Consider it, Joy.
"Whenever you face trials."
Whenever; not if you face them.
I'm facing them. Where should I begin? To give the details would be gossip but I'll just let your mind wander and it's juicy. From being a mom who continually sees the daily effect of divorce that not only my sole bears but even more devastating my children, my stepchildren. I want to stand in front of them and just say this pain cannot get past me, put their pain in me. When their hearts break over young love. I wanna bring out my mama bear guns and retaliate. But I am living and working through the same human condition they are and as much as God fills up and overflows mama hearts with passion and compassion and sacrificial love for her babies. My heart has a limit. Their hearts have limits. Limits where we end.
Consider it, Joy...
"Whenever you face trials of many kinds.
So its in the plural. My biggest trial is that I am a sinner and my kids and the entire population are sinners incapable of doing anything to save ourselves from the choice of fallenness in us since birth.I accept God's forgiveness through his son Jesus and that trial is forever gone because I can now walk on the bridge that paved the gaping hole between me and a holy God. Overwhelming. But the trials keep a coming. In many forms and many ways. Right down to the peddling religious man offering me a twisted spin on the bible with another book among other things added to it, knocking at my door while I write this. I stand and listen with new insight praying the name of Jesus over this young boy being trained in a message that adds and subtracts from the gospel message of Jesus in the bible and think about how the word says in Revelation "Anyone who adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. Anyone who takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city." Yeah the bible says that and I believe it and it's a trial staring me in the face on my front door...A trial of what to say...being a woman alone in the country and not feeling "safe" to invite two young men in...but ugh feeling compassion and a burden for their souls..It's so easy to sweep through a village in Africa with love and compassion and then get on a plane and Go home. When its at my doorstep in my home country I tend to tighten up, make excuses, and build up preconceived notions on how people will react.
Consider it, Joy...
"Whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know..."
I know. How? Because the track record of the Savior I claim over my whole life is the only thing in my life that is flawless. Immaculately perfect has been his unescapable love relentlessly pursuing my ever wandering and distracted heart. I can know that I know that I know. Not because of me but because of his faithfulness that never lets up on his treasure, me. You. Humanity. Do you just want to lay face down flat on the floor when you think of this truh. the Holy God who is perfect and whole and without need chooses to be patient and pursuent of us, continually as we daily choose us and what we see. Not only that but his word says in Genesis that we bear his image. When you look in the mirror, no matter what your opinion is on what you see there or the effects of living in a fallen world reflects. You. Bear. His. Image.
Consider it , Joy...
Whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith..."
There always seems to be a test. But thankfully our Savior through the word he provides us with doesn't give pop quizes that we are unprepared for. Specifics of the test may come as a shock of a surprise and they may feel more like our lives are ending than a test but he does graciously give us the heads up - Your faith will be tested. Count on it. Prepare for it. Be ready. Hide yourself inside his love be intimate with him. Be surronded by honest and true believers who will admonish and encourage you as you take the test. The testing of my faith as a for sale sign is staked in my yard this morning. Surrendering our dwelling place up to a holy God and asking, "Where do you want us? How can your glory most be defined in the place that we dwell." The test as family and friends may or may not understand that we are willing to lay it down at his feet and for him to be the one who decides if we are to stay or to go. And the battle in me of not wanting change, of wanting to cling tightly to the tangible....Thank you God for this test....It's so hard.
Whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance."
Something is growing through this flamboyant array of rainbow colored trials cropping up in my life. Production. Building. there is going to be a birth in me. And that outcome is perseverance. A stake in the ground no turning back mentatilty, attitude, and action of an unwillnessness to stop no matter what. Whether by life or death. joy or sorrow, suffering or pleasure Jesus will produce inside me a persevereance as I face the trial. Oh yeah I need to point out the word face..we can have all kinds of trials in our life and if we aviod them we can expect to not produce the perseverance. We can expect to remain useless, stuck and half healed in this world the promise of perseverance comes as we look the trial in the eyes with the Joy of our Lord as our only strength.
Consider it, Joy..
"Whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work..."
I've got to let perseverance have its way and do its thing in me..it's that simple or that hard??!!
"Consider it pure joy my brothers whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything"
There.Will. Be. A. Day. When I'm mature, complete and not lacking anything! When my kids don't suffer anymore the consequences of brokenness, sin, hurt, divorce,there will be a day when I won't stress over my dwelling place, when spiritual battles will cease, when no one will knock on my door offering me man made truths. I long for That. Day. That Day. When there is no more lacking. When we don't wonder if the healing will happen. When we don't fear anymore what if's. When nothing will be lacking...no more hungry...no more thirsty...no. More. Death. I will see that day because of the gracious love of my Savior Jesus Christ living in me. I want you to be there on that day. Do you know Jesus. Does he know you? Are you considering your present trial joy...Are you preparing for your not lacking anything day?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQan9L3yXjc&feature=related
No comments:
Post a Comment