Psalm 77
"I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, and He will hear me. In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying..."
"Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be favorable? Has his steadfast love forever ceased? Are His promises at an end for all time?"
"I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old, I will ponder all your work, and meditate on Your mighty deeds."
"Your way O God is Holy."
"What God is great like our God?"
"You are the God who works wonders."
I write this to reinforce it into my mind. To remember the Almighty God I claim to follow. The things I turn over and over in my mind, in perspective of what God is doing in this planet, turn out to be really quite small. The frustrating question at stake...am I being used to my fullest potential for the Lord? Will I ever? Was my preparation in vain? O God forgive me, us, for making You too small in my eyes, or rather, for making myself too large for my life which "is not my own."
We have 1 thing to keep in tact, just 1 thing. 1 thing. Our relationship with Christ. [said many ways.] to "seek first His Kingdom", to "delight ourselves in Him" "to offer up ourselves as a living sacrifice" to "present yourself approved to God" ... God will direct and use our lives from this point. Why are we so petty to think that He wont? Or too proud to think that He will use us the way we think we should be? Perhaps we, I, have skewed the goal.
My favorite D.L. Moody quote is : "The world has yet to see what God can do with and for and through and in and by the man who is fully and wholly consecrated to Him. I will try my utmost to be that man".
My job and goal is to be that [wo]man. I must trust God will use me as He sees fit beyond this commitment. "Commit your way to the Lord. Trust in Him, and He will act." (psalm 37) And what a privilege it is to serve the KING! I pray that I am considered worthy to serve Him, and that I keep that (serving Him) the undefiled goal.
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Well said, Carolyn. Loved the Moody quote - how strange that it seems such a chore to grow in the Lord when He has already set us a part, He's already made us holy, He's traded identities with us and paid the price for us, and we have everything we need to walk by faith (a gift He's provided us) and grow in Him. But we lose sight of that 1 thing - we get so caught up in the process that we forget the relationship! I think I'll spend some time this morning remembering the mighty deeds of the Lord, pondering them and perhaps it will put back into perspective who He is and who I am...
ReplyDeleteHi Carolyn,
ReplyDeleteSomehow missed this post last week and just read it today. It has helped me to focus my thoughts and purpose to do what I know is His will for me THIS day.....
to seek first His Kingdom, to delight myself in Him, to offer myself as a living sacrifice,to present myself approved to God.
I KNOW I am to be a helpmate to Paul. So if I do that with my whole heart then I am being used to my fullest potential for Him this day.
He has blessed us with children and has commanded we love them well and teach them diligently as we go about our day. I KNOW this is His will for me so if I do this with my whole heart then I am being used to my fullest potential for Him this day.
We are to be faithful in the little things and trust that He is using our lives for His glory in ways that are His alone not mine. This may be in ways that are obvious and tangible to me...or not...which is where the trust and faith come in I suppose.
I didn't mean to get so long here, sorry! You've just got me thinking out loud(or in print anyway) through what I want or am able to do for Him. If I am able to be a helpmate to Paul so that he feels supported and encouraged in a manner that easily frees him to support new pastors and care for a flock of believers both new and old that would be awesome. I can think of 5 ways off the top of my head that I could do that better than I am right now. Being able to love and teach my children His truths so that they are deeply rooted and prepared for whatever God may have for them is a gift and a burden and one of my greatest desires. Again, I can think of many ways, with His help, that I could do this..what I KNOW to be His will for me...better.
Today I'm thinking I should stop wondering over how He might use me and focus on how I know He has called me...and trust Him for the rest..
I'm so bad sometimes with consistency in the little things...If I could stand before Him and hear Him say, "Well done my good and faithful servant." as He looks over how I served my husband and children...well, my heart fairly bursts just thinking about it!
I think I'll go focus on what I KNOW He has called me to do.
Thanks for helping me to prioritize today Carolyn!
Beth
A quick P.S.
ReplyDeleteBefore all I've written about above comes knowing Him more..seeking His face...finding my delight in Him.