For you...

Singleness…

 

They will be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me for their own good and the good of their children after them. I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me.  Jer. 32:38-40

 

This morning I was praying for my single friends. And as I thought about it, I have lots of female friends who are single. Most of them are over 30, never married, amazing, confident women who are seeking a spouse. They each have super cool personalities, and they are fiercely independent, well-spoken, kind-hearted people. Each of these ladies has been a good friend to me for years. I cherish their friendships and look forward to meeting the guys who will treat them like queens.

 

So I'm praying for these guys, even though I don't know them yet. These guys will be Christ-followers, know the meaning of sacrifice, have ears to listen to what is laying heavy on my friends' hearts. These guys will be adventurous, caring, and kind. They will show gentleness to the broken-hearted, seek the interests of others, and care about their families. They will be committed to marriage and their wives; they will remain faithful until the end.

 

And my friends will be these guys' biggest fan. My friends will cherish their friendships, encourage these guys to strive for excellence – without nagging. They will seek to build up their man like he's prince charming. These ladies will seek to make their husband's happy. These beautiful women will cling to what is good and flee from what is evil and degrading. Their hearts will only be for the one they love.

 

So, God, when are these guys showing up for my friends? My girlfriends are ready to meet these guys!

 

So, friends of mine, keep your eyes open. Make your list of what this guy of your will be like. Seek him out. He's waiting to meet you, too.

Toil is meaniningless

 Work has been so heavy lately. By "heavy" I mean both the amount of workload and it's emotionally taxing. It's year end. That's about all I can say. 

During a brief moment, I had a thought to read a section of Ecclesiastes about finding satisfaction in my work. Unfortunately, I don't. So these verses were a bit discouraging, but hopefully I can get the lesson God is trying to teach me. I feel the same as this writer: working tiresomely to give everything I make to someone else. 

 

Ecc. 2:24-26

 ¹⁷ So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. ¹⁸ I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. ¹⁹ And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the work into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless. ²⁰ So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun. ²¹ For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then he must leave all he owns to someone who has not worked for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. ²² What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun? ²³ All his days his work is pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is meaningless.

 ²⁴ A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, ²⁵ for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? ²⁶ To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

 

So I'm seeking the hand of God, calling out to Him to be gracious to me. I want to find satisfaction in what I do, but ultimately I desire to please Him. That's my souls passion. Ken Blanchard in his book called the "One Minute Manager" said this, "People who feel good about themselves produce good results." John Piper in his book called "Desire God" says, "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him." I see a recurring tend being set.

OK, God, I'm ready... what do You have for me today? 

 

What being married has taught me

Marriage is more about "what am I willing to give up" versus "what can I get out of it".

This is something I did not realize going into this marriage. It's been a steep learning curve for me, but the gracious Lord is continuing to work this lesson my thick heart. It takes work and sacrifice, tears and prayers, and bouncing ideas off of friends. 

Marriage is for those who are willing to find out what needs to change in their lives.

Before I got married, I thought that I had it all together. By being married and adding some kids, I quickly came to realize that I didn't have anything together except being selfish. I wasn't a good lover of people. It's constantly being revealed to me that I need to put my feelings aside and seek out the interests in others. This is the example that Christ gave over and over. I never noticed that in scripture until it's reveal in my own life. Jesus didn't come down here on his own according - it's the will of the One who sent Him. That's a constant sacrifice of desires.

Those are my 2 lessons for today. For anyone looking to commit to being married, these are two lessons I wish someone would have shared with me. If you don't think you'll need to change once you're married - you're deceived. There are always areas in your life which will need to change. You need to be willing to serve your spouse, even when you don't want to. That's a conscious decision - and you'll need to re-affirm that decision each moment you're alive.

So what are you willing to give up in order to serve others? What is God calling you out on? Where is there tension in your relationship - this probably has to do with your unwillingness to budge. 

Daily Challenges

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