Digging Deeper – Page 31 – NorthStar Church Blog

Digging Deeper: What are We Supposed to Carry?

Josh Neal on January 15, 2024

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Philippians 4:6 (NIV)

WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO CARRY?

Do you ever get really excited about something in life, and then as soon as the moment arrives you think to yourself, “Oh… great…”?

Because that is exactly what happened to me when I started to write this particular Digging Deeper. I was so excited to dig in to the word and write… but did it HAVE to be that one pesky verse? When Paul tells the Philippians “Do not be anxious (or worry) about anything…” I just so dearly wish that I could overlook this verse in the Bible.

Worrying is a bit of a pastime for me. Work, family, money, politics, traffic, health – with so many things to worry about it almost feels irresponsible sometimes NOT to be wringing my hands over everything! And yet… the Lord tells us in His Word NOT to worry. Even Jesus himself says ”Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?“ in Luke 12:25. So what do we do about this? I think Mike gave us a great point on Sunday when he said Jesus wants to carry our burdens.

I don’t know about you, but it is awfully hard for me to just NOT do something, or just give away a responsibility. Fortunately, I think Jesus knew about guys like me from the day He gave us breath. Jesus says in Matthew, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

He doesn’t just leave us idle! He has a plan for us! Instead of worrying and being belabored by the world’s woes, He tells us to give those burdens to him. And in exchange, he has a light and easy burden to lay on our shoulders instead! I don’t think the light and easy means inconsequential; rather, something that is blessed and ordained by the Lord as something we can carry!

Today as you get going, take a few minutes and pray through giving Jesus your burdens, and asking Him for HIS burdens instead! If you’re anything like me, it will change your day!

Josh Neal and his family have been members of NorthStar Church since 2016. He is married to his lovely wife, Mallory, and has three children: Ember, Clover, and Jack. He loves being a part of the prayer ministry at NorthStar, and enjoys everything from Georgia Tech Football, to hunting, to writing.

Digging Deeper: Trust Carries Us Through Suffering

Lee Wilson on January 12, 2024

38 Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary.5 Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

Luke 10:38-42 (ESV)

TRUST CARRIES US THROUGH SUFFERING

As we learned about Martha and Mary this week, we have seen repeatedly how differently they treated the situation of Jesus’ visiting their home. While Mary sat and soaked up his words, Martha complained that she should be helping her prepare for the guests, to which Jesus replies, “Martha, Martha, you are worried about many things (Luke 10:41).”

Worrying about the wrong stuff instead of listening to the Lord, now that sounds too close to my life. It is normal to worry, to feel anxious, but when does worry become sinful?

According to Dr. John Piper, all the time. Answering a question about it on his podcast, he said “Worry or anxiety is a sin. God wants us to trust his sovereign, all-wise, all-good, all-providing, all-protecting, ever-assisting care. This is a trust issue.”

Trust is hard when it means we must forfeit control. We all want to feel “in control” in our lives as much as possible. Yet the older we get, the more we are forced to face the fact that we control much less than we would like to admit.

God tells us repeatedly to trust Him in the face of trouble (Proverbs 3:5, Joshua 1:9, Jeremiah 17:7-8, John 14:1, etc.). Sometimes He tells us that by putting us in impossible situations, stripping us bare of any notion of control and forcing us to our knees in desperate hope and prayer.

My wife, Deanna, and I faced such a situation with our first child.

When we were 36 weeks into an up-to-that-point “normal” pregnancy, Deanna received a phone call and we had to go in for terrifying news – our daughter, Roselyn, had a Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH) and faced grim odds at life following her birth.

We were crestfallen. Our first child, the first grandkid of the family, might not survive. For the next four weeks we met with specialists, sought opinions from doctors all over the country and even debated trying to make a trip out of state to have her delivered at a hospital that might be better suited for such a high-risk birth and a surgery thereafter.

I scoured the pages of scripture daily, searching for whatever hope and truth I might be able to cling to in the words of God. And one night, weighing all of these tenuous options, a verse reached out and spoke to me from Hebrews: “So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised. (Hebrews 10:35-36 NLT).”

I was reminded, clearly, that I wasn’t in control. We have no choice but to trust in those moments because we are trying to seek his will, not our own. Patiently enduring until the end so that we can receive his ultimate promise – eternity in his presence.

We tearfully prayed at Roselyn’s bedside for every day of her life, and after 22 days she passed into eternity. We found a song, through a friend, called Though You Slay Me by Shane and Shane, and the song resonated deeply with us and was played at her service. Finding its roots in Job 13:15, the chorus goes like this:

Though You slay me
Yet I will praise You
Though You take from me
I will bless Your name
Though You ruin me
Still I will worship
Sing a song to the One who’s all I need

We listened to the song over and over, and in the online version there is a break and a snippet from a sermon by Piper is played where he talks about suffering. Preaching from 2 Corinthians 4:17, he insists that every second of anxiety, pain and suffering that we feel this side of Heaven is “working in eternal weight” to produce Glory for the Kingdom God. It all matters and it all counts.

It’s not easy to walk with the pain we all carry, like that of child-loss for us. We have to come to the cross for any chance at finding meaningful and lasting peace amidst this fallen and sinful world. For in this world we find trouble, but Jesus has overcome this world. (John 16:33).

Lee Wilson and his wife, Deanna, have been NorthStar Church members since 2010. They are parents to Everett, Henry and Roselyn. Lee is passionate about sports (Go Braves, Go Dawgs) and has the pleasure to serve on the worship team as a bassist.

Digging Deeper: Remember God Cares for You

Lee Wilson on January 11, 2024

Luke 10:38-42 (ESV)

REMEMBER GOD CARES FOR YOU

Being a dad is the best thing I get to do each day. Our two boys are full of energy and life and bring much to joy us. Their personalities are so different, as happens often with siblings, and as a parent the differences breed an even greater depth of adoration.

One thing they both do frequently, though, is ask for help. My older son likes playing Mario Kart, and when he gets stuck on a hard level he quickly calls for dad to help! My younger son loves Legos, but he hasn’t quite mastered the construction process, so what does he do? “Dad, help!” I am not as good at Mario as I used to be (I still haven’t lost to him, don’t worry), and I am no Lego “master-builder.” So when I help my kids, the results often produce painstaking errors before resolution.

These inconsequential problems my kids face serve as a good model for how we behave. When we get faced with tough situations as Christians, we look skyward and say “God, help!” And that is a good thing! God wants us to bring our troubles to Him. Peter says “Cast your anxieties on him, because he cares for you (1 Peter 5:7).”

The fact that God cares about us is quite humbling. That feeling alone provides spiritual sustenance when I remember it. The problem is that when I am facing anxious and troublesome moments, it is difficult to remember!

When we examine the story of Martha and Mary (Luke 10:38-42) this week, we see Martha asking for help, much the way my kids do. As she feverishly works, she demands Jesus to send Mary in to help her (with an audacity I can only hope to attain). As Jesus tenderly rebukes her, we are reminded that Mary’s eagerness to find the words of Jesus are a great example for us.

When we face moments of trouble, we want the quick fix, just like Martha. However, in many instances the Lord chooses to teach us through patience or suffering. In these moments, we must remember the many promises of the Lord and trust that He’s got us, even if it’s not in the timeline we would like.

The Psalmist reminds us to “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved (Psalm 55:22).”

There might be pain, there might be anxiety, there might be misshapen Lego projects, but the Lord promises to sustain us if we will turn to Him. For “God is ever true to his promises (1 Cor 1:9),” so if He promises to sustain us, then He will.

Just trust him.

Digging Deeper: Is Comparison Robbing You?

Lee Wilson on January 10, 2024

Luke 10:38-42 (ESV)

IS COMPARISON ROBBING YOU?

As someone who enjoys presidential history, I relish the chance to read biographies and anecdotes about our leaders of the past. Probably my favorite President is Theodore Roosevelt. Raised in a Christian home, Teddy was devout in his faith his whole life.

Teddy understood the importance of biblical study, saying “I ask that the Bible be studied for the sake of the breadth it must give to every man who studies it.” He is easily one of the most quotable Presidents our nation has had, producing countless refrains in our common lexicon today.

Here is one often attributed to him that you may not know: “Comparison is the thief of joy.”

As we studied in Luke this past week, we found the disparity between sisters Martha and Mary as Jesus taught in their home. Their reactions produce a clear picture of two distinctly different kinds of behavior. Mary sat and soaked in Jesus’ words, while Martha hurriedly tried to prepare food and clean for the guests. In Martha’s annoyance, she got so busy comparing herself to Mary, suggesting that it was “unfair” (Luke 10:40) that she was doing all the work while Mary sat and listened.

Our lives place us in constant situations of comparison. Especially in America, a country where resources abound, we can easily get wrapped up in trying to keep up with the Joneses, until (as Mike Linch likes to say) you realize your neighbor is Chipper.

This is exactly what Teddy was hinting at – when we compare ourselves to others, just as Martha did, we allow that disparity to steal our joy. We can muster up feelings of inferiority or superiority quite quickly, and lose site of the blessings we have right in front of us.

Sometimes the comparisons run far deeper, as we see others blessed in ways that we are not, manifesting in good health, or perhaps financially. This discontentment is indeed a thief of joy and can seep into our spirits and fester into bitterness. This is ripe ground for the enemy to plant his seeds of doubt and despair within us. The antidote, for us, is the belief in our savior Jesus Christ.

We must always remember that our joy is not linked to things like finances or health, but in the hope of eternity in the presence of God.

In Lamentations, Jeremiah speaks greatly of the afflictions facing Jerusalem after its fall at the hands of the Babylonians. Chapter 3 quite literally opens with “I am the man who has seen affliction…” (Lamentations 3:1, ESV).

Yet Jeremiah comes back to the Lord and his goodness: “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him. (Lamentations 3:24, ESV).”

We face the temptation to compare ourselves and our situations to others, and we can get lost in despair when lying in those pits. It is a natural part of the human condition.

In those moments we must remember, as Jeremiah did, that the Lord is our portion and cling tightly to the joy found in Christ. For the contentment we find in him transcends the doubts and troubles we face in this world. The author of Hebrews reminds us to be content with what we have because “he will never leave us or forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5, ESV).”

Don’t get caught up comparing yourself to others, for it is a fruitless endeavor. Instead, focus on the joy and contentment you find in the love of Jesus. Only in him can you find true joy.

Digging Deeper: The Downfalls of Distraction

Lee Wilson on January 9, 2024

Luke 10:38-42 (ESV)

THE DOWNFALLS OF DISTRACTION

Marveling at the wonders of modern technology is easy to do these days. The technology we each hold in our hands, perhaps as you’re reading this, is itself remarkable. The advances in our present age offer limitless entertainment and communication and have given way to new ways of working and completing our daily tasks.

With all of these new gadgets and gizmos comes a bit of trepidation. With each new app, phone, computer, self-driving car, etc., we can become distracted. Routines get altered for convenience and at times we can lose meaningful moments due to our incredible distractions. These distractions often take us away from what matters most, and the warp-speed nature of our modern schedules breeds anxious feelings.

We need to press pause and be intentional about our relationship with Jesus. Paul tells us in Romans, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2, ESV).

We have to fight the urge to clutter our schedules and limit our distractions, despite what the world tells us we need. We don’t need to get a new phone, or a new car, or those new Jordans (even though I really want them); we need to renew our minds by spending time with Jesus. Our anxious clutter can be resolved by this intentional erosion of our “busy-ness.”

In the 90’s action movie The Rock, John Mason (played by Sean Connery) is talking about his special forces experience and notes “I was trained by the best, British Intelligence…but in retrospect I would have rather been a poet, or a farmer.”

This simple life he references is something that tugs at our hearts. We weren’t meant to be so distracted and busy. We fill our calendars with meaningful intent, feverishly working in appointments, practices, homework, meals, parties and meetings all in one day, all the while trying not to dirty our superhero capes.

This is how Martha felt when she jumped at the opportunity, along with her sister Mary, to have Jesus and some followers in their home. As Jesus spoke, Martha was hard at work preparing to serve the guests, getting annoyed with her sister for not helping as she sat at the feet of Jesus and listened. Then, when Jesus rebukes her (Luke 10:41) he noted she was “anxious about many things.”

She worried too much! Instead of being distracted and anxious (like Martha), we need to take a deep breath and return to the throne of our King (like Mary). Whatever we have in front of us – worrying us, distracting us, nagging at us – we need to set it aside and sit in the presence of Jesus.

In Colossians 3:2 Paul says to “Set your minds on things above, not things on Earth.” The apostle is pleading with us to have the right perspective on our daily schedules.

Is your heart set on what is above? Are you making a schedule that prioritizes the Lord?

Trust in him and make time for him – DAILY.

Digging Deeper: The Antidote to Anxiety

Lee Wilson on January 8, 2024

Luke 10:38-42 (ESV)

THE ANTIDOTE TO ANXIETY

Anxiety. That word alone carries connotations and emotional responses for all of us when we see it. It has permeated our society at alarming rates, affecting all ages and leaving many to ponder its causes and potential treatments for it. According to one study by the National Institute of Mental Health, roughly 31 percent of U.S. Adults experience clinical anxiety in their lifetime. We are all familiar with it, and many of us have experienced it.

We learn that Martha experienced it, too. When Jesus had joined Martha and Mary in their house, we see some angst from Martha. She felt like her share of the serving workload was imbalanced and unfair as Mary sat and listened to Jesus speak. But in Jesus’ response to her request for assistance, He didn’t simply say that Mary was doing the right thing by listening to his words; He first noted that Martha was “anxious and troubled about many things (ESV).”

Anxiety can have that affect on each of us. We lose patience, feel upset or depressed and can even lash out in irrational ways. So, what should we do when we recognize these symptoms in our hearts? From the lips of our Savior himself we are told to do as Mary did: sit and listen to His words.

RC Sproul, when preaching on this passage, said that “while Martha was grousing, and complaining, and feeling annoyed at her sister, Mary was basking in the presence of Christ.”

Sproul also noted that when the Lord rebukes Martha for begrudging her sister, that he did so “in the most tender fashion,” as one dear friend would do to another. When he addresses her “Martha, Martha” that name repetition is a clear sign of Jesus’ affection towards her. He recognizes that what is happening in her heart isn’t about Mary at all, but rather a manifestation of her inner turmoil.

In correcting her, the Lord simply says that Mary has chosen “the good portion.” When you are faced with anxiety, will you choose the good portion? Will you bask in the presence of Christ? That is the only way to truly find peace.

In the gospel of John (14:27), Jesus promises each of us peace: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

So instead of worrying, instead of begrudging, instead of being overwhelmed, fight with all of your might to bask in the presence of the Lord and his words. He cares about you, and he promises us peace if we will trust in him.

Digging Deeper: A Solid Foundation

Minda Seagraves on January 5, 2024

READY:

“Everyone, then, who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

Matthew 7:24-27 (ESV)

A SOLID FOUNDATION

SET:

In 2020, when things started to reopen after the shutdown, we decided to build a house. There was so much planning and preparation that went into turning a wooded lot into a livable home. Before we could get to the fun stuff like picking out lighting, floors and paint colors, we had to decide on a floorplan and determine where we wanted the house it sit on the lot. Since we weren’t going to have a basement we decided to build a really big garage (insert all man excitement here). It was important to have plenty room for our vehicles, lawn equipment and space for a shop. Making these changes to this one space of the house that hadn’t ever crossed my mind resulted in lots of extra planning and work for the architect. Once they had the blueprint redrawn, we then had to figure out placement of the house so that we stayed within the lot lines. All in all it took nearly three months after we decided to build before we were ready to get started. As excited as I was to move on to picking out the fun stuff for the livable space it was imperative that we get the foundation right first.

In today’s passage we read what Matthew recorded from Jesus telling us about another foundation that we need to take the time to get just right. Jesus says that we would be wise to build our house (life) upon His words – that if we do so, when the wind and waves come we will be able to stand strong. He didn’t say IF they come but WHEN because we can be sure difficulties will happen. None of us want to walk through hard times but we are told repeatedly in God’s Word that while we are here on earth we will face difficulties. What we can do is prepare for them before the first sign of a breeze appears by building a firm foundation. We do that by storing up the promises of God in our hearts as we spend time each day with him in his word. Jesus gives us a warning in the person of the foolish man who builds a house on sand. If you’ve ever been to the beach or seen video of the tide going in and out you can understand why sand isn’t the best place to build a house and how it is easily knocked down.

Just like it took time to get the foundation right four our new home it takes time to build your foundation with Jesus. The wind and waves that come our way look different in different seasons so we have to spend time with him daily to make sure we are prepared for whatever is headed our way. We need not be anxious about the impending hard times because we can trust that we have a firm foundation in our good Shepherd who will not leave our side!

GO:

Where is your foundation built? On the sand of self or the Rock of Jesus?
How will you be ready for the hard when it inevitably comes your way?

WORKOUT:

James 1:22-25
Psalm 1:1–2
Matthew 7:11
Matthew 7:24-27

OVERTIME:

Jesus, thank you for being our firm foundation, the rock on which we stand. I think of the song that says “when everything around me is shaken, I’ve never been more glad, that I put my faith in Jesus, because He’s never let me down.” Lord it’s true that even though we face seasons so difficult we aren’t sure how we will ever get through them, we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we will get through them because you are with us. Father, let us be like the wise man who listens to you and builds a foundation upon you and you alone. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Minda Seagraves has been married to her best friend, Russell, for 17 years and is mom to Carson and Maddie. She is also a full-time missionary with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, serving as a chaplain to local female high school teams and supports 380 staff across four states in the U.S. and 20 countries in East Africa as the Regional Director of Talent Advancement with FCA. Minda and her family live in Acworth and have been attending NorthStar Church since 2020.

Digging Deeper: Walking In Love

Minda Seagraves on January 4, 2024

READY:

“I’ve loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love. If you keep my commands, you’ll remain intimately at home in my love. That’s what I’ve done—kept my Father’s commands and made myself at home in his love.”

John 15:9-10 (MSG)

WALKING IN LOVE

SET:

So much of God’s word feels like a warm hug, but there is something about today’s passage that makes me feel the tangible love of Jesus wrapped tightly around me. Words have the capability of painting vivid pictures and The Message translation of John 15:10 does just that.

This week we have unpacked obeying God – both the how to and the why. We have discussed the importance of seeking His will for our lives and explored the courage it sometimes takes to answer in obedience. Today’s look at obedience comes from a different angle than most of us probably ever think to explore.

It should be no surprise that John, the self-proclaimed “disciple whom Jesus loved” approached the topic of obedience through the lens of love. We obey the Father because we love him and we love him because he first loved us! The original word used here for love is “agapao” which implies being loved dearly or beloved. It’s not an “I love tacos” kind of love John is talking about, but a deep fondness and commitment. We are promised that when we obey our loving Father we will be as close as possible to the feeling and security of that love. We get to experience a love that feels as warm, safe, and cozy as being home when we choose to walk each day out no obedience.

Yes, we have the reassurance that He goes with us, and yes we know that He blesses our path when we walk where He leads us; but we also have the comfort in knowing as we take each wobbly step with Jesus in obedience we are walking deeper into our love relationship with Him! You will never feel the love of Jesus more than when you are walking in obedience with Him!

GO:

Can you think of a time that you felt the tangible love of Jesus?
How does knowing love and obedience are linked change the way you think about doing what God asks of you?

WORKOUT:

James 1:22-25
Psalm 1:1–2
Matthew 7:11
Matthew 7:24-27

OVERTIME:

Jesus, thank you for loving us with a deep unending love that is bigger than anything we can fathom! We ask you to meet us wherever we are today in this very moment and let us feel your loving arms wrapping around us as we willingly submit to your best for our life. Give us the patience to wait for you to guide each step we take and the wisdom to not get ahead of you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Digging Deeper: Trust Your Training

Minda Seagraves on January 3, 2024

READY:

Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Joshua 1:7-8 (ESV)

TRUST YOUR TRAINING

SET:

“Coach said.” I would argue that those are the two most important words in all of sports. It’s why athletes at all levels do everything they do in competition. It’s why they run zone instead of man, why they run the ball instead of passing it, why they go for two instead of kicking the extra point. At practice it’s why athletes will push their bodies harder than when they do drills at home. It’s why they watch film instead of bingeing something on Netflix. More often than not what coach says needs to be done is not enjoyable or pleasant, but good athletes will do it anyway because they know there is purpose in the pain. The instruction from a coach is always purposed in getting better, both for the athlete individually and for the team. The goal of competition is to win, and we don’t win while sitting idle doing the easy stuff.

We have the greatest coach of all! In the above passage God is coaching us up on how to win at life here on earth. We are told to be careful to follow His instruction, not even veering off from it a little bit in any direction. Just like running line drills at practice, staying on the narrow road God calls us to is not always easy; but the more we do it the stronger we become. That strength looks like better clarity in the next step God is calling you to take, and a peace that surpasses understanding when we are in the middle of hard times. We can know what play God is calling us to run by studying His playbook- the Bible! We are instructed to meditate on it day and night and not let our mouths cease from sharing what it says with others. The only way we can obey Him is to know what he is saying, and the only way we are able to know what He says is by spending time with Him in his Word. It takes discipline to stick to training of any kind but as Christians we have the biggest reason to trust the training from the best coach of all time!

GO:

How are you turning to the right and left of what God is telling you to do?

How can you take steps to follow in closer obedience?

WORKOUT:

James 1:22-25
Psalm 1:1–2
Matthew 7:11
John 15:10–14

OVERTIME:

Jesus, thank you that you don’t leave us to figure it out on our own, but instead give us clear directions on how to obey your best plan for our lives. Thank you for your grace as we tend to drift off from that plan, for meeting us where we are and lovingly and gently guiding us back to the path you have purposed for us. Thank you for never growing tired of doing this! Help us Lord to have ears to hear your directions every moment of every day and to have the discipline, courage and boldness to take each step of obedience as we walk along the path you have called us to. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Digging Deeper: Confident Obedience

Minda Seagraves on January 2, 2024

READY:

I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.

Genesis 22:17-17 (ESV)

CONFIDENT OBEDIENCE

SET:

I am 110% NOT an athlete. So, eight years ago, when I felt the Lord calling me into full-time ministry as a missionary to coaches and athletes, I was very confused. What in the world did I have to offer this community of people I had no common thread with? It took about three months in fervent prayer for me to fully grasp what the Lord was asking me to do, and even then I was very fuzzy on what answering this call to ministry would look like. The one thing, really the only thing, that was crystal clear was that He had given me a clear path to step my foot on. I had no idea what the next step would look like after I took that first one, but I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt I had to take that first step.

In today’s passage I believe Abraham can relate to that feeling of answering a clear call without fully understanding what comes next. God is clear that he will bless Abraham and even lists out what those blessing will look like, as a direct result of Abraham’s obedience. It would be easy to get lost in the weeds here and think that Abraham’s actions led to a blessing. We know that’s not true because scripture tells us that we cannot earn God’s blessings; they are given to us as gifts, just as parents give gifts to their children. What God is telling Abraham is that these blessings are what he can expect as he steps out into the great unknown of walking where God calls Him. God promised to be with him as he went deep into uncharted waters.

And He does the same for us! When I answered God’s call in 2015 I had no audible assurance from God of the blessings that were waiting for me, but there have been so many over the last eight years that I cannot even begin to count them all! I can honestly say that I have walked my calling as a missionary out in totally blind faith, trusting Jesus for everything I need and the directions on how to get there.

No matter where or what Jesus is calling you to, you can take that first fuzzy step in complete confidence that His blessings will follow as you continue on the path that was planned for you before you drew your first breath!

GO:

What is God calling you to do that feels unclear or out of your comfort zone?
How can you take steps in obedience to that calling?

WORKOUT:

- Joshua 1:7-8
- Psalm 1:1–2
- Matthew 7:11
- John 15:10–14

OVERTIME:

Jesus, thank you for the callings you place on our lives. Thank you for the opportunity to see your loving provision as we respond in obedience to your direction. Sometimes you ask us to do hard and scary things, but we know those are the times we will grow even closer to you as we learn moment by moment to be completely and totally reliant on you for everything. We ask that you would give us confidence and clarity as we answer your call on our lives. In Jesus’ name, Amen.