Purity 339: Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship

Purity 339 02/11/2021  Purity 339 Podcast

Good morning!

Today’s photo comes from Dave Baun Photography who spied this tree while traveling between Goolwa and Clayton Bay in Southern Australia.  It caught his eye and he made sure to find it and capture its unique beauty on his return journey, urging his audience to “Be the tree… Be unique… Be YOU!”     

I couldn’t agree more with the sentiment. God made us all to be ourselves and to live out the individual purpose that He made us for.  

I love this photo because it tells a story or perseverance and strength.  I don’t know if it was high winds or a traumatic break that caused this tree to be shaped in this manner, but it shows us that God’s purpose for this tree was to thrive and grow in spite of whatever forces wanted to change its course.  

Not only did this tree thrive, but Dave captured it to inspire his friends and now I am sharing it to encourage my friends to know that there is a God above us all that has made us for a purpose and that no matter what “winds” of the world we have endured or what traumatic “breaks” lie in our pasts, there is nothing and no one that can stop us from being all that God created us to be.   

Our journeys and our relationship with God are personal, individual, and unique.  Cooperate with God to discover who you were made to be and answer His call to be that.

 (An Audio version of this messages is available at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, you can also find it on Apple podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154)  and at the restricted blog. Follow me on Twitter or MeWe for easy access.  Blog M T 4 Christ dot org – This is where the Facebook post ends.)

This morning’s meditation verses are:

1 Peter 5:6-7 (NKJV)
⁶ Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,
⁷ casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

 I might have to shuffle the deck of index cards that I draw from because two days ago I shared 1 Peter 5:8. Today we share the preceding verses of 1 Peter 5.  However, I don’t know. After walking in the Spirit for a while, I don’t dismiss it when the same portions, books, chapters, or themes from the Bible get brought to our attention repeatedly.  

 Walking in the Spirit means more than taking steps, it means we are also listening for the direction that God wants us to walk in.   

 The life-giving power of our salvation and our subsequent relationship with God can give us great confidence for life and make us feel special and it should.  But as these verses indicate we must not become spiritually prideful.  We have to humble ourselves and not promote ourselves as some great person because God has chosen us to know the truth.   Instead we are to serve the Lord and give Him the glory because He is the one who revealed the truth to us and made us righteous. We didn’t figure it out on our own or do any work to make ourselves approved.  

 Now while taking the instruction to humble ourselves can be…. well…  humbling, we shouldn’t be disappointed for as the verses tell us, because of our relationship with God we can cast all of our cares upon Him because we know that He cares for us. 

 He’s given us the truth, the way, and the life.  All our cares are addressed by Him.  So know that you are loved and cared for. Humble yourself under the magnitude of this awesome truth and be sure to share this hope with others.  

 We can’t say exactly when we will be exalted by God but if we live a life where we bear witness of His love and give Him the glory, it might happen more than once.   I, for one, can tell you that if you humble yourself before Him, He will lift you up.  If you walk with Him, the testimonies of His goodness simply do not end.  

 I invite all to mt4chritst.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk. 

 Today we will continue to share from Dr. June Hunt’s Biblical Counseling Keys on “Self-Worth: Discovering Your God-given Worth”.

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage all to purchase Dr. Hunt’s books for your own private study and to support her work:

D. Don't Be a Prisoner of Poor Parenting

By the world's standards, Dorie had every right to hate her mother and harbor feelings of bitter unforgiveness. When her mother was charged with child neglect, Dorie had to appear in court. The judge asked her mother if Dorie was her child. After an agonizingly long pause, she answered, "Yes ... but I'd have gotten rid of her before she was born if I could have!"

The judge ordered Dorie and her sister permanently taken from their mother, and as they left the courtroom, her mother muttered to Dorie, "If I ever see you again, I'll kill you!" Dorie later said that her mother's rejection was total and final and all hope was quenched. "Am I that awful?" she asked herself. As she walked home alone, she prayed aloud that God would help her to understand why her mother had abandoned her, and she prayed that she wouldn't hate her mother.

Dorie said, "In that moment God let me forgive her. ... I felt sorry for her. I had no hatred. ... That day God performed a healing work in my life and prevented a permanent scar." She was able to ...

"Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice."
(Ephesians 4:31)

Do you struggle with low self-worth today because of poor parenting from your past? Are you floundering now because you had faulty authority figures? If so, leave behind those feelings of worthlessness and experience your worth — the worth you have in the eyes of your heavenly Father. He wants you to ...

• —Admit the past truth.
• —Address the present truth.
• —Appropriate God's truth.

"Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long."
(Psalm 25:4-5)

Don't Let the Past Determine Your Present Worth

Using the list below, identify the parenting style by which you were raised. Then take the three appropriate steps to leave your feelings of worthlessness behind.

• Overly critical parents and authority figures
• —Admit the past truth. "My parents were impossible to please."
• —Address the present truth "My worth is not based on pleasing people."
• —Appropriate God's truth "I am fully accepted by God."

"... He made us accepted in the Beloved."
(Ephesians 1:6 NKJV)

• Overly protective parents and authority figures
• —Admit the past truth. "I was smothered by my parents."
• —Address the present truth. "My worth is not based on my ability to protect myself."
• —Appropriate God's truth. "The Lord is my help in times of trouble."

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble."
(Psalm 46:1)

• Overly controlling parents and authority figures
• —Admit the past truth. "I was not allowed to make my own decisions."
• —Address the present truth. "My worth is not based on my decision making."
• —Appropriate God's truth. "The Lord is my guide."

"For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end."
(Psalm 48:14)

• Overly permissive parents and authority figures
• —Admit the past truth. "My parents did not set firm boundaries for me."
• —Address the present truth. "My worth is not based on my ability to set boundaries in my life."
• —Appropriate God's truth. "The Lord has established my boundaries."

"You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me."
(Psalm 139:5)

Biblical Counseling Keys - Biblical Counseling Keys – Biblical Counseling Keys: Self-Worth: Discover Your God-Given Worth.

 

-----------------------------more tomorrow -------------------------

 

God bless you all!