Through Christ, we have been given new life, been made whole, and granted a chance to start with a clean slate. However, I oftentimes find it difficult to relinquish my control and rely on His strength. It is easy to sit back and let life take us along, shying away from difficult circumstances, and trying to find the easiest path to simply make it through, to just get by. That, however, is not what God calls us to do. Through the Holy Spirit, we have been given power, love, and self-discipline to take on all that life brings us. We have been given the strength of Christ to make the most of our lives while we are here.
We must face the facts, and accept that with this life comes several challenges and hard times. It is when these trying times present themselves that we are faced with a decision; either we rely on ourselves and try to sneak by, or we rely on His perfect strength and turn these tests into testimonies. He longs to mold and shape us into what He created us to be, and it is often necessary to go through some tests and trials to get there. However, if we choose to let life pass us by without making an effort to learn or grow in these situations, then we will never be all that He has made us to be. He is our Rock, our Creator, the Author and Perfecter of our faith! Why would we rely on anyone but Him in these situations?
Verses:
For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.
~2 Timothy 1:
You are my strength, I watch for You; You, God, are my fortress...But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. You are my strength, I sing praise to you; you, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely.
~Psalm 59:9 & 16-17
I pray that as you read these verses, you take time to reflect on your life lately. Have you been trying to sneak by? To handle all of life's difficulties on your own? Or have you found comfort in fortress that is the steadfast love and strength of Jesus Christ? It is only through His strength that we have the power to learn, grow, love and be loved.
Be blessed!
Also, time is running out to donate to my polar plunge page for Special Olympics Minnesota. Please give what you can! Much love y'all!
http://www.plungemn.org/plunger/jacobwager
Thanks again!
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Being Authentic
As my senior year nears completion, the reality that true, adult-life lies just around the corner can be slightly unnerving. However, God has really placed on my heart the importance of living an authentic Christian life when making these future life decisions. Though the times can be stressful, I can find comfort and rest knowing that God has perfect plans for my life. This does not mean I will simply wait back and hope life "happens" the way God intends it, but I whole-heartedly believe that He calls us to live a life true to His word, fully depending on Him, but also acting on the wisdom He has provided, and taking risks that that will honor His name.
That is what living an authentic Christian life looks like. We are not called to a life of perfection, nor do we need to "fake it 'til we make it" as society often pressures us to believe. As a follower of Christ, I recognize that I am not perfect, nor will I ever be, but I do strive to live a life that exudes authenticity. If and when I make mistakes, I yearn to fix and learn from them. I love Jesus Christ with all my heart, and nothing hurts more than when I take an outside look at my life and notice discrepancies that I am not proud of. However, Christ forgives, and it is essential to recognize and believe that.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight
~Proverbs 3:5-6
An authentic life is not a perfect life, but it is one that looks the same to the outside world as it does behind closed doors. It is a life that takes chances based on wisdom and the will of God. It is the life of a person who loves God enough to accept the amazing gifts He has freely presented before us, and strives to never take them for granted. It is a life that yearns to be free of judgement for the only perfect being was Christ Himself. It is when the flesh and judgement take over that the authentic Christian life begins to look a lot more like hypocrisy to the outside world.
As a Christian I still struggle, I stumble, I fall, and I downright fail, but I continue to accept the redemptive love of Christ. I strive to learn, to forgive, to share, and to love as Christ did. I remind myself that a life worthy of the love of Christ is not a life held to a standard of perfection, but rather a life held to His standard of grace. He longs for us to lead authentic lives that lead others straight to Him.
Tonight my prayer is not that you become perfect people, but rather authentic Christians. I pray that you examine your lives and weed out the areas that may not fit under this description. It is time that we quit hiding behind these masks of perfection and judgement, and time we become the authentic humans that Christ died for on the Cross of Calvary.
That is what living an authentic Christian life looks like. We are not called to a life of perfection, nor do we need to "fake it 'til we make it" as society often pressures us to believe. As a follower of Christ, I recognize that I am not perfect, nor will I ever be, but I do strive to live a life that exudes authenticity. If and when I make mistakes, I yearn to fix and learn from them. I love Jesus Christ with all my heart, and nothing hurts more than when I take an outside look at my life and notice discrepancies that I am not proud of. However, Christ forgives, and it is essential to recognize and believe that.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight
~Proverbs 3:5-6
An authentic life is not a perfect life, but it is one that looks the same to the outside world as it does behind closed doors. It is a life that takes chances based on wisdom and the will of God. It is the life of a person who loves God enough to accept the amazing gifts He has freely presented before us, and strives to never take them for granted. It is a life that yearns to be free of judgement for the only perfect being was Christ Himself. It is when the flesh and judgement take over that the authentic Christian life begins to look a lot more like hypocrisy to the outside world.
As a Christian I still struggle, I stumble, I fall, and I downright fail, but I continue to accept the redemptive love of Christ. I strive to learn, to forgive, to share, and to love as Christ did. I remind myself that a life worthy of the love of Christ is not a life held to a standard of perfection, but rather a life held to His standard of grace. He longs for us to lead authentic lives that lead others straight to Him.
Tonight my prayer is not that you become perfect people, but rather authentic Christians. I pray that you examine your lives and weed out the areas that may not fit under this description. It is time that we quit hiding behind these masks of perfection and judgement, and time we become the authentic humans that Christ died for on the Cross of Calvary.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Failure
Failure is a daily occurrence for me. I fail to get everything accomplished that I had intended on doing, I fail in fending off the sins that deep down I do not want to commit, and I fail to reflect Christ in the best possible way I know how. It pains me to admit these failures, to admit that I fall far short of the standard of perfection that Christ exemplified, however, I find joy in His forgiveness.
He forgives all of us. I do not understand, nor will I ever comprehend His love for us, but I fully believe that through Him we can be picked back up from our failures. He does not hold us to a standard of perfection, but rather a standard of grace. His grace makes up for where our human bodies, desires, and tendencies bring us, and His grace is far more than we could ever need.
I strive to beat my sin struggles, to grow closer with God on a daily basis, and fend off the spiritual attacks that come along with the territory. Some days, I am able to remain strong, to rely on Him and make it through. Other days, my flesh fails me, and I find myself back at square one, humbly repenting at the cross of Christ. It is painful to admit my mistakes again and again, but the beauty is that His steadfast grace will always cover me, and renew me to my fullest. We are imperfect beings loved and made whole by a perfect God and His perfect grace.
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
~Psalm 73:26
~Psalm 73:26
Failure is inevitable, but accepting His grace, and learning from our shortcomings gives us exactly what we need to press on. I do not expect to be perfect, but I strive to learn from my mistakes, to avoid them in the future, and inch myself closer to being the reflection of Christ that my soul longs for me to be. I love Him, and He loves me; His mercy is relentless, His love is never ceasing, and His grace overflows for all of us. It is with a grateful heart that I accept those gifts in place of my failures, and pray and urge all of you to accept them as well.
We fail and learn; He forgives and forgets.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
I Find You
No matter where I find myself, the one steadfast truth is that I will find God there too. Despite what I may be going through, I can find peace and rest knowing that my God is already there; He is not only with me and surrounding me, but He is within me. I am not my own, and I am so grateful for that.
The truth of the matter is that times can get tough. My faith may waiver, my convictions may wane, but my God is a strong and mighty refuge. Some days all I can do is fall to my knees, feeling hopeless, but that is exactly where I find Him. I find Him where I am, wherever that may be. I look for God in every situation because He is there. Nothing will ever keep me from my God for He is in everything I do. It may not always be easy to feel His presence, but faith is knowing and believing that He is right there, bringing me through whatever it may be. He meets us right where we are at, and that is truly all I need.
When troubles come and doubt may cloud the way, I find Him. No matter what it takes, I find Him. He is there, waiting for me to seek out His embrace. God is in the business of supplying, but I must seek out His supply and begin to apply it, for the relationship to work. This is true for all of us, in any situation. He has the answers. He knows exactly what we need, we must simply find Him in the situation to put into effect this perfect plan He has for our lives.
Verse:
But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.
~Deuteronomy 4:29
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
~Matthew 6:33
Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.
~Isaiah 55:6
The same holds true in joyous situations. When times are great, when it seems as though nothing can bring me down, I find Him. After all, He supplied this joy! He deserves praise in all I do; through trial or triumph, He is still God. He is continually waiting on me to delve deeper. He has proven His love, He has taken His stance in this relationship, and proved over and over again how rewarding and loving it can be. Now it is up to me, and up to each of you, to find Him; it is in our hands to truly seek Him out in all we do, no matter where we are, no matter what we may be feeling. He is God, He is waiting to be found by You.
I pray that each of us may take time to seek Him out in all we do. Reach out to Him, embrace His presence, felt or unfelt, and rest in the fact that He has found you, and claimed you as His own. I pray we find You, God, and continue to find You in all that we do.
The truth of the matter is that times can get tough. My faith may waiver, my convictions may wane, but my God is a strong and mighty refuge. Some days all I can do is fall to my knees, feeling hopeless, but that is exactly where I find Him. I find Him where I am, wherever that may be. I look for God in every situation because He is there. Nothing will ever keep me from my God for He is in everything I do. It may not always be easy to feel His presence, but faith is knowing and believing that He is right there, bringing me through whatever it may be. He meets us right where we are at, and that is truly all I need.
When troubles come and doubt may cloud the way, I find Him. No matter what it takes, I find Him. He is there, waiting for me to seek out His embrace. God is in the business of supplying, but I must seek out His supply and begin to apply it, for the relationship to work. This is true for all of us, in any situation. He has the answers. He knows exactly what we need, we must simply find Him in the situation to put into effect this perfect plan He has for our lives.
Verse:
But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.
~Deuteronomy 4:29
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
~Matthew 6:33
Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.
~Isaiah 55:6
The same holds true in joyous situations. When times are great, when it seems as though nothing can bring me down, I find Him. After all, He supplied this joy! He deserves praise in all I do; through trial or triumph, He is still God. He is continually waiting on me to delve deeper. He has proven His love, He has taken His stance in this relationship, and proved over and over again how rewarding and loving it can be. Now it is up to me, and up to each of you, to find Him; it is in our hands to truly seek Him out in all we do, no matter where we are, no matter what we may be feeling. He is God, He is waiting to be found by You.
I pray that each of us may take time to seek Him out in all we do. Reach out to Him, embrace His presence, felt or unfelt, and rest in the fact that He has found you, and claimed you as His own. I pray we find You, God, and continue to find You in all that we do.
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