Oh, the bravery of God in trusting us! Do you say, “But He has been unwise to choose me, because there is nothing good in me and I have no value”? That is exactly why He chose you. As long as you think that you are of value to Him He cannot choose you, because you have purposes of your own to serve. But if you will allow Him to take you to the end of your own self-sufficiency, then He can choose you to go with Him “to Jerusalem” ( Luke 18:31 ). And that will mean the fulfillment of purposes which He does not discuss with you.

We tend to say that because a person has natural ability, he will make a good Christian. It is not a matter of our equipment, but a matter of our poverty; not of what we bring with us, but of what God puts into us; not a matter of natural virtues, of strength of character, of knowledge, or of experience— all of that is of no avail in this concern. The only thing of value is being taken into the compelling purpose of God and being made His friends (see 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 ). God’s friendship is with people who know their poverty. He can accomplish nothing with the person who thinks that he is of use to God. As Christians we are not here for our own purpose at all— we are here for the purpose of God, and the two are not the same. We do not know what God’s compelling purpose is, but whatever happens, we must maintain our relationship with Him. We must never allow anything to damage our relationship with God, but if something does damage it, we must take the time to make it right again. The most important aspect of Christianity is not the work we do, but the relationship we maintain and the surrounding influence and qualities produced by that relationship. That is all God asks us to give our attention to, and it is the one thing that is continually under attack.

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Journal Entry for Today-JDV

August 4, 2010

So the day after I wallow around in self doubt and guilt about not measuring up to and for God, Oswald Chambers writes about how our natural poverty is essential for God to use us. What looks like triumph for the enemy turns into victory in Jesus. The cross was such a victory.

And God says…”My ways are not your ways. I do not ask for blind trust, but I cannot show you my ways because you cannot comprehend. I can show you and give you MY love, and grace and power and all the fruits of the Spirit that are not naturally yours. I can show you the natural wonder of the earth and universe. And I can change you from the inside out. But I cannot show you the reasons why or the next steps or even the works I will do through you. You will not comprehend.

I can leverage your failures and your successes, which are even more difficult to navigate. Trust and obey, stay connected and look back over the days, months and years and you will see the change.

Stay connected to Me through Jesus Christ and know that nothing can separate you from the love of God…….not even you.

The greatest thing for us to remember is that we go up to Jerusalem to fulfill God’s purpose, not our own. In the natural life our ambitions are our own, but in the Christian life we have no goals of our own. We talk so much today about our decisions for Christ, our determination to be Christians, and our decisions for this and that, but in the New Testament the only aspect that is brought out is the compelling purpose of God. “You did not choose Me, but I chose you . . .” ( John 15:16 ).

We are not taken into a conscious agreement with God’s purpose— we are taken into God’s purpose with no awareness of it at all. We have no idea what God’s goal may be; as we continue, His purpose becomes even more and more vague. God’s aim appears to have missed the mark, because we are too nearsighted to see the target at which He is aiming.At the beginning of the Christian life, we have our own ideas as to what God’s purpose is. We say, “God means for me to go over there,” and, “God has called me to do this special work.” We do what we think is right, and yet the compelling purpose of God remains upon us. The work we do is of no account when compared with the compelling purpose of God. It is simply the scaffolding surrounding His work and His plan. “He took the twelve aside . . .” ( Luke 18:31 ). God takes us aside all the time. We have not yet understood all there is to know of the compelling purpose of God.

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Journal Entry for Today-JDV

August 3, 2010

And I wake up with the awareness that God may have chosen me, but I am not worthy of being chosen.  I do not “measure up”.

And God says…”Of course you do not “measure up.” Only Jesus measures up. Your failures are reminders that you are to allow Him to live through you. When you do this I can lead, guide and direct you. Allow Jesus to live through you and I can use you for My purposes.

Your role is not to understand MY purposes, and certainly NOT to try and anticipate them. Simply stay connected and I can…..and will use you.

The typical view of the Christian life is that it means being delivered from all adversity. But it actually means being delivered in adversity, which is something very different. “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling . . .” ( Psalm 91:1,10 )— the place where you are at one with God.

If you are a child of God, you will certainly encounter adversities, but Jesus says you should not be surprised when they come. “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” He is saying, “There is nothing for you to fear.” The same people who refused to talk about their adversities before they were saved often complain and worry after being born again because they have the wrong idea of what it means to live the life of a saint.

God does not give us overcoming life— He gives us life as we overcome. The strain of life is what builds our strength. If there is no strain, there will be no strength. Are you asking God to give you life, liberty, and joy? He cannot, unless you are willing to accept the strain. And once you face the strain, you will immediately get the strength. Overcome your own timidity and take the first step. Then God will give you nourishment— “To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life . . .” (Revelation 2:7 ). If you completely give of yourself physically, you become exhausted. But when you give of yourself spiritually, you get more strength. God never gives us strength for tomorrow, or for the next hour, but only for the strain of the moment. Our temptation is to face adversities from the standpoint of our own common sense. But a saint can “be of good cheer” even when seemingly defeated by adversities, because victory is absurdly impossible to everyone, except God.

Journal Entry for today-JDV

August 2, 2010

When I look at my circumstances I am often overwhelmed and concerned. I fight through the anxiety and fear and realize I simply  need to trust God and allow Jesus to live through me. But try as I might, I still hold onto the fear and concern, all the while praying for God to take those fears and concerns from me. ..But then he shows me that He does not take them from me, He simply provides the courage to live through them.

In fact I now see that He does not provide me the courage, He is the courage and peace. I simply need to allow Him to live through me, all the while providing the courage and peace needed.

My pain and confusion are not gone….but the faith and trust Jesus provides overcomes the fear, confusion, and pain. Once I take His yoke, mine is gone.

And God says…” You will face trials and troubles in this world. Accept this. And accept the fact that I will always meet you at the very point of your need. Wherever you are, in trials and difficult times, look for me. For that is where we meet most often….at the point of your trials.

I will never leave or forsake you. I am your God. Acknowledge Me in all your ways and I will make your paths straight.

DJR Journal

Thank you Lord for all the good things and the times that I remember them and to be thankful.   I am amazed at your grace, and thankful for it.    My brother and I have different pains.   We see that our growth needs are different.    I am grateful for your blessings and grace.    Many things are just “no problem” for me.    But of course that leaves the ones that are.   Specifically the chronic ones that dont seem to change after 40 years of struggle.  What’s the best thing for me to do?

You could read about the heroes of the faith.   That’s the reason I put them in the book.   None of them had perfect lives, as you would define perfect.   Many had life long trials and seemingly untimely ends or certainly what the health, wealth and prosperity bunch would expect.     But I loved them and worked with them and they with me and now they are with me perfectly.    See how perfectly you can walk with me on your side of eternity.   It will bring your problems into context.   And they are more likely solved when you hold them that way than when you fret over them.

Good advice,   thanks.