Tag: loving God

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God’s Ways Are Not Our Ways, But Infinitely Better

god's ways are not our waysIf Your Life is anything like mine, you have one (or more) situations going on right now for which there is no plausible solution.

If you and I were in charge, we’d create a Straight Path to the Top. But would that really be better?

God’s ways always include Something More Wonderful – something you and I can’t even imagine – that will reveal His Glory on the earth.

Consider God’s Ways when …

Adam is alone.

The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” (Genesis 2:18)

Adam and Eve have sinned.

So the Lord God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this,
Cursed are you above all livestock
    and all wild animals!
You will crawl on your belly
    and you will eat dust
    all the days of your life.
And I will put enmity
    between you and the woman,
    and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head,
    and you will strike his heel.” (Genesis 3:14-15)

The World is Filled with Violence.

So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. (Genesis 6:13-14)

God’s People are in Slavery.

The Lord said [to Moses], “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” (Exodus 3:7-10)

Giants are in possession of The Promised Land.

After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: “… Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.” (Joshua 1:1-6)

God’s People are in desperate need of a Savior.

Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)

God’s Ways Are Not Our Ways, But Infinitely Better!

There are so many more Wonderful Stories in the Bible.
True Stories! Stories of Jesus. Stories of people like you and me.

  • People who need protection and provision.
  • People who need vision and direction.
  • People who need hope and healing.

Remember: When God speaks, something happens. Though it often doesn’t make sense to us at the start, He gets the job done in a way that only He can! Amen?

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)

QUESTION: What problem(s) are you facing today that only God can solve?

Related Article: How to Live Above Depression and Anxiety

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Destiny … via Detours

Trust in The Lord

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

If you’ve read Our Vision, you know Divine Destiny can create some pretty cool concepts.

But if you only look at what’s happening right now – and if you don’t know the Lord’s ways, you might begin to wonder about me and my ability to hear God’s voice.

But if you do know The Lord,
then you totally understand the cool concept of detours.

Right now, I live in Los Angeles.
But my office is still in the OC.
It’s interestingly complicated.

Google Maps helps me find my way to work each day. Depending on the time of day I leave and the current flow of traffic, the mysterious voice (small “v”) coming through my car’s audio system tells me which way to go.

Most of the time, the voice sends me east on the 101, then south on the 405. But some days, the voice tells me to take the 118 to the 5. Which is actually 2 miles longer. But still may be the fastest route.

For today, that is.

Once I’ve heard the instructions and headed in the given direction, the voice (small “v”) reassures me:

You are on the fastest route, and your route is clear.
You will arrive at ____ (the quoted time).

Pretty cool.

GPS > God’s Positioning System

I realize that God is the One Who has put me where I am today – for His purposes. And – just as He’s promised – it will all be for my good. And being on a Detour puts me in Good Company.

  • Remember Joseph? Dr. Tony Evans has an inspiring sermon series called Detours to Destiny, which you can download … or watch on YouTube. Or read a summary here.
    • Joseph was the spoiled, favored son of Israel.
    • And he had a lot to learn on his way to his destiny.
  • Remember the Exodus? Moses led the Hebrews out of Egypt toward The Promised Land. It could have been an 11-day walk. But it took them 40 years.
    • The Hebrews had been slaves for 400 years.
    • And they had a lot to learn about how to follow Yahweh.

Learning to Follow

Am I taking the Long Road? Yes. The Scenic Route. I still have a lot to learn. And The Lord is faithful to His Promises. And He is making my path straight. That is, He is in the process of positioning me (physically and relationally) and preparing me (spiritually and emotionally) to fulfill His Purpose in my life.

As I listen to the Lord’s instructions and follow Him – even if it seems illogical, His Voice (Capital “V”) reassures me:

You are on the fastest route, and your route is clear.
You will arrive on time.

Hallelujah!

QUESTIONS: How about you? What is your Destiny?

  • If you don’t know, ask. God will be happy to tell you. (Jeremiah 29:11)
  • If you already know, are you on a Detour? Ask The Lord what He where He wants you and what He wants to teach you during this season of you life. He will be happy to tell you. (Jeremiah 33:3)

How cool is that?

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Let Joy Be Your Strength

The Joy of The Lord is your strengthWhy process life – and marriage – through the lens of suffering when we have something better instead? Jesus processed life through Joy and it gave Him strength! (Hebrews 12:2)

I write a lot. Much is actually handwritten. So recently I ordered several journals from Amazon. My favorite has a watercolor painting of a hummingbird. Something stirred in me when I saw it, so I went to Google and learned that, in some cultures and religions, the hummingbird is a symbol of resurrection and joy. Who knew?

Life is hard – to be sure.

Like you, I’ve been facing some pretty tough challenges these past few years – and still am. Not that life was a piece of cake prior, of course. And if you’ve read my story, you know that already.

As we each process all that’s happening around us and around the world, we have a choice to make. It’s simple really. I must choose – each day – between death and life:

  • I can process life through the lens of Suffering.
  • Or I can process life through the lens of Joy.

Suffering is a given.

But how we process it makes a HUGE difference in how we experience Life and Love and God. Here are a couple of not-so-productive ways to look at suffering.

It means I’m bad. When we focus on suffering, we open the door to shame.

God is displeased with me. I must work harder to improve my behavior if I want a good outcome – in this life and the one hereafter. God helps those who help themselves.

We know that’s not God’s perspective. But we often think, feel, and act like it is. Very sad.

It means I’m good. Or focus on suffering can turn me into a self-righteous martyr.

How good of me to suffer with the likes of you. You’re so lucky to have a great Christian wife like me. It’s okay because I’m earning stars in my crown by putting up with your faults.

Yep. When I “benefit” from adversity in that way, I rarely – if ever – make progress. And life continues to go downhill – with my willful participation!

  1. I give in to negativity.
  2. And I give up on fulfilling the call the Lord has upon my life.

When I focus on Jesus instead …

I can’t help but be joyful. Joy is the one emotion that lasts throughout eternity. So why don’t we practice it more in the here-and-now?

Because we are bombarded with negativity. Much of it comes from within our own camp. Just this morning, I received this word of inspiration by email:

Your marriage is a tool and a test to deepen and demonstrate your love and reverence for Jesus Christ. God is using your spouse to bring you an eternal reward.

I actually disagree with this way of looking at marriage. This point of view keeps us sin-focused – on our own sin, as well as our partner’s sin. It’s like trying to walk forward while looking behind you all the time. You’re bound to trip and stumble. And your reward is only available in the hereafter?

Instead, let’s focus on learning to walk in the Newness of Life in Christ!

This day is holy to our Lord.
Do not grieve, for the Joy of the Lord is your strength.
NEHEMIAH 8:10

Simply put, Marriage is a place to practice the Joy of the Lord. To see another person as God sees him. And to love him accordingly! Two simple steps:

  1. Focus on the marriage you want to create.
  2. Keep moving forward with your heart and your eyes fixed on Jesus.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

Your spouse is the primary recipient of who you are. Let him reap all the benefits of your Joy in the Lord! Let Joy Be Your Strength & Reason for Living in Love!

Question: What is the biggest challenge you face in loving your mate? Share your answer in the comments box below.

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