success or Success

God has been teaching me a lot lately, He teach's me more about myself every day. He spoke something into my heart about a week ago that has really stuck in the front of my mind. The word one my heart is success, the meaning of success, or what it looks like to be successful, or even the idea of success in my life.

I just recently turned twenty four and every year around the time of my birthday i have a tenancy to evaluate my placement in life, my success, my failures, myself. In our world success is having that six figure job, having that bachelors degree, having nice things and all the other "things" that make us successful. True success isn't about the job, its not about the schooling, its not about the friends or any other social status.

God measures success in a completely different world then we live in or even understand, there are no things in this world there is God and his one true love, us. To be successful in the eyes of God is to carry out the ministry he has created you to do.

Paul wrote: "But my life is worth nothing to me unless i use it for finishing the

work assigned me by the Lord Jesus - the work of telling others the

Good News about the wonderful grace of God."

Acts 20:24

Nothing else in all the world is more important, nothing else even comes close to completing what God has created us for. Its easy to get caught up in the success of man, but what truly matters is to finish the work that God has molded our lives for. God does not desire to see how much we can learn, how much wealth we can gain or even how famous we can become, he wants us to see how much we can love, how close we can grow to Him, how much we can give away, and how many people learn of his grace.

At the end of Paul's life he was able to say:

"As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and i have remained faithful." 2Timothy 4:6,7

Stepping into Faith. Walking through the Sea

I read psalms:77 this morning and it really proved me to chase after God and his plans for my life. For most of the psalm it is quite depressing but it was the last to verses that did it for me.

"Your road led through the sea,

your pathway through mighty waters,

a pathway that no one knew was there!

You led your people along that road like a flock of sheep,

with Moses and Aaron as shepherds." (psalms 77:19,20)

God truly does have us take the path less traveled, none of those people had any idea that there freedom would rely completely on their ability to walk across the sea floor. With God any path can be traveled, even the path that in our eyes isn't even there. Too often we question Gods path for us, when all that he wants is action; he will handle the rest. So lets not question our placement or Gods plan for us, lets us act. Let us remember these verses and remember that no path or plan of God can be stopped if we are willing to act, not any thing created by man or God.

Keep the Bull Kiss the Dirt

God continues to show me why life just seems so out of control at times, because it never is controlled. Life is like a 2000 lb bull at a rodeo, you try to ride it as long as you can before you end up with a face full of dirt; then take that and repeat it over and over again, that is life. Once you put God in the mix you expect more of a pony ride, but its not the animal that changes its the rider, its you. Before you dreaded the bull, it alone was the cause of countless tears, countless fears, and countless worries. Now the bull is no longer viewed as a challenge, or a problem, or even a bringer of pain, but it is an opportunity, it is a solution, it is a victory.

Day by day we all have things to worry about, things to cry about, things to be sad about, but if we look at these "problems" the way that God does we would be singing, and praising. If we surrender every challenge we are faced with to God and recognize that he will take care us, these "challenges" will become more of a blessing. Each and every problem will become a new and wonderful testimony of how great our God cares for us, if we just exercise the one thing he has always asked of us, obedience. Obedience by surrendering our issues, our problems, our fears, our challenges, our whole lives into his hands. The more we surrender to God the more he can bless us in, the reality of life is God can do it everything better than we can. So ride the bull, but do it knowing that each time you fall there will be a blessing waiting for you in that dirt, one that is worth the fall.

Victory through Surrender

The past few weeks have been very challenging for me, starting a new job with new responsibilities, moving to a more permanent housing situation, dealing with family issues from 1200 miles away, and the worst of it is i am on my own for the most part. In the past few weeks I have learned some things as well; that my greatest responsibility is that of any Christ follower to remain faithful to God and his call on my life. I have learned that no matter where i live i will always have my God to shelter me, to hold me, to bring me peace and rest. I have learned regardless of what personal problems i have going on, whether it be family, emotional, or anything else the only counselor ill ever need will be God almighty. I have also learned that i am never alone and that God is always with me providing me with what ever bit of strength, patience, wisdom, or peace i need.

"Then I realized that my heart was bitter, and i was torn up inside.

I was so foolish and ignorant, i must have seemed like a senseless animal to you.

Yet i still belong to you, you hold my right hand.

You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny.

whom have i in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth.

My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak

but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.

those who desert him will parish, for you destroy those who abandon you.

But as for me, how good is it to be near God!

I have made the sovereign Lord my shelter,

and i will tell every one about the wonderful things that you do."

(Psalms 73:21-28)

I have realized that with all the things each day brings i must start my day by surrendering it to God, allowing him to equip me with everything that i will need to face the challenges that are waiting for me. This is the most important part of my day, with out this i would be running through an obstacle course with a blind fold. By doing this i know that regardless of what i am faced with God has already gone out before me and overcome my challenges, its just up to me to carry out his victory with my words, with my actions, and with my life.

Change of plans

So starting my new job and working 60hr+ weeks has prevented me from finding time to blog, but i have continued my morning coffee with Jesus none the less. My original goal was to do this every morning but i don't feel that i will be able to blog that often so i am committing to 3-4 days a week. thank you every one who has been reading and commenting it is truly a encouragement.

The Good, The Bad, The Blessing

When a bone is broken it heals stronger than before, when we work hard with our hands at first they may hurt but soon they become callused and tough. The heart and the body are the same in this way, every time we are hurting, or broken there is an opportunity to grow. In every relationship we go through time or strife and anger, but by working through that we not only learn more about each others true feeling we learn how to care for each other better. Too often people see these problems and avoid them but they do not go away by pretending they do not exist, we only amplify the actual issue. The thing about working through issues with one another is being able to care for and understand one another and to ultimately forgive each other.

But how do we learn to carry this out? The life of Jesus is all we need, his example of how he lived and crucified himself was Gods ultimate resolve. Gods has one true love...us. But there was a problem, he needed to be able to understand what we are going through, to see what its like to be tempted in a human body. God put himself in the shoes of a sinner so that he may truly fix our relationship with him. Just as God lived here on this earth to understand what we go through we must strive to know him better to complete what he did, his ultimate "im sorry" his sacrifice.

The closer i grow to God the more i am humbled and the more i understand his love for me. We are all closer to God because of what he went through, in the same way when we work through tough time we grow stronger. God can bless through both good and bad things

"Enjoy prosperity while you can, but when hard times strike,

realize that both come from God" Ecclesiastes 7:14

As the heart is challenged with difficulties it must rely more upon God and his love, when we are drained of all of our love, all of our forgiveness, all of our care God has all of these in abundance. In this way we grow closer with God and closer to those that surround us.

Choose Life

Moment: an indefinitely short time

Our days are compile of specific moments, with all off the media we are quick find ways to pacify our entire day with senseless garb. But Jesus has called us to so much more, he has called us to love in abundance, to care in abundance, to embrace each moment and live like Him. Through out our days we have high points and low points, but with each moment we are left with a choice. That choice is to live like Jesus our live like yourself, its easy to live like Jesus when things are going well but when faced with anger, sorrow, or stress it becomes a different story. In times like those we must remember who is in true control, when Jesus was in the garden he knew he was in trouble he didn't run, he didn't have a panic attack, he didn't seek counsel from man but from God. He surrendered all to him knowing that he had a plan. We may face hard times through out the day but if we seek the Lord in every moment he will care for us.

"For I know the plans i have for you," says the Lord.

"They are plans for good and not for disaster, to

give you a future and a hope. In those days when

you pray, i will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly,

you will find me. I will be found by you," says the Lord.

Jeremiah 29:11-14

Every moment we are face with a choice to bring life to that moment, you see some say they "live for the moment," i say Christians should bring Life to every moment. By choosing to love and care for all in every moment every day how can we go wrong? "Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed"(Proverbs 16:3) So we can live for the moment or choose to bring true life to every moment. Which ever path we choose remember who's path Jesus chose in the garden.

The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.
I will advise you and watch over you.
Do not be like a senseless horse or mule
that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.”

Psalms 32:8,9