Abiding in Christ

(OT usage)

Psalm 102:12 NASB But You, O LORD, abide [H3427] forever, And Your name to all generations.

HEBREW: Strong’s 3427

  1. to dwell, remain, sit, abide
    1. to sit, sit down
    1. to be set
    1. to remain, stay
    1. to dwell, have one’s abode

(NT usage)

John 15:4 NASB “Abide [G3306] in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.

GREEK: Strong’s 3306

  1. to remain, abide
    1. to sojourn, tarry, not to depart
      1. to continue to be present to be held, kept, continually
    1. to continue to be, not to perish, to last, endure

In both Greek and Hebrew the meaning is the same.

I was recently questioning a state in which I find myself. To be sure, it is not a place I would choose to ‘abide’. But, no matter where we are, in pleasant or not so pleasant circumstances, it’s clear from a biblical standpoint that circumstances are of little to no consequence at all. They are not what matters most for Christians.

According to a multitude of biblical verses, it is the soul, the mind and the spirit which is of prime importance to God.

Indeed, while He can and will use our physical circumstances for His purposes for our spiritual growth and our good, it’s clear our physical is not His main concern. His goal is to transform us into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Our soul must align with scripture; therefore, we must not just be familiar with what scripture says, but we must live by them, obey them.

To abide in Christ, is to live in, to remain, to not depart, to settle in and do what we are commanded to in His Word.

For example, in 2 Cor. 10:5 it says, We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

So, speculations and lofty things raised up against the knowledge of God, we take those thoughts captive. We don’t dwell on them, we cast them out of our minds. We replace them with the truth of God’s Word.

What are speculations? Perhaps they are our own human reasoning, false philosophies, and intellectual doubts.

Perhaps it’s tuning into worldly wisdom, and the arguments used by false teachers. I believe it also includes any worldview, assumption, or skepticism that rejects God’s truth in favor of human logic.

What could every lofty thing mean for us?

Quite simply, in my opinion, its arrogant human pride, our own self-righteousness, and any and every big or little rebellion against God.

For ex: doing our own thing, having our own way when we know it’s not God’s way. That’s rebellion no matter how you look at it!

We simply cannot abide in Christ if we don’t take every one of those thoughts or attitudes captive and cast them off.

Abiding in Christ is reading His word and doing what it says.

There are so many scriptures that lead us into living God’s way, but I will list a few.

I’m going to include the one-anothers.

Mark 9:50 – be at peace with one another, simply not easy at times, with some people

John 13:34 – love one another, again not easy with some people, they just rub you the wrong way right?

         Also mentioned in: John 13:35; John 15:12, 17; Romans 13:8 – love one another

Romans 12:10 – be devoted to one another; give preference to one another in honor. A challenge at the best of time once we’ve set our minds on one thing, yet feeling a nudge from God?

Romans 12:16 – be of the same mind to one another; do not be proud, think more highly of yourself!

Romans 14:13 – do not judge one another,  every opinion we have of another is a judgment; good or bad, it’s a judgment, and if we tell another what those opinions are, we are then gossiping, perhaps leading into slander?

Romans 14:19 – we pursue things which make for peace and the building up of one another

Romans 15:7 – accept one another, as Christ accepted us, hmm, the homeless, the foreigners flocking into our city, the radically different, or younger generations? Not easy is it?

Let’s move onto Love in 1 Cor 13:

Love is patient, kind, is not jealous, does not brag and is not arrogant.

Love does not act unbecomingly, does not seek it’s own (way), is not provoked, does not pay attention to a wrong suffered (forgive), does not rejoice in unrighteousness but rejoices with the truth.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails.

If we are consciously pursuing a life of abiding in Christ, we will follow and obey the above. We will stop and check our attitude when wronged, judged, don’t get our own way, or are provoked.

Abiding in Christ take conscious effort in everything we say and do. We must be vigilant with our attitude and our thoughts.

Abiding in Christ means we intentionally practice being deeply connected to Jesus for spiritual strength, and it means relying on His grace rather than our own striving.

Remembering that His ways and His thoughts are higher than ours, we must simply choose to obey His Word, those are His ways and His thoughts.

Do we suffer from arrogance or pride? Do we tell lies, white or otherwise? How about wanting our own way? If someone says something snarky to us, what is our instant reaction inside? Do we get all snarky in our thoughts? Do we well up with anger and wanting to get back at them?

What if someone lies about us to others? Or gossips about us, hurts our reputation?

No matter what the circumstance, we take control (captive) of our thoughts and bring them into the obedience of Christ.

Two things I’ve learned over the years that have helped me in attitude and thought are 1. Forgiveness toward others, no matter how difficult it is, and doing it in the moment, and 2. Developing a heart attitude of thanksgiving.

1 Thessalonians 5:18: Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

 Ephesians 5:20: …giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

These are not suggestions, but it takes time for them to become 2nd nature. But when we do, that is one step closer to abiding in Christ.

Forgiveness? This also takes time to learn to forgive in the difficult times, but as Jesus forgave us while in the deepest of pains on the cross, so too can we forgive when we feel in the deepest of our pains, frustrations, hurts and angers.

Ephesians 4:32 . . .  and forgive one another, as God has forgiven you through Christ.

How many times do we forgive the other for hurting us over and over? For the same sin? In Matthew 18: 20-22 when Peter asked Jesus how many times do we forgive one who sins against us, Jesus replied, I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

Since Jesus is our Supreme Example of abiding in the Father’s Love, we do as Jesus did, we have an attitude (with action) of thankfulness/gratitude and we forgive freely.

It’s my prayer these few words will help you on your own journey of Abiding in Christ.

Baruch Adonai,

Obedience

It’s not a word many of us like to hear, perhaps it takes us back to our childhood where we had to obey our parents and teachers and seemed to have no choice but to be obedient.

Lately however, I’ve been thinking about our obedience to God’s Word. There are so many scriptures that give us direction, for our benefit, and some are commands that God expects us to follow.

It all comes down to our willingness and of course our choice but more importantly, it comes down to our faith.

It takes faith to be obedient when the cares or fears of this world are heavy, and we want to give into our feelings and old instant responses. It also takes courage because let’s face it, most of us get away with enough faith to believe there is a God and that He gave us salvation for our eternity!

Sadly though, that’s where most of us Christians stop and continue on as they’ve been doing all along.

I say ‘sadly’ because we miss out on some of the richest blessings when we challenge our fears, pride, self-reliance and our selfish desires and choose to be obedient to the Word of God.

I call that easy faith, and it profits us little, but the hard truth is, we will not live life as an overcomer with easy faith. We will not live a life of joy or peace when the storms of life roll over us. We will be angry, frustrated, bitter and living a joyless life.

Following are some Bible verses that will challenge our faith. It behooves us to read them often, get them into our minds, memorize them so like Jesus when He was tempted by satan, when we are likewise tempted to give in, or react badly, we can fight back with the Word of God.

Hey, if it was Jesus first response when tempted, shouldn’t it be ours?

James 1: 2,3 – Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result so that you may be perfect & complete, lacking nothing.

Joy when one trial after another rolls over us, threatening to take us down? Whew!!

Phil 4:13 – I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me.

Shall we challenge our fears with that one? What is your biggest fear?

1 Thess 5:18 – In everything give thanks, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

It’s God’s will, it’s not a suggestion, but a command.

Prov 3:5 – trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding

This is a big one when we’re so used to doing things our own way, trusting our own ‘wisdom’ and ‘reasoning’ to do things. Is our wisdom or are our thoughts better than Gods? I’m reminded of Isaiah 55:9, For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.  

Guess that puts us in our place! So much for pride in our own thoughts!!

Phil 4:6 – be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Again, this is not a suggestion.

2 Cor 10:5 – . . . and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

There are so many more; the Beatitudes, the One-Anothers, and let’s consider >

1 Cor 13

4: Love is patient, kind, not jealous, does not brag and is not proud

5: Love does not act unbecomingly, does not seek it’s own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered

6: Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with truth

7: Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things & endures all things

8: Love never fails.

A whole blog could be written on these verses alone. Maybe one day!

Those are tough to be obedient to, but our obedience, though a difficult choice to make, always reaps multiple benefits from God. He rewards us in so many ways when we obey Him.

As James 1:3,4 says, ‘knowing that the testing your (our) faith produces endurance, and let endurance have its perfect result so that you (we) may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Trusting in God in the hard times, being anxious for nothing, giving thanks no matter the circumstance, taking every thought captive and trusting in the LORD rather than ourselves when things go sideways, those are all difficult but . . . . we can do all these things because Christ in us strengthens us.

We must choose. It’s our choice to make but the outcome of being obedient far outweighs the difficulty of choosing to obey God.

Of course, we first must become familiar to the Word of God to know what it says and to what we must obey.

So let us read His Word and choose God’s way over our own way, and we won’t be disappointed.

Baruch Adonai,

Journey Girl, on her way to a more obedient life in God.

The Worst of Me

What is the worst of me? Have I committed murder? Have I cheated on my taxes? Have I betrayed someone who loved me, or pushed someone aside to get ahead?

It doesn’t matter, it could be a simple white lie, it might be that I’ve turned away from someone in need when I’ve had the ability or resources to give them a bit of help.

When we envy another, are jealous, think evil thoughts, or hope ‘they get what’s coming’, that is sin.

James 4:17 says, Anyone, then, who knows the right thing to do, yet fails to do it, is guilty of sin. Just knowing what the right thing to do causes us to sin if we don’t do it.

All of these may seem like little transgressions, the kind the world easily dismisses, but in the eyes of God they are not little, they are just as sinful as the ‘big’ sins and they are the worst of me, the worst of us.

We often compare ourselves with the worst person we can think of; Hitler, Stalin, Ted Bundy because it makes us feel good about ourselves, well at least I’m not as bad as those people!! But God doesn’t grade on a curve, He doesn’t compare us with any of His other created beings, He compares us with His standard which is perfect righteousness,  which means none of us can measure up.

Romans 3:10 says, there is none righteous, no not one.

So all sin is falling short of the righteousness of God.

When we accept that and confess our sins and accept the sacrifice  of Jesus, the Gift of God to save us from our sins, we give to Jesus, the worst of us. And He takes it, He throws it into the bottomless sea (Micah 7:19), as far as the East if from the West (Proverbs 103:12) and He remembers it no more.

Now God is the best of me, the best of us!

It’s eternal suicide to reject that offer of the best of God for the worst of us.

I hope and pray you will accept what God has to offer

Brenda

What does it mean to you?

I recently, well about 2 weeks ago, heard a song called, “Made for More” by Josh Baldwin and I loved the tune and the words. It went round and round in my mind for days!

But one line in particular kept catching my attention; I wasn’t made to be tending a grave.

When something like this catches me, I immediately want to know, ‘what does this mean? What does it mean to me. What is it God might want to show me?’

When we tend a grave, we cut the grass, plant flowers, keep the headstone clean. But I don’t have a grave to tend yet.

When I accepted Christ as my Savior, the old passed away and the new had come, I’ve been born again. I was baptized as a symbol of my death to the old way of living, a ‘walking dead’ kind of existence. Being born again, being born in the Spirit means living in newness of live. I don’t live the same way I lived before. I live in obedience to Christ, to the Word of God, I live to please God.

I turned my back on the old life, giving up living as the world does.

So, what was the grave I was tending? I’ve been playing with the notion that my old life was a kind of walking dead person. In that life I tried to make this ‘dead’ person look good. Make-up, hair styled approvingly, clothing that made me look good. I put on a happy face no matter what happened. I did everything I thought I should do in this world, in my life to look good on the outside, but inside I was dead, right?

I was one of the white-washed tombs Jesus accused the Pharisees of being. Look good on the outside, but stinking of decay on the inside.

And that’s what this line of the song means to me. I was tending a grave, my own dead spiritual life.

But as the song says further along, ‘I was made for more‘.

I was made to live with love, joy, peace, goodness, kindness and all the other attributes of the Fruit of the Spirit. I was made to follow what real love is according to 1 Cor 13, to be kind as Jesus was kind, to turn away wrath with a gentle answer, to think of others more than I think of myself, to put the needs of others before my own wants. So much of the Bible talks of how we live for more than just ourselves, how we live in the world but don’t let the world live in us.

I can attest to the truth, once I faithfully, or as faithful as possible, began living to please God, I became more content, happier, and more full of joy. I have more compassion, more mercy and kindness toward others and I have more faith in, and love God more.

These are some of the ways in which I believe I was made for more.

I could go deeper into Scripture and search out all the ways my life is ‘more’, but I think you understand the drift of my thoughts. Perhaps you can think of ways that mean more to you.

Blessings to you as you throw off the old dead habits and traditions that serve only to tend the grave of your old dead self, and walk into more of life that God made you for.

Baruch Adonai, (Blessed be the Lord)

Brenda

That was the past, this is now

I wrote a poem in 2003 called LMNO….Q! and it was about process. Oh how I hated that word. I didn’t want any more ‘process’, I wanted peace. What I didn’t want to acknowledge was that process comes and goes all life long. We enter one process, walk through it, then when it’s over we close that door and in walking through that door and closing it, we walk into another process. It’s what life is all about.

Some of that process involves being hurt by others, actually many of those stages will include hurt. It’s to those particular processes I’m writing my thoughts on here.

In those times of being wounded, we begin a process of walking through, hopefully to the other side where we’ve finished all the steps of that particular process and walk out that door in peace, with that wound healed and in our past.

Some of those steps are working through forgiveness, seeing the other person with eyes of compassion where once we saw with anger, frustration, hatred and sadness. We work through acknowledging our pain at being hurt, looking objectively at what happened, often having to realize we had a part in the conflict, and asking to be forgiven if possible, and forgiving the other for their part in your hurt.

Another part of working through is realizing we are ones who wound others. To hold onto a grudge when someone hurts us

One part to work through, is acknowledging our part in the conflict and our hurt is giving a place to our emotions; our anger, frustration, hurt and sadness.

Father Michael Lapsley wrote, ‘we can’t let go of feelings that we don’t own’.

Sometimes this takes a long time to work out, sometimes it’s quick and over and sometimes we just want to live in our hatred and stew in the juices of anger and hurt. It’s my hope that in the end you come to realize you are hurting yourself more than you hurt the other in your anger and just let it go!

We cannot change the past. Choosing to not forgive holds us in bondage and we stay in the bitterness of our wounds. Choosing to forgive frees us to leave the past in the past and walk into our future.

I’m a quote junkie, and I just came across one by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow that says, ‘if we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each man’s life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility’.

Lily Tomlin said, ‘forgiveness gives up all hope for a better past’. We have to give up our notion that forgiving the other person means we’ve let them off the hook and they go scott free. We have to give up our expectation that our anger at being wounded is justified and will change the past and give way to a better future. The only way out of that past is to realize that was the past, this is now! The only way to make that a reality is to work through the process of forgiveness and finally walk out of that door of woundedness, shut that door behind us and move into what is now, a new step into the future.

Let’s consider Jesus example. He had more to forgive than we ever will, yet he was able to give it up and give forgiveness for the sins that put Him on the Cross. We who have Christ in our lives as Savior, have the grace and power we need through Christ, so we can totally forgive even the more egregious wounding.

Bless you as you enter process, move through it to come out the end of it, closer to God and more in the image of Jesus!

Baruch Adonai, Brenda

Here’s the poem that put such a twist in my knickers!!

The Poem: L M O P . . .Q!

It’s true you know, I did it, My friends all laughed at me.

I loved them all, I used them too, But oh, did I hate that ‘P’!!

The Alphabet is such a gift, They’re life in the words I write,

But that one letter near the end of the list, Came at me with a bite!

I took it out, I kid you not, Oh, not from words you see.

Jus the Alphabet, it was quite a sight, It was L M N O . . . Q?!??

OK, OK, it’s foolishness, And maybe childish too.

But before you judge me for this act, Wait till Process comes to you!

So now you know the ‘P‘ word, That put me in such a state.

And every time I heard it, Each jangled nerve would quake.

Process, still more process, Is part of every life.

It matters not if you’re a child, A husband or a wife.

I’m good now, thanks for asking. My life is quite changed too.

It’s altered my perceptions, My opinions and my view.

I see it’s now a gift from God, That makes us like His Son.

And if we choose His way, not ours, We’ll hear Him say “Well done”.

The Alphabet looks good now, I’ve restored that little ‘P’

But guess what I discovered? Transition begins with a ‘T’!!

What does it mean?

We often hear the Christian saying, ‘only what’s done for Christ will last’. It comes from 2 Corinthians 4:18; So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

I get that, it’s the only stuff that counts because the temporary, the things of this life will be gone. What we do that doesn’t have any impact on the spiritual lives of others won’t last. Those things that are spiritual in nature, that lead others to the gift of salvation and an eternal life in heaven, that’s what counts right?

Well, I have not been an evangelist. Oh sure, I’ve shared Christ with some here and there, but done little with children in Sunday school or youth groups. I haven’t been involved in feeding kids at schools, nor worked in homeless shelters, or food banks. I’ve not given scads of money to missions and truth be told, I always felt ‘less than’ in comparison to those who work tirelessly for the cause of Christ.

But the other day I had a thought that changed my ‘less than’ comparisons. (It’s never good to compare ourselves with anyone but still we do it ya?)

As a Christian, when I forgive someone who has hurt me, when I let go of some angst or another, when I turn anger around and pray for them or do good to those who treat me badly, and whenever I follow biblical principles and choose obedience to Christ over doing what I want to do, that’s done for Christ right?

When I decide to not swear when I really want to let loose, when I choose God’s way over the world’s way, that is what I’ve done for Christ and it will last, because when I meet God the Father face to face, I will hear Him say, ‘well done, my faithful child’ and making all those tough choices, they will all be worthwhile.

It doesn’t have to be an out-in-the-open big ministry to be counted, choosing obedience counts. We do it for Christ, end of story.

I hope you are encouraged by this little bit of insight and that it makes choosing to follow Christ in all the little ways easier and leads to a more joyful walk with God.

Baruch Adonai, Brenda

How do we see others?

I was watching a man and woman who had been married for many years. I could tell by the ease with which they interacted that they still loved each other very much.

They were not young and beautiful anymore, but they ‘saw’ each other.

When he looked her in the eye, I could tell by the way he looked he wasn’t seeing the older misshapen figure, the wrinkles, the grey hair. It seemed to me he didn’t even see the outer physical woman. He saw her spirit, her personality, the ‘real’ woman she had become. His love for her encompassed her physically, but he paid it no mind at all as he saw the most important part.

He saw her real beauty. He saw her compassion, her grace, her sense of humour. It seemed to me in that moment of looking her in the eye, he saw everything about her, the good and the not so good. And still, he loved her.

Though we all have our small peculiarities, that isn’t the bit that matters when we look with eyes of love.

Shakespeare said in his 116th Sonnet,

Let me not to the marriage of true minds admit impediments;

Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds, or bends with the remover to remove.

O no, it is an ever-fixèd mark that looks on tempests and is never shaken;

It is the star to every wand’ring bark whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken.

Love’s not time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks within his bending sickle’s compass come.

Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, but bears it out even to the edge of doom:

If this be error and upon me proved, I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

And for me, that says it all, except for one more thing.

God doesn’t see or really care about our outward appearance. He sees us with love, the kind of love that never alters. His love is an ever-fixed mark.

God sees our heart. He created each one of us. He made us in His image, gave us a physical body that serves us while we live on earth. That’s all our bodies are for, to live on this earth, to do His will.

That’s all and we got it so, so wrong.

The world looks on the outside and cares little for the real inner person. We might be in the world but we are not to live as the world lives.

So, it’s a choice, do we spend time caring what others think of our hair, the clothing we wear, if we wear make-up, how skinny we are or are not; if we conform to the world’s standards?

Or do we look people in the eye and accept them as someone whom Jesus died for? Do we care what they are wearing, if they are homeless or if they are well-to-do? Or do we see the real person, the one who loves, laughs, weeps and mourns? The scared, and hopeless?

If it makes no difference to the One who loves perfectly, why then do we care?

Not sure about anyone who’s reading this but for me I’d like to ban mirrors everywhere!! I want to care more about the person on the inside and not give a fig for what they look like on the outside. That’s the way of the world, I want to live God’s way.

God’s way is to see with eyes of love, compassion and mercy. Jesus is the only One who can judge righteously so let us leave that to Him and focus on the loving bit.

Following are a few Scripture verses that likely say it way better than I can.

1 Samuel 16:7 is where Samuel is going to anoint the next king of Israel. He is directed by the LORD to go to the house of Jesse with this one caveat, “the LORD said to Samuel, Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God does not see as man sees, since man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

Luke 16:15; So He said to them, You are the ones who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is prized among men is detestable before God.

John 7:24; Stop judging by outward appearances and start judging justly.

Love that sees beyond the outer appearance to the person that desperately wants to be seen, that’s the kind of love I want to grow into. How about you?

Blessings to you on your own Journey of learning to ‘see’ and love as God does.

Baruch Adonai,

Brenda

We are known, never forgotten!

Ever feel that God has forgotten you during your suffering? That He’s not seeing the tears, nor hearing your desperate, quiet prayers, or even the deepest sighs of your heart?

The Hebrew people suffered for 400 years as the Egyptians treated them cruelly.

In Exodus 2:23 it says, The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God.

Verse 24 says, God heard their groaning, and He remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. Vs 25 says, so God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.

God did not look aside at the suffering of His Hebrew people, though I’m sure many of them felt that way. And God does not forget about us or look aside when we are suffering. Just as He was concerned about the Israelites, He is concerned about us.

We are never forgotten! Hebrews 13:5, it says, For He, Himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you.  However, what we must remember is, God loves us, and is using this time of suffering to reveal more of who He is, to, well do a multitued of. This is not random suffering, and the suffering will end in God’s appointed time.

Our part?

No matter how bad it looks, or feels or how excruciatingly painful emotionally/physically it may be, we remain as steadfast in our faith as possible, we trust God even just the tiniest littlest bit of our heart that we can. We give thanks in everything, (1Thessalonians 5:18) and count it all joy, (James 1:2,3) when suffering comes even if just saying the words in obedience to God’s word, for to give thanks and to count it all joy is an attitude that God uses to change us in many amazing ways. God becomes bigger in us, more precious to us than our brief and painful sufferings.

It is worth it! Romans 8:18, For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us. Hang in there, you’ll see.

People laugh when I say, living on earth is not so great, but eventually WE GET TO DIE!! Most of them don’t have a clue, but Christ-followers do! Our troubles will end and we will go live with Him forever where there will be no more suffering, sorrow or tears but joy everlasting.

It’s a journey isn’t it? Some good, some not so good, but we have each other and most importantly, we have God! And let’s consider how to encourage one another in love and good deeds Hebrews 10:24 NASB

Girl on the Best Journey of her life!

A Good Fit?

There is a general saying these days when wondering if we should take this job, or move to that City, or shall I date her/him? Is it a good fit? Are they a good fit?

I hear Christians say they will pray and ask God if this is ‘good fit’ for me, my talents, gifts etc. Sometimes I think people use it when they really mean, is this what I want?

I understand what is meant, but I have to disagree. That isn’t a Biblical perspective. We forget, the decision isn’t about what fits us, but is this God’s will for us? Perhaps you may be thinking I’m splitting hairs, that it means the same, again, I have to disagree. I believe this is a saying the world uses and we are not meant to conform to the world in any way.

Let’s look at a few Biblical examples.

Moses wasn’t a good fit, he wandered a long time before God made him fit for His own purpose.

Abraham was a pagan, certainly not a good fit to be leader of God’s chosen people or the father of generations to come.

Think of Jonah, he wasn’t a good fit for the job God assigned for him in Nineveh. He had to be made fit in the belly of a large fish.

Peter and any number of other apostles and disciples had to be made fit as they walked with Christ. Think of Paul (or Saul as he was known before he met Christ), he persecuted Christians. Who would have thought he would be one of the most well-known and loved apoltles of all times?? He was not a good fit for the job, but God changed him, just as He changes us and makes us a good fit, but not for just anything, but His purposes only.

There is a saying often heard in church, God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called. It may be an old and tired axiom, but it’s true.

Generally speaking, and in my own opinion, I am not a good fit for anything until God makes me fit for the good thing He wants me to do, or go where He wants me to go.

Hey, it’s just a thought.

Baruch Adonai, Brenda

A Bad Day? Really?

Lately I’ve been challenged by the verse in Rom 12:2 which says, And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

This morning I’m looking outside, and I thought this is a good day; it’s cloudy and cold and the weather network is predicting a rain/snow mixture by noon today.

So what makes this a good day? The birds are feeding at the feeder, flitting about the woods and their bird houses. I get to go out to spend time with a bunch of lovely ladies to study God’s Word. I have groceries to stop and pick up afterwards, then come home to my two sweet (my daughter calls them weirdos) little chihuahua pups who love me totally and unconditionally.

Not everyone would call this a good day. People who suffer with barometric headaches, or other debilitating physical issues, people with chronic pain, perhaps they just broke an arm or leg and are in terrible pain. Perhaps someone lost a loved one through death or the death of their marriage in divorce. There are all manner of ways people are suffering the world over. Terrible suffering, I have no idea about.

They would say they are having a bad day. As a child of God, I want to challenge that thought.

In Gen 1:4-5:  it says, And God saw the light, that [it was] good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

First off, in God there is no evil, no shiftiness, no ‘bad’ness, so I don’t believe He can create something bad.

If you look down to verse 31, it says, And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, [it was] very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

So the challenge is to align our thoughts with the bible, God’s Word. This is just one small area, trust me there are so many more ways in which we conform to the world! But in this one instance, how about we start to think that our circumstances are bad or are a challenge, are painful physically or emotionally difficult rather than naming the whole day ‘bad’. I believe we speak against God’s Word by declaring ‘this is a bad day when God Himself declared it to be very good.

I know it can sound like I’m splitting hairs, or being very simplistic and that there may be more important things to consider how we are conforming to this world, but I point this out as just one small way to not conform to the world.

One last bible verse to consider is [2Co 10:5b, and [we are] taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

After all Christ has done for me, this is one small way I can align myself with Him and His word, to be obedient.

Bless you as you face the challenges of not conforming to this world. We are each on our own journey, I just share one small piece of my own journey.