Given the ebb and flow of life and our own strengths and weaknesses from season to season and from event to event in life, we all may find a need to refocus occasionally. I attempt to be honest about my commonality with my brothers and sisters in Christ and my own imperfection,. So I confess that even as I write this, I'm applying renewed energy to again narrow my own focus.
I'm adjusting my focus now...
It's not personally flattering, but it's absolutely true that my intellect and perspective held up against that of my creator is like a flyspeck on the face of the earth and that the power of my will against His is like that of a puff of smoke against a hurricane. My own righteousness without Christ is like the content of what's scraped from the base of a pig pen against the holy, pristine and perfect righteousness of my God.
This isn't the perspective of one focused on the flesh satisfying lusts of much of man's current society, but a very real one that was asked for and given to me in grace. It stands in stark contrast to the self promoting and aggrandizing bent of so much of society, but it's true. Some might say that it's a dismal perspective - but I'll tell you it's not, because that's not all there is to it ...
Though I'm sure that at least by some inflected attitude or wayward thought I fail God's perfect standard daily and perhaps even hourly, I'm no longer condemned or living in fear of judgment. Purely by His grace, I stand before my God clothed in the purity of a righteousness that is not my own, despite my many failings. I stand holy, favored and deeply loved by the one power that has the ability to change everything not only in me, but in my path as I walk through this life ... if I submit everything to Him ... and trust Him. And this is only a part of what I gain in relationship with the sovereign Lord that continually generates a wealth of security, gratitude and inner joy.
Against any argument, any question and to any complaint that can be raised - I will say by prayerfully gained understanding and experience that our God is faithful. No man peering through a drinking straw can claim to see the whole picture of what's around him in a continually changing world. Yet that's who we are - human beings with limited vision struggling just to see and then tempted to judge by what little we're actually able to see and subsequently comprehend. I don't think that state in itself is any reason for offense, it's just the condition we were knowingly given by design - with a mandate to trust a far greater perspective than our own.
Time has proven again and again the faithfulness of our God, still, even men and women belonging to Him are still only able to look at life with limited perspective. And from time to time some are tempted in their hearts to question what they see as God's involvement, or lack there of, in their lives while seeing through a drinking straw. They may be tempted to question God's motives or maybe even His existence in a moment of despair...
Isaiah 55:8 -11 (NLT)
"8 “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD . “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. 9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. 10 “The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. 11 It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it."
What I've said here so far has been my humble effort to bring focus to a true, if just partial perspective that I hold in my life. I've learned that for myself, it's imperative to stop for a moment and put things in their proper place when attempting to consider things relative to our God - and also definitely before addressing Him - to focus on the incredible majesty, righteousness and terrible power of who it is that I'm about to address so that I can set aside the daily noise and humble myself rightly before His throne.
As I continue to adjust for clarity, I need to revisit a couple of things. First comes the question of trust. Do I truly trust God and what He's told us in His Word? All of it? (If I haven't read it all with true interest - to gain knowledge of what He's made available, then I might possibly be suffering because I choose to). If I answer yes, then that would indicate that I - #1. Have actually read what He's offered for us to know about Him and His ways. #2. Am praying continually because I recognize that my conversations with our God who highly favors me, are my very real connection to bring the power that created the universe into my daily life. #3.Am willing to accept His wisdom in His answer - whatever it is - even if the answer is no, He chooses to respond differently, or chooses not to act in the way that I want how ever bad I may want it (He always answers). #4. Accept that however He answers is in my best interest or that of someone else that I might be interceding for. #5. Keep on praying because I continue to trust in Him and all that He's said. #6. My faith only grows stronger as it's continually tested in this life and the Holy Spirit gives me understanding.
Next, I need to once again consider the state of the world that I'm walking though and live in currently. There's a truckload of potential threats and concerns world wide. Unrest, suffering, discontent and violence are in my face in the daily news. It's enough to keep me pretty occupied trying to keep up with all that's wrong in the world if I buy into the distraction. The world and it's news is busy, noisy and belligerent and can be hugely distracting. But if I get distracted and let the messiness of the world become my focus, then I quickly risk being deceived by a flawed and hopeless perspective that doesn't take into account our God's place in the universe. That distraction also has the subtle, but very real risk of eventually minimizing and possibly even severing my connection to my one true hope and hero in all of this - and that's exactly what the enemy of my soul wants.
As I walk through this life, I'm walking through the middle of an active battleground. If I'm not in continual prayer, then I;m walking through the midst of fierce fighting unarmed and ineffectual against a surrounding enemy that wants nothing less than to cause my death. If I'm not using my most powerful weapons, then my connection to the proven and undefeatable battle plans and direction for my life may become filled with the noise of the battle and even hopelessly lost. If I;m not walking this treacherous ground enveloped in the spirit and covering of my unbeatable God, then I'm walking through the carnage naked and unguarded and have good reason to be afraid...
But no, I fear nothing because my focus is clear even in the middle of the most fierce battle of the ages. My confidence and my one hope are firmly connected to and irretrievably dispersed in, the unshakable and unimaginably powerful and massive commander of heaven's armies. I have only to continue to guard the direction and clarity of my focus and hold firm my faith in the most high commander of heaven's armies to safely reach the other side of ... this life's raging battleground.
I'm adjusting my focus now...
It's not personally flattering, but it's absolutely true that my intellect and perspective held up against that of my creator is like a flyspeck on the face of the earth and that the power of my will against His is like that of a puff of smoke against a hurricane. My own righteousness without Christ is like the content of what's scraped from the base of a pig pen against the holy, pristine and perfect righteousness of my God.
This isn't the perspective of one focused on the flesh satisfying lusts of much of man's current society, but a very real one that was asked for and given to me in grace. It stands in stark contrast to the self promoting and aggrandizing bent of so much of society, but it's true. Some might say that it's a dismal perspective - but I'll tell you it's not, because that's not all there is to it ...
Though I'm sure that at least by some inflected attitude or wayward thought I fail God's perfect standard daily and perhaps even hourly, I'm no longer condemned or living in fear of judgment. Purely by His grace, I stand before my God clothed in the purity of a righteousness that is not my own, despite my many failings. I stand holy, favored and deeply loved by the one power that has the ability to change everything not only in me, but in my path as I walk through this life ... if I submit everything to Him ... and trust Him. And this is only a part of what I gain in relationship with the sovereign Lord that continually generates a wealth of security, gratitude and inner joy.
Against any argument, any question and to any complaint that can be raised - I will say by prayerfully gained understanding and experience that our God is faithful. No man peering through a drinking straw can claim to see the whole picture of what's around him in a continually changing world. Yet that's who we are - human beings with limited vision struggling just to see and then tempted to judge by what little we're actually able to see and subsequently comprehend. I don't think that state in itself is any reason for offense, it's just the condition we were knowingly given by design - with a mandate to trust a far greater perspective than our own.
Time has proven again and again the faithfulness of our God, still, even men and women belonging to Him are still only able to look at life with limited perspective. And from time to time some are tempted in their hearts to question what they see as God's involvement, or lack there of, in their lives while seeing through a drinking straw. They may be tempted to question God's motives or maybe even His existence in a moment of despair...
Isaiah 55:8 -11 (NLT)
"8 “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD . “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. 9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. 10 “The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. 11 It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it."
What I've said here so far has been my humble effort to bring focus to a true, if just partial perspective that I hold in my life. I've learned that for myself, it's imperative to stop for a moment and put things in their proper place when attempting to consider things relative to our God - and also definitely before addressing Him - to focus on the incredible majesty, righteousness and terrible power of who it is that I'm about to address so that I can set aside the daily noise and humble myself rightly before His throne.
As I continue to adjust for clarity, I need to revisit a couple of things. First comes the question of trust. Do I truly trust God and what He's told us in His Word? All of it? (If I haven't read it all with true interest - to gain knowledge of what He's made available, then I might possibly be suffering because I choose to). If I answer yes, then that would indicate that I - #1. Have actually read what He's offered for us to know about Him and His ways. #2. Am praying continually because I recognize that my conversations with our God who highly favors me, are my very real connection to bring the power that created the universe into my daily life. #3.Am willing to accept His wisdom in His answer - whatever it is - even if the answer is no, He chooses to respond differently, or chooses not to act in the way that I want how ever bad I may want it (He always answers). #4. Accept that however He answers is in my best interest or that of someone else that I might be interceding for. #5. Keep on praying because I continue to trust in Him and all that He's said. #6. My faith only grows stronger as it's continually tested in this life and the Holy Spirit gives me understanding.
Next, I need to once again consider the state of the world that I'm walking though and live in currently. There's a truckload of potential threats and concerns world wide. Unrest, suffering, discontent and violence are in my face in the daily news. It's enough to keep me pretty occupied trying to keep up with all that's wrong in the world if I buy into the distraction. The world and it's news is busy, noisy and belligerent and can be hugely distracting. But if I get distracted and let the messiness of the world become my focus, then I quickly risk being deceived by a flawed and hopeless perspective that doesn't take into account our God's place in the universe. That distraction also has the subtle, but very real risk of eventually minimizing and possibly even severing my connection to my one true hope and hero in all of this - and that's exactly what the enemy of my soul wants.
As I walk through this life, I'm walking through the middle of an active battleground. If I'm not in continual prayer, then I;m walking through the midst of fierce fighting unarmed and ineffectual against a surrounding enemy that wants nothing less than to cause my death. If I'm not using my most powerful weapons, then my connection to the proven and undefeatable battle plans and direction for my life may become filled with the noise of the battle and even hopelessly lost. If I;m not walking this treacherous ground enveloped in the spirit and covering of my unbeatable God, then I'm walking through the carnage naked and unguarded and have good reason to be afraid...
But no, I fear nothing because my focus is clear even in the middle of the most fierce battle of the ages. My confidence and my one hope are firmly connected to and irretrievably dispersed in, the unshakable and unimaginably powerful and massive commander of heaven's armies. I have only to continue to guard the direction and clarity of my focus and hold firm my faith in the most high commander of heaven's armies to safely reach the other side of ... this life's raging battleground.
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