Living a Life Worthy of the Call

Last week my friend said something to a group of  young mamas that instantly made my eyes leak. She said,

“Mamas, there’s no greater joy than to hear that your child is walking in truth, & there’s no greater pain than when they’re not.”

Once our children become adults, we can’t tell them what to do, when to do, where to do or how to do it. All we CAN do is pray & sometimes ask open-ended questions.

My son, Oliver, will be heading back to LA in 2 weeks. I cannot shake the heaviness I feel understanding the spiritual realm he is about to re-enter. We talked for a bit last night & I asked if I could share some thoughts. He said, “Yes, of course!” So I shared 2 visuals I’ve had.

One is that we cannot head into a dark realm without equipping ourselves with steadfast light. The light we try to muster in & of ourselves is like a little match that ignites bright in the beginning only to be snuffed out at the slightest of storm winds.

Our Source of everlasting Light comes from our Savior & the only way we can shine bright & unwavering is by staying plugged into Him & His Word. His Word is the Source of all Truth. There is no relativism, no gray area. It is black & white & it is only when we drift far from Him that it becomes gray.

The 2nd visual I had was that of the strength of WiFi. When we are home, the WiFi is strong, steadfast & easy to connect to. But when we’re out and about, service can be weak & unreliable. Again, I encouraged him to use this next two weeks in our home to connect with His Lord to confirm His best laid plans for Oliver’s future. 

God loves us so much that He allows us to choose whether or not we will walk out His perfect plans for our lives.

This morning I read Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians. His prayer matches the longing of my heart for my own family, Honestly it is a great reminder for all of us! I want to become a child of God who brings Him no greater joy because I walk in His Truth. How about you?

Father, enable us to live a life worthy of Your call. Give us the power to accomplish all the good things the Holy Spirit & our faith prompt us to do. For then, the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way we live!

#OneYearBible

October 13th One Year Bible Readings

💡JEREMIAH 22:1-23:20

💡2 THESSALONIANS 1:1-12

💡PSALM 83:1-18

💡PROVERBS 25:11-14

Hurry Up & Wait

When my son, Tommas, was little, we went to many, many acting auditions & our common phrase was, “We gotta hurry up & wait.” We would rush out the door & navigate our way with printed maps through the heavy Atlanta traffic only to arrive in some nook of the city to wait.

Most times, it was a first audition so the only communication we’d receive afterwards was if they wanted him for the role-not if they didn’t. So we’d make our way home & move on with our day, choosing to lay the outcome down because pining away about it only caused feelings of anxiousness.

I’ll never forget his first big movie audition...I kept calling his agent for an update & she finally said, “Kimberly, don’t worry, we’ll contact you if he’s landed the role.” Yikes!

It was correction & it was needed. I’m a strategist & planner so it only seemed natural to keep asking for information. If I’m honest, however, every time I did, a little uneasiness about the unknown would surface inside & I might’ve irritated his agent in the process 😳

There’s a Proverb that says, “Don’t demand an audience with the king...it’s better to wait for an invitation...”

I’m still in a season of waiting for God’s plan for this next season to be revealed, but I can’t say that I am quite still...being still & waiting can be hard. And sometimes, when we try to rush things, we just might delay the things God has in store for us.

I am not one who likes to “sit on her hands”. I like to do...so what do we do while we wait? We can lay down the thing we keep picking up once & for all - at the feet of our Father & trust that He has great plans for us! We can “hurry up” to worship Him while we wait for His perfect timing to arrive.

Father, forgive us for the times we demand an audience with You to lament about OUR plans. Remind us that You have well-laid plans for each of us-far beyond what we can fathom or imagine. We are excited to wait for Your beautiful invitation to step forward into what’s next when the timing is just right. In the meantime, we choose to worship You while we wait. 

#OneYearBible

October 11th One Year Bible Readings

💡JEREMIAH 16:16-18:23

💡1 THESSALONIANS 4:1-5:3

💡PSALM 81:1-16

💡PROVERBS 25:6-8

Invitation to a Mirror Moment

When things are difficult, bargaining with God seems plausible.What we pledge in affliction can be difficult to follow in affluence. It’s far easier to promise to perform than to actually turn from temptation.

The book of Jeremiah is wrought with warning for the people of Israel to turn. They: 

-abandoned the one true God

-worshipped little g gods

-ignored His Word

-stubbornly followed their own desires

-refused to listen to The One who could save them from the pending captivity by foreign nations

In fact, God was so over their myopic frivolity that He says, “I’ll throw you out of this land into foreign lands-there you can worship idols day & night!”

Reading about the Israelites can tempt us to judgement & completely miss that this is also a prophetic mirror for our current culture.Read through this list above & you’ll quickly see the resemblance to what is unfolding today. 

It feels hopeless unless we remember that God is The Faithful One, even when we’re not. I believe He’s waiting for the remnant of true believers to rise & turn to His face...fully!

Jeremiah promises that if we return to God that He will restore us so that we can continue to serve Him alone. He promises with warning, “If you speak good words rather than worthless ones, you will be my spokesman. You must influence them; do not let them influence you!”

I invite you to a mirror moment this morning...take a look & see what we resemble? Where we are allowing culture to influence us? Do we appear as sons & daughters of the Most High, or the worldly culture that we keep?

Three times in Psalm 80, the author begs for God to turn US to HIM. We’re the ones that need be taken by the shoulders & turned back to face the Father so that His face & shining grace might save us. 

Y’all the hour is here where anyone who knows anything about our faithful Father need return fully. Setting ourselves apart from the shiny, worldly things is essential so we may become tools that cause others to turn.

Turn us again to Yourself, O Lord God of Heavens Armies! Make Your face shine upon us for only then will we be saved. May Your Presence & Word become our hearts delight! Restore us again so we may serve only You!

#OneYearBible

October 10th One Year Bible Readings

💡JEREMIAH 14:11-16:15

💡1 THESSALONIANS 2:9-3:13

💡PSALM 80:1-19

💡PROVERBS 25:1-5