When Grace Wears Thin: Guest Post

Today's post is written by a dear friend of mine. Schuyler M. is an avid reader and 
writer, and she willingly used her life experiences 
to share from her heart in this post.

I have known Schuyler for about two years now, and her godly example 

and faithful friendship to me has been a most welcome blessing.

May this post by her bless you as it has blessed me. 
Leave a comment for her, if you wish!

Thank you, Schuyler. 

~Kaleigh

________________________________

Some nights, we wonder if God's grace is quite enough. When we're laying awake, hurting, thinking over present pains and coming struggles, we wonder where the God is that said "my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness".

One night I was lying awake like that. I had been having nightmares night after night; terrible ones that left me feeling exhausted at the end of them. And there were other struggles going on at the same time--broken dreams, and daily crosses, and blessings I wanted that God chose not to give. It was all too much to bear, so I lay awake thinking about it.

The darkness was very dark. And God's grace seemed to fray around the edges as I tried to lean into it. 

I'm not the only one to experience this. Parents, children, friends, ministry leaders--we all go through dark times in life, even as dedicated Christians. It's natural. We experience just what David did in the Psalms. We wrestle with the effects of sin in ourselves, and in those around us. And in our battle with light and darkness, we know that Jesus has the ultimate victory, but sometimes we wonder if the darkness will swallow up a poor, lowly foot soldier before He even notices we're losing in the fray.

I lay awake, and the night pressed in heavier. And if I didn't know better, I could have sworn that God had forgotten to dispense Schuyler-grace that night.

Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God”?
Do  you not know? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.

~Isaiah 40:27-28

One of the things we do when we are going through darkness is to wonder if God really knew what He was doing when He gave us this particular struggle--and if He gave us the strength we would need to get through it. In our minds we know He did, but we struggle to get the mind knowledge to the heart knowledge. We forget that God gave us a struggle or denied us a blessing because His fathomless understanding saw how He could turn it to our good and His glory.

Time and again I've cried out to the Lord "I want more grace! I want more!" But He says, "I've given you sufficient grace. Not grace that will take away all your problems, but grace that will bring you through them. Enough for the next second. Second after second, I'll never let you down. But I'm not going to give you enough so that you think you don't need me." And He gives me enough so that I'm like an infant, relying on him for all my care.

It is hard to remember that God, in love, denies blessings as well as gives them, but it is true. And it is His love that sends us through the darkness so that we can experience true light.

Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the voice of his servant?

Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God. ~Isaiah 50:10

The night I couldn't sleep, I turned on my music player and flipped through to Nella Fantasia, which is my favorite soothing go-to music when I need to re-set my thoughts. When the mind is overwhelmed by darkness, the quickest way to feel God's grace again is to calm our thoughts so we can bring ourselves to a place of surrender. Sometimes we are able to do this through reading a timely Scripture passage. Sometimes we find surrender through an email from a friend, or a hug from a sibling, or a word of praise from a parent. Sometimes we even find it by listening to a tenor singing Italian.  Whatever it takes, it is when we can bring ourselves to a posture of expectant waiting that we give God room to show that He still holds us close.

I fell asleep, rather fittingly, to a plea in a foreign language for a just world where pain ends. My soul waited with open hands for the grace I needed.

And then, as the night ended, His grace came.

Dawn broke. Dawn broke.

Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.

~Psalm 30:5b

Christians in the present day aren't the only people to struggle with a seeming grace shortage. The ultimate feeling of insufficient grace came at the crucifixion of the hope of Israel. Jesus' disciples, just like us, entered darkness and felt like the night would never end. They endured three days of living hell when Jesus died, and the promised Messiah lay dead in the tomb. But their dawn came, and this gives us the promise that our dawn will come too.

The wonder, the relief we will experience, when the greatest nightmare of broken dreams gives way to the dawning reality of a Living God. 

Dawn comes after night. As we bury dead hopes in relationships or life, we always have to endure the three days of darkness that the disciples did. That's part of our cross to bear. But just as they saw their Hope rise again, we will see ours. And I think in some ways it will always be unexpected, because God wants to give all believers the grace of tasting what it was like to see His Son rise again, even though we live centuries after it happened.

When I woke up that morning, I thanked God that he had brought me through the night to see another dawn. Just the new day was enough, for it promised me that He had gotten me that far, and would bring me through the day. Time passed, and my hope increased as I sensed His grace undergirding and supporting me.

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.

~Isaiah 40:29-31

Dawn always comes. In every ticking second of darkness, we must cling to the hope that dawn will come, that the little pinpoint of light we see in front of us is our great God leading us to the coming day. All of us struggle. All of us go through seasons of walking in darkness, sometimes darkness that is very great indeed. Families sin and turn upon each other. Projects fall through, ones that we've been working on for a long time. Friends get busy and sometimes forget to encourage. And we see darkness. But the promise of coming dawn is eternal, unchangeable. As eternal and unchangeable as the God we worship. His grace can never alter or wear thin, and God, who deals so abundantly with us, will ensure that we have enough. It will be there for us through the deepest darkness, and we are assured that all evil shall be vanquished, all heartache shall be healed, and our Lord shall work deliverance on behalf of His people.

If you are walking in darkness, then wait for the Lord to restore your hope. Dawn will come, for no force--neither our fears, nor our struggles, nor our disappointments--can hold it back. And when it comes, remember to give thanks to God for his abundant grace.

Schuyler M. is an avid bibliophile, a young ladies' ministry leader, and an aspiring novelist. Styling herself as Lady Bibliophile, she runs a book blog, My Lady Bibliophile, where she posts Tuesdays and Fridays with book reviews and Christian evaluation methods of classic literature. In her spare time, she likes to listen to Celtic music, write novels, and day-dream about what her growing manuscript would look like on the silver screen.

In the Service of the King

Serve the Lord with gladness: 

come before his presence with singing.

Psalm 100:2

Life is busy. We can all attest to the truth of that statement. Helping our siblings, meeting the needs of friends, running errands for parents, solving “technical difficulties”, visiting the elderly, using our musical and speaking abilities to comfort others—all these are examples of just ordinary life.

Sometimes, though, I think we get caught up in the actual doing of the work, that we forget what it really is: serving. We also forget Who we are serving: the King of Kings. And so, I hope that this will be a written reminder and encouragement to you to keep your focus on the One you are serving. The One who has called you out of darkness, and into His marvelous light. The One who modeled service as no man did, has, or ever will—and it is we who are called to be “little Christs”—to model that service here on earth.

Who are you serving?

Yes, we as believers have the head knowledge that “everything is done to the glory of God”, but do we really recognize that it is the Christ, the Son of the living God that we are serving? The One who is…

Highest of majesty

Brilliant in splendor

Jesus, Creator, Redeemer of man

Fullness of God, He is One with the Father.

Just realizing the complete awesomeness of the King of Kings, causes us to step back and rethink who we really are as finite humans. It is the Creator of our very lives Who sanctifies us for His use [Jeremiah 1:5; Hebrews 10:10]; the High Priest who lives to make intercession for us [Hebrews 7:25]; the One who knows our sin like no other, and yet chooses to use us in spite of who we are. [2 Corinthians 12:9] The God Who rescued us—yes, that’s Who we serve.

When are you serving Him?

As believers, we are Christ’s servants, not just when we feel like it, not just when life is going smoothly, and not just when we think we know the outline of the near future. After we have surrendered our lives to the Lord, our time, talents, and treasures are not our own anymore. Our service to Him is to be constant and everlasting. Even when we have passed through Heaven’s gates, we will join the thousands before us in serving Him and worshipping at His feet. For now, our service is here on earth.

Take my life and let it be

Consecrated, Lord to Thee.

Take my moments and by days

Let them flow in ceaseless praise

Our moments and our days all belong to Him--whether it’s doing the laundry for the thousandth time or answering the call to minister in another country. We don’t “belong” to ourselves. We are God’s, and He asks—no, He demands—that each and every moment be lived in service to Him. [1 Corinthians 6:19-20]

Where are you serving Him?

We can start right where we are. Some of us may be at home, at work, in church—wherever we may be physically at this present moment, that is where we are to serve Him. The Priests of the Old Testament were given the task of serving specifically in the temple. The church is commanded to serve each other. [Galatians 5:13; 1 Peter 4:10] We should not be limited geographically, financially, or in any other way, in serving the Lord. Sometimes this may call for us to be spontaneous, and temporarily leave off our own plans to serve someone in need. Service starts right where we are, and for many of us that should begin in our own homes, serving our family—siblings, parents, and/or spouses—while learning to surrender our own schedules to another’s in order to show the love of Christ.

Why are you serving Him?

Why are you serving Him? Is it so that others will see your good works and glorify you? Or is your work done heartily to the Lord? [Colossians 3:23-24] We aren’t to boast about what we accomplish, how much time we “give up” for someone, or about some great thing that we did for the world. Our reward lies in heaven—and inheritance with our heavenly Father. The unbelieving world should see our works, but our accomplishments should provide them a reason to glorify Christ. [Matthew 5:16] For it is nothing in us that accomplishes anything, but only by His strength that we can do all things. [Philippians 4:13] Unto Him we live and serve. [2 Corinthians 5:15]

How are you serving Him?

As Joshua commanded the Israelites, so we must also “fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth”. [Joshua 24:14; 1 Samuel 12:24] Our service to Him must be genuine—not a hypocritical sort or a habit forced on us by someone else—but in faithfulness to the Lord because of what He has done for us.

Mark 9:35 instructs us to be the servant of all; not showing partiality to those we “like” best, but giving to anyone out of love for God. This will involve humility, just as Christ took on the form of a humble servant—even to the point of death. [Philippians 2:4-8]

We are to serve the Lord with singleness of heart. Jesus quoted the Old Testament in His refutation of Satan’s bribes: “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” [Matthew 4:10, emphasis mine] We will have to consciously destroy the sinful idols in our life on a daily basis, in order that we might take up our crosses and follow Him in servitude. We cannot serve the world and God, but must hate the one and cleave to the other. [Luke 16:13]

The service God requires of us, which encompasses all the tiny details of life, is summed up in Romans 12:1, which states: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” Our ultimate service to God lies in our surrendering of our lives as a sacrifice to our Redeemer. When we have allowed Him and the Holy Spirit to indwell our lives, we are putting Him on the throne of our hearts and submitting our thoughts, actions, and motives to His control; it should be our desire to surrender all things to Him. We will fail, guaranteed; but by consistently surrendering all to Him, we can then serve Him as He served us.

Conclusion:

Think about this: the creatures in this universe—we who have sinned on every imaginable level—are some who have been redeemed, called out, and set-apart to serve the sovereign Creator. The Messiah chose to exemplify the ultimate example of service (dying for a sinful world), so we might understand, as best we can, how to lay down our lives for one other. The Beloved of the Father chose to give life to the earth and its inhabitants so that they might more fully glorify Him and serve Him—in spite of their sin. And not just to serve, but to love Him with all of our hearts.

“And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, an d to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, To keep the commandments of the Lord, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?” [Deuteronomy 10:11-12]

May we all be able to say:

“As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”[Joshua 24:15]

Blessings, 

Kaleigh 

*This article was originally written to be published in this newsletter. You can find their website here.

A Look Back at 2013

 

                                                    “Delight yourself also in the LORD,
                                                    and He shall give you the desires of
                                                             your heart”. Psalm 37:4

This is supposed to be the end-of-the-year post from me this time, and though we are already 18 days into the new year, I'm still going to write about 2013. I don't want to go into 2013 history and retell all the things that happened (or didn't happen as I had hoped); and this is because 2013 was probably one of the less rewarding years that I can remember. I became excited that 2014 was just around the bend and thought about all the great possibilities that it might offer. Because it's a fresh start to a new year! Also, you can check out my blog post here: Anna's Insights to find out what my big news update is for this year.

I would say that the brightest spot for me in 2013 was being able to purchase my reining horse, whom I enjoy very much. A lot of people need their “get-away-s”. Some go on vacation, some bury their heads in books, some go fishing, and some, like myself, go play with their animals. In 2013, I needed a lot of that “out” from all that was going on around me. It was indeed a challenging year that I would like very much to forget. As some—or perhaps most of you know—my Grandpa went to be with the Lord in October. We were all glad that he wasn't/isn't in pain any longer, but the occasion caused many negative repercussions in the family.

Perhaps, 2013 was less than desirable for you, too. But today is the day that the Lord has made (Psalm 118:24). God has granted us to see the start of yet another year. How we respond to the challenges is up to us, but be assured that He will never leave you nor forsake you (Deut. 31:6). God's not finished with you yet and 2014 is another chapter in your life. Circumstances, good and bad, are written in most of the chapters. How should we respond them? “Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass” Psalm 37:5. Commit this day to Him and let Him lead you by the hand. God was alive and well before time began (He was), He is still alive and well in today's, mixed up society (He is), and He will one day come back for His saints and purge this wicked world (He is to come)!

If we will only draw near to God, He will draw near to us (James 4:8). When we commit our time and energy, our thoughts and our lives to Christ, He will never forsake us. For we are His children and God never forsakes His own (Psalm 94:14).

We only have this moment to make a difference, for we are not guaranteed the next moment, hour, nor day. We cannot belong to Satan and belong to God. Riding the fence or turning to God only in our desperate hour is not the right kind of relationship we should have with Him. If we only call out to God when we feel lost and hopeless, we cannot expect an answer! God is a jealous God and He wants our devotion on a moment to moment basis; not problem to problem. God shows us where we are wrong when we truly repent and admit that we are sinners. And when we partake of communion, we remember what Christ did when He shed His blood for us on the cross. Any man who eats and drinks, but does not belong to God, is only eating and drinking judgement on himself (1 Cor. 11:29). And God promises that if we come to Him, repent, and turn from our evil ways, He will wash those sins away (1 John 1:9).

If you have not yet committed yourself to the Lord, I urge you to talk with your parents, your pastor, or another family member. If you already have, my prayer is that you will walk closer than ever with Him this new year. If you want a resolution this year, don't just be convinced that it's important to trust God with every part of your life: be convicted. God's got great plans for you, friend! You have nothing to “fear, only trust and obey.”

“When we walk with the Lord
In the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way;
While we do His good will,
He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.

“Trust and obey,
For there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus,
But to trust and obey.”

God bless,

Julianna

P.S. Just to let our friends who aren't on Google+ know, Kaleigh and I have made our 2014 video, so please be sure to check that out on our “About Us” page.

2013

Photo credit

Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: 
for the Lord will do great things. 

Joel 2:21

As another year closes out, I can with certainty look back and say "The Lord did indeed do great things, for He does all things well." This year will always hold numerous memories for me; the majority of them being very special ones. 

2013 marks the year when I earned 30 more college credits, met some online friends face-to-face, attended a conference in Washington, participated in several musical performances, saw increased babysitting opportunities, attended two funerals for close family members, and began teaching Sunday school. There are many, many more things I could list, but that would take far too long and that is not my primary intent for this post. 

The verse quoted at the beginning of this post would have been a good one to remember at the beginning of the year, perhaps. It looks forward to a future of good things. I could not have told you at the start of 2013 what kinds of great things I would encounter--and yet, I clearly saw this promised fulfilled. I can now look forward to 2014, knowing that the same promise holds true for each and ever one of God's children. 

It is interesting to note that God commands His people to "be glad and rejoice" in their present moment and not after He had done "great things". No, He called them to be joyful even when they could see what the future held. They were also commanded not to fear. Joyfulness in the Lord is a confidence that He holds your future in His hands. And confidence in the Lord replaces fear.

Our confidence comes from knowing that we have a *present joy...

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. (1 Peter 1:3-8)

 and a *prospective joy...

Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. 

Sometimes I forget that I probably don't just have Christian readers, though. Maybe some of you don't have that joyfulness, trust, and confidence in the Lord. True, not all believers demonstrate those traits consistently, but they have the means of receiving it. 

True joy will only come through the Lord Jesus Christ—He is the Creator of it, and only He can give it. You may see happiness in doing “good works” or accumulating fame and fortune, and, while those things are not always inherently wrong, they will not provide you with eternal life. One day you will die…or the Lord will return before that happens, and in that final day when He judges the earth, you will either both fear and dread Him or you will join the thousands who will praise His name forever. You can choose to believe God doesn’t exist or that your good works will outweigh your bad, but that doesn’t eliminate the fact that your life will be measured according to the righteous standards of God’s law.

There is no other name, person, religion, or method that will prevent you from eternal damnation. (Acts 4:12) Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Him. (John 14:6) Through the substitutionary death of Christ on the cross, He took your sins on Himself, and provided eternal life to those who confess their sins, turn from them, and believe in the Lord. You will die and you will be judged—where is your eternal destiny?

For those of us who have eternal confidence, Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is faithful, and has promised that the joy of the Lord is our strength. Fear not—don’t give way to the devil’s temptations, disappointments, and doubts. May you enter 2014 with gladness and joyfulness, knowing that He who has done great things, will continue to throughout this next year and until the day of Jesus Christ.

Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. (Psalm 16:11)

May God go with you all.

Your sister in Christ,

Kaleigh

*Terms and quoted texts taken from my pastor's sermon.