My weakness, His strength - thoughts from Gideon

What I once considered a weakness I now see as a gift.

To accept or reject.

Misplace focus – on the problem rather than on God.  This is where faith comes in, to see the unseen, to see beyond what’s in front of me into eternity, to the Eternal.  

Teach me to run, not walk, into the arms of Jesus.

When I come to the end of myself, that is where I find Him.

Don’t focus on the disparity between the problem and your resources.  Your weakness, in His hands, is the key to unlocking His strength

Father, at the moment my weakness is my inability to cope with all the distractions of life that take my focus off You and onto them.  I’m tired and heavy laden and need to enter into Your rest and just breathe.  You are greater than the distraction.

I don’t want to fail You, to dishonor You in any way, but I feel like my "inability" keeps me from Your victory because on some level I give into the distraction.

I see how I’m like our Bob, I snarl and growl when I lose control, when things don’t go as I want, when I’m inconvenienced in some way.  Teach me how to connect with You in those times, to rise above, to let go, to see beyond and just rest . in . You.

When things rock my world, teach me how, cause me to stand in You.

Just some thoughts

In a discussion last night we talked of how it really is His story, that our lives are to be about Him and not focus on us  - to look upward and not inward.  While I see this is true, I’m also aware that His focus is on us, on me.  I kept thinking about the lyrics from Restless Love:

There's no shadow You won't light up

Mountain You won't climb up

Coming after me

There's no wall You won't kick down

Lie You won't tear down

Coming after me

How He’s willing to leave the ninety-nine – for me.

That I have been bought with an incredible price.

That I am now a daughter of The King.

I need to live my life “knowing” these things to be true.

I also remember reading about the Jewish word for prayer:  The Hebrew word l'hitpallel means to pray. The root word is pallel, which actually means to judge, clarify, differentiate or decide. In the reflexive tense of the word--l'hitpallel, the subject acts upon him/herself.

The idea that prayer, therefore, is about self-definition and establishing some level of personal inner clarity.  In a sense, to know one’s self.

I guess in some ways its that Lion and Lamb, justice and grace, thing  While they seem to be in opposition to each other  are really just two sides of the same coin.

It’s because of His amazing love for me, that I want my life to be for Him, to be about His plans and purposes – to be all about Him.

Some random thoughts

A parachute can be a burden or it can save your life. Depends on if you're climbing a mountain or jumping out of an airplane.

A fire can destroy or provide warmth.

Learning to know the difference.

Feelings and emotions are like the parachute or the fire.  They can bring light or darkness.  They are like children, they need boundaries and structure and discipline to live a joyful and productive life.

[W]e can examine the thoughts, beliefs and patterns that are running through our minds and ask, Will this thought help me evolve and thrive or will it hinder me?

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Cor 10:3-5)

In our Lord’s life every project was disciplined to the will of His Father. There was never the slightest tendency to follow the impulse of His own will as distinct from His Father’s will— “the Son can do nothing of Himself…” (John 5:19). . . But true determination and zeal are found in obeying God, not in the inclination to serve Him that arises from our own undisciplined human nature. . . we are to “be transformed by the renewing of [our] mind….”

You have not made me to live to myself - - -

 or for myself, but to You and to others, even as Jesus did.

Father, I’ve agreed to lead one of the small groups in the women’s study and I have done so because I believe it’s a part of Your plan.  I’ve been concerned about how small my world has become and not feeling “useful”, so if I’ve misunderstood, please help me to do this is a way that honors You.  You know me Lord, that this is outside my comfort zone but I also know my life is in Your hands.  I’m getting out of the boat here, so help me to keep my focus on You and not the wind and the waves.  I’m excited to see what You will do.