and God is faithful

Reading 1 Corinthians 10 today. Verse 13 is the familiar: "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful."

Really it could end right there - those last 3 words are enough - GOD IS FAITHFUL.
His faithfulness isn't on-again-off-again like mine can tend to be... effected by circumstance or simply by my attitude. His faithfulness is eternally the same, steady, constant. His faithfulness does not waiver based on my performance!

While the testimony to his faithfulness would have been a sufficient end to this verse - the author continues to bring further promise - more evidence of God's great faithfulness. The verse finishes with the powerful statement that both encourages me to keep fighting against sin and challenges me that I have no excuse to give up.

"...He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."

I love that there are several uses of the words HE WILL and no mention of the words I WILL. I know I have to do my part but He is my strong tower! He is the power behind my trying! He is faithful!!!

HALL-LE...

LU-JAH!

strong, firm and steadfast

1 Peter 5:8-11
"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen."

A friend and I were talking yesterday and putting together some plans for accountability in the areas of fitness and diet. It's perhaps the first time that I have truly felt like I am fully trusting God for this always-daunting area of my life. My friend shared that God had been leading her to Verse 8 above and that it spoke to her about the ALERTNESS that comes when we are self-controlled. It's so easy to put food in our mouths without even paying attention. Munching on things that our bodies don't need while we watch TV or prepare a meal or when we're simply bored or feeling emotional. Learning self-controlling and being alert go hand in had.

I was looking up verse 8 later in the day - on my own - and read all of chapter 5. While I realize Peter was speaking of sufferings far beyond the scope of what I can even imagine I still believe that He is at work in me - restoring me, making me strong, firm and steadfast.

I am so grateful for the people God puts in my life to bring challenge, encouragement, accountability and to walk the path with me. I don't expect it to be easy but having someone to partner with certainly does make it GOOD.

am I all talk?

1 Corinthians 4:20 "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power."

In the midst of reading several chapters of scripture this morning this one sentence jumped out of the book. It caused me to think, to pray, to wonder at how every time I think I've gotten on a good path to change I realize how much MORE change is needed in my life.

Does my life demonstrate God's power or am I all talk?

Reading Francis Chan's "Crazy Love" and being dually challenged about similar things has driven it home this morning. Do I live fearing my own failure or do I live fearing that I'm succeeding at things in life that don't really matter? Am I giving God my very best or is my best getting used up by other things that get my time and attention and God just gets my leftovers?

Does my life demonstrate God's power or am I all talk?

Jesus, don't let me walk away from wrestling with this until I reach conclusions that direct me to places where my life will please you more than where I am today.

the desires of my heart

"Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4

I've known this verse as far back as elementary school - I can picture a plaster wall hanging that I got to paint at VBS the summer I had finished 4th grade. The plaque was shaped like a scroll and simply had the words of Ps. 37:4 raised up to be painted (poorly if my memory serves me well).

For years I've interpreted that to mean "if I find my joy in him - he'll grant me all my wishes". Well... I would never really say it that way but truly that's what my line of thought has been. My thoughts on this verse have been stretched and challenged over the years to morph into something more like "If I find my joy in him he'll help me reshape the things I want in life so that my desires line up with the things he already knows he wants to give me".

Today - as I read this verse and then read a note in my study Bible that says "choose his pleasures and he will choose yours" I was struck by a completely new take on this verse.

If I choose to pursue the things that please God he will IMPART to me the things that will be my delight. I'm not sure I can word it properly? As I pursue things that are pleasing to God he will not just reshape my desires to match his but he'll actually transfer his desires to my heart. He will hand pick the desires of my heart.

After hearing God speak this to me I am certain it's by no coincidence that today's scripture reading also included a chapter in 1 Corinthians - I glanced at the final verse of chapter 2 as I opened to read chapter 3. 1 Corin. 2:16 says "But we have the mind of Christ."

The mind of Christ and a heart that matches God's heart. A tall order but my part is simple - delight in Him. Not always easy. His worth should make it easy but my junk gets in the way. Easy or not it is indeed simple - delight in HIM!

heart attack

Psalm 38:18
"I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin."

I had the privilege of hearing a pastor in Pittsburgh this past Sunday as I visited friends. He talked about the sin of unbelief using the text about the disciples in Luke 9:37-45 as a springboard.

The 2 phrases that grabbed my attention were one of his key points:
1. Recognize unbelief (or any sin) for the evil that it is.
2. Attack unbelief for the evil that it is.

He quoted Charles Bridges "All our sin is born of the defect of unbelief."

I find it far too easy to continue to take the comparison view of my sinful heart. The "I'm doing fairly well compared to..." perspective. This is the frame of thinking that keeps me from seeing unbelief or any sin in my life for the true evil that it is.

Psalm 38:18 reminds me that I must continually confess and that I must ask the Lord to cause my heart to be troubled when I find myself becoming too comfortable with sin in my life. Whether it's an attitude of my heart, an action I commit or something I should be doing that I'm not - I want to be troubled by the evil that my own sin is so that I will be prompted, always, to attack it for the evil that it is.