Everything God will do with me will be out of the overflow of what He does in me!
On this journey, I have had this one nagging question when it comes to pastoring my church and my family. Do I really believe what I am preaching and teaching? Do I really think what I am saying is applicable to my life also or am I just passing along truth? Many of you know that grace is continuing to change the way I think about and approach God. Many of you also know that I recently (7 months ago) was given the position of Senior Pastor at Faith Lakeside Community Church in McMurray, PA. Several times during these last months I have heard this question nagging at me. The problem I found was this question always came at a time when I was struggling through an issue our church was in the middle of or about to face. It has revealed how controlling I act and think. It has also reveal my beliefs about what I have been taught and currently teaching.
What am I currently teaching (thank you for asking because the seg-way to the next statement was a little hard for me to come up with)? I have been teaching that intimacy is our primary calling and that everything God will do with me will be out of the overflow of what He does in me? The question comes when I have to deal with that second part of the statement (that everything God will do with me will be out of the overflow of what He does in me). Do I really believe that God will work out His plan through our church's struggles? Do I really believe that my calling is to abide in Him and allow Him to grow our church? Is people leaving a result of my sin or is this really God doing His work to grow us and mature us? How are we going to move forward with less financial backing? When are we going to plant another church? How do we grow the youth ministry without a singular leader? How do we help people worship God without a defined singular leader? How do we fill these holes in ministry we currently have?
These questions all lead back to 1 question: do I really believe that God is going to work through my intimacy. You see, I am a doer and a control freak. I like knowing how to get from A to Z and that I have choices along the way in how that journey takes place. I like things that I can measure and that I can look back and be proud of. But intimacy with God removes those measurements from me. The relationship requires me to trust only in Him for results. The relationship takes the weight off of me to produce and puts it on Him! My problem is me and how I think I have the solution when really the solution lives in me!
The reason why I am sharing with you my struggles is to turn our attention back to Jesus and our personal time with Him. When we walk away from trusting that God can do more with us in 15 minutes than we can do in 50 years, we tend to use our intimacy with Jesus as a means of spirituality(so that we will become more spiritually mature) and not as a means of surrendering to His control. Intimacy is about being with God and allowing God to be God in your circumstances. I often have heard it and continue to say that Jesus is the only One ever to live the Christian life. However, I easily forget this and get back to a life of doing instead of being with God and being God's. Intimacy doesn't lead to laziness, but it does lead to God doing His work through your life. It also leads to God accomplishing what He desires and the results are up to Him.
I hope you will rest in Christ this week. Life is hard and there are many things thrown at us daily. Those things are overwhelming when you take them on. Let God take those things on and hold on tightly to Him while He works His processes through your life.
What are you facing right now? What trials are hurting or coming against you? What decisions need to be made? Know that Jesus sympathizes with those struggles but He also knows how to answer everyone of them. Make your purpose to know God intimately and find rest. Remember this, everything that God will do with you will be the overflow of what He does in you!
What am I currently teaching (thank you for asking because the seg-way to the next statement was a little hard for me to come up with)? I have been teaching that intimacy is our primary calling and that everything God will do with me will be out of the overflow of what He does in me? The question comes when I have to deal with that second part of the statement (that everything God will do with me will be out of the overflow of what He does in me). Do I really believe that God will work out His plan through our church's struggles? Do I really believe that my calling is to abide in Him and allow Him to grow our church? Is people leaving a result of my sin or is this really God doing His work to grow us and mature us? How are we going to move forward with less financial backing? When are we going to plant another church? How do we grow the youth ministry without a singular leader? How do we help people worship God without a defined singular leader? How do we fill these holes in ministry we currently have?
These questions all lead back to 1 question: do I really believe that God is going to work through my intimacy. You see, I am a doer and a control freak. I like knowing how to get from A to Z and that I have choices along the way in how that journey takes place. I like things that I can measure and that I can look back and be proud of. But intimacy with God removes those measurements from me. The relationship requires me to trust only in Him for results. The relationship takes the weight off of me to produce and puts it on Him! My problem is me and how I think I have the solution when really the solution lives in me!
The reason why I am sharing with you my struggles is to turn our attention back to Jesus and our personal time with Him. When we walk away from trusting that God can do more with us in 15 minutes than we can do in 50 years, we tend to use our intimacy with Jesus as a means of spirituality(so that we will become more spiritually mature) and not as a means of surrendering to His control. Intimacy is about being with God and allowing God to be God in your circumstances. I often have heard it and continue to say that Jesus is the only One ever to live the Christian life. However, I easily forget this and get back to a life of doing instead of being with God and being God's. Intimacy doesn't lead to laziness, but it does lead to God doing His work through your life. It also leads to God accomplishing what He desires and the results are up to Him.
I hope you will rest in Christ this week. Life is hard and there are many things thrown at us daily. Those things are overwhelming when you take them on. Let God take those things on and hold on tightly to Him while He works His processes through your life.
What are you facing right now? What trials are hurting or coming against you? What decisions need to be made? Know that Jesus sympathizes with those struggles but He also knows how to answer everyone of them. Make your purpose to know God intimately and find rest. Remember this, everything that God will do with you will be the overflow of what He does in you!
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