Look Again and Think

Do not worry about your life . . . —Matthew 6:25

A warning which needs to be repeated is that "the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches," and the lust for other things, will choke out the life of God in us (Matthew 13:22). We are never free from the recurring waves of this invasion. If the frontline of attack is not about clothes and food, it may be about money or the lack of money; or friends or lack of friends; or the line may be drawn over difficult circumstances. It is one steady invasion, and these things will come in like a flood, unless we allow the Spirit of God to raise up the banner against it.
"I say to you, do not worry about your life . . . ." Our Lord says to be careful only about one thing-our relationship to Him. But our common sense shouts loudly and says, "That is absurd, I must consider how I am going to live, and I must consider what I am going to eat and drink." Jesus says you must not. Beware of allowing yourself to think that He says this while not understanding your circumstances. Jesus Christ knows our circumstances better than we do, and He says we must not think about these things to the point where they become the primary concern of our life. Whenever there are competing concerns in your life, be sure you always put your relationship to God first.

"Sufficient for the day is its own trouble" (Matthew 6:34). How much trouble has begun to threaten you today? What kind of mean little demons have been looking into your life and saying, "What are your plans for next month— or next summer?" Jesus tells us not to worry about any of these things. Look again and think. Keep your mind on the "much more" of your heavenly Father (Matthew 6:30).

- utmost, jan 27

on forgiveness...

"To forgive is not just to be altruistic. It is the best form of self-interest. It is also a process that does not exclude hatred and anger. These emotions are all part of being human. You should never hate yourself for hating others who do terrible things: the depth of your love is shown by the extent of your anger.

However, when I talk of forgiveness I mean the belief that you can come out the other side a better person. A better person than the one being consumed by anger and hatred. Remaining in that state locks you in a state of victimhood, making you almost dependent on the perpetrator. If you can find it in yourself to forgive then you are no longer chained to the perpetrator. You can move on, and you can even help the perpetrator to become a better person too.

But the process of forgiveness also requires acknowledgement on the part of the perpetrator that they have committed an offence. I don’t like to talk about my own personal experience of forgiveness, although some of the things people have tried to do to my family are close to what I’d consider unforgivable. I don’t talk about these things because I have witnessed so many incredible people who, despite experiencing atrocity and tragedy, have come to a point in their lives where they are able to forgive. Take the Craddock Four, for example. The police ambushed their car, killed them in the most gruesome manner, set their car alight. When, at a TRC hearing, the teenage daughter of one of the victims was asked: would you be able to forgive the people who did this to you and your family? She answered, “We would like to forgive, but we would just like to know who to forgive.” How fantastic to see this young girl, still human despite all efforts to dehumanise her."

- Archbishop Desmond Tutu



and oh, lord, do we need forgiveness...

Leave Room for God

When it pleased God . . . — Galatians 1:15

As servants of God, we must learn to make room for Him -- to give God "elbow room." We plan and figure and predict that this or that will happen, but we forget to make room for God to come in as He chooses. Would we be surprised if God came into our meeting or into our preaching in a way we had never expected Him to come? Do not look for God to come in a particular way, but do look for Him. The way to make room for Him is to expect Him to come, but not in a certain way. No matter how well we may know God, the great lesson to learn is that He may break in at any minute. We tend to overlook this element of surprise, yet God never works in any other way. Suddenly— God meets our life "...when it pleased God...."

Keep your life so constantly in touch with God that His surprising power can break through at any point. Live in a constant state of expectancy, and leave room for God to come in as He decides.

- utmost, jan 25


lord, it's been too long since we've had "you&me" time. really -- just you&me. remember that long walk that we took a couple of summers ago? you spoke; i listened. and now? you know how much i want to share my life... and the plans of my heart. if there is more left to do, please break them open so that they can be useful to others. please keep me strong in the brokenness.

"It Is the Lord!"

Thomas answered and said to Him, ’My Lord and my God!’ —John 20:28

Jesus said to her, ’Give Me a drink’ " (John 4:7). How many of us are expecting Jesus Christ to quench our thirst when we should be satisfying Him! We should be pouring out our lives, investing our total beings, not drawing on Him to satisfy us. "You shall be witnesses to Me . . ." (Acts 1:8). That means lives of pure, uncompromising, and unrestrained devotion to the Lord Jesus, which will be satisfying to Him wherever He may send us.

Beware of anything that competes with your loyalty to Jesus Christ. The greatest competitor of true devotion to Jesus is the service we do for Him. It is easier to serve than to pour out our lives completely for Him. The goal of the call of God is His satisfaction, not simply that we should do something for Him. We are not sent to do battle for God, but to be used by God in His battles. Are we more devoted to service than we are to Jesus Christ Himself?

- utmost, jan 18 (emphasis mine)

HEART[for reference]

HEART:
Do you wait until they greet you or do you reach out to them first with joy?
Do you try to say hello to everyone or do you select only a few?
Do you mingle and show interest in other people's interests or choose only that interests you?
Do you invite them into your life or do you avoid talking about it?
Do you make them feel warm and welcome around you or do they feel uncomfortable?
Do you offer them what you have or not have, or do you shy away from offering?
Do you smile to them or often have a blank face when you look at them in the eye?
Do you call them out of the blue seeing how they are and listen to them?
Do you show them courtesy even if they are not to you?
Do you get out of your way or do things that is just reasonable?
Do you make others feel important or let them gain your attention first?
Do you earn their respect first or do you wait until they have earned yours?
Do you tire yourself for them or do you like to be always comfortable?
Do you choose who to help or help everyone despite you like them or not?
Do you make yourself available or does it need to be scheduled?
Do you shun people you dislike or be respectful and accept who they are?
Do you think how hard to be in their shoes or how hard it is to be in your shoes?
Do you think that you deserve what you have worked hard for or have your worked hard but have no expectations?

What does Jesus do in all these questions? Repeat the questions again and would your answers be different?

Ask yourself, have you earned their trust (not them earning yours first) to let your heart known to them?

Am I the quarter or dollar?

interesting. credit *not* mine.

Am I the quarter or dollar?

A quarter is of great value to a little boy. The world is the equivalent of it. Sometimes he wants to give it away, sometimes he is the stingiest person because he cares so much of it. Sometimes a little boy can mistakenly misplace it. He either chooses to keep looking for it or ends up running into another one. Sometimes that other one keeps him in awe and he ends up losing interest with the quarter he lost. Now it's a dollar. Then he realizes it better to have a dollar than a quarter. Considering the following: a dollar can go further than the quarter and the dollar looks much cleaner than the dirty quarter that has been everywhere. The scratches, dents, and dirt keeps the boy wanting the dollar even more. As the little boy wanders the world of advertising, he comes to a conclusion that he can get more with the dollar than the quarter. Not only that, he tries to impress others by letting them know that he has a dollar and not a quarter. At this point, the quarter is of no interest to the little boy who steps on one and doesn't even bother to pick it up.

The same is true with the choice of loving or liking someone.

The first time the little girl looks at the boy, she is awe of him. She decides to get to know him and falls head over heels for him because she values him so much in her life. When they mistakenly get into arguments, sometimes she doesn't bother to give him any attention. After awhile, she realizes she loves him and never wants to give up on looking for him. SInce she just likes him, she is prone to falling for another guy. Why? Maybe because she is tired of looking at the boy who has gone through so much and all she can see is the scratches, dents and dirt in his life. At this point, the new boy is much cuter. Now she is excited to tell all her friends how the new guy is of much more value than the ex boyfriend. Sometimes, it can be to the point where she doesn't want anything to do with him. Not even a smile or a 2 second glance will get her to look at the old boy.

Robert Filoramo - Song of a Servant

I now declare my allegiance to you, O Lord
My life and my will at your service my God
Where you go I will go and You’ll lead the way
My God, I will live and die for You

Show me where to live O Lord and I’ll live.
Show me where to die O Lord and I’ll die.
Show me what to do and I’ll do it by Your side;
My God, I will live and die for You.

At the sound of Your voice Master, I will obey.
I will watch every motion You make with open eyes
May my ears be clear to hear Your command;
My God, I will live and die for You.

Should it be the last breath I take O Lord?
I will use to sing a song of praises to you
Should it be my last drop of blood? I will shed it for You.
My God, I will live and die for You.

I now declare my allegiance to you, O Lord
My life and my will at your service my God
Where you go I will go and You’ll lead the way
My God, I will live and die for You

What My Obedience to God Costs Other People

As they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon... and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus —Luke 23:26

If we obey God, it is going to cost other people more than it costs us, and that is where the pain begins. If we are in love with our Lord, obedience does not cost us anything — it is a delight. But to those who do not love Him, our obedience does cost a great deal. If we obey God, it will mean that other people’s plans are upset. They will ridicule us as if to say, "You call this Christianity?" We could prevent the suffering, but not if we are obedient to God. We must let the cost be paid.

When our obedience begins to cost others, our human pride entrenches itself and we say, "I will never accept anything from anyone." But we must, or disobey God. We have no right to think that the type of relationships we have with others should be any different from those the Lord Himself had (see Luke 8:1-3).

A lack of progress in our spiritual life results when we try to bear all the costs ourselves. And actually, we cannot. Because we are so involved in the universal purposes of God, others are immediately affected by our obedience to Him. Will we remain faithful in our obedience to God and be willing to suffer the humiliation of refusing to be independent? Or will we do just the opposite and say, "I will not cause other people to suffer"? We can disobey God if we choose, and it will bring immediate relief to the situation, but it will grieve our Lord. If, however, we obey God, He will care for those who have suffered the consequences of our obedience. We must simply obey and leave all the consequences with Him.

Beware of the inclination to dictate to God what consequences you would allow as a condition of your obedience to Him. - utmost, jan 11

After a While

After a while you learn the subtle difference between holding a hand and chaining a soul. You will learn that love doesn’t mean total dependence and company doesn’t mean security. You learn that kisses aren’t contracts and presents are not promises.

After a while you begin to accept your defeats with your head up and eyes open, with the grace of an adult and not the grief of a child.

You will learn to build all your roads in today because tomorrow’s ground is too uncertain for plans. After a while you learn that even those who love you will hurt you and that even sunshine burns if you get too much.

So, plant your garden and decorate your own soul… instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers… and you will learn that you really can endure, that you really are strong, and you really do have worth and dignity and inner beauty and being an adult is pretty neat.

Why Can I Not Follow You Now? // The Year of Surrender

Why Can I Not Follow You Now?

Peter said to Him, ’Lord, why can I not follow You now?’ —John 13:37

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There are times when you can’t understand why you cannot do what you want to do. When God brings a time of waiting, and appears to be unresponsive, don’t fill it with busyness, just wait. The time of waiting may come to teach you the meaning of sanctification— to be set apart from sin and made holy— or it may come after the process of sanctification has begun to teach you what service means. Never run before God gives you His direction. If you have the slightest doubt, then He is not guiding. Whenever there is doubt— wait.

At first you may see clearly what God’s will is— the severance of a friendship, the breaking off of a business relationship, or something else you feel is distinctly God’s will for you to do. But never act on the impulse of that feeling. If you do, you will cause difficult situations to arise which will take years to untangle. Wait for God’s timing and He will do it without any heartache or disappointment. When it is a question of the providential will of God, wait for God to move.

Peter did not wait for God. He predicted in his own mind where the test would come, and it came where he did not expect it. "I will lay down my life for Your sake." Peter’s statement was honest but ignorant. "Jesus answered him, ’ . . . the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times’ " (John 13:38). This was said with a deeper knowledge of Peter than Peter had of himself. He could not follow Jesus because he did not know himself or his own capabilities well enough. Natural devotion may be enough to attract us to Jesus, to make us feel His irresistible charm, but it will never make us disciples. Natural devotion will deny Jesus, always falling short of what it means to truly follow Him.

- utmost, jan. 4

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'03growth'04change'05choice'06focus'07surrender

The Year of Surrender
"Life is so hard! I give up!" or should I be saying,
"Life is so hard! I give Up!"

the body in its purity and limitations
the mind in its excuses and indecisions
the heart in its emotions and fickleness
the soul in its divinity and longing to worship.

it's time to let them go... and time to give them Up.

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"You, Lord, give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm and put their trust in you." - Isaiah 26:3

this means more to me now -- more than it ever has.

who would've known?

"Who would've known that a man with holes in his hands would have such a strong grip on my life?"

- [author unknown]

new year's words of wisdom coming soon.