Perfection of the Heart

Remember that you live in a fallen world: an abnormal world tainted by sin. Much frustration and failure result from your seeking perfection in this life. There is nothing perfect in this world except Me. That is why closeness to Me satisfied deep yearnings and fills you with joy.

I have planted longing for perfection in every human heart. This is a good desire, which I alone can fulfill. But most people seek this fulfillment in other people and earthly pleasures or achievements. Thus they create idols, before which they bow down. I will have no other gods before Me! Make Me the deepest desire of your heart. Let Me fulfill your yearning for perfection.

“You shall have no other gods before me.” —Exodus 20:3

Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. —Psalm 37:4

This is the exert from today's Jesus Calling by Sarah Young (I highly recommend getting this devotional, it's a great quick 2-minute start to your day and always seems to applicable to what I'm going through that day). Today really spoke to me as I struggle with perfection on a daily basis. I love how it was put, that God planted a longing in each of hearts for perfection. He created a desire in our hearts to crave perfection but only one thing can satisfy that, an that is Him. How beautiful is that? Normally 'perfection' is painted in such a negative light but really it's something we should strive for every day because ultimately our goal is to be more like Him. 

Perfection doesn't have to be such a negative thing. I think of the bracelets we all got in Sunday school "WWJD"- What Would Jesus Do. These were meant to remind us as kids to think of how Jesus would react to a situation before we acted. That is the simplicity of pursuing perfection; striving to act and think more like Christ. Christ is love, patience, kindness, forgiveness, mercy and grace. When we set our eyes on Christ and try our hardest to embody Him, that is what true Christianity looks like. It's not about wearing a bracelet or a cross around your neck, it's not about posting scripture on social media, and it's not about owning every single type of Bible out there- that's what looking like a Christian looks like. Striving and looking like Christ is a step shy of perfection (because obviously, we all fail daily and hourly to be 'perfect'). It's about laying down yourself and picking up the cross daily. 

Lay down your pride and pick up humility. Lay down your greed and pick up a giving heart. Lay down your ego and pick up your compassion. Lay down your fear of the future and pick up faith and hope. Lay down your anger and pick up love. Lay it down and lean on God to show you what to do, how to react, what to say, where to go. He is Lord, perfect and beautiful in every way, and He will mold you into His perfect image day by day if you'll only lay down yourself and open yourself up to Him.

Perfect in the Imperfection

This devotional was from my June 1st Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young

I am involved in each moment of your life. I have carefully mapped out every inch of your journey through this day, even though much of it may feel haphazard. Because the world is in a fallen condition, things always seem to be unraveling around the edges. Expect to find trouble in this day. At the same time, trust that My way is perfect, even in the midst of such messy imperfection.

Stay conscious of Me as you go through this day, remembering that I never leave your side. Let the Holy Spirit guide you step by step, protecting you from unnecessary trials and equipping you to get through whatever must be endured. As you trudge through the sludge of this fallen world, keep your mind in heavenly places with Me. Thus the Light of My Presence shines on you, giving you Peace and Joy that circumstances cannot touch.

As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.

—Psalm 18:30

“For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.”

—Isaiah 41:13

A bad habit of mine is to go throughout the day with my plan, my checklist and my nose to the grind. 

[x] Crossfit

[x] Make lunch

[x] Return emails at work

[x] Schedule a girls night with friends

When I'm going through those actions I don't connect them back to Jesus. I do a devotional in the morning, I rush about my day, and then I end with a prayer at night. But the thing is, God isn't just there at my morning devotional and my prayer time at night: he's here with me now. He's here with me of every second, of every moment of every day. He has orchestrated my days well-before I've even started to create that days to-do list. When I'm working out, He's with me and knows when I'll face my hardest moments and want to turn back. When I'm making a lunch for work, He's already 'prepared' what I'm going to take. When I'm at the office and juggling 30 things at once, He is there helping me get through it all. All of it- He is with me. 

Yet I'm not conscious to it. I don't often enough glorify God in the small moments of life; subconsciously I recognize that He is always with me, but I don't verbalize it often enough. "As you trudge through the sludge of this fallen world (aka our every day lives), keep your mind in heavenly places with Me". If we remember that God is with us, He will never fail or forsake us, than it makes getting through the sludge a little bit less grueling. Not to say that our day-to-day lives will be a scene from a Disney fairytale, but His way is perfect, protecting and profound. In the end, it's comforting to get the gentle reminder that He is always with us, protecting and guiding every one of our steps. 

“For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” —Isaiah 41:13

Thankful Heart

Jesus Calling

July 24th 

"Thankfulness opens the door to My Presence. Though I am always with you, I have gone to great measures to preserve your freedom of choice. I have placed a door between you and Me, and I have empowered you to open or close that door. There are many ways to open it, but a grateful attitude is one of the most effective.

Thankfulness is built on a substructure of trust. When thankful words stick in your throat, you  need to check up on your foundation of trust. When thankfulness flows freely from your heart and lips, let your gratitude draw you closer to Me. I want you to learn the art of giving thanks in all circumstances.See how many times you can thank Me daily; this will awaken your awareness to a multitude of blessings. It will also cushion the impact of trials when they come against you. Practice My Presence by practicing the discipline of thankfulness."

Psalm 100:4; 1 Thessalonians 5:18

It is no secret that I have been struggling to have a positive spirit or a positive outlook at my job. Lately I've dreaded every single day going into work and it's just a miserable experience until 5 o'clock rolls around. I find myself in a pit of complaints: complaints about the work, my boss, the commute, the strict new rules we must follow…definitely not a very Christianly spirit. I haven't been grateful to God for the things I should be thankful for and goodness knows I haven't expressed them to Him. 

After reading this mornings devotional in Jesus Calling, I prayed that the Lord would help me to have a grateful heart, recognize the blessings He has given me, and verbally praise God for His goodness. I went about my morning like normal and while driving to work the heavens opened up and it poured monsooned rain. Guess whose umbrella was in the trunk of her car- this girl!! I absentmindedly prayed that the Lord would let the rain stop when I arrived at work so my hair wouldn't look liked a drowned rat going into work. Pulled into the work parking lot and -poof- rain stopped for 4 minutes to let me get inside pretty much dry. Blessing #1 

Later in the afternoon I got an e-mail from my boss and in an uncharacteristically kind and thoughtful gesture, she had sent me a Starbucks gift certificate to 'thank me for all my hand work and dedication lately'. Considering I have little interaction with her anymore, the fact that she went out of her way to send me the gift card was a kind and thoughtful gift.  Blessing #2

On my afternoon lunch break I had to take my car into the shop for an oil change. I thought I'd be clever and book it for the late afternoon so less people would be there and it'd be quick. Well an hour and a half later I was still sitting in the lobby! Finally the technician came in and retrieved me and brought me back out to my car. He apologized that it took so long and told me that because it took so long, this one was on the house today. Blessing #3

I got back into my car and headed back to work, going back to my devotion that morning: "See how many times you can thank Me daily; this will awaken your awareness to a multitude of blessings. It will also cushion the impact of trials when they come against you. Practice My Presence by practicing the discipline of thankfulness." Blessings can be small and tiny things throughout a day from a rainbow, a singing bird, a breeze on a hot day, but when you start viewing them as blessings from the Lord they become that much sweeter. There are seasons in life when it doesn't feel like Lord is blessing you but maybe if we start praising Him for the small things in life, that season will become more bearable and positive.  The Lord is good all the time, and all the time the Lord is good.