yes, i am "uh. lalala. mad"
:)
steven curtis chapman is goooood.
if you don't know what movie to watch, go watch "the day after tomorrow". it's pretty good man... yeaps
the purpose driven life
day 35
God's power in your weakness
2 cor 12:99
"my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in wealness."
isaiah 55:9
"my ways (are) higher than your ways and my thoughts, than your thoughts."
i cor 1:27
"but God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise;God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong."
God deliberately allowed the weaknesses in your life for the purpose of demonstrating his power through you. (so you can't exactly call them "weaknesses" anymore...right?)
Matthew 5:3
"blessed are the poor in Spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
where one admits his/her weaknesses, that's that attitude that God blesses.
When you think of the limitation in your life, be it phusical, emotional, talent, intellectual, you may be tempted to conclude that God could never use you. but GOD IS NEVER LIMITED BY OUR LIMITATIONS. in fact, he enjoys putting his great power into ordinary containers :)
2 cor 4:7
"...treasure jars..."
we are like clay jars in which the treasure is stored. the real power comes from God, and not us.
1. admit your weaknesses!
- be honest about yourself. don't live in denial or make excuses.
- 2 great confessions illustrate what's needed for healthy living : 1. Peter to Jesus, "you are the Christ, the Son of the living God." (matt 16:6) / 2. Paul to crowd, "we are only human beings." (acts 14:15)
if you want god to use you, you must know who God is, and know who you are.
2. be content with your weaknesses
why?
- they make us depend on God. whenever you feel weak, God's reminding you to depend on him.
- our weaknesses prevent arrogance. they keep us humble, and they keep our ego in check.
- our weaknesses increase our capacity for sympathy and ministry. God wants you to have a Christ-like ministry on earth. meaning, other pple are gonna find healing in your wounds. your greatest life messages and your most effective ministry will come out of your deepest hurts. the things you're most embarrassed about, most asahmed of, and most reluctant to share, are the very tools that God can use most powerfully to heal others.
Hudson taylor : all God's giants are weak people.
eg. moses (temper caused him to murder an egyptian. God made him humble)
eg. gideon (low self-esteem, insecure : made into a might man)
abraham (had fear in him : became the "father of those who have faith)
Peter ( impulsive : became "the rock")
3. honestly share your weaknesses
- ministry begins with vulnerability (?). the more you let down your guard, take off your mask and share your struggles, the more God will be able to use you in serving others.
- humility is being honest about your weaknesses.
- we are naturally drawn to humble people. God uses your weaknesses, not just your strenghts. when pple see God using you despite your weaknesses, they may be enoucouraged to think that God can use them too!
- decide whether you want to impress or influencepeople. you can impress from a distance, but you must get close to influence them and when you do that, they can see your flaws. and that's okay :)) the most essential quality for leadership is not perfection, but credibility. people must be able to trust you, or they won't follow you.
4. glory in weaknesses
- see yourself as a trophy of grace :)
2 cor 12:5b "..i will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses."
sometimes, however, God turns a strength into a weakness in orfer to use it even more. Jacob was a manipulator who spent his life scheming and running away from the consequences. one night he wrestled with God, not wanting to let go till God blesses him. and God did, but grabbed his thigh, dislocating his hip. significance? God touched jacob's strength (thigh muscle = strongest in body) and trued it into a weakness. from that day onward, jacob walked with a limp so he could never run away again. it forced him to lean on God whether he like it or not. if you want God to bless you and use you greatly, you must be willing to walk with a limp for the rest of your life, because God uses weak people. :)
the end
for the sake of the call
by steven curtis chapman
We will abandon it all for the sake of the call
No other reason at all but the sake of the call
Wholly devoted to live and to die for the sake of the call
Nobody stood and applauded them
So they knew from the start
This road would not lead to fame
All they really knew for sure
Was Jesus had called to them
He said "come follow Me" and they came
With reckless abandon, they came
Empty nets lying there at the water's edge
Told a story that few could believe
And none could explain
How some crazy fisherman agreed to go where Jesus went
With no thought to what they would gain
For Jesus had called them by name
And they answered...
We will abandon it all for the sake of the call
No other reason at all but the sake of the call
Wholly devoted to live and to die for the sake of the call
The sake of the call
Drawn like the rivers are drawn to the sea
There's no turning back, for the water cannot help but flow
Once we hear the Savior's call, we'll follow wherever He leads
Because of the love He has shown
And because He has called us to go
We will answer...
We will abandon it all for the sake of the call
No other reason at all but the sake of the call
Wholly devoted to live and to die
Not for the sake of a creed or a cause
Not for a dream or a promise
Simply because it is Jesus who called
And if we believe we'll obey
the call :)
:)
steven curtis chapman is goooood.
if you don't know what movie to watch, go watch "the day after tomorrow". it's pretty good man... yeaps
the purpose driven life
day 35
God's power in your weakness
2 cor 12:99
"my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in wealness."
isaiah 55:9
"my ways (are) higher than your ways and my thoughts, than your thoughts."
i cor 1:27
"but God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise;God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong."
God deliberately allowed the weaknesses in your life for the purpose of demonstrating his power through you. (so you can't exactly call them "weaknesses" anymore...right?)
Matthew 5:3
"blessed are the poor in Spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
where one admits his/her weaknesses, that's that attitude that God blesses.
When you think of the limitation in your life, be it phusical, emotional, talent, intellectual, you may be tempted to conclude that God could never use you. but GOD IS NEVER LIMITED BY OUR LIMITATIONS. in fact, he enjoys putting his great power into ordinary containers :)
2 cor 4:7
"...treasure jars..."
we are like clay jars in which the treasure is stored. the real power comes from God, and not us.
1. admit your weaknesses!
- be honest about yourself. don't live in denial or make excuses.
- 2 great confessions illustrate what's needed for healthy living : 1. Peter to Jesus, "you are the Christ, the Son of the living God." (matt 16:6) / 2. Paul to crowd, "we are only human beings." (acts 14:15)
if you want god to use you, you must know who God is, and know who you are.
2. be content with your weaknesses
why?
- they make us depend on God. whenever you feel weak, God's reminding you to depend on him.
- our weaknesses prevent arrogance. they keep us humble, and they keep our ego in check.
- our weaknesses increase our capacity for sympathy and ministry. God wants you to have a Christ-like ministry on earth. meaning, other pple are gonna find healing in your wounds. your greatest life messages and your most effective ministry will come out of your deepest hurts. the things you're most embarrassed about, most asahmed of, and most reluctant to share, are the very tools that God can use most powerfully to heal others.
Hudson taylor : all God's giants are weak people.
eg. moses (temper caused him to murder an egyptian. God made him humble)
eg. gideon (low self-esteem, insecure : made into a might man)
abraham (had fear in him : became the "father of those who have faith)
Peter ( impulsive : became "the rock")
3. honestly share your weaknesses
- ministry begins with vulnerability (?). the more you let down your guard, take off your mask and share your struggles, the more God will be able to use you in serving others.
- humility is being honest about your weaknesses.
- we are naturally drawn to humble people. God uses your weaknesses, not just your strenghts. when pple see God using you despite your weaknesses, they may be enoucouraged to think that God can use them too!
- decide whether you want to impress or influencepeople. you can impress from a distance, but you must get close to influence them and when you do that, they can see your flaws. and that's okay :)) the most essential quality for leadership is not perfection, but credibility. people must be able to trust you, or they won't follow you.
4. glory in weaknesses
- see yourself as a trophy of grace :)
2 cor 12:5b "..i will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses."
sometimes, however, God turns a strength into a weakness in orfer to use it even more. Jacob was a manipulator who spent his life scheming and running away from the consequences. one night he wrestled with God, not wanting to let go till God blesses him. and God did, but grabbed his thigh, dislocating his hip. significance? God touched jacob's strength (thigh muscle = strongest in body) and trued it into a weakness. from that day onward, jacob walked with a limp so he could never run away again. it forced him to lean on God whether he like it or not. if you want God to bless you and use you greatly, you must be willing to walk with a limp for the rest of your life, because God uses weak people. :)
the end
for the sake of the call
by steven curtis chapman
We will abandon it all for the sake of the call
No other reason at all but the sake of the call
Wholly devoted to live and to die for the sake of the call
Nobody stood and applauded them
So they knew from the start
This road would not lead to fame
All they really knew for sure
Was Jesus had called to them
He said "come follow Me" and they came
With reckless abandon, they came
Empty nets lying there at the water's edge
Told a story that few could believe
And none could explain
How some crazy fisherman agreed to go where Jesus went
With no thought to what they would gain
For Jesus had called them by name
And they answered...
We will abandon it all for the sake of the call
No other reason at all but the sake of the call
Wholly devoted to live and to die for the sake of the call
The sake of the call
Drawn like the rivers are drawn to the sea
There's no turning back, for the water cannot help but flow
Once we hear the Savior's call, we'll follow wherever He leads
Because of the love He has shown
And because He has called us to go
We will answer...
We will abandon it all for the sake of the call
No other reason at all but the sake of the call
Wholly devoted to live and to die
Not for the sake of a creed or a cause
Not for a dream or a promise
Simply because it is Jesus who called
And if we believe we'll obey
the call :)
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