Our Musicalhouse: God's at work

Monday, November 3, 2008

God's at work

This past week's lesson for BSF was over Exodus 15:22-17:16 which can pretty much be summed up as God's provision for the Israelites - despite their whining. The final question of my lesson this week was: What attributes of God do you find in this week's study & how do they convict or encourage you? Confession time: I did my lesson at the last minute. I know, I know, real shocker coming from a major procrastinator. Anyway, I skipped the 'hard part' and just wrote PATIENCE (in all caps just like that). So as we are sharing tonight the leader says, "Oh this last question is so good, we're going to go around the circle so everyone can share their answer!" Thank God (1) that I was last in rotation and (2) that He gave me an answer, and not just a blah blah blah answer, a real answer. If you've been around me over the last couple of weeks, you've likely heard me whining and complaining (there's a reason I haven't been blogging about work much lately). I've said things like: 'I'm just running out of patience', 'I'm just sick of being treated like crap', 'I'm fed up', etc. etc. etc. So, as I sat and pondered the attribute of God I had written, I thought: How many times do I ignore God's requests of me? How many times do I do what I want to do instead of what God wants me to do? How many times do I have a defiant attitude toward God? How many times do I forget to thank Him for His blessings? Yet... He loves me just the same. He invites me into His presence. He never runs out of patience with me. He blesses me abundantly. Thank you Lord for convicting my heart. For reminding me of your unending mercy & grace. And for reminding me that I am called to pour it out into the lives of others - including the kids you have entrusted to my keeping. May I share even a fraction of the patience you have given me with those around me & follow the example of Christ, the perfect teacher, daily. Amen. Here are some other pieces:

I don't think there is any coincidence this is also the place in scripture where God turns the bitter water into something sweet. If He can do it with water, he can do it with people.
The manna God provided for nourishment is compared with Christ (i.e. Bread of Life) so many times in the NT. If I ate like I spend time w/ God I'd be starving to death.
My ratio of grumbling to prayer is too scary to post.
All these realizations aren't going to make me perfect, but God is good & He's working on me!

3 comments:

Megan said...: I love this post. I think sometimes I get so caught up in the New Testament that I forget how awesome and powerful the Old Testament is. I've been moved/convicted by similar verses the last couple of months, too. Lately a lot of my prayers include, "God, I'm sorry I act like such a spoiled brat."

Thanks for sharing this. I love you, and I'm praying for you.; November 5, 2008 at 8:48 PM
Dori said...: Awesome post, KT. Thanks for sharing, because I can definitely relate to whining more than concentrating on God's goodness. This is a great reminder of the latter. I'm so glad we're friends!; November 7, 2008 at 10:05 AM
Anonymous said...: You know what's great? I just looked over at my Spanish scripture memory verse on my desk and it's Phil. 2:14-15 (the one about doing everything w/out complaining or arguing). We are children of God, called to be stars in the darkness. We shine, we don't bring others down (not that venting isn't a bad idea, but complaining is different). I prayed a lot about this through student teaching... b/c that def makes me want to complain!! And complaining only made me more upset...imagine that, God knows what's best for us:) Thanks for sharing; November 10, 2008 at 8:26 PM

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Verses from Philippians

1:21: For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
2:1-11: If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
2:14-15: Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe.
3:7-8: But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.
3:12-14:Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.