For His Purpose Alone...

Yet again Mr. Chambers has hit to the core of me. Lately the Lord has really been laying ministry on my heart. I know that I am called to minister to people and my biggest question has been, "Who?" He has started giving me small glimpses of what that may look like through different people, prophetic words they have spoken over me (thanks again, Morgan!), or by simply opening my eyes to my surroundings. I could pretty much start anywhere! So this excerpt from Chambers was so incredible to me...you should read it.

"Partakers of His Sufferings-Rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings."

If you are going to be used by God, He will take you through a multitude of experiences that are not meant for you at all, they are meant to make you useful in His hands, and to enable you to understand what transpires in other souls so that you will never be surprised at what you come across. Oh, I can't deal with that person. Why not? God gave you ample opportunity to soak before Him on that line, and you barged off because it seemed stupid to spend time in that way.

I can't even count how many times I have thought that! Mostly with my own family. I am learning now though to not always ask, "why me?" because it may in fact have nothing to do with me at all! The Lord calls us to do great things for Him and He never leaves us empty handed. Instead of letting a situation or the person's circumstance intimidate me, I need to walk up to it with confidence! "If He brings you to it, He'll bring you through it". If He places someone in my path how dare I feel incompetent. HE has equipped me to speak into their life! Mmmm...that's so good.

The sufferings of Christ are not those of ordinary men. He suffered "according to the will of God," not from the point of view we suffer from as individuals. It is only when we are related to Jesus Christ that we can understand what God is after in His dealings with us. IT is part of Christians culture to know what God's aim is. In the history of the Christian Church the tendency has been to evade being identified with the suffering of Jesus Christ; men have sought to procure the carrying out of God's order by a short cut of their own. God's way is always the way of suffering, the way of the "long, long trail." Are we partakers of Christ's sufferings? Are you prepared for God to stamp our personal ambitions right out? Are prepared for God to destroy by transfiguration our individual determinations? It will not mean that we know exactly why God is taking us that way, that would make us spiritual prigs. We never realize at the time what God is putting us through; we go through it more or less misunderstandingingly; then we come to a luminous place, and say- "Why, God has girded me, though I did not know it!"

I guess that would be my encouragement to you, as you are walking through fire or even just unusual circumstances know IT IS BIGGER THAN YOU!!!! We are such self-focused people that we have a tendency to complain about our burden because we see it as punishment instead of the Lord equipping us for His purposes. We are His vessels! He is filling us! Get over yourself!!!! There really isn't anything more fulfilling than knowing that our Father trusts us enough to accomplish His work so please, PLEASE bear that cross with honor and humility...