gladitudes

Matthew 13:44 (ESV)

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”

Matthew 13:45-46 (ESV)

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”

Matthew 6:33 (NLT)

“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”

I’ve been thinking a lot about these three verses this weekend. There’s a lot of good in my life. God has blessed me with a great job, an amazing family, the best friends I could imagine, and much more. But, in the midst of all this blessing, I’ve found restlessness stirring up in my soul—a dissatisfaction with my life and where I am in it. As I’ve tried to work through it and figure out why; I’ve come to some conclusions. Read more

Simply this:

Psalm 42:7-8

I hear the tumult of the raging seas as your waves and surging tides sweep over me.
8 But each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing his songs, praying to God who gives me life.

There’s been a fair amount of stress in my life recently. I am so thankful that I can trust in and hope in a God that pours his love out on me everyday–even when I am unaware.

Sometimes, I am blown away at how powerful a good reminder can be. I read this a few minutes ago and was just awed by it.

Romans 5:8-9

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 9 And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation.

Later on in Romans 5 it says that because of Jesus dying for us, we are now “friends of God.” These things are amazing to me and I am so thankful that my God is so incredibly good.

Over the past couple months, I’ve kind of had to come face-to-face with some of my own weaknesses. It’s a really hard thing for me. I pretty much hate seeing where I fall short; it makes me feel sort of angry and defeated. My natural reaction, I’ve found, has been to try to figure out a way to make myself right—to find a way to fix myself.

I know from experience, though, that all my efforts to make myself better always fall short. Sometimes there are small improvements, but never the deep, transformational change that I really desire.

I read this verse this morning and it gave me some good perspective on stuff. In context, the Apostle Paul is talking about his own weakness:

II Corinthians 12:8-10 NLT

Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. ⁹Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. ¹⁰That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

My thought is just this: instead of trying to run from weakness, why don’t I embrace it as an instance where God can come in and provide for me? I think that instead of hating my weaknesses, I ought to love them because at the places where I fall short, it provides an opportunity for God to prove Himself faithful and sufficient. As He does, then I will know him more and He will be more glorified in me.