God's Hand

I'm not sure if I've ever had a more encouraging resurrection Sunday.

Every week at Bible study, we have a time where we can all share how God has worked in our lives the past week, and every week I am convicted. Honestly I would say I let myself coast on default [unfortunately] most of the time...my brain takes in the events of the day as things that just happen. I asked for prayer that I would be able to see events in my life as God's hand specifically and that I would acknowledge that and praise Him for it.

God is so real. I don't know any other way to say it. Christ really is who He said He was and He really has given His Spirit to me. That kind of assurance [that could assure even a cynic like me] could ONLY come from a God who is there.

Believing in the resurrection changes everything. I am no longer dead in my sins, but am alive in Christ. Because He lives - I live, and belief in the cross "demands my soul, my life, my all." Prayer to a God who is there and the Christ who is really risen is EFFECTIVE. I see how God is working in my life when I'm actively seeking Him through prayer...so when something "happens" its impossible for me to attribute it to chance, or brush it off as nothing.

He is working in my life daily - and to think that He is doing that for all the saints blows my mind at how amazing the Lord is. He cares for us, He DIED for us, and continues to WORK in us, and I have seen that this week so clearly.

**also, this article was really encouraging, as are most I read from DeYoung. It's primarily about growing cold in the faith. May we never forget the relevancy of the gospel and our dependence on it daily. http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2011/04/22/lest-we-drift-away/

That's Life?

A repeating theme this week [and in my life] has been changing friendships.

People leave- move away, transfer schools, get busy, etc. etc.

I'm conflicted between two thoughts:

a) that relationship was good for what it was, when the Lord was gracious enough to provide it, and therefore there is no reason to lament it or desire to have it back.

b) relationships are important and keeping them are even more important. In this way we model faithfulness in loving people un-conditionally (that particular and primary condition being distance)

As per many of the conclusions I come to, my tendency would be to say that its a balance...or at least case-by-case (what type of friendship was it, what are the reasons the friendship changed, and what do I desire it to look like in the future?). But I'm still feeling conflicted on how to look at these situations.

How [do] I Get There [?]

I often wonder "how do I get to where I can say what I want to say?" Writing is often about how I get to the point cleverly, creatively, and logically enough to where my point has been communicated effectively without me just blurting it out.

Other times, I just can't do it. I'm walking the fine line between writing and ranting when I can't lead up to a point, but even at the risk of doing so, I think sometimes it's a relief for me (and I think, a relief for others to read) to just say what you set out to say, right from the get go.

"Out with it already!"

Ironically, writing about how I can't think of a clever introduction has given me an introduction.

(cue awkward paragraph break and imagine a smooth transition here, if you wish)

I want to do something with my life. Before I go on, I want to make a little disclaimer. Yes, I have read "Just Do Something" & I know the will of God for my life is to love Him and obey His commandments so whether I choose a red Prius or a blue Acura is irrelevant. I'm not even speaking ministry-ly (I deny a separation between the sacred and the secular via the priesthood of all believers). What I am referring to is earning my bread. I will need to work. While I know that not everyone has the luxury of doing what they love in order to earn a living, I've been thinking...why can't I? I think I have a choice, don't I? I am filled by Christ, lacking nothing, so my fulfillment will never come from my career, but granted that I am "doing God's will" by treasuring Him alone in my heart I believe I have been given the freedom to pursue something I love.

That's not even to mention giftedness! The Lord has endowed us each with spiritual gifts as well as practical skills that we can employ in a work-setting. We work like the rest of the world, but what a unique opportunity is it that we acknowledge that those gifts are from the Lord and can now be "redeemed" to be used for the Lord.

This isn't necessarily a new revelation. Just an old truth brought to the front of my mind recently. In order to help pay for school, I work a job that I almost can't stand. The work is rote and I am at the bottom of the totem-pole, doing tasks that no one else wants to do. This seems to have been the pattern of my work life so far, and I'm praying its not an indication of what my future will look like. I believe I'm ambitious, not arrogant, when I say that I can do so much more!

I know where I want to go in the end...but how do I get there? I perceive that most are content to work "just to get by." How depressing! Pray ambitiously - I know I will be.