Living Life for Christ Alone

Our world is so complicated, isn't it? And as a result, our thinking can get complicated, too.  I don't have a lot of say to elaborate on this, but I'm sure every person who reads this feels it to one degree or another. So, I want to introduce some simplicity into your soul, if you will let me. Take a minute to breathe as you read this, and remember we were made for simplicity in Christ. (2 Cor 11:3) If you are a follower of Christ, may the eyes of your heart zero in on Him as you read this, and may your soul settle into His peace. You were made for rest, so find rest in Him. (Psalm 62) And if you are not a follower of Christ, be refreshed by the idea that you, too can have simplicity in Him. It's yours for the taking. He is pursuing you with His relentless love, too. (John 3:16)  . "I love You, Lord; You are my strength." Psalm 18:1 The simplicity of this verse will quiet your soul if you let it. . "I love You, Lord..."  My love only needs to be foc...

It is so easy to assume certain things about God, to assume certain things about the way He views me.  This meditation below encouraged my heart along this line of thought this morning.  Be encouraged as you read along. Maybe read it as though you yourself had written it.  I needed it. It lifted my heart towards Him.  May it do the same for you.  "...He rescued me because He delights in me." (Psalm 18:19) HE delights in me: The God of the Universe. The King of kings. The sinless, perfect One. The One who sees all and knows all. The One who sees me. The One whose glance makes the earth tremble and whose touch makes the mountains smoke. The One who needs only to utter a word and things are created out of nothing, miracles happen, lives are forever changed. He DELIGHTS in me: That God (the only God) delights in me. He smiles when He thinks of me. There is pleasure in His heart over me. He rejoices over me with singing.  I bring Him joy. He is not sad about me,...

"The Lord rewarded me for doing right. He has seen my innocence." Psalm 18:24 I have been giving this verse a lot of thought lately.  Maybe it's because it makes me question who in the world could possibly claim such a thing before God. Yet at the same time, I'm strangely drawn to the confidence with which the psalmist said it. I mean, seriously though. If you think about who God is, and how He knows us through and through, it seems almost foolish to make such a claim to Him. In case you're not tracking with me, let me explain... Remember that day when you went the whole day doing everything perfectly?  You got up right when the alarm went off and shouted, "Praise God!" rejoicing the whole day while simultaneously doing everything He had for you to do that day for His glory AND serving every person you came into contact with by pouring out every ounce of strength you had with the right motives, while still wearing a smile on your face and not having a hi...

"Who will go for Me?" The voice echoes in the chambers of my heart. I raise my hand. "I will go for You, Father."  He smiles and nods. "Yes, you, my daughter, may go for Me."  But as I go on the mission that He has assigned to me I find that I cannot execute it without failure. It seems that the farther I go, the more aware I become of my own weakness.  Shame rises up within. He could have picked someone far more qualified. Why did I volunteer myself to pursue those things that matter to Him when I can't even do it right? I become like Adam and Eve and try to cover up my weaknesses with coverings of my own making. I weave together a covering of self-made righteousness and move further along into the mission assigned to me, but again I trip and fall. Even the self-made righteousness cannot hold me up.  I weave together another covering of more rules to live by -boundaries set to keep me from falling off the pathway and leaving the mission He gave me. Ag...

Can I be honest with you? If yes, read on. ;)  I am naturally one who gets very lost in the moment, so when moment after moment is overwhelming, it is no wonder that I am not only overwhelmed, but I go into "this-will-go-on-forever-and-I-must-live-to-survive-it" mode.  And the last couple of weeks have given me plenty of moments like that.  Moments where I feel like I'm being crushed under pressure that is too great for me to carry.  Moments where the decisions I have to make as a mom pile up so high in my brain that I can't even think straight enough to make them. If I stay too long here, I find myself becoming cynical. Life is not even meant to be fun, is it? (Spoiler: that is not true!) I woke up this morning feeling overwhelmed before the day began. I was stressed out and I hadn't even got out of bed. How can one possibly even begin to do a day right like that?  I sat at the breakfast table drinking my coffee, trying to gather myself for the day. I just want...