BUT GOD.....AGAIN YOU SAY!

I know......... I already have "But God" ringing in your ears but I want all to know the pattern of the Christian life for all of us!

We are the tellers of His story!

AGOG! A Grid of Grace makes it possible. His Grid compels us

MATURITY!

Mature? Immature?

Physical---look to check growth attributes.

Emotional---look and listen.

Spiritual---compare words with actions.

Didn't think I was too immature until I got to the end of Tyson's list.

Reminder still needed to please God, not man. (1 Thessalonians 2:4)

He sees beyond our actions into the motives of our hearts.

We "see" it in our own lives if despair/depression keeps knocking at the door of our mind.

If we compare, we despair. It's up to us to transfer our minds to embrace God's good, pleasing and perfect, will/purpose for our lives.

Paul David Tripp sums it up well. "There is nothing for which we can take credit. All praise, honor, worship, and service go to God and God alone. He sought us. He birthed us. He sustains us. He matures us." (New Morning Mercies, September 24)

That's what maturity looks like......from the inside out! 

CHOOSE TO SHED???

Maybe 2018 is the year to shed "choose" as My One Word!

Hmm-m-m---"shed" conjures thoughts.
Remove the mask. Give up the pretense. On no---what will people think.

Yet, I'm already pondering which mask to shed first. Maybe normalcy. In the scheme of things, I don't seem as normal as everyone else I know in my age bracket.

We refuse to wear masks and play games. We don't maneuver and manipulate behind the scenes. And we don't twist God's word to suit ourselves. Rather, we keep everything we do and say out in the open, the whole truth on display, so that those who want to, can see and judge for themselves in the presence of God. (2 Corinthians 4:2, MSB)

That verse sounds like transparency without self-promotion. Oh how easy it is to type what might make me more acceptable to others. Hm-m-m, that might be one more trait to "shed"---putting the opinions of others about me, before God's opinion.
Please God, not man. (Galatians 1:10, 1 Thessalonians 2:4) Shed the rest!
Bear with me in these inchoate entires as I find my identity in Christ alone & find my way to blogging in 2018.

AFFIRMATION

2/2/12 Some days one's psyche could use a little encouraging or affirmation. I have recently had such a day----similar to Alexander's, "terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day." But a blast of guilt and shame came instead of affirmation. I sank right into self-pity.....and I know where that originates. Self-pity comes straight from the pit.
Affirming others is a biblical art---in Paul's letter to Philemon he commends him for affirming others in the faith.

I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers,.....For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you. (vs. 4-7)

I know that my focus needs to be on affirming others. Refreshing others.....and not worrying about being refreshed myself! Easier to type than to do. In fact, I like Alexander, considered going to Australia. (To visit Sarah Young) But, like the wisdom of Alexander's mother, I know that some days are like that..... even in Australia.

Some days I could do with remembering that I need to please God, not man. (Galatians 1:10) My affirmation should come from Him. The only place I saw it that day was from my toothbrush. Maybe that was a "God wink"---His creative affirmation. At least I smiled.

“My cup of tea”…………what’s yours?

5/6/10 Figuratively speaking, that phrase “my cup of tea” can describe something that one prefers or desires---often taking on the essence of who we are---an outward manifestation of sorts.
A big reading chair. (bookshelf nearby with cozy mysteries & reading glasses) A big chair for prayer. (bookshelf nearby with Bible study tools, journals & reading glasses) Both areas have a coaster nearby for my “cuppa.” Hm-mm, big chairs, bookshelves, a “cuppa” and reading must be my cup of tea.

That idiom can too often define one’s lifestyle in a negative way. That happens when we try to be someone else’s cup of tea. You can spend a lifetime trying to be what others want you to be---- and it’s usually for their benefit. If you decide to change you’d better watch out.

It does seem to be a little easier as you reach a certain decade to stop misleading family, friends and colleagues. You can come out of the closet, in a way---fess up to “good enough” housekeeping, (books are dusted) “good enough” meals, (tea is available) “good enough” wardrobe (ah-h sweats are clean) and “close enough” number on the scale. (all right, so I didn’t weigh today). That is one of the advantages of aging. Coming clean is liberating. You can stop hiding behind the masks of perfection.

It’s not entirely true that I’ve reached a point where I don’t care what people think of me. Sometimes I feel a little left out in conversations. But I can weigh others’ expectations of me with what He thinks of me, to find balance. It’s His expectations that are important.

For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ. (Galatians 1:10)