discovering joy in the journey

Joy to the Heart

How come I don’t seem to realize that I am relying on my own strength, and not on my Lord, until the consequences become so evident in my life that I can’t ignore them?

Our pastor is teaching through the book of Colossians and is stressing the importance of having Jesus at the core of our lives.  (By the way, you can access all of the sermons here!) A couple weeks ago, he began the sermon by stating, “Life falls apart without Jesus.”   And, oh boy, does it ever.  I do have Jesus in my life.  He is my Lord and Savior.  But, I do not always go about my day dependent on Him.  Here are some real examples of where I am seeing this right now…

• School plans and other family decisions that need to be made feel as if they are looming over me.  I work through different possibilities – but sense fear and trembling.
• I have child training stresses.  I thought we had addressed these  before and were back on track.
• I have recurring sin issues.  Why can’t I break the cycle and move past this?
• And a new sin issue…God recently revealed to me that I have been harboring unkind thoughts and have let bitterness take root in my soul.  I thought I was working through this all right on my own.

Okay,anyone else notice a pattern here?  A difficulty, that God in His wisdom allows, is brought into my life and I react.  I attempt to do something – on my own.

Our pastor said we should have three confessional cries and I can honestly say that these are three confessional cries breaking forth from my heart to God right now….

1) “I’m dependent on You.”
I can’t make it on my own and I need God’s help!

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
(John 15:1-8)

2) “I need Your power.”
I am inadequate.  I can not rely on my own strength and wisdom.
I need His!  I need the power of the Holy Spirit working in my life.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses,
so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults,
in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.
For when I am weak, then I am strong.
(2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

3) “I need You more than anything.”
I need Jesus!

I need you more, more than yesterday.
I need You more, more than words can say.
I need You more than ever before.
I need You Lord. I need You Lord.

I can not fathom how to accomplish school each day with a 1st grader, preschooler, toddler, and infant – BUT Jesus, can.

I can not adequately reach the heart of my children, to raise them up to live for Christ, and to obey His commands – BUT Jesus can.

I can not learn from my mistakes and completely snuff out the sin areas in my life – BUT Jesus can.

I can not cultivate a tenderness and true forgiveness for the person I am holding grudges towards -BUT Jesus can.

It is a foreign concept in our culture, but I must admit that I can NOT do life without Jesus.  I just can’t make it on my own.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him
and He will make your paths straight.
(Proverbs 3:5-6)

Through different situations, God is making me more dependent on Him.  That’s a good thing!   May there be less of me and more of Him as I grow in Christ.

Some days just start off on the wrong foot.  I get to bed late, wake to a crying baby wanting to feed earlier than normal as well as a toddler who wakes an hour earlier –no Bible reading, no time to think before my feet hit the floor and I’m off and running through my day.  I can either 1) shirk back under the covers and pretend I don’t have to face the day or 2) pray, rise up, and give praise to God.  Now granted, it may take me an hour or so to get to the point of praying and praising, but I highly recommend the second option as opposed to the first.

A lot of days lately, I have noticed that I am getting up and going, but, sadly, with a grumbling spirit.   I need to intentionally pause to pray as I rise and to thank God that He goes with me and before me, that He is a Holy God who cares intimately about every detail of life.  He knows all about what I must face today -the sibling squabbles and whining, the multiple attempts to calm a crying baby, my fears of inadequacy as a parent, my difficulty in trying to juggle or balance the needs of each child with the needs of myself, others, and things around our home, etc. etc.  If my focus is rightly on Jesus my Savior, He grants me a renewed sense of peace, strength, and energy amidst what can otherwise feel like chaos.

Portions of Hosanna by Paul Baloche…

Praise is rising, eyes are turning to You
We turn to You
Hope is stirring, hearts are yearning for You
We long for You
‘Cause when we see You, we find strength to face the day
In Your presence, all our fears are washed away
Washed away
Hosanna Hosanna
You are the God who saves us,
Worthy of all our praises
Hosanna Hosanna
Come have Your way among us
We welcome You here Lord Jesus
Hear the sound of hearts returning to You
We turn to You
In Your kingdom broken lives are renewed
You make us new . . .

Hebrews 12: 1-3

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses,
let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame,
and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men,
so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Thank you, Lord, that when I see You,
you grant me strength to face the day.

I have a small spiral bound notebook that I keep with my Bible.  I like to write down verses from Scripture that really speak to my heart and that I want to reflect and meditate on more.  I seem to reread these more when I am feeling especially anxious, weary, or under a spiritual attack.  You might call these God’s love notes to my weary and faint heart.   Below are just a few verses (emphasis added is mine). I am posting them here so that I might have just one more way to speak them to my heart.  May you let His words encourage your soul as well….

Psalm 55:16-18
But I call to God,
and the LORD saves me.
Evening, morning and noon
I cry out in distress,
and he hears my voice.
He ransoms me unharmed
from the battle waged against me…

Psalm  55:23
Cast your cares on the LORD
and he will sustain you;
he will never let the righteous fall.

Psalm 68:19
Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,
who daily bears our burdens.

Ephesians 6:10-11
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
Put on the full armor of God
so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

Psalm 105:4
Look to the Lord and His strength.  Seek His face always.

Psalm 116:5-9
The LORD is gracious and righteous;
our God is full of compassion.
The LORD protects the simplehearted;
when I was in great need, he saved me.
Be at rest once more, O my soul,
for the LORD has been good to you.
For you, O LORD, have delivered my soul from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before the LORD
in the land of the living.

Psalm 118:14
The LORD is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.

Psalm 63:7-8
Because you are my help,
I sing in the shadow of your wings.
My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.

Psalm 121:2-3
My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;

Psalm 62:5
Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;
my hope comes from him.

Psalm 29:11
The LORD gives strength to his people;
the LORD blesses his people with peace.

Lord, Your Words are the healing medicine that my faint heart needs.  You are my strength, my protector, my sustainer, my rest, my hope, my song.  To You belongs all praise.

Romans 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.