Practical Dependence

As I reflect on 2014 and prayerfully prepare for the journey of the upcoming year, I clearly and powerfully see the need for dependence. 2014 brought enormous changes to my life. The loss of family members, the loss of many through Children's Hope, the addition of two new Moldovan family members, spending many weeks in Haiti, and beginning the process of graduating a year early are just a few examples of change. Looking ahead, I will be graduating high school a year early this May and going to Samford University in the fall. This was not even on my radar a few months ago. So many things in my life I could have never imagined or were even close to being on my radar have happened because of God's insurmountable grace.

 In my time of reflection, I realized God does not have check-lists, He has plans. He does not have things He wants you to check off the list, but He wants to journey with you as Emmanuel for His glory. His plans have details so intricate that our minds cannot conceive them. His plans have purpose so great that our souls cannot grasp them. Deuteronomy 7:9 says, "Know that Yahweh your God is God, the faithful God who keeps His gracious covenant loyalty for a THOUSAND GENERATIONS with those who love Him and keep His commands." God does incredible things with simple obedience. Hebrews 11 shows countless examples of faith doing the impossible and affecting God's kingdom in incredible ways. Faith. By faith we are saved. (Ephesians 2:8) By faith God does the impossible. By faith God is glorified. By faith mountains are moved. By faith...the results are limitless.

 Hebrews 12:1-2 "Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, THE SOURCE AND PERFECTER OF OUR FAITH, who for the joy set before Him endured a cross and despised the shame and has sat down at the right hand of God's throne." 

 Marveled at the possibilities brought to the table through faith, I began to dig into the Word, piece together knowledge, and ask the Lord to decipher how faith looks in practical, everyday ways. My New Year's Resolution is to love people practically by worshipping God practically. The Lord has blessed me beyond compare with the knowledge and blessings He entrusts me with. It's time for me to stop being the servant who hides what his master entrusted Him with. It's time to be bold practically. I don't want to hide behind my Haiti testimony as my identity. I want my everyday life, my simplest of tasks, and my mundane decisions to be a testimony of God's grace through faith. So what does that look like?

 In this past year, I have discovered in many ways that totally surrendering to God is the only way in which to worship Him and the only proper response to His presence. I have always been pretty independent, and dependence screamed vulnerability and weakness to me. Not until I realized my vast need for my Savior in every moment of everyday did I value dependence. I am nothing without Christ. I have to depend on Him for absolutely everything. This takes faith. It takes total dependence on Him to live for Him, so that His power and love pours out into this world through me. So, I've come to realize that even the littlest act of obedience to His Word requires so much of His strength. And I am desperate for His strength. This desperation brings me to my knees in prayer. Therefore, practically loving people by practically worshipping Him looks like praying without ceasing. It looks like waking up and giving the day to the Lord. It looks like asking for God's guidance on even the smallest things. It looks like going the extra mile to be a doer of the Word. It looks joyful in frustrating, hard times. It looks like discipling those God has put in your path. It looks like loving God with all you got so that God's presence bursts from within you. 

 I say all of this to encourage you to focus this year on not merely obtaining wisdom but also to live it out in practical ways. I say all of this to ask for your prayers as I embark on loving people and God practically through big changes in my life. I say all of this to say, I am tired of being a "fat Christian", and I am depending on the Lord to get fit to run the race of that He has for me. 

 This morning as I was doing my quiet time/Bible study, I read Psalm 27. Psalm 27:1 says, "The LORD is my light and my salvation-- whom should I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life-- of whom should I be afraid?" What a beautiful picture of dependence that we have the Light of the world within us, His grace covering us, and His mighty hands holding us. Therefore, we have nothing to fear. My God amazes me everyday.