John 15:1-3
Jesus said to his disciples:
I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts away every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit. But he trims clean every branch that does produce fruit, so that it will produce even more fruit. You are already clean because of what I have said to you."
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
All of us will have times in our lives when we go through some “stuff!” You may find yourself challenged by school, work, a relationship, illness or injury, the loss of a loved one… or something else equally daunting. You may ask yourself – and God – “Why is this happening to me?” Maybe you feel that you have been a good steward of God’s gifts… a faithful servant… that you and God are “tight!” So you are wondering where you went wrong or failed as His servant… that you are being punished in some manner.
Here’s the deal… Jesus tells us in the first verses of John 15 that even those who are doing what God expects of them will be “pruned”... tested, challenged, given obstacles to overcome. And the reason is so that we will continue to grow in our faith. If we accepted Jesus Christ and began to serve Him based totally on our previous experiences, we would soon become stagnant.
You know the person who lives in the past… the one who tells the same old stories over and over and feeds on them… the person who doesn’t seem to bring anything new to the table. You probably find them pretty boring – if not obnoxious at times – and you may not want to be around them very often. This is exactly what would happen if we were not continually “trimmed” as Christians. I’m not saying God will bring bad things into our lives – or that He will necessarily allow bad things to happen to us. But He may allow us to go through a few things in order to become stronger in our faith – and to be more effective witnesses for His kingdom.
I am convinced that many of the experiences I have had – and will have in the future – can be used for God’s glory. The key question is… “Will I recognize God at work in these situations… and will I allow Him to handle the outcome for His purposes?” When you can go through something difficult and say, “God was in this… and that… and another thing…” you have allowed Him to strengthen you and grow your faith. And this is a huge part of what Christian living is all about.
So the next time you find yourself in a situation that seems difficult – or downright impossible – ask God to show you what He plans to do. Don’t ask, “Why is this happening?” Instead, ask “What are you showing me, LORD?” Because I guarantee you that God has designed an outcome that will bring glory to His name and bless you in the bargain. Your job is to recognize this when it happens. Are you asking the right questions of God? Are you a “branch” ready to be “trimmed” in His name?
©2012 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label becoming bored in our faith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label becoming bored in our faith. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for February 29, 2012
Romans 12:3
I'm speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it's important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
I have written already about my grandmother’s fall on our driveway on Christmas Eve. Even at age 99, she still wants to do things herself… and her way! So she did not wait for help when she got out of my mom’s car, and she fell. Quite literally, Proverbs 16:18… “First pride, then the crash — the bigger the ego, the harder the fall”… came to life that day! And honestly, at age 99, I believe it is more an attempt for my grandmother to maintain her independence and to feel self-sufficient than a matter of ego.
In the same way, small children will say, “I’ll do it myself!” Their pride and desire to be independent often leads to a mishap of some form or another. And in many ways, we all behave this way with everything from daily activities to matters of faith. We try to handle things on our own… and often, we end up making a mess of things. Our pride is a form of doing our own thing instead of GOD’s thing. It is a rebellion rather than compliance… and it demonstrates a lack of faith on our part.
If we want to remain faithful, we have to work diligently to remain engaged with God. We must combat two enemies of our faithfulness… boredom and pride. When we are not constantly seeking God’s will… or we develop an exaggerated opinion of our own ability to handle daily challenges… we can become not only proud – but also bored. Our “faith walk” develops a sameness and becomes somewhat routine and one-dimensional. We read our Bible, say a prayer, and then forge ahead to handle life on our own. We don’t seek God… we never look for Him in unexpected places. In reality, we don’t expect Him to show up in our lives at all… and things get pretty dull and uninteresting. This is when our faith can waiver.
It’s time to remember the promise of Philippians 4:13…”Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am.” We must learn to not only be content with what God gives us each day… but also with relying on Him to meet all of our needs – and expecting Him to do so! We need to kick pride to the curb – in every area of our life. We need to engage fully in seeking God each and every day… and in so doing, powerfully reconnect to God’s anointing. It’s time to operate in faithfulness… to “let go and let God…and to be completely fulfilled in Him. Are you in?
©2012 Debbie Robus
I'm speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it's important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
I have written already about my grandmother’s fall on our driveway on Christmas Eve. Even at age 99, she still wants to do things herself… and her way! So she did not wait for help when she got out of my mom’s car, and she fell. Quite literally, Proverbs 16:18… “First pride, then the crash — the bigger the ego, the harder the fall”… came to life that day! And honestly, at age 99, I believe it is more an attempt for my grandmother to maintain her independence and to feel self-sufficient than a matter of ego.
In the same way, small children will say, “I’ll do it myself!” Their pride and desire to be independent often leads to a mishap of some form or another. And in many ways, we all behave this way with everything from daily activities to matters of faith. We try to handle things on our own… and often, we end up making a mess of things. Our pride is a form of doing our own thing instead of GOD’s thing. It is a rebellion rather than compliance… and it demonstrates a lack of faith on our part.
If we want to remain faithful, we have to work diligently to remain engaged with God. We must combat two enemies of our faithfulness… boredom and pride. When we are not constantly seeking God’s will… or we develop an exaggerated opinion of our own ability to handle daily challenges… we can become not only proud – but also bored. Our “faith walk” develops a sameness and becomes somewhat routine and one-dimensional. We read our Bible, say a prayer, and then forge ahead to handle life on our own. We don’t seek God… we never look for Him in unexpected places. In reality, we don’t expect Him to show up in our lives at all… and things get pretty dull and uninteresting. This is when our faith can waiver.
It’s time to remember the promise of Philippians 4:13…”Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am.” We must learn to not only be content with what God gives us each day… but also with relying on Him to meet all of our needs – and expecting Him to do so! We need to kick pride to the curb – in every area of our life. We need to engage fully in seeking God each and every day… and in so doing, powerfully reconnect to God’s anointing. It’s time to operate in faithfulness… to “let go and let God…and to be completely fulfilled in Him. Are you in?
©2012 Debbie Robus
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