Just like an athlete should never fear an opponent, we parents should not "fear" the influence the world will have on our children. When you fear your opponent in sports, you increase the likelihood that they will win. When you fear Satan and our sinful world, you are playing into their hands. Yes they should be respected, but not feared, because we have a God who is infinitely more mighty than they could ever hope to be. As parents, we must have confidence that He will guide and direct our children. Therefore, we must teach our kids to live in the world, but not be of it, and trust God all the while to guide and direct them and keep them safe and becoming more Christ-like each moment of their lives.
Praise you LORD for who You are!!
Wednesday 25 June 2014
Sunday 8 June 2014
Stop trying to figure it out....just trust His promises!
I know that all of God's promises are true, but I have a problem with trying to figure out why they are true. The answer to that question will always be "because He is God". I need to accept this and put my trust in Him and His promises, rather than an understanding of "why" it is true. God has never failed me or let me down. His promises have always been fulfilled in my life, and they will always continue to be. Therefore, I must stop trying to figure things out and simply trust Him. What a privilege to do so. And what a stress-reliever this is too. Trying to understand all the ways of the Creator is futile. Simply trusting Him brings incredible joy and peace. Thank you LORD!
Monday 2 June 2014
Total Surrender....I Haven't Been Even Close
A life that is truly surrendered will be one which reflects that of Jesus. He was the perfect example of surrender and humility. He was equal to God, yet He did not live His life to gain the recognition that should come with that. Rather, He lived as a servant. He humbly lived His life in total surrender to God and His purposes, and this meant living as a servant, not for His glory, but for the glory of God.
When you think about all the accolades that Jesus gave up it is incredible. He deserved to be absolutely worshiped 24/7 here on earth. And He did not simply give up these accolades. It is not like He simply hid in the background and went about life in that kind of humble way. Instead He displayed TRUE humility. Instead of seeking "Equality with God", He made Himself a servant. It is so important to get a clear picture of this. He was God, and was absolutely worthy of all praise and glory that comes with that, yet instead He chose to make Himself a servant of those who should have been worshiping Him. I MUST GET THIS!! If anyone who has ever existed deserved to take a break, take it easy and pursue their own glory, it would have been Jesus. A big reason why He did not seek any glory, but instead made Himself a servant was because He was providing the perfect model for us of how a Christian is EXPECTED to live their life.
I am humbled and embarrassed when I reflect on these truths. Jesus was 24/7 dedicated to His Father's will. He was 24/7 dedicated to serving others because this is what God called Him to. He did not even for a second live for Himself. Every single moment was for Jesus. If I compare this to my life, I am ashamed. I am a selfish, selfish person. I live for myself. I live looking for ways to please myself and serve myself. God has called me to follow the example of Jesus, and yet I fall so very short. I am not even close. I realize that I will never be close, but I am not even close, to what I could be.
I must begin following the example of Jesus. I must humble myself before Him and be surrendered to Him. I must stop being motivated by things that bring me alone happiness, and begin surrendering to Him completely so that I begin to be motivated by the desire to serve Him wholeheartedly. If I truly am imitating the life of Christ, I will be motivated to serve others. I will be motivated to look for ways that I can deny myself, and put my family well before myself. I will even be motivated by putting others well before myself because this is what Jesus did. If I am not imitating Christ, then I am wasting my life, because He provided the perfect model of what a perfect life looks like. I will never be even close, but I need to get a whole lot closer.
In my life I have been motivated by the things that I enjoy, by things that can bring me glory. I know that God has blessed me with things that I enjoy so that I can enjoy them, but I need to start enjoying them in the ways that He means for them to be enjoyed. My purpose for doing these things must be to glorify and honor Him. They must be to worship Him, and to bring Him alone glory, not myself. These are how God wants me to enjoy them. These are the best ways, the most pure ways, to enjoy anything. My glory is far to small a thing to live for. God and His glory is the only thing worth living for.
When you think about all the accolades that Jesus gave up it is incredible. He deserved to be absolutely worshiped 24/7 here on earth. And He did not simply give up these accolades. It is not like He simply hid in the background and went about life in that kind of humble way. Instead He displayed TRUE humility. Instead of seeking "Equality with God", He made Himself a servant. It is so important to get a clear picture of this. He was God, and was absolutely worthy of all praise and glory that comes with that, yet instead He chose to make Himself a servant of those who should have been worshiping Him. I MUST GET THIS!! If anyone who has ever existed deserved to take a break, take it easy and pursue their own glory, it would have been Jesus. A big reason why He did not seek any glory, but instead made Himself a servant was because He was providing the perfect model for us of how a Christian is EXPECTED to live their life.
I am humbled and embarrassed when I reflect on these truths. Jesus was 24/7 dedicated to His Father's will. He was 24/7 dedicated to serving others because this is what God called Him to. He did not even for a second live for Himself. Every single moment was for Jesus. If I compare this to my life, I am ashamed. I am a selfish, selfish person. I live for myself. I live looking for ways to please myself and serve myself. God has called me to follow the example of Jesus, and yet I fall so very short. I am not even close. I realize that I will never be close, but I am not even close, to what I could be.
I must begin following the example of Jesus. I must humble myself before Him and be surrendered to Him. I must stop being motivated by things that bring me alone happiness, and begin surrendering to Him completely so that I begin to be motivated by the desire to serve Him wholeheartedly. If I truly am imitating the life of Christ, I will be motivated to serve others. I will be motivated to look for ways that I can deny myself, and put my family well before myself. I will even be motivated by putting others well before myself because this is what Jesus did. If I am not imitating Christ, then I am wasting my life, because He provided the perfect model of what a perfect life looks like. I will never be even close, but I need to get a whole lot closer.
In my life I have been motivated by the things that I enjoy, by things that can bring me glory. I know that God has blessed me with things that I enjoy so that I can enjoy them, but I need to start enjoying them in the ways that He means for them to be enjoyed. My purpose for doing these things must be to glorify and honor Him. They must be to worship Him, and to bring Him alone glory, not myself. These are how God wants me to enjoy them. These are the best ways, the most pure ways, to enjoy anything. My glory is far to small a thing to live for. God and His glory is the only thing worth living for.
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