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The injustice hurt. On top of all of life’s hurts, an unexpected injury pierced me recently. Somehow an infraction from within the Body stings more. It is as if a wasp bit from the inside-out. The infection runs deep. The … Continue reading
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There is such a rest of soul, a peace in the inner man, in the letting go of the striving for self. Yet, humility is not esteemed in this world. While meekness and lowliness of heart are the mark of … Continue reading
“Do not quench the Spirit.” 1 Thessalonians 5:1
Hopefully, you and I long to reflect Christ. Sometimes, though, we want to appear to be filled with the Spirit…to evidence that we have a handle on holiness….when we haven’t rested in His presence. Furthermore, others exist who have no interest at all in being filled with the Spirit. They have embraced the works of the flesh and lust after those things which oppose the Lord.
In order to live a holy life, we must be full…full of the Spirit of the Living God. In order to be full, we must be willing to be filled. In order to be filled, we must be emptied, not opposing the work of the Lord in our lives. We must desire to consume a regular diet of Scripture reading and prayer, as well as fellowship with the saints, and receive authentic accountability that we might grow in holiness…in Christ-likeness.
The one who would not willingly subject herself to such spiritual disciplines embraces pride….the pride that speaks to self and asserts that she have no need of the things of the Lord (not right now; maybe later). Rarely, she would admit that she thinks these thoughts. She would profess living the Christ-life, but her actions, her walk, shouts out loud that her relationship with her Savior is strained.
Intellectually, she knows what she needs…Jesus Himself, sitting at His feet, the Christ-life in exchange for her own. Practically, though, she allows the cares of this world to take precedence over practicing the spiritual disciplines…to abiding in Christ…to receiving the filling of the Spirit. “I am busy today, but I will get back on track tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, or the day after that.” The days slip into weeks, weeks to months, and so on.
“Those who have not accepted Christ, thus must be content with this world, but with the view held by many today, the Christian gets this world with the one to come thrown in as a bonus!” __A.W.Tozer
While you or I may have wonderful Biblical teaching and understand the way we should live according to the Scriptures, it is only by His power, through the filling of His Spirit, that we can actually walk it. A Christian who ignores the Word of God and forsakes the assembling of the body suffers from pride. She may profess to desire holiness, but rather embraces the pleasures of this world and derives comfort in the fact that her eternal home is guaranteed. She is lacking obedience in areas critical to living the Christ-life.
Each of us falls into the trap of the devil to focus on the immediate over delving into the Scriptures. Our flesh constantly competes with the Spirit. Therefore, when we recognize that we are slipping out of Bible reading, out of fellowship, we must ask the Lord to grant us the desire to return to Him. We must return to the safety of the flock in fellowship. Read the Word. Pray. We must share with a trusted friend our struggle, and ask for prayer. Thankfully, Christ has a “handle on holiness,” and I only need to allow His holiness to replace my unholiness.
Loving Heavenly Father, I thank You that You long for me to pour out my cares upon You. Thank You that You delight in your daughters knowing You. Help me to pursue Your Son, Christ, not worldly cares and comforts. I ask that You fill me with the Holy Spirit, and remove worldly desires within me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Moment by Moment in Christ,
Brooke
Today is a day of compromise for many Christians. Cares of this life too easily ensnare the saints.
Have you ever tried to grow a bonsai tree?
Bonsai is the ancient Japanese art of cultivating miniature trees. Although developed in the Chinese empire about 1000 B.C., the pastime quickly spread, and the Japanese word “bonsai” for the custom took hold around the world. With this method of Japanese horticulture, trees are heavily pruned to grant a particular interesting shape, an artistic form.
Early in the life of this tree, though, the horticulturist must remove up to one third of the root system. This pruning is done with sharp shears, and the intent is to cut off the flow of nutrients to the furthest branch. Once the tree is undernourished, it cannot grow to the size of others of its variety. It is deliberately kept small.
Sadly, Christians will cut themselves off from the opportunity to grow to full stature in Christ. We refuse to yield to the Lord…to surrender our thoughts, our actions, our motives to Him. We attempt to compete with the God of the Universe for control. Our desire is to mold our destiny, to achieve the outcome we choose.
“Failure on the part of a Christian to commit Himself wholly to God shuts off the life-giving flow of divine grace.” __Stephen Olford
Yet, our merciful and loving God continually works on us…growing us in holiness and Christ-likeness…but we often miss our part, which is to trust. “Man’s part is to trust; God’s part is to work. Truly the believer can do nothing but trust, while God in whom he trusts, actually does the work.” __Author Unknown
In today’s culture, demands are high just to “make it” day to day. As our circumstances grow more and more difficult and stressful, we experience unrest or worry, and begin to long for that spiritual peace, that satisfied life. We don’t even realize that we are not trusting. We miss the fact that we are cutting off our own root system through lack of surrender.
Recently, I read about the life of Caleb in the Scriptures in the book of Joshua. Caleb “wholly followed the Lord His God” (Joshua 14:14). God used Caleb, like Moses and Joshua, to deliver His people from bondage. As Caleb spied upon the land God promised, he saw giants. He did not fear. He trusted. He obeyed. He lived a life wholly surrendered to God. And God allowed Caleb to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land.
“God works in us and with us, not against us or without us.” __John Owen
The Lord wants His children to mature, to grow fully, for their spiritual roots to be strong. He desires for us to experience a satisfied life. Only through a wholehearted surrender to Christ can we receive the joys of a life completely satisfied in Him.
I ask:
What thing, what person, what fear, what worry, what outcome might I be holding onto today? Where do I need to exchange my will for Thy will, dear Lord?
I pray:
“Please prevent me from compromise, Father. The easy route would be to stuff myself full of the things of this world. But help me to long for more of You. Please help me to trust You with full control and wholly surrender those areas in my life which are giving me unrest. In Christ alone, I trust.”
I read:
“For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.” Hebrews 4:10
Moment by Moment In Christ,
Brooke
Read more:
Going Places With God by Stephen F. Olford
The Holiness of God by RC Sproul
The Art of Ancient Japanese Bonsai | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_6739569_art-ancient-japanese-bonsai.html#ixzz1LqdwKchj
Posted in Moment by Moment with God
Tagged Christ, Christian, God, Hebreew 4:10, Joshua 14:14, Surrender, Tree, Unrest, worry
Avery and Lindy
As the young man dreamed of the birth of his second daughter, due for delivery in just six days, he drove his car around the corner, and in horror, found his pregnant wife slumped over the steering wheel of her totaled car. He reacted as he should, not overly emotional, thinking quickly. Soon, he stood with their 14-month-old first born daughter in his arms, and watched his wife freed from the crushed vehicle with the Jaws of Life. After his wife was life-flighted to one of the top national hospitals, he met with teams of doctors who told him that neither his wife nor his baby may survive.
Why did that other young woman drive through the stop sign at such a high speed? Why did she lie at the accident scene? Thankfully, the police officer confronted her and assessed the scenario correctly. How did she walk away without a scratch when he might lose half his family? How can he forgive her choices of using and distributing drugs when the results impacted his family so tragically? My husband, Burwell, faced these questions in 1999 as he assisted me in recovery from this horrid auto accident. The same questions resurfaced when our daughter, Avery, who suffered traumatic brain injury due to loss of oxygen when my placenta ruptured during the crash, passed away in 2003. If anyone deserved his anger, it should be that woman.
In the Bible, God tells us in Romans 12:17-21 “not to repay anyone evil for evil,” “not to take revenge,” and not to be “overcome by evil.” But how does one truly forgive? Why forgive? What does forgiveness look like?
Burwell and I learned that we all have to take the same steps toward forgiveness, no matter what the offense. A seminary professor, I know, states that it is often easier to forgive the big offenses, and hold onto the smaller things. While there is much truth in this statement, I personally struggled and watched Burwell struggle the most with this large hurt, resulting in the loss of our daughter’s life, and ending many of our own dreams. So, why do we forgive? The answer is simple to comprehend, but hard to apply. We forgive others because Jesus forgave us (John 3:16). God also requires that we forgive in order to be forgiven (Matthew 5:23-24). In this passage, the Lord tells us to go and reconcile with our brother before placing our gift on the altar.
While it is necessary that we forgive permanently (I Corinthians 13:5), it is not an easy process to surrender our desire to get even. Forgiveness is so undeserved. No one deserves forgiveness in Christ, nor does anyone earn forgiveness in Him. He gives it freely. The Lord also gives His children the power to forgive others. It happens through clear and honest confession and communication with Him. In other words, through prayer: talking to God, and hearing from God through the reading of His Word. Often, we need help with forgiving others from fellow Christians. We need others to pray for us, or we need to be able to speak with trusted Christians who will direct us with wise counsel.
Hebrews 12: 14-15 instructs us to “make every effort to live at peace with all men and to be holy…to see to it that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble.” The goal of forgiveness is peace and reconciliation. Sometimes, however, this is not possible. Once “every effort” for peace is made, you can rest in God as the only One who has the authority to forgive sins, He is fair and just. He can be trusted with our deepest sufferings, our most painful wounds, and every offense.
Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for forgiveness in your Son. Please forgive me when I hold onto bitterness and anger toward those who have wounded me. Please grant me Your heart of forgiveness toward that person or those persons. Please help me to take the steps You wish me to make toward reconciliation. May You be glorified in my thoughts, speech and actions today and always. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Posted in Forgiveness: My Story-Part 1, Testimonials
Tagged Accident, Anger, Christian, Faith, Fear, Forgiveness, Jesus, Quesioning God, testimony
Hello! I'm Brooke.
God fashioned me with an artist personality...as one who loves turning something that appears to be a waste into something beautiful. Jesus did that for me! He purchased my rotten heart, cleansed it, and transformed it into His useful vessel.
Thankfully, the Potter continues to refine this piece of clay, and although sometimes I feel like a thread about to break, I know the Master Weaver sees the final tapestry of my life.
My prayer is that something on here will benefit you in your knowledge of Christ and that God will use you to bless others.
Please feel free to contact me. I am happy to chat with you!
