restoration, and a deep sense of knowing that this is exactly Who I long to be with forever.
Conviction from His Spirit sends me running once again into His open arms, and I am captivated by my Lord's love for me. He takes my hand and brings me out of the wrong direction and back in step with Him, my eyes fixed on my ever-so-present Lord and Savior once more.
When that temptation to throw in the towel comes (because it will and has), I'm not to take my eyes off of Jesus for one second.
Why?
Because He's overcome every single struggle I will ever encounter in this life. His blood put them to DEATH, and their hold on mankind is limited only to those without the salvation through faith that's found in Jesus.
"Consider Him Who endured such great opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." (vs. 3)
When I am consumed with HIM, I won't even get to the place of wanting to throw in the towel!! "Consider Him...so that you will not grow weary and lose heart"!
Before allowing myself to get to that point of being absolutely run down, I make the conscious decision to FIX my entire being on Jesus and what He's endured for my sake. Being Gospel-minded/centered isn't for show or what we're "supposed" to do as believers; it's literally our saving grace.
Run the race.
Fix your gaze.
Consider Him.
Run the race that's been marked out. Run it. Put my whole body, mind, and spirit into this race path that the Lord has me on ("run with perseverance"~vs. 1). I know that because God has me running this path, it's going to look different from others running, too--even different from those who are closest in proximity to me (friends, family). The temptation would be to see them turn a corner and want to follow them, taking my eyes off of Jesus and where He's leading.
When I do that, frustration, discontentment, jealousy, sometimes anger, and sadness inevitably begin to set in, because my path is becoming darker and darker by the step since it's no longer illuminated by my Glorious Light. He has not left me to stumble in the mess I've made, though--He's been right there with me as I've traveled this deviated path, and gently reminds me of His ever-present Help as He stops me long enough to gaze at Him. It's here I find complete and utter peace, restoration, and a deep sense of knowing that this is exactly Who I long to be with forever.
Conviction from His Spirit sends me running once again into His open arms, and I am captivated by my Lord's love for me. He takes my hand and brings me out of the wrong direction and back in step with Him, my eyes fixed on my ever-so-present Lord and Savior once more.
When that temptation to throw in the towel comes (because it will and has), I'm not to take my eyes off of Jesus for one second.
Why?
Because He's overcome every single struggle I will ever encounter in this life. His blood put them to DEATH, and their hold on mankind is limited only to those without the salvation through faith that's found in Jesus.
"Consider Him Who endured such great opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." (vs. 3)
When I am consumed with HIM, I won't even get to the place of wanting to throw in the towel!! "Consider Him...so that you will not grow weary and lose heart"!
Before allowing myself to get to that point of being absolutely run down, I make the conscious decision to FIX my entire being on Jesus and what He's endured for my sake. Being Gospel-minded/centered isn't for show or what we're "supposed" to do as believers; it's literally our saving grace.
Run the race.
Fix your gaze.
Consider Him.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
See Ya Later, Safe!
I LOVE Hebrews 11 because it gives us such a clear picture of what faith looks like. I've seriously been reading and studying this particular chapter for 3 days now, and I'm STILL not done soaking it all in! There's just soooo much here...
Basically, to start off, vs. 8 caught my eye. Abraham's journey of faith literally takes him and his family to a brand new city, but does he make excuses? Nope...he doesn't know the reasons WHY God chooses to bring him here, BUT:
he "obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going."
Why did he do this?! Why leave the familiar? The safe? The comfortable??
"He was looking FORWARD to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God." (vs. 10)
*"LOOKING FORWARD"! This implies 2 things:
1. He's not looking anywhere else but to what's just ahead of him, which God has already sovereignly prepared. Though he can't physically see it yet, his faith gives him eyes to see and understand: the Lord's ways are higher. Better. Perfect.
2. Hope is abundant! Abraham isn't moping around, wishing away for days past where he lived in a familiar town (his home)...he's actually the complete opposite. Fueled by a hope that God clearly brought him here, Abraham looks forward to what God is doing and is about to do...knowing, too, that BECAUSE God brought him to this place, he will also USE him.
It's an exciting thing to dwell on and look forward to...what's more? There's even a hint of Abraham looking beyond this world and into the next, thanks to his faith...looking forward to the future restoration of earth, when sin is gone and Jesus reigns. How's THAT for something to look forward to? :)
*Interesting side note: he was able to have this time to "look forward" because of the POSITION God placed him in!!! He, in a brand new city, a bit out of comfort range, sees CLEARLY the prize which we are all one day going to experience as children of our Heavenly Father. Abraham is in the PERFECT position to see and gain hope from this truth...no chance. No coincidence.
Just faith.
See ya later, safe. :)
Basically, to start off, vs. 8 caught my eye. Abraham's journey of faith literally takes him and his family to a brand new city, but does he make excuses? Nope...he doesn't know the reasons WHY God chooses to bring him here, BUT:
he "obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going."
Why did he do this?! Why leave the familiar? The safe? The comfortable??
"He was looking FORWARD to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God." (vs. 10)
*"LOOKING FORWARD"! This implies 2 things:
1. He's not looking anywhere else but to what's just ahead of him, which God has already sovereignly prepared. Though he can't physically see it yet, his faith gives him eyes to see and understand: the Lord's ways are higher. Better. Perfect.
2. Hope is abundant! Abraham isn't moping around, wishing away for days past where he lived in a familiar town (his home)...he's actually the complete opposite. Fueled by a hope that God clearly brought him here, Abraham looks forward to what God is doing and is about to do...knowing, too, that BECAUSE God brought him to this place, he will also USE him.
It's an exciting thing to dwell on and look forward to...what's more? There's even a hint of Abraham looking beyond this world and into the next, thanks to his faith...looking forward to the future restoration of earth, when sin is gone and Jesus reigns. How's THAT for something to look forward to? :)
*Interesting side note: he was able to have this time to "look forward" because of the POSITION God placed him in!!! He, in a brand new city, a bit out of comfort range, sees CLEARLY the prize which we are all one day going to experience as children of our Heavenly Father. Abraham is in the PERFECT position to see and gain hope from this truth...no chance. No coincidence.
Just faith.
See ya later, safe. :)
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Waiting
"He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him." ~Hebrews 9:28
"Those who are waiting for Him"--again, Scripture references waiting as a necessary phase of life to go through if I desire to see the Lord and all He has for me. He's training me in this in the smaller things so that as I begin to learn and trust the art of waiting with these, I can continue to learn to wait for the ultimate Promise of Jesus' return and eternal life
f o r e v e r with Him.
He's blessing me with opportunities to practice waiting! Blessing me with no immediate reveal of answers in situations. His coming is not an immediate answer, so true preparation for this shouldn't be either.
Hellooo, new and completely different outlook!
And where does it all point back to?
Jesus, my High Priest! (go read all of Hebrews 8-10...beautiful portrayal of grace!)
"Those who are waiting for Him"--again, Scripture references waiting as a necessary phase of life to go through if I desire to see the Lord and all He has for me. He's training me in this in the smaller things so that as I begin to learn and trust the art of waiting with these, I can continue to learn to wait for the ultimate Promise of Jesus' return and eternal life
f o r e v e r with Him.
He's blessing me with opportunities to practice waiting! Blessing me with no immediate reveal of answers in situations. His coming is not an immediate answer, so true preparation for this shouldn't be either.
Hellooo, new and completely different outlook!
And where does it all point back to?
Jesus, my High Priest! (go read all of Hebrews 8-10...beautiful portrayal of grace!)
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