Before You Were Born, He Knew You

You are moving forward. You cannot examine yourself as you are in the process of change and renewal, but God sees your heart. He knows you and is with you. Trust Him when He says you are on right on His schedule, the one He planned especially for you long before you were born. Do not be afraid.

 …he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus
--Philippians 1:6

Resurrection Life

Focus upon resurrection life day by day, and do not dwell in a grief-stricken way upon the pathos of a man born to die for the sins of the world. The Cross stands at the center of eternity as a symbol of Christ's passion to obey His Heavenly Father, but it is the fruit Christ brought forth on that Cross that gives hope to your heart. Jesus has been resurrected as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Do not weep for the man who died. You did not know him as a human being. He does not mean you to bear the grief the disciples bore, or to focus upon human grief. The crucifixion occurred in one moment in time, but for all of eternity the Resurrection resounds with His victory song. Do you not hear it? This is cause for rejoicing, not for tears.

Remember Good Friday one day a year, and honor it as the pivotal Holy event on the time line of mankind; but take the Resurrection with you every day into eternity.

Liberated to New Life

You are in a depressed frame of mind because you have understood that things that are seen will pass away. Instead of dwelling on the fact that you are living on a planet that has been condemned to death, think of it in this way instead; you are living on a planet that will be liberated to new life. Set your affections on those things that are eternal, and you will not be disappointed.

You have made a twofold error. On the one hand, you suffer an unholy grief that comes from a sinful focus upon and affection for the things on this world. On the other, having understood that what is seen is temporary, you neglect your responsibilities out of a “what’s the use, none of this is going to last” attitude. The solution is to understand that this world is a training ground for the next. The patience and discipline required to clean a drawer or deny yourself food for the sake of obedience and prayer will bear fruit in the next world, not in the form of clean closets or a slender body, but in the virtues of patience and obedience. By submitting your will to the Lord's, you learn of Him. This knowledge will bless you both in this world and in the next. The world would deitize the results of labor spent to beautify or organize. God honors the labor itself, blesses you with the fruits of that labor, and teaches you to value the virtues you’ve gained rather than the material objects that you have organized. However, so long as He is the treasure of your heart, He does bless you with material gifts; a man is not jealous of the diamond ring he gives to his beloved unless he knows she values the ring over him. Likewise, the Lord your God will withhold no good thing in this world or the next from those whose hearts are set on the obedience that springs from love for Him.

Scripture: "For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless" (Psalm 84:11).

While We Were Yet Sinners...

You fear losing the privilege of God's presence, but His presence with you is not a privilege, it is a gift.

You fear the Lord will turn His back because of your sin and faithlessness. He will not turn away. His son died that you may experience the light of His presence.

You are nothing the most Holy God might be expected to desire, and yet, He does desire you; not by your merit, but for His own name's sake. It is because of who He is that you are accepted, and so when you are aware that you’ve sinned you do not need to fear rejection. You need only appropriate His presence through grace. God forgives. That He is able to forgive is not because of you, but because of Jesus Christ.

Rest, now, rest.


"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).

Have You Forgotten?

Dear One. Child. Have you forgotten? How easily you forget that the Lord is your sustenance and strength.

Do not relegate the privilege of hearing His voice into a closed room, labeled, “To be opened when I am obedient.”

Look to Your Heart

Disorganization in the form of a messy office or a cluttered bedroom does not equate with disorganization in the spiritual life. Do not judge yourself by outward signs, but by your inward commitment to obedience, praise, worship, prayer and intercession for the saints. In other words, look first to the state of your heart, and address the state of your kitchen cupboards only when the heart has been correctly aligned with Jesus. Remember that Mary was rewarded and Martha chastised. Quit condemning yourself for things over which the Lord does not chastise you. Disorganization is not a sin. Do not disengage from pure focus on Jesus in order to be more organized. Do not let go the spiritual in order to chase after outward signs of material control. The Lord's foolish children always want to attempt to control the outer environment, perpetuating the faulty belief that the outer life accurately mirrors the inward state. The desire to impress other human beings does not spring from a pure heart.

Listen

Listening to the Lord is not a task that can be completed. The Lord is never done speaking. Do not finish with listening.

Scripture: "Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!" (Mark 9:7).

Humility

Humility is the ability to take a blow without retaliating. Always bring your hurt heart to the Lord first. In the rare instances when you need to speak immediately, the Holy Spirit will be your defense.

God's purposes will be fulfilled with or without your help. He is the Lord! No weapon forged against you will prevail, but if you lift your hand against a fellow Christian you will not prevail. Disputes between Christians are unique; you are not to take up arms against one another. It is a travesty to God's Name for His children to cause one another harm.

Do not be surprised when God does His greatest works through events, circumstances, and people who do not appear to be perfect. It is in imperfection that the Lord's perfection shines brightest.


Scripture: "When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly" (1 Peter 2:23).

The Lens of His Love

You become stubborn when you are hurt. This is the way you attempt to protect the injury, with this wall of stubborn clinging to the “facts of the situation.” Pray to be able to release the facts to to the Lord. The prospect of releasing one's perspective into God's hands is alarming; when you’ve been with Him any time at all you begin to realize that facts are fluid and that He is the only Truth. The dawning recognition that His ways are not yours and His thoughts are above yours can make release more difficult until you look upon the light of His face, perceive something of His power, and know of His love (see Isaiah 55:8, Psalm 44:3). The combination of love and power is calming, “Oh, He loves me perfectly and cares about my heart!” And, “He is powerful to control my circumstances.”

Pray to be able to take your eyes off the “facts” and place them upon the Lord; pray to be enabled to lift your eyes to Him. You know the Lord and you have thrilled to His love; now choose to view this situation through the lens of His love for you.

Scripture: "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus..." (Hebrews 12:2).