Jesus Gives More than We Can Imagine

"More than we can imagine!" What a promise Jesus gives us in Ephesians 3:20: "With God's power working in us, God can do much, much more than anything we can ask or imagine." Has this happened in your life? I know it has in mine. I never imagine I'd ever own my own home ... yet Jesus provided one. I never imagined I'd have the opportunity to go back to college ... yet Jesus gave it. So many times I've asked the Lord for one thing and He's answered with more than I knew I could ask for.
You'll notice in the scripture above, that the operative phrase is "With God's power working in us, ..." It is only when we surrender all to Jesus that we can expect the unexpected. When we try to fix things on our own, we may achieve what we set out to do. But when we turn to Jesus for help, we often get something beyond what we could do ourselves.
Seems like the more extreme the difficulty, the more we see God's power at work. Just listen to this great promise in Isaiah 40:31, "Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary." Don't get tired or weary, just keep imagining the unimaginable.

Learning to trust Jesus through adversity

It's easy to say "I trust You, Jesus" when the sky is blue and everything is going as planned. But what happens when the clouds roll in and our perfect life begins to crack? It is when we face the tough days or go through times of despair, that we  know what trusting in Jesus really means. If we think we can handle everything ourselves, if forget Jesus, we either fall flat or become selfish and self-centered. If instead we rely on Jesus, we see how capable He is in standing by us and seeing us through the rough times. We can count on Him.
II Corinthians 4:7-9 gives us such hope: "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed."
Without the trials and temptations, we can't learn what it's like to live a life completely dependent on Him. Every failure is followed by growth: in faith, in spirit, in power, in love. We can live a victorious life. We can have more than we can even think or imagine. First, however, we must learn to trust Jesus through adversity.

"I Trust You, Jesus."

My selected devotional for 2014, "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young makes this suggestion today: learn a new habit, say "I trust You, Jesus," in response to whatever may happen in our lives. Sick or in poor health? "I trust You, Jesus." Broken relationships or strained friendships? "I trust You, Jesus." Loss of a job or financial difficulties? "I trust You, Jesus." Depressed or directionless? "I trust You, Jesus."
In every situation, the answer is always, "I trust You, Jesus." Just think of His power ... to heal, to calm, to bring joy and peace. Believe He is beside you, ready to help you in the trying events of life. Why do we fret? Why worry? What have we to fear? We have the master of the universe as our friend.
In Isaiah 30:11 we find comfort: "Like a shepherd He will tend the flock, In His arm He will gather the lambs and carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes." 
What more can we ask for? What joy to be held near His heart. We receive these blessings with gratitude ... and the fortitude to just keep repeating, "I trust You, Jesus."

Peace in Jesus

As the year begins it is easy to fall back into old patterns of worry and concern. Jesus calls us out of those patterns into the calm of his presence. Psalms 31: 20 assures us, "You hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the conspiracies of man; You keep them secretly in a shelter from the strife of tongues." How wonderful to know that we can cast our cares on him and he will hide them "in the secret place of Your presence."
We let so many things rob us of our peace. It is unnecessary: causing us pain we don't need to bear. In John 16: 30, Jesus tells us, "These things I have spoken to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage, I have overcome the world." Courage comes not from our own abilities to handle our problems but directly from the hand of God. Accept the peace that Jesus offers.

My friend Jesus

As we come into God's presence each day, we put aside our chores and daily cares to simply sit down with a friend. For most of my life I've addressed our Savior as "Lord" or "Christ." But this year I want to learn to call him my his name, "Jesus." We don't call our close friends by their last name or by their official title, such as Doctor or Esquire. When we speak to friends, we use first names. And above all else, that is what Jesus is to me: my BFF (and I do mean Forever.) He has asked me to be his friend. How can I ignore that invitation?
In today's devotion in "Jesus Calling," by Sarah Young, we are reminded of the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:39-42. Martha had an important guest in her home, her Lord and Savior, and so we can understand that she'd want to have everything perfect for him. But her sister Mary was content just to sit at the feet of her friend to hear what he had to say. Luke tells us that Mary chose what is better ... something that will not be taken away from her.
Household tasks can wait. Errands can be put on hold. Right now, we can choose the better part ... to sit with our friend and listen to what he has to tell us. What a privilege to have a conversation with our friend, Jesus, something that will never be taken away from us.

Aware of His Presence

A brand new year. A brand new devotional book, "Jesus Calling." A brand new journal. I love how God knows us so well. What a blessing to put the old behind us and reach out to a new beginning. Not only are His mercies new every morning, His presence is new and newly available each new year. We have a new opportunity to renew our minds (Rom. 12: 2): to start fresh, learning to be conscious of His care and devotion each moment of the day. In my quiet time this morning I was reminded of that lovely hymn, Moment by Moment:
"Moment by moment I'm kept in His love;
Moment by moment I've life from above;
Looking to Jesus till glory doth shine;
Moment by moment, O Lord, I am Thine."
That is my song and my prayer on this first day of 2014. His love never fails. Jeremiah 29:11 tells us "I also know the plans I have for you: plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." What a wonderful promise for the new year: hope and a future. Begin each day in His presence and stay close to Him all day long. Happy New Year, friends.

Change of plans: Jesus Calling

As is typical for me, I wasn't able to keep up a daily post for my blog. Now that the new year is beginning, I've renewed my resolve to write a little every day. I've also change the book I'll be using from "Spiritual Disciples Devotional" to "Jesus Calling Journal" by Sarah Young. I've decided to wait to concentrate on the Spiritual Disciplines until after I finish college ... when I'll have more time to devote to working the Disciplines. Instead, I'll be using my devotional journal, "Jesus Calling," for my quiet time each morning. If you'd like to follow along with me in that devotional, I've updated the reading list with Amazon. Hopefully, as 2014 progresses, we can spend time each day, growing together in our Christian walk.