From Doing to Being

What are you going to do?

Who are you going to be?

What are you doing with your life?

What do you want to be when you grow up?

When you finally get it all figured out what then? I suppose we think we will miraculously have it all together and life will be a grand and enjoyable thing. When we figure it all out we can put our plan in motion and nothing will stop us from great success and happiness.

I don't know about you but I am tired. I'm tired of trying to figure it all out. I think maybe I will just rest a while and let God take over. Maybe if I put God in the driver seat I can relax and begin to enjoy the ride.

We seem to think that we have to know all the answers. That we have to figure out what we are supposed to be doing so we get it all right. The truth is that we weren't made to "do" we were made to "be". We were made to be in relationship with God. We were made to be with Him. We were never meant to do life on our own. We were never meant to figure it all out. We were meant to live in relationship with God so he could guide us.

God is the one that created all things including us. Why then do we think that we can be the one to make our own way? Why do we decide what we are going to do and then we ask Him to join us?

We instead are supposed to see where He is working and join Him. We are to join Him in His pursuits not the other way around.

Can we pray about our circumstances and ask for Him to change them? Yes, we can, but it is up to Him if He decides to change them. We were given Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for our sins, so that the penalty was paid for us. Jesus died so that we could approach the throne and make our requests to the Father. When we accept Jesus as our savior, believing that He died on the cross personally for us and ask Him into our heart, we then have someone interceding on our behalf to the Father God.

Henry Blackaby says this in Experiencing God:

Picture in your mind a tall ladder leaning against a wall. Now think about your life as a process of climbing that ladder. Wouldn't it be a tragedy to ascend to the top and find you had placed the ladder against the wrong wall? One life to live, and you missed it! Earlier in the course we talked about your life being God-centered. That means your life must be properly related to God. This is the love relationship for which you were created- a God-centered love relationship. Your walk with God (Father, Son and Spirit) is the single most important aspect of your life. If it is not as it should be, nothing else will function properly.

As Henry Blackaby states, the most important aspect of our life is our relationship with God. Not only will nothing in our lives function properly without it but we will run around stressed out looking for what to "do" next. Instead we are to be what we were created for; we are to be in a relationship with God building for the eternity after this life. We are all eternal beings and we will all go somewhere when we die. We will all spend "forever" somewhere. This time on earth is a short blip in comparison to eternity. Should we not be more concerned about what we are creating for our eternity than here then?

Should we not be more worried about "being" what God wants us to "be" then caring what we "do" for ourselves?

The Noticer

Recently, I have seen many bloggers posting about the new book "The Noticer" by Andy Andrew. Although, I have not read the book, I think the concept is a great one. So like many others I would like to notice a few people of my own. I know we are supposed to notice the top five people who have influenced our lives, but I just couldn't stop there.

So here are my top six....

6. My parents - although they made many mistakes and my childhood was one of much pain, where I came from brought me to where I am today. Without the mistakes and let downs of my past I would never of sought God or found a profoundly life changing relationship with Him. You see, it was in my pain that I looked for something to take it away. Without the past, I would not have the present. I would not have seen the glory of God so clearly without the healing and incredible miracles He has shown me. Today, I have a great relationship with both of my parents and love them dearly. They did the best they knew how to do at the time.

5. My grandmother - she was the one person in my life that showed me her full attention and gave me unconditional love. I don't think the woman ever spoke an unkind word to or about anyone. She was a person of great moral character and values. She was the picture of gentleness and grace. The softness (not weakness) that poured out of her was something that I will never forget. To top it off, when you where with her, there was no one other than you in her world. What I had in her as a child was her undivided, complete attention and love. When I spent time at her house there was no one or nothing more important than spending time with me. I learned what love looked like from her.

4. My first real love (boyfriend when I was 16-18) - this is the person that God used to tell me about Himself. At the age of 18 as we were breaking up, my boyfriend who had grown up in the church shared Christ with me. It was what started my journey with my Savior and Lord. This person spoke the words that changed my life and gave me a hope to live for. It is a hope that I still live for to this day. He was bold enough to share his faith even when we weren't going to be together any more. I thank him for his willingness to share.

3. The Moore family - I know we are supposed to pick a "person" but I really can't pick just one when it comes to this group. Jim Moore was the enthusiastic evangelist that rocked my world and brought me into my first church. Jim was my best friend’s boss when I was 18. After my boyfriend had shared Christ with me Jim picked up for God and brought me to a church. He was the most dynamic, on fire; Christ filled Christian I have ever met. He brought 30 people to Christ in a 6 month period and was put on staff at his church. I soon met his family, a mother and three sisters. His youngest sister by the name of Sherry became my best friend. His mother took me in and let me live with them. She became my surrogate Mom. The other two sisters became like older sisters to me. The entire family changed my life by becoming a family to me when I needed it desperately.

2. My husband - although we have only been together seven years, my husband was a gift from heaven. God blessed me with the most loving, supportive man that I could ever ask for. He has been there for me through some tough stuff. Facing my past and find healing was something very difficult but he stuck by me through it all. God gave me the biggest gift when He brought me my husband who has the biggest heart I know. On top of that I get to spend the greatest part of my life, the last, loving him.

1. I would be remiss if I didn't mention the biggest influence on my life, God himself. He is the reason I get up in the morning and the reason I lay my head down at night. He knit me together in my mother’s womb, He dreamed of me before I was born. He sought me out of darkness and gave me a new life. He is the one that loved me fully even when I couldn't say I loved Him back. I owe Him everything and I would gladly give all my worldly possession just for a moment with Him. He is the Father I had always craved and needed, the love of my life, my Savior and keeper. He is my reason for everything. HE IS EVERYTHING TO ME! I truly do love him with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my mind and with all my strength. I am His through and through, every ounce, every thought, and every pore belongs to Him.

What about you, who would you notice in your life?

The Gift of a Sound Heart

I was reading in Proverbs recently and the words "a sound heart" leapt off the page at me. I began to mull it around a bit asking the question, what would that look like? This is usually where my mind goes on a hiking trail and I might as well follow along. There is no use doing anything else until it reaches its conclusion. So off I went to find God's meaning of this statement.

Proverb 14:30 A sound heart is life to the body; but envy is rottenness to the bones.

I know from other exploration that the bible speaks of having a sound mind in the terms of stability and sanity. But what about this sound heart concept. What could this mean?

Feeling that I had just stumbled upon another small gem that the bible seems to have an abundance of, I began to feel the excitement well up inside me. You know the feeling when you know there’s an "ah ha" moment around the corner.

Of course, God’s word didn't disappoint, here’s the "ah ha" that He revealed to me.

Just as we are to have a sound mind, we are also to have a sound heart. Sound as in firm, stable or secure. Sound meaning it’s based on truth or valid reasoning. Just as what we put in our mind should be based on truth and sound reasoning, what we allow to take hold of our heart should be also.

There is a difference between knowing something in our mind and knowing it in our heart. We live out of our heart. We love out of our heart. All that we are comes from the heart we carry. So it would make a lot of sense to guard our heart from becoming unsound.

Everything we put in our heart affects every part of our body. It is a known fact that stress and worry cause the body to fail and become sick. If we live out of our heart then it is what gives good life to the whole body.

We may not always be able to guard our eyes from seeing things unwise for us. We may not always have control of what enters our mind. What we do have control of though is what we allow to be transferred to our hearts.

I Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful , who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

It is when we take it into our hearts that the temptation becomes more than we can bear. We are provided a way out, we are provided that moment to turn away. If we do not take the way of escape provided by God in the moment and stay to long, we risk taking it into our heart. This is what then can start a process of destruction in out lives.

We are told to keep our hearts sound, free from sin and destruction. When we do, we can follow God with a freedom and beauty that is only from God Himself.

Just like we must pray for the transformation to take place in our minds, we must also pray for the same transformation to occur in our hearts. As in all things, it is God Himself who changes who we are and molds us into His own image.

Lord,

Create in us not only a sound mind full of your thoughts but also a sound heart. Protect our hearts from being infiltrated by the ugly vices of life. Instead, create in us a clean and pure heart, one that is sound and filled with your love.

Amen

Kindness Vs Envy

Once more we explore another virtue God expects us to have as a part of our character. Today we will look at kindness and how the vice of envy functions at the opposite end of it. Let's jump right in.

Everyone likes a kind person, right? So why aren't we kind all the time?

Maybe it because for some unknown reason we equate kindness with weakness. If we are kind then we must also be weak and powerless. No one likes to think of themselves as weak and powerless, that puts them in a vulnerable position.

Good news! The Greek word for kindness is chrestotes which has nothing to do with weakness or lack of conviction; it means instead the tender concern for others. It is the genuine desire of the believer to treat others gently just as the Lord treats us.

I would also like to look at the virtue of kindness from a different angle than normally thought of. I would like to look at it from the side that causes someone to be satisfied. The angle which causes us to have charity and compassion in our heart. As a friend with sympathy for the benefit of not our own but for the sake of the one who needs our kindness.

What I mean is when we put our own agenda aside and reach out in kindness not to get but to give to another. The kind of gesture that has no personal agenda behind it. Maybe it even requires a sacrifice on our part. Are we willing to be that kind to others?

II Samuel 2:5-6 - So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead, and said to them, "You are blessed of the Lord, for you have shown this kindness to you lord, to Saul, and have buried him. And now may the Lord show kindness and truth to you. I also will repay you this kindness, because you have done this thing."

David got word that King Saul was dead. This is the same man who had pursued him relentlessly in order to kill him. Instead of brutal deeds and words, David, the new King, instead commends those who showed kindness to Saul and buried him. The response by both was unusual to say the least. First the men of Jabesh Gilead had shown respect to the King after his death and buried him unlike what conquerors usually did. Second, David who received nothing close to kindness repays the men who buried him with kindness. Then he shows Saul himself with the respect due a King.

Psalm 117:2 For His merciful kindness is great toward us, and the truth of the Lord endures forever.

Ephesians 4:32 and be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

Proverbs 31:26 She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness.

God himself was mercifully kind to us. In his kindness he gave us an eternity to be with him with one stipulation. That one stipulation is we accept the gift of salvation that was offered through the death of Jesus Christ. He did not have to give us this gift nor does he have to continually extend acceptance and forgiveness. But again and again, over and over He forgives us and gently shows us mercy. In return, the same kindness we receive, we should extend to others. Be kind to one-another, tender-hearted and forgiving just as we received when Christ forgave us. When we open our mouth to speak to someone does the tongue cut or heal another? Are the words and actions we show others full of kindness or poison?

Job 5:2 for wrath kills a foolish man, and envy slays a simple one.

Proverbs 14:30 A sound heart is life to the body, but envy is rottenness to the bones.

I Corinthians 13:4 love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, it is not puffed up

James 3:16 For where envy and self-seeking exists, confusion and every evil thing are there.

When we exhibit poison instead of kindness it comes out in envy and self-seeking behavior. As we see in scripture, neither edifies us. Envy slays us; it is considered rottenness to the bones. This terminology means it cuts to the core of who we are and corrupts us from within. It does not have anything to do with love, quite the opposite. It parades itself, it’s puffed up and James tells us every evil thing is there with it.

I believe the bible shows us the devastation that comes when kindness is left to travel to its vice. We become envy filled, self-seeking, puffed up, ego driven, fleshly people. As a believer, it is far from what is desirable.

Isaiah 54:10 "For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but My kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace be removed." Says the Lord, who has mercy on you.

The Lord who has abounding mercy says His kindness shall not depart from us. Not now, not tomorrow, not when we die, not ever! His kindness is everlastingly ours. With that truth, how can we not put forth the effort to show the same to others?

You Can Change the World

You have the capablity to change the world.

I'll say it again.

You have the capability to change the world.

We each have within us the same chance. We can be used greatly by God or not.

Maybe you are shaking your head right now and saying "not me." Maybe you believe you weren't designed for greatness. Maybe you think I have really lost my marbles making such a statement. Maybe I have, but I don't believe so.

You, like everyone else, have the capacity to acheive greatness in the kingdom of God. Your belief in this is the first step.

How dare I make such a statement?

I dare because when we believe that God can do great things through us, we take the first step to see amazing things by God. Notice I say "by God" When we yield to Him and are fully open to what ever He wants to do through us He can transform us. We, as a vessel of God are then open to be used greatly.

I believe God wants to use each of us for great things. It comes down to if we are willing. Are we willing to yield? Are we willing to put our own agenda aside? Are we willing to look like a fool or have people ridicule us? Are we willing to really believe?

It is when we step out on faith believing that God can do all things that He can use us for great things of the kingdom.

Our world needs help. Are you willing to be used greatly?

Isaiah 6:8 - Also I heard the voice of the Lord saying: "Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?" Then I said "Here I am, send me."