This past weekend I had the privilege of hearing Susan Norris speak to a group of fellow speakers and writers. While discussing the growth of her ministry, she commented that her responsibility is to do the next thing and not get hung up on the future or what might happen next. That's God's deal not ours. It struck a cord with me.
I tend to be analytical at heart. I'll run all the scenarios of a situation, any possible outcomes and analyze the "what ifs". It can leave me stuck for a while before making a move. However, I am learning that what Susan shared is true. I need to do the next thing. If I want to continue growing closer to my Savior, then I need to keep moving toward Him. In the Bible when Peter sees Jesus walking on the water, he didn't ponder what would happen when he stepped out of the boat. He didn't consider if he would sink; Peter just stepped out toward Jesus. That one step makes Peter the only other person to have walked on water! Amazing.
In today's "My Utmost for His Highest", Oswald Chambers calls this the graciousness of uncertainty. He says, "We are uncertain of the next step, but we are certain of God. Immediately we abandon to God, and do the duty that lies nearest, He packs our life with suprises all the time." I enjoy a good suprise. What about you?
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
All of Creation
This weekend I spent a lot of time in church..all day Saturday and a good portion of Sunday. It was such a great time of worshipping God, hearing His Word and being in fellowship with other believers. On Saturday I attended the live broadcast of Beth Moore's "So Long Insecurity" here in metro Atlanta along with 9,000 or so of my not so close friends! It was a sea of women, capri pants and cute sandals. Our group decided to go up to the balcony and we sat in the next to last row from the top, directly centered over the stage. We could watch the action in front of us or on two huge screens; either way it was great.
Travis Cottrell was there to lead us in worship. Before he began, he talked about how easy it would be to feel lost in the sea of people gathered that day. The numbers were over 300,000 including the simulcast sites for the event. That's huge by anybody's standards and could have been daunting. But Travis reminded us that we are not lost on God in this sea of people. He's very aware of each of us, individually. And only we can sing of our Redeemer. No one else can praise Him for us; only we can do that.
God spoke powerfully to me in that moment...all the way in the nose bleed section. The reason He had me there was not to "see" anyone, but to "hear" His word for me. And He, God, wanted to hear my voice, my praises. So I abandoned myself to worship my Redeemer, my Creator and it was an amazing day.
Fast forward to Sunday morning at my church. My husband was running sound in our True North auditorium where we have live worship and watch the pastor on a screen. I was running a little later than usual and the seats were filling up. So I decided to sit in the back row, the last seat in the far right corner. The worship began and although there were only a couple hundred people there, the feeling was the same as on Saturday. We were there to worship our Creator, our Savior, our Redeemer. No one else could do that for us. It was a sweet moment and I believe a sweet sound to our Lord.
If you're having a hard time believing that God is keenly aware of all that you are and all that concerns you, Psalm 139 gives us great detail about how intimately God is involved in our lives. Even before we knew we would be, God did. Read it, meditate on it. Commit the psalm to memory so that you don't forget. Pray it back to Him; He wants to hear your voice.
And what does all this have to do with music Monday? I'm glad you asked! This morning as I got in my car, All of Creation by Mercy Me came on the radio immediately. It is an amazing worship song that reminds us of all that God has done for us. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. While you're at it, sing it to God-praise your Redeemer.
Travis Cottrell was there to lead us in worship. Before he began, he talked about how easy it would be to feel lost in the sea of people gathered that day. The numbers were over 300,000 including the simulcast sites for the event. That's huge by anybody's standards and could have been daunting. But Travis reminded us that we are not lost on God in this sea of people. He's very aware of each of us, individually. And only we can sing of our Redeemer. No one else can praise Him for us; only we can do that.
God spoke powerfully to me in that moment...all the way in the nose bleed section. The reason He had me there was not to "see" anyone, but to "hear" His word for me. And He, God, wanted to hear my voice, my praises. So I abandoned myself to worship my Redeemer, my Creator and it was an amazing day.
Fast forward to Sunday morning at my church. My husband was running sound in our True North auditorium where we have live worship and watch the pastor on a screen. I was running a little later than usual and the seats were filling up. So I decided to sit in the back row, the last seat in the far right corner. The worship began and although there were only a couple hundred people there, the feeling was the same as on Saturday. We were there to worship our Creator, our Savior, our Redeemer. No one else could do that for us. It was a sweet moment and I believe a sweet sound to our Lord.
If you're having a hard time believing that God is keenly aware of all that you are and all that concerns you, Psalm 139 gives us great detail about how intimately God is involved in our lives. Even before we knew we would be, God did. Read it, meditate on it. Commit the psalm to memory so that you don't forget. Pray it back to Him; He wants to hear your voice.
And what does all this have to do with music Monday? I'm glad you asked! This morning as I got in my car, All of Creation by Mercy Me came on the radio immediately. It is an amazing worship song that reminds us of all that God has done for us. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. While you're at it, sing it to God-praise your Redeemer.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Jesus Calling
Jesus Calling by 33 Miles is one of my husband's new favorite songs. Mine too. This weekend we heard a great sermon about making Jesus part of your every day life. I think the song and the sermon compliment each other. Too many times we can wander through our life and forget that as believers Jesus is with us. He's right in the midst of where ever we are and whatever we're going through. I don't need to invite Him in to my stuff, He's there. I need to be asking for insight, for perspective, for wisdom to see how He's working.
Secondly when I don't acknowledge Jesus' presence, I miss Him. Not just what He's doing, but my heart misses Him. I miss the time of His encouragement, His mercy, His love, His grace. If that sounds odd to you, then I challenge you to make a habit of spending time with God every day. See what happens when you miss a day...as the song says, "Can you hear Jesus calling?" I can.
Secondly when I don't acknowledge Jesus' presence, I miss Him. Not just what He's doing, but my heart misses Him. I miss the time of His encouragement, His mercy, His love, His grace. If that sounds odd to you, then I challenge you to make a habit of spending time with God every day. See what happens when you miss a day...as the song says, "Can you hear Jesus calling?" I can.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
