Weakness Perfected

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me --to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

Have you ever felt weak in your faith? Have you ever felt weak in your walk with Christ or your Christian example. I feel that way on a regular basis! Often I have felt that my sin was because I was weak. or spiritually immature (lacking wisdom, knowledge and discernment). That is true but today as I was studying this passage in 2 Corinthians God reminded me that if I was stronger than I am, powerful in my own self, would there be room for His power?

I often grieve over my sinful habits, knowing they pull me away from my Father, and knowing that with Christ comes freedom, not bondage. I long to live a sinless life, yet knowing it won't happen on this earth. So, it was pretty encouraging today as I was reminded that it is my failures, the thorns in my side, and my tendencies toward sin that invite God's power in my life. Just as Paul implored the Lord for relief, I have begged God to rescue me and to set my upright. But what happens then? Would He still find me at His feet regularly? Not likely. When we have it all together do we seek Him? Not typically. It truly is my weaknesses (and there are many) that cause me to call out to El Shaddai, the All-Sufficient One. May I never be sufficient in myself and loose sight of my overwhelming need for a Savior.

Paul described himself as "most gladly" and "well content" with his weaknesses. May I rejoice in my desperation for Christ and in ALL things that bring me to Him!

Ode to Jeff

Seriously, Jeff has to be the most incredible guy I know! It's not that I'm playing favorites or anything, it's just that he IS the best. So I might be a little biased since I'm married to him, but nonetheless, he's incredible. I think Jeff is such a great guy because on the inside he is about 11 years old. Goofy is only slightly descriptive. He is very witty when you least expect it. He is very tenderhearted and I love that he has passed that on to Cody. He is also pretty tough and it comes out at just the right moment. He is one of the most humble men I know. He loves what is right and is not ashamed of what is good. He is a man of conviction and has kept me grounded when I needed it the most. I wonder, often, why God matched us up, me so undeserving of one so great. I think it is because God knew that it would take someone as special as Jeff to put up with someone like me. I'm so thankful for him. And just a side note, he has some seriously buff arms that I love. Had to mention it!

I love you Puddin'! Happy Father's Day from us all!

............Product of Sorrow

Paul writes to the Corinthians, 7:8-11:

For though I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it--for I see that that letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while--I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death. For behold what earnestness this very thing, this godly sorrow, has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what avenging of wrong! In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter.

God's word to us, His written letter to us can be quite confronting. It pierces to the deepest part of the soul and can bring us to our knees. I have thought at times that it is too hard to "do it right". Too hard to be all that God expects because I am constantly grieving over the sin that hinders me. The sin I choose to do. The sin I sometimes can't get past without some intent leading from the Holy Spirit. And it all brings me to great sorrow in my heart.

There are times when others, particularly my wonderful husband, make a comment to me that just seems to shed a light on a darkness within me. And ouch, it hurts. It's that same feeling that I get when I'm sitting in service on a Sunday morning and it as if the whole lesson preached was just for me, just to bring me to the altar for some cleansing.

I have often wished that I could keep everything about me to myself and never really have to deal with the not so pretty parts of my heart. But then as I read through this scripture today I realized why it is so important that I experience sorrow. It is critical for me to be unhappy with my sin because it brings me to a point of repentance. My sorrow is based on the will of God and protects me from suffering loss as I repent. I want to protect all that God has blessed me with. I want to be a good steward of it all in hopes that God will not withhold His blessings from me.

"For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret."

Wouldn't it be wonderful to live a life in repentance to God that produces no regret. I certainly can not claim that now but I like to think it is possible. I want my sin to cause me to grieve so that I will be miserable until it is purged from me. Oh, how much more God could do with me!

I want to live a life as described in vs 11: earnestness, vindication, indignation, fear, longing, zeal,
avenging of wrong. What a powerful life that would be!

So it is my prayer that I would never be numb to the sorrow that sin brings. I encourage you to give thanks for the sorrow that brings a product of righteousness.

.........The Ministry of Reconciliation

It is a funny thing the way God works to show us His truths and to remind us of His plan. As I have mentioned recently, I am studying 2 Corinthians and am now in ch. 5. In my last post I wrote about the struggles of a relationship and how necessary it was to work through them and how thankful I am that it was resolved in spite of it being rather difficult. Then God so gently reminded me today of the responsibility we have to be reconciled with others. His timing is comical to me sometimes.

2 Corinthians 5:18-21 Now all these things are from God, who
reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry
of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the
world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and
He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we
are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal
through us: we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might
become the righteousness of God in Him.

There are so many statements in this passage that pierce my heart. I am grateful that the challenges of this week are behind me or this scripture would have really hurt! :)

The first revelation for me is that I have been given the ministry of reconciliation. And I was given it the moment that it personally happened for me. The moment I felt God's love pour over me enveloping me in His goodness and I completely surrendered to it. So, then it became my mission to participate in reconciliation as a continued manifestation of God in my life. In simpler terms, I am to do what God has done for me.

I highlighted the words in red because it is through the blood of Christ that reconciliation is possible. His blood was shed for me. The process was painful, it was ugly, it was agonizing, but it was necessary.

Reconciliation is hard at times. It can get ugly but it will never be too much to ask of me. It will never require my life. I have such a different perspective on this issue now. I love seeing how everything God has done for me is a reminder of who I am, in return, suppose to be for Him. He created me in His image and I should resemble Him in all that I do.

"Not counting their trespasses against them". Ok, that's only slightly convicting.....Not! That is a huge blow! How many times I add up all the offenses against me culminating to a blockage in my heart while in the midst God sees me through the blood of His son that reconciled me to Him. Ouch!!

He has committed to me the word of reconciliation. I think I have dropped the ball on this one more times than I can count. It should be my ambition to not only reconcile my own relationships for the sake of the ministries I'm involved in but also to exemplify reconciliation through Christ to God. That is really what it is all about. The world needs to know that it is possible to be reconciled to God and I need to resemble this process. After all, I am an ambassador for Christ.

I love how God's word is so practical and how it is powerful enough to change me. If you haven't experienced God's word in a life-changing way I suggest you dive in deeper. He has so much for each of us!

..........Fights Worth Having

This has been a long and taxing week so far. I woke up Monday morning expecting to meet with some friends about youth camp next week. Little did I know that one of the people who I was meeting with had a lot more on his mind than camp. He and I have had some....let's say.....some moments of frustration with one another which had the potential to blow up at some point down the road. Neither had really done anything to the other, specifically, so it has just been this ugly thing that has consistently produced a discontentment between us. Well, apparently he had had enough and was ready to just have it out and put an end to it. I was blind sided. Truthfully I was completely happy not ever hashing it out with him, but now I realize that is just what Satan would have me do. You see, we are a team with basically the same goals and, I believe, can work together to accomplish some great things under God's leading and working in us. But with this ugly wedge between us, God's work is hindered. With walls being built between us, connections were being severed. My friend had enough guts to get real with me so we could reestablish what was being torn down. It took 3 days, some heavy and awkward conversations, and some heart to heart, get real moments to have a breakthrough, but it did happen. And I thank him greatly for that.

I have realized some truths about ministry. It is not easy. When you are called into ministry you are signing up for war. You are accepting the draft and surrendering to a different cause. A cause greater than yourself. Satan knows the power of believers in bringing forth God's will if they are obedient to Him. I believe he has some pretty good tactics and he was shooting arrows right at us.

Friends, some fights are worth having. Relationships, especially those in the context of ministry, are strong forces for the Lord. I think these relationships have a bulls eye right in the heart and arrows are on the way. Churches are falling apart, ministry divisions within the church are crumbling, and God appointed teams are losing the battle. Relationships are hard to hold onto but the kind that God designs are worthy of every effort we have.

No matter how uncomfortable something can be, or how hard something is to manage, swallowing our pride and breaking down the walls is so necessary.

Don't let the battle go without a solid effort toward victory. Again, some fights are worth having!

................Confident Adequacy in God

Am I adequate? That's a loaded question with a very simple answer: No, I am not.
I have been reading a book by Lou Giglio called, I am not but I know I AM. It's all about the differences between ourselves and God--all that we aren't , and all that He IS. Then today in my Bible study I began working through Ch 3 of 2 Corinthians and I came to the following verses:

4 Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, 6 who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit: for the letter kills but the Spirit gives life.

Our confidence is through Christ and toward God--without Him there's no confidence. This confidence is the kind that is gained from the object of the confidence having proven its reliability. God proved Himself to us through His sacrificial act of sending His Son to die that we might live. It was and continues to be the greatest act of service ever done for man. This is why our confidence is unshaken.

Nothing originates in us. Our adequacy is from God. We are adequate because of the confidence we have in God, Through Christ. But what are we adequate for? Adequate to serve. Bottom line. To serve Christ, the new covenant. This is all I am adequate to do--to serve Him.

Everything I achieve is a result of Him, nothing from within myself because I am INadequate to do anything apart from Him. As I obey the Lord, the Lord accomplishes things through me. When I joined in a covenant relationship with Him by putting my trust in Him and accepting His Lordship over me, I became completely adequate to serve Him. That also means I am adequate to obey. My obedience, my service to God brings about His will in my life. So, my adequacy goes back to Him, the originator and completer of all things.

Now, is this good news or bad news? It's excellent news! Nothing is dependent on my performance, only my obedience. My inadequacy is confidently perfected in His adequacy.

So, am I a good parent? Am I a good wife? Am I a good friend? Am I a good teacher?

These are irrelevant questions. The real question is am I obedient? Am I serving the Lord? The success of my roles come confidently through HIS adequacy.

Phil 1:6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

..........My Piano Man

Last night was the end of the year piano recital for Cody. We were so proud of him as he played in front of everyone and then stood at the end to receive an award that he did not know he was getting. As you can see in the pic, he received a bronze medal for being an "outstanding student". Cody LOVES piano. He never has to be prodded to work on his assignments. When we moved I gave the kids freedom to choose how to decorate their rooms. He chose music with piano the main theme. I'm so thankful that both of my children love music. It is such a wonderful way to express our emotions towards God. Music can bring out our most inner emotions and connect us to God in such a pure way. I never really learned music theory, or any instrument and I regret that. So it pleases me so much to see it as a part of our families' life. Cody is gifted with musical talent and I praise God for it!