God’s Still Working

 

By Andrea Merrell

 

Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6 NKJV

 

When my kids were very young, we used to sing the song, “God’s Still Working On Me.”

The truth is He never stops working. But how does He accomplish all He wants to do in and through us, making us all He created us to be?

I read an interesting story recently about how fine wine is made. Apparently, it never stays in the same container long, but is consistently poured from one vessel into another. When the wine leaves one vessel, it leaves behind the dregs—that which needs to be removed. Each vessel serves a different purpose, and only the winemaker knows how much time the wine needs to spend in each one.

God works in us much the same way, pouring us into different situations to face challenges that will refine us. When we leave one situation and go to the next, we leave the dregs behind—those things that need to be removed from our heart and our life.

The next time you find yourself out of your comfort zone and experiencing pressure, know that God is still working and remember this verse: Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net and Stuart Miles.

Take Time to Listen

 

By Andrea Merrell

 

And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. 

1 Kings 19:12 NKJV

 

“I’ve prayed and prayed,” my friend said. “I need God to tell me what to do, but I guess He’s not talking to me.”

“Are you listening?” I asked.

Her answer consisted of a long diatribe of how busy she was and how little time she had to “spend with the Lord.”

The problem with her answer was that I knew how much time she spent staring at her phone, texting and emailing—not to mention social media. If she wasn’t typing, she was talking or listening to someone else talk.

One writer says the average person gets anywhere from fifty to over one hundred texts, emails, or PMs every day. Think about that. As long as we’re willing to take the time to stop and listen to others—but not God—our problems will not be solved, and our situations won’t change.

The truth is God is always communicating with us. He can speak to us anytime, anywhere, through anyone or any given situation. But we must take the time to listen.

If you’re longing to hear from God, shut out distractions and spend time with Him. Then listen for that still small voice.

Your Father longs to speak to you.

Photo courtesy of FreedDigitalPhotos.net and Ohmega1982.

 

Baby Steps

 

By Andrea Merrell

Call to me and I will answer you. I’ll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own.

Jeremiah 33:3 MSG

“Look, Mom, I made up the bed. All by myself.”

Even though I was only around six or seven years old at the time, I still remember the tremendous feeling of accomplishment.

Until my mother pointed out my mistake. 

The top sheet was uneven and hung down below the edge of the bedspread. Looked pretty messy to her, but I was still proud—even though I had a lot to learn.

I recently had the same feeling of accomplishment after back surgery. “Look, honey, I made the bed. All by myself!”

Sounds silly—especially at my age—but this was the first time in over six months I had been able to do such a simple task without help.

Sometimes we need to take baby steps instead of trying to leap tall buildings at a single bound (for all you older Superman fans). I’m one who likes to go at things full steam rather than pace myself. My husband is good at reminding me to slow down.

The Lord is also good about reminding me to slow down. To set aside quality time with Him. To seek His face. His opinion. His direction. To allow Him to help me with my to-do list instead of doing it myself and then trying to cross off all the tasks in record time. It’s amazing how much more I can accomplish when I do it His way—one baby step at a time.

Are you moving at breakneck speed to get things done? To figure out what to do next and how to do it? Maybe it’s time to slow down and call upon the Lord. He promises to help you and tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own.

He’s great like that.

Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net and nenetus.

 

 

Three Tips for Overcoming Anxiety

 

By Andrea Merrell

Casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries,

and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, 

for He cares about you

[with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully].

1 Peter 5:7 AMP

 

“You need to stop worrying about that,” my husband said for the umpteenth time.

My defenses went up. “I’m not worrying … just concerned. I’m
thinking.”

That’s when I realized he was right. My thinking had turned into obsessing over something. Trying to understand and figure out how to fix it.

Excessive concern equals anxiety. One writer calls it mental gymnastics.

The Bible tells us not to be anxious. Not an easy task, but The Word for You Today gives us three things to remember in every situation:

• God knows everything.
• God is never surprised.
• God is never without a solution.

Worry and anxiety cause stress and can even lead to depression. They rob us of peace and joy and the ability to see things from a positive perspective—God’s perspective.

So how do we overcome? By casting all our cares—anxieties, worries, and concerns—on the Lord. By trusting Him with our whole heart and refusing to lean on our own understanding. By saying no to those anxious thoughts that invade our mind.

Give it all to God. He can handle it.

Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net and Ambro.

 

He Gets Me

 

By Andrea Merrell

“Eight years of marriage, and he just doesn’t get me,” the young woman complained. “You’d think he could understand me by now.”

Isn’t that what we all want? For others to understand us? To embrace our strengths, ignore our weaknesses, and laugh at our quirks? And most importantly, to love us anyway—in spite of our differences?

Some spend a lifetime searching for that kind of approval and acceptance, but it can only be found in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus knows us even better than we know ourselves. He understands us fully and loves us unconditionally. He looks past our weaknesses—and quirks—and sees us as the person we were created to be. Psalm 139:1-6 (NLT) describes it this way:

O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.

You know when I sit down or stand up.

You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.

You see me when I travel and when I rest at home.

You know everything I do.

You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord.

You go before me and follow me.

You place your hand of blessing on my head.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand.

If you're struggling and feel that no one understands you, turn to Jesus.

He gets you!

Photo by Sebastian Bill on Unsplash