Broken

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. Psalm 51:17

We live in a world when something is broken it is discarded and replaced. There was a time when broken things were fixed but not today. Even when a marriage is "broken", it is easier to divorce than to go through the difficulty of restoring the relationship. We do not consider anything that is broken of any worth. But God often sees brokenness as desirable.  

Brokenness is often necessary:

• It takes broken soil to produce a crop
• Clouds must be broken to give us rain
• A diamond must be "broken" to become a precious gem
• Grain must be broken to create bread
• Grapes are crushed to create wine

God often uses broken people, like you and me. We are all broken (Romans 3:23).  Every Superman in Scripture, except Christ, had his Kryptonite moments. If we were to take a roll call of the Bible's greatest losers who in time became God's greatest winners, it may look somewhat like this: 

• Moses was a murderer and disobeyed God (Exod. 2:11-12; Num. 20:11).
• Rahab was a prostitute (Josh. 2:1).
• David was an adulterer and a murderer (2 Sam. 11:4, 15-17).
• Peter denied Christ (Luke 22:57, 58, 60).
• Jacob was a deceiver (Gen. 27:1-29).

If you study Scripture, you will encounter some of the people God used, even though they were broken. People like Moses, Ezekiel, Naomi, and Rahab showed me the other side of brokenness. No matter what broken state we are in, we are never beyond God’s reach. We are never so far gone that God cannot make us effective for God’s purposes.

 I read a true story of a boy that loved to color. He loved to color so much that he would only use Crayola crayons. He would not use any other brand. Sometimes he would come crying to his mother because one of the crayons was broken. She wisely said, “Broken crayons still color baby!” A child may not understand that but as adults we need to realize that though be are broken, He can (and will) still use us.

 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

I Will Not Go

Moses was convinced that without God's presence in his life, it was useless for him to anything. John 15:5  When he spoke face to face with God, he said, "If your presence is not with me, then I'm not going anywhere. I won't take a single step unless I'm assured you're with me!" 

Moses knew it was God's presence that set Israel apart from other nations. And the same is true for every Christ-follower today. The only thing that sets us apart from nonbelievers is God being "with us" 

What if you woke every morning and said to God, "Today, Lord I need your presence in my life. I don't want to live without your direction and guidance."   With that kind of dependency we can experience peace and a calm even in the midst of turmoil. 

The Old Testament is filled with examples of the blessing that God's presence brought to the lives of His followers:

* God's presence was so evident in Abrahams life, even the heathen around him recognized the difference between their lives and his. Genesis 21:22   

* God promised Joshua that no enemy could stand against him with God's presence Joshua 1:5-6 With God's presence we can be strong and courageous - because no enemy can harm us!  

* God told Gideon that God was with him and God would use him to save Israel. Judges 6:12 , 14 

The "secret" of having God's presence in our lives is simple. It is by continually seeking Him.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13 The wonderful thing about seeking God is you can seek Him anywhere: in the shower, on your way to work, at school, on the job.

Christ gives me the strength to face anything. Philippians 4:13 CEV Go today in the power of His presence!

Don't Worry. Be Happy.

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life... Matthew 6:25

We think worry is normal but it is not. Worry may be common but it is not normal. Worry only exists because we allow it. Worry is a choice. Trusting God is a choice.

The root of all worry, fear and anxiety is an orphan spirit. Orphans have to taken care of their own problems. We often forget that we have the greatest of all Father's; God Himself!

It is amazing the problems that are solved the moment you trust God. 

God Chose Me

 

I never liked school. Looking back after all these years, I think my dislike was based on my low self-esteem. I did not fit in with the popular kids. I was not athletic and did not make it on any sports team. Academically, I was average.  I always thought the other kids dressed so much better than I. When we went outside for recess, I almost got physically sick because when choosing up teams for softball, I was always chosen last.

Have you ever noticed the difference in the way women and men introduce their friends? Women almost always introduce someone by their relationships; “This is Mary, she is Bob and Sally’s daughter.” Men on the other introduce their friends by occupation; “This is Frank. He works for IBM.” Men seem to find their value in what they do or achieve. That is why when men retire, they lose their self-worth.

Many people find themselves running themselves ragged on a performance tread mill trying to earn someone’s love or respect. People even think if they do enough, be good enough they can win God’s approval. But the Bible does not say anything about earning God’s approval. The Bible does not tell us about “doing more” to please God. We have already been accepted by God Romans 15:7

 

No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, John 15:15 NKJV