For the Surpassing Worth of Knowing Christ
Rue Arrow is soul-pondering, rain-dancing, dawn-seeking child of the Father with deep feeling and intrigue for both the blessings and the brokenness in this messy thing called life. Her desire is simply to honor Jesus, "counting everything as loss for the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:8). You can further journey with her in this endless pursuit of God's heart through her blog: This Messy Thing Called Life.
Who could ever dream to hope of a God that seeks a filthy people who runs from Him, denies Him, betrays Him, and attacks Him? And yet the Creator of all mankind is, in an overwhelming love story, faithfully seeking His heart’s love…though we hide from His arms and faithlessly chase worldly pleasures and disgrace. How breathtaking. How beautiful.
How unthinkable.
As a missionary I have come to realize that as seasons change, my heart grows weary. Why? Simple. I’m human…and humans don’t like uncertainties. We don’t like stepping out of our comfort zones or initiating something without knowing what the outcome will be. We’re scared. That’s the long and short of it. We’re scared that… Continue reading Breathe, Little One: As Seasons Change, God Stays the Same
These past few days I have been thinking a lot about the various paths we take in our journey as Christians. I’ve been thinking about the times God has called me – and others – down a specific road only to randomly whisper “take a turn, I have a different road for you now.” And I’ve been thinking about how our God seems to love surprises.
But here’s what I’ve been thinking about most: whether life is beyond simple right now or you’re in a whirlwind of unknowns…I hope you give it all you’ve got.
I know this race isn’t always easy. I know sometimes life hurts. But the next time you’re overwhelmed, just imagine Jesus smiling down and whispering, “hang on, little one. When you’re running and tired and you want to give up…just look up here at Me. I’ll be cheering you on.”
Just look up.
Several weeks ago, I had the wonderful opportunity of going to stay with a missionary teammate in an extremely Islamic village. The experience taught me so much about missions, God, people, the brokenness in our world,… and myself. And through all of that, the lesson that stuck out to me the most is this: I need spiritual rest. And so do you
When all we see is worthless, invaluable, and hopelessly broken, Yahweh is still looking compassionately upon His lost sheep whispering “I love you. I’m still fighting for you. I’m not finished yet.”
And friends? We need to be praying. We need to be desperately and sincerely praying for the lost and hurting souls around the world. Because they matter to Him.
I know it is quite easy for our schedules to turn into habits and our habits to turn into boring norms that don’t seem too exciting or purposeful. But don’t give up on the here and now. Because by doing that who knows what other opportunities you could be giving up on as well? Who knows what lives might be touched, mindsets changed, and hurt mended?
Follow Jesus right here; be a light in a dark world right now.
How do we know what our calling is? How can we better sense the Holy Spirit’s guidance in our lives? And for those of us who are still waiting for direction from God…what do we do in the meantime?
For this article I had the privilege of interviewing Jaquelle Crowe –bestselling author of This Changes Everything – on the topic of dealing with earthly trials as a child of the King of Heaven. Her answers are full of wisdom and experience, I hope they bless and encourage you today! 1.First, could you share with… Continue reading How to Face Suffering as a Christian
This world is full of decisions. Full of what-if, would-be questions, adventures, and journeys. Life is like a map with hundreds of roads to choose from, all tangled in a mess of confusion. The truth is there are so many opportunities and experiences-to-be-had in this great big world that it’s hard to see what we’re aiming at.
But I have a simple suggestion: in this messy, fast-paced world…just aim to be a little more like Jesus every day.