Tagged: Uncertainty

day 83 – Confident Cycles

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:

– Ecclesiastes 3:1

Tonight i was listening to some interesting from Pastor Robert Fergusson of Hillsong Church. The series was entitled “Life Cycles”. In it he mentions something rather interesting. He talks about the cyclical nature of God, and how everything is seasonal and indeed cyclical, as Solomon so clearly demonstrates for us here in Ecclesiastes.

An interesting analogy he brings up is our relationship to and response to the rising and setting of the sun. When the sun is up, we behave as if it were day time, however at dusk when it sets we do not react in anarchy and panic because our so beloved sun had disappeared somewhere beyond the horizon. We don’t suddenly cry out to God “WHERE IS THE SUN, BRING IT BACK!!! WE NEED IT!”, we do not react with doubt, uncertainty, stress, worry and quite contrary to the forementioned we react with peace. We put our head on our pillows in peace knowing that when we awake the sun will be there again.

This distinctive pattern of behaviour demonstrates our trust in the cycle of God. It begs the question why is it that we do not trust God in the same way with our lives and our circumstances? God himself has stated to us that he is cyclical/ seasonal, and has stated that he is working for our good (Romans 8:28). He has also stated through the Apostle Paul that he would not with hold from us anything Good because he has already given us the best in his son Christ.

So why the worry? why the fear? why the doubt? Perhaps the acceptance of God’s nature, and full faith in his cycles is the peace that Jesus refers to in Matthew 6.

How many times does God promise us he will raise the sun in the bible… Not that much and yet we have full faith he’ll do it. Yet so many numerous times he tells us that he will do what is Good for his children who love him, and we still doubt.

May we trust God to do what he says he will, and in turn find complete peace whether we are in a season of night or day, he will always raise the sun again in our lives.

Ben’s Commitment

  • Trust in God, especially tomorrow in meeting with the Registrar of bible college!, readers please pray for me.

day 82 – Larger than my Life

Isaiah 45:9-12

Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker,
to him who is but a potsherd among the potsherds on the ground.
Does the clay say to the potter,
‘What are you making?’
Does your work say,
‘He has no hands’?

10 Woe to him who says to his father,
‘What have you begotten?’
or to his mother,
‘What have you brought to birth?’

11 “This is what the LORD says—
the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker:
Concerning things to come,
do you question me about my children,
or give me orders about the work of my hands?

12 It is I who made the earth
and created mankind upon it.
My own hands stretched out the heavens;
I marshaled their starry hosts.

Yet another day filled with crossroads, this morning i shared with Pastor Kien about my meeting with the registrar for bible college, and he informed me that at the start of the week (same day i had a dream about attending bible college) God reminded him of me and he felt the need to tell me to embrace my call as a Pastor and go into ministry. The worship this morning was inspiring for me, followed by us collecting money in our local community for the Red shield appeal. After of which we attended Riverview church. After the service i ran into one of my closest friends and his family and i spoke to his parents, and because of the business and work i was able to have a long chat with them about life, i was able to relate to them only because of the plans with the business.

I feel like i’m being led in 2 directions, one to embrace my call to ministry, if i go into this 100% now i lose my cultural relevance and my ability to minister to such people as my friends parents. If i 100% pursue the business i am neglecting a need in my church and post-poning any progress on my call to be a full-time minister. However if i do both my fear is that i end up mediocre at both, which is worse than doing just one, i would rather be excellent at one than mediocre at 2, but hey that’s just me.

As i pine through the word waiting to hear from the Lord i  am reminded of  some things in Isaiah 45.

  1. Don’t bother striving and wrestling with God about your life
  2. Trust that he knows how to make a pot (he knows how to make your life into what he wants it to be for his pleasure)
  3. He is God and made everything with his hands, he is therefore my maker

It seems the final word from God for me this evening is Ben, i love you, i am good to you, don’t doubt my character (according to the sermon tonight by Pastor Sy Rogers), and finally i am Yahweh maker of all things, trust me.

God is larger than my life and whether my life turns out how  expect it to be, it doesnt matter because it will turn out exactly how he wants it to be for his bigger picture and larger story. This is the most important thing.

So as i continue to pray and acknowledge God on my life, i will continue living it, and trusting that i am where i’m supposed to be, doing what i’m supposed to do for his pleasure and Glory.

Day 81 – Crossroads

Jeremiah 6:16 – 16 This is what the LORD says:
“Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.
But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’

This week has been interesting, and a lot has changed. The purpose of this blog has been to see what changes i would experience in my life by committing to spending 365 days with Jesus (although i have missed a few due to camps etc). Lately however one topic has plagued me, start up my business which i believe God has opened many doors, or… embrace my ultimate call into full-time ministry now by going to bible college.

There have been a number of updates in my situation, firstly this week the business took a good turn with signs looking very optimistic that it will in fact go ahead. Secondly i had a dream on sunday night/ monday morning seemingly directing me toward bible college. Again on Friday i also met with a very close dear mentor of mine who also felt the need to direct me toward bible college.

So on Friday i found myself in trinity college booking a meeting with the registrar to inquire about my options, the meeting is Tuesday (yes that does mean i sacrifice my weekly golf game).

So here in lies the dilemma, is God directing me to both? Which way is the right way? Can one do both? At this point i remain unsure, but i am pushing ahead with both.

Jeremiah speaks of what to do when you face such a cross roads in life.

  1. Stand – Stop moving at your cross road
  2. Look – On Jesus whilst you’ve stopped, look at both paths which one looks right?
  3. Ask – Jesus which one is the right way
  4. Walk – Then walk whatever direction you deem right
  5. Find rest – then have peace that you’ve done all that you can

I have stopped, both paths look right, i’m asking Jesus and this tuesday i will receive a sign, i am walking with whatever is in my hand. May i find peace with the decisions i make in Christ

Right now perhaps i lean more toward doing one unit and working on the business? – Seems the most logical, although i am open and obedient to wherever the Lord leads, this coming week will indeed be interesting.

Lord guide my situation, give me discernment, wisdom, strength and obedience to walk in your way.

Readers do pray for me, and find out the outcome this Tuesday.

Day 78 – Do you want it?

John 5:1-9

I have developed a recent fetish over the past year for memory foam pillows. Since my beloved cousin bought 2 i have been in love with them. This year having started a career i figure it’s the perfect time to go out and purchase one. So (if you remember from previous blogs) i want out got a terrible one from ebay to save money, then i bought a medium one from work and again have become disappointed. Linda asked me the other night, why don’t you just go buy the same one as Thomas since you want it so bad. My response was that i couldn’t justify spending $150 (the non-sale price) on a pillow.

This has led me to an epiphany, maybe it’s not really the price but it’s just that i honestly just don’t want the pillow that much…

In the book of John Jesus asks a cripple sitting by a healing pool for 38 years a seemingly silly question… Do you want to get well? What Jesus is really implying is, if you really want to get better then what’s your deal? Why are you sitting by the pool and not getting in? Instead this invalid defends himself with a negative i can’t do it attitude. Aw poor me everyone jumps in the pool first before me and no one is carrying me in the pool.

Does this cripple really want to get better? Do i really want the memory foam pillow? The truth is that as Christians Jesus is highlighting one of our key mistakes, many Christians have mastered the Ican’t do it attitude. I can’t save that person, i can’t become a pastor, i can’t do that business, i can’t make a difference. Well the answer is of course you can’t but all this cripple had to do was want it, and Jesus can. Jesus asked him if he really wanted it and not that he could but Jesus did.

If you want it just take it, If i really wanted a memory pillow i should stop whining about my pillow and buy it.

We are part of a Can do lifestyle because Jesus can do everything. We can see a million reasons why others can’t but if you want it and Jesus wills it, we can have it.

The cripple tells Jesus he want sit and Jesus enables him to walk, the interesting thing is perhaps if he wasn’t whining for 38 years he probably could of rolled to the pool and eventually dipped himself in. Maybe you are waiting to make a decision, and the answer lies in you rolling into your bethesda pool. Maybe instead of looking at the can’ts we should just love Jesus and roll our way into whatever pool lies in front of us.

May we be inspired to take action through Jesus.

Ben’s Commitment

  • Love God First, then roll into action