I heard a very interesting quote the other day that kind of stuck with me and it fits the things God has been showing me about myself lately.
"Where you end is where God begins".
It's probably a clever play on lyrics of a song I know, but the quote is truth. The hard part is accepting it as truth. And thinking about it and looking back at times in my life and wondered where God was, I realized that I have been a very selfish person. Usually our lives are filled with what WE want, what WE desire, where WE want to go and what WE want to do. And there are times I have heard people say, "It was God's will" only to have it slap them in the face later on which was a pretty good indicator that it wasn't God's will for your life.
We don't have any concept today of waiting on that still, small voice. We want something, we want it right now. Could you imagine being like Abraham and having to wait on God's timing for a son? The man was already 99 years old! He would have to wait another 25 years before God gave him what he desired most in his life. Why? Probably because of the disobedience and the inability to wait for God to move.
What did Abraham do? We all know the story. He slept with his wife's handmaiden and while he got the son he always wanted, it wasn't very satisfying, was it? How many times in our lives do we try to remedy our every desire only to get some very unsatisfying results and all we had to do was wait.
There are so many verses in the bible that talk about dying to self, getting rid of that selfish ambition, decreasing so that He can increase. But we don't do that. And when we find ourselves in a mess, often times thinking it was God who moves us in that direction, we sit back at the tail end of it and wondered where in the world God was the whole time. I've done that before. And I can look back on my past and see the times that if I was a bit more patient, if I listened more intently, if I wasn't so driven by my own thoughts, wants, desires, hurts, pain, lust, greed, selfishness, then how much better would I be right now as a person?
God's strength IS made perfect in our weakness. Where you end is where God begins. When you decrease, He increases. That's such a hard lesson to learn. Satan does everything within his power to get you to react based upon your emotions and feelings, but your heart is deceitful above all things (Jer. 17:9).
I believe that we can go about our whole lives and say we're Christians, say we love God and go to church on Sunday, but never really hold God to any high regard. We can sing about Him, praise Him and do all kinds of good things, but really we trust ourselves more than we trust God. "I know God will get me through this" we say as a show, but on the inside we're so fully of worry and anxiety.
I know a lot of people who are so incredibly blessed, have the whole world in their hip pocket and they work to make everything go their way, living on gut reactions yet they are so full of worry and anxiety that they have no peace! How can you have everything and still be worried?
Maybe because Jesus told us blessed are the meek. Blessed are the poor in spirit. Blessed are those who mourn. Blessed are the peacemakers. Blessed are the merciful. Why? Because those people take themselves out of the equation! When you're meek, you're not being selfish. When you're poor in Spirit, you are seeking God. When you mourn, you look to the heavens for an answer. When you seek peace and are merciful to others, that shows that you trust God to take care of whatever is bothering you rather than taking vengeance or revenge upon yourself. You show forgiveness to others and make peace and don't let stupid, worldly garbage that doesn't really matter take over you.
The truth of the matter is, if you want more of God in your life, then you need to move over some. The more you move over, the more of God will be revealed. While God speaks with that still, small voice, if you're always screaming and being forceful, how will you ever hear God? If you're not reflecting the goodness, love, mercy and forgiveness of God, how are you the salt of the world or the light in a dark world? You may consider yourself a believer and go to church, but you're just as dark as everyone else. You don't really know God.
And that's what He told us in Matthew. Not everyone who says "Lord, Lord" shall enter the kingdom of heaven. There will be people who say they have done every manner of good work, but Jesus will say He never knew you. That's powerful stuff! If you never give God room to work in your life, how will you ever know Him??? How will He ever know you? How will the world know of God through you?
And that's the whole reason why you exist...for the world to know God through you. How can the world know God is loving and kind if you're not loving and kind? How can the world know that God is forgiving and merciful if you you don't give mercy and forgiveness? How can the world know anything about God if you don't reflect that light into the dark world??? Your actions, believe it or not, make an impact in everyone's life all around you.
This Sunday one of our youth leaders stood up and told his testimony of how his kids wanted to go to church and so he and his wife let them. It led to him and his wife also going to church to participate in the many church events. They got saved. It went further. His parents wanted to start going to church. Then his brothers and sisters! Now the whole family goes and the light of God keeps spreading and growing throughout his whole family!!
I can testify to this in my own life. When I got saved and started leading the young adult ministry, my friends started to get involved and they got saved. Then they got married and their wives got saved. Now we have couples bringing their kids up in the way of the Lord.
The law of God is that you cannot serve two masters. The bible specifically states you can't serve God and mammon, but that goes for anything in your life. You cannot serve yourself and God. Or your spouse and God. You can either serve God and let God work it all out or you try to work out the things that only God can fix and keep failing and wondering where God is in your life. I think you'll find out that He has been there the whole time.
You say: "It's Impossible". God says: "All things are possible" (Luke 18:27)
You say: "I'm too tired". God says: "I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28-30)
You say: "Nobody really loves me". God says: "I love you" (John 3:1-6 and John 3:34)
You say: "I can't go on". God says: "My grace is sufficient" (2nd Corinthians 12:9 and Psalms 91:15)
You say: "I can't figure things out". God says: "I will direct your steps" (Proverbs 3:5-6)
You say: "I can't do it". God says: "You can do all things" (Philippians 4:13)
You say: "It's not worth it". God says: "It will be worth it" (Romans 8:28)
You say: "I can't forgive myself". God says: "I forgive you" (1st John 1:9 and Romans 8:1)
You say: "I can't manage". God says: "I will supply all your needs" (Philippians 4:19)
You say: "I'm afraid". God says: "I have not given you a spirit of fear" (2nd Timothy 1:7)
You say: "I'm always worried and frustrated". God says: "Cast all your cares of ME" (1st Peter 5:7)
You say: "I'm not smart enough." God says: "I will give you wisdom" (1st Corinthians 1:30)
You say: "I feel alone". God says: "I will never leave you nor forsaken you" (Hebrews 13:4)
Is there anything in your life that the Creator of this universe can't give or deliver you from? Fall into Jesus and He will take care of you!!
"Where you end is where God begins".
It's probably a clever play on lyrics of a song I know, but the quote is truth. The hard part is accepting it as truth. And thinking about it and looking back at times in my life and wondered where God was, I realized that I have been a very selfish person. Usually our lives are filled with what WE want, what WE desire, where WE want to go and what WE want to do. And there are times I have heard people say, "It was God's will" only to have it slap them in the face later on which was a pretty good indicator that it wasn't God's will for your life.
We don't have any concept today of waiting on that still, small voice. We want something, we want it right now. Could you imagine being like Abraham and having to wait on God's timing for a son? The man was already 99 years old! He would have to wait another 25 years before God gave him what he desired most in his life. Why? Probably because of the disobedience and the inability to wait for God to move.
What did Abraham do? We all know the story. He slept with his wife's handmaiden and while he got the son he always wanted, it wasn't very satisfying, was it? How many times in our lives do we try to remedy our every desire only to get some very unsatisfying results and all we had to do was wait.
There are so many verses in the bible that talk about dying to self, getting rid of that selfish ambition, decreasing so that He can increase. But we don't do that. And when we find ourselves in a mess, often times thinking it was God who moves us in that direction, we sit back at the tail end of it and wondered where in the world God was the whole time. I've done that before. And I can look back on my past and see the times that if I was a bit more patient, if I listened more intently, if I wasn't so driven by my own thoughts, wants, desires, hurts, pain, lust, greed, selfishness, then how much better would I be right now as a person?
God's strength IS made perfect in our weakness. Where you end is where God begins. When you decrease, He increases. That's such a hard lesson to learn. Satan does everything within his power to get you to react based upon your emotions and feelings, but your heart is deceitful above all things (Jer. 17:9).
I believe that we can go about our whole lives and say we're Christians, say we love God and go to church on Sunday, but never really hold God to any high regard. We can sing about Him, praise Him and do all kinds of good things, but really we trust ourselves more than we trust God. "I know God will get me through this" we say as a show, but on the inside we're so fully of worry and anxiety.
I know a lot of people who are so incredibly blessed, have the whole world in their hip pocket and they work to make everything go their way, living on gut reactions yet they are so full of worry and anxiety that they have no peace! How can you have everything and still be worried?
Maybe because Jesus told us blessed are the meek. Blessed are the poor in spirit. Blessed are those who mourn. Blessed are the peacemakers. Blessed are the merciful. Why? Because those people take themselves out of the equation! When you're meek, you're not being selfish. When you're poor in Spirit, you are seeking God. When you mourn, you look to the heavens for an answer. When you seek peace and are merciful to others, that shows that you trust God to take care of whatever is bothering you rather than taking vengeance or revenge upon yourself. You show forgiveness to others and make peace and don't let stupid, worldly garbage that doesn't really matter take over you.
The truth of the matter is, if you want more of God in your life, then you need to move over some. The more you move over, the more of God will be revealed. While God speaks with that still, small voice, if you're always screaming and being forceful, how will you ever hear God? If you're not reflecting the goodness, love, mercy and forgiveness of God, how are you the salt of the world or the light in a dark world? You may consider yourself a believer and go to church, but you're just as dark as everyone else. You don't really know God.
And that's what He told us in Matthew. Not everyone who says "Lord, Lord" shall enter the kingdom of heaven. There will be people who say they have done every manner of good work, but Jesus will say He never knew you. That's powerful stuff! If you never give God room to work in your life, how will you ever know Him??? How will He ever know you? How will the world know of God through you?
And that's the whole reason why you exist...for the world to know God through you. How can the world know God is loving and kind if you're not loving and kind? How can the world know that God is forgiving and merciful if you you don't give mercy and forgiveness? How can the world know anything about God if you don't reflect that light into the dark world??? Your actions, believe it or not, make an impact in everyone's life all around you.
This Sunday one of our youth leaders stood up and told his testimony of how his kids wanted to go to church and so he and his wife let them. It led to him and his wife also going to church to participate in the many church events. They got saved. It went further. His parents wanted to start going to church. Then his brothers and sisters! Now the whole family goes and the light of God keeps spreading and growing throughout his whole family!!
I can testify to this in my own life. When I got saved and started leading the young adult ministry, my friends started to get involved and they got saved. Then they got married and their wives got saved. Now we have couples bringing their kids up in the way of the Lord.
The law of God is that you cannot serve two masters. The bible specifically states you can't serve God and mammon, but that goes for anything in your life. You cannot serve yourself and God. Or your spouse and God. You can either serve God and let God work it all out or you try to work out the things that only God can fix and keep failing and wondering where God is in your life. I think you'll find out that He has been there the whole time.
You say: "It's Impossible". God says: "All things are possible" (Luke 18:27)
You say: "I'm too tired". God says: "I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28-30)
You say: "Nobody really loves me". God says: "I love you" (John 3:1-6 and John 3:34)
You say: "I can't go on". God says: "My grace is sufficient" (2nd Corinthians 12:9 and Psalms 91:15)
You say: "I can't figure things out". God says: "I will direct your steps" (Proverbs 3:5-6)
You say: "I can't do it". God says: "You can do all things" (Philippians 4:13)
You say: "It's not worth it". God says: "It will be worth it" (Romans 8:28)
You say: "I can't forgive myself". God says: "I forgive you" (1st John 1:9 and Romans 8:1)
You say: "I can't manage". God says: "I will supply all your needs" (Philippians 4:19)
You say: "I'm afraid". God says: "I have not given you a spirit of fear" (2nd Timothy 1:7)
You say: "I'm always worried and frustrated". God says: "Cast all your cares of ME" (1st Peter 5:7)
You say: "I'm not smart enough." God says: "I will give you wisdom" (1st Corinthians 1:30)
You say: "I feel alone". God says: "I will never leave you nor forsaken you" (Hebrews 13:4)
Is there anything in your life that the Creator of this universe can't give or deliver you from? Fall into Jesus and He will take care of you!!
