Ultimate Power
It’s hard to believe the year is almost over. I just finished putting up our Christmas decorations. It was so fun because Tyler kept saying “Wow, Mommy, it’s Christmas ready!” He loves going to Disneyland right now because they are all decked out with lights and even “snow” on Main Street at night. Bobby’s parents were out visiting this weekend and we spent Monday morning there. I kept trying to get a good picture of Tyler sitting in front of the Christmas tree at Downtown Disney but he wasn’t too happy about it after ten shots of him looking everywhere but the camera I got this one.
I haven’t posted in over 2 weeks and in that time I have started half a dozen blog entries but never finished them. One reason why it’s been difficult to write is that the Lord has been doing some work on my heart and it was hard to make enough sense of all I was thinking about to make even one cohesive blog entry until now. The last couple of weeks it seems like every sermon I hear, book I’m reading or conversation I have is another punch in the stomach of my laziness. It was all summed up for me at church Saturday night when my husband read James 4:17 during his sermon–
Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.
The weight of this conviction came down on my heart and I had a lot to repent of and ask forgiveness from the Lord. I was dismissing many things I needed to do because I felt overwhelmed. I thought how could I possibly do all the good things I should in one day? But Saturday a friend told me that God gives us just enough time in the day to do everything He wanted us to do for that day.
Instead of feeling overwhelmed by the Spirit’s conviction and just feeling discouraged what I really needed to do was confess the sin of not doing what I knew I ought and then let the weight of those sermons, books and conversations motivate me to righteous living. Actually doing that is liberating.
One of my favorite books is A Heart For God by Sinclair B. Ferguson and I love this quote from chapter three. In this chapter Ferguson writes about how important it is to remember that God is the Creator. This has been a big encouragement to me–
Man is weak. He is weak by comparison with God, because he is a creature. He is weak by comparison with the universe, because he is so small. He is weak, too, because of his sin. He needs power.
When we turn to God, how do we know that God has the power to help us?
Here is the answer: The God who has the power to create the world in which we live has the power to sustain us in our weakness.A Heart For God, p. 26
Sometimes people act like it isn’t important to know that God is Creator, like it is a side issue to knowing Him as Savior. But this is a mistake. Knowing God as our Savior and Creator brings so much encouragement and purpose as we follow Him. As Creator He decided what my role as a wife must be. I don’t have to conjure up a plan, I need to follow His. He has a design for the parent He wants me to be, how He wants me to treat my parents, what my conversations need to be, what thoughts honor Him, what my work ethic must look like.
I need to daily meditate on the fact that God is Creator because it is so comforting that He has not only designed how all of life works but also because He personally empowers me to walk in obedience to His design. I’m memorizing Psalm 121:1-2 to help me remember this–
I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
December 5th, 2007
I love those verses. My son and I memorized the whole chapter of Ps 121 a few years ago. I think of them often.
December 7th, 2007
Christa, it’s so great that God is giving you this light and that you articulate it so well. It is an amazing yet challenging reality that our Sovereign God cares about the details of our day, as small and weak as we are. Yet we are empowered by him to walk in righteousness moment by moment. It helps me to remember - focus on obeying and trusting him just one step at a time. Love the idea of memorizing Psalm 121 with our children!
December 8th, 2007
Christa–It is so nice to see you back, as I always glean those pearls of wisdom from what you are studying or learning yourself. I’ve been out awhile myself–Ryan and Carter had the stomach flu last week.
I agree wholeheartedly that when we confess sin and let the weight and burden of sin motivate us to truly repent, we feel such freedom in that. When we submit to His will, power and sovereignty, we are on the right path. Why do I act like my toddler acts toward me in my relationship with my Maker and my God–asserting my will from time to time and fighting Him when He knows what is best for me? I am so thankful that God is patient and loving–getting me back aligned with Him through His discipline or His gentle reminders.
December 10th, 2007
Wow Christa i would just like to thank you for your posts every time i read one it either convicts me or helps give me more ways to grow closer to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is hard when you are first convicted but once you repent of your sin you always feel like there is a burden that is now gone and lifted off your shoulders.