August 28 If It's Not Alright, Then It's Not the End

Affirmation: I am Imperfect & I’m enough.
Ponder, Personalize, Practice: Personalize Psalm 34:10 for next 3 days. Think about it when you are tired or hungry. Talk to God about what you need. “The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.” ‭‭Psalm‬ ‭34‬:‭10‬ ‭~~~~~~If It's Not Alright, Then It's Not the End

There is a line in the film The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel: ‘Everything will be all right in the end… If it’s not all right, then it is not the end.’ Way beyond its context in the film, these words convey a profound theological truth.

Psalm 119:105–112

Run the race to the end

Be determined, like the psalmist, to stay faithful to the Lord to the very end of your life. Say, ‘My heart is set on keeping your decrees to the very end’ (v.112).

In some ways, your life is like an obstacle race. There are snares along the path (v.110a). There is a temptation to stray (v.110b), and there is suffering (v.107).

How are you to avoid stumbling or making a mess of life? Wandering around in the dark is frightening and dangerous. The psalmist’s answer is that, in the darkness of the world around, the word of God provides:

1. GuidanceThe word of God sheds light in the darkness: ‘Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path’ (v.105). It enables you to see the obstacles in your path, and hopefully to avoid stumbling over them. Study God’s word regularly and He will guide you one step at a time: ‘By your words I can see where I’m going; they throw a beam of light on my dark path’ (v.105, MSG).
2. SustenanceYou need spiritual sustenance to keep going and God’s word is ‘sweeter than honey to my mouth’ (v.103).
3. WisdomYou need wisdom when you face stressful situations and decisions, and God’s word provides ‘understanding from your precepts’ (v.104).
4. EncouragementIt is not easy. He writes, ‘I constantly take my life in my hands’ (v.109). You need encouragement to keep going and God’s word is ‘my heritage for ever’ and ‘the joy of my heart’ (v.111).

God is faithful and will help you. The psalmist writes, ‘Accept, O Lord, the willing praise of my mouth’ (v.108). He is determined with God’s help to keep going ‘to the very end’ (v.112b).

Lord, there is so much to praise you for. Accept the willing praise of my mouth. Your words are the ‘joy of my heart’ (v.111). I set my heart on keeping them to the very end.———Guidepost 5: Cultivate Intuition and Trusting Faith, Letting Go of the Need for CertaintyAll humans have a craving for certainty and control.
But there’s only so much you ever can control in life. There’s a limit to the level of certainty you can experience. (Especially if you’re creating something new or meaningful.)———-Walk in Grace and Live in Love by Bob Goff

                       Aug 28

CHEER PEOPLE ON WHEN THEY SUCCEED AND WHEN THEY FAIL. GOD LOVES IT WHEN WE MAKE THE ATTEMPT. 

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! 

1 JOHN 31 

Surfing isn't for the faint of heart. When I started learning in college, I went to a couple of surf movies at the local theater by the beach and thought I had the form down. But I got doused with reality my first day out in the waves. Here are the steps: you've got to paddle forward, feeling the speed of the wave as you move, then do a push-up on the board-and while you're doing this, land with your feet in the middle of the surfboard. 

At the time, I could barely do a push-up on dry land, so my first attempts at riding the waves led to no small number of collisions between my surfboard and the side of my head. It turns out learning to surf is a great lesson in learning how to fail. 

Here's something I learned. My friends would paddle out into the waves with me. They gave me a hard time when I fell, but they also cheered me on. They'd swim over to where I was floating face down, get me back on the surf­board, and paddle back out with me. They weren't just there to celebrate my success. They delighted in my attempts. 

My surfing friends gave me a little glimpse into how God sees us. He's not surprised when we fail. He knows we're up against a lot in our lives. Jesus didn't come just to offer guidance to us to help us get it right. He's with us, even when we blow it. 

Don't believe the lies that you're defined by your successes or your failures. You're defined by Jesus, and He calls you beloved. 

How have you been defining yourself this week?