Inspiring

“I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed.  But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”  John 12:24

I love to read autobiographies or biographies of spiritual giants.  They encourage me and spring me forward in my walk with the Lord.  They show me that, though the walk can be challenging, the walk with Him is worth it all.  They show me the lives of those who have been mightily used by the Lord.  They are.... inspiring.  

Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxas is one of those biographies that is showing me so much... the cost of discipleship and of following the Lord wherever He leads.  As I read it I am amazed at the hardships Dietrich Bonhoeffer faced as he fought to stand firm in the Truth and resist Adolf Hitler and his Third Reich. Though I am only one-third of the way through this book, I find myself engrossed in his life and battle to preserve the Truth in the church in Germany and in the rest of Europe.  I am learning more of the atrocities perpetrated by Hitler and his regime.  What grace, strength and focus the Lord gave Bonhoeffer to face and resist such evil.  

“No one can sum up all God is able to accomplish through one solitary life, wholly yielded, adjusted and obedient to Him”  (D.L. Moody)  May I (and all who have confessed Jesus as their Savior and Lord) be that kernel that dies and produces many seeds.  May we be wholly yielded and obedient to our God and Savior.  May we continually surrender all to Him and follow wherever He leads.  To Him be all praise, honor and glory!  

“He must become greater; I must become less.” John 3:30

But God...

I’ve been reading in the Psalms this week and two particular psalms intrigue me.  Psalms 105 and 106 enumerate the mighty works of the Lord in the lives of the Hebrews as He set them free from Egypt and carried them through the desert for 40 years before delivering them into the Promised Land.  I kept reading about their sufferings and trials through it all and about how the Lord worked miracles during those times, making it possible for the Hebrews to finally arrive in the land of milk and honey that the Lord had promised them.  As I ponder it all, I am struck by the Lord’s faithfulness to take care of His own.  He never left them, even in their rebellion, and worked on their behalf until His promises had been fulfilled.  That increases my faith and gives me hope for the troubled times in my own life.  God has taken care of me in the past and He will lead, guide and carry me through now.  I know that, but somehow these scriptures just emphasized His love, mercy and faithfulness.  No matter what goes on in my life, God is there and He is working.  Doing what?  I don’t often know, but I do know that, apart from Him, there is no hope and there would be no deliverance.  There would be no Promised Land to go to.   But for God and His work in my life and circumstances, the impossible would remain impossible, the hardships and challenges would never be resolved, and I would never know of His immeasurable love for me.  But God.... some of His sweetest words to me these days.  Isn’t He good?  YES is my resounding answer.  How I love Him and thank Him for His mercy, grace and sanctification in my life.  May He always increase and I decrease.  

“Give thanks to the Lord, call on His Name; make known among the nations what He has done.”  Psalms 105:1

“Praise the Lord.  Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.  Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the Lord or fully declare His praise?... He saved them from the hand of the foe; from the hand of the enemy He redeemed them.”  Psalms 106:1-2, 10

Words

“May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”  Psalm 19:14

“For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”  

Matthew 12:37

Words matter.  Encouraging words build up and critical words tear down.  I’ve received both and, unfortunately, I’ve given both.  I just wasn’t paying attention to what I was speaking to myself or to others.  Many times I was just talking for the sake of saying something.  A foolish thing to do. I just wasn’t thinking.  Thankfully, through my years of walking with the Lord, He has put a guard over my mouth and has answered my daily prayer. “Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say.  Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.” (Mark 13:11)  I realized that speaking His words given to me by the Holy Spirit or remaining silent when no words were given was always right.  They were life-giving words or silence.  Christ was heard and seen, not me.  Talking to myself and others became much more positive, Truth-filled and encouraging as Christ was lifted up, not me.  Now that is what I was striving for!  Gotta love the lessons of the Lord and the wonderful changes He makes in a willing heart!  Though I still have much to learn about speaking and silence, I’m not who I was in this area and that makes me smile.  Thank You, Lord!

“And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times.”  Psalm 12:6

“The unfolding of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.”  Psalm 119:130