Colossians 3:8-10
But now you must stop doing such
things. You must quit being angry, hateful, and evil. You must no longer
say insulting or cruel things about others. And stop lying to each
other. You have given up your old way of life with its habits.
Each of you is now a new person. You are becoming more and more like your Creator, and you will understand him better.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
There was a time not so long ago when I could hardly bear to look at pictures of myself as a younger woman. I saw
the “girl” in photos with long blond hair, a slender figure and tanned
skin, and I wondered, “What in the world happened?!” Despite Greg’s best
efforts to assure me that this 58-year-old version of “me” is totally
fine, these pictures made me a little sad.
But I have come to
terms with embracing the young woman in those pictures…and also the
“older model” in more recent ones. Because you see, I hope that the
woman I am today is more and more in step with who Jesus wants me to
be. And that is the goal – or at least, it should be!
The more I
know about Jesus – and the more I KNOW Him…the more I want to let go of
things like judgment, anger, jealousy, gossip, bad attitudes,
frustration, impatience, cynicism, skepticism, discrimination, and
more…and emulate Him as closely as possible. I want to focus on finding
joy in Him…trusting in His promises…and in the delight of sharing His
message with others. I understand that I will miss the mark
often…probably daily! But I keep trying!
There are still traces
of the young woman in this older model…but I hope they are the better
qualities! I am grateful that God has blessed me with good health and
energy, so that I can be the wife, daughter, aunt, sister and friend
that He has called me to be. I am thankful for opportunities to serve
Him – at home, in my church and community…and in the world at large. I
pray that He will continue to work in me so that I am constantly
evolving and changing…for the better.
What about you? Are you
stuck in a rut…still mired in the same ways and habits of your old,
sinful life? Or have you fully committed to becoming a new creature in
Christ? Have you embraced who Jesus is calling you to be…and are you
working becoming that person? Are you making every effort to know Jesus
better and to operate under the guidance of His Holy Spirit? Do you
like who you are today…and more importantly, does Jesus like this
“model” of you? Will this be the day that you let go of old ways and
habits and go “all in” for Him? Don’t you think it should be?
©2015 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label letting God grow your faith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label letting God grow your faith. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for September 25, 2013
John 6:61-69
Jesus knew that his disciples were grumbling. So he asked, “Does this bother you? What if you should see the Son of Man go up to heaven where he came from? The Spirit is the one who gives life! Human strength can do nothing. The words that I have spoken to you are from that life-giving Spirit. But some of you refuse to have faith in me.” Jesus said this, because from the beginning he knew who would have faith in him. He also knew which one would betray him.
Then Jesus said, “You cannot come to me, unless the Father makes you want to come. That is why I have told these things to all of you.”
Because of what Jesus said, many of his disciples turned their backs on him and stopped following him. Jesus then asked his twelve disciples if they were going to leave him. Simon Peter answered, “Lord, there is no one else that we can go to! Your words give eternal life. We have faith in you, and we are sure that you are God’s Holy One.”
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
When I read this scripture passage today, I immediately thought, “I know just how Peter felt” [when he said there was no one else that they could go to]. Don’t misunderstand me… I do not consider Jesus a “last resort”…He is the ONLY choice for me. But that doesn’t mean that He has not called me (and you and countless other believers) to do some really hard things… to make some difficult choices and decisions!
If you are like me, there are times when you truly do not know what to do. You don’t have a clue what the best option is in a particular situation… you see pros and cons to all available options. In these instances, I have learned to say, “LORD… it’s up to you. I have no wisdom and discernment about this issue. I don’t even know what to ask You for - except YOUR WILL… so I leave it at that!” Now here’s the tricky part… deep down inside your heart, you probably do have an opinion. You probably know how you really wish things would go. And when God decides differently, you may have to face some difficulties – and accept them. That’s where faith comes into play!
We must follow Jesus…and believe in His life-giving Spirit. We must trust Him to work things out in our best interest. And when He allows our path to be tough and riddled with challenges, we must accept the tests and stick with Him. We must do this not because He is our only hope… but because He is our only hope! Do you see the difference?
I get it. I understand how hard this can be. I am a “git-r-done” kind of girl who likes to cross all the “t’s”, dot all the “i’s” and know exactly how things are going to go from the outset. I like to have a plan, figure out the best way to achieve an outcome, and hop to it! So I am really out of my comfort zone with this faith thing much of the time. Learning to trust God and wait on His timing has not come easily for me… and on any given day, I am still a mess. But I know that Jesus is God’s Holy One… that He is my Rock and my Redeemer – and my only hope. Slowly but surely, I’m learning to rest in that… to trust Him to give me what I need – when I need it! I’m learning to “let go and let God”… and it’s a wonderful thing!
Wherever you are in your journey, understand that there isn’t necessarily a right or wrong answer here...as long as you are trusting in God. You will have days where everything seems peaceful and your confidence soars. There will also be days where you say, “LORD, I don’t think I can do this.” That’s when He will pick you up and carry you for a while. Just do not turn your back on Him. Focus on Jesus and trust Him to always operate in your best interest. Bask in the comfort of feeling His life-giving Spirit deep in your heart!
The most important choice we can ever make is to allow Jesus to make all of the others. Who is making the choices in your life today?
©2013 Debbie Robus
Jesus knew that his disciples were grumbling. So he asked, “Does this bother you? What if you should see the Son of Man go up to heaven where he came from? The Spirit is the one who gives life! Human strength can do nothing. The words that I have spoken to you are from that life-giving Spirit. But some of you refuse to have faith in me.” Jesus said this, because from the beginning he knew who would have faith in him. He also knew which one would betray him.
Then Jesus said, “You cannot come to me, unless the Father makes you want to come. That is why I have told these things to all of you.”
Because of what Jesus said, many of his disciples turned their backs on him and stopped following him. Jesus then asked his twelve disciples if they were going to leave him. Simon Peter answered, “Lord, there is no one else that we can go to! Your words give eternal life. We have faith in you, and we are sure that you are God’s Holy One.”
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
When I read this scripture passage today, I immediately thought, “I know just how Peter felt” [when he said there was no one else that they could go to]. Don’t misunderstand me… I do not consider Jesus a “last resort”…He is the ONLY choice for me. But that doesn’t mean that He has not called me (and you and countless other believers) to do some really hard things… to make some difficult choices and decisions!
If you are like me, there are times when you truly do not know what to do. You don’t have a clue what the best option is in a particular situation… you see pros and cons to all available options. In these instances, I have learned to say, “LORD… it’s up to you. I have no wisdom and discernment about this issue. I don’t even know what to ask You for - except YOUR WILL… so I leave it at that!” Now here’s the tricky part… deep down inside your heart, you probably do have an opinion. You probably know how you really wish things would go. And when God decides differently, you may have to face some difficulties – and accept them. That’s where faith comes into play!
We must follow Jesus…and believe in His life-giving Spirit. We must trust Him to work things out in our best interest. And when He allows our path to be tough and riddled with challenges, we must accept the tests and stick with Him. We must do this not because He is our only hope… but because He is our only hope! Do you see the difference?
I get it. I understand how hard this can be. I am a “git-r-done” kind of girl who likes to cross all the “t’s”, dot all the “i’s” and know exactly how things are going to go from the outset. I like to have a plan, figure out the best way to achieve an outcome, and hop to it! So I am really out of my comfort zone with this faith thing much of the time. Learning to trust God and wait on His timing has not come easily for me… and on any given day, I am still a mess. But I know that Jesus is God’s Holy One… that He is my Rock and my Redeemer – and my only hope. Slowly but surely, I’m learning to rest in that… to trust Him to give me what I need – when I need it! I’m learning to “let go and let God”… and it’s a wonderful thing!
Wherever you are in your journey, understand that there isn’t necessarily a right or wrong answer here...as long as you are trusting in God. You will have days where everything seems peaceful and your confidence soars. There will also be days where you say, “LORD, I don’t think I can do this.” That’s when He will pick you up and carry you for a while. Just do not turn your back on Him. Focus on Jesus and trust Him to always operate in your best interest. Bask in the comfort of feeling His life-giving Spirit deep in your heart!
The most important choice we can ever make is to allow Jesus to make all of the others. Who is making the choices in your life today?
©2013 Debbie Robus
Daily Devotional for October 3, 2012
October 3 ~ Ezekiel 37:11-14
The Lord said: Ezekiel, the people of Israel are like dead bones. They complain that they are dried up and that they have no hope for the future. So tell them, “I, the Lord God, promise to open your graves and set you free. I will bring you back to Israel, and when that happens, you will realize that I am the Lord. My Spirit will give you breath, and you will live again. I will bring you home, and you will know that I have kept my promise. I, the Lord, have spoken.”
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
I have a great recipe for a sour cream raisin pie. This may sound awful to you, but I promise, it is delicious. Raisins are suspended in a creamy, sweet custard made mostly of eggs, sugar, and sour cream… topped by a golden meringue. Now, I love raisins, but the thought of hard, chewy nuggets in a creamy pie does not appeal to me. The key to making the raisins tasty for this pie is to soak them for a few minutes in boiling water. They plump and become juicy and have an altogether different consistency from that of their dried state. The raisins are transformed!
There are many situations in life where we become like dried raisins… lifeless, hard and chewy. Or we become like dead bones… no life in us at all. We give up… we throw our hands in the air and say, “This is too hard… I just cannot continue. Things will never change. My future is hopeless.” Or we give up on someone else – or a certain situation. We humans are often pretty quick to lose our hope and throw in the towel!
Here’s the deal… with God, all things are possible. It ain’t over until He says it’s over! We must never give up. Just like dried raisins can be rejuvenated – brought back to life, so to speak – and used to create an amazingly wonderful pie… God can often breathe life back into us or our situation. He can make a way where we saw none. God can “open our graves” and set us free.
I don’t know what you are facing. I don’t know where you have admitted defeat and decided things are hopeless. I have no clue how or when you have given up… but I know that many of us have - at least for a while. And I am here to tell you that we serve a God of endless possibilities… miracles we cannot imagine. All we have to do is say, “LORD, I don’t know how, when, or where you will change my situation… but I know that you will. I am giving this to You, recognizing Your strength and power, and asking You to turn things around, according to Your perfect will.”
I pray that you will develop the kind of deep abiding faith in God that allows you to release your “dry bones” to Him. Do whatever it takes to become so in tune with Him that you trust Him completely – not just if you face uncertainties, but especially when these happen! Get to a point in your relationship with God where nothing rattles you… where you hand Him all of your troubles and truly release them. Feel the freedom of knowing that HE is in control and working things out perfectly. Learn to truly LIVE in God… to allow His Spirit to fully give you breath… and to operate in the confidence and peace of knowing that He always has your back!
©2012 Debbie Robus
The Lord said: Ezekiel, the people of Israel are like dead bones. They complain that they are dried up and that they have no hope for the future. So tell them, “I, the Lord God, promise to open your graves and set you free. I will bring you back to Israel, and when that happens, you will realize that I am the Lord. My Spirit will give you breath, and you will live again. I will bring you home, and you will know that I have kept my promise. I, the Lord, have spoken.”
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
I have a great recipe for a sour cream raisin pie. This may sound awful to you, but I promise, it is delicious. Raisins are suspended in a creamy, sweet custard made mostly of eggs, sugar, and sour cream… topped by a golden meringue. Now, I love raisins, but the thought of hard, chewy nuggets in a creamy pie does not appeal to me. The key to making the raisins tasty for this pie is to soak them for a few minutes in boiling water. They plump and become juicy and have an altogether different consistency from that of their dried state. The raisins are transformed!
There are many situations in life where we become like dried raisins… lifeless, hard and chewy. Or we become like dead bones… no life in us at all. We give up… we throw our hands in the air and say, “This is too hard… I just cannot continue. Things will never change. My future is hopeless.” Or we give up on someone else – or a certain situation. We humans are often pretty quick to lose our hope and throw in the towel!
Here’s the deal… with God, all things are possible. It ain’t over until He says it’s over! We must never give up. Just like dried raisins can be rejuvenated – brought back to life, so to speak – and used to create an amazingly wonderful pie… God can often breathe life back into us or our situation. He can make a way where we saw none. God can “open our graves” and set us free.
I don’t know what you are facing. I don’t know where you have admitted defeat and decided things are hopeless. I have no clue how or when you have given up… but I know that many of us have - at least for a while. And I am here to tell you that we serve a God of endless possibilities… miracles we cannot imagine. All we have to do is say, “LORD, I don’t know how, when, or where you will change my situation… but I know that you will. I am giving this to You, recognizing Your strength and power, and asking You to turn things around, according to Your perfect will.”
I pray that you will develop the kind of deep abiding faith in God that allows you to release your “dry bones” to Him. Do whatever it takes to become so in tune with Him that you trust Him completely – not just if you face uncertainties, but especially when these happen! Get to a point in your relationship with God where nothing rattles you… where you hand Him all of your troubles and truly release them. Feel the freedom of knowing that HE is in control and working things out perfectly. Learn to truly LIVE in God… to allow His Spirit to fully give you breath… and to operate in the confidence and peace of knowing that He always has your back!
©2012 Debbie Robus
Daily Devotional for May 16, 2012
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
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
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)