Deep-End Discipleship

Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my plans than your plans. so is my word that comes from my mouth; it does not return to me empty. Instead, it does what I want, and accomplishes what I intend.  - Isaiah 55:9, 11 (CEB) - We’ve all been there. We feel exactly like a dead cell phone - drained, useless, practically dead weight. We wonder what on earth God could do with us. We hear talk of God’s purpose, but without some spark beyond ourselves we will never be more than what we feel. This is exactly why I love reading the prophets sometimes. Sure there are times when they are hard on God’s people, but there are beautiful places when they also remind God’s people that their goodness is not determined on what they think. God is ready to work in us before we even know what to do. God’s plan is so much bigger and larger than any of our own doubt, self-pity or uncertainty. God’s plan does not r...

  “God, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand. I'm an open book to you; even from a  distance, You know what I'm thinking. You know when I leave and when I get back; I'm never out of Your sight. You know everything I'm going to say before I start the first sentence. I look behind me and You're there, then up ahead and You're there, too - Your reassuring presence, coming and going. This is too much, to wonderful - I can't take it all in!” - Psalm 139:1-6 MSG - Have you ever struggled to understand how your parents already know what you're about to do because you haven't even said anything about it? Have you ever wondered how they know to tell you their experience before you do something new? I imagine this is how God feels with us and our life. In the passage it makes it fairly clear that God knows what we are going to do before we ever do it. This also bring up the question of why does God not stop us from doing things tha...

“Lord, you have examined me. You know me. You know when I sit down and when I stand up. Even from far away, you comprehend my plans. You study my traveling and resting. You are thoroughly familiar with all my ways. There isn’t a word on my tongue, Lord, that you don’t already know completely. You surround me—front and back.  You put your hand on me. That kind of knowledge is too much for me; it’s so high above me that I can’t fathom it.” - Psalm 139:1-6 CEB - I am a planner. I function best when I have multiple to-do lists, a detailed calendar, and I know what I need to do months in advance. Part of the reason I do this, is because it seems like there is always a billion things to do and a lot of pressure to succeed. I’m also an obsessive planner because it helps me cope with stress. We have so much pressure to be successful in life and to have our whole future planned out. I get a lot of comfort by being able to list of my 5-year plan to someone who asks. I feel accomp...