Can't Out Do God

So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. Hebrews 4:16 (NLT)

What does it mean to come boldly to the throne of God?  One of the things I think it means is that we shouldn't be afraid. Could it mean that if we are afraid we really don't know who God is or worse, that we don't trust what we know?

Here's what I know about God.

I can't out give him.
I can't out love him.
I can't out 'stay' him.
I can't forgive more than he does.
I can't out plan him.
I can't stop his plans for my life.
I can't out dream him.

What can I do?

I can and do make him smile.
I know you do too.

Why not be bold!? In 2018, be bold! Come to him and tell him your wildest dreams and follow his leading. It'll be a super exciting year if you do!
 

Blocking the Storm

The Lord is my strength and shield.
    I trust him with all my heart.
He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.
    I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.  Psalm 28:7 (NLT)

On Tuesday, we went to a funeral. The service was outside and it was cold.  I think the temperature was in the low 30s. The wind was blowing which made it even more frigid. My husband and I were talking to people and wandering around but as the service progressed, we ended up standing next to each other. He was on my right side. The wind was blowing from my left.

After a few seconds, he moved from my right side to my left side. He was trying to block the wind form hitting me directly. I could still feel the wind but the direct impact was gone.

Made me think of God. Sometimes, we go through really hard times. Times that make it feel like we are going to be blown over. It's during those times that God shows up to shield us. We still feel the wind and the storm but we aren't taking a direct hit. The magnitude of what's happening is being diverted by Him.

I am thankful for a husband who takes such good care of me. I am even more thankful for a God that helps me. My heart is filled with joy.

What I Really Need For Christmas

Though he was God,
    he did not think of equality with God
    as something to cling to.
Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
    he took the humble position of a slave
    and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,
    he humbled himself in obedience to God
    and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Philippians 2:6-8 (NLT)

He came as a baby. He was born in basically a barn; laying in a feed trough where animals drooled. You can't get much more base than that. Yet, he was God. He gave up living like God, he gave up being divine, so we could live. What a sacrifice. And knowing this, I still sometimes think I should have it better than I do. I sometimes act entitled. What is wrong with me?

Maybe this Christmas I need to pray for the humility of Christ.

Looking Back To See The Future

For the Mighty One is holy,
    and he has done great things for me.
He shows mercy from generation to generation
    to all who fear him.
His mighty arm has done tremendous things!
    He has scattered the proud and haughty ones.
He has brought down princes from their thrones
    and exalted the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
    and sent the rich away with empty hands.
He has helped his servant Israel
    and remembered to be merciful.
For he made this promise to our ancestors,
    to Abraham and his children forever.”  Luke 1:49-55 (NLT)

Mary had been told she was about to become an unmarried, pregnant woman in a culture of people who stoned women for such acts. Her life was turned upside down. It was the perfect definition of a "messy life." How did she handle it? She surrendered the plan to God and then she praised him. Instead of looking forward at what she couldn't fathom, she looked back at all the things God had done. She remembered where he showed up in the past and she trusted in that.

Got a messy life? Remember....remember that God was there in the past and he will be with you now. He hasn't gone anywhere. Have you?

Decisions Made A Long Time Ago

Still, it’s what God had in mind all along,
    to crush him with pain.
The plan was that he give himself as an offering for sin
    so that he’d see life come from it—life, life, and more life.
    And God’s plan will deeply prosper through him.
Out of that terrible travail of soul,
    he’ll see that it’s worth it and be glad he did it.
Through what he experienced, my righteous one, my servant,
    will make many “righteous ones,”
    as he himself carries the burden of their sins.
Therefore I’ll reward him extravagantly—
    the best of everything, the highest honors—
Because he looked death in the face and didn’t flinch,
    because he embraced the company of the lowest.
He took on his own shoulders the sin of the many,
    he took up the cause of all the black sheep. Isaiah 53:10-12 (MSG)

Jesus made the decision to face a non-people pleasing, struggle for your mission life. He made the decision to face death.....for us. That decision started with the choice to come here as a baby. The birth of Christ, which we celebrate at this time of year, was one of many decisions that he made to save us. And this is why we celebrate.

What Do You Want For Christmas?

What do you want me to do for you? Luke 18:41 (NLT)

What would you respond if Jesus asked you this question?  What do you want?

To me, this is a hard question to answer. I want a lot of things.  Even if you take out the material things, the healing for other people I know, the desire for my loved ones to be whole or to have the pain taken away or to have them know Jesus, even if you take out all of those things, I still get stuck.

Just say I focus only on me.  What do I personally want from Jesus? Even there the list is long. There are so many things......I guess then I wonder what really matters?

And then, another question. If I don't know what I want from Jesus, how will I ever know if I got it?

Maybe, we don't have to break it down to one answer. Maybe, it's about just wanting Jesus, the whole package and all that that brings to my life. The fullness and completeness of a relationship with him that looks different every day and accomplishes so much throughout a lifetime. Maybe it's about starting with the wonderment of a stable through the glory of a second coming and not trying to put it all in one box - one size fits all. One size doesn't fit all....and Jesus knows that.

So for now, for today, that is my answer.  I want Jesus. All of him and every wonderful, difficult, challenging, amazing, joyful, messy scenario that comes with loving him.

A Minute In It - How Well Do You See?

A minute in God's word will change your life. Take a minute to read the passage below. Then, ask yourself the questions at the bottom of the post. 

In John 9, Jesus healed a blind man on the Sabbath. The Pharisees got wind of it and started interegating the blind man and his family. They kept asking the same questions over and over trying to find out who did this. The people were afraid of the Pharisees so they gave generic answers trying to get out of the whole ordeal. The blind man just kept repeating the same story and finally the Pharisees threw him and his family out of the synagogue. Jesus heard about is and when and found the man. The rest of the story is below.

When Jesus heard what had happened, he found the man and asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” The man answered, “Who is he, sir? I want to believe in him.” “You have seen him,” Jesus said, “and he is speaking to you! Yes, Lord, I believe!” the man said. And he worshiped Jesus. Then Jesus told him, “I entered this world to render judgment—to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.” John 9:36-39 (NLT)

Are there things in your life that are sacred?
If Jesus showed up and performed a miracle that was contrary to what you thought was sacred, would you question if it was God?
How do you treat people that believe different things than you?
Is it possible that we are the ones who think we can see when in fact we are blind?

Praying With Attention Deficit

O Lord, you have examined my heart
    and know everything about me.
You know when I sit down or stand up.
    You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
You see me when I travel
    and when I rest at home.
    You know everything I do.
You know what I am going to say
    even before I say it, Lord. Psalm 139:1-4 (NLT)

"Dear Lord, Thank you for a new day. Speaking of a new day, how am I going to get it all done? And what am I going to wear to that meeting....especially since I have a pile of laundry that didn't get done this weekend because ....oh, this weekend. Maybe I shouldn't have said what I said to her. But did you hear what she said to me?"

Do your prayers ever feel like they wind around the bend with no particular focus? Mine do, especially if I am not journaling them. I start out with good intentions but get side-tracked  easily. This used to bother me. I would get frustrated when I realized that my mind had wandered off some place and I was not really focused.

Then, I thought Why not pray about all this stuff that has me so distracted? Why not talk to God about it?

Does God care about my pile of laundry? Well, maybe not specifically but he does care about what I was doing that caused it to still be sitting there. And he does care about the fact that it's really distracting me which is taking my focus off what he wants me to do.

As I started praying through my attention deficit, I realized that a lot of what distracts me are actually things I can pray about. When I pray about the interaction over the weekend, God brings to mind that maybe I wasn't seeing things the way he does. When I pray about what I am going to wear to a meeting, it becomes prayers about my day and who I will meet with, not the actually meeting itself. And from there, the people in my life flood into my mind and I lift them up. Sometimes. Every time I pray it's different because every day is different.

I used to try to pray so it made sense but I don't do that anymore. Now, I pray real. I let my brain and my heart (which God created) lead the way and I know that God is listening and he doesn't get distracted at all. After all, he knows what I am going to say even before I say it. He's just waiting for me to get to the points he needs to bring home to my heart. Good thing he's so patient.