so... what's in your hand???

sooo... here's a thought... be faithful with what's in your hand... and GOD will bring to pass what's in your heart... even the most secret of petitions... and in a way u could have never dreamed of or managed to do yourself... ephesians 3:20... above and beyond all you can ask, think or imagine... another core value/theme here... and i'd like to add a resounding 'AMEN' to that, if i may.... it's just so true... often people want to go straight to the top, straight for the glory, straight for the icing and cherry... by-passing all the boring so called meaningless stuff...

right? right!?! wrong!!!...

it's all that so called boring, meaningless stuff that really matters... that's where the rubber meets the road... that's where character is refined... integrity is built... impurites are skimmed off and the SPIRIT of excellence can shine forth...

... but it's through the being faithful with what's in your hand part, that GOD actually does a mighty work in you, so HE can do a mighty work through you... and HE will work it out above and beyond your wildest dreams... seriously, it's like that... HE is like that... it's like a form of dying to self... selfish desires, selfish agendas... and it's on that very path of being faithful with what's in your hand, that you actually start losing yourself... but in a good way... becoming self-less, so that you actually begin to truly find yourself...

and it's those very times when the fire gets turned up... the inferno rages, the heat intensifies, the pressing presses, the crushing crushes, the breaking breaks, the purifying purifies... and the refining refines...

which is all sooo necessary to yield a true... and beautiful... and pure... work of art... regardless of its' form, be it silver or gold or diamonds or even the human heart... think about the silversmith, think about the goldsmith, think about the diamond mine, think about life... think about what those very precious commodities have to be brought forth through in order to be the rare, valued and beautiful gifts they were created to be... their value and potential already inworked within their dna from the start... just needing to be outworked... just waiting to be outworked... through... fire and pressure and trial and testing... to be released... to be set free... to be all that they were created to be...

and in service too... serving others... afer all, that's the way to true greatness... to put other's first... JESUS did and HE IS the greatest... forever and for all of eternity...

so, how do we do that??? what does that look like?...

well, we love the LORD our GOD, with all our heart and we love our neighbor as ourself... but that my friend is not easy and i venture to say even impossible without first-hand experience and understanding of the intense and passionate and true LOVE of GOD... period... HE extravagantly loved us first... so now we are set free to love HIM like HE deserves and like we are so not capable of doing in and of our strength... it only comes after you have known GOD's intense love for you!!! cuz you see... GOD IS LOVE... simply put... then and only then is it easy...

here's your WORD for today... psalm 37: 3-9

3Trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) in the Lord and do good; so shall you dwell in the land and feed surely on His faithfulness, and truly you shall be fed.

4Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart.

5Commit your way to the Lord [roll and repose each care of your load on Him]; trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) also in Him and He will bring it to pass.

6And He will make your uprightness and right standing with God go forth as the light, and your justice and right as [the shining sun of] the noonday.

7Be still and rest in the Lord; wait for Him and patiently lean yourself upon Him; fret not yourself because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked devices to pass.

8Cease from anger and forsake wrath; fret not yourself--it tends only to evildoing.

9For evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait and hope and look for the Lord [in the end] shall inherit the earth.(A)