He is "the fairest among 10,000"

Good morning!

Sometimes I have to wonder why I get to be so blessed! I have struggled along pitifully at many stages in my life, but right now, I feel like I'm more than blessed than I can cope with!  Last night, we had a small group meeting in my home, and I found myself thinking, "Wow, we've been meeting for over a year and I feel so safe, loved and at home with the ladies in my group, plus the Word becomes so much more real to me as we study it together." I think, "How can this be happening to me?! It's the first small group I've attended, I'm the co-leader and it is so rewarding. Why me?!"

I'm also grateful for this blog. I struggle to see the need for yet another blog, but when I first stumbled across Sean Neblett's page, Lofty Studios, I felt moved to create a chronicle of my own journeying with God.  Since I started, I've barely posted - like, less than once bimonthly!  One of my main struggles was that I felt like I needed to have something really extra special to write - plus the time to edit it to perfection.  But just a few days ago I was invited to join a Bible-reading accountability group on facebook. After a few days of writing a few lines each day about what I'd read and learned, I realised that I could blog in exactly the same way.  So... if my posts are grammatically strange, painfully long or somehow else strange... well, yeah :-)  I'm particularly grateful, because I so much wanted to post more often and I feel like God made it doable!

I'm feeling blessed to have a super techie husband who stayed up last night to get this new template working, too.  (If you like it, feel free to comment, so that I can pass on the thanks to him! ;-)

And lastly... I am so blessed TODAY by an unexpected early wake up and an awesome time of discovery in 1 Corinthians 4. But more about in my longer post that below.

Talk soon... be blessed!

P.s seriously, His love is way better than anything else life could ever offer!

Here are some lessons gathered from 1 Cor 4!

• The paradox of ministry:  a pastor is a slave (the most insignificant person). But he is a slave of Christ, whose work is to caretake the hidden treasures of God (which is the most significant work).
• It doesn’t matter what people think of you – whether they love you or hate you, praise you or criticize you, because as servant of God, he is the only one who can determine how good your work is – even you can’t!  So don’t set your heart on the approval of your teachers, employers or friends.  Seek God’s approval.  (v 3 – 5)
• Don’t compare yourselves with people around you and get a big head.  Any abilities you – or they – have were gifts from God.  Remember it’s not all you and be humble about it!  God had a reason he gifted you in the way he did and you can be sure it wasn’t for you to feel superior!  (v 7)
• Don’t envy, criticize or pedestal the ministry.  Ministers suffer scrutiny, mockery, criticism, want: of all people they are judged most harshly.  Instead of admiring or criticizing the minister, as far as you can see they are honouring God, take them as a role model.  Watch their godly lives and take it as a challenge to pursue God and godliness more yourself! (8 - 16)
• God’s kingdom isn’t established or composed of pious words, elegant prayers or dynamic sermons. It is a matter of Holy Spirit power.  If you want to be a true witness for God, don’t imagine you’ve done your job by sharing a few well chosen words.  Be all for God yourself, let the Holy Spirit lead you into empowered living.  Then you will show the world that there really is something to Christianity – that it’s not just talk! (v 18 - 20)  

Father, thank you for the reminder of where all the power and ability comes from, and where I can go to find the approval my heart longs for - all You!! Please fill me with your Holy Spirit. I want to be a true witness. I want the world to know how incredible You are. And even though I know I'm so selfish, so rude, so wrong.. I know that You can do in through me.  Please go ahead.  Do whatever you want to in my life.  I completely adore you and I fully trust you. You love is better than life!

It sure was hard to get up THIS morning! I think I'm suffering from yesterday's early start.  I slept through my 5:30 alarm and just half whispered a desperate prayer of, "Please don't let me sleep for too much longer, Father!"  He is so good. At 6:30 I managed to be awake enough to open my eyes and turn on the touch lamp.  I woke up praying, "Please help me to wake up! I'm so tired, but help me!!" 

Anyway... I was in 1 Cor 2 this morning. I learned sooo much. I'll TRY to condense it! :-)

• Jealousy, bickering, fighting and pride are evidences of spiritual immaturity. Seek to grow beyond them. Don’t hold on to them, give them to God as so much trash that needs removing. (v 1 - 3)  
• Don’t have favourite ministers, or praise up people. They are simply co-workers with God. HE is the real star of the show! (v 5 - 9)
• Don’t chase after a coveted spot in ministry that is judged as most important (i.e I want to be a great evangelist or such). Be content to fill whatever place God has assigned you. We are just God's field-hands.  (v 5 - 9)
• Keep Jesus at the center of everything – there is no other valid foundation. HE IS IT.  (v 10 - 11)
• Take care of your body and your mind. Treat them with care and respect - remembering that you are God’s house. He lives in you. You are a holy place, the house that bears his name.  (v 16 - 17) 
• Don’t pay too much attention to world experts to find guidance for any area of your life. God is the true source of wisdom. Don’t read so many self-help books. Take your problems to God instead! He will actually change you from the inside.  (v 18 - 20)
• Live in the richness of the called life. Remember that everything is at your feet and at your fingertips – life, death, the universe, today, eternity… so don’t get caught up in the triviality of life. You are an heiress! (v 21 - 23)

What a morning! I struggled to get up at 4:30 after a crazy evening... tried to get to bed around 8:30 so that I could plan on a 3:30 morning, to finish a late assignment, but just as I finally drifted off to sleep around 9:30, this bright light flashed in my room. It happened three times in a row. I finally worked out it was my touch lamp - after being totally spooked out! But God is sooo good. I adjusted my rising time to 4:30 and prayed myself awake this morning - ie. "Father, please help me to wake up... I feel so bad... please don't let me go back to sleep...!" :-) I am now just about to start working on my assignment, but WOW, I've had the most incredible time with God.

My passage today was 1 Corinthians 2. I read it aloud twice, listened to it in the Message and then worked through it verse by verse, underlining and making notes. The whole chapter is a fascinatingly crafted argument, but the last verse just hit me over the head:

The thought from the quoted passage is "What a crazy idea! No one knows can penetrate into God's mind or ever correct Him!" and yet... we not only know the mind of the Lord, we HAVE it!! (remembering that Christ IS the Lord - Lk 2:11)

I still can't get over this...! it seems like a shocking thought. Do we believe that we've been given the mind of God? What riches! It makes all my stressing and worrying seem soooo inappropriate and unnecessary. How dare I worry? Why would I ever fear anything or anyone? Why would I worry about human expectations or understandings, when God is offering to open to my mind His viewpoint, His understanding - an understanding and wisdom that has no equal and can never be rightly criticized or corrected. All mine....??! WOW!