Yeah I Know All That But...

In ministry, I am confronted with all kind of test and trials. Sometimes they are easy to endure but other times they tend to knock the breath out of me. In those times, it is almost as though, God is teaching me what it must have felt like in the garden for Him, when he prayed: "Not my will but Thy will be done."

I have tried to live my life as an example to those that have a relationship with Christ and to those who would consider it. I am not perfect, by a long shot, but I don't like to burn bridges so, I pray that God gives me wisdom as I learn to be what He intended me to be from the very beginning of time.

With all that said, here's some thought for you. Have you ever been in a situation, where you have been going through life and from out of nowhere a situation comes along and buckles you. The first thing you may do, or at least what I do, is say, "God , Why Me?" then you have those few friends that will come and tell you all the encouraging scriptures in the Word. You know the ones, "God knows how much you can bare," or "he will not put more on you than you can bare", then there's the old faithful..."All things work together for the good..." These are ABSOLUTELY right. Yeah, I know all that. As a human I tend to not want to suffer at all. Maybe I am the only one that feels that way but I think not.

God in His Mercy and His grace deals with me ever so patiently, Can I just be real for a moment... we all go through trials whether we are in the church or not. We all go through tough, hard and sometimes devastating times. As a youth in SF, our Youth Choir used to sing a song, "Give Them All To Jesus". In this song it stated that God never promised we only see sunshine and He never said there would be no rain but he only promised a heart full of singing at the very things that once brought pain. So what exactly does this mean to you and I. Well, I am so glad you asked that question. In life you will have things come up but know this, you have a strength within you that will help you overcome any hard trials.

So what if you don't know God in the fullness of His joy and love, get to know Him now. And those of you that are going through and Yeah you know all this but this situation is different or you just want it over with. Remember we must know Him in His Joy and in His suffering. While that may not comfort you right now, be comforted in this, That He DOES know how much we can bear and He THINKS enough of us to set us up for success.

Jeremiah 29:11 is not just a wonderful thought but it's a prophecy about your life, my life and the lives of those to come. So why not walk in His grace and mercy and let God be God because He DOES know what He is doing better than we know what we are doing. He knows us BETTER than we know ourselves and...and He knows how to take care of us.

So to those of you who said, well you did not say anything new. I already knew all that...If that statement is true THEN act like it. Stop murmuring and complaining about the situation and get to living and walking in abundance in the midst of your struggle.

You are Bound No More. 

Pastor Linda Hillman 
(c) 2015 LAH Ministries International 
Booklindahillman@gmail.com 

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Guest Blogger: What's In a Name? by DCPI

And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called ‘Cephas’ (which, when translated, is Peter).” ~ John 1:42 

READING: John 1:35-42 

What’s in a name? Just ask Peter. He was impulsive and unstable. He was prone to make promises he couldn’t keep and he even denied Jesus three times in one night. Peter was anything but the rock that Jesus dubbed him. Yet Jesus saw him as more than what he was at that moment. He saw what he could become. 

When Jesus sees us, He sees more, more than we are right now. He sees us through a future lens that highlights our high potential, all we can be, our fullness as made in the image of God, the product of the Spirit’s transforming presence. Jesus sees us with God’s Kingdom eyes, and that means accepting us with love and a rich inheritance, and yet transforming us to be more than we presently are.

Jesus sees us through the lens of His transforming grace, His commitment to mold us into His image. There is “more than we are” in each of us – more love, more stability, more maturity, more holiness, more resilience and more joy. Just ask Him. He walks with us today, always bearing in His mind the image of what He will make of us. 

What new name might Jesus be in the process of giving you? The stable one? Mr. Patient? Mr. Cheerful? Faithful? Warrior? The Servant Leader? Nothing is too hard for our God and no personality so fractured that He cannot heal and renew it. 

Lord, You love me just as I am, but too much to leave me that way. You see me as so much more. Continue to remake me to be more than I am. Amen.