Day 111 - Give Me

Lee McDowell Christian Ministries                         LMCM

Nacogdoches, Texas                                                           Gal. 2:20 KJV

Thoughts on Michael Wells’ teachings in My Weakness for His Strength - # 67      

Michael’s book is available through:

Abiding Life Ministries International

Littleton, Colorado

(303) 972-0859       almi@abidinglife.com

Christmas is just a week away.  Many are going to department stores (or whatever kind of store that works for them) to buy presents to give to loved ones once again.  This is what we do this time of the year.  I wonder how many have given of “self” any at all during the year???  Giving of self is free. 

DAY 111

Give Me

And may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ. --II Thessalonians 3:5

I suppose that nearly everyone has a private box, drawer, or filing cabinet where precious mementos from the past are kept. As I was cleaning out my own drawer of this type, I could not help but notice a conspicuous absence of anything from my grandfather. He was the man who was the greatest influence in my life, and yet he had given me no pocketknife, screwdriver, coin, hand-me-down, gun, or anything! He went to the discount department store every Christmas and bought me underwear; on birthdays it was socks; all other holidays I was invited to his farm for a meal. The underwear and socks have long since worn out. Perhaps it would have been nice to have a little something from someone so loved, but I know that what attracted me to him and to other family members was never what they gave, but who they were. I just plain enjoyed their presence. I relished the family gatherings on the front porch of the farm, always followed by some type of work project like cutting wood or building fences or barns. The fellowship always made the work a delight. What my grandfather gave in fellowship and love had me driving to see him every chance I got. Though at times that was no small sacrifice, I never, ever thought about it in that manner. It was worth the trip just for the fellowship, not for any material gain.

What did Jesus really give the disciples? Not possessions, power, or prestige! He gave them Himself, His fellowship, with no contracts, business deals, or services. They had the opportunity to walk with God, to walk with life itself. I believe that we grow in the revelation of His fellowship day by day, and little by little the business aspect of why we stick with Christ gives way to the appreciation of fellowship, until we recognize that were we to die today, life would have been worth it just for the wealth of fellowship with Jesus. We have walked with God, and that is more than enough. The promise of heaven appeals to us because of the precious One we know will be there. We would choose His fellowship even without the promise of heaven! We need no other keepsakes to tuck away in our spiritual drawers, boxes, or filing cabinets. We are happy in fellowship with Jesus!

Sometimes I wonder about appeals made for coming to Christ. “He has a wonderful plan for your life” (the plan is in this brochure). “He will take away all your problems” (problems are the issue). “He will heal you” (look what I can swap you for healing). “He will change your marriage” (the service to be performed is obvious). “He will keep you from stumbling” (the barter system can work in your favor). “He will keep you from hell” (sounds expensive, what will that cost?). “The devil will no longer bother you” (did not think I could get rid of him). It sometimes seems that there is always a hook to make people come to God, and the hook is promoted as the real reason for coming. All things are given to us in the context of our fellowship with Him; therefore, our fellowship should be the issue, not what He is going to give. Fellowship is not a contract, an agreement between two parties for compensation from service rendered; that is called “going to work.” Fellowship is free! Fellowship does not entail any discussion toward agreement on what each participant will bring to the table; it is not the doing of business, it is the exchange of something much more important than money, the exchange between valuable persons. Any work accomplished within the context of fellowship is beside the point.

Yellow – VIP, Very Important Point      Green – IT, Incredible Truth        

Red – GP, Greatest Promises

Turquoise – UR, Unfathomable Riches           Pink – PV, Priceless Victory

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Thessalonians telling them his desire was to see God direct their hearts to fellowship with His love, and Christ’s steadfastness…not to wanting a “blessing” (usually a “want” of something material) from Him.  I wonder at what age God’s kids have a turn of heart toward fellowship with God, instead of wanting some sort of “blessing.”  Or, what is it that grabs our heart in such a way (no matter what our age) that all we want is to walk with God…and not possessions, power, or prestige?  Makes me think of how so many kids never really “appreciate” their parents until they reach age 26, 27, or 28 (somewhere in there).  Until then, it’s what can the parents give, when will the parents stop controlling, or why won’t the parents let things be?

I like Michael’s statement: “All things are given to us in the context of our fellowship with Him (God).”  Are we growing in the revelation of His fellowship day by day?  Are we happy in fellowship with Jesus?

If you have any desire to interact with me on something Michael has written, and/or any of my thoughts, please note the email address just below my name at the bottom of this.

To access ALL past weekly blogs, go to Living Life With a Capital “C” by logging onto www.leemccm.blogspot.com   Look to the top right hand side of the page, enter your email address in the box under “Follow,” then click on SUBMIT.  You will receive a “confirmation email,” and when you click on the link and “confirm,” you will receive all new posts via email.

NOTICE: beginning in January, 2014, a new blog on Michael Wells’ book, Sidetracked In The Wilderness.

Lee McDowell Christian Ministries

leemccm@gmail.com

P. O. Box 633244    Nacogdoches, Tx 75963                                          936-559-5696

Day 57 - Crying

Lee McDowell Christian Ministries                         LMCM

Nacogdoches, Texas                                                             Gal. 2:20 KJV

Thoughts on Michael Wells’ teachings in My Weakness for His Strength - # 66       

Michael’s book is available through: 

Abiding Life Ministries International

Littleton, Colorado

(303) 972-0859       almi@abidinglife.com

I heard a pastor give testimony several years ago of the positive results of his church “crying out to God” during their services through corporate prayer when one of the members came forward asking for prayer from the congregation.  I have tried this at churches where I have pastored, including one now, and have seen God respond to the “cry” of His people.  Michael opens new insights into something as simple as a baby’s cry, and how we can benefit from this knowledge.

DAY 57

Crying

Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting. --Psalm 126:5

Whatever Jesus did or said had eternal significance. Often I like to go through the gospels and only read the red-lettered words of Jesus; I love to hear His teaching. I thought recently that I should ponder the very first thing that He ever uttered while living as a Man on earth. Actually, it was not a word, but a sound, a cry. The first thing that came out of the mouth of Jesus was a cry. What is the message in God Himself crying, what does the cry of a baby solicit from us, and what have our own tears taught us?

The cry of a baby demands examination of the situation by the parents and their provision of what is needed. A cry is a proclamation of helplessness, dependence, trust, and need, the recognition that “I cannot.” If Jesus would acknowledge His existence in such a way, then should we not also? When we cry, we are heard by the same Father in heaven who heard Him. 

There is simply too much stress that comes from not crying. Several years ago a chemical was discovered in the brain of anxiety-ridden people. For years chemists have attempted to neutralize the chemical in hopes of bringing relief to the suffering. To date no medication has proven effective. However, if the tears of the afflicted are analyzed, one will find the anxiety-causing chemical being released. Tears acknowledge the true condition within that we cannot always see or express. We were not created to be God but to need God. Trying to fulfill a job description for which we are not created causes anxiety. Tears are proof that we have begun to give up on playing God. It is pride that keeps us from crying out and therefore keeps us in misery. 

If we humans run to the sound of a cry and act on behalf of a distressed person, how much more will the Lord respond to the cries of His children? Just as parents do not always pander to a child’s every cry, the Lord does not always intervene immediately to relieve our sources of misery; but as we acknowledge, “Apart from You I can do nothing,” look for the Great “I CAN” to eventually move in. Both our waiting and His moving build faith.

Yellow – VIP, Very Important Point      Green – IT, Incredible Truth        

Red – GP, Greatest Promises

Turquoise – UR, Unfathomable Riches           Pink – PV, Priceless Victory

Note the criteria Michael gives in getting rid of stress:

1.      A cry is a proclamation of helplessness, dependence, trust and need, the recognition that “I cannot.”

2.    There is simply too much stress that comes from not crying.

3.    If the tears of the afflicted are analyzed, one will find the anxiety-causing chemical being released.

4.    We were not created to be God but to need God.

5.    Trying to fulfill a job description for which we are not created causes anxiety.

6.    It is pride that keeps us from crying out and therefore keeps us in misery.

 It is astonishing that the chemical found in the brain of anxiety-ridden people is actually released when the person cries.  It is almost as astonishing that doctors and those working with the anxiety-afflicted persons have ignored God’s remedy, and…oh, well, what would we expect from those who ignore God?  Man, ignoring God, has always turned to a chemically-balancing drug instead of God’s remedy for dealing with a chemical imbalance.  Duh?  Something going on in man has caused the imbalance in the first place.  Godly people want God’s wisdom to find the cause of the imbalance and how God has intended man to deal with the cause. When man ignores God, God lets man’s mind wander to man’s attempts at solutions apart from God’s ways of living and solving problems.

Pretty simple analysis from Michael, isn’t it?  So, why don’t more Christians “cry out” to God?  Why don’t more Christians come to the church, the staff, or to another Christian to get support, instead of bearing so much anxiety?  Why hasn’t the church created ministry opportunities that the members feel comfortable with, to bring their anxieties and get the relief that God wants to provide?

The Great “I CAN” has answers to ALL problems.  When we proclaim our “helplessness, dependence, trust and need, the recognition that ‘I cannot’“, then the Great “I CAN” WILL move in.  What are we waiting on???

If you have any desire to interact with me on something Michael has written, and/or any of my thoughts, please note the email address just below my name at the bottom of this.

To access ALL past weekly blogs, go to Living Life With a Capital “C” by logging onto www.leemccm.blogspot.com   Look to the top right hand side of the page, enter your email address in the box under “Follow,” then click on SUBMIT.  You will receive a “confirmation email,” and when you click on the link and “confirm,” you will receive all new posts via email.

NOTICE: beginning in January, 2014, a new blog on Michael Wells’ book, Sidetracked In The Wilderness.

Lee McDowell Christian Ministries

P. O. Box 633244    Nacogdoches, Tx 75963                                          936-559-5696

Day 58 - Daily Decisions

Lee McDowell Christian Ministries                         LMCM

Nacogdoches, Texas                                                           Gal. 2:20  KJV

Thoughts on Michael Wells’ teachings in My Weakness for His Strength - # 65

Michael’s book is available through: 

Abiding Life Ministries International

Littleton, Colorado

(303) 972-0859       almi@abidinglife.com

Something came up this week in reference to someone making a decision about who they should date, perhaps consider for marriage.  As always, someone else was worried about whether the person would make the “right decision.”  Michael has some very special words about such a decision in this day’s writing…

DAY 58

Daily Decisions

He again fixes a certain day, “Today,” saying through David after so long a time just as has been said before, “TODAY, IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT   HARDEN YOUR HEARTS.” --Hebrews 4:7

I believe a common misconception concerning decision-making is that it is for the future, when decisions are just for today. God is the God of today, and therefore, decisions must be made in the light of our relationship with Him today. If a decision can be made presently that locks up the future, how is that living in faith, which is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen? Let me give an example. A young woman prayed and asked God to lead her in a decision concerning marriage. Everyone, myself included, believed that she was free to become engaged to a certain young man, and so she did. Several months later, when she called her fiancé at the university, she learned from his roommate that he was off visiting his fiancée in another country. She called the number the roommate gave her and discovered that her beau was breaking off his engagement to her in favor of marrying another. In conclusion, she stated, "I will never know what the will of God is; I believed it was His will for me to wed this man." Was she right in getting engaged? Had she heard the Lord? Did she make a mistake? I think not. The enemy would have us believe that a decision made today must affect all eternity; that simply is not true. Walking in faith means making decisions not based on outcome but founded in the principle of the Lord’s leading and what He is teaching today. I believe she made the right decision on the day she agreed to marry the fellow. Later, because of that decision and the subsequent breakup, God has done some wonderful things in her life. She drew near to God in her pain, discovered a comfort in Him that she had never known before, and was now moving again in faith. Only God knows the future, so a decision made today may not affect the future like we thought it would, but that does not lead to the assumption that we were erroneous in hearing the Lord when the decision was made. It was a steppingstone to the future. The important thing is hearing Him today.

"Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart." If I walk in the valley of the shadow of death TODAY, He is with me. However, if I want to ponder walking in the shadow of death tomorrow, He is not with me. If I move into the future, I will move alone. He is the God of today.

Michael’s first statement is what we Texans call “a mouth full.”  When I was a young kid I would sometimes “bite off more than I could chew.”  Mom would tell me to politely remove some of what I had in my mouth…chew what was left, swallow, then put the rest back and repeat the process.  Often people in life choke on a “mouth full” of something, instead of spitting some out, and chewing and swallowing only when appropriate.  With correct thoughts, it is easy to “bite off the correct amount,” then chew and swallow without choking on some of the most difficult things in life.  We cause trouble for ourselves because we think wrong about something, then make decisions that “choke” us for a long time, perhaps the rest of our life.

As Michael points out, God is the God of today.  He has told us we are not guaranteed another day.  He has told us to live in this day, and not to borrow from tomorrow (p.s. – borrowing is always wrong with God in anything).  So, why do we think all decisions we make today lock in the future?  The vast majority of decisions we make today can be altered or changed by another decision at a later time, as God leads.

The most important thing Michael is sharing is that we should not think we were wrong (erroneous) in what we heard the Lord say, or allow, when we made a decision that He leads us to alter/change in the future.  And, never let us think that we “will never know what the will of the Lord is” (that’s a form of “hardening of our hearts”).   He is the Good Shepherd, always leading us in His will.  Sometimes His will is a few more times around the mulberry bush (that’s a Texas saying also!) before we are back on the joyful road.

Yellow – VIP, Very Important Point      Green – IT, Incredible Truth        

Red – GP, Greatest Promises

Turquoise – UR, Unfathomable Riches           Pink – PV, Priceless Victory

If you have any desire to interact with me on something Michael has written, and/or any of

my thoughts, please note the email address just below my name at the bottom of this.

To access ALL past weekly blogs, go to Living Life With a Capital “C” by logging onto www.leemccm.blogspot.com   Look to the top right hand side of the page, enter your email address in the box under “Follow,” then click on SUBMIT.  You will receive a “confirmation email,” and when you click on the link and “confirm,” you will receive all new posts via email.

NOTICE: beginning in January, 2014, a new blog on Michael Wells’ book, Sidetracked In The Wilderness.

Lee McDowell Christian Ministries

P. O. Box 633244    Nacogdoches, Tx 75963                                        936-559-5696

Day 91 - Fasting

Lee McDowell Christian Ministries                         LMCM

Nacogdoches, Texas                                                           Gal. 2:20  KJV

Thoughts on Michael Wells’ teachings in My Weakness for His Strength - # 64     

Michael’s book is available through: 

Abiding Life Ministries International

Littleton, Colorado

(303) 972-0859       almi@abidinglife.com

We just finished celebrating that annual holiday on most calendars: Thanksgiving.  This writing is a couple of days late due to holiday travels.  How many of us thought about the things Michael points out in Day 91’s writing…after we said, “No thanks, I can’t hold anything else” to those wonderful cooks who prepared the grand meal laid out before us?

Not too many Christians spend much time in fasting.  Interesting.  Could it be that man has tried to “drive” us there, instead of the Spirit?

Michael gives us a very interesting perspective of what it is like to have a full soul…enjoy!

Day 91

Fasting

You have made known to me the path of life: you will fill me with joy in your presence with eternal pleasures at your right hand. --Psalm 16:11

The Spirit drove Jesus to the wilderness, which, along with fasting, would prepare Him for the coming temptations. In the wilderness He was cut off from all outside support with only the Father on whom to lean. The soul--like a baby, with a need for mother's milk and constant feeding--can be fed from the outer life and world by choosing facts and emotional stirrings. However, being fed by the world is similar to giving water to a baby when it wants and needs milk. The baby will become fussy and testy. In the wilderness and in fasting, the soul has only one place it can feed, the Father! The soul (mind, will, and emotions) discovers the Father is the food that satisfies and chooses the wisdom of God over knowledge and His presence over feelings. "My soul is full," says the Psalmist. When full, no one can tempt a person with more food. When the soul is full of God, the world just cannot tempt with its offerings. Jesus said, “No,” to stones becoming bread. He was full without bread. He said, “No,” to kingdoms and the spectacular. He had what He needed and did not choose excess. He is holding all things with an open hand. Jesus stands at the door and invites us to eat with Him, to have our souls satisfied. 

I have experienced a bit of giving myself to prayer and fasting and want to do more in the future. I love having a full soul, never once wanting food, lacking curiosity about my surroundings, not giving even a casual glance to shops, and not needing anything. It is like Thanksgiving dinner when I finally say, "No, thanks! I cannot hold anything else.” No man can call another to a fast in the wilderness; the Spirit must drive him there! I would encourage prayer that He do just that, so we believers can get away from all the external supports, even if it is just one day sometime this year. He will fill our soul.

Yellow – VIP, Very Important Point      Green – IT, Incredible Truth        

Red – GP, Greatest Promises

Turquoise – UR, Unfathomable Riches           Pink – PV, Priceless Victory

There are some wonderful things to make note of in this day’s writing.

First, look at what the Psalmist said: “You have made known to me the path of life.”  How wonderful is this!?!  And then he says, “you will fill me with joy in your presence with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”  Ever since the advent of personal credit, man has been longing after the happiness (not joy) so-called pleasures the world has to offer (and, with credit, man has been able to obtain these with “play-money”).  Too many Christians are seeking the world’s pleasures instead of the presence of the Lord, and the eternal pleasures at His right hand.

2^nd, it was the Spirit that drove Jesus to the wilderness.  How many Christians are in the wilderness by their own choosing…or from allowing the enemy to drive them?  Unbelieving Believers.

3^rd, that brings us to fasting.  It is the “lost art” of Christianity.  Add that too many Christians don’t realize or recognize that we are double-souled.  Can’t have the mind of Christ without being double-souled.  Holy Spirit-driven fasting allows us to experience, and focus with, the mind/will/emotions of Christ to “discover the Father is the food that satisfies” and choose “the wisdom of God over knowledge and His presence over feelings.”  The natural soul we were born with will not acknowledge this…living in the flesh (natural) chooses that which is in opposition to God.  And we, too, like Michael, can “love having a full soul, never once wanting food, lacking curiosity about my surroundings, not giving even a casual glance to shops, and not needing anything.”

4^th, when we choose to live in His soul (led by His Spirit living in us), we will ALWAYS be living with a soul full of God…and “the world just cannot tempt with its offerings.”  How stunning of a revelation is that?!?

Let all Christians pray fervently for a Holy Spirit-driven fasting, whether in the wilderness of life, or simply for a Soul Filling!  Great insights and revelations from God come in times like that.

If you have any desire to interact with me on something Michael has written, and/or any of my thoughts, please note the email address just below my name at the bottom of this.

To access ALL past weekly blogs, go to Living Life With a Capital “C” by logging onto www.leemccm.blogspot.com   Look to the top right hand side of the page, enter your email address in the box under “Follow,” then click on SUBMIT.  You will receive a “confirmation email,” and when you click on the link and “confirm,” you will receive all new posts via email.

NOTICE: beginning in January, 2014, a new blog on Michael Wells’ book, Sidetracked In The Wilderness.

Lee McDowell Christian Ministries

P. O. Box 633244    Nacogdoches, Tx 75963                                          936-559-5696

Day 349 - Who Is The Legalist?

Lee McDowell Christian Ministries                         LMCM

Nacogdoches, Texas                                                           Gal. 2:20  KJV

Thoughts on Michael Wells’ teachings in My Weakness for His Strength - # 63

Michael’s book is available through:

Abiding Life Ministries International

Littleton, Colorado

(303) 972-0859       almi@abidinglife.com

The legalists abound in Christianity today.  And in one way, it is easy to understand why…the New Testament is chock full of so many “do’s” that casual reading can lead an unsuspecting Believer to get out their List and add another to it!  Couple that with all the preaching and teaching that compels one to have a list in the first place, and what do you have…a certified legalist in no time!

Michael gives us a very insightful look into “insidious” failures, and then a precious description of God’s way of working in our lives through our failures.

Day 349

Who Is The Legalist?

For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, take care lest you be consumed by one another. But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. --Galatians 5:14-17

Anyone who does not get up immediately after a failure is a legalist! Do we want to compound our sin by adding legalism to it? Okay, so we dabble in the flesh. No, I do not mean that we were drunk or involved in acts of adultery; those things do indeed cause tremendous damage, but I am referring to the insidious things that cause lifelong harm, like dabbling in pride, self-righteousness, unbelief, and independence. We could not see that the Lord would act on our behalf, and so we went our own way. We could not wait for God to move, so we took matters into our own hands. We obsessed on our condition, cast the blame on others, and now we are mad at all those around us. We could not find that missing object on which to explode, so we accused the first passerby. We verbally abused those around us. We were too busy to listen to the child or the mate and pushed past him. All day we have thought about the selfish and stupid people with whom we are surrounded. Past events, proving our assumption, whirl around with tornado-like force in our minds, and to make matters worse, we justify our condition. Someone might find himself reading this article in just such a condition.

Then comes the gentle whispering of the Holy Spirit, "It was I. I permitted it all! I am going to show you another hidden corner of your being where I can be your life." With the revelation that it was He comes the revelation of just what terrible Christians we are. Remember, with every revelation of Jesus must come an equal revelation of our flesh, for if not, we will spiral into an even deeper self-righteousness. Now what? How do we clean up the mess? First, what we do not do: We never allow a revelation of our flesh to drive us further from Jesus. This is the exact opposite of what the revelation was intended to accomplish. It is to show us what we are not and what He is. Do not compound it by running from Jesus. What could that accomplish? Only Jesus can heal us. Second, do not fall into self-hatred, which is another form of self-worship. Self-hatred leads to condemnation, another form of legalism. How can we be disappointed with self if we had not foolishly trusted in it? Third, get up and go again. We fall, but we fall forward if we are ready to move out of old behaviors and into Jesus. Always be ready to get up and go again. As a rock is a rock regardless of outside forces, so God is Love independently of man. Would we be persons of faith? Then get up and move toward Him. We will faintly begin to see that He is not fighting but using our failure.

Yellow – VIP, Very Important Point      Green – IT, Incredible Truth        

Red – GP, Greatest Promises

Turquoise – UR, Unfathomable Riches           Pink – PV, Priceless Victory

Beautiful!  Only Jesus could not fight our failures, but use them!

And only Christians can fight some sins, that even though they can “cause tremendous damage” they are easily overcome by walking in the Light and by the Spirit, and ignore the “insidious” ones that cause lifelong harm.

We…cannot see that the Lord would act on our behalf, cannot wait for God to move, obsess on our condition…and on and on.  How sad.  For one who has Christ as their life, how pitiful.  Letting the dream-stealer, life-taker drag us down to the pit is the saddest life.

For some, the Holy Spirit is screaming:  “It was I.  I permitted it all!  I am going to show you another hidden corner of your being where I can be your life.”  LET THIS REVELATION drive us toward Jesus!  As Michael points out, “Only Jesus can heal us.”

So, what do we do?  Exactly as Michael points out…follow his simple 3-step plan.  It works.  I want to hear of the victories in Christ that come from moving out of old behaviors and into Jesus!  Let us exhort, encourage, and engage with those brothers and sisters in the Lord who are not moving into victory.  And may we see an incredible number of testimonies of Christians finding out just Who and What Jesus is in each child of God’s life.  Well, amen!

IF YOU HAVE ANY DESIRE TO INTERACT WITH ME ON SOMETHING MICHAEL HAS WRITTEN, AND/OR ANY OF MY THOUGHTS, PLEASE NOTE THE EMAIL ADDRESS JUST BELOW MY NAME AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS.

To access ALL past weekly blog posts, go to Living Life With a Capital “C” by logging onto www.leemccm.blogspot.com). To sign up to receive future posts (or help a friend sign up) look on the TOP RIGHT side of the page, “FOLLOW BY EMAIL”, and click on SUBMIT.  You will receive a “confirmation email,” and when you click on the link and “confirm,” you will receive all new posts.

NOTICE:  beginning in January, 2014, a new blog on Michael Wells’ book, Sidetracked In The Wilderness.

Lee McDowell Christian Ministries

leemccm@gmail.com

P. O. Box 633244    Nacogdoches, Tx 75963                                     936-559-5696

Day 345 - When Life Is Not Working

Lee McDowell Christian Ministries                         LMCM

Nacogdoches, Texas                                                           Gal. 2:20  KJV

Thoughts on Michael Wells’ teachings in My Weakness for His Strength - # 62

Michael’s book is available through:

Abiding Life Ministries International

Littleton, Colorado

(303) 972-0859       almi@abidinglife.com

Those of you who have known Michael for some time know his story about knowing the king of a village whose son was injured, and folks told the king:  “That is bad.”  The king said, “It might be bad, it might not.”  And the story goes on and on…every event leads to a corresponding, “It might be good, it might be bad.”

How are we, who know not the future…nor the total plan of God for our lives…to know whether something is “good” or “bad” if we are living in our natural mind we were born with?

But, thanks be to God, that He gave us the Mind of Christ when we were Born Again.  Now we can see how everything is “working out,” no matter whether our other mind considers it “good” or “bad.”

Michael hits the nail on the head when he draws our attention to our “judging” how things are going…this day’s writing should give much freedom to a lot of “judgers.”

Day 345

When Life Is Not Working

And after you have suffered for a little, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. --I Peter 5:10

I often hear someone say, “Nothing is working out!” That is never true for Christians, so they are only suffering from the lack of a doctrine that properly explains defeat, suffering, reversals, broken relationships, sickness, and disappointments. While it is obvious that many of the above are the result of sin, God is so big that He can use what we have done. I am not teaching that we sin so grace will abound, but neither am I saying that grace does not abound. When we bemoan how things are not working out, we have something we are judging those things against. Often we have judged them against what we believe would be “good things,” the opposite of which we call bad and “things not working out.” Let me illustrate. One thing we label “bad” and “things not working out” is seeing a child rebelling. It was bad that the Prodigal Son rebelled, took his inheritance money, and went away to squander it; however, the fact that he came to the end of himself and returned home, never to leave again, was actually “things working out.” We have a definition of the state comprising “things working out” and judge everyday life against it, but is our definition correct? Is it true that “things working out” never includes suffering, getting sick, having a conflict, being in want, or depression? If so, “things” certainly never “worked out” for Jesus! For me, “things” have worked out if at the end of the day I have lost my pride, my glory, my strength, my righteousness, and my kingdom, for those things hinder the free flow of the greatest treasure that is inside me: Christ in me, the hope of glory. I have found that as I have given the proper definition to “things working out,” nothing has gone wrong. When I judge what took place today against this model, things are working out perfectly. Can we yield to it? The proof that we have chosen God’s glory is that we shed ourselves of our own.

(underlining is my emphasis – Lee)

Yellow – VIP, Very Important Point      Green – IT, Incredible Truth        

Red – GP, Greatest Promises

Turquoise – UR, Unfathomable Riches           Pink – PV, Priceless Victory

It is absolutely phenomenal that EVERYTHING is always “working out” for every Christian.  Hallelujah!  God in His infinite wisdom has designed life where “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).  Well, amen.

The great apostle Peter, a great preacher of suffering and grace, tells us that God has “begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”  He then goes on to tell us “that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried by fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.”  Wow!  Oh, that we Saints could see all the events in our lives as simply a test of our faith.  And that all these tests are from God, and God never expects us to fail one test!

So, let us disciple the Saints so that none “lack of a doctrine that properly explains defeat, suffering, reversals, broken relationships, sickness, and disappointments.”  Until then, too many will live in the state of “judging.” 

There is great freedom, intense joy, and real peace in having the proper definition of things “working out” and truly experiencing that nothing has gone wrong.  Amen.

IF YOU HAVE ANY DESIRE TO INTERACT WITH ME ON SOMETHING MICHAEL HAS WRITTEN, AND/OR ANY OF MY THOUGHTS, PLEASE NOTE THE EMAIL ADDRESS JUST BELOW MY NAME AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS.

Lee McDowell Christian Ministries

leemccm@gmail.com

P. O. Box 633244    Nacogdoches, Tx 75963                                          936-559-5696