ok

Psalm 110:3c Your vigor will be renewed each day like the morning dew.

Good to know when you're 59 & up to your armpits in life.

Psalm 110:5a The Lord stands at your right hand to protect you.

Good to know when you're doing stuff that the devil, & some people, can't stand.

so...

Our lives are constantly having a ripple effect on the people around us. The questions is, are the ripples ones we set off, or ones from God.

it's all Him

Psalm 108:13 With God's help we will do mighty things, for He will trample down our foes.

2 Corinthians 13:4 Although Jesus died on the cross in weakness, He now lives by the mighty power of God. We, too, are weak, but we live in Him & have God's power...

It's not us that make things happen in our lives. In reality, it's all Him.

stregth thru weakness

2 Corinthians 12: 7b So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.
8 Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. 9 Each time He said, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in your weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 10 That's why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

It makes sense to abandon ourselves so much to God that He is able to move us into areas that are "out of our depth" or put us "in over our head."

In so doing, we HAVE to totally depend on God to make things happen in our lives, & keeps us from getting prideful & arrogant about how we "get things done" with our "God-given abilities."

I've been living this particularly with the establishing of Christ Chapel's presence in downtown Macon. I'm totally dependent on God to make things happen downtown because I'm R
EALLY in over my head with all this.

God's gonna have to pull this one off. I'll be who I am (well, actually who He created me to be), do what I do, but God's the One who's favor makes things happen.

It's kinda nice to be in this position - I'm just responsible for being who I am - God's responsible for the results.

I like that.

I shoulda done this decades ago.

favor & a lack of trust

Psalm 106:24 The people refused to enter the pleasant land, for they wouldn't believe His promise to care for them.

After all the Jews had been thru with God - sending Moses to them, the plagues that freed them, cross the Red Sea on dry land, the drowning of Pharoah's army, the giving of the law @ Mt. Sinai, & all the other stuff they experienced with Him - after all that, He says, go take Canaan, & they don't believe He'll take care of them.

And we're just like them. We live lives smack dab in the middle of His favor & we don't have any faith or trust in Him. When He says, "I want you to do this," we say, "you want me to do what?!!!"

Why can't we learn to just say, "whatever..."

I mean, what do we have to lose? If we're wrong, we just look stupid. Goodness knows, we look stupid enough, anyway, doing some of the stuff we do.

What have we got to lose by just following what we believe is God's leading & direction?!

Who knows? Maybe it will lead us into a "pleasant land" like the Jews were offered.

********

I also read in 2 Corinthians 11 where Paul recounts some of the things that have happened to him as a Christ follower.

In view of the fact that we're such prissy fat-cat Christ followers, driving out SUV's & getting pouty if our latte isn't quite the temperature we like, you might understand why in some ways this passage always makes me laugh just a little.

Would any of us be Christ followers if just ONE of these things happened to any of us?!

2 Corinthians 11:23b I have worked harder,

been put in prison more often,

been whipped times without number,

and faced death again and again.

24 FIVE DIFFERENT TIMES the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes.

25 THREE TIMES I was beaten with rods.

ONCE I was stoned.

THREE TIMES I was shipwrecked.

ONCE I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea.

26 I have traveled on many long journeys.

I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers.

I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles.

I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas.

And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. (dan note: I think this is the worst thing to have to face)

27 I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights.

I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food.

I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm.

28 Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches.29 Who is weak without my feeling that weakness? Who is led astray, and I do not burn with anger?

30 If I must boast, I would rather boast about the things that show how weak I am.31 God, the Father of our Lord Jesus, who is worthy of eternal praise, knows I am not lying.32 When I was in Damascus, the governor under King Aretas kept guards at the city gates to catch me.33 I had to be lowered in a basket through a window in the city wall to escape from him.


Like I said...

true focus

2 Corinthians 10:17b The person who wishes to boast should boast only of what the Lord has done.

control

Matthew 10:39 If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.

This is one of the 4 verses God gave me 2 years ago as I walked into the adventure He drawn me into called downtown.

I've boiled this verse down to the thought "don't cling to your life"

I can tell you how many hundreds of times God has gently reminded me of this verse, or whispered that bullet to me - "don't cling to your life"

I was clinging to a lot of things I thought were important - things in my life that I took refuge in. And time & time again He would whisper, "don't cling to your life - don't cling to that thing you think is so important. Let it go, because I (as in God) have something else for you."

And just because I'm downtown doesn't mean this is the "destination" for me. This is just a part, a season in my journey & adventure with Him. I have to keep my heart & life open to whatever He has for me. I can't anymore cling to downtown than I could cling to anything else in my life as I moved toward downtown.

God dreamed a dream for our lives. It's far more amazing & scary than anything we could imagine or dare to dream. The trick to getting to live it is to let go of control of our lives. Easier said than done, but still key to God being able to actuate His dreams for us.

So, as I continue to walk this adventure with Him downtown, I reminded - don't cling to your life.

As we all live our lives, let's not cling to them. Change will come. God will introduce something new & different into our lives - probably something kinda scary & something we don't think we can do on our own. But as it says in the second half of verse 39, "if you give up your life for Me, you'll find (your life)."

I'm finding that life He dreamed for me. He's leading me into who know what? We'll see.

I've said all that to say this - I'm livin' the reality of what it means & what it's like if you "don't cling to your life."

Therefore, I can say with integrity, "don't cling to your life"

Let Him have complete control & go with the life He dreamed. It's worth it.

as far as the east is from the west

Psalm 103:1 Let all that I am praise the LORD;
with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.
2 Let all that I am praise the LORD;
may I never forget the good things he does for me.
3 He forgives all my sins
and heals all my diseases.
4 He redeems me from death
and crowns me with love and tender mercies.
5 He fills my life with good things.
My youth is renewed like the eagle's!

6 The LORD gives righteousness
and justice to all who are treated unfairly.

7 He revealed his character to Moses
and his deeds to the people of Israel.
8 The LORD is compassionate and merciful,
slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
9 He will not constantly accuse us,
nor remain angry forever.
10 He does not punish us for all our sins;
he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.
11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him
is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
12 He has removed our sins as far from us
as the east is from the west.
13 The LORD is like a father to his children,
tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
14 For he knows how weak we are;
he remembers we are only dust.
15 Our days on earth are like grass;
like wildflowers, we bloom and die.
16 The wind blows, and we are gone—
as though we had never been here.
17 But the love of the LORD remains forever
with those who fear him.

as far as the east is from the west

Psalm 103:1 Let all that I am praise the LORD;
with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.
2 Let all that I am praise the LORD;
may I never forget the good things he does for me.
3 He forgives all my sins
and heals all my diseases.
4 He redeems me from death
and crowns me with love and tender mercies.
5 He fills my life with good things.
My youth is renewed like the eagle's!

6 The LORD gives righteousness
and justice to all who are treated unfairly.

7 He revealed his character to Moses
and his deeds to the people of Israel.
8 The LORD is compassionate and merciful,
slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
9 He will not constantly accuse us,
nor remain angry forever.
10 He does not punish us for all our sins;
he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.
11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him
is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
12 He has removed our sins as far from us
as the east is from the west.
13 The LORD is like a father to his children,
tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
14 For he knows how weak we are;
he remembers we are only dust.
15 Our days on earth are like grass;
like wildflowers, we bloom and die.
16 The wind blows, and we are gone—
as though we had never been here.
17 But the love of the LORD remains forever
with those who fear him.

troubling

sometimes the things I see in the depths of people's spirits is troubling; troubling in that I don't know how they can come out of it

blameless

Psalm 101:1 I will sing of your love and justice, LORD.
I will praise you with songs.
2 I will be careful to live a blameless life —
when will you come to help me?
I will lead a life of integrity
in my own home. (dan note: i.e. the me I am when nobody's around)
3 I will refuse to look at
anything vile and vulgar. (dan note: Did the psalmist know about Internet porn?)
I hate all who deal crookedly;
I will have nothing to do with them.
4 I will reject perverse ideas
and stay away from every evil.
5 I will not tolerate people who slander their neighbors.
I will not endure conceit and pride.

6 I will search for faithful people
to be my companions.
Only those who are above reproach
will be allowed to serve me.
7 I will not allow deceivers to serve in my house,
and liars will not stay in my presence.
8 My daily task will be to ferret out the wicked
and free the city of the LORD from their grip.

control

2 Corinthians 5:14 Whatever we do, it is because Christ's love controls us.

How true is that in my life? Or yours?

pressing on

1 Corinthians 4:1 Therefore, since God in his mercy has given us this wonderful ministry, we never give up. 2 We reject all shameful deeds and underhanded methods. We don't try to trick anyone.
8 We are pressed on every side by troubles,
but we are not crushed.
We are perplexed,
but not driven to despair.
9 We are hunted down,
but never abandoned by God.
We get knocked down,
but we are not destroyed.
10 Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.

freedom

2 Corinthians 3:4 We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ. 5 It is not that we think we can do anything of lasting value by ourselves. Our only power & success comes from God. 6 He is the one who has enabled us to represent his new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old way ends in death; in the new way, the Holy Spirit gives life.

17 For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Freedom...

Something we all talk about, something our culture says we all have & should exercise it whenever we feel like it, freedom to be & do whatever we believe is right for us.

But few of us have real freedom.

And few of us know how to find it.

Real freedom comes in abandoning ourselves to God & letting Him create in us the life He dreamed for us when He dreamed us all up.

Can there be anymore freedom than in saying, "whatever"?

I'm finding as a walk through this season of my life in downtown Macon that life makes more sense & is far less stressful when I'm surrendered to the "whatever". That way, I simply do what I believe I'm told, & God's the one who's in charge of making it happen.

It's amazing how wonderful it is when God's the one who's responsible for the success of something.

smelling

2 Corinthians 2:14 But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ's triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume.15 Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing.16 To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?
17 You see, we are not like the many hucksters who preach for personal profit. We preach the word of God with sincerity and with Christ's authority, knowing that God is watching us.

Lifestyle evangelism is the meat & potatoes of my life right now. I simply live, love those around me & those I meet, & let God bring me into situations where I can share the new life I've found in Him. Paul & the other early Christians did this. It's been done by millions for millennia. It works.

I've experienced people thinking we "smell of death & doom." They couch it differently than that, but some people are repelled by the Holy Spirit reaching out to them.

Speaking of the Holy Spirit, in the last 10 years, I come to take less responsibility for who I make contact with. I used to operate out of guilt in this area. Now I'm trying to operate out of opportunity. Trust me on this though - if you quit trying to "evangelize" & ask Him to bring into your life whoever He wants, you will be inundated with people & opportunity! ;-)

The difference now is that I've relinquished responsibility for what who comes my way, what I say to them, & most importantly, the results of my sharing. I still have to listen hard to the Holy Spirit as far as what to say & how much, but He's responsible for what happens - not me.

This is a significant shift for me. For a long time, I tried to make things happen. I'm simply not adequate for that. He is. My responsibility is over the time I'm exposed to people - be it hours, days, weeks, months, or longer - I'm to be who I am, love them as God loves them, & say what I'm led to - He's in charge of what happens inside of them.

And like Paul, I'm keenly aware that God is watching me - not in a judging way - just watching what I'm doing. The stakes are very high in my life. I'm surrounded by 20somethings with whom I have tremendous influence. It's kinda daunting sometimes. I'm thankful He's watching - He keeps me on course. ;-)

I said all that to say this - I think we need to chill about this "sharing your faith" thing. We should live our lives, love those around us, & share our life with God when given the opportunity - & He'll give each of us PLENTY of opportunity to do this! And leave the results with Him.

what if...

Psalm 96: 2b Each day proclaim the good news that He saves

This is a simple statement in a psalm that mostly praises God for who He is.

It struck me as I read I read it this morning that that's the singular mandate we have - tell others about what we know & have found with God.

In our smug & prissy little lives, we so easily forget that it took someone who obeyed God's leading to share their life with God that impacted us in such a way that we decided to follow Him too.

What would our lives be like if the person or people who have been directly responsible for us being in a relationship with God had decided to be a lax, lazy, or uninterested in sharing Him as we are sometimes?

Not a pretty thought...

All the time, we're that someone for somebody(s) around us.

Think about that today. I'm gonna...

basic instructions

1 Corinthians 16:13 Be on guard. Stand true to what you believe. Be courageous. Be strong. 14 And everything you do must be done with love.

Paul, the author of these verses, had a way of boiling things down to the basics.

Be on guard... iow, look out! when we least expect it, the devil is gonna fling something at us or throw some sort of temptation at us, or push just the right button(s), & wham! we've fallen into some sort of sin(s). The devil will also sneak up on us & confuse us or distract us with half-truths, lies, & craziness. So, be on the lookout for him.

Stand true to what you believe... We know what the deal is, & we know what's the right thing to do - not the thing we've rationalized to support or sinful behavior. Let's not live in denial - we know what to be & do. The questions never is what to do, but can or will we do it?

Be courageous... iow, as they used to say in the Old Testament, "Gird up your loins". Walk toward the things we fear. Walk into the things we know are a part of God's plans for us, or a part of our responsibility to Him. Courage many times isn't superhuman guts, but just the ability to put one foot in front of the other, in fear & trembling, moving toward that thing that we know God wants us to be or do.

Be strong... With God, strength is given with strength is needed. When strength is needed to make it possible for us to push through something, be something, do something, or make something happen, He supplies just enough to see us through - not too much, so that we won't think we're doing this on our own.

...everything you do must be done with love... How many of us do things our of duty, or be things out of perceived expectations? Our identity should be one that operates out of an others orientation - iow, a love & concern for others, not a "doing good" because we're supposed to.

Do I manage to exhibit all these behaviors seamlessly?

Nope.

I'm a work in progress, just like you.

favor

1 Corinthians 15:10 Whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out His special favor on me.

...

The world is waiting for you & me to tell them about Jesus

the hope of the future

Psalm 92:1 It is good to give thanks to the LORD,
to sing praises to the Most High.
2 It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning,
your faithfulness in the evening,
3 accompanied by the ten-stringed harp
and the melody of the lyre.

4 You thrill me, LORD, with all you have done for me!
I sing for joy because of what you have done.
5 O LORD, what great works you do!
And how deep are your thoughts.
6 Only a simpleton would not know,
and only a fool would not understand this:
7 Though the wicked sprout like weeds
and evildoers flourish,
they will be destroyed forever.

8 But you, O LORD, will be exalted forever.
9 Your enemies, LORD, will surely perish;
all evildoers will be scattered.
10 But you have made me as strong as a wild ox.
You have anointed me with the finest oil.
11 My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies;
my ears have heard the defeat of my wicked opponents.
12 But the godly will flourish like palm trees
and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon.
13 For they are transplanted to the LORD's own house.
They flourish in the courts of our God.
14 Even in old age they will still produce fruit;
they will remain vital and green.
15 They will declare, "The LORD is just!
He is my rock!
There is no evil in him!"

I dated vs 14 on 9.15.2005 as a promise. One of the things people worry about is becoming old & useless. I'm not silly enough to think I'll remain as vigorous as I am now - age & gravity will catch up with me. But the important part of the verse are the words "produce fruit" & "vital"

I know plenty of people who may not be as spry as they used to be, but are still alive, engaging people, being a part of their lives, producing fruit in ministering to others, & being current & vital.

I hope I'm like that. The stakes are too high to not be.

shelter

Psalm 91:1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 This I declare about the LORD:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
he is my God, and I trust him.
3 For he will rescue you from every trap
and protect you from deadly disease.
4 He will cover you with his feathers.
He will shelter you with his wings.
His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
5 Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,
nor the arrow that flies in the day.
6 Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,
nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
7 Though a thousand fall at your side,
though ten thousand are dying around you,
these evils will not touch you.

wisdom

Psalm 90:12 Teach us to make the most of our time, so that we may grow in wisdom.

Every once in a while, I run into someone who thinks I'm wise. (There's not a lot of them out there, but there ARE some) I'm always more than a little amused by that perception.

One thing that may make people thing that is that sometimes I actually don't say anything (I know, hard to believe!). I discovered that if I don't say something sometimes, people actually think I'm deep & philosophical - or up to something! (the latter is usually closer to the truth!) In my 50's, every once in a great while, I started doing what my mother used to say - "If you don't have anything to say, don't open your mouth & leave no doubt."

There's another reason I don't think I'm all that wise. If a man puts his hand in a fire repeated, even though he's warned frequently not to, & ends up burning his hand off, would he be considered wise if, after burning his hand off, he suggested people not put their hands in the fire? No, he would be thought of as stating the obvious. (It seems these days I spend a lot of my time doing that "trying to not burn my hand off" thing.)

But maybe the main reason I don't think of myself as wise is that even at my wise & ripe old age of 59, I still do stupid stuff. Like yesterday - I got frustrated with someone I love dearly & got into a senseless argument with him for no really good reason. We just got frustrated with each other & just had at it.
Yeah, we both apologized & forgave each other, but we hurt each other & it was all SO unnecessary.

I'm just trying to get to the point where I don't do the same stupid stuff. Wisdom may be something that be a little out of my reach. Whereas I don't do some of the stupid stuff I did when I was younger, I'm finding that now I'm doing different stupid stuff.

Sometimes I wonder about me...

So, I figure if I "make the most of my time", with the end result I'll be wise, there's a good chance that I'm gonna be around for a LONG time, because wisdom right now seems to be a place I catch glimpses of occasionally, but is not a place I live in, yet.

But with God, where there's life there's hope ;-)

worshiping idols

In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul talks about worshiping idols. You can read it when you get a chance. We seem to think this means the pagan idols of that time. I got to thinking about that...

I looked up the meaning of idolatry (which is the worship of idols): blind or excessive devotion to something.

Iow, something that takes the place of, or becomes more important than our relationship with God

hmmmmmmmm...

So I just started to think about that. What are some things that are more important to us than our relationship to God?

food
recognition
golf
football
sports
TV
competition
movies
gossip
power
influence
lust (not just sex, but anything we "just gotta have")
a boyfriend or girlfriend or spouse
a pumped & ripped body
sleep
freedom
children
parents
spirituality
what people think
love
material things
attention
American Idol
control
our own way, always
Survivor
motorcycles
expressions of the supernatural
grandkids
the facade we put up or the person we pretend to be
our past, issues, baggage, or hangups
shopping
trucks
entitlement
our addictions: alcohol, drugs, sex
reputation
dependence
a high IQ
toys (big people toys - you know what I'm talking about)
education
no education
perks
not working all that hard
retirement
no responsibility
cars
drama in our lives
pets
privilege

Anyone wanna add some more to these?

We've all got things in our lives that are more important to us than our relationship with God. The thing is to be aware of them, & get rid of them.

How? Let them go. Make them unimportant. Focus more on God than on the things we obsess over. And ask the Holy Spirit to give us the power to let them go.

Just a thought...

whatever it takes

1 Corinthians 9:22b I try to find common ground with everyone so that I might bring them to Christ.

How many of us can say this?

Or how many of us expect people to come across to our way of thinking, or being, or doing?

How many of us try to build a bridge to the people around us?

Or how many of us think it would be "compromising" to try to find a common link between us and some of the "heathen" people around us?

That link could be something as simple as a common love of playing basketball, cooking, the Dolphins, or Martha Stewart.

The interesting thing is that we seldom want to extend to others the very thing that was extended toward us. I would dare say that we're all who we are because there were pivotal people in our lives who reached out to us & tried to make a connection with us simply so they could share with us the finer points of life as a Christ follower.

So why can't we consistently do the same thing for others.

And what if the pivotal people in our lives had had the same reluctant-to-share attitude we have?

Yeah...

only 1

1 Corinthians 8:6 But we know that there is only one God, the Father, who created everything, and we live for him. And there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom God made everything and through whom we have been given life.

loving

so many people to love, so little time...

I wish there was a way I could get people to reach out & love the people around them.

There are SO many people all around us who have never felt loved. (And sometimes it's the people you least expect!)

There are SO many people who need someone to simply show them how to live.

There are SO many people all around each of us who simply don't have the simple life skills necessary to function in the world today.

I wish there was a way I could start actively encouraging people to start really loving people like I have over the last few years.

(I know that sounds arrogant.)

But I do wish I could reproduce myself, at least that facet of me.

Pastor John encourages us to reproduce who we are. What would be some practical ways I could do that? Any suggestions?

It's just that recently I'm overwhelmed with the vast numbers of people who simply have no love connections in their lives, don't know what it feels like, don't have anyone caring for them, & as a result, simply don't know how to do this thing called life. It's not like I think I'm an expert at functioning in this world, but when SO MANY people have never had anyone show them how to live, it can get more than a little daunting.

Any suggestions?

I'm confused

1 Corinthians 6:18 Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. 19 Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

Why does seem that I'm finding more & more couples who say they are Christ followers are also having intercourse before marriage?

favor

1 Chronicles 14:2 And David realized that the Lord had made him king over Israel & had made his kingdom very great for the sake of His people Israel.

Here' what my Life Application Bible says in the footnote...

"God gave David honor & success, but not simply for David's personal gain. David realized that God had prospered him for a special reason - for the sake of God's people!

"Often we are tempted to use our position or possessions only for our own good. Instead, we must remember that God has placed us where we are & given us all we have so that we may encourage others & give to those in need."

For the past 2 or 3 months God has been telling me through different verses in different areas of the Bible this simple truth - I am who I am, I am where I am, & I am having the influence, favor, & results because He, God, chooses to favor me with it.

I don't know why He does. One thing I'm slowly seeing is that all this stuff I'm involved with isn't about me. (This is stuff like the dear & cherished people who fill my life, working at Christ Chapel, all the daughters & sons, House of Grace, downtown, etc.) It's about God's overarching dream & plans for humankind. I'm just someone He chooses to use right now to implement part of those dreams & plans.

If I receive a blessing from it while I'm at it, well, that's just great. But the bottom line is that God is choosing to be doing stuff through me.

Maybe He keeps reminding me of this to keep me from getting more arrogant & prideful? Maybe there's some lean times comin'? Maybe there's some even more stupendous times coming?

I don't know. Like I say to people these days, I've quit trying to explain my life. Living it takes most of my energy. Plus, God's about all kinds of things in it & I can't see what it all about & what it's all for, sometimes. I'm just proceeding in the direction I'm going & seeing the why's of it all when they present themselves when the rest of you see it, too.

who's responsible for this, anyway?

1 Corinthians 4:7 What makes you better than anyone else? What do you have that God hasn't given you? And if all you have is from God, why boast as though you have accomplished something on your own?

God's favor

1 Corinthians 3:1 Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn't talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in the Christian life. 2 I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren't ready for anything stronger. And you still aren't ready, 3 for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn't that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren't you living like people of the world? 4 When one of you says, "I am a follower of Paul," and another says, "I follow Apollos," aren't you acting just like people of the world?
5 After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God's servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. 6 I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. 7 It's not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What's important is that God makes the seed grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. 9 For we are both God's workers. And you are God's field. You are God's building.
10 Because of God's grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it.

I hope I've finally begun to learn & live the principle that God is the one who makes things come to fruit what we do.

I keep holding on to the truth that what's happening in House of Grace & what's beginning to happen with the Sunday Morning Gathering, & the direction things seem to be going w/ Christ Chapel Downtown & The Warehouse are all because of His favor & His workings, not mine.

And I hope that I'll understand that one day God will send someone to "build on the foundation I've laid" - iow, God will intentionally send someone to step in to take these various facets of ministry downtown to the next level. I hope I can be as fine with that season with these ministries as I'm trying to be with this present season.

our minds

1 Corinthians 2: 9b
"No eye has seen, no ear has heard,
and no mind has imagined
what God has prepared
for those who love him."

10 But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God's deep secrets.11 No one can know a person's thoughts except that person's own spirit, and no one can know God's thoughts except God's own Spirit.12 And we have received God's Spirit (not the world's spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.
13 When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit's words to explain spiritual truths.*14 But people who aren't spiritual can't receive these truths from God's Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can't understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.15 Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others.16 For,

"Who can know the LORD's thoughts?
Who knows enough to teach him?"

But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.