Here are some random thoughts I’ve had this week during my times with God.

Why Do The Expected Normal?

Following Jesus Christ, being filled with his Holy Spirit, being a child of God; none of these are “normal” to the world. And they are not supposed to be. We are not of this world any longer. While we live in it, we are not to be of it.

That is going to require doing things out of the norm. Following Jesus is a radical thing, obeying exactly what he tells us to do is going to involve stepping outside the box of normality. But when we do obey, the results are also not of this world and point without any doubt to the majesty of God and the power of Jesus through his Holy Spirit.

What Is Going On?

God has our best in mind at all times. Even when He tells us no He is lovingly telling us that because He has our best interests in mind. His ways and thoughts are so much higher and His presence is so overwhelming that we can’t possibly comprehend it while we are still on this Earth.

No situation or circumstance catches God by surprise. I may not understand it, but I don’t need to. I probably won’t understand even when I get to heaven. It may start to make sense, but I’ll never be God, I’ll never NEED to know. The fact that God IS God is enough.

Just Do It!

I need to obey God all the time, in everything He tells me, even if it doesn’t make sense to me. It may seem like there is just no way possible to do what he asks, but as long as I obey, there will be a way to accomplish it.

I was reading about Elisha on this day. God asked him to do a lot of seemingly weird things – he purified a toxic spring by throwing a bowl of salt into it, he raised a dead boy by stretching out on top of him (Ewww), he changed a poisonous stew into a good stew by tossing some flour into it, and he threw a stick in the Jordan River and made a lost ax head float. God told him to help a widow and her two sons who only had a tiny bit of olive oil left to live on and Elisha immediately told her to gather as many jars as possible and fill them with the olive oil. And of course, every single jar was filled so they could sell this valuable commodity and live off of it. He had an enemy general with leprosy go bathe in the Jordan seven times and be healed. He stood up to an entire enemy army and then made sure they were given a feast on their way back home. You can read about Elisha in 2 Kings chapters 2 through 13.

I don’t think I’d have the courage or the obedience to do those kinds of weird things if God asked me to do so. But what if God asks me to do something weird today? What if God told me to give my last dollar to the homeless dude at the stoplight? What if He told me to talk to the foreigner acting strangely hostile? I don’t know. Could I just do it?

I’m A Child Of The King!

Sometimes I really struggle with self-esteem, worth, and confidence. I often look at my life and where I’m at with my business and feel like a failure. And when I get into one of those grooves depression really sets in. I can get in a real funk, and it seems to affect every part of my life.

But, if I stop and spend time with God, I am reminded that I am a child of the King. God thinks that I am worth sending His Son to die for me. Even during the dark times in my past when I wandered so far away from God, He knew He had called me and that I was worth seeking and saving. And when I was found, when I returned to God, there was a giant celebration and rejoicing in heaven. I was an insignificant lost coin, but I had been found. I was, and am worth Jesus because God loves me.

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So those are just some of the things I thought about this week. If you have a couple of minutes, could you go to the comment section below and let me know what God has told you this week?

And as I’m writing this on Friday afternoon (August 7), I’m also thinking about Pops memorial service tomorrow. I’m praying that even in sorrow and grief, we can celebrate a life well lived serving God. If you are interested in viewing the memorial service, it is scheduled to be live-streamed on the ministry Facebook page at 11 a.m. Central, Noon Eastern.