Christian living – Oh Lord Help Us

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Surrender: Laying Ourselves at the Feet of Jesus Every Day

DevotionalsSeptember 4, 2019September 2, 2019

What does life look like in total surrender to Christ? We can learn from our fellow Believers and gain fresh perspectives on living all out for Jesus.

Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.”
Mark 8:34-35, NLT

Have you ever met someone and thought “I feel like I have known you for years?” Whenever I feel like this, I can’t help but think God orchestrated our paths to cross for a purpose.

Unexpected Friend

I recently started my own business selling toothpaste on Facebook. I have found it to be such a blessing. I have met some of the nicest people this way. When God opened this door I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I decided to take it step-by-step and see what might come of it. Little did I know that Bill would come along.

Bill and I shared mutual friends on Facebook but had never met before, in person. When Bill saw my post about the toothpaste, he decided to contact me and soon joined my team! I was excited to see what all God had in store for him.

As time went on, we would speak often about the business and how to make more sales. His genuine positivity was very contagious. He also had quite a sense of humor and would often make me laugh. Bill became a good friend very quickly.

But I felt like there was something in his life that was difficult for him to explain. Instead of asking him about it, I just waited for God to reveal what it was. Once I found out, I couldn’t help but cry.

Unexpected Testimony

Bill decided to tell me his testimony one rainy afternoon. He called me and told me, with complete vulnerability, that he is gay. He told me he isn’t accepted in the gay community, though, because of his beliefs both religiously and politically. He voiced how difficult it has been for him knowing he isn’t and wouldn’t be accepted.

The shocker came, though, when he announced to me that he was fully aware it was considered a sin and unjust in God’s sight. He explained that the Bible clearly states it is not okay to act on lustful thoughts and emotions. With his voice shaking and fighting back tears he said, “knowing this truth is why I do not participate in any of my gay feelings or thoughts. I choose to not dishonor my Father in this way.”

Bill’s Words…

My definition of surrender does not come from that of a dictionary, nor does it come from a person with an extensive vocabulary. My definition of surrender comes from that of personal experience. For me, surrender is the marriage of hope and faith.

It is a hope that God will take all of me, inclusive of the good and bad, and using it to bless someone. It is a hope knowing God will heal, knowing God will forgive, and knowing that God will use all of me for something. Surrender is having faith, through difficult and seemingly impossible times.

Surrender is giving all to God when there is nothing I can do, within myself. Surrender is knowing that God will, even when everything says it can’t be done. Surrender is knowing that people will see God’s love in me and not a homosexual when I walk into a church.

Surrender is giving all to God when there is nothing I can do, within myself. Surrender is knowing that God will, even when everything says it can’t be done. Click To Tweet

Unexpected Blessing

I sobbed listening to this sweet new friend of mine bare his soul to me over the phone. I felt the Spirit so much that I couldn’t hold back those tears even if I tried.

God showed me and blessed me with two things that day: 1) a new friend that I accept fully into my life and business without ANY hesitation and 2) what it means to fully surrender your life to God regardless of what the world seems to think. Bill’s discipline, self-control, positivity, faith, and friendship has taught me how to love God more, not judge others, and trust God’s purpose when certain people cross our paths.

So give yourselves humbly to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
James 4:7, TLB

Who has crossed your path lately? What blessing does God want you to have from that friendship? We will grow if we allow others in our lives to teach us. Bill is certainly someone I am thankful for crossing my path. His story strengthens my faith and prompts me to love God more than my own selfish desires. Not my will, but THY will be done. AMEN!

Priscilla Du Preez

Christian living, controversial, disagreement, fight, fighting, love, mercy, peace, Oh Lord Help Us, Christian, women, mentor, ministry

Fighting: How to Champion Godliness

DevotionalsSeptember 3, 2019September 2, 2019

Fighting godly battles requires us to exercise restraint in the midst of our passion. We must avoid sinning because we are impassioned for God’s will.

Disagreements

Polarized. When we read the news, scroll through social media posts, engage with our relatives — is there a better way to describe how the world seems? There is a “for or against” mentality regarding all hot button issues. The polarization trickles down into less public, more intimate disagreements. “We should agree to disagree” is a hollow statement, not meaning the sum of its parts so much as meaning. “We have to stop talking about this now if we are going to continue liking one another.”

I like to avoid fighting. I find no enjoyment in conflict. Anxiety muzzles me. Inwardly I am impassioned, but outwardly I resist the urge to bark or bite at an offending argument. I justify this through scripture that cautions us to be slow to speak, lest we present ourselves as fools.

Fighting on Behalf of God

Our faith, though, calls us to action on behalf of the Truth our God instilled in us. Why did He give us the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit if He empowered us only to sit on the sidelines quietly? No. We must learn to fight for people and the will of God while answering the call to be peacemakers.

I think a lot of the reason we get into unproductive, vitriol-fueled fighting is because we do not take time to control our impulses. We do not step aside from our emotion.

A man of wrath stirs up strife, and one given to anger causes much transgression.
Proverbs 29:22, ESV

While we are to advocate for that which is right and righteous, God does not call us to sow hatred or to transgress in His name. He asks us to point others toward Him and His kingdom in all that we do and say. When we stand our ground in our arguments, we should have a subconscious self-check going on as we navigate these debates.

-Do the words I speak, show I love God?

-Will the person I am speaking with know that I love them?

-Does the content of my message show mercy, peace, and love to others?

Our Words Matter

At no time does name-calling point others towards the loving-kindness of Jesus. On my way to work, I listen to a podcaster who is well regarded in the Christian community. I respect the message and wisdom he shares. Yet, he frequently calls people idiots.

He does it in a loving aside, or with an endearing chuckle. This lets people know “I’m not really being mean.” But do our choice of words not matter as much as our intent? Words of condemnation can wound. Applied with the proper intent and execution, however, they can restore and empower.

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
Ephesians 4:29, ESV

Understanding

This goes beyond using kind words and a gentle tone. If we are to build up, we have to understand the foundation of a person’s belief. We have to be in relationship with the person we are talking to. If their thinking is not in alignment with God, then we should be fighting God’s fight for their betterment, not our superiority. We have to seek understanding. Why does this person believe what they do? Where does their certainty lie?

Often in arguments, we look for the other person’s fallacies to come to light. We want that aha! moment. It feels good to catch someone in their utter wrongness and juxtapose it with our inherent rightness. But they came to their beliefs through their own life experiences; through a lens of perspective shaped by different upbringings and influences. We have to understand that in most cases, those we are fighting with feel they are on the right side of morality or history. Start with the common ground that we all want to do good.

Jude’s Guidance

Jude is this small one-chapter book of the Bible. I often fixate on it. This brother of James and Jesus sketches a picture of a community of Christ-followers who had unwittingly allowed people in who succumbed to ungodly desires. Jude does not hesitate to call out these actions as sinful, but throughout he guides us in how to approach those who are not in alignment with the Father.

Yet Michael the archangel, incontending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”
Jude 1:9, NKJV

If a high ranking angel remembered who actually passes judgment while he contended with the devil, then I can speak with a friend who is succumbing to sin without passing my imperfect judgment on her.

It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit.But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.
Jude 1:19-23, ESV

Stand Firm in Love

Jude makes it clear. We are to stand in opposition to those who are divisive. When we see another human stuck in doubt or sin, we do our best to point them towards repentance and show them that they need saving. We are not, however, to do so in a manner that goes against God’s commands. We are to keep ourselves in the love of our Father.

God clearly asks us to have mercy and show mercy. At the same time, we must hate the sin they are trapped in, and we should not fall into the trappings of sin ourselves. And fighting with someone in a way that causes harm, for the purpose of bringing glory to ourselves, or in a spirit of divisiveness is absolutely falling into the trappings of sin.

Fighting With Both Passion and Restraint

It’s hard. Sometimes the people we love falter. It hurts to see them walk toward sin. Other people believe so staunchly in things that we find diametrically opposed to the will of God. Fighting for godly things is good. We should ask God to break our hearts for the things that break His. We need passion.

Equally, we need restraint. We need to use our zeal for God’s will to determine what battles need championing, and we need restraint to keep our hearts focused on the love of God while we are in the thick of the fight.

Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down, without walls.
Proverbs 25:28, NKJV

Fighting for godly things is good. We should ask God to break our hearts for the things that break His. We need passion, but, equally, we need restraint. Click To Tweet

Practical Strategies

I’m a very emotional person. Throughout my life, I have gotten so swept up in feeling that I have made great mistakes. I have hurt people. In light of this, I am now a huge proponent of approaching the things in life that impassion me with an arsenal of practical strategies.

We are so lucky that God hides practical strategies within the most poetic moments in His word. In reading Jude over and over again, I am struck by a line that I can use to help guard my tongue. What if I, before I entered into a debate with someone, opened it up as Jude opened his letter?

“Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.”
Jude 1:2, NKJV

What if I said these words, even just in my head, before opening my mouth or before I start typing? Would that change how I approach someone? If I start my conversation with a sentiment of well-wishing, could I continue to portray love while pointing out sin? I think I just might.

Love, commandment, The Ten Commandments, Christian living, Oh Lord Help Us, Christian, women, mentor, ministry

Love: Living Out The Ten Commandments the Way God Designed

DevotionalsJuly 29, 2019July 29, 2019

The Ten Commandments are a set of commands from God we have all heard before, but what do they mean and how do they direct us to live in love?

We all know about the Ten Commandments. We grew up learning about them and knowing that they were important. I honestly never gave them much thought growing up. Yeah, don’t murder, don’t lie, only have one God. It all made sense, but I never truly thought about what they mean to us in light of the New Testament and the fulfillment of the Law. However, my church is going through a study of the 10 Commandments which has caused me to look at them differently.

What is the Greatest Command?

He replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: You must love your neighbor as you love yourself.’
Matthew 22:37-39

Love God, love others. Those are the two greatest commands. Jesus is very clear about this. If those are the greatest, where do the Ten Commandments fit in?

All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.
Matthew 22:40

All the Law. This includes the Ten Commandments. All of the Ten Commandments fall into these 2 categories.

The 2 Categories

Love God, Love Others. Those are the 2 categories.

If you break down the Ten Commandments you will find that the first four deal with our relationship with God and the last six refer to our relationship with others.

All of the first four commands talk about how we relate to God and how we are to show our love and honor to Him. If we keep these first four commands we are loving the Lord our God: the greatest commandment.

The final six commandments reference our relationships with others. They deal with basic things like not murdering. To things that are a little more difficult like not coveting what your neighbor has. These commands all lead us to love our neighbors as ourselves the second greatest commandment.

The Law Vs Love

Don’t even begin to think that I have come to do away with the Law and the Prophets. I haven’t come to do away with them but to fulfill them.
Matthew 5:17

The way the Ten Commandments can be compared to the two commands Jesus gave is a perfect example of Jesus’ goal. He came to fulfill the Law not wanting to destroy it, do away with it, or disregard its importance. He fulfilled it so we would not be bound by it. The Law is still important and should be a part of our lives but Jesus fulfilled it and made it possible for us to not have to be bound by it.

Jesus taught us that love is the greatest of all commands. That’s it. Love. When we show love to God and others everything else follows suit…

You must have no other gods before me.
Do not use the Lord your God’s name as if it were of no significance; the Lord won’t forgive anyone who uses his name that way.
Remember the Sabbath day and treat it as holy.
Honor your father and your mother so that your life will be long on the fertile land that the Lord your God is giving you.
Do not kill.
Do not commit adultery.
Do not steal.
Do not testify falsely against your neighbor.
Do not desire and try to take your neighbor’s house.
Do not desire and try to take your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox, donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.

The way the Ten Commandments can be compared to the two commands Jesus gave is a perfect example of His goal. He came to fulfill the Law not wanting to destroy it, or disregard its importance. Click To Tweet

All Bible references are using the Common English Bible translation.

Paweł Czerwiński

basics, Christian living, foundation, fundamental, honor, victory, Oh Lord Help Us, Christian, women, mentor, ministry

Basic: Understanding God’s Clear and Fundamental Instructions

DevotionalsJuly 16, 2019July 9, 2019

Just like in anything learned, Christian living has basic fundamentals. We must understand the basics in order to live according to God’s instructions.

The one who follows instruction is on the path of life, but the one who rejects correction goes astray.
Proverbs 10:17, CSB

Challenge Accepted

Baseball season is in full swing now! I waited as long as I possibly could, but I finally signed my boys up this year. I am not the type of person that finds enjoyment in signing my children up for everything under the sun. It’s exhausting to me, to be quite honest. I finally did it though.

I wasn’t thinking it would matter because they are both still pretty young; 9 and 7. Surely the other kids on their teams aren’t going to be THAT good, right? Uh, yea, NO. I was SO wrong! These kids are WAY better than I thought they’d ever be. Of course, they have been playing since they were 3!! So, obviously, my kids had some catching up to do.

Basic Fundamentals

It’s been a struggle in areas, but for the most part, they have excelled very well. My husband and I tried to teach the basic skills. The goal is to catch the ball without it hitting the ground, so you can get the player on the other team, out. This may sound like a simple task, but honestly, it’s not.

There is a method and technique required to do this accurately. It takes precision and skill. It takes focus and coordination. Each player has to understand the basic fundamentals before they can apply them correctly. If my boys want to succeed in baseball, they will have to learn to get the basics down first.

Choosing To Keep Pressing On

This is pretty common with anything we try in life; the need to know the basics first. If we want to excel in learning an instrument, or even learning how to read, we need to start from the beginning and work our way through. We can’t dive in with confidence, thinking we can do these things without any knowledge of how.

My kids were SO excited about baseball and thought they already knew what to do. They found out very quickly that they had much to learn. Though this was intimidating, they decided on their own it was still something they desired.

Knowing this would take hard work and discipline didn’t steer them away from learning. Instead, they were compelled and motivated to practice more. This becomes a choice that, we, as believers, are able to make on our own. Making this choice is what determines how much knowledge we are capable of gathering throughout life.

Apply yourself to discipline and listen to words of knowledge.
Proverbs 23:12, CSB

Here Are The Basics

Just like the basic skill of throwing a ball in the air and catching it, there are also basic fundamentals needed in order to excel in our daily Christian walk.

Pray – We need to pray like we are breathing. It is the main line of communication that we have with the Lord. When we aren’t praying, we are preventing ourselves from being in communication with our Heavenly Father. Praying is necessary in order for us to grow in our relationship with God.

Read the Bible – We absolutely need to read our Bible daily in order to gain wisdom from above. It is also the only way we can learn who God is. When we take time to read God’s story to us, then we learn the attributes of God that are vital to know in order for us to carry on living a life with purpose.

Church – Though going to church doesn’t make us a Christian, it does provide fellowship unlike any other. Worshiping with surrounding believers and gathering together as a whole to pray, is powerful and effective. When we avoid going to church, we are robbing ourselves from this gift.

Small Group – Being part of a small group of believers is immensely beneficial in our faith. We need encouragement, Bible study discussions, and accountability partners. These things are always achieved when we make it a priority to be part of a small group.

Fellowship – Just like in baseball, you have to work together as a team in order to win the game, the same applies to Christianity. When we work together as a team; there is always VICTORY accomplished!

Jesus Wins The Game

Jesus came into the world to live the perfect life we could not live. He endured the death we were all destined to die and He rose on the third day to conquer death for good. Jesus is the main character throughout the entire Bible and needs to be the main character throughout our lives.

Following His life’s example shows us the reason we need to have HOPE. The Old Testament points toward Jesus’ 1st coming. The New Testament points to Jesus’ life and resurrection and ends in Revelation revealing that He will come again! It is our divine privilege to serve Jesus Christ, our Lord. To honor Him by understanding the basic principals we need to take with us through this journey in the flesh. There is Victory found in Jesus!

He who testifies about these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!
Revelation 22:20, CSB

Jesus will one day come down to us again! Jesus has won the game already and offers victory to us, daily! Today, friends, let’s celebrate this beautiful knowledge that God has given us to possess! Praise God in Heaven! Hallelujah! He has instructed us clearly. Let’s not waste another minute without applying this truth! Amen!

It is our divine privilege to serve Jesus Christ, our Lord. To honor Him by understanding the basic principals we need to take with us through this journey in the flesh. There is Victory found in Jesus! Click To Tweet

Jarrod Reed

obedient, obedience, Christian living, salvation, Oh Lord Help Us, Christian, women, mentor, ministry

Obey: Accepting Loving Discipline in Our New Identity

DevotionalsMarch 5, 2019March 5, 2019

Desiring to obey the Lord is a natural response to our new identity in Him. We don’t need to fear discipline for it is a natural action of love from our Heavenly Father.

I have a wall hanging in my bathroom that has the famous verse from Joshua on it.

It reads: HOME, home is where your story begins. Then at the bottom, it says, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” I see this verse every single day and it’s not something I take lightly. We learned nine years ago the lesson of truly choosing to obey and serve the Lord.

Lip Service

We had been living a lip service Christian life. We went to church. Said prayers at mealtimes and bedtime, but that was as deep as our relationship with the Lord went. He allowed me to get very sick and I immediately knew He was disciplining me.

And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said, ‘My Child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you. For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.’

Hebrews 12:5-6, NLT

I lost the ability to bathe myself, get myself dressed and to walk more than a few feet at a time. My husband became my caretaker through chemotherapy and steroids. I read through the Word twice in nine months and completely surrendered my life to Christ during this time.

My husband also laid down his own will for God’s through this ordeal. Not all our trials are a chastisement, but we needed this season to truly make God the Lord of our lives. Praise Him for His care, His discipline, His working in our lives. We aren’t the same people we were before.

But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.

Joshua 24:15, NLT

Set Apart

Have you noticed that something you weren’t aware of before is drawn to your attention, and once you’re aware of it you see it everywhere? In psychology, this has a real name- the frequency illusion. Let me tell you, when you have decided to follow and actually obey Christ, you realize very quickly how many profess His name but deny Him with their lifestyles.

When Christ dwells in us and we surrender to Him totally, His Holy Spirit is there to teach, guide and correct us. His Word is alive and active and judges the thoughts and attitudes of our heart. When we compromise who we are in Christ to look like the world, we are disobeying His command.

And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: “I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people. Therefore, come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.

2 Corinthians 6:16-17, NLT

World Appearance

We each have our own journey and our own relationship with Christ that we will one day answer for. My encouragement for you today is to really evaluate any part of your heart and life that you’ve allowed to be influenced by the world. Or parts you may not have ever surrendered to Him. Do you still dress like the world, have filthy speech like the world, watch TV shows that encourage you to lust like the world, listen to music that glorifies sin like the world?

Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.

1 John 2:15-17, NLT

We each have our own relationship with Christ that we will one day answer for. We must evaluate any part of our hearts and lives that we've allowed the world to influence. Evaluate and surrender them to the Lord. Click To Tweet

Desire to Obey

I have made many changes to my life in order to obey and bring glory to God. I don’t dress how I used to dress, make the same jokes I used to make, or watch TV shows that highlight my struggle against lust. Don’t get me wrong, I still have many struggles against sin in my life, and the Lord brings them to my attention often. I wrestle with a couple in particular that I have a hard time talking about. My mind truly is a battlefield and the war is ever raging…

As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.

1 Peter 1:14, NLT

God isn’t asking us for perfection. He knows we are helpless and our hearts are desperately wicked. All he wants and expects is the laying down of these desires that wage war against our souls.

Desire to obey Him, plead for His grace and mercy and He will give us the strength to make these changes in our lives that shape us into His image. Then He will receive all the glory and honor for how we’ve changed, and others will see His love and character slowly emerge in our everyday lives as we obey our Father in heaven.

search, seek, find, Oh Lord Help Us, Christian mentoring, spiritual growth, women of faith, scripture

Search: Intentionally Looking and Finding God in the Everyday

Devotionals, Stay SaneJuly 26, 2018June 28, 2019

God is all around us, every second of every day. Search for Him. Being intentional in this effort will help us build a deeper relationship.

This week I was totally rejuvenated. We went to the beach with my parents for the week and had an amazing time. The Outer Banks is my favorite place on earth. It is the spot that makes me slow down, listen, and feel. I love the sun on my face, the sand under my feet and the sound of the waves as they roll up to shore. It centers me and reminds me that our Creator is always present.

Searching for Him

Have you ever looked for God? I never looked for God until a few years ago. I read a devotional that talked about seeing God in the everyday. I’m sorry to say that I don’t remember more than that, but it did catch my attention. The idea of looking for God.

Some mornings I wake up and it is so easy to see and hear. My little boy’s laughter, my husband’s smiling face, my daughter’s big life plans, warm sun, blooming flowers, a big ripe strawberry bursting with flavor. It’s so easy to see God in these things.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

James 1:17, NIV

Finding Him

I have a prayer journal that I write in most days. It is a collection of letters I write to God about my hopes, fears, short comings, and my love for Him. When I look back over them I often see how he has moved through my life, even when I didn’t know He was there. (Yes, He is always there but sometimes in the middle of a storm you forget you aren’t in it alone.) I also make a list of all the people, situations, and circumstances I want to pray about. I circle the big ones that seem most pressing at the moment. It’s been a good reflective tool. And it helps keep my mind centered and less likely to wander off as I’m speaking to God.

I think I’m going to try to start adding a section to my journal weekly where I list all the places I have seen God. This week alone I know I have seen Him in my family, laughing together I feel the love He brings. I have felt His power in the sun, wind, waves and sifting sand. I know there is science behind all that, but if you really want to blow someone’s mind, ask them how it all started. The Big Bang? How did that happen? Random? But what is the science behind the beginning of everything? I can answer in three little letters G-O-D!

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1: 1, NIV

Deepening Our Relationship

We went to see the “Lost Colony” and the sunset over the water as we watched was magical. The colors of the sky spoke to me. It was so beautiful. My son watched the play on the edge of his seat. He was so caught up in the story of starting a new life in a foreign place where nothing was the same as home. His face full of awe and wonder was definitely my favorite part of the evening. God is so present in those moments.

I know God calls us to look for Him. Jesus was clear about this when He included it in two of the Beatitudes:

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Matthew 5:6, 8, NIV

Friends, go and search for Our Father daily. He is there, and finding Him is joy!

Dear God,

Thank You for Your presence. I am so proud and honored and humbled that You surround me in all that I do. Please keep my eyes clear and my heart open so that I can see all of You in my daily walk. Bless all those who are searching for You that Your light may blind them with it’s beauty and save them for eternity.

love,

Consumed: Too Many Choices Distract Us From What We Truly Need

Devotionals, Stay SaneJanuary 14, 2018September 8, 2019

Our culture is consumed with satisfying our needs however we deem best, but we still crave more. We are created to to be filled by Christ alone.

I’ve been asking myself the same question for the past month. It’s that scene from You’ve Got Mail where Kathleen Kelly says, “I’m wondering about my work and all. I mean, what is it that I do exactly? All I really do is run a children’s bookstore…” Except I exchange bookstore for ministry. Couldn’t anyone do this job?

There are days when my heart and flesh fail. I want to get through a Sunday morning with zero hiccups and have so many volunteers I have to turn people away. But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. He shows me how need leads to Him being able to show up at the last minute and save the day. God really likes to do that because He gets all the glory!

Consumed: Too Many Options

It’s easy to slip into the show up, fill up, go home mentality. It’s like an entire generation of pirates, “Take what you need. Give nothing back.” Every day presents us with scads of choices. Do you want a small or medium latte? Would you rather have chicken or hamburgers for dinner? Should you go with highlights, balayage or a solid color at the salon? Our options are abundant. When we walk through the doors of our churches it’s enticing to bring those expectations with us.

Options have been a thriving part of western society for the last few generations. As a result, self-absorption is now an inbred disease. We’ve all seen adults acting like toddlers, right? When they don’t get their way they whine and moan. Maybe you are that person. I’ve certainly digressed to infantile behavior on more than one occasion. It wasn’t pretty. I’m glad you weren’t there to see it.

Some churches succumb to giving tantrum-throwers a watered-down gospel that neither convicts nor produces change. At best, it offers a gold “I went to church today” sticker. Maybe we saw a few friends and got goose bumps during one of the worship songs. In our society we are easily bored. If something doesn’t dazzle us we’re on to the next thing.

Consumed: What We Need

Hold up! The gospel is dazzling! The Christian life is never boring! So what are we missing?

God takes our lives and changes our story. He fixes our mess and changes our want-to. Jesus doesn’t charge us to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness so everything we need might be given to us. No; He said He will give us all the other things we need.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:10, ESV

The early days of my faith were just that—faith. I professed Jesus Christ as Lord and by faith I continued to claim Christianity. But now I have come to know and believe the love God has for me.

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

1 John 4:16, ESV

He is the One and only. I want to be done toying around like this faith owes me something for being a long-standing member. Need motivates. Rapidly consuming and moving on to the next thing seems to merely produce more clutter. And don’t we all long for a simplified life?

His love heals the self-absorbed ego and enables us to notice and be sensitive to others around us.

Timothy Keller

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Need leads to God being able to show up at the last minute and save the day. Click To Tweet

Evan Dennis

We are messy people who make messes, but God redeems those messes and makes us beautiful.

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