All Things New

Today at church, my pastor talked about the perfection of God's timing. In Mark 5, Jesus delays on the way to see Jarius's very sick daughter. Jesus is "late", and the girl dies. However, Jesus gives Jarius way more than he bargains for and resurrects his daughter. Even though things didn't happen the way Jarius planned or on his schedule, I'm sure his faith was incredibly strengthened by seeing what Jesus did. Jesus was right on time; He knew exactly what He was doing.  We all know that 1000 years are as a day with Christ, and that His ways are not our ways. But we still very much struggle in trusting His timing. Why is that? It could be that we simply don't trust that God is good and will do what He says He will. It could be an issue of control or fear. Or it could be that we simply can't see God's greater purpose and bigger picture. So what do we do during those times that we can't see the bigger picture, when we don't know or can...

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its root by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds. Jeremiah 17:7-10 My heart is sick, and it is definitely deceitful. It elevates my pride or lowers my self-esteem. Many times, my emotions trick my head into believing a lie. Or often, my heart refuses to listen to reason. And even sometimes, my heart flip-flops back and forth between different things or chases things I know are harmful or that I really don't want. I certainly don't understand my heart; I don't understand why it lets my desires for other things outweigh my desires fo...

A few months ago, I wrote this when I was trying to understand how to trust God even when my plans were dissolving and my desires weren't being met. I wanted to understand why God was doing what He was doing, but was frustrated that He wasn't revealing that to me. I needed to see that He had something planned for my life and that He was the only person worth following. Although I'm growing in how to trust, it's still a long process. Even though I wrote this a while back, I found it in my journal and it's a big encouragement (and challenge) to me this week.  Between my desires and my plans, there is trust.   Trust in You. Trust that You have plans for me. Trust that Your ways are not my own. Trust that You are good. Trust that I am already loved.  My heart fails me. I work so hard to trust You. I work. Instead of letting You. I don't always understand. I don't always want to let go. I don't always see clearly.   But what does that matter?  You are...

My last post " Give Them Jesus " was a bit intense. I realize that I spent a lot of time telling about how not to respond to people. I did mention that Jesus is what people need, but I don't think I expounded enough on that truth! The reason we don't have to have all the answers or have the ability to "fix" someone is because Jesus has already done that. The song "Take Heart" by Hillsong has a line that says, " In death by love, the fallen world was overcome - He wears the scars of our freedom. " I absolutely love that line. We are free because of Christ's death! He has overcome all of our failures, fears, insecurities, and sins. That is why we need to give people Jesus. We need to understand that even though we are incapable of fixing a person or giving them what they need, Jesus has already died for them and has made things right. And sure, it's great to encourage someone, pray with them, and even give them Spirit-led advice. ...

We all know those people that are good at holding it all together.  Life seems to go well for them. Sure, they may be a little stressed now and then, but they've got it all pretty much figured out. They are living the best they can and making out pretty well. Even when things go wrong, they are skilled at putting it back together. They are fixers.  So what happens when that person begins to crack? When they admit, "Look, life is hard, and I'm struggling"? When they begin to let out what's really in their hearts?  How do we respond to situations like this? I know that I've been guilty of being quick to offer up a time when I dealt with something similar in my own life. "Look, I know exactly what you're going through. I've been there, and this is how it all happened..." Another response is to say, "Look, I've got just as much going on in my life as you, probably more. I'm still holding it together. You should do the sam...

While driving in my car today, God spoke deep into my heart about contentment.  I was listening to a podcast sermon by David Platt (imagine God speaking through that  guy). The point David was making was about being single vs. being in a relationship. He challenged my idea of thinking by stating that singleness and  marriage are both gifts from God . I think many of us have viewed marriage as a gift and singleness as the absence of the gift. That couldn't be more wrong. It is easy for us to understand marriage as a gift, but singleness is proven valuable many times in the New Testament, especially in 1 Corinthians 7.  David Platt continued to challenge me when he said the issue is more than deciding whether we have been given the gift of marriage or singleness; it is whether or not we are content in God.  For me, this applies to more than relationships. I think many of us are torn between two things, even if both options are great: singleness or relatio...

But He said to me,  " My grace is sufficient for you, for   my power is made perfect in weakness. "  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then,   I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 This verse came alive to me today, very unexpectedly. I was studying for MT when I came across this verse. I've read this passage many times, and even quoted it. But today, it just clicked.  Earlier in the chapter, Paul is talking about "a thorn in the flesh" and a "messenger of Satan to harass me". He pleaded with the Lord multiple times to take it from him, but God responds by telling Paul that His grace is sufficient and that in Paul's weakness, He is actually powerful.  This really hit home for me. Recently, I have had my own "thorn in the flesh". I hav...