Before and After

The goodness and newness of God 

Too many people think God is mean, and unfair. I know He is sweet, and loving, and fair and kind and holy. A holy God demands righteousness. On our own we cannot be righteous enough. 

On our own we are like filthy rags. No amount of self-help, or self-actualization will change that. We are not capable on our own to reach God. 

This is why He made a way. A bridge between Him and us. This is why He sent Jesus to us. In Jesus Christ, we can be forgiven of our filth and cleansed spiritually. This renewal cannot be explained in words. It is supernatural. But the effects can be measured some. 

Before I knew Jesus, I was lost. After Jesus, I am found. 

Before I was hard. I am softer now. Before Jesus I was mean. Now I live with more compassion. Christ changes us from the inside out. 

Before Jesus I was a zero waiting for a hero. I was nothing. But God saw I could be more. HE made me for more. He made you for more too. 

God adds value where there was none because He loves. He loves us like a Father should love. Completely, wholly, and with undying devotion God chases us. He is unrelenting. He is faithful. 

He will never leave me. He will never hurt me. He will always be my answer, because He is my source. I want more of Him than anything else in this world. 

He wants us too. He chose us. He loves us with a holy jealousy. A righteous concern over our love and well being- that kind of holy jealousy. He is holy and he wants a holy people. We can only be holy as he is holy. When we surrender...when I surrender to all he is and has for me, then I am continually being made holy, like Him. 

Not so I can lord it over others, but so I can shine the light of His glory and draw men and woman, young and old to him. His heart is for us. He is not against us. He loves us. He cares. He sees everything and He waits on us to come to him and call on him.

 

"And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved." Acts 2:21

This is what I know. My God is good. He is kind. His mercy is new every morning. He is my home. He is my love. He is my life. 

"O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusts in him." Psalms 34:8

 Join the Conversation: 

There is no place I would rather be than in God's presence, as one of His. What about you? 

How Should We React to Tragedy?

Photo Credit: Creative Commons

One Reaction

In the wake of the tragedy of the theater massacre in Colorado, it can be so easy to fall into fear.

After the news Friday, my husband and I sat and talked about precautions theaters can make to keep people safer.

Immediately we jumped to problem solving. Why? Because senseless acts make us feel inadequate, powerless and small. In some small way we grasp at anything that can give us back power and make us feel more in control.

We complain. We plan. We blame others. We litigate.

We seek justice and we seek solace and sometimes we get that. Sometimes we get peace after a tragedy. 

Sometimes we are just left with questions. 

It is okay. 

It is okay to feel inadequate. It is okay to feel small. We are. Without God we are without any power. The ruler of this earth uses the twisted and broken to maim and kill where he can, and along the way his ultimate goal is to sow seeds of doubt. To get us to turn from God.

He wants us to doubt God's love. He wants us to doubt God's mercy and justness. He wants us to rail against God and blame Him for being distant.

The truth is God does love us. He is merciful and just and He is closer than we think. Tragedy, senseless or not, does not change that.

When bad things happen what should we do? 

Stand on the Promises

We should stand on every word God has said. His promises are yes and amen. We believed God before tragedy and we should believe after. God does not change. He is the same. The world changed. Circumstances happened. That is the world we live in.

God promises that in this world we will have trouble. Jesus said “I have overcome the world”.

Press into God's presence and let Him comfort your heart. I have put a song here by one of my favorite bands. Listen to it. God has a plan for everyone of us. He reveals Himself in unique and individual ways because we are each unique individuals. 

Promises Lyrics 

By Parachute Band

I have decided I believe it
The clouds cannot defeat the sun
The truth remains
Your words won’t fail
So I rise again believing every one

Our conversations I remember
And I hang on to every word
Cause I have faith you’ll light my way again

I believe your promises are yes and amen
I believe your promises are yes and amen
I know you said it once and I believed you then
So I still believe it

You showed the lowly to the prophet
Revealed the plan among the stars
You say the things that I can see
Alone

I believe your promises are yes and amen
I believe your promises are yes and amen
I know you said it once and I believed you then
So I still believe it

I want in, I want in
Oh I, I want in, I want in
I want in, I want in
Oh I, I want in, I want in

I believe your promises are yes and amen
I believe your promises are yes and amen
I know you said it once and I believed you then

So I still believe it 

How did you react to the news of the violence in Aurora?  Leave your comment below. 

Overcoming Disappointment and Finding Hope Again

Disappoint means not (dis) settled (appoint) if you break down the etymology of the word.


Disappointment (not being settled) is a hard thing to deal with. If you have anticipated something, like a new job, or a new baby, or a new home, and those things did not come, disappointment is a natural response. The thing we have to be careful of is not to allow disappointment (not being settled) turn into anger toward God or a lack of faith on our part.


Waiting on God in these times is hard. Sometimes we feel all alone.


Even the greatest prophet, Elijah felt alone. He had just splendidly called fire down from heaven, defeated the Baal worshippers and established the sovereignty and holiness of God before the nation and then with a death threat he forgets the faithfulness of God.


How did that happen? How did He go from such a high to such a low so quickly?


Elijah became disappointed the miracle on Carmel did not have more immediate results with the people of Israel. He became self-focused and overwhelmed by fear when Jezebel threatened his life, and he even wanted his life to end. This is more than just disappointment, this was burn out.


Burn out is defined as fatigue, frustration, or apathy resulting from prolonged stress, overwork, or intense activity.


If we are not careful, if we allow disappointment to fester and fear to take over, we end up depressed and unfocused. We become burned out on our works, and in desperate need to get back to the basics with God, which are prayer, worship and reading the word. It happens to the best of us and it often happens after great disappointments.


When we face disappointment we can recognize it, give it to God and allow Him to teach us in that moment, or we switch our focus from God to the circumstances and whine about it, like Elijah did. The former should be our response, but the latter is usually the case.


Thankfully, God is faithful despite our response and He can bring us back around, just as he did with Elijah.


The first thing God for Elijah is he provided for him, even in his desert place. He gave him food, shelter, and water. He teaches us in that moment with Elijah that He is always faithful. He meets our needs and is our sustainer.


Restoration and rest are essential to overcoming burn out and surpassing disappointment.


Resting in God’s provision begins to pull our focus from ourselves and begins to set us back on the path we were meant to be on in the first place. God allowed Elijah to rest and store up His provision, because there was a bigger lesson coming soon.


That second lesson was one I’ve had to learn over and over. God reminds me every time when I take my eyes off of Him, to find Him again. He reminds me to get quiet and focus. God is not in the circumstance: not in the hurricane-like winds, the earthquakes, or in the fire. God is in the quiet, still small voice. The comforter to our soul, He is our buckler and our shield. We have nothing to fear when He is the focus of our lives.


When we stop focusing on the circumstances and focus on hearing what God has to say about the circumstances, then we can move on to the next thing God has for us. Disappointments come, Jesus said in this life we will have trouble, but He also said He had overcome. BE of GOOD CHEER!


Trust in the Lord, and remember His promises are yes and amen. He has planned a future for us, one full of hope and peace. He has promised that He will work things out for our good if we love Him and are called according to His purpose- and we are called!


Jesus talked to the disciples about disappointment. When things do not go the way we plan, we should shake it off like the dust from our feet and move on. Let God deal with the circumstances, let God deal with people’s hearts, Let God deal with our hurts, as we shake off the disappointment like the dust it really is.


We need to get still and let God speak comfort and peace to us. We need to listen for His direction. He will bring us through the flood; he will bring us through the fire.


Let the winds of life blow, let the fire rage, God will raise a standard against it, and if we listen for His voice and follow Him, we will come through.


Lift your eyes to the Lord, where all of your help comes from.


So when you are disappointed, when the hard things of life come, trust that God has a plan, and that plan is designed and tailor made just for you. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, don’t lean on what you know, lean on Him, even in the disappointments. Don’t become burned out from the work and weighed down by the stress of what you have faced. Guard your heart, and listen for His still small voice. He cares for you.


Have you been disappointed before?