Today

Today – the first day of the rest of my life.

My actions get in the way of my thoughts, my plans, my desires, my wishes. My actions – often the result of Satan planting seeds of doubt, therefore I react – my reaction is not to my good, not positive, but very negative.

It is as Paul writes in Romans 7:14-23 (New Living Translation) …

“The law is good, then. The trouble is not with the law but with me, because I am sold into slavery, with sin as my master. I don’t understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do the very thing I hate. I know perfectly well that what I am doing is wrong, and my bad conscience shows that I agree that the law is good. But I can’t help myself, because it is sin inside me that makes me do these evil things. I know I am rotten through and through so far as my old sinful nature is concerned. No matter which way I turn, I can’t make myself do right. I want to, but I can’t. When I want to do good, I don’t. And when I try not to do wrong, I do it anyway. But if I am doing what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing it; the sin within me is doing it.  It seems to be a fact of life that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart.  But there is another law at work within me that is at war with my mind. This law wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.”  

Jesus tells us in John 8:31-32, 36 (New King James) …

“If you abide in My word … you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”

FREE

Freedom from sin, freedom from the hold Satan has on you.

Satan strives every minute of every day to reduce us to slavery.

“He who is of God hears God’s words; " (John 8:47a)

We hear

We comprehend

But!

Our actions belie our hearing, our comprehending

Our actions give way to a single moment of desire and Satan has us hook, line and sinker. Our desire consumes us – it becomes of more importance than anything else.

We are of God

We hear His word

Yet, unfortunate it is, complete and total allegiance, obedience to Him is missing.

Who am I under?

God’s will

or Satan’s dart of contention warring within me

Who do I serve

Romans 8:5 tells us “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit the things of the Spirit.”

Who do I please

Who do I want to please

What do I want to please

The troubles of the moment will overwhelm us if we don’t look at the overall picture! - If we don’t look to God.

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18)

“(Likewise) the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses for we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:26-28)

“If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31a)

Who?

“Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect?
Who is he who condemns?
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
What will separate us?

Not tribulation, nor distress, nor persecution, nor famine, nor nakedness, nor peril, nor sword.” (Romans 8:33-35)

I am complete in Him.

Our actions may belie our thoughts from time to time, but we are not to stay there.

Our thoughts must always bring us to Jesus.

Our actions must be a result of where God brings us, NOT into a corner where Satan continually strives to drive us.

We must remember to continually look to Him for our everything. For with Him, in Him, I can do anything. 

Without Him, I remain floundering in an open sea without a life jacket, without Hope.

The Lord calls us to life

The Lord calls us to life, therefore we shouldn't let our struggles, our failures define who we are. Each one of us has a struggle we face. We are, after all, sinners. But when we come to Jesus and accept Him as our personal Lord and Savior, because of His great love for us, we are freed from the bonds, the chains which confine us and overwhelm us and keep us locked up in our minds of what we can't do.

I think there are a great many Christian people who gravitate to this level of thinking. It is disheartening. God tells us, "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you." (Psalm 32:8) So what do we do?! We listen to others, we talk to ourselves. We think, well God may say that, but its others we have to convince that the reason something is or isn't is because of this and this or that. Bunk!

Where does it say in the Bible that we have to convince others of anything? No one other person is better than another. We have no right to judge another of our shortcomings. We are all sinners, saved by God's grace.

We don't have to convince anyone that because of this you can't do that.

If you are a pastor and think a Bible lesson is boring, why did you present it that way? If it is worthwhile, and Bible study is very worthwhile to my way of thinking, then present it in a way that is exciting. Bring it to life for your listeners. If you think its boring, others will think its boring, and if that's the case, one would think twice about anything to do with God.

Struggles. Failures. Poor choices abound. God brought you out of a past, whether it was 30 years ago or 30 minutes ago. We make mistakes. Past, current, future. We don't have to spend our time talking about them and reliving them. God knows us, inside and out. If we confess our sins, if we truly repent of our sins, God forgives us. We do not need to repeatedly confess our sins to others. We do not need to apologize for our past. God has not condemned us. He has forgiven us.

Perhaps you have not forgiven yourself. Perhaps you think if you explain, then the fear you have of what others will think of you will be less.

God calls each of us to a specific task. Pastoring a church is a noble thing, but it's not the only thing, it's not the top bar on the ladder.

It is not fair to say, I can't because I failed. King David failed. It didn't stop him. You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. It would be fairer to say, I can't because I believe my failures prevent me. I can't because I'm scared.

What is your failure? That maybe you truly didn't hear God? Sometimes the road we travel winds this way and that. Sometimes we backtrack.

We listen. God's voice is sometimes in the still of the morning rush, sometimes in the roar of thunder directly overhead.

Do we sometimes think that when God calls it is only to preach and pastor a church? ... that He only calls men? Could He not call us, male and female, to another just as noble position in life?

We are to go forth and serve.

Jesus is our goal, our model. To be like Him in every respect. To carry on, to go forth, to serve, to be. God doesn't make failures. He loves us. He guides us. He does not condemn us. So we shouldn't condemn ourselves either. Start from where you are.

Some people say "I'm sorry" for everything; in a perpetual state of apology for past, present and future shortcomings.

Jesus didn't apologize. He stated fact, lovingly, and moved on.
He was. He is.
We are sinners.
We have been born-again, set free.
Let's live as free, not still enslaved in our past, striving to break free. God wants us to live, not be defeated by something that is no longer.

"Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." (Romans 5:5)

Struggles abound; Light chases away darkness and gloom

My new work week hours begin next week. Obituary changes begin next week too. ... earlier deadlines, cost increases, etc.
Looking on the bright side, God knew this. So there's something good to come out of having Monday and Tuesday off and working weekends. I can't imagine what it is, but He knows.

So, instead of complaining, which I've been prone to do, I should, as has been pointed out, be grateful I have a job no matter what the hours.

Enough said.

However, talking, sharing about what's going on in your life can be beneficial in reducing the stress. By keeping your feelings within, things are merely building up until eventually you explode and every bit of pain you're feeling rears its ugly head and spews forth.

Also interesting, sort of, is the number of people who have current jobs but don't know if they have future jobs with a given company. Being offered a job and accepting the job offer does not mean their future is secure. It might be for a few months or a year or longer. It might be. It might not be as well.

The world is a scary place right now. How we get through it shows others much about ourselves. We are all human. We all have struggles. One struggle is just as important as another. It is not fair to think your struggles are more important than another. You don't know what another is going through, what blows they've been dealt. My struggles are just as important to me as your struggles are to you. You may think your struggles are bigger, insurmountable, but there is always someone somewhere whose struggles top yours.

It is not about who can get to the top of the empire of despair. It is easy to fall into a depression. It is much harder to lift your eyes upward ... to the Lord and wait on Him, praying He will enable you to see this through, that He will be with you every step of the way.

Of course, if you do not know the Lord, if you have not accepted the Lord as your personal Savior, then looking up doesn't show you anything - you just see darkness all around you.

Jesus is the light.

"I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." (John 8: 12)

Light chases away darkness and gloom.

Have you ever taken a cave tour? The lights are turned out and it is pitch black. Can't see a thing, not even your hand in front of your face. Then someone turns on a flashlight and the darkness vanishes.

There is light at the end of every tunnel. But you must seek it to find it.

Click here for interactive flash presentation of the Gospel.

Struggles

On Monday, when my husband came home for lunch, he commented the alternator light came on in the car and we needed to take the car to the shop. I thought that interesting, considering just a few hours earlier after reading the day's devotional, I had written about struggles. Of course, in my writings, I had neglected to mention our vehicles and the struggles we have with them. Following is what I wrote:

Struggles
Always
Never ending
No matter who we are
What we hope to accomplish
God's will
or our own

Struggles
Small or big
All important
to us
individually

Life's challenges
where we work
the place
the type
the accomplishments
the process
the ending
the beginning again
where we live
how we live
the friends we have
the people beyond ... that we meet
at work
our neighbors
at church
at businesses we frequent
Everywhere.
the foods we choose to eat
the words we read
the choices

Struggles
never ending
morning to night
over and over
and over again

Aging
not just in years
But our bodies
wear down, wear out
We can get
new knees, new hips
new legs, new arms,
new teeth, new eyes
new heart, new kidney,
new, new, new
Only a replacement.
Struggles

God waits
He is ever present
He will carry our burdens ... IF we ask
He will show us the way ... IF we seek
He will fill us, renew us again and again ... IF we accept, IF we believe, IF we obey

Struggles can be overcome.

Our God, my God is an awesome God. He is with me always.
But,
unless I actively seek Him,
obey Him,
follow Him,
He waits ...

Cathy Orrick Luders

7.2.2007