Proverbial Pilgrimage

Friday, September 9, 2011

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

I just read a blog from the Willow Creek Association (www.wcablog.com) by Hanna Koenig. It was about the space in between. She quoted from this book Daily Office by Pete Scazzero, which I have on my desk, but never take the time to read. I want to have space between all that I am doing so that I follow God's leading. I loved her list of what your space between may look like....

Finding 20 minutes to pray to talk to God, listen to God, and be with God.
Taking a walk on a break
Practicing being still in quiet moments
Reading the Bible - Psalm 119:114 "You're my place of quiet retreat; I wait for your word to renew me."

I like these simple ideas. I know that interrupting my day with them would change my life.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

“His purpose is in the process.”

Thought provoking---

Isn’t it great when you discover a new way to think about a familiar passage of scripture! I love those times! I experienced this a couple of weeks ago. I am still thinking about the lesson presented in a devotional written by Oswald Chambers in his daily devotional book “My Utmost for His Highest”. I hope you don’t think of this book as too hard to understand….please give it a chance. I had the book for years before I started reading it, and now it is one of my favorites.

I do a lot of thinking about God’s will, and God’s purpose for my life. This devotional especially spoke to me about the “journey” of my life and not necessarily each “destination”. The following is July 28 from My Utmost for His Highest……

“..Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and head across the lake to Bethsaida, while he sent the people home.” Mark 6:45

We tend to think that if Jesus Christ compels us to do something and we are obedient to Him, He will lead us to great success. We should never have the thought that our dreams of success are God’s purpose for us. In fact, His purpose may be exactly the opposite. We have the idea that God is leading us toward a particular end or a desired goal, but He is not. The question of whether or not we arrive at a particular goal is of little importance, and reaching it becomes merely an episode along the way. What we see as only the process of reaching a particular end, God sees as the goal itself.

What is my vision of God’s purpose for me? Whatever it may be, His purpose is for me to depend on Him and on His power now. If I can stay calm, faithful and unconfused while in the middle of the turmoil of life, the goal of the purpose of God is being accomplished in me. God is not working toward a particular finish—His purpose is the process itself. What He desires for me is that I see “Him walking on the sea” with no shore, no success, nor goal in sight, but simply having the absolute certainty that everything is all right because I see “Him walking on the sea” (6:49). It is the process, not the outcome that is glorifying to God.

God training is for now, not later. His purpose is for this very minute, not for some time in the future. We have nothing to do with what will follow our obedience, and we are wrong to concern ourselves with it. What people call preparation, God sees as the goal itself.

God’s purpose is to enable me to see that He can walk on the storms of my life right now. If we have a further goal in mind, we are not paying enough attention to the present time. However, if we realize that moment-by-moment obedience is the goal, then each moment as it comes is precious.

–Oswald Chambers

As I work toward a deadline on a project or as I work toward a particular goal, I now try to look at each step along the way to see what is God’s purpose right now, at this moment. “His purpose is in the process.”

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Life is Good

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Yahweh Yireh - God my Provider

When I think about God, the first thing I think about is what He does for me. Is that selfish?

As I meditated and pondered on the question "who is God to me?" Jehovah Jireh, my provider kept resonating in my mind. This name for God is found in Genesis 22:14. God provided a ram for Abraham when he was ready to sacrifice his son Isaac. "Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means, "the LORD will provide"). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided." Genesis 22:14

On the outside of the chapel at Northview there is a plaque that says "Christ our Provision", inside the chapel is an amazing stained glass window of Abraham receiving the sacrificial ram from God. It is a moving tribute to this scripture.

I am very blessed to have a wonderful earthly father. It is easy for me to understand God's love and provision because of my dad. My dad is a very honest man, he has modeled a life of discipline. When I was a child I was disciplined with love. My earthly father was a good provider. I feel extraordinarily blessed. My earthly father has made it easier for me to understand my heavenly Father. There are so many people who have not been so blessed.

A couple of weeks ago I read Romans 11:33-36 in my quiet time. I really embraced this because I was thinking about "who is God to me". I paraphrased it, here it is just as I wrote it in my journal that day...April 6, 2011...

It is impossible to understand His decisions and His ways... God's greatness in unimaginable. His riches, wisdom and knowledge are great. So great, that human minds can't understand His decisions and the way He moves. No one knows the thoughts of God. He doesn't go to anyone for advice. He doesn't owe anything to anybody. Everything exists through His power and because of His creation. All things are intended to give Him glory. And He is my Yahweh Yireh.