Total Surrender

God has been continually bringing me to a place of surrender to Him. Sometimes it's hard to just let go, and give God our hopes, our dreams, our deepest desires for our life; but when we do, He is truly able to do miracles through us.

Instead of hanging on to these things, each day I must let go and allow God's love to fulfill me in every way. And it's true - when I simply love and give myself to God, I am the most fulfilled and content person I have ever been.

"But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things."
Philippians 3:7-8 TNIV

Pour Me Out

I'm a little tea pot
Short and stout

Here is my handle;
Here is my spout

When I get all steamed up,
Then I shout!

Tip me over,
Pour me out.


Forgetting the part about getting all steamed up (I do not consider unrestrained anger as being compatible with ministry!), I don't think my current situation is dissimilar to that of the humble tea pot.

Here I am, Lord; use all of me. Today you stretched me by placing me in a ministry I didn't think I could do, but you did a bit of a miracle and used me for the benefit of your Church. I'm glad to be used by you, for your glory alone.

In a small church, it tends to be "all hands on deck", and today was no exception. We find ourselves serving in all kinds of ways; some we never thought we would venture into.

But God is good; despite what skills we think we do or don't have, all he wants us to do is trust and surrender to Him.

Any person, if they are willing clay in His hands, can help to build His Church; and that is a precious thing to God.

Sow, and Keep on Sowing

"Whoever watches the wind will not plant;
whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.

As you do not know the path of the wind,
or how the body is formed in a mother's womb,
so you cannot understand the work of God,
the Maker of all things.

Sow your seed in the morning,
And at evening let your hands not be idle,
For you do not know which will succeed,
whether this or that,
or whether both will do equally well."

Ecclesiastes 11:4-6

I learned something from this passage today that I really needed to get into my spirit. At the Uni study group we discussed the idea that a farmer who is always concerned about the wind or weather may not plant or harvest at all, but those who diligently sow seed have a much greater chance of harvest. In the end, the outcome of their work is in the hands of God, because though they may plant the seed, He is the one who causes it to grow.

I was thinking that it is the same when we serve God. God has given us gifts, talents and ministries (the seed). We should diligently keep on serving Him as He leads and guides us. It also means that we should take courage and serve, not holding back because of fear of failure (ie. not looking at the clouds or the wind). Sometimes the outcome will be good; other times we may feel as though we have failed, or are still waiting for the results, even though we have tried our best.

But as long as we are diligently serving God, doing what He has asked us to do, listening for His instructions, we can be satisfied, because the outcome rests with Him. Fruit will come; and when it does, all of the honour and glory goes to Him alone, because it is not by our hard work that the fruit comes (although our service is an important ingredient); but He alone brings the harvest.

So keep on sowing!

Lighten the Load

"But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him..."

Philippians 3:7-9 TNIV

I've had this Scripture going around in my head for days. Paul incorporates so many powerful metaphors into his discussion about becoming right with God through faith in Christ, and not through human effort.

One is a financial metaphor - whatever he thought would profit him before (such as his status as a Pharisee, his Jewish lineage, his good effort, and so on), he now considers a loss. They cannot put him right with God; they do in fact restrict a person's freedom if the person puts their trust in them.

Another is a rubbish metaphor - that compared to the greatness of knowing Christ, everything else is worthless trash, to be thrown out. Almost like a ship that is weighed down with unneeded or useless cargo, these things must be thrown overboard if we are to truly be found in Christ.

This gets me thinking. Have I truly lost all things for the sake of Christ? Or do I still put too much value on my good reputation, my giftings, my skills, or others' opinions? Because truly denying oneself to follow Christ means that we throw everything overboard to take hold of Christ and be saved through Him alone; no thing nor person is as important to us as Jesus.

With this in mind, if I truly consider all things rubbish compared to knowing Christ, then I will use my gifts differently. If I preach, it is to serve the church, not to prove that I am highly gifted or to make myself look good. If I teach, it is to help others to understand the Word of God better, not to show how much I know.

If others criticize me as I serve the body of Christ, or if I feel unappreciated, I let bitterness and resentment die at the cross of Christ, because I am serving him, and the praises of man mean nothing to me.

What a challenge! What do I need to 'throw overboard' today in order to trust in Christ alone?