Monday, June 7, 2010

Celebrate Who You Are and What You Have

Hello and welcome to the blog. We are in the middle of going through Joyce Meyers new book, Eat the cookie…buy the shoes and I am really enjoying the positive focus this book has helped me have. I am also encouraged by the balance I can sense is coming into my life.

Yesterday as I sat in worship service our church recognized the graduates. As I looked at this group of ‘kids’ standing up there…I thought about how God sees them. He sees them how He created them. In His image. Packed full of purpose and plans. And in those moments I was reminded that our world is full of distractions that cause us to not celebrate who we are and what we have. We live in a world that tends to focus on flaws, mistakes, and pasts. We live in a world that advertises the need for more. A more that truly will never be attained here in this world, with what this world has to offer.

As I sat out and looked at this ‘line’ of graduates along the front of the church I wondered…do they know who they are? How do they see themselves?

I remember a ‘few’ years back (okay quite a few years back) celebrating my own graduation. I had no clue who I was, and what I had. Really I was just a girl who was celebrating the end of one thing and the beginning of another…college!

I know how easy it is to get lost in this world. And while lost, our vision is not clear. We don’t know who we are what our purpose is and we have no true understanding of who God is.

“I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people” (Luke 2:10)

The verse above was spoken by the angel to the Shepherds who were out in their fields with their sheep. The ‘good news’ was that Jesus had been born!

Why are we lost? Why do we not see ourselves for who we are? Why do we not celebrate what we have?

I believe it starts by not seeing God clearly.

Some of us might know about the ‘good news’. Others of us might need a reminder of the ‘good news’.

Friends we have Jesus.

Joyce points out in Chapter 8 that there are some important truths that are needed for a strong foundation.

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe. The power is like the working of His mighty strength. Eph 1:17-19 (emphasis mine)

** We need to know God

There is more than just knowing the Christmas and Easter stories. We need to know the God who wrote these stories. We need to be in a daily relationship with Him. One in which we are communicating; talking with, hearing and responding to.

When we know God and are in a progressive grace and love filled relationship with Him, nothing can take it away.

We no longer need evidence to protect our faith. We trust God just as much if He does not give us what we want as we would if He did. (pg 76)

There is a difference in knowing God mentally and spiritually. One changes you from the inside out!

** We need to know how we personally fit into God’s story.

Friends this is a very important truth that needs to be written deepen into our hearts. We are Gods children, adopted into the family by the love of Jesus Christ. We are His now…not once we arrive in heaven…we are in that family now. And we need to be living like we are. Not earning our spot in the family, that’s already been done. But rather living like you have inherited new free grace and love filled life…because friends that’s what it is! But yet I think we are not truly living in it how our God intended us to.


We must understand what we have right now, otherwise we will spend our lives struggling to obtain something that has been ours all along. (pg 78)

Now that’s all about grace!

** We need to know God’s power is available to us.

Is this something we truly need to know? To experience? I don’t know about you, but I sure do! I need the power it takes to live in this world. I need the power to overcome the temptation of staying comfortable. I need the power to be a wife; it takes power to be submissive when by all human fleshy desire I want to speak my mind! I need the power to raise two little boys God’s way in a world that so doesn’t help. I need the power to love my family, friends and neighbors how God loves them. And friends as much as I would like to say and think I am a nice and loving person…there are days when hormones, emotions and feelings get in the way…and the only thing that will override them…is the power…His power. And the more I am learning about this power, the power of the Holy Spirit I am realizing we need daily doses. It’s not good enough to have a one time filling…we need to be filled up frequently…daily. How? By spending time with Him each day. Speaking with; praying. Hearing from Him; reading His Word. And then living it out!

We cannot celebrate who we are if we don’t know who we are!

We cannot celebrate what we have if we don’t know what we have!

May we know Jesus and then celebrate!

All I want is to know Christ and the power that raised him to life. I want to suffer and die as he did, so that somehow I also may be raised to life. Philippians 3:10-11 (CEV)

4 comments:

Joy Junktion said...

Great start to my day:) Will ponder and walk out these truths today!!

Love you friend!

From the Heart said...

Beautiful. My oldest daughter, who lives in Virginia has started reading a devotional book by Rich Warren, The Purpose Driven Life. She has asked me and her Dad and her sister's family to read it also. We are all far apart but I believe and pray it will change all of our lives and bring us closer to God. It will take 40 days which is used a lot in the Bible. I so want to know the Father as He really is.


I've also joined One Heart in a meme called WOW (Weekend of Worship) which started this weekend and have had a good response. I will be helping her host the meme as I can. You can check it out on my blog.

This study has helped me in many ways and I appreciate your leadership.
Blessings, AE

Kristen said...

Wonderful post! Amen... we need to KNOW God! We need to not just know the stories, but HIS story...

achildoftheking said...

Quite powerful.... I need to know more!