"Dying That I May Live"
Matthew 4:6-10 (New Life Version)
6The devil said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. It is written, 'He has told His angels to look after You. In their hands they will hold You up. Then Your foot will not hit against a stone.'" (Psalm 91:11-12) 7Jesus said to the devil, "It is written also, 'You must not tempt the Lord your God.'" (Deuteronomy 6:16)
8Again the devil took Jesus to a very high mountain. He had Jesus look at all the nations of the world to see how great they were. 9He said to Jesus, "I will give You all these nations if You will get down at my feet and worship me." 10Jesus said to the devil, "Get away, Satan. It is written, 'You must worship the Lord your God. You must obey Him only.'" (Deuteronomy 6:13)
Several people have asked me how I started writing devotionals. I could say that God knew the plan and I heard His call. But, that statement sounds much too simplistic.
Truthfully, an important relationship in my life is dying and as I have cried out for God to intervene, He has promised to be with me as I walk “through” this valley.
I am grieving and sometimes angry because I am powerless to change anything and my primary strength has been to seek Godly wisdom through prayer. He has sent Angels to comfort me and to impart His word in ways I could not have anticipated. (Thus, my path was directed to prayer through GospeLines.com and on to an assignment to write a devotional. And, as they say, the rest is history.)
You see, perhaps what I thought important had to die, so that I may live. Perhaps the status quo had gotten old and God needed to shake me up to know Him better. Perhaps, He needed me to acknowledge that He is the one and only source I will ever need.
I admit I have been taunted for sticking to my core values… for learning to live within my means, for learning to save for a rainy day, for helping to secure someone else’s future, for honoring my commitments, for being the best Carla had to offer. And, yes, my religious beliefs have been called into question.
I’ve deviated from the course set before me in my early adult years, as many of us have. And, in trying, at that time, to be someone other than who I am and whose I am, I didn’t gain a lifetime of happiness, a lasting love or necessarily enduring friendships. Those that I thought genuinely loved and cared about me… have moved on… through thought, word or deed.
But, this too, shall pass. No matter the outcome, I will be victorious because God is with me.
So, as we embark on 2008, if God says the same, I am putting the old away and dying to self so that I may live. I can no longer accept the status quo and while it’s not easy growing and moving on, change is constant and often necessary.
GospeLines Prayer: Father, my heart is broken, but I have Your promise as found in John 11:25 -
25Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies…"
In His Love,
Carla ÿ
|