Worth The Effort?

Do you ever question the time and effort you put into things and people?  That's the devil knocking at your heart and conscience, saying 'it's not worth it'.  Life, along with its joys and highlights, also contains difficulties. Frustrations occur, illnesses come, and our health fails with time. Our bodies feel the signs that life on earth is not perfect and that we are not meant to be in this body for eternity.  Psalm 73:26  "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."  God encourages us to love, interact with and fellowship with our fellow man.  

"In Psalm 73, the psalmist Asaph laments the unfairness he sees in the wicked prospering, seeming to have no struggles, and being free of care. Asaph’s heart failed within him as he couldn’t understand God’s ways. Many today also become frustrated at God for allowing good things to happen to bad people. But they must, like the psalmist, realize that their perspective is off. When Asaph “entered the sanctuary of God; then [he] understood their final destiny”. While some people appear to prosper without God, there are consequences for the wicked: eternal life in hell and earthly costs, too. Having an eternal perspective gives us hope even when “my heart may fail” in disappointment or frustration."  [gotquestions.org]

"Our flesh will fail; each of us will have to face death. Yet the believer has hope for eternity. Christian hope is rooted in the salvation and eternal life available through Christ. This hope does not disappoint because nothing can take our salvation and hope away, regardless of life’s circumstances." [gotquestions.org] 

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

Romans 5:5 "And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us."

As for myself, I can get easily discouraged by people.  I can understand how non-believers see those who claim to be Christians as hypocrites.  Many people's talk and walk don't match up.  I support some in their talents, but yet I often get a snub in normal life.  I'm so thankful that my hope is founded in Jesus and not in people or this life here on Earth.  Wicked ways touch all of us, but we must choose to love anyway.  The devil seeks to divide and destroy our relationships, but with the love, like Jesus' in our lives, we can overcome.  My favorite  verse of encouragement...

2 Corinthians 4:16-18,  "So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."

---

Who Am I?

Have you ever struggled with your identity?  Do you define yourself by your job, your school, your role in your house, or how?  Sometimes when we lose our role or job, we wrestle with who we are.  Our identity must be grounded in Jesus and following Him.

"When I encounter the great I Am, that's when I discover who I am."  [M. Fry]

Just like Moses struggled with his identity, when God sent him to speak to the Israelites, then Moses found his purpose.  

Exodus 3:9-14 "And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them.  So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”  And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you[b] will worship God on this mountain.”  Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them? God said to Moses, “I am who I am.[c] This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you."

Often we try to fill the void in our lives with the things of this world, but true satisfication comes from God alone.  "God can give you peace and purpose as you have a fresh encounter with the great I Am."  [M. Fry]

Ephesians 3:20-21  "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

God not only gives enough, but He gives more than enough.  We need to worship and praise God first for who He is and not just for what He can give.  God is more than a Provider, He is our Sustainer. 

Colossians 1:16 "For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him."

As for myself,  I have been stripped of most of my titles that I have held in this world.  That's ok, because no one can take away or come between the love that Jesus has for me.  His plan and purpose for me will never fail.  In that, I rejoice…Amen!

---

Can't Take That

My heart has been heavy for the citizens of Ukraine lately.  I can somewhat relate to them having to give up their possessions, but not how quickly and forcefully as they have had to.  Have you ever thought about what you might lose here in your earthly days?  It might be a loved one, your muscle strength, your prized possessions, your mental health, or your defining job.  Whatever you value as important in this life can be taken away in an instant with no fault of your own.

We must remember, as Christians, we are God's child first.  John 15:16, "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit."  You are his child forever.  You were his voluntary choice with an important purpose in mind.

2  Corinthians 5:1-6, "For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling,  because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.  Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord.''

"Don't get sucked into short-term thinking.  Your struggles will not last forever, but you will."  {You'll Get Through This, M. Lucado]

2 Timothy 2:11-13" Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself."

There is nothing on this earth that can separate us from God's love.  He  has called us for His purposes and blesses us with His gifts. These cannot be taken from us.  Romans  11:29, "for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable."  Our salvation is guaranteed.  

2 Timothy 2:12 "If we endure, we will also reign with Him."  Isn't that a motivating promise?  This life is a vapor in the wind, but eternity is everlasting.  Hang on, my friends.

From a friend..." If you are not a Christian, then your life here on earth, whatever the best that happens to you, will be the best you will ever get. So this life is as good as it gets. But….if you are a believer, what happens here is the worse it will ever get for you. So for the believer this is as bad as it gets. For the unbeliever, this is as close to heaven as they get. For believers it’s as close to hell as we get."

As for myself, the struggle is real right now. Satan tries to shift my focus off of my blessings. The battle is in God's hands. My impatience will be overcome, because I know God has a plan to provide for all of my needs. He's providing now, in His way not mine. I am thankful and know His ways are higher.

---

Strength Comes From the Lord

Where does your strength come from?  Strength is mentioned over 360 times in the Bible, regarding both natural and supernatural strength.  Believers have the unlimited power of Christ as the source of their strength.  Jeremiah 9:23-24  "Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”

"The Bible places an emphasis on God’s strength in our salvation. Man can in no way save himself. Only God can save. Paul makes this abundantly clear: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9). These two verses are the most forceful summary of the dynamics of salvation found anywhere in the Bible. They help us to understand the contrast between man’s total helplessness and God’s insuperable strength. “God alone . has the power to save or to destroy” (James 4:12, NLT)." [gotquestions.org]

Surrender is related to our amount of strength.  Total submission to the Lord enables us to stand against the deceptions of Satan. We must align ourselves with the Lord thru submission to His will and works.  James 4:7 says  "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

God's children are strengthened by:

1. His grace...Hebrews 13:9, "Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them."

2. Our time spent in prayer...Ephesians 6:18, "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people."

3. The promise that God will reward our efforts....Galatians 6:9, "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

As for myself, my physical strength gradually vanished right before my own eyes.  Out of my control, but always in God's allowance and control.  God gives me strength to endure the long stretches of without, the perseverance to keep serving without an expectation of something in return, and the maintaining of peace in my heart that everything is working for my good. I pray for strength now in the battle that is Yours Lord.  "I am strong because I've been weak, I am fearless because I've been afraid, and I am wise because I've been foolish."

---

Letting Go

When you are made aware of a train track, you know a train is coming but you aren't exactly sure of when. That is how I have felt about my disease my whole life. There would be a time where I didn't give up, but things would be more out of my control. Really, God's always been in control! He just gave me strength for a limited time and a little less than others. I now have more time to focus on His will for me, rather than my own.

This blog is really about accepting God's will for you and not resisting hard against what you've been chosen for.

As TobyMac sings about 'The Promised Land'...

"I won’t give up on this race

Broken but I still have faith

That this old life is all part of a plan

And I can feel it in my soul, one day I’ll stand before the throne

With nothing left but hope in these 2 hands"

Some people might say 'let go and let God' but the Bible contradicts that laid back kind of thinking. The Christian life is a spiritual battle which the Bible exhorts us to prepare for and wage diligently. Letting go, in the sense of sitting back and watching events unfold is not biblical.

2 Timothy 2:3, "Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus."

1 Timothy 6:12, " Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

We must understand that whatever it is that we do, it is by the power of God and not of ourselves. John 15:5 says "that apart from Me you can do nothing." The truth is that working at “letting go” is just as much as an effort-filled work as anything else we try to do for God and not nearly as easy to do as some things. [gotquestions.org]

"Suffering in its simplest form comes in the space between what we thought would be and what is. Life defines us, but suffering redfines us. Ultimately, hope refines us, transforming us from within in ways we could never imagine. We can gain precious wisdom and deeper appreciation for the iives we've ben given as we learn to suffer well--not as victims, but as overcomers.

Some of us have physical wheelchairs, but we all have invisible wheelchairs inside us. None of us can do life by ourselves. We need God, and we need each other." [Suffer Strong]

As for myself, I'm meant to be here now as an example, rather than as a doer. That doesn't mean I do nothing, I just do thru the help of others. I was chosen to suffer in this life, but God has promised crowns of great reward in my near future. I trust the next chapter of my life, because I know the author.

---