How Can I Do That?!

“You are the only Bible some unbelievers will ever read, and your life is under scrutiny every day. What do others learn from you? Do they see an accurate picture of your God?”

John MacArthur

Can you say PRESSURE?!

I get huffy with my husband and yell at my kids and speed when I'm running late and get sassy with the Verizon clerk and mumble under my breath about all the church activities I have to attend. I'm emotional when I'm tired, snarky when I'm hormonal, dwell on myself too much and whisper curse words when I bump my leg on the dishwasher door for the 100th time.

And I'm supposed to be a BIBLE?!

I'm not perfect and I can't be perfect. How can I have the loving, gracious spirit I'm supposed to display at all times? How can I possibly live up to this responsibility?

I don't have to.

Yep, you heard me right. I don't have to live up to this microscopic scrutiny.

JESUS does.

Your very lives are a letter than anyone can read just by looking at you. Christ himself wrote it--not with ink, but with God's living Spirit; not chiseled into stone, but carved into human lives--and we publish it.

2 Corinthians 3:3

I can only be a living Bible through Christ's touch, through His Spirit living within me. Left to myself, I will fail. I will disappoint. But in the loving hands of a skillful potter . . . ah, now we're talking.

. . . by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect.

1 Corinthians 15:10

HE will make me a Bible. His grace will fill in my cracks. His work will open the eyes of others, not anything I do.

Come, Lord Jesus, come. Clean me up. Shine in me.

Make me a Bible.

Find more ideas spawned by this quote or link up yourself at Sunflower Faith.

A Splash of Color

Nearly every time I pull in the driveway, they are there, catching my attention. An otherwise drab, winter day is interrupted with a splash of color in the barren branches of a scraggly bush.

The cardinals rest there, their bright red feathers a contrast to the greys of the season. They sit there and as I come and go from my house, I am drawn to that little surprise. I'm always taken aback.

They make me think of the Holy Spirit. Is that what He does in me? Is He the splash of color in an otherwise ordinary, plain person? Isn't it Him that catches the attention of others, that draws them in? I am just a thorny bush. He is the cardinal.

When I look for synonyms of cardinal, I find these words: fundamental, basic, main, chief, primary, crucial, pivotal, prime, principal, paramount, preeminent, highest, key, essential.

I can't help but smile. It's too perfect.

The Holy Spirit IS the cardinal, the fundamental, the primary, the principle, the preeminent, the highest, the key.

Any good that may be found in me, anything noteworthy or eye-catching is Him. It's His splash of color in me.

He is the cardinal.

Are His colors showing in you?



Photo Credit: Marcos Vasconcelos Photography

When You Don't Know What to Pray

The same old problem jolts me awake.

Again.

What is the matter with me? During the day I consciously decide to trust God, to give it to Him. It takes practice and I'm working hard at it, truly I am, but at night . . . how can I control that response? How do I stop myself from waking up worried?

I know the only answer is to pray and I do, but so many prayers have been offered about this, I'm at a loss. What more can I ask? What more can be said? Haven't I brought it all before Him many times? Doesn't He know? How is a person to pray then?

. . . the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.

Romans 8:26-27

I call upon the Holy Spirit to speak for me. Can his groans, the ones words cannot express, explain my panic, my fear, my anxiety? Can He get through to God for me? At 3:AM I am grateful I don't have to be eloquent or coherent or conjure up a right attitude. I am thankful for my Helper, my Counselor who prays for God's will when I cannot.

And as I lay quietly, waiting for the Holy Spirit to plead on my behalf, my heartbeat calms, my body relaxes.

I know God hears and a new prayer eeks out of me.

Thank You, Lord, for the incredible gift of the Holy Spirit, God inside me, my Advocate, my Prayer Partner, my Strength. Thank You for never leaving me alone.


Join other Thankful Thursday participants at Grace Alone . . .



Photo Credit: boxercab

Who Can Fix the Church?

I'm delighted to be this week's host of In "Other" Words. Read the quote below and give us your impression by linking up with fellow contributors at the end of this post.

"Our view of the Holy Spirit is too small. The Holy Spirit is the One who changes the church, but we have to remember that the Holy Spirit lives in us. It is individual people living Spirit-filled lives that will change the church.”

Francis Chan
Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God

Churches are getting lots of flak lately.

That church is a mile wide and an inch deep.

Churches don't preach enough about the blood of Jesus or the cross.

They're stuffy and impersonal.

That church is all about the show.

What happened to calling people out on their sin?

They only say what people want to hear.

There's not enough discipleship.

We need more churches with a heart for missions.

There's no compassion for the underprivileged.

Churches are more concerned about their numbers than their hearts.

I could go on and on. It's true. Churches struggle. Flaws abound. They could do better.

But who is "they?" Who is "the Church?" Isn't the Church a body of individuals? Isn't anyone who calls themself a believer or Christ follower responsible for its flaws?

The Church is suffering, but through Spirit-filled individuals real change can occur. We can't wait around for "the Church" to do it on its own. Exactly WHO do we blame? ALL OF US! Each member of the body of Christ must seek God, draw upon the inherent power of the Holy Spirit within and come alongside those who are weak. Any team is only as strong as its weakest member, right? We affect a genuine difference in our world through personal devotion and obedience, individual relationships and commitments.

Only then will the Church effectively reach a crooked and depraved generation. Only then will we represent the Bride adequately.

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

1 Corinthians 12:27

What do you think? Are you dying to share your perspective? We'd LOVE to hear from you. Link your post here and be sure to visit others.