Him Whom I have not seen, I love » Purpose

A lofty and beautiful purpose

~Bryant — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 01:27:11 +0000

The secret of happiness here and here after, the gold thread of youth, lies in loving God, and loving our neighbor, loving them early if it ab yet possible, and loving them well; losing one’s own life in theirs, becoming guileless and docile, meek and reverent in our interaction with them, loving them long, yea, FOR EVER.

-In My Father’s House

The yearning wish, the aim at so lofty and beautiful a purpose should be our goal during the life God has given us on this earth.

Posted in From the bookshelf, Purpose

Whispers

~Bryant — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 20:34:29 +0000

I was talking with a friend recently, and I was reminded of a beautiful story that one of the speakers shared at Summit, the conference my family attended last summer.

Sled dogs were bred to pull sleds. It is their job, but it is also their delight. They love it. It is what they were designed to do, and they are never as happy as when they are doing it.

It is their pleasure to do it, and to obey the voice of their master is their delight.

Their master does not have to yell or shout commands to them. He must only barely whisper an instruction, and they obey.

When you are doing what you were designed to do, your Master can guide you with a whisper.

When you are out of tune with the culture, and in tune with Him, when you are listening for His guidance, He can lead with that still small voice.

The Lord has given each of us gifts and talents, and these talents are often manifested in things that we love to do. These things “return energy” to us, where we give of ourselves, but we are given back manifold spiritually for our efforts.

Now I am not saying that we must only do things that we like to do. Christ has also called us to do hard things for His glory and for the sake of His kingdom.

However, He has also called us to discover and cultivate that thing, or things, that He has equipped us personally to do for His kingdom. What is something that you love to do, something that “returns energy” to you? Is it worthwhile and redeeming, does it bless others, and does it make a difference for eternity? If the answer is “yes”, then do it, and do it with all your heart.

When you are doing what you were designed to do, your Master can guide you with a whisper.

Posted in Devotions, Purpose

A beautiful thought

~Bryant — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 21:58:56 +0000

A candle is a lovely thing;
It makes no noise at all,
But softly gives itself away.

modified from a quote by Eva Logue

I’ve been thinking a lot about how the Lord has called me to complete abandonment to Him and to other people. I must truly “give myself away” to others. I must invest in those dear souls around me, especially in my family; I must be vulnerable to them. I must be an asset. I must give and give, with no thought of getting in return. My family must be able to say of me: “If she was not here, we would not be the same.”

Posted in Musings, Purpose

A Worshipping Heart

~Bryant — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 00:03:15 +0000

The one thing that is needed is a captivated, adoring heart, a heart that responds to the extravagant love of God with worship.

Our hearts are made to worship. It is what we do; we can’t help it. Worship does not mean going to church and singing hymns. No.

Worship is far more passionate, far more abandoned.

Worship is what we give our hearts away to in return for a promise of Life.

But Jesus is the only one worthy of our heart’s devotion. Mary recognized who Jesus was–the source of all Life. Love Incarnate. She did what you and I hope we, too, would have done. She dropped everything and sat at His feet, fixing the gaze of her eyes and the gaze of her heart upon Him.

–Captivated

Futile efforts

~Bryant — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 02:13:18 +0000

What Satan put into the heads of our remote ancestors was the idea that they could be like gods — be their own masters — invent some sort of happiness for themselves outside God, apart from God. And out of that hopless attempt has come nearly all that we call human history — money :: poverty :: ambition :: war :: prostituion :: classes :: empires :: slavery — the long terrible story of

man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.

Terrific energy is expended — civilizations are built up — excellent institutions devised; but each time something goes wrong.

That is the key to history.

The reason why it can never succeed is this: God made us; invented us as a man invents an engine. A car is made to run on gasoline, and it would not run properly on anything else. Now God designed the human machine to run on Himself.

He Himself is the fuel our sprirts were designed to burn,

or the food our spirits were designed to feed on.

There is no other.

That is why it is just no good asking God to make up happy in our own way with out bothering about Him.

God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself,

because it is not there.

There is no such thing.

C. S. Lewis

Thou hast made us for Thyself,

and the heart of man is restless

until it finds its rest in Thee.

St. Augustine

Doing Hard Things

~Bryant — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 23:30:33 +0000

If you know me personally, you probably know that I do not like making phone calls.

I do not like making phone calls in a house; I do not like making phone calls with a mouse.
I do not like making phone calls here or there; I do not like making phone calls anywhere!

Making phone calls is hard for me, but it certainly isn’t the only thing that is difficult for me to do. I do not like asking people for help, because I worry that I’ll catch them at a bad time and bother them.

So these are just two of the many things that do not come easily for me.

But this year, I decided to work on overcoming these things.

I decided to do hard things, knowing that each time I do them, they will come just a little easier.

I was excited to find out that Alex and Brett have been posting a series about this very topic.

I was challenged by their posts to stick to my commitment to do things, even though they are simply hard to do.

“Our greatest joy and satisfaction comes not from avoiding hard things but from joyfully embracing them. This is how the same Jesus who said, “If anyone would come after me let him deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me,” could also say, “for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Following in Christ’s footsteps is hard, but it’s good — and He is the ultimate example to us of an extraordinary life spent doing hard things for the glory of God.

When we fail to do hard things, we not only disobey God, but we set ourselves up to fall short of our true, God-given potential. Even worse, we act as if God is not worthy of our effort — or as if He is unable to accomplish through us what He has called us to do.

We say all this because we want you to glorify God. And God isn’t glorified when His children limit themselves to what comes easily for them.

He isn’t glorified when His children aren’t willing to do hard things.

The Christian calling is hard,

but it is also the only calling worthy of such extraordinary effort.”

-WDHT-Don’t Waste Your Life

So, what things would qualify as hard for you?

Will you join me in committing to do hard things, knowing that by doing them, you will glorify the Lord?

Don’t limit what you do to only what comes easily for you.

Do hard things.

Watering faith’s flower

~Bryant — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 01:58:48 +0000

Learning to better understand the God of all comfort is taught during times of want. It is only that which strains the heart to extremes that can teach the heart to stretch more. It is plowed under again…and again…and again.

Pain is the preparation of the soil.

It is in relying upon our Maker during the times of the plough that new seeds of faith can be planted deep in the sorrowing soul.

The flower of faith does not bloom under any light but that which is hot and intense. And yet it must be watered so that it does not become parched and withered—

is that not accomplished by our tears poured out to the Lord for just that purpose?

“Take our tears, O Lord, as an offering. Pour them upon the empty field so that they be not wasted. Produce the crop YOU so desire. Perform, preserve and protect that which is of most value to you Lord—that which You have planted deep in the heart of your people. Forsake not the work of Thine own hands.”

God’s perfect mirror

~Bryant — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 13:30:15 +0000

“Be perfect…as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Matthew 5:48

The command “Be ye perfect” is not…a command to do the impossible. He is going to make us into creatures that can obey that command.
If we let Him
– for we can prevent Him if we choose –
He will make the feeblest and filthiest of us into a
dazzling,
radiant,
immortal creature,
pulsating all through with such energy and joy and wisdom and love as we cannot now imagine,
a bright stainless mirror
which reflects back to God perfectly His own boundless power and delight and goodness.
The process will be long and in parts very painful, but that is what we are in for.

Nothing less.
He meant what He said.

C.S. Lewis

His fuel

~Bryant — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 15:01:58 +0000

Give me the love that leads the way,

The faith that nothing can dismay,

The hope no dissapointments tire,

The passion that will burn like fire.

Let me not sink to be a clod,

Make me Thy fuel, Flame of God.

-Amy Carmichael

One thing

~Bryant — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 03:15:00 +0000

“There is only one thing that God wants in us, and that is

unconditional surrender.”

-Oswald Chambers