Change is a Process...

You know the phrase: "Please be patient; God's not finished with me yet."

It usually gets pulled out and applied at moments when we feel we've really messed up or at times when we are painfully aware of our weakness and inadequacy. But it is not simply something to say in an awkward situation - it is a hopeful declaration.

I don't know about you, but I am EXTREMELY grateful that we have such a patient and gracious God - He NEVER gives up on us when we sin, miss the mark, disappoint Him, ourselves and others, or make any number of mistakes.

Because of Christ, when we accept His sacrifice for us on the cross and surrender our lives to Him, God the Father now sees us not as flawed human beings, but as precious children clothed in the righteousness of His Son, and He is constantly working in and through us to change us so that we reflect the image of Jesus and bring glory and praise to Himself.

But make no mistake...this is a PROCESS, and one that continues day after day, hour after hour, minute after minute.

I think of the beautiful allegory "Hinds' Feet on High Places" by Hannah Hurnard ... the Shepherd had promised Much-Afraid to bring her to the high places, to perfect her and to fulfil the deepest yearnings of her soul. But every time on the journey where the path seemed to lead away from the goal, Much-Afraid lost sight of the Shepherd's love and faithfulness and fell captive to her fear again. Then she would call out to the Shepherd and He would come immediately and patiently remind her that He would keep His promise. He asked her if she would she trust Him even though it didn't make sense? And then she would build an altar and make a sacrifice, picking up a stone to carry with her as a reminder of the lesson she had learned. It was only at the end of the journey that the stones were turned into precious jewels for a crown, and that she was ready to receive what the Shepherd had promised.

How like Much-Afraid I am sometimes! And how wonderfully patient and gracious is our Good Shepherd - He meets us right where we are at and, though He may discipline us to bring us to the point of surrender, He never condemns us for our weakness, but rather reminds us of His strength. Then He picks us up and sets us back on the path He has chosen for us, the path that will transform us and conform us to His perfect will.

I have been doing some soul-searching lately and have recognized some things in my heart and my life that need to be changed. I have been fighting a battle with my flesh and through Christ I know I will gain the victory, even though I'm not quite there yet. And today I had to face once again certain areas of weakness that affect my ability to effectively serve others.

It is not comfortable, but recognizing our failings and weaknesses is the starting point to move forward, to grow and change. I write this with tears in my eyes, but my heart is also hopeful because I know that God will never let go of me. As long as I seek Him, He will guide me and He will take me through the valleys when He knows there is a lesson there I need to learn, and I will eventually come out on the other side.

A little chorus we sang often when I was a child says this:

"Little by little, every day; little by little in every way,

my Jesus is changing me, He's changing me.

Since I made a turn-about face, I've been walking in His grace, my Jesus is changing me.

He lives in me - God's Holy Spirit - I'm not the same person that I used to be.

Sometimes it's slow going,

but there's a knowing that one day like Him I will be."

When we're in the midst of a refining fire, it's not pleasant. But God has promised to "take away our heart of stone and give us a new heart, a heart of flesh." He has promised to "complete the good work He started in us" until the day we come face to face with Jesus. And He has promised that we will find Him "when we seek Him with all our hearts."

I echo the words of the apostle Paul in Philippians 3: "...not that I have already achieved all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on towards the goal to take hold of the prize for which Christ Jesus took hold of me."

It's NOT easy to be still and wait for God.
It's NOT easy to admit when I'm wrong and to face my weaknesses.
It's NOT easy to face the reality that God's plan is not only different from, but better than my own.

But it's ALWAYS good and, if the desire of my heart is truly to please Him and to become more like Him every day, then it's WORTH IT!

And it's not going to happen because of my goals or my determination to succeed, but only as I humble myself before my LORD and allow Him to continue the process of refining me. And when my life brings forth fruit, ALL the praise and honour goes to Him.

WITH EYES TO SEE

The apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 1:17-19 --

"I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe."

I am so thankful that God has enlightened my spiritual eyes -- not only at the time when I acknowledged my need for salvation, but also in my journey of sanctification, to be made more and more like Jesus as I grow in my understanding of who God wants me to be.


I realized this anew during the past week and I would like to recount this for you -- to publicly acknowledge God's work in my life and to hopefully be an encouragement to someone else.


It was a Sunday afternoon and I had just had a slightly angry disagreement with someone who was close to me. I felt hurt and inside I wanted to demand an apology. The other person sat only a couple feet away from me, but looked away and did not say anything. I sat there in the silence, trying desperately to hold back the tears so that it would not be noticeable how upset I was. I tried to rationalize in my mind why it was unfair and why he needed to make it right with me, and it was quite some time before my mind and my heart were quieted and I could hear the voice of my Lord speaking to me.


The Lord revealed to me that it was my heart attitude that was all wrong. It was not my place to have such expectations of another person, and that really it was a small matter of disagreement -- nothing to cause such a rift over. I was convicted, and I quietly confessed my sin to the Lord and received sweet peace.


I realized that if I had spoken all the rash and angry words that I felt inside instead of holding my tongue, if I had demanded that he bow to my felt needs and expectations, and if I had not allowed myself to feel the pain of my self-centeredness and to learn to be quiet and still, I would have missed out on what God wanted to do in my heart.


I am thankful for the disagreement and the disappointment of not being in agreement with someone I love because it has taught me an even greater lesson -- that true love does not demand that another person live up to my expectations and respond the way I want them to, but accepts that person for who he/she is (1 Corinthians 13). Also, that I must be honest with myself and recognize that I sometimes have a selfish heart that needs to learn to submit and be molded by the One who loved me enough to die for me -- in the midst of my sin.


I am not perfect and I know that I will probably have to learn this lesson again, but for now I am thankful for the blessing to see God's hand at work in my life and for the reminder of His promise to faithfully complete the good work He started in me (Ephesians 1:6).

MEDITATIONS ON THE PSALMS - Psalm 19

In my daily Bible reading, I have found such delight in meditating on the daily Psalm and discovering the treasures I sometimes fail to see when I simply read it through, especially if it is familiar to me. And since it is such a treasure, I want to share it with others.

PSALM 19
I have always loved this Psalm, but as I read it the other day, I began to appreciate it in a new way. This Psalm in particular clearly shows the connection between who God is and what our response to Him should be.

~ God's Majesty ~
"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork."
We should never cease to be amazed by what we see in the world around us and in the minute glimpses we get of the universe, because this is one very tangible way in which God shows us what He is like. Even verses 4-6 express a revelation of God; as the sun's "rising is from one end of heaven, and its circuit to the other end; and there is nothing hidden from its heat," so also God's realm encompasses all and nothing is hidden from His sight.

~ God's Righteousness ~
"The law of the Lord is perfect...the testimony of the Lord is sure...the statutes of the Lord are right...the commandment of the Lord is pure...the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether..."
Six declarations are made in this section about the laws and statutes that God has given to His people and the psalmist proclaims that they "convert the soul, make wise the simple, bring rejoicing to the heart, enlighten the eyes," that they are to be desired "more than gold" and that "in keeping them there is great reward." Since we know that God has revealed Himself not only in creation but also through His laws, we should rejoice in that and respond in obedience.

~ My Response ~
"Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from my hidden faults."
The appropriate response to a God of such majesty, holiness and righteousness is a response of humility and a willingness to let Him change my heart. As I recognize and admit that I am sinful and ask Him to cleanse me and reveal my sin, my prayer becomes this: that "the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer."

A Woman of Wise Speech

I spent this past Friday evening and Saturday at the Northwest Women of Grace mini-conference here in Thunder Bay, and it was a refreshing, encouraging and challenging time.

The theme was "Becoming a Woman of Wise Speech", which is always a timely and appropriate area to focus on, especially as women, since conversation is such a huge part of our lives. The key verse was Proverbs 25:11 "A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver."

I was struck by the number of verses in Proverbs that address the way we speak and the areas in which we need to be changed to reflect the character and qualities that God wants to see in us and that will be of benefit to others around us.

Something else that stuck with me is a quote that was shared by our speaker, Janet Surette: "I am the master of the words I have not spoken and a slave to the words I should not have said."

Lord, may I allow You to guide my words so that I need not be ashamed or burdened by words that I ought  not to have said. There is so much in Your Word that teaches me in this area...

As Psalm 139:23-24 says, I need to allow God to "search me and know my heart," to "test my and know my thoughts; to see if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting." If I daily am willing to allow God to change my heart, then what flows out of the abundance of my heart will be pleasing and good.

James 1:19a says that "everyone should be quick to listen and slow to speak." This is an area where I need continual growth since I like to talk, and another quote that was shared that impacted me was "Seek not to be interesting, but to be interested." If I am truly interested in the other person rather than what I can say, then I will be more prone to listen and talk less.

Proverbs 15:28a says, "The heart of the righteous ponders how to to answer..." I need to think about a) what I would say before I say it, b) how to say it, and c) when I should say it.

Colossians 4:6 says to "let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person."

As Proverbs 22:17-18 says, I need to "incline [my] ear and hear the words of the wise, and apply [my] mind to [His] knowledge..." This will bring pleasing results in my interactions with others. I need to ask God for wisdom (James 1:5) and study and apply His Word to my life.

Ephesians 4:29 says "Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up, according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."

Lord, please help me to choose to characterize people by the good in them rather than the negative; to praise them to others; to focus on the good and to verbally encourage others.