Are You Ready?

"Living a life of faith means never knowing where you are being led, but loving and knowing the One who is leading."

This was a quote from March 19th from the devotion, My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers.

It is so relevant to me right now because I really have no idea where even my next step is. I am really trying to not worry about it and to put my all into where God has me now because if I only ever worry about what's next, when it comes, I won't enjoy it or get all that I could from it due to the fact that I am too busy focusing on the next thing.

ANYWAYS, God has really just been telling me that it is when I am close to Him that I will find where He wants me next. Even then, it may not be a walk in the park, but it will not be full of unnecessary stressing and worrying, not if I am truly and fully trusting in Him and focusing on Him.

This is almost like a post I am writing to myself to remind me to STOP trying to plan it all out, STOP trying to make it all work, STOP all of your pointless worrying and uneasiness. For it is when we draw near to Him, that He will draw near to us (James 4:8). To me those words make it seem so simple. Shouldn't it be simple? Draw near to Him and He will do the same...yeah, that shouldn't be too hard right? Well why don't you give it a shot?...try it out. I mean really try it out. Not just, "Hey God, be near to me. Amen." But with your whole heart, call to Him (Jeremiah 33:3), tell Him what you are feeling and going through, tell Him what's up. Get to know Him, really finding out who this God is, and I can't imagine you not coming to love Him.

And like the quote read in the beginning, this will strike up faith, because faith is rooted in the knowledge of a person.

And you can bet your bottom dollar that I am taking my own advice! =)
I am ready for Him to be near.
Are you?



Hakuna Matata

Be a Follower Not a Lacker

I bought the book, "My Utmost for His Highest," today, and would like to share a passage that continues to come up in my life lately.

From August 17
Are you Discouraged or Devoted?
...Jesus...said to him,"You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have...and come, follow Me." But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.
LUKE 18:22-23

Have you ever heard the Master say something very difficult to you? If you haven't, I question whether you have ever heard Him say anything at all. Jesus says a tremendous amount to us that we listen to, but do not actually hear. And once we do hear Him, His words are harsh and unyielding.
Jesus did not show the least concern that this rich young ruler should do what He told him, nor did Jesus make any attempt to keep this man with Him. He simply said to him, "Sell all that you have...and come, follow Me." Our Lord never pleaded with him; He never tried to lure him - He simply spoke the strictest words that human ears have ever heard, and then left him alone.
Have I ever heard Jesus say something difficult and unyielding to me? Has He said something personally to me to which I have deliberately listened - not something I can explain for the sake of others, but something I have heard Him say directly to me? This man understood what Jesus said. He heard it clearly, realizing the full impact of its meaning, and it broke his heart. He did not go away as a defiant person, but as one who was sorrowful and discouraged. He had come to Jesus on fire with zeal and determination, but the words of Jesus simply froze him. Instead of producing enthusiastic devotion to Jesus, they produced heartbreaking discouragement. And Jesus did not go after him, but let him go. Our Lord knows perfectly well that once His words is truly heard, it will bear fruit sooner or later. What is so terrible is that some of us prevent His words from bearing fruit in our present life. I wonder what we will say when we finally make up our minds to be devoted to Him on that particular point? One thing is certain - He will never throw our past failures back in our faces.



"My Utmost for His Highest"
Oswald Chambers
NKJV
Edited by James Reimann