It’s Your Story; Share It

No difficulties in your case can baffle him, no dwarfing of your growth in years that are past, no apparent dryness of your inward springs of life, no crookedness or deformity in any of your past development, can in the least mar the perfect work that he will accomplish, if you will only put yourselves absolutely into his hands and let him have his own way with you.  Hannah Whitall Smith

God created each of us as a unique individual.  We are all one of a kind.  I was thinking today about what I should do with my “one of a kind-ness”.  Since God created me as the only one of me; how should I best use the gifts and talents he gave me to affect change in a fallen world?

One of the first things we need to do is to figure out what our story is.  What is our history or in other words what has made us into the person we are today?  The other thing to remember is that it is never too late to start.  Too many times I think we forget that God knows we are sinners.  It’s not a newsflash to Him.  Some of the most traumatic circumstances in our life through sin can make us the very thing God created us to be.  The second thing is some of the traumatic occurrences in our lifetime can be caused not by sin, but by our living in a fallen world.  When Adam and Eve failed; we became victims of that failure.  If I were dissecting my life and trying to figure out how to glorify God with it; what would I look at to get a good picture of where God wants me to go?

My story is mine alone.  There is not another individual on this planet who has the same one.  Someone else may have been through a similar experience but no one else experienced it exactly like you or I did.  That is what being unique means.

So you look back over your life and identify the most life changing experiences in it.  What if someone asked you to pick the top 3 most life changing experiences in your life?  What would your top three be?  My first would be cancer.  There is nothing like a traumatic event to change your perspective and get your attention.  My second would be when I was baptized again.  That was the moment I realized for the first time how much God truly loved me.  My third would be my childhood.  This one is kind of a broad statement of an experience or really multiple ones, but it is the one that shaped me into the person I am today. 

For five or so years I have been writing a devotional telling you about my life experiences and writing about how they shape my life.  You have a story to tell as well.  You have experiences just like I do that affect who you are today and they can also affect who you can become.  You are a child of God who loves you.  Take your history, whatever it is, and own it.  Then take that story and use it for God’s glory.  Treasure awaits those who use their story for His glory.  Take the broken pieces of you and turn them into good.  God is waiting to hear you tell your story to someone else.  Write it and live it.     

   

Prayer for the Day: I am a unique child of God.  You created me in Your likeness.  Every person has a story to tell.  We have all sinned and fall short of your glory, but you redeem us when we turn back to You.  I praise You for turning my sin into something good.  Thank you for giving me the words to say that may change another person’s life.  I am blessed beyond measure.  You are the King of Glory and I praise Your Holy Name.     

      

Scripture: Glory to God for His Grace

And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.  And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.  Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.  1 Timothy 1:12-17

Giving Up

Either we are adrift in chaos or we are individuals, created, loved, upheld and placed purposefully, exactly where we are. Can you believe that? Can you trust God for that? Elisabeth Elliot

In life we are all going to face disappointments.  We will pursue a job and not get it, chase after a dream and lose it or be healthy our whole life and then be brought down by a terminal illness. How we handle the disappointments in life makes a difference in how we end the race of life. What happens in us makes a difference in our character and who we will become as a Christian.   

What do you do when bad things happen to you?  Do you stop paddling and just let the current take you wherever it wills?  Do you get rid of the very things you need to survive the disappointment? Do you give up? 

Too many times I think we do all three.  When something happens in your life whether it be disappointments or tragedies we often just stop doing anything.  Years ago when I was in college we would go canoeing.  We would get into pairs in a canoe with two oars.  There was always a current in the river, so there was a reason the canoe came with oars.  If you just jumped in and let the water take you wherever it wanted, you would end up in the trees along the bank.  The oars were there so you could guide the canoe where you wanted it to go.  Your life is no different.  Coasting through life is not where character is built.  The turbulent waters of life are where we become the strongest. (Acts 27:15 So when the ship was caught, and could not head into the wind, we let her drive.)  Don’t let your ship drive.

The next thing we do is we dump things overboard.  (Acts 27:18-19 And because we were exceedingly tempest-tossed, the next day they lightened the ship. On the third day we threw the ship’s tackle overboard with our own hands.)  We get rid of the very things we need most to survive.  When I went through cancer there were many I met who were angry about their cancer.  There were others still who blamed God, their family, or their occupation for their illness.  What these individuals did was they distanced themselves from God and family.  Those are the very people you need the most when you are going through it.   

The third thing we do is we give up.  (Acts 27:20 Now when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest beat on us, all hope that we would be saved was finally given up.) The last thing we need is to give up in the midst of our storm.  Character is not built by giving up.  If you want spiritual strength, don’t give up.  When your life is at its darkest and you don’t give up, you find that you can move one more step forward; and then another and another. 

If we accept the fact that we live in a fallen world where disappointments will occur; it shouldn’t surprise us when they do.  God gives us the comfort, support and strength to persevere through our hardships.  The key is we must keep moving and not give up.

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, you are faithful.  When the hardships of life come my way I find that You are always there.  You guide me, love me and support me through the worst storms of life.  I am thankful for You and the blessings you have brought me through suffering.  I am a better person for it.       

      

Scripture: But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.  Philippians 4:10-13

A Reflection of Jesus

How do we bring glory to God? The Bible's short answer is: by growing more and more like Jesus Christ.  Sinclair B. Ferguson

Have you ever thought about how Jesus would see us?  I was thinking about how Jesus lived His life on earth for the short time He was here.  Jesus was the definition of empathy for others.  He loved and cared about God’s people.  That was His sole focus.  He loved the unlovely and those everyone else forgot. 

So, how do we go from the way we are in our sin to a reflection of Jesus?  Maybe the best place to start would be to put ourselves last.  Can you picture that?  It would mean being last in line, putting other’s feelings first above ours, treating others with kindness and humility, forgiving others even when they hurt us, being longsuffering when we don’t feel like it.  

Then there is the whole meek thing.  Too many times I think we are confused about the definition of meekness.  We think that meekness is synonymous with weakness and the world teaches us that we need to be strong in the presence of others.  Meekness is about our behavior toward others and using God’s strength instead of our own. Think about having God’s strength in our meekness. 

   

Biblical meekness is not weakness but rather refers to exercising God's strength under His control – i.e. demonstrating power without undue harshness. [The English term "meek" often lacks this blend – i.e. of gentleness (reserve) and strength.]

So if we look at meekness from a Godly perspective it is a combination of gentleness and strength.  If we are going to reflect Jesus we will need to spend time working on us. 

What is Jesus seeing in you today?  Is it a reflection of who He is or is it a reflection of a messed up world?   

   

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I need to work on me.  I want the world to see a reflection of Jesus and the only way that will happen is for me to become more like Him.  The guidelines are all listed in the Manual.  My bad behavior won’t change overnight and will not be instant.  It will take perseverance, dedication and a sincere desire to be better in a fallen world so that other’s will see Jesus reflected in me.  Give me the strength to pursue these qualities daily.

      

Scripture: If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.  For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Colossians 3:1-4

Character of the New Man

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.  Colossians 3:12-17

Change Your Life, Change Your Name

There are two hundred and fifty-six names given in the Bible for the Lord Jesus Christ, and I suppose this was because He was infinitely beyond all that any one name could express.  Billy Sunday

One of the things I find interesting in the Bible is the fact that God often gave people new names.  You might start out as a Jacob (meaning supplanter; take the place of by unfair methods or treacherous means), remember Jacob stole Esau’s birthright, and then end up being called Israel (meaning having power with God).  Then there was Simon (meaning reed-like or grass-like) whose name was later changed to Peter (meaning rock). Abram’s (meaning exalted father) and was later changed to Abraham (meaning father of a multitude). 

I believe people in the Bible were given new names by God when they became more like what God called them to be.  There were times in the Bible when Jesus would call Peter by his old name Simon.  That might have been to remind Peter that he was starting to revert back to his old ways.  
      

In ancient times people were named after character traits.  So not only did you have a name so people would recognize you, but you also might exhibit the traits of the meaning of your name.  God often gave people new names to establish their new identity. 

In today’s society more time is spent on thinking up what kind of weird name you should name your child so they can be “unique” or different from everyone else.  Something that will make them stand out like Apple or North. 

In Revelation 2:17 we are told “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.’

It really doesn’t matter what our name is today.  What matters is the name we will receive one day from Jesus.  What name would you want written on the stone that is handed to you?  If a new name could be used to describe our character at this point in our life, would it be Jacob or Israel, Simon or Peter, Abram or Abraham. 

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I want to live up to the name You will give me one day.  My life must first be changed to reflect Jesus’ character.  I am afraid that if you came today, I would not come close to living up to that name.  I pray for your guidance and strength to make me into a better person for Your name’s sake.     

Scripture: He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.  Revelation 3:12