Follow-up and follow-through!

the link-backs to Multiply:
http://bobo929.multiply.com/journal/item/11
http://bobo929.multiply.com/journal/item/10

In light of our topics yesterday, just wanted to share with you one of my all-time favourite verses in Phillippians 4:13 >> "I can do all things through the One (through Christ) who strengthens me." .....so that even if I have the best of intentions (especially in our topic of relationships, etc.), any words or actions attached to those intentions will ultimately fail.....without the direct prompting of the Holy Spirit at its beginning. That 'direct prompting' can be at anytime, and may be in direct-disagreement with what the world might deem 'unacceptable,' or even what the community might deem 'unacceptable' (this will obviously cause our hearts confusion!), but.... if we are certain that the prompting is indeed from God, then we have to follow-up (haha) and follow-through with that prompting -- while constantly being fearless in our asking of the Holy Spirit for further promptings.

.....hmm. "Follow-Up, and follow-through." like.... allowing ourselves to be led upwards to God first! to seek His prompting...and then allowing ourselves to be led through an emotion/circumstance by the Holy Spirit -- no matter what the cost. Jesus was led all the way to death with his promptings (ouch! what a heavy cost!), and even though there were people from his own 'community' who disagreed with him (e.g., high priests), he was also certain of his perfect trust with his Father, ya?

And now that I think about it.... for us, God also does the same: he wants to lead us "all the way to death" ---- to the death of our "self". to the death of selfish thinking. not to the death of our personality (that's God-given!), but to the death of.......thinking that my existence is to bring glory for myself, or that my existence is meaningless (don't worry, i don't personally believe this, guys!). to the death of "it's all about me." to the death of "i have no purpose."

and then God will do whatever it takes for those thoughts to die -- no matter what the cost! ......which explains the crap-circumstances that God allows in our lives......... and that's why that in the harshest of circumstances and in the confusion of our deepest discernments -- that's where we find (in retrospect) that we learned SO MUCH about God's continuing purpose for my life... and just how in-awe i can be, to bask in His infinite focus on me. What more can I do than to be thankful to Him in ALL circumstances -- the good, the bad, and the ugly -- when such focus is being placed on me? And what more can I do, than to offer those things back to Him somehow (e.g., sharing about an experience or a painful hurt to a brother or sister going through similar situations -- so that they might see the good that i've seen in my own hurts)?

.............what the heck? did any of that make any sense just now?

"Follow-up and follow-through!"