Trust in What?

"Some trust in and boast of chariots and some of horses, but we will trust in and boast of the name of the Lord our God."

- Psalm 20:7 (Amplified)

Where do we place our trust?

This question has been coming to mind a lot lately as my husband and I have been discussing God's direction for our lives.

It is an important one to ask because, ultimately, the answer will reveal where our heart is.

Life presents us with many things that we can choose to place our trust in. Jobs, homes, property, money. While we often do not make a conscious decision to place trust in these things, in the back of our minds we hold onto them as if those things will carry us through.

In reality, however, nothing in this life is ever certain.

I could get a call this morning that my house has burned to the ground and that my job is in jeopardy. All the money stored in the bank could dissolve overnight.

On a moments notice, it could all disappear.

There is only one thing that remains through blessing and through catastrophe: God.

Regardless of what I say or do, He will never change, never leave, never give up on me. And regardless of what happens in my life, He will always be there.

So why place my trust in things that are passing? And why make these things the cornerstone of my life? Why allow my possessions and my finances to dictate to me what is important and what is worth pursuing (or not)?

In Matthew 6:19-20, Christ instructs us to store up our treasures in heaven, not here on earth where it can be destroyed.

This indicates that we should place more value in doing God's will than we do in our personal possessions (for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also). And we should trust God will take care of us in the process.

When Christ sent His disciples out in Matthew 10, He instructed them to not bring silver or gold and to not carry an extra cloak. When He stated that a worker is worthy of His wage, He was making a statement that, if we do His will, He'll provide.

In the sermon on the mount, He tells us to not worry about what tomorrow brings. Why concern ourselves over what we will eat or what we will wear? God is greater than these things and He will care for those needs.

Are these things important? By the world's standards, acquiring wealth and material worth is the goal. By God's standards, the ultimate goal is to be like Him and to do what He wills.

That means that, as Christians, our trust should be in God, not in what we see in the physical world.

That means that we should do what He has ordained us to do - go forth and bring the gospel to others - and not fear the sacrifice.

Is the world a scary place? Yes, it is. But God is bigger than the world, bigger than all the treasure that it contains, and all the "security" the world offers cannot match the security we have in Him.

If our heart if for Christ, we will place our faith in Christ. And we will press on toward the prize with out fear of the journey.

A Life Like Christ

My husband and I have spent a lot of time recently contemplating what it means to be "Christ like" and what that involves in terms of reaching others.


After several long drives discussing Christ and His Word, we realized that Christ really was all about other people.


If one views the life of Christ, he will find that Christ rarely isolated Himself from others. Where ever He went, He was touching someone - usually those considered to be unworthy or unclean. He could not help but attract others to Him and had no desire to stop them from coming.

Yes, He was God incarnate. Based on that alone, people could not resist running to Him.

Still, it went beyond Christ being divine and extended to the heart of His example: that God loves His creation and longs to reach everyone with that love.

He showed compassion for the unsavory because He cared for them. He reached out to the broken because they were the ones who needed healing. He loved the unlovely because He saw past the exterior, that which is easily judged by man, and saw a hurting, lost soul that needed life.

As Christians, one of our ultimate goals is to reflect Christ in everything we do. We are taught to be as Christ-like as is humanly possible, yet it is so difficult when we consider the fact that we are human and, being such, we have to deal with some very human tendencies (e.g. judging others, closing ourselves off from other, etc.).

Nonetheless, we cannot use our humanity as an excuse to act in a way that is out of accordance with Christ's nature.

This means making ourselves available to touch other people; it means getting uncomfortable and stepping out; it really means reaching out to those that may not rank at the top of our list.

One way to do this is to ask God for His eyes and ears. If we can see and hear like Christ, we will be amazed at how much easier it is to be like Him. And we will be amazed at how our perspective changes.

Suddenly, we will find that people are more than their facades. We will discover the beauty and complexity of those we come in contact with and have a greater sensitivity toward them.

Suddenly, the world will not seem such a dark, scary place. Instead, it will become a place where the possibilities are endless and where our God's power to affect our circumstances and to affect change in the earth is limitless.

With that change in perspective, nothing can stop us from doing God's will.

I pray that God can do a greater work in me so that I can be more like Him. It is a fearful thing to ask for, because, with it, comes the requirement to do what He commands: reach others with His life. It challenges me at my very core to not be person who complains and judges, but to be someone who really loves the way that Christ loves.

My hope is that I will be able to meet that challenge and align myself to Christ's example.

Lord, make me more like you!

Facing Down Fears

Often in life we find ourselves being held captive by fear. We think of all the "what-ifs" in life, look at the place we are most comfortable, and choose to stay there rather than press toward the destiny of God.

The Israelites did this very thing when approaching the promised land. Instead of seeing a land flowing with milk and honey, most only saw the giants standing in their way. Their fear of those giants kept them from stepping into the providence of God.

And yet they were only steps away.

Of the twelve spies that scoped out the land, only two saw the potential and were willing to fight for it. I know many probably believe that Caleb and Joshua were super human and did not feel any apprehension when looking upon Jericho and all that it contained, but I believe that they were human and, as humans, they had a pit in their stomach thinking about the odds and all that could go wrong.

Still, they had faith to believe that God would help them overcome the obstacles and achieve victory. After all, why would He have promised so much only to see them fail? Nothing was going to stop them from walking into that destiny and nothing was going cause them settle for the wilderness.

Judging by the vast majority of Israelites who chose the wilderness over the other, settling is a very easy thing to do.

In one sense, the wilderness is comforting. It represents a safety net that we construct around ourselves to ensure that nothing ever touches us. It is familiar and does not require much from those that live within its confines.

But if nothing touches us, what are we touching?

If one binds something up, trying their best to keep it contained, the thing that is bound will never experience growth. In the same way, fear binds us and keeps us from growing. If we choose the wilderness, we are destined to die there; a very scary thought when one thinks about it long enough.

Fear is a giant, but like the giants of Jericho, it can be defeated.

I want to be like Joshua and Caleb and approach God's promises with bravery. I pray that I will not settle for comfort, but will press on in order to obtain the prize. After all, like all things in regards to Christ and my life as a Christian, it is not only about me.

Light in the Darkness

I came to a realization yesterday while worshipping at church.

I cannot remember what it is like to dwell in darkness without hope of one day seeing the light.

This occurred to me as I was watching one of my teenage brothers break down during the service. This boy, adopted by my parents last year, was on his knees, crying to God. I could see that, at the very depths of him, and despite his issues, there was a heart's cry for his savior. I could also see how, in his current condition, he struggles to see the light in the darkness.

It brought me back to my younger years. I never battled the types of things my brother has, yet I remember how dim my teenage years seemed. At that time, it seemed there was little hope of recovery from my fallen state. Life was in a constant state of tumult and the shroud of depression that followed it was oppressive.

I remember thinking that there was no end to the void in my soul. It was like standing in an unlit room and feeling that the darkness could go on forever. That sense of hopelessness frightened me.

Did I know that God loved me? I had an idea that He might, but I believed that He loved me less with every sin.

I was not raised in a church that promoted the idea of grace. In my mind, God's love was conditional, dependant on my good behavior. Despite my parents' effort to teach me otherwise, I adhered to what I was taught by church leaders: that God would only forgive me so many times before His grace ran out.

One can only imagine what that mindset can do to someone struggling to discover her self-worth.

I ended up hating myself and came very close to leaving my faith and hope behind. Thank God for never giving up on me, even after I gave up on myself.

It wasn't until July 31, 2000 that God brought me around. I still remember that night: I was at a youth camp in Germany, participating in one of the last church services of the camp. Aside from the desire to travel to another country and experience a different culture, I had gone to this camp with the hope of finding Christ again.

The first half of my time there had been amazing - my fire was being reignited by the second. I felt, once again, a strong call to the mission field and to ministry in general. But it wasn't until that night that I truly experienced the forgiveness and love of God. It also happened to be the first time that I experienced the life-changing power of the Holy Spirit.

I danced with abandon that night - it was just my savior and me, despite the hundreds of other youth in the room. God spoke to my spirit that His love toward me was unconditional and unending.

My life has never been the same.

While I have experienced moments of dryness and moments of desparation since that day, I always carry around the knowledge that God's grace extends to every situation and that, despite all appearances, there is always a light in the darkness.

That is why I struggle to remember what it was like to dwell in complete darkness. Looking at it from my current perspective, I can see the thread of hope that Christ wove through my deepest struggles. I can see how, by that thread, He kept me close enough to Him to want to overcome the despair.

How do I apply this to my life as I know it today? I keep things in perspective. When circumstances overwhelm, I look heavenward and trust that God is in control. I stand in that room and speak to the darkness: "there is light here." God's grace is carrying me through it all.

And, above all, I am learning that Christ has called me, as a Christian, to extend that light to those who currently cannot see it.

I want the Christ in me to reach out to those who are in need of hope and love. I want to share the grace given to me with those who really need it and, perhaps, show them that, in spite of their battles, Christ is there with His infinite love, waiting to catch them.

After all, Christ called us to be a city on a hill. And what good is a lamp if it is hidden?

Set Apart for What?

What is it that sets Christians apart from the world? Is it their righteousness? Is it the churches they attend or the people with whom they fellowship? Is it their callings or their giftings? Is it where and how they live?

Or is it the Christ in them?

And what does it mean to be set apart?

Too often, I hear people claim Christianity while isolating themselves from the world and judging those that do not live up to the supposed "Christian standard." I myself have done that countless times.

It is easier to cut myself off from the world and declare myself righteous and holy than it is to be in the world reaching out to others. But what makes me any different than the people outside of my bubble?

I sin daily. I struggle with pride. I don't always treat others with the love and respect that they deserve. I can be stubborn and unruly. I can get angry and vindictive. And I often feel justified in my wrong behavior. I am a reflection of the very thing I judge.

"You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things" Romans 2:1

The only difference between me and the world is the Christ that dwells within me and the grace and forgiveness I receive from Him daily.

While the reality of Christ's salvation sets me apart in one sense, the nature of Christ should compel me to be involved in the world around me.

Does this mean that I should partake in activities I know to be wrong? Not by any stretch of the imagination. What it means is that I allow God to position me in such a way that I am touching others with His life.

We cannot change the world unless we are in it. The world will not come to Christians - Christians have to be willing to go to it.

We have to recognize that the heart of God overflows with love for His creation. It may mean getting our hands dirty. It may mean forgiving people when it is most difficult. It may mean loving those that are hardest to love. It may mean lowering our expectations of people so that we can really reach them.

Christ has been challenging me personally in this area. He has been speaking to me to move beyond my own borders and prejudices and start connecting with people at the heart. My prayer is that I will be able to grow and meet this challenge daily so that other might come to Him.

Verse of the day:

Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings

1 Corinthians 9:19-23