Transforming and Listening

Last weekend I was at a youth retreat, and God spoke to me in an incredible way. It was Saturday morning, and we were told to go out somewhere in the camp for quiet time to be with Jesus. I decided to go up to the gazebo, because I love looking out at the lake and God's beautiful creation. At this point I had no idea what passage I would read or what God wanted to say to me. Once there, I found a plaque explaining who the gazebo was dedicated to. At the bottom was a passage: Romans 12: 1-3. So I decided to read it. It was exactly what I needed to hear, verse two in particular:

"Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." - Romans 12:2

I love the idea of being transformed from the inside out... God taking the way I think and making me see through His eyes. It was a call to be counter-cultural and completely changed. It had a huge impact. But that's not even the best part of the story...

After about 45 minutes, we came back to the main building to have worship and a session. Our youth pastor gets up front and tells us the theme for the weekend: Romans 12:2. I was shocked. I quickly pulled out my Bible and checked to make sure it was the same verse I had underlined half an hour earlier. It was. Boy, by then I was overwhelmed by God's power to get my attention. Wow, oh wow. So the whole weekend was based around the verse that I had "stumbled" upon at the gazebo. God is so incredible. He will never stop amazing me. I encourage you to check out the whole chapter of Romans 12. It has some powerful stuff in there. And never doubt that God's ability to speak to us. He always wants to tell us things, but we have to make sure we're listening.

Goodness...

I sing unto the Lord a song that my heart knows well...that He is Good!  Yes...so incredibly good.
Even now I count his blessings...I write them out...to recall on another day...the goodness of the Lord.

A favorite of mine right now from Isaiah 40:16

And I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know, in paths that they have not known
I will guide them.
I will turn the darkness before them into light,
the rough places into level ground.

These are the things I do
and I do not forsake them.

This is such a GOOD thing from the Lord.

 As I nod off to sleep, I repeat to myself His words and they make me smile...The Father God Himself, reveals His character, his goodness...He does not leave me to struggle through and find my own way in the dark of the unknown, the insecurities of my world....Nooooooo

He claims truth over my life and over yours...He states his promise, his very good promise, to lead, to guide, to bring light against darkness....and if that's not just "all that"...I love this part and I can almost hear him saying it in my mind..."These are the things I do...and I do not forsake them."

I love Him.

The World is Fading...

I found this amazing passage in 1 John yesterday that blew me away, so I wanted to share it with you.

"Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever."

- 1 John 2:15


Once I read this I realized how much I choose to love the things of this world over God. I put my focus and my passion into success, recognition, getting money and stuff, instead of having the love of the Father in my heart. And those things will not last. I've been loving temporary things that will someday fade away. Wow. What a wake up call.

Another thing I thought about is the last line. "Living forever" does not mean that we will live forever on this earth and never die, but instead, it means that we are promised eternal life with Jesus in Heaven. That's WAY better than eternal life on Earth!

So, as you go about your day today, I want you to think about the things you love. Are they the cravings of this fading world? Or are they the loves that God has put on your heart for His divine purpose? It's something to think about.

Where are you planted?

I have a beautiful friend and mentor who is 94 years old. She wrote this in a recent letter. 

"Every morning before breakfast I go out to see what new flowers have bloomed during the night. The new blooms emerge in the darkness - amazing!

So God expects us to bloom in the darkness of the world where we are planted to bring others to rejoice in the beauty of Christ seen through us."

Reflections of the Heart

"As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart."
(NIV)

"As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person."
(NLT)

-Proverbs 27:19

What does your heart look like today?

Stay in the Race

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, 

let us also lay aside every weight,

and sin which clings so closely,

and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

looking to Jesus,

the founder and perfecter of our faith,

who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, 

despising the shame, 

and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

(who is indeed interceding for us - Rom 8:34,

with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him - 
1 Pet 3:22)

Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself,

so that you do not grow weary or fainthearted. 

Hebrews 12:1-3

What We Don't Understand

Just a few weeks ago I had a somewhat traumatizing experience: I failed my driver's test. Now, for some that may seem like no big deal. Everyone fails their test once, right?? Well, for me, it was a huge deal. I was devastated. I had been all ready to go get my little car, insure it, and get out on the road by myself, and now I was still stuck with my "L". I beat myself up over the dumb mistake I made that cost me the test. I cried. I felt like my life was over.

But over time, I started to realize something. And I think it can sort of be summed up by this verse I found today:

"The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way?"
- Proverbs 20:24 (NLT)



Sometimes God works in ways that we don't understand. And sometimes it hurts. I realize now that God used that test to humble me... and show me that no one is perfect. My pride definitely took a beating, but in a good way. But what I like about this verse is that we don't necessarily have to understand what God's up to. Instead, we just have to trust that He knows what He's doing. Sure, I still get frustrated that I didn't pass and that I have to wait 3 months to take the test again, but I just keep reminding myself that God had a plan when He let me fail. I may not see all of it right now, but I believe He has a plan. I know He has a plan.

I also had a song that really gave me perspective during that time of disappointment:

Blessings
by Laura Story

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It's not our home

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise

I pray that when God leads you on paths that may not make sense, you'll learn to trust His guidance no matter what, and that you'll see the blessings He brings through the tough times.