It seems that a common thread throughout my life since mid-summer has been light bulbs. You're probably thinking "Well, he works in multimedia, so maybe he's going to tie in something with that....?" Nope! "How about light and darkness, with righteousness and sin?" Nope!
Instead I've been seeing in my own life, how God often uses a bunch of different things to click in my head and heart, to in a sense, turn on a bunch of little light bulbs in my understanding of things. Which in turn leads to often a large area being illuminated! And I've been noticing this not only in spiritual matters, but also in the areas that God has gifted me in!
In my own life this summer it was the whole idea of inspiration and understanding how it is that I'm inspired (which is another post in itself!). But in the last few days I've been used by God to help illuminate some things in a few others lives. With one individual it was related to an ability that God has given that enabled the individual to be more effective in where God has currently placed them in ministry! For another it was helping them to see a spiritual aspect more clearly which in turn has changed their entire outlook!
God is so good! And I must say that when this occurs, I find great joy in it!
This all comes into focus with these questions:
Is God illuminating things in my(your) life? If not, why not?
Is God using you(me) to aid the illumination process in others lives? If not, why not?
Thanks for reading, and may God get the glory! Comments are always welcome!
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Fruit
I've been studying the book of Galatians lately for my morning time of devotion with God. There's a ton to ponder in that book. But what God has been focusing me on in the last week is what is commonly known as 'The fruit of the Spirit.'
Just before they are listed in that passage, there is a list of things that Christians should not have in their lives. Sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, or orgies. It's a pretty intense list, and the reason that we shouldn't have those in our lives is because they distract us from God and all that He has for us. And for the most part, when I read that list, I don't feel conviction in my heart... And that's because I, by God's grace and strength, don't struggle much with any of those. However the list that comes next I struggle with a lot.
This list is what I should have in my life as a Christian, as a direct result of Christ living in me. It's as follows: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. I've realized that as I don't struggle as much with the first list, that's awesome! And in that God is glorified! But to truly have an impact on those around me, to truly inspire them, I need to be living with the second list as foundational to my every breath.
However, this second list is something that I cannot just achieve on my own. It's only possible through Jesus Christ living in my life. It's only by His strength that I'm able to show love to those whom I wouldn't normally love. It's only by His power that I'm able to have self-control. I can't accomplish any of those through my own striving. And because of that fact, I must look to Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of my faith, to work those attributes into my everyday existence.
That is my prayer, so that Christ may be glorified, and through that, others be inspired!
Just before they are listed in that passage, there is a list of things that Christians should not have in their lives. Sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, or orgies. It's a pretty intense list, and the reason that we shouldn't have those in our lives is because they distract us from God and all that He has for us. And for the most part, when I read that list, I don't feel conviction in my heart... And that's because I, by God's grace and strength, don't struggle much with any of those. However the list that comes next I struggle with a lot.
This list is what I should have in my life as a Christian, as a direct result of Christ living in me. It's as follows: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. I've realized that as I don't struggle as much with the first list, that's awesome! And in that God is glorified! But to truly have an impact on those around me, to truly inspire them, I need to be living with the second list as foundational to my every breath.
However, this second list is something that I cannot just achieve on my own. It's only possible through Jesus Christ living in my life. It's only by His strength that I'm able to show love to those whom I wouldn't normally love. It's only by His power that I'm able to have self-control. I can't accomplish any of those through my own striving. And because of that fact, I must look to Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of my faith, to work those attributes into my everyday existence.
That is my prayer, so that Christ may be glorified, and through that, others be inspired!
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
A Place to Start...
I've been thinking a lot lately about inspiration. I would like to live my life in a way that inspires others, and one way that I've been thinking of seeking to do that is through online content. So I'm going to experiment with a blog. No guarantees as to the frequency that I will post. But I'm seeing this as a place to start.
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