what I learned today

I started my day off praying and meditating specifically asking the Lord to reveal how He wants me to use my life for Him today. 


As I ended that prayer I knew all He is asking today is for me to walk with Him in obedience - if I truly do that I can be used for exactly what He intends.

I was reading a John Piper story this morning about how he grew up watching his father evangelize.  And out of all the horrible stories of young people losing their lives, tales of people coming to know the Lord on their sickbeds and on and on - the one story that broke his heart as a young man the most was this one.  This old gentleman had been prayed for - for decades, and in his final years came to know the Lord.  This is what he remembered the gentleman saying to his father... I've wasted it - my entire life, wasted..."  Here's the quote from John's book.

“In those early years God awakened in me a fear and a passion not to waste my life. The thought of coming to my old age and saying through tears, “I’ve wasted it! I’ve wasted it!” was a fearful and horrible thought to me”

I assume many of you are like me, and perhaps because we're Americans it's difficult for us to believe that simple obedience and a pure life may be perhaps all God is asking us in order for us to be in his will.  We see so many glamorous things on TV and all around us that look so important and perfect that it becomes the 'normal' or the goal in our minds.   I believe it's satan's most perfect deceit - taking our contentment and confidence away and convincing us we are inaffective or not good enough.  Lies!   We were CREATED by the creator of the universe - how can we forget that?  Please believe it with me!

I just wanted to encourage you all today, no matter how UN-glamorous your day seems - if you are living for Him - it's exactly where He wants to use you today.  Pay attention and keep your minds pure before Him and watch the opportunities that He brings!

Here we go!

second-hander

This morning as I am preparing for my day with the Lord - I looked back over a section of Piper's book and found this note I had written.   Don't EVER be a second-hander!

They don't live for the joy and satisfaction of achievement and obedience to the Lord - they live with one eye on their action or work, and one eye on their audience.

Our audience can be anyone.  Our boss, our co-workers, the congregation if we are a worship leader or teacher/preacher, our spouse, our kids...you get the idea.

No lasting joy can ever be found in this kind of existence.

A second-hander is someone with a lack of true confidence in the Lord, in their calling - trying to compensate for their deficiencies by looking for compliments.

I KNOW without a shadow of doubt, there have been seasons in my life that I could be classified as a second-hander, but my prayer for this work day is that I'll stand strong in the Lord.   Work with a God-given confidence that allows me to make decisions well and love those around me.

So I challenge each of you today - don't be a second-hander - no matter where God has placed you, at home, in the office, in whatever situation you find yourself as long as of course it's a place of obedience, be strong in Him.

what I learned today

This is actually still churning within me as a result of my study on vacation.  

There is so much - where to begin...

Growing up in the church, so many of the 'believers' I knew seemed sad - as if being a follower of Christ meant they had to be constantly serious and on task to obey every rule known to mankind.  They said they believed in eternal security and yet lived an outwardly terrified life as if their salvation might at anytime be revoked.  It didn't make sense to me as a kid.

What I'm beginning to discover is that what Christ desires for us, what we were created to be and what attracts the lost more than perhaps any other single thing - is when they see our Joy in Christ.

The old song "What the World needs now is love sweet love" really translates into a universal desire to be loved and cherished and what the worldly love never finds is lasting satisfaction which we know is found only through relationship with the creator of love.  And only through that relationship do we find true joy.  For when we have hope in Christ - we're sure in our eternal destination there is truly no room for paralyzing fear. or loneliness.  The world cannot make us sad unless our focus turns toward the world and the temporary stuff it offers us instead of keeping our eyes eternally focused.

Psalm 37:4
Delight yourself in the Lord

I'm sure this has no circumstantial boundary - no limitation of any kind that would justify a believer to ever be less than delighted with the Lord.

The Bible talks about how Paul was sorrowful yet always rejoicing and we know of many missionaries who have given all yet felt they never made a sacrifice.    How can this be?   Can this type of focused delight even happen in America where we all have too much?

John Piper's book  -  Desiring God has strengthened my resolve to find out how to live this way.

I have made the statement  - "He or she steals my joy",  about people I was struggling with.    I have to wonder if that deeply hurt my Savior!  It is a choice to allow my joy in Him to be stolen, no one can take it.   It is only when my relationship with Christ is as it should be that I can experience any lasting joy.

Piper says God is most glorified in me when I am most satisfied in Him...

Is it possible as an American to be satisfied - ever?  I've said it before and I still believe it may be true - perhaps America is the most deceived of all nations?  The nations where people are persecuted for their faith - there is no doubt who truly loves and knows Him and who does not.   Here - it's become kind of gray...if asked most people would probably still say they believe there is a God, but sadly their life, their lack of joy and constant striving for more says otherwise.

I'm beginning to believe that everything God created me to be, to accomplish, to strive for is contained in - Delighting In Him - so much so that everyone can see Him and not just all the stuff I accomplish.

Are you joyful?  Does the world wonder what you have that they don't?  Is there a peace deep within you that leaks out when everyone else seems to live in a state of stress and panic and deep dissatisfaction?

Let's all take a step toward an eternal Delight that no man, no event, no trial can ever extinguish!  Let's be filled with joy found only in our Savior!