School is out for the summer, and the campmeeting season is upon us -- I couldn't be more happy. College makes life busier than I hoped, and I have found it a difficult task to find time to write. But, the Guthrie meeting is over now, and I'm so thankful I was able to go. The meeting was special to me, and I hope the blessings I received will be long-lasting. I went to Guthrie knowing I had needs in my life. I wanted more of God and admittedly had been struggling to find God and find my way to Him. As He always is (and I'll revisit that later on), He was faithful to give me what I needed.
Bro. Marty preached a message on the first Sunday night that really spoke to me. He talked about having a heart that is fixed on God. We all entertain the idea of being sold out to God, and all of that is well and good. But some of the real-world examples he gave in the message caused me to think about how grounded I really am. He asked if a runner didn't care whether he won the race of not, how successful would he be? If a mechanic was working on a car and didn't care if it ran or not, how successful would he be? If someone owned a business and didn't care if anyone bought their products, how successful would they be?
The resounding answer to all of those is very little to none. To be successful, you have to care. That extends to any area of life, but it especially applies to your spiritual walk. I don't want to be accused of lacking motivation for God. The reality is, we can't put 100% of our effort into many things. We can only give our all in a few things. I want the first of those to be my spiritual life.
He also mentioned how the devil is constantly trying to loosen our relationship with God. He has a crowbar and is prying what holds us together, hoping to break it apart. We need to be invested in what God has for us and be willing to make it impossible for the devil to separate us from God.
Psalm 57:1 says
"Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast."
We want to be fixed in a place that is safe. In the shadow of the Savior's wings is the safest place we could ever find.
He also pointed out how God's will and our will inevitably conflict at times. At that juncture, one of the two has to diminish to give place to the other. It's a challenge to me that I always sacrifice my will to allow God's cause to advance -- in whatever way that situation dictates. I don't want to be a hindrance to God's cause for me and my life, so I have to be willing to humble down and diminish what I want. In reality, that's HOW we fix our heart. We have to give up our way and realize God's way is what is best for our life. Just like a mechanic has to care about fixing a car that won't run, we have to care about the process that will take us to a successful life. That process involves allowing God to work on us.
This message was such a challenge to me and it helped me realize there were areas in my life where I hadn't allowed God's cause to advance. I wasn't in fixed place as much as I should have been, and it was manifesting itself in how I allowed God's cause to diminish and mine to increase.
As John the Baptist said in John 3:30, "He must increase, but I must decrease." That's the key to fixing my heart for God, being firm in the commandments the Bible teaches and being willing to do what God wants from my life.
But, that leads me to the second message that really stood out to me during this meeting. It was the last Sunday morning when Bro. Ed preached about Psalm 110. I definitely encourage you to listen to this one, it was such a blessing. The entire message is very good, but the primary part I got from it is Psalm 110:3:
"Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth."
"Thy people" is in reference to Jesus' people, or in other words, Christians or saints. The day of thy power is the time of the salvation. The gospel is powerful and compelling, and this prophesy describes how the saints will be willing vessels in the gospel time, dating back from Jesus' resurrection until the judgment.
We are saints. We can be part of the willing vessels for God's service right now. It describes them as dressed in the "beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning." I feel incapable of describing it the way God showed it to me, but this paints a beautiful picture of what God's people are intended to be. The encouraging part is that we all can be part of this wonderful illustration if our heart is fixed on doing God's will.
The womb of the morning refers to renewal and refreshment. We are born again and alive in Christ, and that freshness can be true of our spiritual life. We have the dew of youth, a fountain of energy and vigorous for the cause of the heavenly kingdom. The holiness which our lives can reflect is beautiful. It is such an encouragement to hear both the prophesy in the Psalm as well as the challenge it is to us. The Bible tells us such Christians will exist in the time of the gospel. It is up to us to be the fulfillment of those words and to fully embody the life of a fixed and willing Christian.
I don't know how to adequately express the beauty of God's plan as it is described in these verses. Yet, I know that God calls us to a place where our heart is fixed and our spirit is willing to use us, even in our youth, as a critical member in His body.
As I mentioned earlier, God is ALWAYS faithful. I know He has been my support so many times and has sent exactly what I needed. It's wonderful to know the Savior is on my side, seated at the right hand of God, petitioning my case before the Father. That's how I know He'll continue to be faithful to teach me and instruct me as long as I am fixed on His cause and willing to go where He takes me.
Keep encouraged!
