Waiting...

Have you ever noticed that God's timing is often very different from our expectations? Even when it is a desire or dream that we know God has placed within our hearts, still it doesn't always happen in the time frame that we would like.
And it has consistently been this way. Abraham had to wait until he received the son of promise - and went through many ups and downs on his way there. Moses spent 40 years in the desert before he led the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage. Even Paul, chosen to be a very unique vessel in the service of Christ's Kingdom, spent his own time in the desert.
Knowing that this is often God's method, why is it often so hard to wait patiently on Him to fulfill His plan in our lives? It is during these waiting periods that we learn so much of His faithfulness, so much of His forgiveness. And yet we still find it difficult to wait.
I know that the desires that God has placed within me have yet to come to complete fruition, but I pray that during this waiting process He will grant me the strength to run this race with patience - with steady persistence as I know that what He has begun in me He will most certainly finish!

A More Sure Word!

We have also a more sure word of prophecy (the Bible); whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
2Peter 1:19

I Stand Amazed!

Christ did not see anything in me that was worthy of His suffering and death, rather it was what was in Him that made Him willing to pay sin's greatest price for me: namely His unconditional love!
I pray today that His great love would overwhelm you afresh, and that we would be able to sing in deep sincerity with the old hymn writer:

I stand amazed in the presence
Of Jesus the Nazarene,
And wonder how He could love me
A sinner condemned, unclean.
Oh how marvelous, oh how wonderful
And my song shall ever be,
Oh how marvelous, oh how wonderful
Is my Savior's love for me!

The Pursuit Of Excellence

1Peter 1:5 calls us to give great diligence to add to our faith "virtue", which from my understanding means excellence. This would then mean that we are called pursue excellence in our walk with Christ, and in all the things we do. Excellency should be our standard in all things.
Why then is it so easy to settle for mediocrity? Vance Havner said the middle of the road is a poor place to walk, a poor place to drive, and a poor place to live. Why then are we so susceptible to settling in our walk with Christ?
Whatever the reason may be, and I suppose it is different for different people, the calling is still the same. We are called to intentionally and intensely pursue excellence in all things. May His Spirit keep us from settling for anything less on this day!

Grace & Peace

1 Peter 1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord
Such a simple verse, with such incredible truth. Peace and grace grow the more our knowledge of Him grows. The more we learn of His character and presence, the more at peace we are able to be. The more we grow in our understanding of how He works the more amazing His grace becomes. Peace and grace are always a direct result of knowing Him! Oh that we might press on to know Him more today!

The Way He Loved

How different would my life be if I followed Christ's command to love as He loved? Greater love has never been seen. He was amazing in the way that He dignified and uplifted those He came in contact with. Someone once said His whole life demonstrated that there are only two things that really matter in life: God and people. And this kind of love is what is expected of me. He did not define what we were supposed to do, perhaps because a definition would not suffice. Instead He demonstrated how we are to love. How different things would be if I loved the way He loves!

No Limits!

It is when we reach our limit that we fully realize God is not thus limited!