Being A Conduit (Part 2)

Last week we began looking at being a conduit with a focus on allowing God's blessings to flow through us so we can be a blessing to others.  The interesting thing about a conduit is that in order for it to function properly it has to have openings on both ends.  If nothing is coming in then nothing can flow out.

It may seem like a no-brainer but we must allow God to bless us.  If our conduit isn't open to receiving the good things God offers then nothing can flow through us.  For some accepting things isn't hard.  They receive a gift, are immediately grateful, and say "thank you".  There's no guilt, no attitude of unworthiness, no need to try to repay the giver.  For others receiving can be a difficult thing and doesn't come naturally.

Somewhat recently God showed me I've been a guilty receiver.  Sure I took the blessings God gave me but I lived with guilt because of it.  I couldn't understand why He was blessing me when I felt I hadn't done anything to deserve it.  And that's when it hit me.  God doesn't give because we "deserve" His gifts.  He gives because it brings Him joy.

When we give something to someone else do we expect anything in return?  Do we want the receiver to feel beholden to us or to feel undeserving. Of course we don't feel that way when we give from our heart.  The purpose of giving is to bless someone - to lighten their load or simply to make them smile. 

Have you ever tried to give something to someone who tries hard not to accept your gift.  And even if they do accept it, they end up making the situation uncomfortable by not being able to accept it with joy?  After awhile you kind of stop wanting to give to that person.  I wonder if God ever feels like that.  If we continue to refuse His gifts or try to somehow make ourselves "deserving" of them, we miss the point. He gives because He wants to give.  He blesses so we can bless others.

Being A Conduit (Part 1)

The word conduit is defined as "a means of transmitting or distributing" something or "a channel through which something is conveyed".  Isn't this the very essence of what God wants us to be?  A vessel through which His blessings flow.

God is not stingy. He loves to share and multiply. We see this throughout scripture so it doesn' make sense He would want us to receive His blessings only to act like a dam and hold them back. When we receive blessings but don't allow them to flow through us we're stifling the work God wants to do in us, through us and for others.

The blessings God gives us aren't really given to us. They're not ours to keep. Instead, they're entrusted to us.  We are meant to be good stewards of them.  We're meant to act as a conduit and pass them along to others.

There are many types of blessings God sends our way.  The natural one we think of is money.  But God's blessings come in many shapes and sizes.  If God has blessed us with a strong testimony, we can share it. If it's a strong faith, we can help strengthen a struggling believer.  We can offer encouragement to the downtrodden, time to the lonely or comfort to the grieving.

When we allow ourselves to be used as a conduit we have the added blessing of being an extension of God's amazing love and grace. Let's let God's love flow through us and share His blessings with someone else.

Why Do We Pray? (Part 2)

Jesus makes it clear to us in the Bible that we should 1) pray and 2) pray often and persistently.  In Luke 18, Jesus tells the parable of the persistent widow.  It demonstrates how we should continue coming before God and not give up.  But why do you suppose this is so important?

We know God knows our every need and desire.  He knows what we're going to pray before we pray it.  If this is so, then why do we pray at all and further - why do we need to be persistent with our prayers?  I believe God desires us to pray often mainly for a couple of reasons.  We touched on the first reason (to connect with God) last week.  You can review that here.  The second reason I believe He wants us to pray persistently and consistently has a lot to do with our memory.

When we pray for a problem or concern only once, we have a tendency to forget we even brought the issue before the Lord.  And when a prayer is forgotten, it's hard to notice when it's answered.  And we we don't notice the answer, it's hard to acknowledge the One who answered.  

I've found that by praying consistently over a particular matter, I'm reminded each and every time I pray that God is in control.  Each time I pray I'm mentally turning an issue over to Him.  I'm acknowledging His sovereignty, releasing my own desires to be in line with His, and releasing my own control.  All of these are hard to do when I'm not praying.

Being persistent in prayer is a discipline.  But it's a discipline that results in huge benefits.  Through prayer we not only connect with God and develop our own personal relationship with Him, but we are also reminded of His sovereignty.  And through that - we are reminded of His provision and His love for us.

Why Do We Pray? (Part 1)

As I was growing up I didn't truly understand the value of praying.  I knew that praying was the way in which we "formally" talked to God but didn't realize it's value beyond that.  It seemed like something we were just "supposed" to do.  Now - as I am continuing to mature in my faith, I see prayer in a different light.

Prayer isn't something we do simply out of obedience.  We pray to connect with God.  It's often been said you can't have a true, healthy relationship with someone if you never talk to them.  Try rarely talking to your best friend or spouse.  The closeness you once felt in the relationship will turn to a feeling of distance.  The same, of course, applies to our relationship with God.  We can't feel close to God if we don't take the time to connect with Him?

Talking to God is my ultimate "safe zone".  I can tell Him anything - my thoughts, my concerns, my frustrations, my pain and even my sin.  In Him I find no condemnation.  And even though I tend to be a rambler - I know He listens and loves me just the same.  (Most of the time He doesn't even interrupt me :-)

It may seem strange to some that speaking to God (whose presence is invisible to our human senses) could actually draw us nearer to Him. But I challenge anyone to give it a try.  When we start by praising Him (a topic I will touch on more in the future), we invite God to join us.  And when He's with us (abiding with us in our praises) we are connecting with Him (and He with us). 

I connect with lots of people but none so important as my God - my Father, my Lord, my Shepherd, my Shelter, my Savior. . . . .

Praise In The Midst Of Trials

Excerpt from the book "31 Days of Praise" by Ruth Myers

Father, I'm so delighted that you are both loving and sovereign, and that you cause all things to work together for good to those who love you, to those who are called according to your purpose.  So I thank you for each disturbing or humbling situation in my life, for each breaking or cleansing process you are allowing, for each problem or hindrance, for each thing that triggers in me anxiety or anger or pain.  And I thank you in advance for each disappointment, each demanding duty, each pressure, each interruption that may arise in the coming hours and days.

In spite of what I think or feel when I get my eyes off you, I choose not to resist my trials as intruders, but to welcome them as friends.

Thank you that each difficulty is an opportunity to see you work...that in your time you will bring me out to a place of abundance. Thank you that they (my trials) prepare the soil of my heart for the fresh new growth in godliness that you and I both long to see in me...and that my momentary troubles are producing for me an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  I'm grateful that you look beyond my superficial desire for a trouble-free life; instead, you fulfill my deep-down desire to glorify you.