Blessed Assurance

 Yesterday afternoon an old hymn by Frances J. Cosby called "Blessed Assurance" was running through my head. 

 

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

 

At this time in my life, I am constantly questioning where I belong. A job is harder to find that I ever thought possible. School will soon be upon me but I am not sure of my major. Family matters leave me uncertain of many things. Life is always so full of uncertainties. Oh, what a treasure to bask in the presence of my Savior. It truly is such a comfort and a "foretaste of glory divine"!

 

Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels, descending, bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

 

Submission has never been my strong suit. However, as I continue to grow in my faith, I find the Lord's will is where the most peace abides. When I seek out my own way, I only find confusion and more frustrations. Yet when I dwell in the presence of the Lord, the "perfect delight" I find is unmeasurable.

 

Perfect submission, all is at rest,
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.

 

I do a lot of watching and waiting, but when I fix my eyes on the Author and Perfecter of my faith who endured the cross, my trials seem to fade. I wonder if this is what Paul meant in Hebrews 12 when he challenged the church to "run with perseverance and to throw aside anything which may threaten to entangle us." My heart cannot deny the Lord's goodness. When I focus on that fact, I find myself so "lost in His love."

 

This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.

 

One of my absolute favorite verses in the Bible is Psalm 63:3-4, "Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you for as long as I live; in your Name I will lift up my hands." Oh to be able to tell my story and struggles, yet to "praise my Savior all day long." This truly is my story and my song.

 

What a "Blessed Assurance" indeed!

 

 

A Need for Accountability: Stop Making Excuses!

As I am gracelessly slipping into this thing called adulthood, I am beginning to realize a couple of things.

 

One of the things I notice about the culture that I am growing up in is that no one wants to take responsibility.

 

Oh, Hillary lied again.

That's just what politicians do.

 

Ryan Lochte gets drunk and destroys property.

Oh, boys will be boys.

 

Gabby Douglas gets bullied on social media.

She needs to grow a thicker skin or else get off social media.

 

Really?

 

Where is the accountability? Where is the sense of right and wrong?

 

People like to blame others, dodge the truth, and make excuses. In reality though, the people are the culture. It is our fault that these things are becoming acceptable.

 

One of the things I hear a lot in churches is that people like to blame the leaders of the church for not reaching the lost, not standing up for the broken, not doing this, that, and the other. Thing is, the leaders are not the church. The Christians as a whole are the church. Yes, the church leaders need to be wise in their decisions but the people of God definitely can do something.

 

Why are the people not reaching out to the lost? Why are the people standing by the broken? Why are the people making excuses?

 

This is the same in politics and in society as a whole. Yes, good and bad leaders influence the people but the people ultimately make the choice.

 

There is this awesome quote by Edmund Burke that says,

 

"The only thing necessary for evil to win is that good men do nothing."

 

Yes, we could sit here and blame others. We could wallow in our own hurt and pain and what others have done against us. We could say, "Well I am only one voice, so what will it matter?" We could remain silent. It would be easier and less painful. It would be normal.

 

Thing is, when God called us, He didn't call us to follow the world. He called us to follow Him.

 

James 4:17 says, "Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it."

 

In the movie God's Not Dead 2, the main character says when asked why she just won't sign a plea bargain apologizing for her belief in Jesus Christ, "I would rather stand with God and be judged by the world than stand with the world and be judged by God."

 

It's time for the people of God to stop taking sin lightly. It's time for the people of God to come alongside the broken and hurting instead of wallowing and blaming everyone else. It's time for the people of God to stop making excuses.

 

We are called to be a "light in the darkness" and a "city on a hill." What are we waiting for?

Thy Will Be Done

I spent my summer climbing on roofs, ministering to homeowners, making late night McDonalds runs, worshiping my Savior every night, performing crazy skits, and doing meaningful work.

Then I came home. Everyone who has done TEAMeffort before warned me that it would be hard. Little did I know.

At first, it was easy. I am taking a gap year. I applied for a job position at the YMCA that seemed perfect for me. Only problem is, they never called me back.

 

Without a job, I was left doing odd jobs around the house and throwing myself into whatever I could find. After a summer of running around non-stop and doing work that had tangible results, going back to real life struck me as dull and boring.

The theme of the summer was Pray As You Go. Each night, we focused on one of the words and how they related to our lives and circumstances. Every week for eight weeks I heard the same message. Monday night we focused on Pray and the story of Jesus in the Garden prior to His death. Jesus prayed for God's will to be done.

"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." Luke 22:42

If Jesus, the Son of God, had to pray for God's will to be done, wouldn't it make it all that more important for us, as mere humans, to pray for God's will to be done?

It's a powerful and awesome story and Spencer, one of my team, presented it in such a way where it really came to life. I can't think of anyone who could have done a better job with that particular night.

However, in my own life, saying "Not my will, but God's will be done" is hard! I am a headstrong person. I don't like not knowing what the future holds. I don't like doing mundane tasks when I feel they have little purpose. I like exciting and adventurous.  I like tangible results. I like feeling like a crucial part of a team.

When we say, "Not my will, but God's will be done," we are forced to let go of our ego. We are forced to let go of our plans, our dreams, and anything we feel entitled to. That doesn't mean God won't fulfill our dreams and plans, but it does mean that we put ourselves into God's hands and leave everything there. It isn't comfortable or easy.

Sometimes it means being content with the mundane. Sometimes it means doing a job that is less "perfect" for me and more uncomfortable. Sometimes it means doing your best in this moment and trusting God with every moment from here on out.

I share this because I struggle with this. I love the Lord with everything I am, but I am not a fan of this season. It isn't the first time that I have struggled against the will of God in a certain season. A few times I have even lashed out at God. I have cried, yelled, and finally come to my knees.

I want to follow God, but the uncomfortable is ... well, uncomfortable.

That doesn't make it any less crucial though. True obedience is following Christ wherever He may lead. It is abiding in God's will even when it hurts our pride and may require great sacrifice. It is abiding in God's will in faith and with a sense of contentment.

As Corrie ten Boom said, " the center of God's will is the safest place that we can be."

I have a long way to go before I will truthfully be able to say that I desire God's will and will abide in it no matter where He calls me or what He calls me to. However, in this season, I will fix my eyes on Christ.

May the desire of my heart be like 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, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he 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 sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

And may my prayer look similar to Jonathan Edwards',

"I claim no right to myself – no right to this understanding, this will, these affections that are in me; neither do I have any right to this body or its members – no right to this tongue, to these hands, feet, ears, or eyes. I have given myself clear away and not retained anything of my own.

I have been to God this morning and told Him I have given myself wholly to Him. I have given every power, so that for the future I claim no right to myself in any respect. I have expressly promised Him, for by His grace I will not fail. I take Him as my whole portion and felicity, looking upon nothing else as any part of my happiness.

His law is the constant rule of my obedience. I will fight with all my might against the world, the flesh, and the devil to the end of my life. I will adhere to the faith of the Gospel, however hazardous and difficult the profession and practice of it may be."

 

When I chose to follow Christ, I lost all rights to myself. May His will, not mine, be done.