Groom Me:  The Realities of Following God ForwardPhilippians 3:8-11 What is more, I consider
everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my
Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I
may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of
my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from
God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the
power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like
him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection
from the dead. Click Logo to LISTEN NOW!  Greetings! This morning, I woke up hearing the song
Moving Forward by Israel Houghton. Feel free to listen as you read on today…
I love our verses for today. This sharing of Paul’s testimony in Philippians
3 reminds us all that on this journey, when we do obey the word of the Lord
over our lives, we are taking one step forward to getting to know Him better. As we surrender our lives to Christ, as He,
indeed makes all things new, we grow to understand that all that we may have
been able to accomplish in our past – the good and bad – is nothing when
compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ. In fact, Paul considers all things garbage –
or dung, in other versions. What would you consider your highest and best success
so far in your life? Name it. Picture it.
And then consider it GARBAGE!
Paul says, all of what we have accomplished is garbage because our
highest and best “success” is our faithfulness to the glorious Gospel of the
Lord Jesus Christ. This means, being
found in Christ and being made righteous by God through Him. Friends, during this season, I believe this is a time
for all of us to be groomed by God so that we can indeed MOVE FORWARD. To GROOM means to tend carefully, to clean,
to prepare for position, to tend by removing dirt, parasites, or specks of other matter. Are you willing to surrender yourself to
being groomed by God? In the process of grooming, we grow in our knowledge of
Christ – the power of His resurrection AND participation in His
sufferings. Nobody ever said this
journey would be easy but I just believe it will be worth it. BlogFam, we must stay focused on the higher
purpose of this season which is to KNOW CHRIST.
Now, that is truly the purpose of this season of fasting. As we deny ourselves certain food or activities
or as we prayerfully incorporate healthier habits for our mind, body, or
spirit, we will grow in our knowledge of Christ and as we grow in our knowledge
of Christ we are being groomed to fulfill the will of God in this earth. My sistas and brothas, we are being tended to carefully in this
season by God. We are being made clean
from the inside out so that the Light of Christ can shine through us without
refraction. We are being prepared so
that we can be in a position to serve God at our highest and best capacity
utilizing the gifts that he placed in us from birth. In this season, God is grooming us by removing
the dirt, the parasites, and specks of anything that would hinder our witness
in the Kingdom of God. So, YES, we can
all expect to be changed at the end of this 40 days. YES, we can expect to be different. YES, we can expect to be in a different place
from where we began. BlogFam, PLEASE
do not be intimidated by this process and do not intentionally discourage this
process from taking place in others.
This is the reality of following God forward. Thus, we must surrender to the process of
grooming one word, one instruction, one step at a time and TRUST that through
it all, we are becoming like Christ in His death and so, somehow, attaining to
the resurrection from the dead. We must TRUST that through it all, somehow, we
are MOVING FORWARD. Friends, I am praying for you and with you on
today. I am praying that as you face the
realities of following God forward, as you surrender yourself to being groomed
by God during Lent, I pray that you would quickly begin to see how God is
making you new. I pray that you would know
Christ in the power of His resurrection and participation of His sufferings for
the sole purpose of becoming more like Him. My sistas and brothas, I am praying for you for I am also being groomed
day by day, and the most and the best I can tell you is to KEEP THE FAITH and FOLLOW
GOD! AND for the sake of the Kingdom – Do
NOT look back! Keep MOVING FORWARD!  Black History Month – Quote of the Day: We know the road to freedom has always been stalked by
death. Angela Davis  God Loves You and I do too!Delesslyn Twitter - @AudraSunshine Email - delesslyn@spiritedconcepts.net PLEASE SUBSCRIBE on the left to get email updates,SHARE it with three people, COMMENT below, and click here to GIVE a donation of $5.00 or your best gift to keep it going! ALSO, feel free to check out the other pages on my website! I am available
to provide writing coaching and consulting as well as facilitate
conferences, workshops, retreats, worship services, formal ceremonies,
and other agreed upon services as needed for the benefit of your
personal well-being or those with whom you serve.THANK YOU for reading and sharing! :-) P.S. - BlogFam, I NEED your prayers and support - KIDS KORNER Radio program - It is a moment to spotlight the children and youth [and youth ministers] of our community! PLEASE tune in ONLINE at http://www.wigoam.com at 5:15pm EVERY SUNDAY AND let me know you are listening!!! Also, VISIT us at www.facebook.com/kidskornerradio OR shoot us an EMAIL at kidskornerradio@gmail.com if you have any suggestions for guests, topics, or would like to be a sponsor! [sponsorships are only $25] I WRITE by Faith, and NOT by Sight... |
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Categories#100PoundsOfExcuses#FREEFlowFriday #iThrive #LentInAugust #TheAffirmation #TheSHIFT 2012 End of Year Reflections 3:17 40 Days of Fasting A NEW DAY!!! 8-1-2012 A Proverb A Day Keeps the Foolishness At Bay AFTER He Rose! Best Practices COPYRIGHT - Permissions Policy Cover Up! CROSS-Eyed Decisions. Decisions. Decisions. Disciples Dos and Don'ts G.R.A.C.E. GAIN SOME WAIT!!! GET A CLUE...About Me HOME is Where YOUR Heart Is HOPE & HEALING HOPE! INTRODUCTION Isaiah Reflections John 3 MY VISION FAST NEW YEAR, NEW LOVE NOT SO RANDOM THOUGHTS ONE WORD REST. Period. Saying Goodbye Starting Over Starting Fresh STEP OUT OF THE BOAT - Matthew 14 The EIGHTH Day The EIGHTH Day 2 The Good Samaritan The KEY of LOVE The Living Room Christian Fellowship The POWER to be PERFECT! The Prayer Bridge Things We Left On the Mountain! VISION Wholesome Habits of Healthy Disciples WWJD = What Would JUSTICE Do? |
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