BitterSweet

In response to:

Greater by Steven Furtick. Proverbs 31 Bible Study with Melissa Taylor.

Finishing this book; wrapping up this study; it is all so bittersweet, isn’t it?

So, where do I go from here?

Do I fall back into the pattern of life I know? The one I embraced, although reluctantly, before this study?

Or do I “grab that bull by the horns” (as my dear grandmother would have said) and move ahead, plodding through the difficulties and the challenges, determined to make a difference.

To make a difference in me.

To make a difference in my life.

To inevitably make a difference in the world I live in…no matter how small.

It all matters, doesn’t it?

I may never be a famous writer, a screen star, or a noted theologian, but I may play a very important roll in the lives of some; and that can make a great difference in their world…in their lives…in their eternity…and in those who follow behind them.

My dear grandma, along with my grandpa…they made a great difference. In my young life, in only a few short years of having the opportunity to be present in their company, they taught me, by example, the values of being a follower of the Lord.

I watched them and I listened to them. Not only what they said to me, but what they said to others. How they treated others. How they spoke of others when they weren’t around.

It took many years for me to ever realize and appreciate this experience, but the impact they had on my life is immeasurable. I am and will be forever grateful for those brief moments; I cherish them. I thank the Lord for them.

Without them, I shudder to think of where I might be today.

None of us know just how important our words and our actions are to those around us…those of all ages.

Please don’t forget this…..

I pray I don’t.

Progress in 2013

“If trusting the Lord is to be the new way of life, how do I know I am progressing?”

Exactly how do you know if you are progressing in your walk with the Lord?

When this question was asked of me, my first thought was, I don’t have any problem knowing when I am regressing. And the problem associated with that is simple.

When I regress, it is because I have failed to spend daily time with the Lord. I have walked out on my own; alone and unguarded.

Jesus said, “Without me you can do nothing.”

So, why am I surprised then, that I fall short of glorifying the Lord when I step out without him; ‘without him’ is not merely intended for those who do not know the Lord.

 Absolutely not.

‘Without him’ is manifest when we, as Christ followers, try to live our day not having filled ourselves by taking advantage of the absolute privilege we have to build on our relationship with the Lord.

With Him I am strong…without Him I am weak and vulnerable to both the evil ones ways as well as to my own sinful nature.

That really answers the question then, doesn’t it??

I know I am progressing as I look upon each day and recall time spent in the presence of the Lord. Progress is that time. Progress is the desire to be more and more in His presence.

The desire and the practice.

I have the desire, but, sadly, not always the practice. I know what I must do…and I constantly chastise myself for my poor priorities.

So I continue to ask Him for a gentle reminder which He gladly and faithfully provides because He knows the value to my spending time with Him.

So, now I ask you…..how are you doing? Are you progressing?

I pray you are….

Blessings on you today!!