His Power is Made Perfect in Weakness

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" - Phil. 4:4.

"But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." - 2 Cor. 12:9-10.

So once we assess our motives in what we do, the other side of things is that when stuff happens, how do we react?

EVERYTHING SHOULD LEAD US TO WORSHIP. Definitely the good things that happen, but even in the negative - that is when it's hardest yet most important. Of course it is easy to worship when all is well, but the thing is to let the negative situations push us into the comfort of God's arms, to acknowledge our lack of control and reach out for God's help as Jesus did.

He is our ultimate example. Recently, God gave an amazing insight to a friend of mine and it is now slowly sinking itself into my mind: What was Jesus' hardest moment? The cross. Imagine what He must have been going through and thinking in those last moments when He called out, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?" (Matt. 27:46). A time of ultimate pain and separation from the Father. Yet the last words out of His mouth were "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit" (Luke 23:46). In Jesus' darkest and hardest moment, He chose to commit Himself to the Lord.

Let us be led, guided and prompted by Jesus' example.

Is It For the Lord?

Acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. -1 Chronicles 28:9

From the earlier post of not wanting to come down from the mountain-top, God showed me the importance of taking the connection with him and the lessons learnt into everyday life to be able to impact others for Christ and fight the battles in the trenches. I had been concerned about losing that connection with God - how silly and insignificant do those worries seem. Looking back I can see God's hand on my life in the 17 years before I truly acknowledged Jesus as my Saviour, why would that change now that I'm in relationship with Him??

One of the next thoughts then was how do I use it to impact others and help others grow and see Jesus. And yes, this is a valid thought however God has made it clear that that is not to be my focus. Though yet all we do is seen, analysed and judged by others and that we can only hope to positively influence them for Christ, it IS NOT FOR THE WORLD or even the people who may gain salvation that we do what we do, but for Christ Himself; for His pleasure and glory.

He is to be our continual focus and the centre of my life. Only then is He able to use me for His purposes, but the key there is that it is God using me, not me doing things for Him in my own strength. So - why do we what we do; is it for people or is it for the Lord?

To be brutally honest, it doesn't really matter what place we find ourselves in right now. The point of our life is to point to God. Whatever we are doing, God wants to be glorified, because this whole thing is His.

"God is far more concerned about your finding your place in Christ Himself than your place in His service. The essential thing in Christian living is not where you are going or what you are doing but in whose strength you are living" - George Verwer.

God Cares About People

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us. - 1 John 4: 16-19



People. Apparently God's best creation. Also His most frustrating one! God cares about people. He cares about them when we can't. Sometimes that is the only reason we can care about people is because He does. The caring doesn't make it easy to get close, to push past barriers, to open ourselves up; that is our own choice, but God does the caring.

About a month ago now, God did something that was new to me. He often brings new people into my life, but never before has He told me to hold onto someone, not to let go, that He had brought them into my life and me into their life for a reason, to care for them NO MATTER WHAT. I knew straight away that it wasn't going to be easy. I love this person wholeheartedly, but already in this short period there have been some ups and downs, a real rollercoaster and that's not going to stop. However some of the lessons I have learnt through their life and in walking life with them - a tenacity for God, what it is to hunger for Him, what real joy is and how it can only come from God. That He is our only hope and strength, to really think for myself, to consider others more, to consider other viewpoints, to truly understand the need for God in each of our lives in a way more real than ever before, and that's only part of it.

People have their limits. I'd never come across someone's before. I hadn't before felt the need to try to understand someone at that level. Another new experience. It was harder than I expected. Confusion in not understanding, a struggle with wanting to understand, respecting boundaries, hope that ground can be recovered - that I've not gone too far, regret for pain caused, asking for forgiveness.

It also brought up the question about what my limits are and where they are to be found. In this last month they have been pushed as much as they have up to this point and when approached in a caring matter by someone whom I trust, it appears those gates are flimsy indeed. I am yet to discover whether that is bad or good. It is slightly daunting to have seen another's barriers and to realise what has caused them to be so. Dare I wonder what God has in store for me in the future? James 1:2-4 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." Does the lack of real trials in my life mean I am immature and incomplete, and/or is it an indicator that those trials are yet to come?

It is a joy, a struggle, a privilege and a journey, a journey that God has made clear is not to end. God doesn't give up on people, therefore I won't give up on you either, as long as He gives me the strength and love to continue.

Psalm 139

¹ O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.

² You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.

³ You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.

⁴ Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O LORD.

⁵ You hem me in—behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.

⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.

⁷ Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?

⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

⁹ If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,

¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.

¹¹ If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,"

¹² even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.

¹³ For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

¹⁶ your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

¹⁷ How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!

¹⁸ Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake,
I am still with you.

¹⁹ If only you would slay the wicked, O God!
Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!

²⁰ They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries misuse your name.

²¹ Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD,
and abhor those who rise up against you?

²² I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.

²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.

²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

Home... is it time yet?

I know I have no right to ask this, but I've been begging God to take me home - to the city He has prepared (Hebrews 11:14-16). Tonight it hit me really hard and I cried out to God - I'm so desperate for Him in every way. I want more and more of Him in my life - all of Him and none of me, walking with Him always.

The reality of hell is settling in - nothing about a fiery pit with a devil who has a tail and a pitchfork; but the fact that hell will be so because of eternal separation from God. Throughout the Bible and psalms in particular, it speaks of God and who He is. He is our shepherd. He is our provider, our healer, he shelters us, protects us, guides us, comforts us, loves us amongst many others. To be separated from that - what does it leave? Nothing. Colossians 1:16 says that we were made BY God, FOR God so how can one think they can live a life apart from Him? And an eternity without Him... too awful to consider.

But as far as wanting to meet Him in that place now, that's what my heart cries out for. To be united with God. But He's saying it's not time yet.

He has many more things to do through me. The question is what are those things and how and when to go about them? What am I to do? I can only know this from seeking after God's will, drawing close to Him and letting Him guide my path.

I seek after You with all my heart, Lord God, do not let me stray from your commands. That I would have ears to hear and eyes to see what You hear and see, that You would open the eyes of my heart to You, Father God and to Your people that while I wait that Your kingdom would come - on earth as it is in heaven.

On earth as it is in heaven... now that's another matter. Is it literal - trying to recreate heaven on earth, is it a state of mind, or is it striving towards having the unity with God that will happen in heaven also as He is with us here on earth...

All of You, none of me

So... I went down to Melbourne for pre-field training last week. Perhaps the best and the most challenging week of my life. They taught us much on purpose, however what I came away with was so much greater than that - the experience was the sum of it's parts, really. The parts consisted of 11 people whom God had called to mission and the OM families who taught, supported and befriended us. Alongside those people, we spent a week in God's presence.

We came together, united by the same God, worshipping Him, learning from and sharing about His word, discussing His works in our lives and those around us, all there for the same purpose with the same heart. Everything during that week was offered up to God; our lives, hearts, bodies, thanks, praises, worship, time. It was a discipline, yet I know that for me personally, there was nothing else I'd rather do - now and forever; and I'm pretty sure it was the same for all of us there.

In Luke 9:28-36 Peter, John and James went up the mountain to pray with Jesus. The transfiguration of Jesus must have been a huge spiritual experience and in fact they wanted it to last longer - Peter suggested setting up tents and "camping out" for while. This period of time in Melbourne was a mountain-top experience and I did not want to leave that mountain-top and have had struggles while coming down. What God has constantly been reminding me of is that it's not about me, it's about God. Just like a cloud overshadowed the disciples, our personal feelings need to be overshadowed by our true worship (24/7) of God. And just as God said, "This is my Son, my Chosen, listen to him," we need to also give our ears and hearts to what God is saying. Spiritual highs are all about praising God, not about us. But I'd like the closeness to God that happened during that week to stay always.

I totally understand that, as the essence of what I learnt this week was that it's all about God. But how to come down off that mountain-top and put that to work in our earthly lives. The experience was so amazing and God's revelations have been awesome (as I pray they will continue to be) but how to share that with others? No-one else can truly understand if they weren't on that same mountain top with you and sharing your walk as they had their own.
How does one go about sharing an experience like that with others who weren't there? To maintain a renewed mind in Christ while walking on the earth here and now? There are the mundane things that happen in life; bills need to be paid, shopping happens and a myriad of other such things. They don't seem very spiritual, but I'm learning that it's your attitude and having Christ in your thoughts as it happens.

He lived on earth in human form - he knows what it's like and did it all while maintaining that constant connection to the Father. Jesus lived in constant availability to God and so should we. We need to learn a way of being that is contextualized in a larger frame than the current situation, seeing a picture that's bigger than what meets the eye. By always being a little outside our situation, we are actually made more available to be present to the situation; this is an aspect of the freedom we gain by dying to self and becoming alive to God.

More of You, less of me - all of You, none of me, Lord God.

How does one do that? Pray constantly, immerse myself in His Word (Psalm 119) and constantly be asking questions of God. Lord that I would have the eyes to see and the ears to hear, not only what is actually said and shown, but the true picture of what You know is going on. I pray for an overflowing of Your Holy Spirit in my life, that I would be a bucket to be moved and the overflow would wash onto anyone with whom I come into contact - that You in me would rub off onto others. Lord I pray that as I am with others, that they would not be seeing and talking with me, but with You. "Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long." Psalm 25:4-5

Heart of Worship

Worship. Another controversial subject. It is often thought of as the music portion of a church service where we sing to God. Some may mumble quietly, not wanting to be heard; others may sing at the top of their lungs wanting everyone to hear how much they love God. Some raise their hands, some stand still while others dance around the room with or without banners and ribbons.

Music affects our emotions and the lyrics can swell our hearts, causing us to become lost in the experience. That's right - the experience. And so many times I hear, "I got so much out of that worship time" or thanking the worship leader for the amazing atmosphere created. And yes, that used to be me. I won't deny that I can still get a buzz out of worshipping with a huge number of believers and really enjoy myself however my focus has shifted. It's not an experience, it's not something designed to make us feel good. Worship is thanking God, being grateful for what He's done, praising Him, giving Him honour, marvelling at His greatness and His creation and glorifying our Lord Jesus Christ.

But doesn't that sound like something you want to do 24/7, not just for 30mins on Sunday? I know I do. Our thoughts, words and actions point to whom or what we worship. All of us worship something, whether intentionally or otherwise. Worship is an attitude of the heart. Worship is clearly of interest to God. He knows we have an inner need to worship, so He asks us to worship Him. He, being God, can handle the weight of being worshipped; humans cannot. People who are worshipped by others can often be influenced to think more highly of themselves than they ought. The Bible makes it plain that there is only one God worthy of our worship:

"Fear the Lord your God, serve Him only and take your oaths in His name. Do not follow other gods, the gods of the people around you for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and His anger will burn against you, and He will destroy you from the face of the land." Deuteronomy 6:13-14.

Do I love God? Yes. Am I thankful for what He has done for me through His Son Jesus Christ? Yes. "Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name; worship the Lord in the splendour of His holiness." Psalm 29:2. May the life I live be an act of worship to Him; every thought, word and action

Michael W. Smith's song perfectly encapsulates the essence of what's in my heart regarding worship:

When the music fades
All is stripped away
And I simply come
Longing just to bring
Something that's of worth
That will bless Your heart

I'll bring You more than a song
For a song in itself
Is not what You have required
You search much deeper within
Through the way things appear
You're looking into my heart

I'm coming back to the heart of worship
And it's all about You,
It's all about You, Jesus
I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it
When it's all about You,
It's all about You, Jesus

Like pretty much everything else in the world, we have made worship about us. Even though we claim to be worshipping God, it's still something we've made it into. Why don't we let God shape the worship He wants by letting Him shape our lives? Giving Him full reign of my life, every thought, action, word and decision is His - what an amazing song He can make with that!

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. It's all about You. Amen.

All about God

A whirlpool. An accurate way to describe my mind right now. There are so many different thoughts swirling around up there in different shapes, sizes, colours but they're slowly melding and being pulled towards the centre to one main theme: God.
IT'S ALL ABOUT GOD.

Consider the controversial topic of conversion. Discussing 'Pascal's gambit', someone suggested it would be ideal to mention this to my non-Christian parents. However that's purely logic and conversion is a decision. Salvation, on the other hand is receiving from God, a gift that only Jesus can give us. Therefore to be saved is to respond to God, not a one-sided decision.

Response. That my entire life would be a response to God. Colossions 1:16 reads "For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. " Genesis 1:27: "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them". 1 John 4:19: "We love because He first loved us". God took the first step and because of that, everything we do should be a response to Him. We love because He first loved us. Everything we do should be praising and glorifying God, after all we were created for Him!

Even when we do things as a response, it is still not all from us. Colossians 1:4-5 "because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints- the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel...". The love and faith we have springs from our hope in heaven. How is that we can hope in heaven? Because of Christ's death on the cross for us (and how can one fail to react to that amazing act!?) and the fact that we know He is in heaven, we will one day meet Him there and that He is our hope - it is for these reasons that we have hope and faith and can offer love and hope. It is not our hope we share, but a hope born in Christ. Again, it's all about God. And how do we share that love, hope and faith? "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength". Only with God.

Blessed are they who keep His statutes and seek Him with all their heart. Father God, I seek You with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. As the Son can do nothing by himself; He can only do what He sees His Father doing, let me only do what I see You do, Father God and only through Your strength within me. Amen.