I have been contemplating the thoughts or truths in this devotional for a few days.
Just a little warning--if you are looking for something a little on the light side -ya won't hurt my feelings if you decided to move on. :)
Go ahead, I won't even know --because Mr Site meter is gone. :)
I want you to be able to come and go as you please without having to wonder about me and if I am thinking-Why in the world did they not leave a comment?
Freedom!
Cool?
Just remember I did not write this--but I wish I had. This guys would have been someone incredible to know. His walk with the Lord and his thoughts amaze me.
So says Mr Chambers.........
Psalm 46:10--Be still and know that I am God........
Perseverance is more than endurance.
It is endurance combined with absolute assurance and certainty that what we are looking for is going to happen. Perseverance means more than just hanging on, which may be only exposing our fear of letting go and falling. Perseverance is our supreme effort of refusing to believe that our hero is going to be conquered. Our greatest fear is not that we will be damned, but that somehow Jesus Christ will be defeated. Also, our fear is that the very things our Lord stood for--love, justice, forgiveness, and kindness among men-will not win out in the end and will represent an unattainable goal for us. Then there is the call to spiritual perseverance. A call not to hang on and do nothing, but to work deliberately, knowing with certainty that God will never be defeated. If our hopes seem to be experiencing disappointment right now, it simply means that they are being purified. Every hope or dream of the human mind will be fulfilled if it is noble and of God. But one of the greatest stresses in life is the stress of waiting for God. He brings fulfillment, because you have kept My command to persevere..."(Revelation 3:10) Continue to persevere spiritually.
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If you are like me sometimes I have to go back and read his devotionals again.
My first reaction is to read this and think Mr Chamber is a little off. Or at least think--he is not talking about me there.
Take the perseverance part-Perseverance means more than just hanging on, which may be only exposing our fear of letting go and falling.
Do I sometimes dig my feet in and hang on to God just because without Him as a last hope I've got nothing? That is kind of a rude thought. How dare someone even suggest that I am holding on to God because I have got nothing better.
But, can I say that that might be true? When a huge problem arises do I first go to God and then drop it? OR do I hash all the possible solutions out in my mind and then figure- "well to be on the safe side I had better give it to Him because
I don't think my way is going to work anyway"???
If I am really honest--and that is the goal here--I will say, Well ,yes, I have been here before.
Shocked?
Now what about this next statement--Our greatest fear is not that we will be damned, but that somehow Jesus Christ will be defeated.
My first reaction here is to answer this from my head--from the truth that comes from the Bible that is stored there. And that response would sound something like this.
"How dare anyone suggest that I even remotely think that Jesus will be defeated. That is just a bold faced lie." But, I don't think Mr Chambers wants us to take this on a surface level.
I think he wants us to look at our life and see if our actions line up with what we say we know to be true.
And as one of my good friends said--the proof is in the pudding.
If there is any area in my life where I don't stand on the word--could it possible be because I think that satan might just be able to pull something off the Jesus can't stop?
Both my children belong to Jesus--it is His job to protect them. Do I think they are safe in His hands? Or do pray about their safety and then worry about them till they get home
in one piece?
If I believe that Jesus can not be defeated--that should equal no anxiety---- right?
I am not saying that we are going to get everything right the first time.
Most of our walk with Christ is growing and learning.
But...... what I think is really important is for us not just to look at what is in our heads--but what our actions say about what we really believe.
My actions have not always matched up to what I say I believe.
Gasp!
But is it the truth.
I know we are all learning and growing. I think the greatest downfall in my walk with the Lord has been my refusal at times to let the Holy Spirit reveal to me where I really am in my walk with the Lord.
I plow through life thinking that I am doing just fine. And in the end I figure I am going to get to heaven and there is going to be a huge banner reading----The one who got it right!
Don't I wish. :)
Now- I will tell you that I cling dearly to the verse that says that He will complete the good work He began in me.
Phew! Relief!
But I do have some responsibility there. I must submit to the will of God.
I do hope I am growing in this area. Only God can really give me the thumbs up here.
No one else knows my heart like He does.
So I guess you could say that this is part of working out my faith with fear and trembling.
Do you know what I want to be the greatest desire in my heart?
The desire to please God. In my mind there is one way to please God.
That one way? To live as His son lived.
Just some thoughts from a girl working it out one day at a time.
Thanks for walking with me.
Just a little warning--if you are looking for something a little on the light side -ya won't hurt my feelings if you decided to move on. :)
Go ahead, I won't even know --because Mr Site meter is gone. :)
I want you to be able to come and go as you please without having to wonder about me and if I am thinking-Why in the world did they not leave a comment?
Freedom!
Cool?
Just remember I did not write this--but I wish I had. This guys would have been someone incredible to know. His walk with the Lord and his thoughts amaze me.
So says Mr Chambers.........
Psalm 46:10--Be still and know that I am God........
Perseverance is more than endurance.It is endurance combined with absolute assurance and certainty that what we are looking for is going to happen. Perseverance means more than just hanging on, which may be only exposing our fear of letting go and falling. Perseverance is our supreme effort of refusing to believe that our hero is going to be conquered. Our greatest fear is not that we will be damned, but that somehow Jesus Christ will be defeated. Also, our fear is that the very things our Lord stood for--love, justice, forgiveness, and kindness among men-will not win out in the end and will represent an unattainable goal for us. Then there is the call to spiritual perseverance. A call not to hang on and do nothing, but to work deliberately, knowing with certainty that God will never be defeated. If our hopes seem to be experiencing disappointment right now, it simply means that they are being purified. Every hope or dream of the human mind will be fulfilled if it is noble and of God. But one of the greatest stresses in life is the stress of waiting for God. He brings fulfillment, because you have kept My command to persevere..."(Revelation 3:10) Continue to persevere spiritually.
----------
If you are like me sometimes I have to go back and read his devotionals again.
My first reaction is to read this and think Mr Chamber is a little off. Or at least think--he is not talking about me there.
Take the perseverance part-Perseverance means more than just hanging on, which may be only exposing our fear of letting go and falling.
Do I sometimes dig my feet in and hang on to God just because without Him as a last hope I've got nothing? That is kind of a rude thought. How dare someone even suggest that I am holding on to God because I have got nothing better.
But, can I say that that might be true? When a huge problem arises do I first go to God and then drop it? OR do I hash all the possible solutions out in my mind and then figure- "well to be on the safe side I had better give it to Him because
I don't think my way is going to work anyway"???
If I am really honest--and that is the goal here--I will say, Well ,yes, I have been here before.
Shocked?
Now what about this next statement--Our greatest fear is not that we will be damned, but that somehow Jesus Christ will be defeated.
My first reaction here is to answer this from my head--from the truth that comes from the Bible that is stored there. And that response would sound something like this.
"How dare anyone suggest that I even remotely think that Jesus will be defeated. That is just a bold faced lie." But, I don't think Mr Chambers wants us to take this on a surface level.
I think he wants us to look at our life and see if our actions line up with what we say we know to be true.
And as one of my good friends said--the proof is in the pudding.
If there is any area in my life where I don't stand on the word--could it possible be because I think that satan might just be able to pull something off the Jesus can't stop?
Both my children belong to Jesus--it is His job to protect them. Do I think they are safe in His hands? Or do pray about their safety and then worry about them till they get home
in one piece?
If I believe that Jesus can not be defeated--that should equal no anxiety---- right?
I am not saying that we are going to get everything right the first time.
Most of our walk with Christ is growing and learning.
But...... what I think is really important is for us not just to look at what is in our heads--but what our actions say about what we really believe.
My actions have not always matched up to what I say I believe.
Gasp!
But is it the truth.
I know we are all learning and growing. I think the greatest downfall in my walk with the Lord has been my refusal at times to let the Holy Spirit reveal to me where I really am in my walk with the Lord.
I plow through life thinking that I am doing just fine. And in the end I figure I am going to get to heaven and there is going to be a huge banner reading----The one who got it right!
Don't I wish. :)
Now- I will tell you that I cling dearly to the verse that says that He will complete the good work He began in me.
Phew! Relief!
But I do have some responsibility there. I must submit to the will of God.
I do hope I am growing in this area. Only God can really give me the thumbs up here.
No one else knows my heart like He does.
So I guess you could say that this is part of working out my faith with fear and trembling.
Do you know what I want to be the greatest desire in my heart?
The desire to please God. In my mind there is one way to please God.
That one way? To live as His son lived.
Just some thoughts from a girl working it out one day at a time.
Thanks for walking with me.
9 comments:
It is a pleasure walking with you my friend, love you.
that is some darn good stuff...
makes me really stop and think..
thank you
and thank you for walking with me...
What I want more is just like a little girl that is looking to her Dad for approval....... I try and I fail and then I try again and sometimes I get it right but then there are those days that I do not..... I have been through the religious thing and that was a mess for me...... always stayed defeated..... Never feeling that He was at all pleased..... Now I just go through my days with the prayer on my lips that He will nudge me this way and that way and I will allow that nudging.......He is ever nudging us to submit to His will.... I like to imagine Him through out the day when I do submit and I turn and I see Him smile........... I am still very much a little child....... I want to please Him..... and He is patient......
Dennis
That is what I am talking about.
I want to look up and see that smile on my Daddy Gods face.
I so want to please Him!
This was awesome post. I'm so glad you shared it.
Our Happy Happenings
Livin' With Me
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. It can be a little "ouchy" at times to examine ourselves closely. Often what I know to be true does NOT affect the choices I make as much as they should or influence my thoughts as they should. I believe so much is about stinking thinking and allowing God to refine that for me! I often slip into habits instead of submitting my body as a holy living sacrifice, which includes thoughts and attitudes and emotions. I awoke this morning feeling so weary. This has insipred me to keep pressing on for the higher goal. Thank you.
I don't know about you, but I often feel overwhelmed at this task. Just last night I was driving and I said, "Lord, please show me it's worth all this." I have been under some major attacks lately, some I write about, some I cannot. But I so desperately want to be found faithful in Him and to the world often it seems crazy, out there and just hard. But, I'm with you, one day, one step at a time!! And then we will see his smile as we enter through those gates and He says, "Well done, my good and faithful one." =)
There are times, more often then I'd like them to be, where I've stopped in my tracks with all the evil taking place around me and really question "and I'm victorious in Him, how?". I always had a heart for the USA because it was so God-fearing, or so I thought and then I wondered did folks here really mean it when they pledge "One nation under God". Are we talking about the same God here because I'm not seeing that at times. Sometimes, I have felt "What's the use?". I would sometimes panic when I thought of any hardship I may have to endure and the thought that I could be just like Peter and deny Christ. This thought got the better of me at times. Then, one day, without thinking, the Lord revealed that He sees my heart. He showed me that the same Spirit that took Jesus to the Cross and beyond, is the same Spirit that is at work within me BOTH to will and to do of His good pleasure. Jesus said, He would rise again in three days and He did! He said that heaven and earth would pass away but His Word will not fail and it won't! There's no excuse not to persevere when You have the Lord watching over His Word to perform it. From another "girl working it out one day at a time" too! You touch my heart, Sharon, in more ways than one. It's a pleasure "getting to know you"!
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