Re-blog: Orig. Post Date Sept. 16, 2020

(It's Saturday morning when I am preparing this - I plan for it to post on Wednesday night.) All morning I have been thinking about the beach. If you know me even a little, you know I love the beach. The beach is my happy place. The beach is where I feel the most calm. The beach is where I feel closest to God...

Lately, when I get stuck on something random, I try to dive into the why. What am I supposed to be learning, or realizing, or remembering about whatever is stuck in my thoughts? More importantly, what is God trying to teach me, or remind me? So, I did that this morning. I thought what is it about the beach that God wants me to focus on. Here's what smacked me in the face...

In Genesis 1:9-10, on the third day, God created the land, separating it from the waters. I feel like I have read it in multiple places in the Bible, how it's recounted that God told the water, "this far you may come, but no farther." Most recently, I read this in Job 38:10 (well, verses 8-10 really). Every time we stand on the shoreline of any body of water, we have this semi-visible barrier between the power of the water - and we have all seen the destruction water can cause when the reins on its power are loosened - and us. Mere mortals, standing on dry land, safe from the mischief of the powerful waves. 

Tying this into the below re-blog: I talked below about how we are God's vessels for His good works. That He has begun a good work in us, and will continue His work in us the whole time we are on this earth. I talked about how God is our barrier. Yup, just like God tells the waters they can only go so far, God is beside us telling the devil and his evil workers that they can only come so far. In the first two Chapters of Job, we get to see an interaction between God and Satan. Satan asks God to remove the barrier of protection around Job...for a time God allows this, but He places stipulations. If we study the entire Book of Job, we eventually see that God does allow bad to happen to Job, but in the end God turns it all to good. 

I could go on and on but I need to keep studying Job before I try to dive into the many beautiful lessons in this difficult but powerful Book. For now, I just want you to remember that God indeed is telling the things (which you are not equipped to handle) that they can only come so far, no farther. 


So, based on the first sentence, I guess this is a re-blog of my own re-blog, I'm unsure what changes I made to the below on my first re-blog. Anyway, here's what I posted three years ago:


 "I’m recycling some archived ‘thoughts’ again - and giving it a refresher...

Philippians 1:6 "being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

Do you ever feel like your faith journey is two steps forward and ten steps back? Like your heart / soul are in a tug-o-war between faith and flop, you're just not sure who will win? I have felt that way for years but I have especially been struggling with it the past several weeks. I know God's not done with me. He's not done with you either! He's not going to be done with us for a while! God has begun good works in all of us. His Word reminds us He has every intention of carrying on this good work to the day of Christ Jesus. Yup, that's right! Not just as long as we live here on this earth, but as long as this earth is here God will continue to carry on the good works He starts in us!! Whoa! Take some time to reflect on that, to contemplate what it really means. It is just another way the Bible shows us how much bigger, and more powerful, our God is than the evil that surrounds us. Evil tries to drag us down. God is our Barrier! I love the saying about not telling God how big our problem is rather tell our problems how big our God is. He's bigger than the universe, surely that makes Him bigger than any trouble we’re facing. He has a plan for each of us, for good works He is carrying on through us, for blessings He is granting through our lives here. I know it is hard some days (especially in 2020, am I right?)! I believe if we just remember that God is using us for these good works, that He is going to keep the good going on and on...well, then it may start to feel more like we are on the winning tug-o-war team! Please join me in prayer:

Holy Lord,

We come to You today in awe of the good works You have not only begun in us but will carry on through the day of Christ Jesus. Thank You for allowing us the privilege of being Your vessels of good works on this earth. Please help us to remember this when we feel like we are struggling, tumbling and falling. We praise Your Holy Name and ask this all according to Your will. Amen."

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
  If you have a few extra minutes today, I encourage you to read all 22 verses of Psalms Chapter 34. Out loud even. It is one of the comforting Psalms we can turn to when life gets too heavy. I don't know about you, but I am far from righteous. However, I have noticed that the harder I seek God the more things that jump out at me in this life which are clearly trying to get in the way of my path towards God. Many afflictions, many distractions, many challenges, many distractions. I am so thankful to God for His peaceful, calming promises in His Word.  In verse 4, God reminds us He delivers us from all of our fears. Fear is not something that comes from God. II Timothy 1:7 reminds us of this. Even still, He does not leave us alone when we fall prey to our fears. He clearly tells us through His Word, over and over, that He will deliver us from all evil - including our fears.  In verse 6, God tells us again that He saves us when we cry out to Him! Verse 15 says, "the eyes of...
Read more

The Anxious Christian

Image
“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭8‬ ‭ I have been battling anxiety HARD this year. I had such high hopes for 2023. Very little has gone as expected.  On the days when it’s at its worst, it feels like no matter how often - or how hard - I pray, no matter how many devotions I read, no matter how much time I spend in God’s Word, I still end up defeated. I have cried more this year than I did in the six months from fall 2021 to spring 2022 when so many loved ones died so close together. I have begged God to take this cup from me…if it is His will.  I’m determined that no matter how beat down I get, I am submitting to Him. This year, this season, the rest of this life I’m living on this earth. It’s all His. It’s His time, ...
Read more

Beauty Before the Storm

Image
  “And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, And establish the work of our hands for us; Yes, establish the work of our hands.” Psalms‬ ‭90‬:‭17‬ “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” Psalms‬ ‭23‬:‭4‬  “For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways.” Psalms‬ ‭91‬:‭11‬ Last night, there were scattered thunderstorms in our area. This is very common in the south, especially when the daily highs soar above the ninety degree mark. The thunder rumbled all around us. The lightening randomly brightened the sky. The radar kept predicting a pop-up in our immediate area was less than thirty minutes away. We had every indication that a storm was imminent. Yet not one drop of rain fell while we were awake. As we waited, I walked out onto our covered porch. The temperature had dropped almost twenty degrees in a little over two hours. The wind wa...
Read more