FROM GLORY TO GLORY

There are seasons in the life of a believer when one is transitioning from one thing to another, from the old to the new.  Not everyone makes these transitions because it is so easy to settle into mediocrity, into sameness, into predictability.  Flesh likes sameness, our need to feel secure likes sameness, our need to feel in control likes sameness.  I confess there are times when staying in “sameness” has an appeal to me, but I also realize that to be a part of what God is doing in the earth, I must adjust to Him and what He is doing.  Anything that has life, that has breath has to grow, has to change.  II Corinthians 3:18 says it this way:  “ And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”  You may be in a spurt of growth right now, going from one season to another. It is important to realize that to get to the next season, there needs to be a transformation of your identity.  You cannot go into the next season with the glory of the previous season.  There has to be an increase of God’s image in your life to reflect the new.   In this transitioning/transformational phase, there is one particular pitfall I would like to share with you as you navigate through this time.  That pitfall is comparison. 

II Corinthians 10:12 – Oh, don’t worry; we wouldn’t dare say that we are as wonderful as these other men (women) who tell you how important they are!  But they are only comparing themselves with each other, using themselves as the standard of measurement.  How ignorant! (NLT)

A major problem with comparison is that it is performance related and a judgment of one’s worth is generally made depending on how well the performance is or was.  Our whole culture is a performance based culture and one’s value and worth is determined often times by how well we think we did or how well others think we did.

Comparison is not a trait of God’s kingdom.  How well we perform at any given task does not determine our worth to God.  Our worth to God was established when He chose to hang on a cross at Calvary so we can live life from a stance of victory, at all times, regardless of what circumstances are.

Any time we compare ourselves to our performance, or we allow others to judge us according to their standard of performance, we are relegating ourselves to shame, inferiority, superiority, guilt, and blame.  I can tell you all the should ofs, would of’s, could ofs and if onlys will be speaking into your ear, keeping you stagnant and paralyzed.

As you move through this time of challenge, stay focused on the one Who has called you to His glory.  He has led you and He will continue to lead you.  Do not compare where you are with where you have been and do not compare yourself to what is happening in others’ lives.  Your walk is unique because you are unique.  We are not cattle being herded by a rancher into the next pasture, but we are God’s unique creation being positioned for our next season of glory. 

Encouragement for this Passover week

I thought I would be writing a blog concerning my recent trip to Jamaica and about all the Lord did during that 3 ½ weeks.  However, there is another message on my heart this morning that I feel I should write about.

This is Holy week for Christians and Passover for Jews.  Even though we recognize this week historically, it is important to realize that the glory of God as manifested on Resurrection morning was and still is preceded by a week of trials, tribulations, and heartache.  So it was also for the Israelites during the time of the first Passover.  Let's take a look at that.

For the Israelites leaving Egypt, a place of bondage, it was a harrowing time of leaving all that was familiar behind them.  Even though they lived in bondage, it was still a familiar and routine existence that was predictable.  Oh, how we all love that which is predictable!!  The truth is, as brought forth in Exodus 12:31-42, there are times when God says, “now”, you move quickly.     

If you are going to follow wholly after God, life is not predictable, and yes it is easier to stay in bondage to that which is familiar rather than to leave all. 

In a book that I read recently, the author made reference to the bondage of the Israelites and made the point that it was easier for them to manage bondage and slavery than to believe God for deliverance.  Is that not what we all do to an extent?  Out of the fear of the unknown, we continue to manage the known bondage, ie. just keep searching for more straw to add to the clay to make bricks, and stay where we are (Exodus 5:10-14). 

However, during this Passover week, let us determine to be released from the captivities where we find ourselves and not lose heart in the faithfulness of our God.  Let us move on into the new that He has purposed for us.  Let us move pass all the obstacles that want to keep us in place and press into the new place that God has ordained for us. 

I don’t know what that looks like for you, but I know in my heart I will let go of what I need to let go of so I can move with Holy Spirit as He leads and guides me into the truth of my next season in the Lord.  Even though there are situations and circumstances that would cause me to lose hope, I know that new life is just ahead.  That is what Resurrection is all about.  We are not staying where we are, but we are moving on into Won’t you join me as I continue to press into the next level of the glory of the Lord in my life?

 

Entering into the New Year with God's wisdom

I endeavor to live my life daily from a place of peace in the abiding presence of the Lord.  He is the prince of peace and as I allow His peace to supercede my cares, I can usually be calm in my emotions.  So when I awoke one morning and felt very unsettled, I knew something had come to me during the night that was upsetting my peace.  It is not difficult to discern in the natural how challenging our life of faith can be.  We stepped out of a comfortable and secure lifestyle some time ago to follow after the Lord when he beckoned us from our hometown in the east to a whole new life in the west.  That change in our life is a huge place of distinction in our walk of faith.  So when I awoke the other morning with this unsettledness in my soul, all kinds of thoughts were running through my mind.  Thoughts like “You were crazy to leave your comfort and security”, “You should have planned better for this season of life”, “You have been here for 12 years and nothing has changed”, “You were foolish to do this.”  On and on and on the thoughts went until I stopped and said to the Lord, “What is going on?”  The response from the Lord sounded like this, “The foolishness of man is often the wisdom and will of God whereas the wisdom of man is folly to God.”  So at 4:00 AM, I got up to go to my Bible and verify what the Lord was saying.

I Corinthians 1:25 – “This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.”   I so appreciated the latter part of verse 25 because it addressed the weakness and the vulnerability I sometimes feel in this place of faith in which we live. 

Since we have entered into this new year of 2014, I have had other opportunities to feel shaken in my faith.  But know this, anytime we step into a new season of the calendar or a new season in our lives, we have an enemy who is going to huff and puff and try to get us off course.  It is   time to turn our enemy back at the gate, at this threshold to a tremendous year, knowing that eye has not seen nor ear heard what the Lord has in store, but truly He is about to reveal it to us by Holy Spirit.  So stay on course, stay on task for the glory of God is about to be reveal in unprecedented ways in your life and mine.

The heavens declare His glory

Psalm 19:1 – The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Finally, I have been able to post a slide show of pictures that show forth the heavenlies and the handiwork of our Creator in the skies.  Most of these came from Facebook pictures that were posted by various friends throughout the United States. 

The entire Psalm 19 reflects on the righteousness and faithfulness of our God who created and still creates His glory in the earth.  He created glory when he established the earth in Genesis 1 and when He created man in Genesis 2.  He is still creating His glory in the lives of believers who are allowing His transformation to take place in their lives.  II Corinthians 3: 18 says, “ And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed in his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

As we enter into a new year full of unknowns, the one thing we can be sure of is that God, the creator of the universe and the creator of our lives, is bringing forth a people who reflect who He is.  The glory of the Lord is filling the earth even as the waters cover the seas and that is happening through those who have totally surrendered to His handiwork in their lives by the power of Holy Spirit.  It is time for us as believers to live as though our lives are not our own, they have been bought with a price and they have been bought by the blood of Jesus Christ so that His glory is released into the darkness that is invading the earth.  This is a time to develop the glory of God in our own lives so that His light is released through us into the darkness.  

Making resolutions for a new year are generally futile, but making quality decisions to follow wholly after Christ and what He is doing in the earth will bear fruit for many generations.  What decision do you make in this critical hour in history concerning the Christ to whom you belong?  Will you be an example of His righteousness and faithfulness in the earth or will continue to live life as though it is yours?