My Motivation

I tend to be performance driven.  What I mean by that, is that I like to excel in anything and everything I do.  I like to do well, be the best, strive with excellence, whatever you want to call it.  In many ways, this has been a good thing, a gift the Lord has given me, and has enabled me to strive towards Him with excellence; but there is a dangerous downside as well.  My motivation for obedience towards Him can often be misaligned and off course.


The book of James teaches us about "doing" in the Christian life.  It is clear that genuine salvation produces good works.  When read within the context of the entire Bible, we know that we ARE NOT saved by these good works, but rather that good works spring forth from true life.  Throughout my Christian life I have struggled with the pursuit of holiness.  I have had times of increased growth in the fruits of the Spirit, success in my struggle against sin, and then there have been times when I have fallen flat on my face and found myself relating with Paul in Romans 7, wondering how I could do the very things I hate!  


I am no where near arriving in my spiritual growth, I have much to learn and by God's grace I am thankful for the continued process of sanctification in my life by the work of the Spirit.  But, by His grace, I have grown in the last 20 years in my walk with Him, and have found something to be so true, and yet often something I forget- My motivation for holiness, to put off sin, to pursue Christ, MUST come from the Gospel.  Jerry Bridges puts it well, ""The realization that my daily relationship with God is 

based on the infinite merit of Christ instead of on my own performance is a very freeing and joyous experience." 

We are never MORE or LESS accepted before the Holy God than the moment we are saved, because it isn't about us, it is ALL about Christ!  Bridges goes on to say, "But we cannot grow spiritually if we do not see our need to grow. And if our insecurity about our day-to-day relationship with god causes us to live in denial about our sin, we will not grow. This is one reason we still need the gospel every day. It helps us move from a performance relationship with god to one based on the sinless life and sin-bearing death of Jesus Christ. It daily reminds us that from god’s point of view, our relationship with Him is not based on how good or bad we’ve been but upon the perfect goodness and death of our lord Jesus Christ. Thus, the gospel frees us up to honestly face our sin, knowing that 

because of Christ’s death, god no longer counts that sin against us (see Romans 4:7-8). "  We must never forget the Gospel in our day to day lives, and as we pursue Christ we must go back to that Gospel to remind us of the transaction that took place on Calvary, motivating us to holiness.  

Don't get me wrong, I am not negating the fact that there must be work on our part, that we are responsible in our pursuit, rather I am sharing the fact that we MUST remember why we are working.  We must remember that we are dependently responsible, it is the Spirit who enables and empowers us to pursue that holiness.  We must cling to the precious promises of Scripture and believe that He who began that good work in us WILL complete it.  Our disciplines must be motivated for our love for Christ, we must be dependent on the Spirit in order to continue our putting off of sin and putting on of godliness, and we must remind ourselves daily that we are never doing this to be more accepted by the Father.  

There is an old hymn that puts this well, that reminds me of why I should be motivated to love and serve my King, I will end with it:

1. The Comforter abides within,
   Since I am sanctified;
   He cleanseth all my heart from sin,
   Since I am sanctified.
   The blood by faith now reaches me,
   In soul and body I am free,
   And now I’ve constant victory,
   Since I am sanctified.
2. The Comforter is all I need,
   Since I am sanctified;
   I’ve nothing but His grace to plead,
   Since I am sanctified.
   He guides me in the truth and right,
   He helps me conquer in the fight,
   His service is my heart’s delight,
   Since I am sanctified.
3. The Comforter is life and peace,
   Since I am sanctified;
   His grace and glory do increase,
   Since I am sanctified.
   My heart with rapture overflows,
   My life on earth much sweeter grows,
   And in me dwells no hind’ring foes,
   Since I am sanctified.
4. The Comforter is life complete,
   Since I am sanctified;
   In His rich favor I’m replete,
   Since I am sanctified.
   I’m never lonely, tired with care,
   For He, a present help, is there,
   And all my burdens He doth bear,
   Since I am sanctified.

Talking

"When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, But he who restrains his lips is wise." -Proverbs 10:19

I like to talk, anyone that knows me will tell you that.  I love snuggling up on the couch and talking with my husband about anything and everything; I enjoy sipping a cup of coffee and talking about the precious Truth of God's Word with a good friend; and the silly conversations I get to share with the 18 month old I watch bring a smile to my heart just thinking about them.  Talking is a blessing, and for it I am so thankful.  And conversation, words, can be good and meaningful; but...there is danger in the midst of it all.

Any believer, in fact most any person will tell you that they have said something they wish they hadn't.  In a moment of heightened emotion, frustration, or hurt, words came out that you wished you could have sucked back in.  And on the flip side, most any person will tell you that they have been hurt by words from others at some point or another as well.  And despite the forgiveness that has been given, on all accounts, the memory doesn't disappear.  Words are powerful, undeniably so.  This is a sobering Truth.  James talks about the power of the tongue in his New Testament letter and likens it to a "fire" and a "restless evil".  Its power is frightening.  

And the excuses we make for the mistaken words we have said are shaming to say the least, emotional or not, there is never an excuse for an idle word, a slanderous comment, or a gossip to a brother.  The verse above provides some wise counsel for all of us, simply put, the more we speak, the more apt we are to sin.  

I will be the first to admit that I fail in this area.  My tongue has gotten me in to trouble more than once.  There have been moments in my life when I would have given anything to take back words I said.  I have felt shame and pain because of the lack of wisdom in which I spoke.  But, God in His grace, has continued to teach me the Truth of His Word and sanctify me in this area.  Let me encourage you with three things I have found helpful in my pursuit of using my tongue for the glory of God alone.

Think Before You Speak - This sounds simple enough, but when you think about it, how many times have you said something hastily, in emotion, and wished you hadn't?  We must train our mouths.  We must submit our mouths to the authority of the Spirit, and evaluate why we are speaking, what we are saying, and the benefit for the hearer.  God's glory is at stake, let that be your motivation to pause and choose your words wisely.

Respond Don't React- This is one area I consistently have to work on.  In a moment of frustration, hurt, or confusion, it is easy to react out of emotion, fear, or frustration; but instead we must train our mouths to respond rightly.  We must filter our responses through the Word of God and what would bring Him the most glory and the most good to the one we are talking to.  We must patiently forebear, and endure, in order to respond rightly and not react wrongly.

If In Doubt, Don't Say It- If you question whether or not you should be speaking about a certain thing, don't.  That most often is the Spirit's conviction to keep quiet.  Jesus said, "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks."  The tongue is the revealer of the heart.

Talking is a blessing and we should cherish the gift we've been given.  But we must continually remember words can bring life or death, and choose to glorify God in what comes forth from our mouths.

6 Months, 6 Lessons

6 months ago we said "I do" and couldn't wait to spend my life with an incredible man, and 6 months later, I am all the more excited for what God has in store for us as "one".  In the past 6 months I have learned many things, not only about my husband, but about myself and the Lord.  And I thought it only fitting to share 6, since it's been 6 months, in hopes that I might encourage you.

I am dependent upon Jesus for EVERYTHING- For some reason I have the tendency to think I have everything together, that I got it covered...I guess it is the type-A personality, or the perfectionist in me.  The Lord has continually reminded me throughout life that I am dependent upon Him for all things, and even more so in marriage.  I NEED Him to strengthen me every day in order to love Him first, to love my husband more than myself, and to live a life worthy of the Gospel.

The genuineness of "I LOVE YOU"- Those three simple words, so precious, so simple, yet so profound.  I am humbled by them, encouraged by them, and in need of hearing and saying them over and over again.  We hear those words thrown out all throughout the day, on TV, amongst friends, and often times, there is no genuineness behind the words.  Reflecting on the weight of the words, and what I mean when I say those words, makes me cherish the love I have with my husband more and more each and every day.

How selfish I really am- This is one of many areas in my life that have become all the more evident.  I always knew I was selfish, but being married, lets you see it in a whole new light.  The Lord has been gracious to continue sanctifying me in this area, and I am eager to see how He refines me in the next 6 months or even 6 years.  This goes back to point number one, how dependent upon the Lord I am, and in need of His grace and strength each day.


The precious gift of time- Time flies, that's for sure.  I remember being little and thinking it took FOREVER for my birthday to come, or for the Saturday that we'd go to Disneyland, or for Christmas.  And then, the older I got, the more and more I wanted time to slow down.  I found myself blinking months away, and wondering how I ended up graduated from college so quickly.  That is just the way time is.  In the past 6 months I have realized more than ever how much I cherish the time I have with my husband, every minute matters.  I am so thankful for the first six months the Lord has given us and I am eager to see what's next.  I pray that I will always value the time I have been given, with my husband, and in life in general, and maximize it for the glory of God and the good of others.


Sharing a Bed is a blessing- Despite the elbowing, the rolling, the stealing of the covers, and the adjustments we have had to get used to sleeping in the same bed, I love falling asleep to and waking up next to my best friend.  It truly is such a treasured blessing I don't think will ever get old.


It's a FIGHT not a fairytale- This pretty much sums up everything.  The first 6 months of our marriage have been "bliss".  When people ask me how I like being married, a huge smile crosses my face and I think about just how wonderful it is.  But, despite how amazing it is, I know that it is not a fairytale.  God is using our marriage as a tool to refine the both of us, to make us fall more in love with Him, and to picture the Gospel to a fallen world.  Being "one" allows us now to fight together, a battle that is not new to either of us.  We have to fight for Christ to be our constant focus, we have to fight to be in the Word together daily, we have to fight to spend time in focused prayer together daily, we have to fight to selflessly serve the other, we have to fight to guard our tongue, we have to fight to protect our marriage...all in the strength of the Spirit and all by the grace of the Lord.

So...6 months down, and I couldn't be more thankful for the man God has blessed me with.  I love being married, because I am married to Keith.  I praise the Lord for all He has done in the last 6 months and cannot wait to see what He has in store next!

Resolved

He was privileged from birth, intelligent beyond his years, and from the world's perspective "had everything going for him"; and yet his eternity was bleak, black, and frightening.  Raised in a pastor's home, he was no stranger to God, the Bible, and everything that came along with it.  And yet the hardness of his heart left him rejecting a sovereign God, the only one who could save Him.


BUT GOD, in His glorious sovereignly designed plan, had just begun with the young man.  His plans for Him were far greater than the world expected, plans that would forever change His eternal destiny.


At 18, after attending Yale and graduating at the top of his class, Edwards came across the following:


"Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen." (1 Timothy 1:17)


As he meditated upon the words, they were new and fresh, despite having heard them before.  He describes this moment, "As I read the words, there came into my soul, and was as it were diffused through it, a sense of the glory of the Divine Being; a new sense, quite different from any thing I ever experienced before… I thought with myself, how excellent a Being that was, and how happy I should be, if I might enjoy that God, and be rapt up to him in heaven; and be as it were swallowed up in him for ever!" And in that moment, the power of God transferred the young man from death to true life, forever changed by the power of God's grace in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.


From that moment on, everything changed.  His heart had been exchanged and now beat for the One and only King.  His desires were purposed after the glory of God alone.  His passion was the Jesus who had saved His soul.  His devotion was to the precious Truth found in the Word of God.  


At 19, he pondered what He might do as He pursued Christ, what would spiritually benefit Him the most; it was then that he penned the first 21 of his "resolutions". Resolutions, not for the new year, but for his new life.  Resolutions that would shape the way in which he walked, talked, thought...lived.  Resolutions that he would read over and over again, begging for the Spirit's enablement to carry them out.  Resolutions that would not only change his life, but generations to come.  Here are just a few:


1. Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God’s glory, and my own good, profit and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriad’s of ages hence. Resolved to do whatever I think to be my duty and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved to do this, whatever difficulties I meet with, how many and how great soever.


4. Resolved, never to do any manner of thing, whether in soul or body, less or more, but what tends to the glory of God; nor be, nor suffer it, if I can avoid it.

5. Resolved, never to lose one moment of time; but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can.

7. Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if it were the 

last hour of my life.

8. Resolved, to act, in all respects, both speaking and doing, as if nobody had been so vile as I, and as if I had committed the same sins, or had the same infirmities or failings as others; and that I will let the knowledge of their failings promote nothing but shame in myself, and prove only an occasion of my confessing my own sins and misery to God.

9. Resolved, to think much on all occasions of my own dying, and of the common circumstances which attend death.

Jonathan Edwards resolved to live a life radically different, for the glory of God.  His life is one I admire more than most men and women that have ever lived on this earth.  The passion and purity of His faith, at such a young age, is encouraging and convicting, yet SO motivating. 

For whatever reason we too make resolutions at the beginning of a new year.  We sit down and evaluate our life and determine what we want to change.  For the Christian, we have the sweet promise that we don't need a new year to change, because His mercies are new every DAY.  But, there is still something about the new year that gives us more drive and desire to make things better.  We may have silly resolutions that in the grand scheme of life really don't matter, and quite frankly that we probably won't even keep for more than a month.  But the question begs, do we make resolutions that really matter?  Are we like the young Jonathan Edwards, who was so in awe of the God He served, that he was burdened to strive with all excellence to live in a way that glorified Him.  Do we evaluate how we can do this, practically and prayerfully?  Are our resolutions profitable, eternally?  

May we evaluate our life based on the one thing that truly matters, eternity, and resolve as Edwards did, practically and purposefully, to do ALL things for the glory of our God.  In the end, what our life story says is all that will matter!