Psalm 115:1, "Not to us, oh Lord, not to us but to Your Name be the glory, because of Your love and faithfulness."
This hit me in a fresh way...if I am seeking my glory, than today hurts...because today, like every day, there are those who do not approve of or affirm me...and I cannot make a defense...
But I also do not need to defend myself...because if my life and purpose is to Your glory, than those circumstances do not matter. If my life and purpose are in You, then all of who I am comes from You, not the programs I write or my coaching abilities. And I can rest in the Truth that You are glorifying Yourself, regardless of how things appear, or how I feel...because You hold it all and You will glorify Yourself, regardless.
May my life reflect the light of Your glory...to You be the glory, regardless.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
slow and steady
Your Kingdom began by a death on a cross...You could have rescued Yourself at any point but You did not...You kept the course, committed to the Father's plan...quite unfathomable for a martyr Who could free Himself at will.
It is no different now, for me...stay the course, be consistent, patient, steady...growth happens over time. Psalm 92 hits this, in v7, "Though the wicked spring up like grass"...this is fast, because we all know how quickly grass grows! Yet v8-9, "But You oh Lord are on high forever...behold, your enemies shall perish." Then v10, "But my horn, emblem of excessive strength and stately grace, You have exalted like that of a wild ox; I am anointed with fresh oil."
Steady...v12 uses a tree to make the point. A tree's growth is quite opposite of grass. A tree is slow and steady whereas grass is almost out of control. "The uncompromisingly righteous shall flourish like the palm tree, be long-lived, stately, upright, useful, and fruitful; they shall grow like a Cedar in Lebanon, majestic, stable, durable, and incorruptible"...because v13, "Planted in the house of the Lord, they shall flourish in the courts of our God."
Just like training the body physically requires patience and commitment and time, so does Your work...in my life, through my life, in others lives...but You are at work, and I can rest in this.
Slow and steady, just like the palm trees here. And I am planted in You, this is why I can know this.
Slow and steady, a result of Your grace...v14, "Growing in grace they shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap, spiritual vitality, and rich in the verdure (flourishing), of trust, love and contentment"...all signs of maturity, timely growth, nothing quick that will not last but one that is aged with time, a strong foundation, still reaping fruit throughout time, that will last.
Then my life becomes a "memorial" (v15) to the Lord...revealing that You are upright and faithful to Your promises, my Rock and righteousness.
Slow and steady...
It is no different now, for me...stay the course, be consistent, patient, steady...growth happens over time. Psalm 92 hits this, in v7, "Though the wicked spring up like grass"...this is fast, because we all know how quickly grass grows! Yet v8-9, "But You oh Lord are on high forever...behold, your enemies shall perish." Then v10, "But my horn, emblem of excessive strength and stately grace, You have exalted like that of a wild ox; I am anointed with fresh oil."
Steady...v12 uses a tree to make the point. A tree's growth is quite opposite of grass. A tree is slow and steady whereas grass is almost out of control. "The uncompromisingly righteous shall flourish like the palm tree, be long-lived, stately, upright, useful, and fruitful; they shall grow like a Cedar in Lebanon, majestic, stable, durable, and incorruptible"...because v13, "Planted in the house of the Lord, they shall flourish in the courts of our God."
Just like training the body physically requires patience and commitment and time, so does Your work...in my life, through my life, in others lives...but You are at work, and I can rest in this.
Slow and steady, just like the palm trees here. And I am planted in You, this is why I can know this.
Slow and steady, a result of Your grace...v14, "Growing in grace they shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap, spiritual vitality, and rich in the verdure (flourishing), of trust, love and contentment"...all signs of maturity, timely growth, nothing quick that will not last but one that is aged with time, a strong foundation, still reaping fruit throughout time, that will last.
Then my life becomes a "memorial" (v15) to the Lord...revealing that You are upright and faithful to Your promises, my Rock and righteousness.
Slow and steady...
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
invisible
Through the circumstances before me, daily life here, with things always in flux, changing, it is forcing my trust to a whole new level, one that I probably never would have intentionally chosen...even with the true lack of control in a familiar place, life seems much more predictable...You remove that here...
Yet it gives me the opportunity to experience Your continuity, Your Presence...
Fix my gaze upon what I cannot see...this is only possible through Your Spirit...and even as the visible world parades before me, give me the courage and faith of those before...as Moses (Hebrews 11:27), "for he never flinched but held staunchly to his purpose and endured steadfastly as one who gazed on Him Who is invisible."
As one who gazed on Him Who is invisible...fix my gaze upon what I cannot always see, You.
Yet it gives me the opportunity to experience Your continuity, Your Presence...
Fix my gaze upon what I cannot see...this is only possible through Your Spirit...and even as the visible world parades before me, give me the courage and faith of those before...as Moses (Hebrews 11:27), "for he never flinched but held staunchly to his purpose and endured steadfastly as one who gazed on Him Who is invisible."
As one who gazed on Him Who is invisible...fix my gaze upon what I cannot always see, You.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
humility + thanksgiving
Romans 15:13, "May the God of my hope so fill me with all joy and peace in believing through the experience of my faith that by the power of Your Spirit I may abound and be overflowing with hope."
Regardless of my circumstances, You have still called me and are faithful...You know my needs. Yet I recognize my pride in this journey, maybe even my damaged ego.
Again, my hope does not change because it is in You alone...and that hope is what fills me to be Your hands and feet today. Maybe You just like keeping my "needs" up in the air because it forces me to continually rely on You to meet those rather than my "skills"...and it gives You the opportunity to glorify Yourself rather than me pointing at myself.
It is still so humbling Father...
Yet Paul lived the same.
Galatians 6:14, "But far be it from me to glory in anything or anyone except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through Whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." In the externals of life, Paul lived at the bottom, while his critics (Pharisees) lived in the penthouse. But Paul was so solidly rooted and steady in only You...he was consistent in Your faithfulness, not his own...his external life may have changed without causing him any internal distress because He knew You that profoundly.
So back to what I know is true of You...and that foolish faith is not based on externals. I can be consistent like Paul when I let it all come down to one thing: changed lives through Your Spirit.
Psalm 116:17, "I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving and will call on the name of the Lord." This is how it feels at the moment...thankfulness as a sacrifice, when I do not feel thankful, or at least my circumstances can lead me to feel this way...yet I can walk through the hard and discouraging days with joy because You are Joy...and Your joy dwells in my heart...and the light of Your Presence still shines upon me, regardless.
I think You are teaching me to live here in more ways than I want to admit...and at the end of the day, You know what You are doing, even if I do not.
Regardless of my circumstances, You have still called me and are faithful...You know my needs. Yet I recognize my pride in this journey, maybe even my damaged ego.
Again, my hope does not change because it is in You alone...and that hope is what fills me to be Your hands and feet today. Maybe You just like keeping my "needs" up in the air because it forces me to continually rely on You to meet those rather than my "skills"...and it gives You the opportunity to glorify Yourself rather than me pointing at myself.
It is still so humbling Father...
Yet Paul lived the same.
Galatians 6:14, "But far be it from me to glory in anything or anyone except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through Whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." In the externals of life, Paul lived at the bottom, while his critics (Pharisees) lived in the penthouse. But Paul was so solidly rooted and steady in only You...he was consistent in Your faithfulness, not his own...his external life may have changed without causing him any internal distress because He knew You that profoundly.
So back to what I know is true of You...and that foolish faith is not based on externals. I can be consistent like Paul when I let it all come down to one thing: changed lives through Your Spirit.
Psalm 116:17, "I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving and will call on the name of the Lord." This is how it feels at the moment...thankfulness as a sacrifice, when I do not feel thankful, or at least my circumstances can lead me to feel this way...yet I can walk through the hard and discouraging days with joy because You are Joy...and Your joy dwells in my heart...and the light of Your Presence still shines upon me, regardless.
I think You are teaching me to live here in more ways than I want to admit...and at the end of the day, You know what You are doing, even if I do not.
Friday, October 21, 2011
joshua 3
I'm in an unfamiliar place
No homey comforts here.
Not sure of where I'm going,
Not sure what brought me here.
The light is dim, my way obscured,
Dark shadows jump and scare.
A soundless voice then whispers from deep,
"Walk On! I'll meet you there."
A lamp illuminates my feet,
Just one step at a time.
The voice cries out, "Forsake your plan -
Possess this land of mine!"
Trembling still, I walk along
The path secured for me.
At last my eyes behold the land,
But I glance back to see.
There were no shadows there at all,
No monsters over me.
'Twas rivers parted all along.
'Twas waves held back for me!
I'm in an unfamiliar place, peculiar comforts here.
No turning back, my homesick soul.
His will is home for me.
I cannot claim to have written this...I merely borrowed it from a friend.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
gideon
I have never noticed until today how foolish Gideon's faith was...and Judges 6-7 is loaded with a pretty crazy story of believing God.
God calls Gideon to deliver the Israelites from the Midianites, and Gideon basically answers, "who am I?" God meets his doubt with, "The LORD is with you, you mighty man of fearless courage." Wow, God calls Gideon mighty and of fearless courage...and He calls us, His children, the same. Still, Gideon doubts what God says about him, and reminds God that he is "the least"...yet God graciously replies, "Surely I will be with you and you shall smite the Midianites." God will do what He says He will do...and when He calls, He empowers.
Moving on to the number of times that Gideon literally "throws a fleece" out to God... in his uncertainty, he continued to make sure that he had heard God correctly, that God was in fact with him, like He had said He was. And both times, God not only answered but affirmed Gideon! So Gideon went...
(Side note on my further thoughts about "throwing God a fleece"...honestly, I think, why can I not throw God a fleece? I do not want to test God, and I must question the motives of my own heart, but I do think we can ask Him, to reveal Himself, that He is in what He is doing, what He may be asking us to do...and the incredible thing about the Gospel is that we now have the Spirit that dwells within us, when we choose Jesus, so that He can speak to us, lead us, empower us...and Gideon did not have that.)
Now that God had Gideon's heart and ear, He told him how He was going to use his obedience to save the people...and this is crazy...
God knew His people, so in order for the Israelites to not claim credit, God weeds out the Israelite men to go from 32,000 to 300. Yep. God wants the glory. There was nothing about these circumstances that the men could put any deliverance in their own numbers, their own strength, their own "doing." It was going to have to be God.
Then, God essentially tells Gideon, "go eavesdrop on the enemy's camp late at night, and you will overhear a conversation that will confirm my leading." Maybe God knew Gideon's fleshly heart needed to be reaffirmed, that he was not in fact crazy?! Not only did Gideon hear the dialogue, but God gave one of the Midianite soldiers a dream that said Gideon, a man of God, would overtake the Midianites camp. Gideon's immediate response: worship.
The final straw...the 300 men spread out around the Midianite camp, holding in one hand a trumpet and in the other a lantern and a jar. Random maybe...but take note: they held no weapons. At this point, the Midianites turned upon themselves and destroyed one another. Brutal yes, BUT God. Only He could orchestrate this...only He could move men and circumstances and conversations in this way!
When circumstances look bleak, BUT God. Sometimes circumstances are such to not only grow our faith, but to display God's delivering power in a way that it cannot be anyone or anything BUT God. And God still works in and through our crazy circumstances today...they are not by chance...and He puts us in positions that we can take no credit...only worship. BUT God.
God calls Gideon to deliver the Israelites from the Midianites, and Gideon basically answers, "who am I?" God meets his doubt with, "The LORD is with you, you mighty man of fearless courage." Wow, God calls Gideon mighty and of fearless courage...and He calls us, His children, the same. Still, Gideon doubts what God says about him, and reminds God that he is "the least"...yet God graciously replies, "Surely I will be with you and you shall smite the Midianites." God will do what He says He will do...and when He calls, He empowers.
Moving on to the number of times that Gideon literally "throws a fleece" out to God... in his uncertainty, he continued to make sure that he had heard God correctly, that God was in fact with him, like He had said He was. And both times, God not only answered but affirmed Gideon! So Gideon went...
(Side note on my further thoughts about "throwing God a fleece"...honestly, I think, why can I not throw God a fleece? I do not want to test God, and I must question the motives of my own heart, but I do think we can ask Him, to reveal Himself, that He is in what He is doing, what He may be asking us to do...and the incredible thing about the Gospel is that we now have the Spirit that dwells within us, when we choose Jesus, so that He can speak to us, lead us, empower us...and Gideon did not have that.)
Now that God had Gideon's heart and ear, He told him how He was going to use his obedience to save the people...and this is crazy...
God knew His people, so in order for the Israelites to not claim credit, God weeds out the Israelite men to go from 32,000 to 300. Yep. God wants the glory. There was nothing about these circumstances that the men could put any deliverance in their own numbers, their own strength, their own "doing." It was going to have to be God.
Then, God essentially tells Gideon, "go eavesdrop on the enemy's camp late at night, and you will overhear a conversation that will confirm my leading." Maybe God knew Gideon's fleshly heart needed to be reaffirmed, that he was not in fact crazy?! Not only did Gideon hear the dialogue, but God gave one of the Midianite soldiers a dream that said Gideon, a man of God, would overtake the Midianites camp. Gideon's immediate response: worship.
The final straw...the 300 men spread out around the Midianite camp, holding in one hand a trumpet and in the other a lantern and a jar. Random maybe...but take note: they held no weapons. At this point, the Midianites turned upon themselves and destroyed one another. Brutal yes, BUT God. Only He could orchestrate this...only He could move men and circumstances and conversations in this way!
When circumstances look bleak, BUT God. Sometimes circumstances are such to not only grow our faith, but to display God's delivering power in a way that it cannot be anyone or anything BUT God. And God still works in and through our crazy circumstances today...they are not by chance...and He puts us in positions that we can take no credit...only worship. BUT God.
Monday, October 3, 2011
supernatural gratitude
When everything seems to be going wrong, when things appear in my human lenses to be going in the opposite direction, when life seems out of control, You call me to thank You...
A supernatural response no doubt.
Yet there is power in unconditional praise...praising Him, not only in spite of the circumstance, but for the circumstance...ruthless trust knowing that in His unsearchable wisdom, He is working out something that is necessary and vital for my good, beyond all I can ask, think or imagine.
I feel like David in Psalm 13...yet he closes the Psalm with, "But I have trusted, leaned on, and been confident in Your mercy and loving-kindness; my heart shall rejoice and be in high spirits in Your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me."
Regardless of all David has felt, the lies he has battled, the internal struggles, the constant wrestling...regardless, he "trusted, leaned on, and been confident"...in His God. Therefore, he rejoices. He sings with a heart of gratitude, because "He has dealt bountifully with me."
Bountifully...liberal in bestowing gifts or favors; generous, plentiful, abundant, overflowing, more than I can grasp, comprehend, fathom...beyond all I can ask, think or imagine.
And this too is my God.
And I too am called to give thanks for everything. What feels unnatural in my skin is a gift of grace to respond in this supernatural way. Choosing the supernatural, regardless how I feel...affirming my trust and thanking You...only then will I experience unfathomable peace.
Because it is Yours...and You have me.
A supernatural response no doubt.
Yet there is power in unconditional praise...praising Him, not only in spite of the circumstance, but for the circumstance...ruthless trust knowing that in His unsearchable wisdom, He is working out something that is necessary and vital for my good, beyond all I can ask, think or imagine.
I feel like David in Psalm 13...yet he closes the Psalm with, "But I have trusted, leaned on, and been confident in Your mercy and loving-kindness; my heart shall rejoice and be in high spirits in Your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me."
Regardless of all David has felt, the lies he has battled, the internal struggles, the constant wrestling...regardless, he "trusted, leaned on, and been confident"...in His God. Therefore, he rejoices. He sings with a heart of gratitude, because "He has dealt bountifully with me."
Bountifully...liberal in bestowing gifts or favors; generous, plentiful, abundant, overflowing, more than I can grasp, comprehend, fathom...beyond all I can ask, think or imagine.
And this too is my God.
And I too am called to give thanks for everything. What feels unnatural in my skin is a gift of grace to respond in this supernatural way. Choosing the supernatural, regardless how I feel...affirming my trust and thanking You...only then will I experience unfathomable peace.
Because it is Yours...and You have me.
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