Taking responsibility for your own life

A wise woman will always be growing, learning, stretching. Now there are seasons when just surviving seems to be the way of life. Yet, I have seen, that I must be responsible for my own life and that means planning and incorporating wisdom as a part of my every day–reading books, articles that stretch me in the direction of excellence. Feeding my soul on scripture, on writers who stimulate me to love God, to serve others, biographies that inspire me is what gives me ideas to discuss, thoughts to lead my heart and wisdom to share. It does not come from a vacuum–we must invest in what we hope to become. What we sow we will reap.

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The Mind of Christ

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. -Philippians 2:5-8

Christ came to earth as the perfect example of servanthood and self-denial. As children of God, we have confidence of our standing in His eyes. Yet He calls us to humble ourselves and consider the fact that there are many who still need Him. He calls those who claim salvation to be a testimony of who Christ is and why He came. May we seek daily to have the mind of Christ.

It is so easy to get wrapped up in ourselves; to focus on our own thoughts and desires. But Jesus challenged us to something higher.

And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:

Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. -Matthew 20:27,28

And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. -Luke 9:23 This is not the message of the world today! Abundant joy and peace are ours if we humbly and obediently yield to His call to forget ourselves, follow Him, and be filled with His Spirit. Do our lives bring attention to Christ or to ourselves?

What is revival?

Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Psalm 51:12

Restore means to take back to the starting point. Synonyms: revive, quicken. Meaning "to take back to the beginning; to live again."

Revival is for God's people. We possess everlasting life, but are we living it? "Revival" should be the norm! It is God's standard for the normal Christian life. We have the opportunity to live victorious, Spirit-filled Christian lives every day. When we are converted, we are brought from spiritual illness to health; from pride to grace; from the abnormal to the normal.

Revival requires a recognition of sin. Revival is for those who are guilty. It requires taking responsibility.

Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. -Psalm 51:2,3

Conviction of sin is a work of God. When we begin to "go through the motions" in our relationship with God; when we do not give Him our full attention, everything becomes mechanical and routine. We get in a rut. We don't even realize that we are living without the power of the Spirit, rather we are living in our own power, trying to serve the Lord in our own strength, ignorant of our own poverty. We become weak and useless, being blind to our own sin and moral decay. We lack sensitivity to sin in our lives and (even as the psalmist in the text) fall into sin and out of fellowship with God.

David was given the truth about his sin in II Sam 11:1-7. It is God's mercy that reveals the truth to our hearts.

By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil. Prov. 16:6

Revival requires repentance. We must agree with God about our sins, accept the consequences, and ask God to forgive and cleanse. There must be earnest seeking of reconciliation with God.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. Ps. 51:17

Revival results in rejoicing and restoration. We have been cleansed; there is nothing (no sin) between us and God. Full fellowship is restored and we rejoice in His great mercy and grace.

Great Grace

For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ -Titus 2:11-13

In this day and age, a popular belief is that grace excuses sin. Nothing could be further from the truth! Grace does not excuse sin, rather it delivers us from sin, it brings salvation. Grace is for the guilty, the helpless, the speechless; not the proud and self-sufficient. We have the responsibility to receive it.

But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

-James 6:7-10

Grace is not a "once and done" thing. Daily we need God's grace in our lives.

The grace of God does not allow us to continue in our sin. As our heavenly Father, He does what is best for us; He rebukes and chastens those whom He loves. The word "teaching" in Titus 2:12 includes chastening.

Grace proclaims truth and teaches us to deny ourselves what is dangerous. Lack of a reverence for God results in sin and living in the flesh. Resisting the truth means resisting grace and the Father. Are we open and submissive to the truth; are we speaking the truth in our hearts?

Grace produces life - it teaches us how we should live. Everlasting life begins with salvation. "He that hath the Son hath life." Victorious, Spirit-filled, joyful, revived Christian living: are we squandering our "everlasting life," or are we living it?

Going down to verse 13 of Titus 2 we read that we are to live soberly, righteously, and godly. They address how we live with respect to ourselves, to others, and to God. Living soberly means exercising restraing, moderation, and rational thinking. Living righteously means living rightly with respect to others; being honest, just, and true. Living godly lives entails great reverence for God; having the fear of God instilled in our hearts.

Grace produces hope for Christ's return. 1 Thess 4; 1 Cor. 15

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first.

What will YOU do with grace?

A promise for today

Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. ~Exodus 23:20

Servanthood

Whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;

And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:

Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto,

but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

-Matthew 20:26b-28

How can YOU give up your life to "save" others?

Servants are responsive to the needs of others. Their concerns are not with themselves and how others could serve them but on how they could be a blessing to others. God's attributes of love, compassion, kindness, patience, and mercy, when manifested in the life of a believer beholding the glory of God, result in Christlike service for others. This is mature Christianity.

Servants are also responsive to the will of another. The spirit of our age preaches that if you do not like the will of your master, it is all right to ignore or defy it. By contrast, Christ's attributes of meekness (willing to be goverened), humility, faith (confidence in His Father), and temperance when manifested in the life of a believer result in Christ likesubmission to authority. Christ suffered at the hands of human authority. He was a servant because He responded to the needs of others. He was known for His sacrifice. He denied Himself in order to be submissive. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus!

The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn which shines brighter and brighter until the full day. Proverbs 4:18

His focus for me as a child is that I move from immaturity towards maturity. From self-absorption to self-sacrifice. His discipline for me is daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, training my appetites of life to His ways. Teaching me to love righteousness and to be sensitive to His heart. Learning in my real paths of life how to life my life his way, with His wisdom.

Walking in the Spirit

This I say then, Walk in the spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. -Galatians 5:16,17

The Bible speaks much of doing, but it is to be a response of obedience to God and is to be energized by Him. We call this obedience walking in the Spirit, or being controlled by the Holy Spirit. Since we cannot do the work of God on our own, every Christian needs to understand and practice what it means to be controlled by or filled with the Spirit. We are to yield or submit to His control. Your responsiveness to His conviction of sin will test your sincerity. A proper response makes continued fellowship with God possible.

In Ephesians 4:30 we are told not to quench the Spirit of God. His work in us is quenched or hindered by our selfishness. As we "put off" the ways of the flesh, as we hear and do what the Spirit says, we begin to develop the "mind of Christ" and to be "renewed in the spirit of [our] minds.Our lives will demonstrate an increasing stability and fruitfulness for Christ.

A love relationship is at the heart of our obedience. We will please the one we love the most.

Endurance is continued obedience to God even under pressure; the crowing virtue of character. The love for Christ, the relationship, is what fuels endurance during a trial. A renewed mind beholds "those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God" and set is "affection on things above, not on things on the earth."

"Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him." -James 1:12

Having the Mind of Christ

In order to have a renewed mind we must choose to listen to God instead of to our own heart or to others who listen to their own heart. We must choose to think like God. The reflective time we spend will yield a lasting like-mindedness that increases our affection for God and controls our decisions. We must continue meditating on the Word until it becomes a permanent part of our thinking and beings to show a difference in our lifestyle and practice.

Biblical meditation means an ongoing interaction with God Himself, asking Him to reveal to us the truth He wants us to know and practice so our fellowship with Him can increase and our fruitfulness for Him can grow. He will convict of us unconfessed sin, and as we repent, He says He will "pour out my spirit unto you and make known my words unto you." (Prov. 1:23) One purpose of meditation is to know and remove the barriers that hinder our fellowship with Him before He will reveal His words to us.

Speak the truth in your heart

Renewing the mind also means disciplining oneself not to give in to sloppy thinking during times of difficulty. In 1 Peter 1:13 we are exhorted to be diligent and "gird up the loins of our minds." We need to consider what kind of next right response keeps us usable to Christ during a trial. Anyone who knows how to worry knows how to meditate. Worriers are skilled in the meditation process but are meditating on the wrong kind of thoughts. Reflective thoughts must be on the truth from God and not on a lie from our own heart or from Satan.

We were not created to be self-governing beings. We were designed to listen to someone for direction in life. Whom you listen to is the first issue to settle in gaining wisdom. If we are to move away from the corruption of our own heart and develop a renewed mind, we must make it a habit of life, a discipline, to listen to God rather than our own heart. The cornerstone of wisdom is a dependent and submissive heart that shows itself by giving its attention to God and to godly spiritual leaders.

Wisdom is not having God's perspective of a whole matter before us, but having God's perspective about what next response will honor Him while keeping us still usable to Him. The goal of the Christian life is to stay on the path of usefulness to God no matter what the circumstances. We will not become like Christ if we are thrown off the road of usefulness by indulgences in our own flesh, by ungodly reactions to calamity, or to the fleshly reactions of those who are not living wisely.

Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:

And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. -Matt. 7:24-27

Finding the Truth

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. -John 14:6

A man who is not seeking God, and who consequently is not seeing God, is living in the world without a true sense of reality.

God...made the world and all things therein,...and giveth to all life, and breath, and all things'...For in Him we live, and move, and have our being'...He now commandeth all men every where to repent: because He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom He hath ordained (Jesus); whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He has raised Him from the dead. -see Acts 17:24-31

Ignorance of this reality is a guarantee that life will be filled with emptiness, restlessness, and frustration. An unbeliever is content to seek his own solutions, apart from God. Any attempt to solve the problems of life apart from God is both arrogant, and in the long run, ineffective. Living in the real world requires a man to know the God who has revealed himself to us in His word. Man cannot create within himself a desire for God. God must take the initiative if a man is to know Him. Renewing the mind starts with God. God places within us a desire for a relationship with Him.

The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. -Jer. 31:3

God's Spirit must personally show us the realities of God as we ponder the Scriptures if we are to be changed. Knowledge of the truth moves us to greater assurance and humility, a desire to praise it, and an urgency to obey it. So many believers are not seeing God because they are NOT seeking Him.

Revival does not come when God's people start doing right, it comes when God's people start seeing God.

Wholehearted pursuit of God is rewarded with a view of God Himself. As we behold His glory and illumined with the truth, we grow in Christlikeness. If our view of God is not right, nothing can ultimately be right in our lives. To live in the real world, God must be central in our thoughts.

Not only does knowing God require that we desire Him, it also requires that we seek Him passionately. Everyone is passionate - either he loves himself , or he loves God and others. In the Beatitudes, Jesus said that the pure in heart will see God. The word pure here denotes singleness of heart. God takes double-mindedness very seriously. If we are to know Him in a personal, intimate way, He must have first place in our lives.

But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. -Deut. 4:29

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. -Heb. 11:6

But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.

Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. -Matt. 16:2-25

Getting in Touch with Reality

Over the past several months I have been going through a study book geared for discipling young Christians titled Changed into His Image by Jim Berg. It is an excellent resource packed full of fundamental truths. I recently finished it and have decided to go back to the beginning and write down some essential themes or doctrines that have helped me have a more accurate view of the truth and how it relates to my life. I would like to review some critical elements of the Christian walk that are very neglected in churches today.

If we are to be able to respond to God's will, we must crucify the flesh, that is die to self. It is only when the power of sin is broken and we experience newness of life that we are free to respond to the indwelling Spirit.

For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. Romans 8:13

If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Colossians 3:1-5

But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. Romans 6:22

For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. Romans 6:14

Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:11

We must not be double-minded, yielding to the flesh and feelings at one moment, and minding God and His truth the next. We should not make decisions based on how we feel at the moment, but by facts of what God has said is reality. We must believe God's truth for the reality that it is. Feelings generated by fleshly, selfish thinking will keep you trapped in a fantasy world of make-believe.

For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. James 1:6-8

Not only must we believe the truth about our identification with Christ, we must also yield to the right master as a result of what we know.

Just two choices on the shelf - pleasing God or pleasing self.

The Christian life is not easy because of the warring sinfulness within us. But it isn't really complicated either. Complications are the natural result of going our own way. But the way out of the complications is always a series of simple choices - am I going to please God or please myself? Yielding = obedience!

But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Romans 6:16-17

Paul is saying, "You got yourself in this mess by obeying your flesh and denying God; the only way out is to start denying the flesh and obeying God!"

Thought to consider: What we often call a lack of self-discipline is actually a lack of obedience.

We need to exercise our will against sinful influences in our lives. Not resisting the evil around us leaves us in a weakened spiritual condition, devoid of the joy, peace, and fellowship with God that should be reigning within.

Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; 1 Peter 2:11

Consuming the world's entertainment and philosophies causes Christians to embrace its goals and attitudes, leaving them powerless to make any impact for God. Self-restraint means saying no to what you flesh wants to do. Self-denial protects us from the dangers of giving in to the urges of the flesh. True mortification of the flesh cannot take place while you are allowing the world to feed your flesh.

And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. Luke 9:23 -(interesting to note that Jesus said this before He was crucified)

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. 1 John 2:15-17

The reality of life is that life isn't supposed to make sense or bring any lasting peace and satisfaction without God. Fellowship with God is blocked by the sin of going our own way in some aspect of life. The connection is restored upon our repentance. Once restored to fellowship with God, we have the opportunity to develop a dependent, personal relationship with Him. Next time I will write about how to what needs to be happening between God and us and how to develop a personal relationship with Him.

The Call of the Cross

Here is a short excerpt from a post I came across this post this morning. It addresses the high calling of motherhood, but ultimately it applies to each one of us and all of life:

Our culture is simply afraid of death. Laying down your own life, in any way, is terrifying. Strangely, it is that fear that drives the abortion industry: fear that your dreams will die, that your future will die, that your freedom will die—and trying to escape that death by running into the arms of death.

But a Christian should have a different paradigm. We should run to to the cross. To death. So lay down your hopes. Lay down your future. Lay down your petty annoyances. Lay down your desire to be recognized. Lay down your fussiness at your children. Lay down your perfectly clean house. Lay down your grievances about the life you are living. Lay down the imaginary life you could have had by yourself. Let it go.

Stop clinging to yourself and cling to the cross. There is more joy and more life and more laughter on the other side of death than you can possibly carry alone.

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HT: Kelly

Patient endurance

God sends us times of waiting to test and strengthen our faith. From it we can learn to depend on His grace to be patient. A great deal of the Christian life is about patience and endurance:

...we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

Romans 5:3-5

Part of patient endurance entails being surrendered or submitted to God's will. It requires us to deny ourselves and be obedient to what He knows is best for us. His prime concern is not for our happiness, but for our holiness. He uses trials, difficulties, struggles to draw us nearer to Him and to teach us to grow in dying to self and in serving others. Christ set that example for us during His time here on earth.The best thing is that Jesus is a Friend that will always be there to help us through the hard times, even when others cannot be. He will never leave us nor forsake us.

As we walk in obedience, we allow ourselves to be controlled by the Spirit. Instead of indulging the flesh by focusing on what WE want or by allowing negative emotions and discouragement or self-pity to creep in, we can have peace and joy of heart because of a mind set on Him and His purposes. Sometimes we need to take an honest look at our attitudes and confess a lack of submission or trust in His sovereignty. Being victimized by our emotions is not necessary when we are focusing on the Lord and allowing Him to renew our minds and wills. Joy of heart is God's blessing to those who love, serve, and obey Him.

He that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about. Psalm 32:10

The Weaving

The Weaving

My life is but a weaving, between my God and me;
I do not chose the colors, He worketh steadily.
Oft times He weaveth sorrow, and I in foolish pride
Forget He sees the upper, and I the under side.
Not til the loom is silent, and shuttles cease to fly
Will God unroll the canvas and explain the reason why
The dark threads are as needful in the skillful Weaver’s hand
As threads of gold and silver in the pattern He has planned.

–Anonymous

True Christianity

Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. Luke 9:24

We gain and grow in the Christian life by giving away our lives for Christ and to others. That can be painful yet enormously fruitful. When we bear testimony to Christ, we discover that instead of shrinking (as we perhaps feared), we grow. Our witness to Christ involves everything we are and do, particularly the way we serve others. Here we touch the essence of the transformation Christ brings to our lives. He himself came as a servant. If we are not serving others, we cannot be growing more like Christ; and if we are not growing more like Christ....we are not growing.

Serving involves learning to pray for others, to give time to them and for them, to use our talents and organize our finances in such a way that these too are offered in tribute to Christ. To live thus is to be blissfully delivered from the self-obsession of our age and to discover that the service of Christ is perfect freedom. (excerpted from Healthy Christian Growth, by Sinclair Furguson)

It is by teaching that we teach ourselves,

by relating that we observe,

by affirming that we examine,

by showing that we look,

by writing that we think,

by pumping that we draw water into the well.

-Henri-Frederic Amiel

The Defining Characteristic of Christianity

As Christians we cannot ask ‘What must I do...?’ We must ask ‘What must I be...?’”

Fruitful Christianity comes from the inside out – from who we are – not from what we do. It is the inside that must first be changed, and then the heart will give birth to healthy, genuine expressions. For example, a shortsighted question asks, “What can I do to show love to my controlling, self-absorbed sister?” Would it not be better to actually love her? The first approach is concerned with outside appearances – the second is based on what is actually in the heart, and will have far greater impact. At issue is not the appearance of love, but actually having it.

Pray for these families

The mother of 9 in this picture is nursing her 3 week old baby. Her family and many others lost their homes and family members to a deadly tornado in Alabama last week. Her story can be seen on her blog. Love in action is being demonstrated as the body of Christ works together to meet the needs of the victims.

You can help! There are links posted to donate to the relief effort.

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

(Gal. 6:2)

One thing that stood out to me was that the young man in the second video clip mentioned how his dad didn't have to go in to work that day, so it was a blessing that they got to spend his last day on earth working on projects around the house as a family. Surely all the work done was lost that day, but the time spent together was not. When life on earth has ended, only what is done for Him will last. Jesus was all about relationships, both with God and with one another. Let's look to Him as our pattern as we seek to build relationships with eternal significance.

Obedience is a pathway

The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn which shines brighter and brighter until the full day. Proverbs 4:18

"His focus for me as a child is that I move from immaturity towards maturity. From self-absorption to self-sacrifice. His discipline for me is daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, training my appetites of life to His ways. Teaching me to love righteousness and to be sensitive to His heart. Learning in my real paths of life how to life my life his way, with His wisdom. It has taken me a whole lifetime to learn the ways of righteousness. And so it is with our children."

(more.. Obedience is a pathway, not a procedure! )