Quote from Forum Archives on July 28, 2000, 3:19 pm

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

I write to many of you because I know that you have been through
difficult relationships. By now, you know that I have also been
through difficult relationships. You know, even my relationship
with God could be considered "a difficult relationship", but in
the case of God, it is also a very good relationship, the very
best, in fact. Yet it is never easy.

I don't see anything in scripture that suggests that our
relationship with God or our lives will be easy. There is only
one scripture that I can think of, offhand, that even alludes to
anything being easy. That is the one where Jesus says to allow
Him to carry our burdens (actually, Peter tells us the same
thing). Jesus says that "my yoke is easy and my burden is
light", consistent with prophesies about Him.

I really think that we are called to be God's people, not the
other way around. Because we get it backwards, to me, that is
really what causes a lot of the confusion and problems. The
other thing I see is that we all like to get our own way. I'll
admit that; sure, I like to have my own way.

But as I grow up and mature, I see, more and more, that there is
no promise that life is fair, nor is there a promise that life is
always lovely. There is a promise that God loves each one of us
deeply and completely, will never leave or forsake any of us,
providing we seek Him. If we choose not to seek Him, there is no
forcing, no pressure, but the Word does say that there are
consequences for every choice that we make.

I have seen many consequences of my choices, even as someone who
claims to know and love God. I have still made PLENTY of bad
choices. "Can I get a witness?" I think so. In spite of it
all, I am still completely loved and fully forgiven. To me, that
is very good news. It helps me to realize the errors of my ways,
and to begin to seek God's purpose instead of my own.

Oswald Chambers writes about this, so I offer this as our Word
for Today, as we enter into another weekend in God's Creation. I
hope you have a wonderful weekend, and find time for God, giving
Him thanks for all things.

Brother Brian

July 28

God's Purpose or Mine?

"He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the
other side..." (Mark 6:45).

We tend to think that if Jesus Christ compels us to do something
and we are obedient to Him, He will lead us to great success. We
should never have the thought that our dreams of success are
God's purpose for us. In fact, His purpose may be exactly the
opposite. We have the idea that God is leading us toward a
particular end or a desired goal, but He is not. The question of
whether or not we arrive at a particular goal is of little
importance, and reaching it becomes merely an episode along the
way. What we see as only the process of reaching a particular
end, God sees as the goal itself.

What is my vision of God's purpose for me? Whatever it may be,
His purpose is for me to depend on Him and on His power now. If I
can stay calm, faithful, and unconfused while in the middle of
the turmoil of life, the goal of the purpose of God is being
accomplished in me. God is not working toward a particular finish
-- His purpose is the process itself. What He desires for me is
that I see "Him walking on the sea" with no shore, no success,
nor goal in sight, but simply having the absolute certainty that
everything is all right because I see "Him walking on the sea"
(6:49). It is the process, not the outcome, that is glorifying to
God.

God's training is for now, not later. His purpose is for this
very minute, not for sometime in the future. We have nothing to
do with what will follow our obedience, and we are wrong to
concern ourselves with it. What people call preparation, God sees
as the goal itself.

God's purpose is to enable me to see that He can walk on the
storms of my life right now. If we have a further goal in mind,
we are not paying enough attention to the present time. However,
if we realize that moment-by-moment obedience is the goal, then
each moment as it comes is precious.

=====
--
Brian Masinick, "The Mas", mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: www.geocities.com/masinick/
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