For the Surpassing Worth of Knowing Christ
The ugly truth of garden snails is the ugly truth of the human heart too: both are full of a parasite that kills them and anyone who encounters them.
The lovely grace about garden snails is that they can be cleansed from their parasites! But it requires a tedious work that involves their death.
This is the difficult, beautiful glory of God. It is full of grace and truth.
He delights to grow beautiful things within our souls.
And so, He reaches out, with a Kingly sovereignty and a Fatherly heart, waiting, asking: will you follow the roads? Will you go where no one dares to go? You asked for my lamp to guide your feet…and I faithfully will.
But if the roads lead to graveyards…will you still walk them?
As the first missionaries were sent unto the uttermost – as Jesus beckoned, “come and die” – He gave them a glimpse of hope. He gave them a comfort for the lonely nights on their long journeys. He gave them a reason to smile in the seasons of deepest despair.
From the first breath of their calling, Jesus directed them onward, upward.
He beckoned them “follow Me.” And in the weight of those words lies the beauty of a fleeting life redeemed with overflowing fullness.
Because we trust the Shepherd who guides us unto death.
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?
Wouldn’t life be simpler if we didn’t worry? As a missionary kid I’ve never known a lot of stable ground. The future almost always looks uncertain and tomorrow, well…we’ll get there when we get there. In a way, it’s a blessing because it reminds me to live in the moment. But we all know that the unknown is hard.
As believers in Christ, Yahweh is our foundation. When we don’t nurture our relationship with Yahweh we’re ridding ourselves of the one thing keeping us on stable ground.
In today’s testimony challenge Rue M (not to be confused with me, Rue Arrow) shares her struggles with identity, bullying, feeling like a “misfit” and how she, ultimately, found her belonging in Christ. To learn more about Rue M visit her blog: fullofgrace24.wordpress.com
Today’s testimony challenge discusses grief, depression, anxiety, and God’s grace and love which are strong enough to heal our hurting hearts. If you’d like to find out more about Eileen check out her blog: eileen-rife.blogspot.com
Looking forward can be scary. Especially for teenagers. There are ups and downs and turn-arounds and so many missing pieces to the puzzle that just keeps growing. But God already knows the plans He has for each and every one of us. If the road looks twisted—like a maze you’ll never find your way through—just close your eyes and take the hand that’s always there to lead you.