Motivate me Monday

I haven't had much to post about this week. It has been a challenging week for various reasons that I might go into more detail about another time - so this really short 'Motivate me Monday' post is just an encouragement to you all. I saw this for the first time during the week and absolutely loved it. The song is just beautiful and was very appropriate to me. I hope you find it as encouraging as I did!

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Motivate Me Monday

I've been thinking a lot lately about the sovereignty of God. In the normal hustle and bustle of each day, it can be easy to lose sight of this sovereignty, or to sinfully live our lives as if we were sovereign and not God.

My husband and I have just enjoyed three weeks holiday in some beautiful locations. I really appreciate having this time to relax and refocus, particularly at the beginning of a new year. I'm not one for making resolutions, but I always start the year with my goal to know God more and to learn to trust Him in all things. It is quite easy to trust him in the "small" things that are relatively easy to let go of. This year I want to lay all of my concerns and plans at His feet and trust Him with the results. Sometimes I don't understand the path that He leads me on, sometimes the path isn't easy - but I want to trust Him, no matter what.

John Piper explains the concept of using means, but not trusting the means, but God in the following from this article:

This sounds so simple. In principle it is. But in practice we sinners are wired to trust in means, not God. Over and over I devise plans, and then find my initial enthusiasm rise or fall as the plan seems smart or not. This is trust in plans, not trust in God. There is no doubt God wants us to use means to get his work done. But just as clearly he wants us not to trust in these means. “The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD” (Proverbs 21:31). Therefore, our confidence should not be in the horse, but in the Lord. “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God” (Psalm 20:7).

The surest way that I'm going to trust God is to read my Bible and to know him more and to consistently pray. The 5.16am girls have been a real blessing to me. It is so great to be involved with others who encourage me on this path. This year I want to graciously honor God in the circumstances that he leads me to. How about you? :)

To read more Motivate Me Mondays, go to Sarah Mae's blog.

Motivate me Monday

The last week has been a really busy one for me. Fortunately, it seems to be slowing down a little, before it starts to pick up again just before Christmas. It's funny how we can make ourselves so busy with "things" at Christmastime, when the true meaning of Christmas is to appreciate and celebrate the birth of Jesus. I'm speaking for myself when I say that my focus hasn't been on him quite as much as it should be. I want to make sure that I prepare my heart in the lead up to Christmas, so that I don't go through the 25th December, enjoying friends and family, opening presents, eating delicious food and that's it. Oh, how careful we must be to avoid that happening!

In regard to my devotions lately, I have been reading the book of Leviticus (in a read through the Bible plan). I've struggled a little, not wanting to skim over it or skip it altogether, because it is in the Bible for a reason, and it is the word of God. But it has shown me that at times when we struggle with our learning and understanding of scripture - not to give up, and also, to not be afraid to read other books of the Bible or to do things differently. Kristin Chesemore from Girltalk says of her dad, CJ Mahaney: "Growing up, Dad always encouraged us that the goal of the spiritual disciplines is to "make your soul happy in God" and to preach the gospel to yourself--not to finish a book. He wanted to make sure we didn't feel obligated to complete a book we had begun if it was not feeding our soul." I thought this was great advice. Now, in saying this, I intend to keep reading Leviticus, but I'm going to read other sections to keep my "soul happy in God" at the same time. I don't want to be discouraged or disheartened and give up my devotions because I'm stuck in a bit of a rut. I shouldn't really be surprised that we can find opposition to spending time with God in so many different ways, including this. I really liked this quote by John Owen.

"There is no duty we perform for God that sin does not oppose. And the more spirituality or holiness there is in what we do, the greater its enmity to it. Thus those who seek most for God experience the strongest opposition.”
John Owen, Sin and Temptation, edited by James Houston (Minneapolis, Minn: Bethany House Publications, 1996), 18.

I experience opposition in many different forms - but I'm determined to "throw off the sin, that so easily entangles" and seek the Lord. I hope you'll join me.

To read more posts for Motivate Me Monday, visit Sarah Mae's blog.

Motivate me Monday

I'm continually amazed at the treasures that we have in the Bible. How encouraging it is - my aim is to memorize many of these verses - how helpful they are in times of trouble and anxiety - both for us and those around us.

May you be

JOYFUL

as you read this beautiful verse from Lamentations. (Click to enlarge & yes I took the photo!)

I've found it helpful (and humbling) to realise that my need for God is each and every day. I can't expect to read my Bible and pray lots one day and feel like that should "last me" the week. What a joy it is to get to know our Lord each morning! And to know that regardless of our efforts, his grace is sufficient.

A great reminder!

This post is from CJ Mahaney's blog. I thought it was extremely appropriate, given my sense of feeling overwhelmed yesterday.

In All thy Ways by CJ Mahaney 25/11/2008

My tendency is to charge into the day intent on getting stuff done, attacking my to-do list motivated by self sufficiency rather than by humble dependence upon the grace of God revealed in the gospel.

And given the active presence of pride and self-sufficiency in my life, it is imperative for me at the outset of each day to devote time to humbling myself before the Lord and acknowledging my dependence upon him for all that awaits me.

As I devote myself to this spiritual discipline, the words of Proverbs 3:5–7 frequently inform my meditation and prayer:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. (ESV)

Alongside my open Bible, I find the exposition of these verses by nineteenth-century pastor Charles Bridges in his commentary on Proverbs to be helpful and insightful. He writes:

Let our confidence be uniform. In all thy ways acknowledge him (Proverbs 3:6). Take one step at a time, every step under divine warrant and direction. Ever plan for yourself in simple dependence on God. It is nothing less than self-idolatry to conceive that we can carry on even the ordinary matters of the day without his counsel. He loves to be consulted.

Therefore take all thy difficulties to be resolved by him. Be in the habit of going to him in the first place—before self-will, self-pleasing, self-wisdom, human friends, convenience, expediency. Before any of these have been consulted go to God at once. Consider no circumstances too clear to need his direction.

In all thy ways, small as well as great; in all thy concerns, personal or relative, temporal or eternal, let him be supreme.

-Charles Bridges (1794–1869), from A Commentary on Proverbs (Banner of Truth, 1846/1968) pp. 24–25.

Motivate me Monday

During this week I started a blog and joined the 5am club. It has been a big week! You don't know what the 5am club is? Head over to Sarah Mae's blog to find out. It has been a joy to be involved in this, in so many ways. I think it is great timing too.

Even though the club has '5am' in the title, I have been rising consistently at 6am (mainly because my schedule allows me to have an 'extra' sleeping hour at the moment) the last few days. The main reason for this is to start the day off in God's word and prayer. And what a blessing. I can sure relate to what Paul said about "...the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." When I hear that alarm my first reaction is to hit snooze and not worry about my quiet time, or that I'll fit it in later - but often that is not the case.

The trick I've found is a quick prayer to God to give me strength and energy and perseverence to get up out of my warm bed. That feeling of extreme tiredness soon fades and I do feel really thankful in getting up and spending that time with the Lord - before the rest of the day rushes to a start.

I'm reading through Leviticus at the moment (in a Bible reading plan) which has been a bit of a struggle, but the 5am girls have helped me stick with it. I found Lisa's email particularly encouraging this week - she shared Psalm 112:4 - Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness; He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.

Despite the difficulties that we are facing at the moment, it is so amazing and not to mention comforting, to know that Jesus is our light and that He indeed is gracious, compassionate and righteous. Have a good week. :)