Living Life for Christ Alone

Deep in the fabric of my being, I have long had this notion that service to God is what we do to say thanks to God for the gift of grace He has given us in His Son, because I owe it to Him and need to prove I’m worth it.  It started as a notion but then grew into a passion. A fiery passion to not only say thank you to God by doing as much good as I could do on this earth, but also to prove to Him and to others that I am worthy of His love.  I am valuable because of what I do, right? Wrong.  But this belief is a snare that eventually had me tangled. Life has a way of slowing us down -sometimes crippling us of our human strength and zeal and leaving us with nothing to offer God but our broken selves.  In that place of brokenness, I also felt worthless.  Why? Because my worth has always been tied to what I do. The more I do for Him, the greater my worth, the more He feels my gratitude.  It's crazy how the enemy can take a good desire and twist it into a source...

Ever drag your feet into Mondays?  I do -some weeks more than others.  For me, it often depends on how the weekend went, what is going on during the week, if I feel like I can conquer it or not, or if I have enough things planned in the week that I look forward to.  But this week, since we are almost done with week 4 of potty training with little progress, among other challenges in life I face, I found myself really dragging. "Oh, no... Not another week of this. Here we go." I have to admit, this morning I was complaining to God about it.  There is safety in going to God with your complaints. It can even be healthy for you, as long as you take it one step farther.  If you do it like the Israelites, where you only say what you're upset about and you tear down the character of God by choosing the lie that your circumstances are proof He is not good to you, you dishonor Him. But if you do it like David, who always had God's character in mind while doing it, it can ...

The other day, I envisioned myself on a path I've never walked on before, full of difficulty and unknowns.  "Lord," I'd say, "I've never walked this path before. This is unfamiliar territory." "Yes," He'd say, "And I will be with you every step of the way." That would be enough to put a smile on my face and urge me forward -for He truly would be enough. ... "The Lord is my Shepherd," said the psalmist in Psalm 23:1, "I have all that I need." Whoa. Was he serious? Everything? Yes... God is everything we need. We just don't realize it most of the time because we think we need other things. We see how other people are bolstered and think it must really be working, but if we were to get a glimpse at their soul, we would instantly know it isn't.  If you really think about it, if you have God -who clothes the grass of the field and feeds the birds of the air- you have everything.  You have the One who makes i...

  "Who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." (2 Corinthians 1:4) Comfort draws us to its source. And God's comfort is meant to draw us to Him. Maybe this is why comfort is something He does in all  tribulations we face. And maybe that is why comfort is something we can't keep to ourselves.  True comfort lifts our gaze far beyond our temporal experiences to our eternal reality. True comfort magnifies God in our hearts.  True comfort is heavenly, and it's a salve that truly heals.  Earthly comforts don't do this for us. They are far from lasting.  Well-meaning people encourage a pity party, which only lengthens the suffering and makes it more unbearable. Pity parties do nothing for anyone. Any comfort that turns my eyes inward will surely deepen whatever wound is there, for only God has the salve that heals. I can only make my wounds worse...

“Princes also sit and speak against me, but Your servant meditates on Your statutes. Your testimonies also are my delight and my counselors.” -Psalm 119:23-24   How do we cultivate inner calm when circumstances bully us? Meditating on God’s word, delighting in it, listening to the wisdom of it, recognizing that it was God who spoke it, thus it is His heart we hear when we pay attention to it... this is how we steer our souls into our peaceful Refuge that can’t be shaken by life’s circumstances. God desires to be to His children a secret haven where our souls take shelter in the middle of life’s worst difficulties. While princes speak evil of us, while life turns upside down, while wind and the waves beat against us, we hide in this Haven and delight in the words He speaks. While we experience the worst of this fallen world, our souls can taste the best of what heaven has- God Himself breathing heavenly life into us by means of His word. Can it get any better? We have a strong, secu...

"I am the vine, you are the branches..." John 15:5 I've been pondering this whole concept of me being a branch and Jesus being a vine, and since I have, it's become less of a mere concept  and more a reality for me. Since no word that came out of Jesus' mouth is irrelevant, it's worth pondering... He never spoke useless words. He means much by even just the few words I shared above. Let me share some of my most recent thoughts with you. I think they are thoughts from the very throne of heaven. If you read on, you'll see why. Let´s look at those words again: "I am the vine, you are the branches..." John 15:5 Jesus interrupts His whole talk about abiding and fruitfulness (read John 15) to remind His disciples that He  is the Vine, and we are the branches . He  is the source of life that we abide in. If we talk about abiding and forget we are abiding in a Person, we miss the point. The point of John 15, though mentioned a lot, is not ab...

"...I will go to the altar of God, to God -the Source of all my joy." -Psalm 43:4 A view of the Gulf of Mexico from one of Florida's many beaches God is not just a  source of joy. He's not even just the source of joy. He's the source of all  joy. Ever felt joy that you couldn't describe? I can almost guarantee it was because something good was going on in your life, not something evil. That joy came from God. God created it and intends for you to have access to it all the time. Here's what I mean... Picture yourself by an ocean. Now, imagine yourself taking a cup and trying to empty the ocean of its contents. Do you think you could do it? What if you spent the rest of your days filling your cup with that salty water and dumping it somewhere beyond the shoreline? Do you think the fish under the water would start to tremble in fear that their home would soon cease to exist? I don't think so.

"For we have not an High Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities..." (Heb. 4:15) When I do not understand myself, Jesus  still  understands me.

Well hello there, dear readers! After several months of travelling, moving out of our old home, renovating another one, and then finally moving into our new house (this past weekend), I finally have found some time to write. :) Lately God has been reminding me again and again of His promise that "ALL things work together for good to those who love Him and are the called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28) ...Not just some things, ALL things. "Do you believe that, Sandie?" He gently asks me.

"Blessed are they that dwell in Thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah." Psalm 84:4 Time of prayer was had, and we get up from our knees, praising God. Lifting high His name. We leave the closet, leave the place where secrets where whispered, grace was given, love was received -we leave it and forget it, almost as though it didn't happen- and we go about our business, forgetting the precious moments we had with the Savior. And then, clouds roll over our Christian life, thunder rumbles, lightning strikes, we are dealt hatred by those we love, unkind words from those we cherish. People turn on us. We lose our most precious belongings to tragedies. Trials come that were completely unexpected. Things don't go our way. ...And what do we do? What is the first thing we run to?

I walked all alone down the leaf-strewn sidewalk, my hands in my pockets. A dark figure came out of the shadows and walked towards me. I could not make out who it was, but I sensed an evil about him -an evil that threatened my beautiful surroundings. And then he spoke in a forceful tone. "You had better face it. You are alone, and it will always be that way. Nobody really loves you. You just think they do. Really, though, you are alone." I tried to fight back the tears as the reality of his words sank in. Was it really true? People seemed to like me, but really, did they? It seemed true enough. I was all alone in this world. Nobody really wanted to know what I had to say or think. It was just me, and that was it. Deep in thought, I failed to notice that the dark figure had left me to think about his lies alone.

Are you comfortable? A sense of being comfortable had crept over me as I would go before God with my requests. No longer was there fear of a holy God. No longer was there a sense of awe. His love had been the emphasis so much that it was getting old.  I mean, can't we come before God "as we are"? To an extent, yes...  Our church culture of today emphasizes God's love so much today that we forget a very important aspect of our God and His love seems to be something we can just take advantage of any time we want.  But, don't you remember the God of the Old Testament? The God who was jealous of His people because they went after other gods? The God who fumed with hatred towards sin and evil? Isn't He the God who doesn't change?

A timid Christian stays in the shadows. He doesn't know the light, or understand it's beauty. After all, if he goes to it, what will happen? Will he be forced to do the worst possible thing? He's afraid, inching deeper into the shadows. What could possibly be in the light that he wants? The only thing to hope for there is discomfort.  Ah, but he doesn't know! When the light shines on something -brilliant sunshine- it makes it beautiful! It covers up dark shadows, making color appear more brilliant! There is nothing so beautiful as something that is being covered over by sunlight!

Be still in God's presence. When life gets too hard to understand.... Look to the One who understands all things. When it seems too complicated to figure out.... Be still in the presence of the One who knows the future and is prepared to carry you through it. When things happen you hadn't counted on... Bask in the presence of Him who planned out your life from the beginning. When your heart seems broken beyond repair... Take it to the One who heals the brokenhearted. When loss seems too great to handle.... Go to the One who always holds you in His arms and let Him hold you close to His heart. When trials come and you feel you have no place to turn.... Turn to the One who is always there for you. He said He would never leave you.  Let Him show you the way. When your world falls apart.... Give your world to the One who is never shaken and let Him be your world. In HIS presence there is peace. In HIS presence there are answers. In HIS presence...

The sun had barely risen in the wilderness, and in the tent could be seen the silhouette of a man kneeling, praying to the God of heaven. A cloud, glorious in appearance, stood over the place where the man knelt silent and speechless. He could not take his eyes off the cloud, for in it -he knew- was the very God he was praying to. This was an amazing thought to him.  As he knelt there, the turmoil within his heart grew. One question was on his heart, and he wasn't sure exactly how to ask the One who stood before him in so much splendor.