With everything being knocked out of balance and our lives/work being disrupted, I don’t know about you but I have not done as good of a job as I could have in establishing wins in this season.
As we’ve all tried to figure out what to do, especially having to do things you may have not originally thought you would do in 2020, I think one of the reasons God allowed all of this was to work…
In Us more than Through Us.
What if these past few months were simply God saying to us…
“Press pause for a while and see what I am saying to you or I’ve been trying to say to you. I want to show you something about YOU not what you can DO.”
We have all been in a fiery furnace called life.
Maybe God has been refining us like silver when it is placed over the hottest part of the flame to burn away impurities?
If silver is left burning too long, it is destroyed. God promises to not give us more than we can handle. His grace is sufficient.
One story you’ve probably heard is when a silversmith was asked, “When is silver is ready to come out of the fire?”He answered, “when I can see my reflection.”
God is our silversmith. He cares way more about who we are not simply what we can do.
He purifies our imperfections, insecurities, fear, disappointment, frustration and even our pain.
Life the past few months has been extremely difficult on so many fronts. Not normal at all and incredibly challenging and taxing. We are all tired.
How do we know if we are WINNING? More importantly, is God winning?
Of course He is winning but maybe we need to discover what WINNING means for each of us right now.
I believe the biggest WIN for you/me has been God ministering TO US not necessarily ministering THROUGH US.
Have we been ministering to others? Absolutely, but I’m not sure we all feel like we are crushing the game, right?! It can be so difficult and frustrating to know.
God is using this season to refine you, to speak to you, to prepare you.
Not to DO more but to BE more. To reflect Him for His glory and His praise.
Take a few moments and reflect on what God has been doing to REFINE you in this season.
1 “Shout joyful praises to God, all the earth! 2 Sing about the glory of his name! Tell the world how glorious he is. 3 Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! Your enemies cringe before your mighty power.
4 Everything on earth will worship you; they will sing your praises, shouting your name in glorious songs.” 5 Come and see what our God has done, what awesome miracles he performs for people!
6 He made a dry path through the Red Sea, and his people went across on foot. There we rejoiced in him. 7 For by his great power he rules forever. He watches every movement of the nations; let no rebel rise in defiance. 8 Let the whole world bless our God and loudly sing his praises. 9 Our lives are in his hands, and he keeps our feet from stumbling. 10 You have tested us, O God; you have purified us like silver.” Psalm 66:1-10
You are accomplishing a tremendous WIN throughout this season by not giving up, giving in, or quitting while experiencing growth in Christ.
Your family and those you influence are seeing and will see the reflection of Jesus.
Amen
-Chris Patton
Lead Pastor, Southside Church
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