“LORD, make me to know my end
And what is the extent of my days;
Let me know how transient I am.
Behold, You have made my days as handbreadths,
And my lifetime as nothing in Your sight;
Surely every man at his best is a mere breath. Selah. Psalm 39:4-5
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
There are times in our life when we deal with physical issues that limit our activities and change our routine. Inability to exercise or attend church is a huge test for me. These very important activities were replaced with doctor appointments and meds. (I rarely take medicine) Under this umbrella of infirmity, many things were revealed to me, which I often take for granted. Like breathing or the wonder of going through a day, unaware I have lungs! This was replaced with gasping for breath and very nearly calling 911. Add to this endless coughing, steroids, and an inhaler. Weary enough to complain and feel sorry for myself, i was reminded of my precious friend, who is struggling with cancer daily. A cancer that will too soon take her life. (It is always too soon to let go of someone you love.) She is such an inspiration. Courage flows out of her making me ashamed of my sniveling and grumbling. My complaining does not honor God. She is filled with joy and in her suffering she brings Him glory! Praise His Name... I too want to bring God glory, but here is the catch... I want to decide what qualifies as a ‘glory-bringer’.
I questioned, as I contemplated this, “who am I to decide what brings God glory? I want to be strong in faith and let God be God, but my flesh wants input into deciding what will bring Him glory. Short-sighted me has a very different picture of a ‘glory-bringer’. Could glory be found in circumstances which i deem as weakness, failure, and disappointments? He redeems all things, for ‘all things serve Him’, but failure seems counter productive! Shouldn’t something wonderful be planned to bring our amazing God the glory due His name? It was then I saw the truth, it was my own chagrin over failure, my perfectionist nature, causing me to have a skewed view. The saints, who wrote the classics, saw their trials and failures, as something God used to humble and strengthen faith and as such they embraced their suffering. Coast to coast, I believe God is purifying His body the Church. I heard one sister say this past couple years have been the hardest yet.
And what is the extent of my days;
Let me know how transient I am.
Behold, You have made my days as handbreadths,
And my lifetime as nothing in Your sight;
Surely every man at his best is a mere breath. Selah. Psalm 39:4-5
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
There are times in our life when we deal with physical issues that limit our activities and change our routine. Inability to exercise or attend church is a huge test for me. These very important activities were replaced with doctor appointments and meds. (I rarely take medicine) Under this umbrella of infirmity, many things were revealed to me, which I often take for granted. Like breathing or the wonder of going through a day, unaware I have lungs! This was replaced with gasping for breath and very nearly calling 911. Add to this endless coughing, steroids, and an inhaler. Weary enough to complain and feel sorry for myself, i was reminded of my precious friend, who is struggling with cancer daily. A cancer that will too soon take her life. (It is always too soon to let go of someone you love.) She is such an inspiration. Courage flows out of her making me ashamed of my sniveling and grumbling. My complaining does not honor God. She is filled with joy and in her suffering she brings Him glory! Praise His Name... I too want to bring God glory, but here is the catch... I want to decide what qualifies as a ‘glory-bringer’.
I questioned, as I contemplated this, “who am I to decide what brings God glory? I want to be strong in faith and let God be God, but my flesh wants input into deciding what will bring Him glory. Short-sighted me has a very different picture of a ‘glory-bringer’. Could glory be found in circumstances which i deem as weakness, failure, and disappointments? He redeems all things, for ‘all things serve Him’, but failure seems counter productive! Shouldn’t something wonderful be planned to bring our amazing God the glory due His name? It was then I saw the truth, it was my own chagrin over failure, my perfectionist nature, causing me to have a skewed view. The saints, who wrote the classics, saw their trials and failures, as something God used to humble and strengthen faith and as such they embraced their suffering. Coast to coast, I believe God is purifying His body the Church. I heard one sister say this past couple years have been the hardest yet.
We are called to glorify God. If we evaluate God’s calling by our gifts rather than by the call, we fall into legalism and we enlist our own strength to serve Him. Our failure does not disqualify us from serving the King, but our pride will set us aside, unfit for service.
God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast (glory) before him. ‘ I Cor 1:28-29 This is freedom, because we have nothing to prove! It is not about us.
It is a great sadness to be surprised by suffering. For God faithfully prepares His saints to suffer. When life becomes easier we tend to rely on ourselves and take His good gifts for granted go through a day without bowing our hearts in gratitude.
Franciscan friar Brother Giles said, “It is impossible to acquire virtues without trouble and effort.” Our brothers and sisters facing serious health issues know what it is to have suffering embedded into each minute. Death moves ever closer and we deny its presence. Would we not live better lives if we stopped denying the inevitable and lived like we were mortal? Ask yourself : ‘Do I know anyone who is not dying? including myself?’
Death doesn’t ask questions; it doesn’t review resumes It just comes. GT
I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see
the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for the LORD. Psalm 27:13-14
Our days are filled with God’s great goodness, His loving kindness, and His faithfulness; even if we do not acknowledge it. Psalm 103 says; God satisfies our lives with good things. The word good infers a wide meaning: beautiful, best, better, cheerful, precious, sweet joyful. The word ‘things’ means: a word, advice, commandment, work. Put these together and may it bump your heart to praise Him! His Spirit and His Word satisfy us with that which is good, beautiful, gives joy, and strengthens us for His glory. How good He is to satisfy us with good things, especially Himself and His word. We will be forever young, this sets my feet to dancing.
Great God, You are Faithful and filled with compassion, for us who are your purchased possessions. We want to bring You glory and trust You for every trial, but we fight against the trials we must face to have our faith strengthened. Thank You no trial will last any longer than You determine. You are Victory. You know that unless we stand firm in our faith we will not stand at all. Create a deep hunger for Your word in each of our hearts, so we will seek You daily, praise You daily, trust You daily. Remind us as often as necessary that “the battle is the LORD’s”. And today LORD let each one of us bring Your Name glory. amen and amen in the Name of Jesus, Lord of all.
I have been embraced by God’s undeserved goodness this week and the wonderful part was that I wasn't so occupied that I missed it! I was receptive to His sweet love and it truly is better than life! Thank You LORD.
az
