Reconciled to Christ Jesus–no really!

If you are a busy person, stop right now and say, “thanks Lord”!  Thank the Lord for your ability to do stuff.  You can work, reason, raise a family or live as a single.  You can eat, cook, do laundry, clean the house and even sleep when you fall into bed exhausted.  WOW, you can do a lot.

Now I am not trying to be tricky – but real.  The amazing thing is that all of you who have been reconciled to Christ Jesus can do this and give an endless supplies of love.  You are more than human.  You are empowered to love in the midst of all the cares and worries of life.  You are simple and amazing at the same time.

Sure I know that most of you hear some voice in your head crying out for “more”.  You can do more, work harder and smarter, give until it hurts, beat yourself into some unworthy life form than is humble because of brokenness, not because of grace.

But you can also embrace the humility of a life lived in loving obedience to God.  Through loving others as your life your life, you will do a great many miracles, signs and wonders.  We do want both God’s face and strength because we do not just want a part of God but all of Him.  To have “the all” focus on abiding in Him and letting His love flow freely out of you.  Do not focus on the results.  The results will follow as fruit come forth from the tree.  Be a healthy tree.

A healthy tree lives well where is it planted.  It may be in the desert, in the rain forest, all alone or surrounded by a thousand others, but it lives will.  No matter what your life situation, live well.  Embrace the love of God for you in your situation and rejoice through excepting God love without thoughts of being better or doing more.  You do a lot.

Now here is a little spiritual exercise.

Write down on a piece of paper all your goals and dreams.  List them out.

Now make a mark by each one that you know God has specifically spoken to you about.  You can say with 100% confidence that God has called you to do these things.

Now, when you start to be depressed or feel like a failure, go back to this list.  Review it so that you know what are God’s directives and what are your desires.  Ask God to work His grace in your life so that you are not discouraged by unmet desires.  Unmet desires are not the same as abandoning God, they are not failings, just unmet desires.

You want desires, longing and dreams to be a part of your life.  God made you to long and desire.  You just want these desires to be in the rightful place.  You do not want to live with a broken heart because some desires are not meet.  You want to live in confidence as you seek to do all the things God has asked of you.  Know the difference between desires and calling. 

Some people waist their life because they feel like their unmet desire are the result of a life not rightly reconciled to the Lord.  They look at what has not happened in their life and say, “God must not love me”, or “I am not pleasing to the Lord”.  Take personal responsibility and do not let desires raise to the place of obedience to the will of God.  Do the will of God.  Keep praying and crying out for unmet desires, but don’t let them rule your relationship with God.