God's Will for My Life

The storm raged high, threatening to capsize the boat. Scared out of their minds, they cried out to God for mercy. Where was Jesus when they needed Him most? Surely He knew this storm was coming. Frightened, confused, and in great despair, they looked up and saw a ghost. The fear gripping their hearts froze the blood in their veins.

Knowing their terror, Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid. It is I and not a ghost.”

Peter said, “If it’s you, Lord, let me come to you on the water.”

Jesus said, “Come.”

With the storm still raging high, Peter stepped out. Keeping his eyes on Jesus, he walked and did not sink. Then, fear set in. Peter took his eyes off Christ and began to sink. Looking up, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Taking him by the hand, Jesus rescued him and walked him back to the boat.

I am Peter. I walk through the billows of life and am buffeted on every side. The wind of pride knocks me flat. I look to Jesus and He picks me up. Thunderous uncertainties and confusion deafen my ears. Jesus whispers peace and healing begins. Lightning strikes of fear pierce my heart. Jesus lays hold of my heart and heals me again. The billows of grief, pain, and suffering engulf me and I am drowning. Jesus reaches down, picks me up and carries me.

Is this God’s will for me…to live like a cork in the water, bobbing my way through life?

My church’s doctrinal statement starts out with this question, “What is the chief end of man?” It then answers, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” The next question is, “How do I glorify and enjoy Him?” It answers, “By loving Him and doing what He commands.”

But, what does that mean? What does that look like in the midst of a storm-tossed life?

I’ve spent many hours, days, months…even years trying to find a satisfying answer. What is God’s will for my life and how can I fulfill it?

One Sunday while zoning in and out of my pastor’s sermon, he said something that snatched my attention:

“God’s will for you is to obey Him.”

Wow! What a simple, yet profound statement. It pierced my heart and peace flooded my soul. I realized that it’s not about a particular calling or occupation. It’s not a checklist of do’s and don’ts. The heart of the matter is an obedient heart.

Whether it’s submitting to a day of pain, keeping to a regimen of medicine, getting necessary rest, encouraging your child to trust God in the midst of illness, hugging a hurting friend, giving words of encouragement, or attending church when able – there are a gazillion ways to obey God. It’s taking things as they come…a day, a circumstance, a moment at a time and obeying Him in the midst of it.

Will we have frantic moments? Yes. We are frail humans.

Are we doomed if we cry out “why” and beg Him to remove our suffering? No. Though He submitted to the Father’s will and followed through, even Jesus cried out, asking God to remove the cup of the cross from Him.

Are we repulsive to God when it’s all we can do to just get through the next moment? No. God’s word encourages us to live day to day, moment by moment and to not worry about what tomorrow brings.

When we do falter and sin, we need to remember that there is abundantly more grace in Christ than there is sin in the world. We are to bathe ourselves in His grace.

We must not shut off our hearts from God. We must not quench the voice and comfort of the Holy Spirit. We must not try to wade through life on our own.

We need to let down our guard and be vulnerable with God. We are to follow Christ’s example, cry out to God for help, and allow the Holy Spirit to speak wisdom and comfort to our hearts. He may not take the storms away, but He will carry us through the midst of it.

Jesus said to take up our cross and follow Him. Follow where? Follow Him in obedience no matter what sea-tossed life God places us in.

Does that mean the ill should not seek medical help, the jobless refrain from job-searching, or the parents of a prodigal give up on their child returning? Absolutely not! God commands us to take care of our bodies, tells us that the idle man does not eat, and displays the loving patience of a father waiting for his prodigal to return.

It does mean that we submit each moment of our lives to God. We must trust Him to do what is best for us and watch in wonder as God makes everything beautiful in His time.

As I ponder God’s will for my life, I admit that I have to swallow a lot of pride, returning to Him again and again for forgiveness. Why? Because I don’t always want to submit to His will. Life hurts. It isn’t easy to live day to day not knowing if tomorrow will be a good day or a day when the waves come crashing in. I want to buck against the pain and sear my heart until I don’t hurt anymore. It’s tempting at times to walk away from God and never look back.

But, in my heart of hearts, I know that life without Jesus is worse than the most horrendous pain I’ve ever endured. The agony of not being able to feel is more torturous than pain itself. Life without Jesus is not life at all, but a living death – like Lyme disease, only unimaginably worse.

As part of God’s will for me, I open my heart to you so that I may share in your suffering. I want to help carry the load you bear. As a teenager, I was inspired by a song which says, “I want to spend my life mending broken people. I want to spend my whole life removing pain. Lord, let my life be a light that shines. I want to spend my whole life mending broken people.”

So, if opening up my heart can help carry even one hurting person through the storms of life, I praise God for using my feeble efforts. May He bless and keep you through every storm.

How has the Lord encouraged you in the storms of your life?

Are We Blossoming or Fading Away?

While I failed to center this Magnolia perfectly like a good photographer would have, I'm still able to look at the bloom and be amazed by its perfection. It forces me to consider the Creator. Yet, the curse of sin often causes even God's creation to be distorted, so when I see something in nature so utterly perfect I stand in awe of the God who made it. I'm reminded of my life verse - Ecclesiastes 3:11a, "He has made everything beautiful in its time..." Consider the detail - the lines, the curves, the texture, the symmetry, the contrast with the deep green glossy leaves. If God cared enough to put so much thought into this single bloom, how much more thought does He put into making, saving, and sanctifying His children? Just as He perfected this beautiful Magnolia, He grows us through every event, every person, every detail of our lives to conform us to the image of His perfect Son. Even the evil that surrounds us from within our hearts and from our enemies out in the world has purpose in molding us, growing us, causing us to blossom into the perfect fragrant flower He meant us to be.

As we watch our freedoms eroding before our very eyes, we become fearful and we wonder how we are to respond. We feel so helpless to stop it. Like bindweed in a garden, evil has taken root in our country and is sprouting up on every side, choking out the beautiful flowers of freedom. Where were the gardeners, the faithful servants of God, when the bindweed first erupted? Why didn't they diligently pluck out each weed before they started choking out our freedoms?  Have we tarried in the land of enchantment Bunyan spoke of in The Pilgrims Progress and fallen asleep in the comfort surrounding us? Have we placed our trust in our politicians, our country, our constitution, our freedom?

"Thus says the Lord: Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land." Jeremiah 17:5-6

It's past time for those shepherding the flock of God to lead us back to our first love. It is past time for individual believers to examine their own hearts. Are we using the gifts God has given us to further the Kingdom of God or the kingdom of self? We need to ask ourselves, where is our zeal for God? We should pursue God and His righteousness with at least as much zeal as our enemies use to advance against us and God's Kingdom. Why do we allow the bindweed to continue growing, choking out God's beautiful flowers?

Yet, how do we pluck out the bindweed? It's grown incredibly big, sprouting new branches all over our garden with roots that are strong and powerful. What do we do? When you weed a flower bed, you pull one weed at a time. And every time another weed sprouts, you pluck it before it becomes too strong to choke out the flower next to it. Whether we have fallen asleep in our enchanted garden, have become more afraid of the weed than the Master Gardner, or thought if we tolerate the bindweed we could somehow live together in the same garden, it's time to stop lying to ourselves. It is the responsibility of each Christian to do their part, to use their gifts to further the Kingdom of God. We must trust God for the fruit of the use of those gifts. Imagine what we could to if we band together and take our garden back by force.

"Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit." Jeremiah 17:7-8

We face evil everyday. I think I speak for many when I say that I was naive enough at one time to believe that as a Christian my life should be easy. How contrary to the Gospel this is! Jesus said that we are to take up our cross and follow Him.

Peter says, "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 'If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?' Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good." 2 Peter 4:12-19

Peter continues in chapter five by addressing those who shepherd the flock of God. If you are a pastor, teacher, or youth leader, I encourage you to read it and ask God to search your heart and help you be the shepherd He intends for you to be.

As our freedoms are being stripped away faster than any of us could have ever imagined, let us be strength to our neighbors. Let us show the world that we know Who is really in charge. We may lose our outward freedoms, but what can man truly do to us? Our enemy may triumph for a while, but Christ has already won the victory. Let us place our hope and trust in Him. Let that hope and trust make us bold to fight for what is right. Let us be humble servants of God so that He might use us to further His Kingdom.

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To Him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen...Peace to all of you who are in Christ." 2 Peter 5:6-14

Finally, remember, "...if My people who are called by My name humble themselves, and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land." (2 Chron. 7:14) And, "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:8-9

Go with God and blossom into the perfect fragrant flower He created you to be.

Linnette R Mullin

*All scripture references are taken from the ESV.

Completing the Work He Began

"...Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to the Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5: (ESV)

If you've been a Christian for very long, you are well aquainted with Philippians 1:6, "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion in the day of Jesus Christ." (ESV) It's a verse I've heard all my life and yet I'm not sure I've ever heard it preached in context - that or I simply wasn't paying attention.

God touched my heart this morning with a different view of it than I've ever had before. In starting with verse one, I read as though I were reading any other book. Too often we read the Bible as though it were a textbook in which we scan through to find the correct answer to an assigned question, or in search of an answer to a question that's bugging us. We've become uncomfortable with something and we seek an answer in God's word that will restore our comfort. Our intentions are selfish more often than not because we want to read what we want to hear. But, this morning I read Philippians (1&2) with no hampering mental stigmatism.

Paul starts the chapter by greeting the believers at Philippi. The words he uses to greet these believers are very touching. He has an obvious affection and appreciation for these people. He tells them how he thanks God for them and prays for them with joy. Then, he goes on to explain the reason for this depth of love for them. It is because they have been faithful in and to the Gospel of Jesus Christ - not just in the beginning when they were new Christians, but from the beginning until the present time in which he is writing the letter. It is after pronouncing thanks for this steadfast faith that he says:

"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion in the day of Jesus Christ." (ESV)

This really struck a cord with me. How many times do we get derailed in our walk with the Lord? How easily distracted do we become? Do we have the same fervor the Philippian Christians had? Or do we take God for granted, expecting Him to take care of us and keep us comfortable in this life only to rail at Him when things don't go the way we want?

We often forget that Jesus has called us to take up our cross and follow Him. We forget that the purpose of this life is to spread the Gospel of Christ as well as to shape us and mold us into His image. A very dear and wise woman once reminded me during my college years when I was searching to "find myself" that my search was misdirected. She reminded me that I need to seek to be like Christ, not seek to be me. I don't need to know who I am other than to make sure I am a daughter of God, committed to loving and following Him with all my heart.

As if to confirm this, Paul says in verse 7 and following that it's right for him to feel this way about them (that God will finish the good work He started in them), because they take part in defending and confirming the Gospel of Jesus Christ even in the face of his imprisonment.

Would our pastors be able to say of us that they thank God for us because we are dedicated to following Christ everyday of our lives no matter what the cost? Do they find encouragement in ministering to us because of our faithfulness or do they grieve over us because for the most part we could care less?

I admit that I have not been the encouragement I need to be - not to my pastor, not to my family, nor to my church. How I pray that will change! For I want others to be able to say of me that "...he who began a good work will bring it to completion..."