All Means All

To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul. O my God, in You I trust,

Make me know Your ways, O LORD; Teach me Your paths.
Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation;
For You I wait all the day. Good and upright is the LORD;
And He teaches the humble His way.

All the paths of the LORD are loving-kindness and truth… Psalm 25:1-2,4-5,10

Greetings in the wondrous name of Jesus to each of you who were in the heart of the Creator since before the world began,

In my growing-up years my family would gather to celebrate holidays. This meant good food and a lots of it… and piles of dishes! Dinner finished, I would sit eying the numerous plates and utensils and groan inwardly. Inevitably as my mother began clearing the table she said, ‘Getting started is half the battle. Just get up and get started’.

As a Christian I have heard 'Acceptance is half the battle'. Acceptance means a letting go, a releasing into God’s hands, acceptance indicates that you have stopped wrestling and fighting your circumstances and have surrendered your will to God's will.  I have often fought acceptance of hard things until I found myself on my knees crying out in desperate prayer, "Lord, help me to want Your will more than my own way!"

Amy Carmichael has said “In acceptance lies peace.’  

  

Peace is only possible when I truly believe ‘All the paths of the Lord are loving-kindness and Truth.’ (Psalm 25:10 nas) Once we know that His plan and purpose for us is always wrapped in His loving kindness and that He uses trials to move us to deeper dependance on Him, there will be acceptance followed by rest and peace.

When we resist trials and refuse to accept what God allows in our life, we will be discouraged and restless much of the time. Our life will become all about us. God specifically begins verse 10 with the word ‘All’ in Psalm 25. Think: If God says 'all' He means all. He does not mean ‘nearly’ all nor does He mean ‘all but the path I am on right now’ or 'all but this painful path' and certainly not ‘just the paths that make sense to me!’ His Son, Jesus, came and lived the path of His Father's choosing and it made no sense to the disciples. Wherever you are in life, it is not what happens to in our lives but what we do with what happens. Be it unexplained trials with sharp stones and briers, or a baffling guidance just out of reach of your common sense, or loss, all are His loving-kindnesses working out His purposes for good in our life. Nothing less. They will not 'feel' like loving-kindnesses! But as Christians we do not live by feelings but walk by faith. In acceptance is peace and by faith acceptance is possible.
"We walk by faith and not by sight-" (by feelings) II Corinthians 5:7

Our Father creates need in our life to wean us from self-dependence to Christ dependence. Acceptance results in a Galatians 2:20 life of ‘not I, but Christ’. Then Jesus is our focus even in the face of tremendous struggles and suffering. Have you not seen men and women ennobled as they suffer, for they are experiencing the life of Christ through them? (reflecting a light even from within) So many of God’s children see with physical eyes fixed on their trials and life becomes about them. They do not see with the ‘new man’. Only God’s Spirit within can turn our eyes to see the invisible and ennoble us to suffer for His glory. Instead we frequently and foolishly wrap our affections around that which will pass away!

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. II Cor 4:16-18

 Those who have the deepest appreciation of grace do not continue in sin. Moreover, fear produces the obedience of slaves; love engenders the obedience of sons” JWS jr

I am thankful I am not on probation. My God does not love me because of the good He finds in me, there is none, He loves me because He is good. How amazing is that? It isn’t that God lives, but that God is Life! God is trustworthy and when He says  ‘all’ He means ‘all’. Faith will rely on God’s chastening (discipline) hand as a mark of His loving-kindness. Until we are sure of our standing, of God’s loving-kindness and His sovereignty over our lives and that He is working all things for good in our life, (that good is our being conformed to the likeness of Christ Romans 8:29) we will not have the ability to embrace the 'all' of Psalm 25:10 in faith. Fear will keep us from  believing God's word. Let His love enfold You and remove the fears as He fills your heart with faith to trust Him. He treasures you.

Creator God, though outwardly I am wasting away, inwardly I am being renewed day by day. When everything is shaking around me, hold me steady with Your loving kindness. Thank You that my frustrations and limitations will not diminish Your glory. Thank You that by Your Spirit I am able to fix my eyes on the eternal and then You give a heavenly perspective and peace. Thank You that my trials achieve an eternal glory that is far weightier than the trials themselves. What a promise!  It sets my feet to dancing before Your throne, Abba. You, Most High God, are comfort and Hope and Grace, as You establish me in every good word and work! I bow in awe of You. I lift up every person reading this devo, asking You to bless their socks off…. Surprise them with Your love today as You open their eyes to see who You are. Lead them in Truth, teaching them Your paths. Be glorified now and forever, amen in Yeshua

 much love

 az