Friday, September 12, 2014

A Pace of Grace

As I was in the States in May of this year, I did a bit of reflection, and God convicted me of a few things that I needed to incorporate in my life as I returned to Slovakia.  One of those things was to slow down!  Virtually every day, I had found myself rushing to different appointments, hurrying through the grocery store, and anxiously trying to get my 'to do' list done for that day.  There seemed to often be that underlying sense of trying to perform to meet my, or other people's, stated or unstated expectations which led to a less than peaceful existence with myself!  

I'm so thankful that, as I have returned to life and ministry in Slovakia, I have found that inner rhythmn with the Lord and have allowed myself the freedom to really enjoy His presence and all that He has given me to enjoy in this beautiful life of being His servant for His glory!  It was such a confirmation and so encouraging  to me as I read the monthly 'Soul Care Reflections' that our organization publishes by Randy Rains which stated the following:  'Jesus lived and ministered in a relaxed way. He invites us to follow Him not only as The Truth, but also as The Way. As you reflect upon the life of Jesus you sense an inner rhythm of unhurriedness about the way He lived and served. You might say He lived and ministered at the pace of grace. Does that phrase describe the pace of your life and work? What does it even mean to live at the pace of grace? That's a great question.

To live at the pace of grace means to live an unhurried life. It doesn't mean we will never face urgent situations or serious needs. It simply means that whatever circumstances we face, whatever responsibilities are before us, we move toward them and through them with an inner rhythm of calmness and patience… just as Jesus did. We don't allow the pace of the world and the needs of people to determine the pace at which we live. Our pace is set by the internal clock of the Spirit and 
the voice of the Master. As Paul reminds us - "All who are led by the Spirit of God will be called the 
children of God" – Romans 8:14. The pace of our lives should be calibrated from an inner calling, not driven by outer needs and strategic plans.' 

May you find that unhurried pace of grace so that you can most effectively serve and honor the King of kings in your life, while enjoying His presence and the beauty of all that He has given you.

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Thirst, Living Water, and Satisfaction

I just love it when God speaks to me on the same day, week, or month in themes and through so many resources!  Well, yesterday it was on the same day and the theme was thirst.  Am I truly satisfied in this life and with God alone?  Painfully, the answer is no.  There are moments and days when this is the case, but I often allow other preoccupations to 'fill' my thirst.  The truth is, however, it is only a temporary feeling of satisfaction.  I tend to be part of the 'bucket brigade' - wanting to live up to God's expectations or the expectations of others, rather than depending on His mountain spring of grace and drinking from it for complete satisfaction.  
Read this excerpt from John Piper to have a better understanding of what I'm talking about:  'God is a mountain spring, not a watering trough. A mountain spring is self-replenishing. It constantly overflows and supplies others. But a watering trough needs to be filled with a pump or bucket brigade.  If you want to glorify the worth of a watering trough you work hard to keep it full and useful. But if you want to glorify the worth of a spring you do it by getting down on your hands and knees and drinking to your heart’s satisfaction, until you have the refreshment and strength to go back down in the valley and tell people what you’ve found.  My hope as a desperate sinner hangs on this biblical truth: that God is the kind of God who will be pleased with the one thing I have to offer — my thirst. That is why the sovereign freedom and self-sufficiency of God are so precious to me: they are the foundation of my hope that God is delighted not by the resourcefulness of bucket brigades, but by the bending down of broken sinners to drink at the fountain of grace.'  
As Beth Moore writes, "Who could object to a goal of pleasing God?  Trying to please God can, however, place the spotlight back on ourselves.  When our concern centers on how well we live up to expectations, even God's expectations, we find ourselves focusing on ourselves.  God wants to change that focus to Himself.  I want to wake up thinking about God's glory instead of my image.  I want to think of honoring Him rather than impressing people."
And, most importantly, God's inspired Word reads, '“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare." (Isaiah 55:1, 2 NIV)
"You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you." (Psalm 63:1-5 NIV)
Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:13, 14 NIV)
On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. (John 7:37-39 NIV)
He alone can satisfy our thirst because He is the fountain of living water (Jeremiah 17:13) and the One who has created that thirst with in us.  Come to Him, drink deep, and be satisfied in Him!

Saturday, March 15, 2014

God is FOR US!


Do we truly believe that God is FOR US?  If we don't t believe this, then we are not believing the truth of God's word and are being deceived by the Enemy of our soul.  Believe in this truth and fall into the strong and trustworthy arms of our loving, Savior and Lord!

 Isaiah 33:21 says, “The Lord in majesty will be FOR US!"

“Who has seen a God like this, who works for those who wait for him?” (Isaiah 64:4)

"Our God will fight FOR US.” (Nehemiah 4:20 ESV)

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

"If God hadn’t been FOR US —all together now, Israel, sing out!— If God hadn’t been FOR US when everyone went against us, We would have been swallowed alive by their violent anger, Swept away by the flood of rage, drowned in the torrent; We would have lost our lives in the wild, raging water. Oh, blessed be God ! He didn’t go off and leave us. He didn’t abandon us defenseless, helpless as a rabbit in a pack of snarling dogs. We’ve flown free from their fangs, free of their traps, free as a bird. Their grip is broken; we’re free as a bird in flight. God ’s strong name is our help, the same God who made heaven and earth." (Psalm 124:1-8 MSG)

I am so very thankful that He is FOR ME and I praise His Name for that!