#AlexandriaMiracola

[walkthesame]

May we be like Him (#wtsdevo prayer)

Luke 22:31-32 - “‘Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.’”

This story is often told: Peter’s admission of devotion and Jesus’ reply that Peter, full of good intentions as he was, would deny the One he loved, but I believe it’s important that we don’t forget the words that come before.

“‘Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.’”

But I have prayed for you…

Jesus knew what was coming. He knew that Peter meant well, but understood that his good intentions would fall through. Jesus knew the hurt that would come, the sting of rejection He would feel at each word of denial that fell from Peter’s fearful lips.

But rather than retreat from Peter, He drew closer and He prayed.

When we pray for those who have hurt us or might hurt us again, we shine a bit of Jesus’ light into this world.

Jesus knew that Peter’s denial would surely come.

All the same, Jesus loved.

All the same, Jesus prayed.

May we be like Him. Amen and amen (so be it).

_________________________________________

Devotional Series: Prayer (#wtsdevo prayer)

By: Alexandria // Personal // Walk the Same

[walkthesame]

Ministry of our Time (#wtsdevo service)

“After this, Jesus and His disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where He spent some time with them, and baptized.” -  John 3:22

Often, we buy into the lie that service has to be something big, grand and noticeable. But listen to what Jesus is doing here. Up to this point, Jesus has called His disciples, changed water into wine and begun to teach truth. His next step, though, is not to immediately perform another miracle.

Instead, He leads them to the countryside and does nothing more than simply spend time with each of them. This was not about grand gestures; this was about helping them to see their worth in His eyes. Jesus wanted nothing more than to be with them.

More often, this is what service should be: a ministry of our time, where we lay down our schedules and to-do lists, look each other in the eye and make it unshakably certain to the person right in front of us that they are more important and more worthy of our time than any recognition or checklist.

_________________________________________

Devotional Series: Service (#wtsdevo service)

By: Alexandria // Personal // Walk the Same

[walkthesame]

Sold out Servants (#wtsdevo service)

Psalm 90:17  - “May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us – yes, establish the work of our hands.”

So often, our idea of service gets whittled down until it’s about little more than checking something off our lists. Psalm 90, though, draws us lovingly back to the heart of service.

This psalm is a prayer of Moses and notice he has nothing to say about his or his people’s own works. Instead, they were all about being sold-out servants for God, completely captivated by sharing His glory with others.

Service wasn’t about what they did; it was about following God’s lead and making His name known.

Somewhere down the line, service became about what we can do or achieve, rather than about surrendering to what God wants to do in and through us.

But read these words along with me:

“May Your deeds be shown to Your servants, Your splendor to Your children. May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us – yes, establish the work of our hands” (v. 16-17) [emphasis added].

Don’t those words breathe truth and contentment into your heart and settle your spirit in the best of ways?

They remind us that true service happens when we take our eyes off of ourselves and fix them on what Jesus wants to do through us.

They encourage us to lay down our own plans and turn away from our own strength.

And the more we surrender – the more we lean into God and trust Him with both the journey and the outcome – the more our idea of service changes.

Over time, we’re captivated by the privilege of making His Name known.

We’re no longer thinking of checking something off our list; instead, we’re eagerly expecting to experience the heart of God in new ways and longing to share it with others.

And, maybe without us fully realizing it, God has worked another beautiful transformation because when we think about service, the question we’re asking has changed from, “What can I do?” to “What do You want to do through me, God?”

_________________________________________

Devotional Series: Service (#wtsdevo service)

By: Alexandria // Personal // Walk the Same

[walkthesame]

Where Abundance Dwells (#wtsdevo abundance)

Scripture: Jeremiah 15:16

Abundance, I think, is one of our souls’ deepest longings and one of the sweetest gifts God has extended to us. He gave us this longing so that we would be drawn to Him in reverence and wonder and joy, but, as so often happens, the enemy – that thief and destroyer – has taken abundance and twisted the truth of what it is.

So, instead of longing for abundance and finding ourselves satisfied in Jesus, we claw after abundance like it’s something we have to steal. We forget that abundance is a gift from God – something to receive – and at the end of the day, surrounded by possessions and people and achievements, we wonder why we still ache to be filled.

It’s time for us to ask Jesus to help us lean into Him and restore what’s been stolen.

When we do, He is faithful to remind us that true abundance is never found in waiting with hands held out, ready to snatch whatever happens to come along. True abundance is resting in anticipation of the One Who gave us this beautiful longing in the first place.

Jesus is abundance and our longing for abundance is really our souls thirsting for Him, but our hearts have to be softened to receive Him. This is why I was led to Jeremiah 15:16. These words describe so perfectly the attitude of heart we need to receive abundance.

This verse calls us to wait in expectation: “When Your Words came.” Not “if Your Words come” or “if You show up,” but when. God is so overwhelmingly faithful and we have to learn to trust that, but notice that this isn’t the end of our role.

“When Your Words came, I ate them.” This is the act of receiving what’s been given, of accepting that it’s not our job to earn abundance. In our own strength, we’re not able to, but that’s the beauty of Who God is: He fills us up and meets every need.

Once we’ve come to this space of admitting our need and receiving all of Who God is, Scripture shows that our love response is what brings God joy. “They were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear Your Name, Lord God Almighty.”

This is where abundance dwells. Here, in this place where our lack becomes an opportunity for God to enter in.

Where we stop searching for things or people to fill us up because we’ve found delight in Jesus.

Where our hearts are made full by God’s abundance and this becomes our cry: “The world and all that is in it will never be enough! My soul’s only and most wonderful satisfaction is You.”

_________________________________________

Devotional Series: Abundance (#wtsdevo abundance)

By: Alexandria // Personal // Walk the Same

[walkthesame]

An Act of Surrender (#wtsdevo prayer)

Jeremiah 24:12 - “You did not do it with your own sword or bow.”

 Prayer is an acknowledgment of Who God is.

So often, the things of this world clog our awareness of Him and then our desire to cling to control comes in and stunts it even further.

But prayer is an abandonment of the idea that we can somehow manage this on our own.

Prayer is the fuel that reignites our reliance on Jesus and sets our souls aflame.

Prayer is an admission that it will never be our strength that gets things done. (Zechariah 4:6).

Prayer is a rejection of our own solutions and all the alternative paths this world tries to offer us.

Prayer is an act of surrender – a laying down of arms – that confesses simply, “I can’t, but You can.”

_________________________________________

Devotional Series: Abundance (#wtsdevo abundance)

By: Alexandria // Personal // Walk the Same

[walkthesame]

Unseen & Eternal (#wtsdevo abundance)

“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” -  2 Corinthians 4:17-18

This verse reminds me that God’s abundance always lightens the load and eases our burdens, even when our circumstances don’t instantly change. I thought long and hard about whose story in Scripture really captures the truth of God’s abundance and, gradually, God led me to Joshua.

The book of Joshua begins with this good word from God: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (1:9). Throughout Joshua, we see that he lived this command out, but how did he get to the place where he could see circumstances clearly for what they were, yet be such a powerful example of fixing our eyes on what is unseen?

To understand Joshua’s journey, God led me back to Deuteronomy 31. Joshua’s story begins as Moses’ time with the Israelites is ending, but God uses Moses powerfully to plant seeds of faith in Joshua before his time to lead came. See, Joshua 1:9 was not the first time God commanded Joshua to be strong and courageous. Growing that character in Joshua would take quiet preparation and God knew that well, so He purposefully shares this command with Joshua twice in Deuteronomy 31.

The first time, it is God speaking to Joshua through Moses, saying, “Be strong and courageous…. The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you” (v. 7-8). God allows this truth to soak in and then reaffirms His Word when, in verse 23, God Himself speaks directly to Joshua: “The Lord gave this command to Joshua son of Nun: ‘Be strong and courageous, for you will bring the Israelites into the land I promised on oath, and I myself will be with you.”

Notice that each time God gives this command to Joshua, a promise is tucked away inside His words. He doesn’t tell Joshua, “Go and figure this out for yourself and, oh, while you’re at it, make sure you’re strong and courageous.” Instead, He promises His Presence and abundance. “I myself will be with you.” Joshua wasn’t required to figure everything out for himself because the Lord was going before him to prepare the way. God was equipping and enabling the one he called. Joshua was prepared for what was ahead because he had God’s sure promise of abundance and provision.

Now, even with this promise, it would have been so simple for Joshua to be terrified at what they would face in all the unknowns of the Promised Land. Consider Joshua 6, when he and his men are facing Jericho, a city that seems impenetrable and unconquerable and yet, God promised to deliver it into their hands (v.2). He commanded them to march around the city and He promised that, on the seventh day, when their trumpets sounded and they shouted aloud to Him, those impenetrable walls would fall.

And they did. God came through in His abundance, as He always does. Joshua trusted that God would. He and his men faced that walled city, but those walls – the obstacles in front of them – weren’t what they saw. Those words spoken by God in Deuteronomy had done their good work; they had altered Joshua’s vision and changed everything. Because of God’s Word, Joshua and his men saw God’s Presence in front of that city. They understood their circumstance, but they fixed their eyes on God’s abundance because they knew that what is unseen is real and eternal.

Hundreds of years before 2 Corinthians was written, Joshua and his men lived it out.

Now, it’s our turn.

_________________________________________

Devotional Series: Abundance (#wtsdevo abundance)

By: Alexandria // Personal // Walk the Same

[walkthesame]

Just like Me (#wtsdevo forgiveness)

“Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God.” -  John 1:12

Forgiveness is something we cling to and ask for when we know we’ve done wrong. Forgiveness is also something we tend to withhold. I know that tendency to withhold very well. I have been shut out and abandoned and been a slave to bitterness. I have seen the pain someone inflicted on my family member and hated.

Though I clung to those feelings and insisted that I must be justified in them, somewhere down the line, God loosened my hold on them and helped me begin to see clearly for the first time. Lovingly and firmly, He helped me to look honestly at some of the times that I have judged, inflicted pain and given up on someone as a lost cause.

And then Truth smacked into me.

Not once – not even at my very worst – has God ever labeled me hopeless.

Forgiveness is not about us.

Forgiveness is about the truth that we have done nothing to deserve it, but God gives it anyway because He loves us so tenderly and passionately.

Forgiveness is about looking past our own hurt and feelings, looking them in the eye and saying, “Yes, you have hurt me, but you are a child of the King and you need forgiveness, just like me.”

_________________________________________

Devotional Series: Forgiveness (#wtsdevo forgiveness)

By: Alexandria // Personal // Walk the Same

[walkthesame]

Sinking Ships (#wtsdevo truth)

“Simon answered, ‘Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because You say so, I will let down the nets.’” -  Luke 5:5

A back-breaking night of fruitless labor is now over. James, John and Peter have just spent the night trying desperately to catch fish and their nets have come back empty. When at last the sun rises over the water, they think to themselves, “Finally, we can leave this miserable night of failure behind us.”

But Jesus has something different in mind.

He sees the three men washing their nets, resigned to defeat and He makes a simple request: that Peter take Him out in the boat just a little ways from shore. Peter must have been a little puzzled and maybe a little reluctant to return to the boat he just spent several hours of defeat in, but he fulfills Jesus’ request all the same.

For a while, he listens to Jesus teach and then, completely unexpectedly, the spotlight falls on him. Jesus is speaking directly to him.

“Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch” (v. 4), Jesus says.

You can catch the hesitancy in Peter’s reply: “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything.”

I’m so tired.

We’ve spent hours in this boat already.

These are the same empty waters and I am the same tired fisherman.

Please don’t make me go through this again.

But some hope must have clung to Peter, some suspicion that everything had changed the moment Jesus stepped into his boat because his next words are, “But because You say so, I will let down the nets.”

Peter didn’t let the expectation of failure have the final say.

Though Peter couldn’t possibly have anticipated all the richness and joy and challenge of the coming years with Jesus, he followed Jesus’ command all the same, took a deep breath and let the nets fall. The result of this surrender is stunning.

The nets began to break they were so full of fish. Another boat came to help and both boats became so full that they began to sink. Jesus’ joy must have been wonderful to see as He watched awareness dawn on Peter.

“Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man,” Peter cries, but Jesus does the exact opposite. He tells Peter, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” He invited Peter to be a part of God’s plan and share this new life with others.

Failure wanted to hold Peter back from a life of knowing and loving Jesus.

Truth wanted Peter to step into this abundance.

Failure wants you and I to believe that there’s no point in getting back into the boat.

But Truth reminds us of the beauty of sinking ships, weighed down and revived by the grace and blessing God gives as we surrender to Him.

“So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed Him.” - Luke 5:11

_________________________________________

Devotional Series: Truth (#wtsdevo truth)

By: Alexandria // Personal // Walk the Same

[walkthesame]

Trouble or Truimph (#wtsdevo truth)

“Now there was no water for the community, & the people gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron. They quarreled with Moses & said, ‘If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the Lord! Why did you bring the Lord’s community into this wilderness, that we & our livestock should die here? Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!’” -  Numbers 20:2-5

Distractions come to distort truth from every side. Satan wants us limited, forgetful; resentful that things aren’t happening in our own time or way and hyper-aware of what we believe is our lack. More than anything, though, the enemy wants us with heels dug in and hearts bent on proving our indignation justified.

In Numbers 20, the Israelites are deeply entrenched in this attitude of entitlement and complaint and, little as I like to admit it, their words are a reflection of my own heart at times. But to truly understand the scope of what the Israelites are saying here, we need to rewind to Numbers 16.

Picture this with me: a man named Korah, one of the Levites, who has decided that the portion God gave him and his people is not enough. He confronts Aaron and Moses, accusing them of pride and demanding more for himself. But it’s not just him; Korah has succeeded in riling up countless others, who now add the clamor of their cries to his selfish protest.

Despite their distress at this division, Moses and Aaron leave this in God’s hands. They are directed to take the leaders’ staffs, including Aaron’s and Korah’s, and whichever staff God causes to bud will make plain who He has chosen to serve as priest.

But, of course, Aaron was already handpicked by God. His staff is the one blooming the next morning. Korah is left with a bare staff and the unsatisfied desire for more. Verse 33 shows us the terrible result: “They went down alive into the realm of the dead, with everything they owned; the earth closed over them, & they perished….”

An eternity of craving, surrounded by the material possessions they coveted, a continual reminder that their need for more would always be present, but never satisfied.

And this is the reality the Israelites said would have been better than walking with God’s Presence alongside them through the wilderness. This is the fate they angrily insisted they would have preferred.

I want to make sure we understand the weight of what they’re saying. The Israelites were angry because they didn’t have water in the wilderness. They were impatient and their impatience became anger and Satan used that anger to create a sense of entitlement that completely blinded them to this truth: although they didn’t have the water yet, God was sure to provide it, just as He had faithfully provided food, water & shelter all this time.

But they were so disillusioned by their complaint that they desired to die like those under God’s wrath. The desire for more consumed them so much they argued that an eternity of separation from God would be better than having His very Presence with them in the wilderness.

When I think about the enormity of what the Israelites are saying, I realize how drastically truth is being distorted here and my heart breaks for them. But then I wonder how far my own heart has travelled down this same road. How often have I forsaken God’s Presence and provision in favor of something that seems more immediate and secure?

Asking these hard questions, though, reveals something new. The Israelites made their choice, but God planted their story in Scripture with a purpose in mind: to break through the cloud of deceit that the enemy is creating around us and replace it with the unshakeable truth that God has given us the opportunity to choose differently.

To cling to truth instead of living in deception’s heavy shadow.

To remember that God’s Presence is enough, regardless of circumstance.

To trust that, even when we don’t receive something in the time or manner we think we should, God always has the very best plan in mind.

To choose to turn our focus away from our troubles and receive the triumph we have in Jesus.

_________________________________________

Devotional Series: Truth (#wtsdevo truth)

By: Alexandria // Personal // Walk the Same

[walkthesame]

Grace Givers (#wtsdevo grace)

“Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’” -  Luke 23:34

Grace is such a good thing for us to be talking about right before Easter because it settles our hearts and our focus on the grace Jesus gave. The more we understand God’s grace, the better able we are to reflect it to the world. So, let’s walk through the moments leading up to Jesus’ death because – painful and uncomfortable as it is – if we want to really grasp grace, we have to understand the reality of what Jesus suffered so that He could extend it to us. Walk through this with me.

Jesus has just been deemed worthy of crucifixion by the crowd and Pilate has “surrendered Jesus to their will” (Luke 23:25). The guards haul Jesus away to be beaten, but before they follow Pilate’s orders, they stop to throw a robe of royalty on Jesus and then jam a crown of thorns into His head.

They spit on Him and bow down in mockery and pride and then they take Jesus and beat Him mercilessly to the point of exposing bone and organs. When it must have been nearly impossible for Jesus to stand, they force Him to carry the cross all the way to Calvary and then, one by one, they hammer the nails and leave Jesus to slowly die on the cross. Below Him, the crowd mocks Jesus, shouting for Him to save Himself if He really is the Son of God.

As they saw Him hanging there, the Pharisees, the elders and the teachers of the law – all those who wanted Jesus dead – must have thought, “Surely, we have Him now, He’ll show His true colors and prove us right.” I can’t imagine what they must have felt when the first words that fell from Jesus’ lips were these:

“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

These words are for us, but they are also for the people who schemed to kill Him. These words are for the crowd that shouted for His crucifixion and rejoiced when they were granted their request. These words are for the soldiers who piled humiliation on Him before beating Him to the point of death. These words are for the people who watched as He stumbled carrying the cross. These words are for the men who hammered the nails and raised the cross. These words are for the people who saw Jesus hanging there and felt pride.

They caused Him impossible pain. They did not ask for forgiveness. They did not expect grace and, despite all He had suffered at their hands, Jesus extended both to them anyway. Now, let’s think about the people in our lives who have hurt us, humiliated us and caused us pain. They may not seek forgiveness; they may not even understand they’ve done wrong, but Jesus shows us that’s not the point.

One of my favorite songs by Tenth Avenue North is called “Losing” and there’s a line in that song that stops me in my tracks every time I hear it: “We think pain is owed apology, then it will stop; truth be told, it doesn’t matter if they’re sorry or not. Freedom comes when we surrender to the sound of mercy and Your grace.”

Jesus freely offered grace without an apology on their lips or remorse in their hearts, but the Pharisees and the people in the crowd were not looking for forgiveness. They did not expect to receive grace and I think, deep down, most of us feel the same way.

But let’s challenge this sad expectation and replace it with something new.

Let’s love like Jesus loved.

Let’s be grace-givers in a world that expects grace to be withheld.

_________________________________________

Devotional Series: Grace (#wtsdevo grace)

By: Alexandria // Personal // Walk the Same

[walkthesame]

So you don’t Forget (#wtsdevo grace)

“Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” -  2 Corinthians 12:8-9

Many, many times, this heart of mine has cried out to God, pleading with Him to take this pain from me. I’ve shook my head adamantly, insisting that I don’t care what good could come from this – it hurts too much now and I don’t want it. I have ached and cried: why, why does this pain have to be mine?

Paul ached like this, too; the same question fell from his lips and our sweet Savior’s answer to him and to me and to you – every single time – is this:

So you remember that this battle isn’t yours, it’s Mine.

So you remember that weakness becomes strength in Me.

So you don’t miss out on the fullness of My good plan for you in favor of something easier and man-made.

So you remember that My power is more than enough and that nothing is too difficult for Me.

So you don’t forget how to receive grace.

So you don’t forget Me, dear one. So you don’t forget.

_________________________________________

Devotional Series: Grace (#wtsdevo grace)

By: Alexandria // Personal // Walk the Same

[walkthesame]

Pursuing Gratitude (#wtsdevo gratitude)

“Be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly]; thank God in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you who are in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will].” -  1 Thessalonians 5:17-18

There are days when gratitude feels impossible, days when I just want to scream, “How, God? How can You expect me to be grateful in circumstances like this?” During those moments, these words from 1 Thessalonians tend to fall on a hard heart because when circumstances aren’t what I’d like, the last thing I want to think about in the midst of my resentment and anger is being thankful.

But nothing in God’s Word is an accident, so I don’t believe it’s a coincidence that right before we’re called to be thankful, we’re called to pray. Prayers are words exchanged right from our hearts to God’s. It’s an opportunity to take a break – a rest with God – from all the troubles of the day and pour out to Him.

And our good God, being Who He is, gives us peace, reassurance and a reminder of His faithfulness every time we speak to Him. As we start to experience that kind of deep connection with God, we start to crave it more and, before we know it, we’re bringing more and more things to God in prayer – not just problems, but praises, too!

It starts to become clear that the whole time we’ve been pursuing a connection with God through prayer, something beautiful has been set in motion: over time, our attention has shifted away from our troubles and poor circumstances and towards a stunning awareness of His Presence in those trials. That awareness brings our focus back to truth.

Even in the midst of the most unimaginably painful experiences, God is right there in the thick of it with us. He is walking beside us. His Spirit is alive inside of us and the undeniable power of these truths alone is enough to fill each and every heart on this earth with the kind of gratitude that overwhelms.

But God doesn’t stop there; the Source of all our gratitude seeps into every corner of our heart until we are able to see God in both the best and worst of circumstances and still be thankful. But that gratitude will never come without action on our part and that’s why I believe the phrasing of these verses is so intentional.

God knew, when His Word was penned so long ago, that every single one of us would need the reminder that we can’t pull off gratitude on our own. We need God’s help to experience and express gratitude, but we also need willingness. Gratitude is not something that will arrive neatly packaged on our doorstep with a bright, beautiful bow. Gratitude is something we’re called to actively pursue and this is where prayer comes in.

That persevering connection with God is how He enables us to see all people and all circumstances through His eyes, through a lens of gratitude. These verses close by saying that always giving thanks is God’s will for us in Christ Jesus and here’s why: He never intended for us to live consumed by our problems or our fears; He created us to live grateful for the God Who overcame them all.

_________________________________________

Devotional Series: Gratitude (#wtsdevo gratitude)

By: Alexandria // Personal // Walk the Same

[walkthesame]

Remembering God (#wtsdevo gratitude)

“I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry.” -  Psalm 40:1

It’s easy to lose sight of why this thing called gratitude matters or how it’s even possible. Even on my good days, I need reminders of this almost constantly and my heart finds its necessary refuge in the psalms David wrote.

David’s response, even in the worst of circumstances, goes far beyond how I usually think of gratitude. His response isn’t just a simple “thank you,” forgotten two seconds later; it is undiluted, completely pure praise. I can remember circumstances from my past or struggles I’m going through now and I know full well how difficult it is for me to be grateful – let alone praise God – in the midst of them.

But David, regardless of what he was going through, remained grateful and I think I understand how. When we read the next few verses of Psalm 40, we see that David remembered God’s promises. He remembered that, even when the worst came, God promised to turn to him and hear his cry, to lift him out of the pit, out of the mud and mire.

He remembered that God promised to set his feet on a rock and give him a firm place to stand. He remembered that God would put a new song in his mouth, a hymn of praise to his God. He remembered that God would enable him, and many others, to see and live in awe of the Lord and put their trust in Him alone.

But David didn’t just remember God’s promises. He remembered the faithful God Who is behind each one.

_________________________________________

Devotional Series: Gratitude (#wtsdevo gratitude)

By: Alexandria // Personal // Walk the Same

[walkthesame]

Worthy of our Praise (#wtsdevo humility)

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven.” -  Matthew 5:16

Holy Spirit, where is my light shining? Who is it pointing other people to?

           As we finish up talking about humility, this is what I’m asking myself and the honest answer isn’t always pretty. Sometimes, I do good things because I’m motivated by that craving to have other people’s acknowledgment or approval. In the past, this has been easy for me to justify – wanting people to like you and think that you’re a good person seems innocent enough, right? But with that mindset, my heart cry betrays a desperate need for reassurance that I am enough. The truth is, I’m not.

           But God is and this truth is reorienting my heart and changing both where my light is shining and Who it is illuminating. This light we’ve been given by the Holy Spirit allows us to abandon the craving for approval and self-reliance and firmly plant our hope and trust in Jesus. With this kind of abandonment, we can go through life doing good deeds and loving on others, not to puff ourselves up, but to make God look great.

           The need is no longer to gain people’s attention; instead, our desire is for our lives and actions to point to Jesus and glorify God. I think that this is the heart of humility: casting off our egos and insecurities, pursuing God with all our strength and believing – wholeheartedly – that we don’t need to be enough because He is. Then our light points right where it’s meant to. Then people will see our good deeds, but instead of acknowledging us, their praise will be given to the only One Who is worthy of it.

_________________________________________

Devotional Series: Humility (#wtsdevo humility)

By: Alexandria // Personal // Walk the Same

[walkthesame]

Little Steps of Big Faith (#wtsdevo goodstarts)

“Noah did everything just as God commanded him.” -  Genesis 6:22

            It’s tempting to put together a list of all the things that need to fall into place before we can have a good start. I easily slip into this when it comes to my own dreams and plans. It feels so much safer if all our materials and opportunities are carefully catalogued before we contemplate stepping into a God-sized assignment.

           But Noah did not slip into this mindset when God called him to step into what seemed an impossible task and I’m challenged by Noah’s response. In Genesis 6, God commands Noah to build the ark, giving him all of the details on how this ark was to be built. The ark needed to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high; the perfect size to keep safe the people and animals who would enter it.

           I can hear the flood of questions that would have spilled from my own lips in this situation: “How is this possible, God? When will I find the time? Build an ark that size – me and what army?”

           Noah’s response, in comparison, is simple, but so powerful. The first thing Scripture says is, “Noah did everything just as God commanded him” (Genesis 6:22). Noah didn’t question how this was possible or demand that the details be made clearer to him. God had given him the first step of the process and Noah faithfully followed and obeyed where God led him.

           He trusted that, when the time came, God would reveal the next step and that’s exactly what God does in Genesis 7-9, as He leads Noah, his family and the animals safely through the flood and then out into the newly dry earth. One step at a time, God led Noah through the whole process and Noah trusted that that was more than enough. Noah understood that he only needed to follow through on the very next step and that God was faithful to reveal the rest in time.

           See, when it comes to good starts, it’s not so much about having every step of the plan laid out for us. When we trust that God is faithful to lead us through in His time – no matter how impossible the task appears – and we ourselves faithfully follow Him, there’s nothing holding us back.

           It’s just a matter of beginning.

_________________________________________

Devotional Series: Good Starts (#wtsdevo goodstarts)

By: Alexandria // Personal // Walk the Same