Inscrutable

    Oh, the depths of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his     judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

                                                            Romans 11:33

               For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than                       men.

                                                            1 Corinthians 1:25

               So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

                                                            1 Corinthians 2:11

               These verses have been rocking my world lately. As I have been going through the book of Romans and now 1 Corinthians the Lord has been teaching me one main thing. How incredibly awesome He is! I can’t even put into words the depths of all that God is to me and how He has shown me how unsearchable His ways are. To say that God is simply amazing is an understatement. His ways, like it says in Romans 11:33, are inscrutable. They are mysterious, without understanding, unfathomable, and unexplainable. The ways of the God whom I have a relationship with are mysterious, I will never be able to understand them all. As I get to know Him deeper I learn more about His character, but I will never be able to understand them all. Some would say that this thought is scary to them, not fully being able to explain the ways of God and comprehend what He is doing. But I personally am perfectly content with this. How comforting is it to know that the God we serve will never get boring? God is so beyond my comprehension, so much more powerful than my mind will ever be able to think, so much more loving than I will ever be able to experience; on this earth that is. I must have faith in Him and trust that even when I don’t understand His ways He is a good God and works all things for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. When we finally meet God face to face then all these things will be revealed to us and His ways will be understood. How exciting is that?!?!?!?! And one of the questions that have come forth from reading these verses is this; why, after reading these verses and seeing just a glimpse of His immenseness, do I question what He has for me in this life He has given me? Why do I try to do things on my own and not allow Him to work through me? I pray that as I seek Him more and more and learn more about this God I serve that Philippians 2:13 would become true in my life. That it is God alone who works in my life, to will and to work for His good pleasure. As I see His power and grace that I would give my life over to Him more and more each day, knowing that He is the only one able to work good into me.  

               I don’t think this rant even does justice to how God has spoken to me through these verses. But this is my attempt at putting it into words.

Application- As I grow in my relationship with the Lord, seek out those amazing attributes of His character and have faith in who He is. 

Nothing Good

For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.

                                                                                          Romans 7:18

               In my own self, in my own will, doing what I would think best there is nothing good. As I grow closer to the Lord He continues to show me my desperate need for Him. I see my sin and my selfishness that so many times takes over as I don’t even realize it. Nothing good dwells in me. How can I take that in and know that it is truth? It is a very difficult thing to accept about myself. In our society we are always taught to trust our hearts, to follow our dreams, to do whatever we wish and what we think is best. If I would have done that I would be walking a very different path than I am right now. I must accept the fact that in my own heart there is nothing good. For my heart is deceitfully wicked and sinful. So then the question comes, if there is nothing good in me how can I do such good things? By the power of Jesus Christ. Allowing myself to be led not by my flesh, but by His Spirit. For those who are led by His Spirit are His children (Romans 7). All my good intentions and good thoughts don’t mean anything if they are not coming from and towards Him. For all is done in vain that is apart from His Spirit. So I desire to be daily led by His Spirit and not my flesh. 

Giving and Receiving

In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’

                                             Acts 20:35

               To give or to receive, which would you rather do? Selfishly I tend to lean towards the receiving end of any situation. But here we see where Jesus has said that to give is better than receiving. Why? Why is it more blessed to give than to receive? Because that is what Jesus did; Jesus continually gave anything He had. He always gave of his time, his energy, and his love. To give does not always mean to give of material things like money, toys, food, or so on. Giving for me can also mean giving my time, energy, sleep, or love. Even when Jesus was tired and weary from a long day with his disciples he would put the needs of others before his own and give more of his time. Something the Lord has been showing me is that everything I am blessed with, from clothes and money to sleep and time is from Him. He has given me these things that I may glorify him with it. And sometimes that means I should give away those things he has blessed me with. Sometimes it is very difficult for me to give my time. Taking the time that I have been blessed with to spend time with others or reach out to those around me. But the Lord is being patient with me and showing me how to put others before me and give more of my time. For I learn when I begin to give more of myself to God and to others, then I will be truly blessed. More blessed than I may ever be by receiving anything. 

Had the blessing of going to BT and Ruthies home this week. They are such a great family!

Seek First

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

                                                            Matthew 6:33-34

               Seek first His kingdom. How easy it is to get so distracted by the things of this world, the things that constantly seek my attention. Right now I am in Kenya and have thirty nine days left of being here. It has been such a struggle for me to continually stay focused on why I am here and why I am serving as I am so caught up in being home and being with my family and friends. So much at home that I feel needs my attention. I am so beyond blessed and happy that I am in Kenya serving the Lord right now, but I can assure you that the devil knows my weakness. He knows my desire to be involved with everything in Florida and he knows how much I miss the comforts of home. And with that I daily fight against him, because I know that God has called me to be here for this time and be with the people that He has placed around me. Knowing that I must seek first His kingdom and put aside the anxieties and desires I have of home. Knowing His character and trusting Him and His timing. He knows my heart and doesn’t look down on me because of this struggle, He seeks to comfort me and remind me of Himself. Giving me a daily fire for Him that seeks to please Him in whatever way He asks me to in the day He sets before me. For now I must be diligent in what He has asked me to do and serve with joy. He is so much greater than anything I could ever do in Florida.

Application- Seek first His kingdom and not my own desires. 

Purity and Emma from my second grade tutoring class. I love them so much!

He Knows My Heart

               …for you, you only, know the hearts of the children of mankind.

                                             2 Chronicles 6:30

               At this point in Chronicles Solomon is praying over the Temple and dedicating it to the Lord. After all he has done with the temple and how his father, David, has asked him to do with it he is dedicating it to the Lord. And in this verse he tells God “You only Lord know the hearts of man”. This verse stuck out to me and caused me to be so thankful for who God is. God is the only one who has ever or will ever know the depths of my heart. He knows the sinfulness, the pride, the selfishness, and wickedness of my heart. Yet He still chooses to use me and love me unending. I continually give Him reasons to not love me and pursue me, but He never stops doing it. The Lord has been showing me a lot of things about myself that I don’t like, things I need to allow Him to work on and change in my heart. And even when He sees these things and sees even more than I do, He still loves me. I don’t think I will ever be able to fully grasp His love for me. But I pray that He daily makes it real like this to me.

Application- pray for a heart that welcomes and cherishes His love and want for me.