Sunday, January 29, 2012

Are You Living a Philippians 4:8 Life?





Today, my wife and I enjoyed a day on the town to celebrate her birthday.  We had fun hanging out, watching a movie, shopping at baby stores, and eating at the Cheesecake Factory.  We truly had a wonderful day together to enjoy celebrating the life of my wife and also the life of our coming baby.  We enjoyed being able to relax and just hang out.  It was so nice to not have to worry about homework, chores, or bills during our outing.

While we were out, we went to both baby and maternity stores to check out all the many baby items and things we would need to consider over the next five months in preparation for the baby's arrival.  We had a lot of fun but we also were highly overwhelmed by the experience.  The whole idea of the shear volume of products and accessories for babies, not to mention the exorbitant prices, made both our heads spin.  From this shopping experience, we truly came to grips with the reality that our baby will be hear soon!  We were really beginning to doubt whether we could handle such a great responsibility.  We felt increasing fear on whether we could afford to raise a baby.  It all felt like too much to consider at once.  After escaping the baby stores, much of our fears subsided and we were able to enjoy the rest of the evening together.

On our way home, we talked about God's will for our lives and how we feel Him moving right now.  Now that our day was mostly over, the reality of being without a church home, feeling the distance from our families, the mountain of bills, the many household chores, and so much more were weighing heavy on our hearts.  So we discussed how God has been moving in the past few months.  Through our conversation together, we were able to identify the many great things God has been doing in us.  God has been constantly working in our hearts and preparing us for what He has in store even through the many struggles we have encountered.

We were able to agree that we feel peace about our choice to leave our former church and feel joy at the prospect of the new church home He is preparing for us.  We were able to see the ministries the Lord has given us at this time through my blog and our young adults small group.  Through talking, we were able to identify the blessings from our jobs and coworkers, new friends through a class I am taking, loving people who have came into our lives who support and encourage us, even when we feel far from our families, and most importantly we have been able to identify that God is constantly moving and working though us exactly where we are.

Though I do not know how everything is going to work out with this baby, I find peace in knowing that God does.  He has constantly been teaching me that He is in control and that I am not.  There is nothing I can do that will bring more blessing into my life than simply trusting and following Jesus' will and leadership in my life.  There is nothing I can do to pay the bills any better than when I trust Him with my finances and handle them the way He is leading me to.  I know some people view God as this distant detached being looking down on us but I am hear to proclaim that He is here and He wants to be intimately involved with each person's life.  I love the chorus to the Newsboys new song saying, "Our God's not dead, He's surely alive.  He's living on the inside, roaring like a lion."

Do I have many struggles in my life?  Yes.  Are there many times that I am unsure how everything is going to work out and wonder what direction I am supposed to take for my life?  Yes.  Do either of these things preclude God working in my life?  No!  My fears show my weakness and lack of faith but in no way speak to God's lack of strength or movement in my life.  When I sit down and examine my life, I can see the fingerprints of Jesus all over my life.  I know without a doubt that He is alive and moving in me, my wife, and the many friends and family in my life who also depend on Him for direction and strength.

So today, I just wanted to share with you that I understand how easy it is to see the struggles, the bad times, and the areas where you are lacking in your life.  The devil works so hard to bring us down by trying to make us focus on the things that we do wrong such as: missed devotions, not enough prayer in a day, missed opportunities, and so much more.  I hope that instead you will take the time to check out the blessings in your life.  I hope you will be able to identify how God has been and is working in your life, where He is lifting you up, and be able to realize that He is always ready to help heal and restore your heart to Him.  My hope is that you can realize how good and worthwhile focusing on those things are.  I leave you with this verse from Philippians 4:8 stating, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."

Blessings,

Greg






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