By Faith

"It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going." - Hebrews 11:8

"The journey of the man who would become know as Abraham is a paradigm of all authentic faith. His is a movement into obscurity, into the undefined, into ambiguity, and not into some predetermined, clearly delineated plan for the future. Each future determination, each next step discloses itself only out of a discernment of the influence of God in the present moment. The reality of life for Christian men and women requires that they leave what is nailed down, obvious, and secure, and walk into the desert without rational explanations to justify their decision or guarantee their future. Why? Solely and simple because God signals this movement and offers it His promise... For contemporary Christians, there is an essential difference between belief and faith. Our religious beliefs are the visible expression of our faith, our personal commitment to the person of Jesus.- Brennen Manning (The Signature of Jesus)

As i was reading this I couldn't help but think of my dear friend Ashley Leir. If you know her you would know in less than a week she will be moving across the country. Leaving all that she knows and entering into what Brennen Manning calls "His promise". If you know Ashley you would also know how incrediable she is! Her love and passion for Jesus is infectious, she's always the life of a party, and has a heart as big as my booty ;) Ashley, I love you! Thank you for always putting a smile of my face and being someone who inspires me to love Jesus more! You have been an amazing friend!!!

Taking the active step in faith we all are on the journey to what God is promising us. We may not see it right away. We all need to believe (to be established) that what God has for us is greater than anything we can do or someone else can do for us. If you are in the darkest valley, the driest desert, or on the highest mountain top let God be the one leading you. Have faith that He is your strength and joy. Where He is taking you will be worth the hard times.

"But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence." Jeremiah 17:7

My ocean and me

 

I think I figured it out... We need to be together, Like the shore and the sea.  We are not one thing... We're drawn here together My ocean and me.- Jon Foreman

God is my ocean... His waves crash over me. I need Him... if He wasn't there I'd have no purpose... I'd just be dried up sand thirsting for water to come and fulfill my dreams. 

JOY

"So the ransomed of the LORD shall return, And come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness; sorrow and sighing shall flee away." - Isaiah 51:11

...mmm so good...

 I decided to spontaneously  write today... not knowing what but knowing I have stuff that needs to come out of me. So naturally not knowing what I was going to talk about I decided to play the "what are You saying God?' game... we all have done it... you know the one where you close your eyes open your Bible to a random page and then point.  So I read what was under my finger in hopes I would find a bit a wisdom and encouragement...

I find myself asking the question what is true joy?...

the opposite of sorrow... a treasure... a fruit of the Spirit... a character trait... a gift... a choice. 

I'll be honest sometimes I feel like joy is something I try to have instead of something I'm reaping. But then I'm reminded that we were the joy set before Jesus as He hung on the cross... How can this be? As He was paying for us who were the RANSOMED because of our sin... we were still His joy. 

So I guess what Im saying is... wherever you are... if you don't exactly feel the joy... know that if you don't know pain you will never fully understand how great the true joy is. We all walk through seasons of pain, heartbreak, and loss. Jesus did... but joy was His strength, so no matter what let joy be yours even if it seems far away. Believe that it is God making a way in you to go deeper to experience Him in greater measure.