What God Has Been Teaching Me Lately II…
Greetings My Friends~
As a humble pilgrim following Jesus through the rainforests and deserts of this earthly life, I would like to humbly share some of what God has been bubbling up in my mind/heart lately.
I pray that these thoughts are cushions in your shoes, balm to your burns, umbrellas for the rain, and shade to the scorching heat as you too follow the Lord Jesus each day.
SoulSpartan
(please click on the Bible passages below to read the full text)
(April 1st–May 30th, 2012)
Prayer
God wants us to pray and then start preparing for Him to answer that prayer before He answers it, e.g. Ask for rain and then carry an umbrella.
Philemon 1:22 NIV
Sometimes our desire for immediate answers to our prayers is as ridiculous as a farmer’s prayer for an April harvest. Even though we can’t see it, God is at work behind the scenes like seeds under the soil preparing to sprout, grow & bloom…
Impact/Legacy
Powerboats leave wakes—waves that affect other boats. As u navigate the waters of life each day, what kind of wakes are you leaving behind? Ones that lift others up or ones that push them down?
Stillness/Quietness Before God
The sound of the wind through leafy trees is God saying, “Ssssssshhhhhhh. Listen. I have some things to say to you…”
Perseverance/Endurance In Suffering
A stick, broken in two with the halves put side by side, is much more difficult to break again. Perhaps God is breaking you in half right now to make you stronger. Stick with Jesus…
His name is The Ancient of Days…& He will be carrying us all day today, handling all of our problems & causing all of our victories! Let’s trust in Him and rest in Him!
God will bring good out of our suffering if we keep trusting Him each day!
Song: “Rise” by Shawn McDonald
“Everything happens for a reason” is true—God is working everything out & moving it toward His “reason,” just as cowboys herd cattle toward the ranch…
But then why does God allow us to feel pain? Because the pain of God NOT doing the surgery on our character would be even worse than the pain of the surgery…
Why then do we need surgery? B/c we’re born w/spiritual broken bones (original sin) that have started to heal crooked. God has to re-break our spiritual bones to re-set them to heal properly. This all causes immense pain in the short run but great relief in the long run. God ALWAYS values the long run over the short run…
Regarding knowing God’s plan in our suffering: Our job is not to understand what the surgeon is doing; our job is to stay on the operating table.
Integrity/How You Play The Game
My dad taught me how to play golf. Doesn’t seem like much if you look at my scores. Yet more than how to hit, he taught me how to play. He taught me to count every stroke, to call penalties on myself (not wait for others to catch me), to leave bad shots in the past & to never quit.
Preaching/Teaching the Bible
All I want to do every moment of the day is teach from God’s Word…and this not from me because on my own I would simply pursue my own desires…what a deep/powerful thirst…
Justification and Sanctification
I am SO a work in progress: last night I got very angry at God b/c I was about to use all my letters in Scrabble to spell REQUESTS but my anonymous online opponent blocked me. Thank You for forgiving me, Jesus…
Grumpy jerk to my family on Friday, spilling over a little into Saturday. Thankfully both God and my family are forgiving!
Music
Music is the wave that God rides onto the shores of our hearts.
New Life
Let God open you up and re-format the image of your soul from a TIFF (Totally Inwardly Foremost Focused) to a JPEG (Jesus Praise Everywhere God). J
God doesn’t love us based on our character/virtue resume; He throws out our old list of past deeds and starts leading us in the creation of a new list (if we let Him), this time with His power and for the spread of His fame! Put your past in God’s shredder & start over w/Jesus TODAY!
God’s Goodness To Us
God shares. He offers, but does not force. He presents, displays, and advertises, but He doesn’t coerce. He dunks us for our good but does not drown us against our will. God gives…and gives…and gives…so we can become convinced that He is real, so we can become convinced that He is good, so we can become convinced that we need Him.
Community/Friendship
Jesus didn’t have a “Last Board Meeting” with his closest friends the night before He was crucified; He had a “Last Supper”—a meal. Friendship matters, doing life with friends consistently, intentionally, and deeply matters even more. Life: get in it.
God’s Forgiveness/Mercy/Grace
Does anyone ever still feel stress/pressure/guilt about a bill that you’ve already paid off?
Then why do we so often feel shame over sins that Jesus has already forgiven/paid for? Since we’ve humbly asked for His forgiveness and since He has graciously and willingly given it to us, let’s live in the center of His unconditional forgiveness today and everyday, and in the process invite others to do the same…
Living for Jesus
May the LORD work miracles thru us His people in our neighborhoods (& the surrounding communities as well!) as He worked through Moses in the Desert of Sinai nearly 4,000 years ago…Stand up and be counted, Jesus-people..
Love,
SoulSpartan