Excellent Equipping

 "But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me." -2 Corinthians 12:9


He will never give me more than I can handle, and will ALWAYS give me the grace for the moment.  That is a powerful Truth and something I have to daily remind myself of during times of pain, sickness, suffering or hurt.  Although I might feel like I can't handle it, or that it is just too much to bear, that isn't the case.  I have failed to draw upon the Lord's grace and strength in that moment.  I must rely on Him, trust Him, and believe that He WILL equip me perfectly for ALL things, good and bad.


It is amazing to me how much I take for granted, and it is in those moments of "weakness" that I am reminded of my ungrateful heart.  I presume upon the grace of God so often rather than letting my heart be overwhelmed with His goodness.  Being brought low, humbled, shifts my perspective and knocks sense back into me when I've lost it.  And as hard as it is in the moment, I am very thankful for those times, those valleys, because it is in those places that I am most satisfied in Him ALONE.


What I have to remind myself, in those times, daily, is that He WILL equip me to take the next step, not twenty more, or even two, just the one right in front of me.  For someone who is a planner and often thinks months in advance, this isn't something that comes natural or easy.  I have to force myself to take one day at a time and to trust that when I get to the next day, He will supply just the grace I need for that day, just like He has always done.  And when I think I can't take another step, I must stop and remember He is there, leading the way, never calling me where He won't equip.  


He equips us excellently, each and every day so that we might bring Him glory and praise and shine like lights in this dark world.  

How Do YOU Pursue Christ?

My dad sent me an interesting article yesterday about the creator of VeggieTales.  If you are like me, grew up in a Christian home, chances are you have watched a VeggieTale video or two.  And, I'm sure, like me, you enjoyed the playful characters and playful twists on classic Bible stories.  But what I failed to realize when I was a kid, and what the creator has acknowledged today is the neglect of the true Gospel in those films.  Instead of teaching children the power of the cross, they taught children good morals and values and even presented an idea that you yourself can change in your own strength.  


Here is what Phil Vischer said, "I looked back at the previous 10 years and realized I had spent 10 years trying to convince kids to behave Christianly without actually teaching them Christianity. And that was a pretty serious conviction. You can say, “Hey kids, be more forgiving because the Bible says so,” or “Hey kids, be more kind because the Bible says so!” But that isn’t Christianity, it’s morality. . . .

And that was such a huge shift for me from the American Christian ideal. We’re drinking a cocktail that’s a mix of the Protestant work ethic, the American dream, and the gospel. And we’ve intertwined them so completely that we can’t tell them apart anymore. Our gospel has become a gospel of following your dreams and being good so God will make all your dreams come true. It’s the Oprah god. So I had to peel that apart. I realized I’m not supposed to be pursuing impact, I’m supposed to be pursuing God. And when I pursue God I will have exactly as much impact as He wants me to have."

The problem is that this Christian morality isn't just being taught to our children but in our "solid" Bible-teaching churches as well.  An over emphasis on being "doers" of the Word, pursuing holiness, and working for the Lord.  Although all of these are evidences of TRUE salvation and necessary for the believer, they are in no way meritorious.  They don't make us more lovely in God's eyes and our failure to do them doesn't make us less.  We are seen as perfect and blameless before God BECAUSE of Christ and Him alone.  Our righteousness IS Christ.  That's it, period.  

Are we supposed to pursue holiness, absolutely, but NEVER in our own strength or as a way in which we are seeking to obtain some favor or blessing from the Lord.  Our pursuit should be in response to the work of Christ on the cross and the strength we need for it coming from the power of the Spirit alone.  When we rely on ourselves to achieve holiness, checking off the boxes etc., we find ourselves discouraged because we will ALWAYS fail.  We are NEVER out of the need of God's grace, no matter how "great" our day may have been, and NEVER outside of it even on days that in our eyes are epic failures.  

We need to be careful how we walk, and how we live.  What example are we setting for our children and the next generation?  Are we teaching them to pursue Christ by doing certain things? Becoming more moral (even though we would never say that)?  Or are we pursuing Christ passionately because of our love for Him-and in turn being strengthened by His Word and Spirit to pursue holiness and to be sanctified.  

Let us NEVER become legalistic in our hearts.  It is easy to cross that line, to forget why we are reading our Bible, why we are praying, why we are serving...go back to the cross, every day, again and again and again.  

Practically Glorifying God

Reflecting God's glory is something most Christians would say is on the top of their priority list.  Whether it's in their day to day activities or some monumental life decision, shining glory of Christ is their goal.  In both blissful times and trying times this can become difficult however; in a moment of utter "perfection" one might find themselves glorying in their own accomplishments or forgetting to thank God for His provision, and on the flip-side, when life is so hard one might not even know how they can get out of bed, glorifying God might not make it to the top of their to-do list that day.  Although in the back of our minds it is our aim, we forget to daily bring it to the forefront and seek to truly glorify Him in ALL we do.


1 Corinthians 10:31 commands that in WHATEVER they are doing, even down to the small tasks of eating and drinking, they are to do it to the glory of God.  If we can glorify God in our waking and in our eating, it must not be as complicated as we make it seem.  What does it even look like to glorify God on a daily basis you might ask?  I came across a blog from DesiringGod which gave some very practical ways that we as believers can make our aim a reality.  Below are just a few:

1. Believe that all legitimate work is holy or unholy before God based on our faith, not the nature of the work itself.

But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin (Romans 14:23).

That means that WHATEVER God has called you to do must be done out of FAITH!  Whether you are a mom, a firefighter, a pastor, a student...

2. Be prayerfully dependent upon God, pouring contempt on self-sufficiency.

Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 4:17)

Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain (Psalms 127:1).
Whether we acknowledge it or not, we are always dependent upon the Lord for EVERYTHING and we MUST find our strength and sufficiency to do all things through and in Him alone.

3. Grow in your skill-set, work hard, and strive for excellence.

Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men (Proverbs 22:29).

In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty (Proverbs 14:23).

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5:16).

This is HUGE! The way you work (whether outside of the home, in the home, or even at church) is a picture of Christ to the world.  Let it be one that brings Him ALL glory and honor and praise.

4. Exemplify love for your neighbor in how you interact with EVERYONE.

Let all that you do be done in love (1 Corinthians 16:14).

WWJD may sound trite, but remember it each time you are forced to deal with a co-worker who may be hard to work with, a family member that is hard to love, or a person who just rubs you the wrong way that day.

5. Speak the gospel.

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:20).

Whether it is to your children in the home, to your colleagues at work, or to the store clerk...make disciples!

6. Focus on the work you've been given.

Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty (Proverbs 28:19).


The grass IS NOT greener on the other side.  Strive for excellence in each task you have been given today and work to glorify Him where He has called you TODAY.

7. Speak words of grace.

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear (Ephesians 4:29)


The tongue is a reflection of the heart.  Watch your speech, is it God-honoring?

8. Rest in your justification by faith alone in Christ alone.

yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified (Galatians 2:16)

Preach the Gospel to yourself EVERY DAY!


Glorifying God is part of our enjoyment of Him.  The more we enjoy Him, the more we glorify Him and vice versa.  Let us be mindful of our aim, let our feet follow our words.