Tag Archives: Fully persuaded

Doing the Hokey Pokey

 

I saw a sign that read:

“I was addicted to the Hokey Pokey…
But I turned myself around.”

Someone else added, “That’s what it’s all about!”

 

The witty play on words brought a grin to my face. Then it occurred to me that there’s something important in this little child’s action song.

Turning ourself around IS what it’s all about.

 

As if to demonstrate that you can discover life lessons in just about anything, Marsha Johnson Evans, National Executive Director of Girls Scouts of the USA, actually suggested three pretty good lessons to be drawn from the silly song:

1. Maintain a Circle of friends.

The game song starts and ends in a circle. We all need to surround ourselves with a circle of friends, teachers, mentors, and encouragers, including those who are different from us. And we need to be part of that circle, supporting others. Our circle may also include those who who influenced our life but are now gone.

 

2. Shake things up.

To be successful, sometimes we need to question the status quo and dare to shake things up. Sometimes we need to shake ourselves up!

 

3. Put your whole self in.

As followers and as leaders, we are called to be fully persuaded and fully committed to our life mission. You can’t be partially involved in living fully.

 

Evans concludes that it might seem easy to do these things — build a circle of support around us, be willing to shake things up, and willing to commit oneself – but it is something too few people do. Instead people often complain about how “the system” or “others” keeps them down. Evans writes,”It takes courage; it takes strength; it takes vision; and most importantly it takes you taking charge of you.”

 

Beyond this trilogy of motivational lessons, there is another lesson to remember: We need to turn ourselves around when we’ve gone the wrong way. We all do it. We go astray. We wander from our values and our intended purpose. We neglect what’s really important in life for the sake of what’s entertaining. Like making a wrong turn on a trip, we need to turn around and get back on track. We can’t change our past mistakes but we can all start to change from where we are right now.

 

Much may come from self effort and determination to turn around to a new focused way of living. But we face so many limitations when we attempt to change ourselves within our own power. We need more. Paul encourages us to be “filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:19). Filled and Full. Not Empty or half full. Fully committed. Being all in and shaken by God.

 

In the end (and in the beginning) we need the power of God who promises:

In the end I will turn things around for the people. I’ll give them a language undistorted, unpolluted, Words to address God in worship and, united, to serve me with their shoulders to the wheel.” Zephaniah 3:9 (The Message)

 

He is the one who ultimately will circle us with his grace and shake us up with his truth. He is the one who put his whole self in us to lead us from our shame, arrogance, fear, despair, sorrows, and burdens, to right living, peace, joy, happiness, and ultimately our home with him (verses 10-20).

 

Be filled to the measure of the fullness of God.

Because THAT’S what it’s all about!

 

The desires of your heart

 

Do you find yourself pondering how “unfair” life is or growing tired of waiting for answers? Psalm 37 is a good read. It contrasts the ways of “evil” with those of “goodness.” And it speaks about the fulfillment of your greatest desires:

“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” (V 4)

 

What is it you most want? What does your heart really long for? Can these really be yours to enjoy? What’s “the catch?”

 

God does indeed offer us the desires of our heart WHEN:
We delight in him.
We commit our way to him.
We trust in him.
We wait patiently for him.
We stop worrying and fretting.
(Psalm 37:1-8)

 

We know what it means to delight in things. There’s that sense of pride of ownership and accomplishment when we attain something we’ve longed for. There’s the joy of beholding and enjoying the fruits of our labors. There’s the sense of strength and satisfaction that all is well when we are safe, comfortable, and surrounded by friends.

 

Can your delight in the Lord compete with all this? Could, would, and do you delight in the Lord in the absence of all this? When the total of all you’ve lost seems to outweigh all that remains, does your delight in the Lord shift the balance to the delight in his goodness?

 

Delighting in the Lord comes from knowing for sure in whom we have believed and being fully persuaded that he will keep that which we’ve committed to him until the last day (2 Timothy 2:12). We always obey what we’re fully persuaded to believe. If we don’t follow the Lord, it’s because we aren’t fully persuaded it’s worth the cost or the effort. If we do follow him, it’s because we know that all the suffering, loss, sorrow, and hardship is worth it in the end; that his promises are both true and fulfilling. Who can’t commit to such a promise?

 

Delighting in the Lord comes from trusting in him, confident he will accomplish what he desires in us, that he will complete what he has begun. Maybe it’s hard for you to trust God when there are so many unanswered prayers. But trusting comes from being still before our great God and waiting patiently for him to reveal his plan and his blessings. We can’t delight in the Lord when we worry and fret about our circumstances because worry is the opposite of trust. Worry leads to regret and regret feeds bitterness; bitterness leads to anger and anger to wrath and all kinds of evil. And none of this leads to peace.

 

Isn’t peace the greatest desire of your heart? Peace with yourself. Peace with others. Peace from your struggle to be well. Peace to enjoy life. Peace to understand and fulfill your purpose in life. Peace with God, the fulfillment of our deepest desire, to know him more and to fully enjoy his presence.

 

Delight today in God’s generous love, his amazing grace, his tender mercy, his awesome power, his faithful promise, his perfect plan, his patience in long suffering, his lasting goodness, his endless joy, his offer to bring you into his family, and his eternal inheritance. Grow your delight in the Lord by committing, by trusting, by being quiet before him, by waiting patiently, by giving thanks often, and by resting in his presence.

 

And in your moments of meekness and delight, enjoy great peace from all your struggles!

 

God’s purpose … Or yours?

 

It seems we all search for meaning. We have this desire to live meaningful lives. We want to understand the meaning of suffering in our lives. Victor Frankl, who endured the harsh reality of a Nazi concentration camp observed, “We can endure any ‘How’ of life if we have a ‘Why'”. (Man’s Search for Meaning) But so often, it seems the ‘Why’ eludes us, so we keep searching.

 

The Holy Spirit doesn’t convict us of our eternal condition and prompt us to turn to Jesus to be ‘saved’ only to live our lives much the same as before. Such a decision involves making a swap, the old self for a new one, the old desires and ambitions for new ones. We aren’t offered an eternal insurance policy so we can go on living dangerously as before. We were called to change and become “new creations.” We see that in the disciples who dropped everything in order to follow Jesus. They were called to a new and higher purpose.

 

Jesus tells us there is a cost to following him that involves denying ourselves, picking up our cross, and following him wherever he goes…even to the cross. Following him requires swapping our self-seeking purpose in life for his purpose. And it’s a good purpose for living life well, in peace and harmony. But it requires a change in our plans, our lifestyles, and our habits.

 

Following Jesus also challenges us to change our beliefs and purpose in life, even our purpose for this very day. Society tells us to check off our organized to-do list, get ahead, grab what we can, build ourselves up, accumulate possessions, enjoy pursue happiness at all costs, live in comfort, even luxury. Scripture teaches that God’s plan and purpose for us is to be humble and generous, putting other’s interests before our own, living sacrificially, God-centered not self-centered.

 

Seeking first the kingdom of God requires that we seek his purpose for our lives. God’s purpose for us isn’t fame or fortune. And I don’t know anyone who willingly chooses cancer, chronic pain, rejection, or loneliness as their purpose in life. But God has a purpose for us to live as fully his even in those conditions.

 

Abraham was ‘fully persuaded’ that God was able to do what he had promised, and lived according to God’s purpose. Following Jesus requires a purpose in living that also is fully persuaded that God’s plan is better than our own.

 

Being fully persuaded means that even our small choices demonstrate whether we are following him or going our own way. Choices like becoming frustrated at small things or practicing patience; criticizing others or encouraging them.  When God reveals his truth in our lives it illuminates his purpose for us. And this always requires making adjustments to how we think and act and how we see our purpose. Seek a great purpose in living today, one filled with meaning and eternal reward.

 

“Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.”

Matthew 16:24-27

 

 

Live what you believe

 
 
Are you living the life you say you believe in?

One of the challenges God drove home during my journey with cancer is that I ought to really live what I believe: God IS a promise keeper, His Word really IS true and applicable in real life situations,  He really DOES have a purpose for us in all situations. You see, sometimes we say we believe (and I think we really do) but we don’t live with the power of that belief. It is like living with belief and unbelief at the same time.

 

If that has been your experience, be encouraged. The one does not deny the other. In Mark 9:23-25. Jesus says to the father of the possessed child, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes. Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” We too believe, but also experience aspects of unbelief: “Is this really God’s will that I be fully healed or is there a grander purpose in suffering?” It is not a doubt of what God CAN do, but how He will choose to work His will in this temporary time on earth.

 

What fears do you have that seem to counter your beliefs? That the road will be too hard, that it will seem unfair, that it will be a waste of time and effort, that His ways might not be as good as your ways? What choices do you have? Reject the truth because it doesn’t FEEL true? Or accept and believe to be true what ‘thus says the Lord’. We can still only accept this by faith, because there are so many questions that remain, and so many failings on our part to put into practice all that we believe; so many contrary feelings and physical responses. Where I am not ‘successful’ in applying belief to all areas of my life,  I have to remain fully persuaded that God will sustain me until the end at whatever level fits his perfect plan. . . and that in the end, I will find it worthwhile. . . that this present suffering will be measured and weighed and found incomparable to the glory He reveals.

 

What fears and pain do you face? You can turn them all over to God. He is bigger than any fear you can imagine. I believe coming to Him pleases Him greatly and will restore great joy to your soul, regardless of other circumstances. Practicing the discipline of entering and remaining in God’s presence is the antidote to fear. Seek His presence, His love, His grace, His peace.

Faith will sustain until hope is realized. God, my God, will remain faithful to His promises, whether I sense it in tangible ways or not. I believe this also for you.

“The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.”  Numbers 6:25-26

 

 

Faith that is fully persuaded

 

 

Which is bigger…your fears or your faith?

 

This past 15 months with Leukemia has not been without challenges, frets, pain and extraordinarily diminished strength. But it also hasn’t been without certain benefits: drawing closer to God, focusing more on relationships, refining one’s focus on priorities, and peace in reflecting on God’s faithfulness, goodness and mercy in the midst of difficulty.

During devotions yesterday, Marcia and I were discussing how we are coping with the situation. We surmised that we are doing well but also realized that someplace deep within, there are questions, doubts, and certain realities that contradict our mental assessment of the situation. It is a bit like driving on an icy road: you are confident the journey will end well, but still very much aware of the perilous plight.

Faith doesn’t only exist in the absence of questions. Faith rises up above them. The passage in Roman’s celebrating Abraham’s faith has always spoken to me about this:
“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.” Romans 4:18-21

Did you catch it? “Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead.” And yet he was fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. Faith in the presence of unquestionable facts, hope against all hope.

That is what we face today too. We aren’t called to ignore the facts or pretend they don’t exist. We aren’t even always called to pray the facts away. We ARE called to always be faithful in the presence of our current reality, and to be fully persuaded that God has power to work his will, and that it will be plenty good.

Go ahead, bring your questions, your fears, even your doubts to God about your pain and sorrow. Keep the conversation open both ways and see if you too can find reason against all hope, to be fully persuaded that God will keep his promises to those who love him and believe in him.

Answers Soon – Fully Persuaded

You know what it is like to wait and wait and then finally get close to an answer? That is what it has been like waiting for my blood counts to raise to the point I could get my third bone marrow aspiration. Technically, they didn’t get to where they should, but my doctor is as frustrated as anyone with my slow progress, so he ran the bone marrow aspiration yesterday anyway. The results will tell us how much of the cancer got knocked down by the second round of chemo. He says I will likely go home whether the test results are better or still the same…it is time to get on to the next phase of treatment. That will begin with a consultation at Iowa City hospitals regarding my ‘unusual’ chromosomal situation and the recommendation for a stem cell transplant. There will be more chemo while I wait. We have enjoyed the relationships God has formed here and expect some of them will continue. But after 56 days in the hospital, it seems it may be time to move on.

The funny thing about waiting for anything is realizing that God already knows the answer! We are all waiting and pursuing something. Probably you are waiting for something right now. What are you waiting for? To find out who you will marry? Whether your baby will be a boy or a girl? What job will you find? Will you ever find peace and power for living a victorious life in the face of adversity? God knows the answers to all these things that we are waiting to discover!

The life-changing question is, “What do I believe that brings me real and lasting peace while I wait?” Amongst whatever uncertainties there may be, whatever questions I might have, what am I CONVINCED about?

With numerous questions still on our minds, Marcia and I remain fully persuaded that God is able to do what He has promised. We have entrusted our present and eternal lives to Jesus. Even though storms remain and we wonder how long they will last and what effects they will have, it is His Spirit who gives us both power and peace in the midst of every storm. We are already content with what He will answer, even though the path may be unclear.

We pray that you experience that same peace and power for living well…now and eternally. It comes as a free and loving gift of grace from Jesus.

“I know whom I have believed, and am CONVINCED that he is able to guard what I have ENTRUSTED to him until that day.” 2 Timothy 1:12b