Running On Empty

All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.  We also pray that you will be strengthened with all His glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need.  Colossians 1:10-11

I am lucky that I haven’t run completely out of gas in my effort find the cheapest prices at gas stations around town.  My car displays a “Low Fuel” notice light when I only have 50 miles left in the tank.  

The other morning, I was preoccupied with work and got caught in some traffic on the way to take the kids to school, but thankfully made it to a gas station just before my car ran completely out of fuel.

Just like our automobiles, we require fuel to help us persevere through life-the power of God working in us.  As we become more obedient and more in tune with the Holy Spirit, God’s power will provide us what we need to strengthen us and ignite our abilities to persevere.

Let us not just endure, but persevere with peace and joy, in Christ Jesus!

Help!

Since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude He had, and be ready to suffer, too.  For if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have finished with sin.  1 Peter 4:1

Have you ever been asked to do something or set out to achieve something but felt like giving up?  I know that I certainly have and there are still things that I regret in which were unfortunately never completed.  When God calls us to a task, we should never give up.  Not only would you miss the blessing of finishing and reaching your goal, but not trusting God's promise may result in some sort of loving discipline from Him as well.

Just because God wants or asks you to do something does not mean that it will be easy.  The more important the task, the higher degree of difficulty it will often become.  Don't give up when the going gets tough.  Keep moving forward in faith; God is good to His people and will always answer the call to help!

Under Control

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-which is your spiritual worship.  Romans 12:1

Our oldest son, Elliott, is into a variety of different things.  In fact, Legos, Nintendo, superheroes, Transformers, Ben 10, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are 'all the rage' in the Fisher household and can be somewhat complex for a boy his age.  While the Transformers are pretty cool, they are even difficult for an old veteran like me to actually transform from a vehicle or aircraft mode to a robot and back. 

Just the other day, I was helping our son transform his vast collection of robots and he grew impatient with me and wanted to help.  I kept telling him to be careful as he was forcing the plastic toy to where it would eventually break if he was not more careful.  After repeated attempts, he managed to break the arm off of one of the Autobots (the good Transformers) and was very disappointed.  I was eventually able to repair the broken toy and was also provided with the wonderful opportunity of teaching our son a valuable lesson.  In fact, I learned a little lesson from this incident as well…

You see, if you are like me, you have no problem giving God control over the ‘big’ or ‘important’ areas of your life.  I struggle, at times, to give God control over the small and day-to-day things.  I can face a number of situations and foolishly try and convince myself, “ You've got this, Will” or ”I can handle this on my own, God” and end up royally screwing everything up along the way.  Just like our son did with his broken toy, I will proceed to turn things over to God so that He can fix or repair the same things I thought I had under control. 

We must ask God to take control of our lives each and every day. One we have admitted our powerlessness and inability to manage our lives, we must come to a place in our faith where we decide to turn our will and lives over to God’s loving care.

Acknowledge the need for God’s guidance in our lives.  When He becomes our new manager, we must also choose to accept life on His terms as well.  God offers us a way to live that is free from our past, allowing us to enjoy new and wonderful experiences in accordance to His good and perfect will for our lives.  Thanks be to God!

All Of My Heart

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding.  Acknowledge Him in all your ways, and He will make your paths straight.  Proverbs 3:5

This time of the year, I travel quite extensively for work and often times rely on my iPhone’s GPS Maps to navigate my way.  When I think about it, I am amazed at how much I rely on an electronic device for directions.  It makes me wonder why I am so resistant to following God’s direction for my life.

We normally trust those who can be counted on to tell the truth and keep their promises.  God is THE source of truth, for He cannot lie.  Everything that He says in His Word is true.  All of it must be true, or we couldn’t fully trust God.

If you are struggling with allowing God to take His righteous place in your life, learn to trust Him with all of your heart.  It will allow Him to make Himself known to you in amazing and profound ways.