What are my motives?

Remember when you were younger, and you'd play that game where someone goes "Now I'm going to say a word, you tell me the first word that pops into your mind"? (Well let me go on record as saying I always hated that game! My first reaction was always to repeat the word in my head! They would say cat and I would think cat, while I tried to think of a useful first word!) I guess it's the thinker in me! =)

Well I read this scripture verse and it reminded me right away, of that game.

"Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.." Ephesians 3:20

My first thought was how it was such a powerful statement. It made me wonder what the majority of society's initial reaction would be. Would most of us think "Woo Hoo! I have a genie in a bottle" then proceed to list all these selfish things we felt we needed or deserved.

This question in turn made me examine myself specifically, and wonder what my reaction would be or even is.

What do I ask of God? Do I have faith and dream big? At my core, what are the motives behind my prayers? Are my prayers to esteem others and God, or to make my life more comfortable? After thinking about this a lot. I've decided to do a little studying on how Jesus and Paul prayed. While I'm sure if I studied it, it'd all be contained in the Lord's Prayer, but I want to go deeper than that.

I want to be deeper than that.

I don't want to have these shallow "do this for me and while you're at it, could you do that for me. Oh and I almost forgot, help so & so" kind of prayers. That's how I used to pray before I got saved!

I want to glorify Him in my prayers.

I want to pray His heart, not mine.

I Choose..

This morning, I read this in a Max Lucado book I'm reading. It is just the right thing at just the right time..

It's Quiet. It's early. My coffee is hot. The sky is still black. The world is still asleep. The day is coming.

In a few moments the day will arrive. It will roar down the track with the rising of the sun. The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The calm of the solitude will be replaced by the pounding pace of the human race. The refuge of the early morning will be invaded by decisions to be made and deadlines to be met.

For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day's demands. It is now that I must make a choice. Because of Calvary, I'm free to choose. And so I choose.

I choose love...
No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness, I choose love. Today I will love God and what God loves.

I choose joy...
I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse the temptation to be cynical...the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.

I choose peace...
I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.

I choose patience...
I will overlook the inconveniences of the world. Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I'll invite him to do so. Rather than complaining that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray. Instead of clinching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.

I choose kindness...
I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.

I choose goodness...
I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess before I will accuse. I choose goodness.

I choose faithfulness...
Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates will not question my word. My wife will not question my love. And my children will never fear that they father will not come home.

I choose gentleness...
Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice may it be only in praise. If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.

I choose self-control...
I am a spiritual being. After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal. I choose self-control. I will drunk only by joy. I will be impassioned only by my faith. I will be influenced only by God. I will be taught only by Christ. I choose self-control.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek his grace.

And then when this day is done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest.

My peace..

I woke up this morning and as I lay there, looking out my window I wonder what my day will bring. The sky looks peaceful today. I have a picture in my head. It's a huge field with a single tree in it. How I wish I could be in that field sitting under that tree in a nice rainstorm. Today, that's what peace looks like to me. Then I get up walk out of my room and life starts. Here we go back to the noise.

But at least there's coffee here. =)

"Transitions"

So it seems I'm in one of those "transition" periods. You know those times when you feel like a total bump on a log, as you wait for some direction as to where your life is supposed to go. I think they call it transition period, because "annoying limbo of feeling like a pew warmer" was already taken. My mind has been so restless lately. Rambling on about what seems like a million different things. I'm having trouble sorting and finding a quiet peaceful place in my mind. I feel so strongly about many things of God, and have gotten pretty good at pointing out the things that I think need improvement, or an altogether overhaul. But it seems like it's all just talk and no action. I sit here and don't move for a few reasons..I'm not feeling the least bit focused. I feel like I have no clear direction from God. I don't even know where to start.
Maybe I just need to teach myself to be quiet and wait patiently on God. Instead of squirming through the preparation periods. Clay's probably real hard to mold if it squirms through the whole process. Maybe I should focus on the things that are done for God and forget about looking at the selfish areas of the things around me. There's so many things in me that need to be worked on. I am a definite diamond in the rough. But I totally long to just be the diamond. But I will wait and be tumbled, be molded knowing that in the end..God does have some purpose for me. This is all merely preparation to better be able to serve Him. That's all I want! It's the very core of me.