What's God Saying?????

There are times in our lives when we can hear God so clearly it's as if there's an audible voice speaking to us.  Then there are those times in our lives that we wonder what's God saying or is He speaking at all?  We all experience that.  Even those we consider closest to God go through times in their lives where they ask that question.  We feel lost, confused, almost shut out because we aren't getting a clear signal from God.  Why isn't He saying anything?  Or maybe He is.  Maybe He is speaking and we are so focused on ourselves that we can't hear Him.  Maybe He is speaking, but we've made life about us and we aren't listening.  Maybe He is speaking, but we can't hear Him because He's not saying what we want to hear.  The truth is that God is always speaking.  He speaks to us through His Holy Spirit which guides us through situations we come in contact with on a daily basis.  Situations that cause us to make choices that affect our daily lives.  And if we are listening to that "still, small voice" we will eventually hear what God is saying.  Do we automatically always know what God is saying?  Maybe not immediately, but the miscommunication isn't because God's not speaking.  Maybe it's because we haven't learned to "Be still and know that He is God...." (Psalm 46:10).  See, our faith isn't based or shouldn't be based on what God does for us.  Our faith is based on who He is.  So, let's take some time to be still and get to know God and be amazed at who He is and listen to what He's saying.

You Are His!

I've recently been reading for my devotional time the classic My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers.  Everyday I pull out these inspirational statements from his devotions that hurt my head to think about.  Recently while reading I came across something that I recently have adopted as my life motto.  The statement is "Never consider whether or not you are of use-but always consider that you are not your own, you are His."  Wow!  1 Corinthians 6:19 says "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?  You are not your own."  So, if we are not our own then whose are we?  That's the big question.  If we are Christ followers then we are His.  What does that mean for us?  It means that anyone that belongs to Christ never has to consider whether or not they are useful.  Because everyone who belongs to Christ has a purpose and is useful in His Kingdom.  So, as a Christ follower that is something we never have to consider.  There are days I don't feel useful.  There are days that I feel taken for granted.  There are days that I feel like I've failed and everyone around me knows it.  But guess what, it's not about me or how I feel.  It's not about who I am.  It's about Whose I am.  If I remember that then I never have to wonder whether or not I'm of use.  I just have to remember that I am His.

Thoughts for the week!

There are so many thoughts that have been running through my head this past week.  As a minister, I struggle to balance family life, ministry life, and life in general.  At times you feel like your right on course and then there are times that you feel like your missing the mark.  I'm sure more than once in our lives we all feel this way.  One of the things that God has been showing me this week is that it is not by my effort or strength that I succeed.  When I try to do it on my own I never succeed.  I can't be the father I need to be, I can't be the husband I need to be, I can't be the minister I need to be when I try to do it on my own.  But when I rest in Him and allow Him to renew my strength it's at that point that I succeed.

The underlying premise that fuels this success is Love.  Not love as the world defines it which is conditional love, but love as God defines it.  1 Corinthians 13:8 says it all, "Love never fails!"  People are going to disappoint, we are going to disappoint, life is going to be frustrating at times; but as we seek to balance family life, ministry life, and life in general we must ask God to continue to fill us with an overflowing supply of His love that never fails.  His love never fails!  And when we love with His love which is a love that is different from this world, we see God accomplish in us and through us things we never could imagine.  Simple but true!