Tired of Winning?

But David said …, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep.  When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth.  When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it.  Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defiled the armies of the living God.  The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”  … Samuel 17:34-37 (NIV)

The historical account of David and Goliath is a classic underdog story.  David, a seemingly inexperienced young shepherd boy, fighting an experienced warrior, who is also a giant, named Goliath.  From a physical standpoint, who could have ever imaged that the shepherd boy would actually end up winning the flight?  He did though.  Despite discouraging and insults words and fearful threats from others, David placed all his trust in God and came out to be victorious in the end.

Although the underdog quality about David is inspiriting, something else caught my attention.  David encountered a lion and then a bear and now he must face a giant.  Some time ago, I fought a proverbial lion and a proverbial bear.  I thought, “Finally, I can rest”, but then a giant appeared.  I said to God, “I’m tired”.  Then God enlightened me as I read the above scripture.  Saying “I’m tired of fighting” is the same as saying, “I’m tired of winning”.  Wow!  David wasn't tired of winning, so he wasn't tired of fighting.

Today, let us remember nothing we go through is larger than God, and it is in God that we continuously have victory over everything we go through.  So let’s not get tired of doing what is good.  At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Galatians 6:9 (NLT).

Embrace Your Weaknesses

Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.  2 Corinthians 12:8-10 (NLT)

I was once told, “Never admit your weaknesses because other people would use them against you”.  I started practicing what I had been taught – until one day God revealed something to me.  Not admitting my weaknesses didn’t hide them from others nor did it prevent others from hurting me.  In fact, when we are unable to admit our weaknesses, it is not to protect us from others, but instead it is to protect us from ourselves.  Simply put – it’s a pride thing.  And God’s grace doesn’t work in our pride; it only works in our humility.  Paul said that he gladly admits his weaknesses, because in doing so it revealed his strength through God’s grace.

A friend of mine reminded me of a conversation we once had.  She was telling me about how she was sick of forgiving people, people who no one else would even consider forgiving.  Then God’s grace was revealed.  God used me to show her that what she had considered to be weak was really strong.  Who else but through God’s power, love, and kindness can any one of us forgive someone else – especially someone who doesn’t even deserve it?  I can only think that if it wasn’t but for the love of God who died for us when we were yet in sin, we would never be so strong to be able to forgive others.

Today, embrace your weaknesses, and in doing so – embrace God’s grace - what may seem to be weak, it actually strong.

Open My Eyes Lord

 

 

I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you. Ephesians 1:18

So many of us live in a world of rush and stress. How we need moments of worship in which we stop and focus our spiritual eyes on Jesus.  Scripture tells us to “seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face continually” (1 Chronicles 16:11 NASB).  “My eyes are continually toward the Lord”, said the psalmist, “for He will pluck my feet out of the net” (Psalm 25:15 NASB).

When we feel that snare of commitments, hurry, and busyness has trapped us, we can open the eyes of our hearts to Jesus.  As we do, the confusion clears.  We see that we need not do a hundred things or fifty things or even ten; we need do only one; obey Him, one small task at a time.  When we see it, we suddenly find the flower of peace blooming in the field of frustration.  We find the gentle flow of order springing up in the desert of chaos.

What happens when we are vulnerable enough to come to the Lord in prayer, seeking Him with open eyes? Exactly what gets transformed when we focus willing hearts on Him?  He changes our whole perspective.  He helps us discern between what we have and what we need.  He teaches us to focus our lives on one person, one moment, and one need at a time.  He gives us eyes to see the beauty and the value in each person with whom we spend time.  He lets us peel away the irritations in our lives and look at the hidden joy beneath them – the things for which we can be thankful.  In short, He lets us see life as the treasure that it is.

It is so easy to waste precious moments with the letdowns of life when just changing the direction of our glance to just looking to the Lord and giving Him our praise will bring our hearts to a whole new place.

 

Are You Totally Frustrated?

The Lord and his disciples were traveling along and came to a village.  When they got there, a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home.  She had a sister named Mary, who sat down in front of the Lord and was listening to what he said.  Martha was worried about all that had to be done.  Finally, she went to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn't it bother you that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself?  Tell her to come and help me!”  Luke 10:38-40 (CEV)

Have you ever been totally frustrated?  That is when everyone and everything gets on your last nerve?  I've been there.  And I come to realize that whenever I am totally frustrated, the issue is seldom with others, but rather the issue is actually me.  When irritation sets in, it is an indication that self has become my main focus and not God.  So we become frustrated when something doesn't go the way we want it to go, or someone doesn't act the way we want them to act.  Sometimes our frustration can be directed at God.  We know that God knows what we need – so why doesn't he just give it to us?  In other words – “God, why are you not acting the way we want you to act?”

In our scripture, Martha was totally frustrated.  She wanted to treat Jesus to a finger-licking-home-cooked meal.  But while she was running around, her sister, Mary, was relaxing with Jesus.  In her frustration, Martha went to Jesus to tell him what she wanted - her sister to help her.  Instead, Jesus told her that the source of her frustration wasn't her sister, but herself.  He went on to tell her that if she was more focused on God instead of herself and what she had to do, she wouldn't be so frustrated, but more like her Mary – relaxed.

Today, let us refocus on God.  Let us turn our frustration into faith by turning our focus from ourselves back to loving, thanking and praising God – understanding that God is still God.  God still has everything under control.  When we totally embrace that truth, we too can become relaxed.

An Undivided Heart

Give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.  Psalm 86:11 (NIV)

This psalm was written as a prayer by David.  When David asked the Lord to grant him an undivided heart, he knew what benefit he was requesting.  He was asking for the kind of heart and mind and personality that would reverence God's character and adhere to God's way of doing things.  It can become easy for us to do things our own way.  Sometimes we think "I got this" only to find out that we "dropped this" and have to turn to God any way. It is easy after one victory to automatically think that what worked in that situation will work in another.  That's why it is important to pray and ask God for direction.

God longs for us to be steady and secure in our thought lives, in our emotions, in our actions, and in our choices.  This way of thinking and living comes easier and more naturally for some of us than for others.  For this reason the Lord teaches us to seek Him and petition Him for "an undivided heart."  This is a prayer that He desires to answer in every life, and His answer to this petition in every life can change it.  We need to be taught God's way and His truth.  Our hearts need to be united to fear His name.  Not fearing in a controlling sense but fearing in a vein of reverence for who He is and what He has done and will continue to do in our life if we allow Him to.

An undivided heart is not a heart that turns this way and that, choosing one thing one minute and another thing the next.  A person with an undivided heart has a heart like God's, a heart that is righteous and balanced and whole and holy. God promises to mold and shape us into His image and give us the strength by the power of the Holy Spirit to exhibit His character in our every day life.  Pray today that God will either give you or strengthen you to have an undivided heart.

Let Go. Let God.

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.  Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:2 (NLT)

I was watching a TV show a few months ago.  In this particular episode, one of the characters explained to Snow White his reason for not letting go of his pain and anger.  He said, “I don’t want my pain erased.  As wretched as it is, I need my pain.  It makes me who I am.  It makes me Grumpy.”  This is funny as well as enlightening.   Grumpy is only grumpy because he refuse to let go of his pain and resulting anger.

Can you relate?  I can.  Sometimes we can get to a place where the pain is so great that all we know to be is wrapped up in our pain.  The good news, however, is that God’s will for us, which is good, pleasing and perfect, is far from our pain and any resulting anger.  When we allow God to change the way we think, we become a new person, where tragedy no longer defines us, and where our testimony reveals our true victory.

Today let go of any and every thing that is preventing you from being who God has called you to be.  Let God change the way you think - saturate your thoughts with His word - and inevitably you will be transformed into a new person.  Let go.  Let God.