Sat, Aug 26th - 7:20PM
Feeling invisible?
God Our Rescuer Do you ever feel like God doesn't see you - see your hurts, your pain, your fears? Or that he doesn’t care? Do you ever feel alone on this planet? Like you’re one of billions of people - but not just that - that you’re an insignificant one? God sees you, he knows you, and he cares. Far from being forgotten, he knows your name. He knows the number of hairs on your head. After all, if he’s aware of every sparrow that falls, is he not aware of you? “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10:29-31, NIV)
“...the Lord knows how to rescue Godly men from trials….” (2 Peter 2:9)
Consider the purpose of the difficulties you're facing. Sometimes I'm slow to realize that God has allowed struggles into my life for my benefit. In March, I wrote about a difficult situation that I faced with the leasing office at my apartment complex.* God amazingly resolved the issue, but it hasn’t been the last. Ongoing challenges with the property management company have given me a unique, and actually welcome, opportunity.
You see, I don't like conflict. Beyond that, I'm afraid of it. It's extremely hard for me to engage in conflict if I think the other party will get angry. This is a weakness that has kept many of my relationships from being as full as they could be. At times, it's also kept me from resolving problems. I often prefer to accept the status quo rather than healthily battling toward resolve. Dealing with unreasonable management is helping me confront and grow beyond this unhealthy fear. In truth, I don't want to live a lonely life with shallow relationships, and I don't want to feel stuck, unhappy, or perpetually frustrated because I allow solvable problems to linger.
So, I must put on courage that God gives me to enter conflict when life calls for it. I'm able to do this when I recognize that he's good, present, and willing fight with and for me to secure a just outcome. He sees me and he cares.
“Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides [him], who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.” (Isaiah 64:4)
Troubles enter our lives for a season, and when they've achieved their purpose, God brings us through to the other side. When our lives are given over to him, and we’re walking in obedience, the outcome is always what it needs to be: “A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all….” (Psalm 34:19)
For more encouragement, click here: www.kristinspann02.wix.com/spring1 (click "blog" at the top) *See my blog post, “The Payoff of Persistence."
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Sat, Aug 5th - 5:04PM
How do we fulfill God's command to love?
To Live Is To Love
In Part 1 of “To Live Is To Love,” we considered that true life is found when we are loving and being loved. Our ultimate source of love is God, in whom we find this deepest need met. If part of the equation, though, is giving love away, what does this look like? Let’s see what God has to say on this topic…
In John 15:13, Jesus tells us “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” (NIV) As we seek to love others, we are to imitate the love that God has for us. Yes, the love that went so far that Christ was willing to be mocked, humiliated, tortured, and even killed. Some will be called to make this ultimate sacrifice - showing the world the reality of God, whose love is our only salvation. Never shrink from this honor. But in a million ways every day, we have the chance to lay down our selfish agendas in favor of simply loving others. This is another way we lay down our lives. It’s not always convenient, desirable, fun, or instantly rewarding. But in the end, it leads to a freedom and fullness in life that remains unknown unless we step into it.
On a practical level, God shows us how to do this in 1 Corinthians 13. Are you patient? Kind? Do you envy? Sometimes I do. At times I look at the lives of others and wish that mine was more like theirs. Consistently, though, God reminds me of the wealth I have in him. How about boasting, or feeling a sense of superiority over others? Ever catch yourself being rude, self-seeking, or easily angered? I do. In reality, it can be easy to slip into sin in large or small ways daily. But we’re not called to that. We’re called to live like God - to love even when our feelings or activities might push us in a different direction. This is when we lay down our lives for others, and love God in doing so.
"And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.” (2 John 1:6)
For more encouragement, visit my website: www.kristinspann02.wix.com/spring1 (click on "blog" at the top)
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Name: Kristin Spann
