God knows our limits

Our Lord understand our limits. He realized our struggles. He knows how much pressure we can take. He knows how measure of grace and mercy and strength we'll require. He knows, how we're put together.

Frankly, His expectations are not nearly as unrealistic as ours. When we don't live up to the agenda we have set, we feel like He is going to dump a truckload of judgement on us. But that will not happen. So why do we fear it could.

God's way is right

God's way is always right. It always make sense--in fact it is often mysterious. It can seldom be explained. It isn't always pleasurable and fun. But I have live long enought to realize that His way is right.

I believe that not until we embrace God's sovereighnty will have the ability to reason our way through life. Until then we will be too significant to us. And we will churn and wrestle and struggle our way through this life, trying too hard to please people rather than living it relieved and relaxed in his plan.

Glorify God

By making us in His image, God gave us capacities not given to other form of life. Ideally, He made us to know Him, to love Him and to obey Him. He did not put rings in our noses that he might pull us around like oxen....

No, He gave us freedom to make choices. By His grace we are equipped to understand His plan because we have a mind with which we can know Him. We are also free to love and adore Him because we have emotions. He takes pleasure in our affection and devotion. We can obey His instructions but we are not pawn of a global chessboard. It is the voluntary spontaneity of our response that He finds divine pleasure. When His people freely respond in worship and praise, obedience and adoration, God is glorified to the maximum.

Taking time for inner renewal

There is just so much that needs to be done. Extra demand at home and at work. More time with the family. Keeping up with our health exercise program. planning the next holiday. Time out for friends. Involvement in our children's schoo; activities. Completing that new management course.



In these and many other ways the busy round of life draws us into a myriad of activities, all important, but all demanding more of our time and energy. Even our church activities jostle for our attention and commitment. And the more creative acts of service requiring long term support and care often demand more that we are able to give.



So we try to do more while our energies ebb away and we become like uprooted trees with our roots wildly groping for the sky. Thus, we anxiously throw our arms towards heaven, praying for extra grace and special enabling, when instead we should be planted again in nourishing soil. The soil is not to do less, but to change our priorities so that we can take time to be still. And in the stillness find new strength and hope.

Learning to become empty

It may come as a shock, but we are often too full of ourselves, too pre occupied with our own activities and too full of our own plans and desires. Even our activities in behalf of others can often reflect much of our own need for fulfillment or recognition. And our relationship with God frequently pivot around our own prayers, needs and projects. We are therefore persons without space and room and consequently lack flexibility and manoeuverability.

So often we received nothing from our spiritual exercises because we have not created any open spaces in our lives. We are too full. We may want to receive, but we certainly do not want anything to be taken away.

God can hardly fill our hands with the good things of his love and grace while our hands are full with our own things. Therefore in our search for inner piece and strength, we need to learn the gentle but difficult art of reliquishment as mush as we need to seek God's empowerment.