Losing My Life

Posts

Life in Light of the Resurrection

Typically on Easter, my focus is on celebrating Jesus' victory over death and our salvation that resulted from it. This year, however, I have been struck by the darkness before the resurrection. Now more than ever I identify with what the disciples experienced in the wake of Jesus' death. Although Jesus had prophesied many times about His resurrection, when the time finally came for His death on a cross the disciples had forgotten all about what He said. I can imagine exactly how His followers felt. The waves of fear, sadness, confusion, and hopelessness hitting their hearts all at once like a tsunami. I'm sure they were doubting their faith and wondering if the last three years of their lives had been a waste. Asking each other, how could we have gotten it so wrong? What will happen to us? How can we go back to our lives as they were? With the difficulties I personally am facing in this season of life, I too find myself doubting God. Questioning His go

The Path to Life

Through this most recent season in life, God has been teaching me what it truly means to follow His plans for my life. Over the last year or so, I have had to make some of the most ''adult" decisions in my life so far. Through that process, I have had to rely heavily on faith and the leading of the Holy Spirit to discern which is the right way to go. It has been a challenge for me, a planner to the core, to put my trust fully in God's plans and leading even when I am unable to see what's ahead and I am glad to say I have come out having learned a few things. The main takeaway I would like to share is this: the right way is not the easiest way . That probably sounds very obvious if you have spent any time in church, but I never thought about that principle carrying over into walking out God's plans for my life. You see, there have been decisions that I have made over the last year that I was certain were what God was leading me to do. And yet, wh

Don't Read This!

It's amazing to me how God so often uses moments in our daily lives to teach us something instead of the moments we might expect (in church, through Christian friends, etc.). I'm a big believer that God can use anything and anyone to teach us something (See Numbers 22:28 where God actually used a donkey to speak to Balaam). This last week, something a coworker said to me in casual conversation really struck my heart and has had me thinking since then. She told me that she quit smoking by buying herself cigarettes and keeping them with her and telling herself, "you can have one if you want. But do you really want it?" I found this passing statement proved a brilliant point about human nature. I don't think anyone would disagree with me when I say that we as humans want what we are told we can't have. Tell a kid he can't have the cookies in the cookie jar and all he's going to want is those cookies. But I believe this concept is particularly

Dancing Through the Fire

For a couple weeks now the Lord has been pressing this message on my heart. He revealed a flaw in my thinking I hadn't noticed. You see, when hard times come it's in my nature to duck and cover. I go into "survival mode" and I get tunnel vision. I only focus on getting through what's in front of me alive. But in doing so, not only do I miss a lot of opportunities, but I give in to the voice of fear in my life. I know I don't speak only for myself when I say that God wants to us in our "every day lives." Not only at church or on a special mission trip, but in the trenches of the grocery store, the gym, work, etc. It is His will that every soul is saved and He wants us to go out into the world and win those hearts for Him. But when I put myself in survival mode, I block out all the opportunities God lays before me. When I numb myself with the routine of each passing day, week, and month, I miss out on sharing the one thing of eternal importa

How Firm a Foundation

Matthew 7:24-27 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” Luke 6:46-49 “So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say? I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built. But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against th

The Finish Line

In a few short hours, 2014 will be over and gone. That means that this is my final post for my year-long devotional "series." As many of you know, I committed to writing a devotion each day of this last year. I am happy to say that I have succeeded in doing so! Instead of writing like I usually do today, I have decided to reflect on what I've learned through this experience. The biggest challenge of writing was not staying committed to such a daunting task nor was it finding the time every day, but rather, coming up with the topics. It really challenged my faith. I had to rely on Jesus to lay a topic on my heart and have the faith to believe that He would continue to do it again and again. And on top of that, I had to be focused on Him enough to hear the Holy Spirit's whispering. It may not sound like it would be that difficult, but it proved to be really testing of my relationship with Jesus and in the end it exponentially strengthened it. Hebrews 11:1 N