Jesus says, "Follow me."
And often we answer, "Lord, I will follow You, but..." (Luke 9:61)
Following
Jesus requires submitting our will to God's will. If, when Jesus
calls, we choose to follow our common sense instead, then we find
ourselves in, what I call, a loop.
Oswald Chambers teaches it this way...
If
you get into the habit of doing something physically, you will do it
every time you are tested until you break the habit through sheer
determination. And the same is true spiritually. Again and again you
will come right up to what Jesus wants, but every time you will turn
back at the point of testing, until you are determined to abandon
yourself to God in total surrender.
When
we fail to follow God's will then He loops us back to face the same
test again. These loops continue until we submit. During these loops
our relationship with God stops growing. However, when we finally pass
the test by surrendering ourselves we (again) move forward in our
relationship with Christ. 
Are you currently caught in a loop? The way forward is to submit to God's will even when it doesn't make sense.
Submit,
Lon Alderman
www.liftingarms.com
Jesus says, "Follow me."
And often we answer, "Lord, I will follow You, but..." (Luke 9:61)
Following Jesus requires submitting our will to God's will. If, when Jesus calls, we choose to follow our common sense instead, then we find ourselves in, what I call, a loop.
Oswald Chambers teaches it this way...
If you get into the habit of doing something physically, you will do it every time you are tested until you break the habit through sheer determination. And the same is true spiritually. Again and again you will come right up to what Jesus wants, but every time you will turn back at the point of testing, until you are determined to abandon yourself to God in total surrender.
When we fail to follow God's will then He loops us back to face the same test again. These loops continue until we submit. During these loops our relationship with God stops growing. However, when we finally pass the test by surrendering ourselves we (again) move forward in our relationship with Christ. Are you currently caught in a loop? The way forward is to submit to God's will even when it doesn't make sense.
Submit,
Lon Alderman
www.AcornMinistries.com
Today's Build UP is inspired by my friend Mark Sturgell. His blog post today really hit me between the eyes. You can check out his post through this link:
The Intersection of Purpose and Now
Mark teaches...
Time is linear. We have no control over time. Each of us has 24 hours in each day. That will not change. There is no such thing as time management. We have the moment – this moment - to work with. We have Now. That’s all we own, all we are given true stewardship over. We cannot travel into the past or the future, even for a moment. This one is all we have.
My purpose is to build up the body of Christ, the Church. I do this by encouraging and equipping church leaders. Today, after reading Mark's blog, I realized that the most purposeful use of my "now" was to construct a Build UP. So...
I opened up my blog page and started keyboarding. The next thing I knew the blog was written! My hope is that you will be encouraged by this post. If you are, then my purpose is achieved!
Proverbs 20:4
A sluggard does not plow in season;
so at harvest time he looks but finds nothing.
Plow now!
Lon
www.AcornMinistries.com
Luke 10:40a
But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.
Wow, this has been a wild few weeks! What has suffered is this blog. Sorry!
I'm not trying to make excuses; however, since the week leading up to Easter I have been very "distracted by all the preparations that had to be made"! The stuff I've been "distracted" by was very important stuff, but that's what Martha thought, too!
Granted, posting to this blog is not on par with sitting at the feet of Jesus, but it reminds me not to get too caught up in my very important work. The challenge is to keep focused on what is the MOST important; keeping our eyes on Jesus, no matter what!
Stay focused!
Lon
Submit (Encore from 11/06/06)Hebrews 12:9-11...we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.My three-year-old daughter wants to do EVERYTHING herself. She needs adult help in many of the activities or she will likely get hurt or break something. Often I have to discipline her because she's just not ready to perform the tasks safely. Over time she will be able to do it herself, but in the meantime she must submit to my teaching; my discipline.In my relationship with God, I'm (far too) often just like my daughter. I want to do it myself! The hardest life lesson for me is to submit to God. I don't know if it is my Marine Corps background, fear of what might happen, or just plain old everyday pride. Regardless of the cause, submitting is difficult for me. However, if I don't submit to His training, I'll never learn what I need to learn. If I don't accept the training, then I'll never receive the "harvest of righteousness and peace". God's discipline shapes and molds us into the people God intends us to be. Submit to His discipline!Lon
Are you currently caught in a loop? The way forward is to submit to God's will even when it doesn't make sense. 
