A Meaningful Life

There is nothing better for man than to eat, drink, and enjoy his work. I have seen that even this is from God’s hand, because who can eat and who can enjoy life apart from Him? For to the man who is pleasing in His sight, He gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy, but to the sinner He gives the task of gathering and accumulating in order to give to the one who is pleasing in God’s sight. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind. Ecclesiastes 2:24-26

Life can seem futile, even wise Solomon said that. It can be so incredibly hard and hard to enjoy. And we make it worse when we think we can build happiness without God, using our own mind and resources. But even our talents are His and are useless without Him at the wheel. We were never intended to be independent from Him and despite how much we think we know or how much He has gifted us already, we will fail if we try. 

If you're anything like me, you have tried to build a life of happiness on your own and have realized the err of those ways. All of the things I have tried on my own have failed and proven futile. Putting my hope in myself nearly ruined my life. And it's not because I am a "loser", but because I tried to do something apart from the Source, my Creator. 

Unless we're walking with Him, we won't know the bounds of which we can enjoy life to the fullest because, like little kids, we either sit and mope over what isn't going our way or we get so excited that we walk right past the playground and into the street. Our sight is so underdeveloped that we miss the blessing right out in front of us, right in the moment. We miss the value in the little moments of life, which really are the big ones.

Beloved, God wants us to savor every moment and find many opportunities to celebrate because He also celebrates. But because the things of this world are temporary, we need Him to make everything we do meaningful. When we persist in building a life without Him it will prove to be a waste in the end, futile. When we let Him lead, our work will carry forward beyond us. Whatever you feel led to do, let God stay in the lead. Let Him determine the path. The long way is definitely the most rewarding one.  

Sincere Love

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.

 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Romans 12:9-10

Sincere love is all about the giver's motives and priorities. Only when the one's heart is filled with sincere love he or she can give it freely, trusting God that nothing is wasted. A heart filled with sincere love won't give to get something back or only give to a select few who "earn it." And sincere love isn't 

given as a means of change or manipulation. Such a pure thing is never dangled like a piece of meat. But what it gives does produce change because what is given freely produces freedom all around. 

You see, sincere love is powerful because it's Originator is the Almighty God. And since He alone gives us the ability to love across borders, He is involved in every love transaction to be sure that not a single act of love is wasted. It might be invisible to the human eye and it might even seem fake to those who have never experienced it. Your friends and family will probably even think you're foolish. That's because sincere love is godly and godliness is foreign to the flesh. We all have to have it modeled for us at some point before we can love someone else freely. 

Don't be afraid, dear one. Let God fill your heart with sincere love and become a vehicle of which His love travels through to others. Don't worry about what you will get in return or what others will think. Know that God wastes no sacrifice given to Him. And there is nothing greater than the privilege to be a part of His great work on Earth.

Knowing the Peace of Christ

Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt, and glorify the King of heaven, because all His works are true and His ways are just. He is able to humble those who walk in pride. Daniel 4:37

I think the main reason most believers don't live in peace is due to the responsibilities we load on ourselves that were never meant to be ours. Many of us spend a large percentage of our lives trying to change others. We beg, we plead and try to reason. We say hurtful things, hoping to get their attention when all we really do is cause more pain and harden people towards us. We lose sleep trying to figure out our strategy. We justify manipulation tactics by convincing ourselves that we're helping them. But it never works; such an act of self righteousness only causes bitterness and frustration on both ends. All of this can be avoided if we'll just surrender to Jesus and His way.

In truth, we need as much change as everyone else, yet we've been staring at the tall grass in the backyards of others for so long that our own grass has grown up above our heads. It's so much easier to spot problems in others than in ourselves, isn't it? It requires far more patience and intentionality to focus on our own hearts than it does to help our fellow man see his or her own wretchedness. But ours is the only one we're truly responsible for. And until we face ours head-on, we won't be of any use in helping others with their own. 

The most foundational way that we can make an impact on others is to live in the peace Jesus offers us personally. His peace is such an unusual thing in this world we live in and so it's going to turn heads. It's not a place of pride, but of humility and acceptance. But living in that place requires that we stay close to Jesus, on purpose, where we can learn proper boundaries and see our own hearts clearly. 

Every way but His way will backfire. While our way divides, His brings us together. He can turn the most sinful and hate-filled hearts into purer and love-filled vessels. He alone can change any heart and humble the prideful. Quite often, that's us. Ask me how I know.

Tender, Like God

He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. Isaiah 53:3-4

I had cried and cried and I just wanted to stop, but I couldn't. The pain inside was so great. I hurt so much that I became confused as to how something like this could cause this much pain and I began wondering what else was hiding beneath the surface to make me hurt this much. So I started praying, asking God to help me to see what was going on inside. As I closed my eyes and prayed desperately, I saw Jesus during his life as a man, knelt down on the ground all alone in the wilderness. He was bawling his eyes out. I could even hear the sounds of his sobs. He was in pain for many of the same reasons my heart hurt. 

As I opened my eyes God said something like: Your pain doesn't always reveal that something is wrong with you, my child. Exposure to my love makes you tender, caring and able to love wholeheartedly. Being close to me will bring more pain than you're used to because what breaks my heart will break yours. You will even sometimes feel pain more intensely than before. But know that I am making you stronger, not weaker. 

His words encouraged me so; He breathed courage and strength into me when I felt I could not take much more. I felt stronger as I realized that being tender is a trait of strength in God's eyes. 

This is a lesson worth sharing. We all have plenty of temptations to harden in this life. It's easier for us to harden than stay soft amidst the hard stuff we face. But the key is to stay tender no matter what. When we are willing to feel pain and other uncomfortable feelings, it's a sign of courage. Courage is a must if we're willing to address our own messes. With sensitivity comes intimacy with God, which means our hearts become more like His. And He's not weak at all! 

The Reconciler

I will make them a single stick so that they become one in My hand. 

Ezekiel 37:19b

God is a reconciler in a world full of brokenness. He reconciles us to Him and uses us to reconcile others to Him. He heals broken hearts and relationships through understanding. It is He who brings things together when there seems to be no hope. It is God who changes hearts and opens eyes to make a way for healing. I will go so far as to say that any time two things come together for good, it's only because of God.

There is nothing He cannot repair. I have witnessed God heal relationships that seem entirely unhealthy and beyond repair. I have witnessed His work as He changed both hearts, opened the eyes of both people and brought understanding between two opposing parties. I was one of those parties. Looking back, I needed as much redemption as the other party did. And as I waited, He made me someone I never thought I could be. Thankfully, He hasn't finished yet

I still have some broken relationships that have never healed. I've learned that sometimes a relationship falls apart regardless of prayer and waiting because God's first priority is to reconcile us to Him. It seems like a perfect plan because no one can heal a heart broken by another damaged human like our God. If all He does is change me, I still received a miracle. 

Before you're too quick to walk away, take it to God. Ask Him, "God, do you want to heal this relationship or do you want to use it's brokenness to change me?" He will do one of the two. Don't take matters into your own hands lest you miss out on a miracle, even if just in your own heart. It is only God who transforms the most hopeless into a sign of hope. 

A Helpful Rebuke

Didn't you treat your sister Sodom as an object of scorn when you were proud, before your wickedness was exposed? Ezekiel 16:5

What a lesson for us all! As soon as we think we're better than another sinner, we set ourselves up for a leveling of sorts. It doesn't mean it's wrong to call a sin a sin but that unless sin is dealt with carefully, we become as bound to sin as the ones we rebuke. 

Sin isn't something to be addressed through manipulation and control. It's to be dealt with boldly, yes, but in humility so that we help one another. If all we're doing is making them defensive, we will never get through to be able to do so and we're missing the very point in rebuking. It's important to approach it understanding that none of us are exempt from committing the same sins as the next person. 

All throughout scripture, pride is the outlet through which sin seems to become mysteriously contagious. Therefore, know your own heart and admit your shortcomings so that you can get the stick out of your own eye before trying to help the next person. Doing it that way certainly changes how you see and treat other sinners and how they respond to you. If you truly want to be close to the Lord, you will have to deal with your own heart before Him- not anyone else's. 

God, The Encourager

An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. Proverbs 31:10

I have read this verse many a time, and so I tend to overlook how it applies to me and let it sink in. I've always wanted to be the wife in this verse but never thought that I could be. But recently the Lord had me take a second look. He spoke to me in it, specifically to me. He affirmed me as a wife, reminding me that I am rare. He wanted me to know this, to let it sink it for me personally. He wanted me to know that He is pleased with me, despite my short-comings. He wanted to lift me up, because He is the ultimate encourager.

Are you a spouse who seeks God's will in your relationship, who leans on God as a refuge and completer? Then this verse is for you. Let it sink in. You are an excellent spouse, whose worth is far more than rare jewels...because you are a rare find. The Lord affirms you. You don't have to be perfect, but to have the kind of heart God is looking for. And if you don't, He will help you if you let Him.

You see, it's important to our God that we stay encouraged so that we persevere and, in order to do so, we must fight against the enemy's weapon of discouragement. Believe it, the enemy loves to find every little way to take us down. And often, we help him by resisting the encouragement God has for us. So, take in God's encouragement for yourself, whether it be this scripture or another one you feel being pressed on you. Believe it because He said it - not because you're perfect or follow all the rules, but because He is merciful and gracious and what He says is meant to become your truth. 

Oh child of God, He delights in you even when you don't get it right. God wars for you by encouraging you, if you'll truly listen and let it sink in you will find that believing Him is the key to victory in this life. When you believe Him, you'll find that your heart and mind keep getting stronger. Before you know it, God's strength in you will have overcome several of your giants. Stay encouraged!