A new year is here, ever too quickly if you ask me! It's great, though, to start off fresh again and see what God has in store! As always, God is continuing to work in my life and He humbles me by His greatness each day. I finished my certificate in Biblical Studies and I am now taking a minimum of one year off of school. During this time, I plan on just stepping back and growing in the Lord. I desire for my prayer life to expand, Bible-reading to get deeper, and meditation and memorization to get deeper. I want to have an eternal perspective every day and I want to rid myself of worldly entertainment, values, and thought processes. I'm making God the foundation in my life and then building on top of that.
Also during this time, I want to pray to God for His guidance and leading as I follow Him in His plan for me. Regarding education and academics, I'm not certain where to go with that. I don't want to waste time, efforts, and money on school without a vision. I want to be in full-time ministry, I just don't know where. It's frustrating to know, but not know at the same time. Oswald Chambers talks about working for the Lord and what that should look like. He says it's not about working for God as it is being loyal to Him and allowing Him to work through you. That perspective really opened my eyes about ministry. So right now, I'm not trying to find ways to work for Him, but instead growing in my walk with Him and letting Him work through me. Let me just say, He has opened opportunities to minister to people (saved and unsaved) because of this. It helps me to greatly rely on His strength and provision instead of my own.
I get tired of wanting and desiring to be dedicated in my walk with the Lord without actually doing anything about it. I want my faith to really change my life and my actions. I and others have seen this happen recently, so I desire to pursue that and keep it up, still growing in and relying on the Lord Himself. The moment I take my walk into my own hands (power and strength) is to abandon my total dependence on God.
Right now I'm memorizing Psalm 63:1-8. I'm memorizing and meditating on a verse a day and then putting them together as a whole. I'm making this passage my prayer and cry to God every morning. After all, He should and must be everything to believers! As for me, I'm making Him my everything!
"O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; my soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory. Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips will praise You. So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth offers praises with joyful lips. When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches, for You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy. My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me." Psalm 63:1-8
Great post Zeth. I don't think you can waste time, money, or effort on academics. God may put you in a class to learn something you won't need for 10 years, to build a relationship, or for some other unknown reason. Education is always a good thing. Just read a few lines in Proverbs and that will be clear.
ReplyDeleteI have also struggled with doing more for the Lord. Prior to 2012, I knew I needed to be doing more but I wasn't. Last year I jumped head first and it's been great. I've done some things I've beeb called to do and others out of necessity (which might be a way God used to call me), but I think the important thing is to actually start doing it. I know I have a ways to go, but I've felt much closer to God by finally doing something.
God rewards us according to what we have done (Matthew 16:27 and multiple cross references http://bible.cc/matthew/16-27.htm). Keep up the great work and don't worry so much about what you're doing as much as that you're doing something!