To Gain by Letting Go

I've been reading about Samuel in my Bible reading recently. One character in the Bible that really stands out to me is his mother Hannah. I feel a special connection to her story.

You know when Hannah prayed, and brought her desires before God, He answered her prayer. However, part of her prayer was her promise to give back to God the precious gift He had given her - Samuel. When Samuel was still a young child, probably around three, Hannah brought him to Eli to serve in the worship of God.

She gave up her most precious gift. She left him there. She went back home to Ramah.

I know that God continued to bless Hannah and Elkanah by sending them five more children, but I know that there was a part of her that constantly ached for Samuel, her first born.

Then today I read about Samuel as he judged Israel. He led them to repentance which resulted in their victory over the enemy. He judged Israel from Ramah, his hometown, where he was born.

Now the Bible doesn't say if Hannah and Elkanah were still alive after Samuel's return to Ramah, but I have a feeling that they might have been. After probably 20 years of missing Samuel, Hannah once again had him close. God sent him back.

Sometimes it seems so hard to give our best to God. It feels like we are losing something that we can never gain back. Sometimes it takes years to see the return, sometimes we may not see the results until Heaven. But God always give back much more than we can fathom.

We feel, in our humanness, that if we give our will to God, that we will loose who we are, our self. The truth is we do loose "self," that selfishness that thinks only of us. But what do we gain? God who created each person individually, who designed us to be one of a kind, gives us back our TRUE self. The self we were created to be, which is infinitely better than the "self" we thought we were. As we become more and more like Christ, we become more and more of who we truly are, who we were created to be.

When He [God] talks of their losing their selves, He means only abandoning the clamour of self-will; once they have done that, He really gives them back all their personality, and boasts... that when they are wholly His they will be more themselves than ever."

— C.S. Lewis (The Screwtape Letters)

It starts with a seed

"If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed...
nothing shall be impossible unto you."
Matthew 17:20

How much faith does it take for prayers to be answered? Jesus said just a minuscule amount is enough to work wonders. A mustard seed is very small, but it brings forth a productive, fruitful, helpful plant. It is not our faith alone that bring answers to prayer... it is God's power. Faith is necessary just as a seed is required for the plant to grow. A seed needs moisture and light to grow and produce. So answers to prayer require God's power working with the seed of faith.

As each person starts to walk with Christ, she doesn't have a mountain of faith. She begins with just a seed planted by God. As we grow in Christ, in our fellowship with Him and in seeing prayers answered, that seed of faith will grow. Our responsibility is to nurture it. The more we put our trust in God, the stronger faith will grow - just as a mustard seed grows into a fruitful, useful plant. God cares about our faith and He will help nurture it.


God doesn't have unrealistic expectations for us. He know we are human and He understands that at times we have humanly doubts. At these times we need to pray, "Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief." ( Mark 9:24 ) At those times Christ sees the lack as well as our trust in Him and He will help us.

At times we may feel that we aren't getting an answer to our prayers. I believe that it is in those times when our faith grows stronger. These are the times we must say " No matter what happens, I will trust God." We trust Him to work things out for our best and His glory, even if His answer isn't what we first desire or expect. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD." ( Isaiah 55:8 )

How grows your seed?

Where does the heart lead?

"Follow your heart." This saying is so familiar. You find it in books, people tell you to do it, and it is sung in songs. But is it really good advice?

God's word says that the "heart is deceitful above all things." hmm... it doesn't sound as though I can trust my heart.

So what is our "heart?" The heart is considered the center of emotions. (You've heard of loving someone with "all your heart.") The problem with emotions is that they can't be trusted. Emotions can shift with the weather - really!! Have you ever felt a little down, and later realize that a major storm is coming? Emotions can also shift according to how we feel physically or mentally. If you are tired, you are less likely to feel happy. Sounds like a lot of ups and downs, huh?

If the emotions are always changing, the heart cannot be trusted. If the heart is allowed to guide you through life, there will be a lot of frustrations, disappointments, and wrong choices.

On the other hand, we can allow God's word to guide our hearts. We can chose to set our hearts in God's will. Deut. 11:16 warns us to take care that our heart isn't deceived. If we hide God's word in our hearts, we can live a life free of sin. ( Psalm 119:11 ) The important thing is choosing to guide the heart, not be guided by the whims of emotions.

It is important not to make choices in life based purely on emotions. "If it feels good, do it." is an old mantra, but not a reliable one. Something may feel "good" at that moment, but have serious negative effects for the rest of a person's life.

Pharoah chose to set his heart against God's way ( Exodus 9:34 )and suffered the consequences. On the other hand, Ezra prepared his heart to seek God's law ( Ezra 7:10 ) and became a great leader of God's people. What will you chose for your heart?


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Red Light, Green Light

I don't like to drive.

Surprise you? Well, I really don't... I will drive and I don't mind it too much, but some days I get home and think, "I don't have to drive for ____ (insert time period)" One of the main reasons I don't like to drive is all the crazy other drivers out there! (Am I the ONLY one who know how to drive????)

Oh, and in my town - notorious for red-light runners - I don't start at an intersection until all the people have stopped and then I look to see if my light is green. I got honked at the other day for not going as soon as the light turned green. I was just waiting for everyone to stop!

I also really don't like yellow lights. Sometimes, when approaching an intersection, I will pray for a clear red or a clear green. I don't like the rush of being somewhere in the middle. I want to know when to stop and when to go, not to get to the light and wonder if I am actually running a red light!

I am the same way when it comes to life choices. I want to know clearly what God's will is for me before I make a major decision. I want that clear green! Take, for example, my choice of which Bible college to attend. I knew that it was where God wanted me to go. Some people in my little world did not approve of my choice. But I knew that was where God wanted me. (My parents also approved... a biggy in the right choice department.) And believe me, I wouldn't have been able to make it up there if I hadn't know it was the RIGHT decision! (Almost 900 miles... not exactly able to go home for the weekend!) It was a very clear GREEN.

Reds are good too. These "lights" help us to know what choices not to make. A bad decision can put a whole life heading the wrong direction. You probably know someone who has chosen to go on red, and regretted it the rest of her life.

The key to finding the clear green or clear red in your life is PRAYER. It is very important to know what God says on issues (reading the Bible) and to take advice from those you trust (like parents) but ultimately the decision is going to be up to you. Of course, the Bible doesn't exactly spell out which college to attend. God has promised wisdom to those who ask for it.

In my devotional reading this morning, I read this from "A Woman's Call to Prayer" by Elizabeth George:

When you pray (and wait patiently on the Lord for His answer and direction!), you will eventually sense His clear direction. There will be a clean and clear conscience. Doubts will be removed, and your confidence in God's guidance will blossom in your heart. (pg 134.)

So whatever decision you are struggling to make, don't be afraid to ask for clear green or clear red. God is ready and willing to guide you in each choice of life. Just ask!

~~~~~~~~~
Picture courtesy of:
FreeFoto.com

Choices

So do the choices we make really matter? Why not just have a little bit of fun? You're only young once, right? Hmm.... you've probably heard something like that before. The problem with that kind of logic is that choices really DO matter. Each decision you make is effecting the direction your life is going. (books, music, food, habits, friends.... just fill in the blank!) I got this article in my inbox today and I thought it was very thought provoking. It is from the Family Life Marriage Memos newsletter.

The article starts out with a story about two high school girls who were great friends. After their graduation, they took a trip with a group of friends. The trip ended up as one big party. One of the girls, Merry, was very uncomfortable and chose not to take part in all the "activities." The other entered right in. Years later, Merry is happily married and very involved in Christian ministery, but what about her friend?

For a number of years, Merry wondered what happened to her childhood friend, whom I will call Karen. After that week at Daytona Beach, Merry and Karen saw each other a few times and then drifted apart.

Then, about 15 years after they graduated from high school, Merry received a surprise phone call from Karen. As they caught up with what had happened over the years, Karen told a sad story of failed relationships, alcoholism, and drug abuse. She clearly was not happy with the direction her life had taken.

Merry remarked that she was a bit surprised, because during high school Karen did not appear to be on that path. “What happened?” she asked.

Karen replied, “Remember that week in Daytona Beach?” She didn’t realize this at the time—she just thought she was having fun—but the choices she made that week started her on a dangerous path. One choice led to another, and then to another, and the longer she stayed on that path, the harder it was to step off it.

In many ways, life is a series of choices. Some of these choices announce themselves with the blare of a marching band, like they did that week at Daytona for Merry and Karen. Others appear as a faint whisper in your ear. Yet at some point it seems that each choice comes down to a simple question: Are you going to follow the path of wisdom or the path of foolishness?

Sometimes we don’t fully realize the implications of our choices—how they will affect our future, and how they affect our relationships.

So what about the choices that you are making? You may not think that they are having a lasting effect on your life, but are they? Even the things that we put in our minds, what we hear, read or see, those things are always going to be there and effect us whether we realize it or not. Our prayer needs to be for help to be pure in our actions and choices and to always decide to do the things that honors Christ. We never know where our choices, good or bad, are going to lead.

Virtual Reality

I know this is in the middle of my Christmas posts, but I felt that it needed to be posted now. The thoughts have been rolling around in my brain for a couple of days.

~o8o~

As many of us grow and mature, we seek what is true and real. Some people seek for this reality in the wrong places, finding instead a virtual reality - substituting the transient things of the world for what they are truly seeking. Whether or not they know what they are really seeking. These substitutes can be many things: material things such as cars, clothes or the latest gadgets; the busyness of life like a job, entertainment, goals; or even relationships... anything that has been placed as a substitute for Reality. While there may be nothing wrong with these things themselves, they can never substitute for True Reality.

And what is Reality? What is Truth? These questions have puzzled philosophers for centuries. (For an example, see here for an illustration of Plato's Cave Allegory.) However, they only true Reality can be found in God and in serving Him in all that we chose to do. What we see now, in our lives, is merely a reflection of things to come. The life we now live is a shadow of reality. As we are now, we are limited by time and space, but in true Reality, there will be no limits of time and space. We call this Eternity.

So what does this mean to us? All of our choices should be made in light of eternal reality - what we own, how we spend our time and who we invest ourselves in. Instead of seeking to satisfy our need of Reality with a pseudo/virtual- reality, we should be seekers of True Reality and make each decision with those values in mind. Paul put it this way in 1 Corinthians 13:12 "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known." What we face here on earth is fleeting. The joys we have are only a reflection of what we will know in Heaven, and the heartaches pale in comparison to the joys that God has in store for His children. When we reach Reality, we will understand what here on earth is such a mystery. We will have a perfected understanding of spiritual matters. When we keep this in mind, everything else falls into perspective. Seek Him First!

Very Profound

Ok, we all know that God give certain abilities to certain people, right? A lot of times we call these abilities gifts, like "she has the gift of playing the piano." or "he is gifted in public speaking." But does God always give us these gifts fully developed? Some people are born with a genius mind. We especially think of music like the six year old that can play Beethoven's Ninth for example. (I don't know if there is one, but probably somewhere, right?) :) I wasn't born with genius-type talents. Most people aren't... but God has given each one of us certain gifts.
Sometimes the best way to discover God's will for you life, is to look at the things that you do best. (Let's say you have a gift for singing... I don't think God would want you to spend your life in underwater basketweaving!) But you may not yet be the best you can be at the things you do best! Follow me? Let me put it this way, God gives us talents, but it is up to us to use those talents, learn how to use them more effectively (like going to school/college), and put those talents into practice. Your talents are God's investment in you, like money in the bank. It is up to you to invest those talents wisely, so when you have to give an account to God, you will be able to show what you have done for Him with what He gave you. (To read Jesus's parable of the talents see Matthew 25:14-30.)

Which Way?

As a young person, I know you have many decisions that you are facing - decisions with lifelong effects. To go to college or not, which college, what to major in, what kind of job to look for, what friends to hang out with, and what to do with the rest of your life! All these decisions can be overwhelming! The most important question to ask along with all these is "What is God's will for my life?" Sometimes finding God's will seems a little allusive. So how do you know?

I'm not going to tell you what God's will is for you life... other than to say that God's will for you is to honor and serve Him in all you do! (How is that for being general?? :) But it is the answer!!) As long as you desire to please God in all areas of your life and allow Him to take control, He will guide you in the right way. Does He tell us everything for our future now? You know the answer, of course not... if we knew everything we were to face in life, it would probably scare us to death! No, the answer to finding God's will is to keep looking for it, every day seeking how God would have you spend your time.

God will lead you in each of your choices. Some of the choices you are making may not seem to be that big to you right now, but when you look back a few years later, you will see God's leadership in using these choices for the big picture.

Isaiah 30:21 says "And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left." God is saying through this verse, that He is going to lead us in each step we take. God won't give you His entire plan for you life, but He will lead you in the right direction each day.

This has been a little different line of thought from what I've been commenting on in regard to modesty, but it is something I read about in one of my devos this morning and one of my friends has been making some life choices... I guess both combined has got me thinking. Anyone have any comments on how God has been leading you recently? I would love to hear about it!