Break to Breakthrough

I dropped a glass container filled with many things. The glass shattered into broken pieces and the container is unrecoverable.  However, I carefully went through the debris, separating the trash from the treasure.  There I was cautiously sorting items, trying to avoid cuts and bruises from carelessly handling the mess I've made.  I must admit, I was sad about the loss of my fancy bowl of stuff. I gathered all that was salvageable. Some items didn't falter under the forceful impact.

As we go through life often we gather a circle of friends, habits, and philosophies with pride but when the bottom drops out of our lives many of them will fail us.  Eventually we sift through the remaining relationships, behaviors and ideas.  Trying times do not allow us to discover who others really are but instead we discover our authentic self.  The stress test of life are trials and tragedy that prove us.  Suffering does this amazing work because through trials we gain character.

Through the looking glass things are distorted, they just aren't real. I find myself clinging to imaginary relationships, fictitious ideas and invisible truths. My perceptions are incapable of accounting for the hidden things. They presume that all things are laid bare when quite often I don't really see what I think I see.

Someone once said "God never uses anybody to a large degree, until after he breaks that one all to pieces." We know that Christ's life outpours into many. Before Jesus went to the cross He broke bread and gave it to his disciples explaining to them that this is how His body would be broken and given to them.

Many of us are trying to get a breakthrough in our family, financial, or job situation. Breaking through is being stressed so that God can shatter self life out of us for the emerging kingdom life.  Only then can we share greater depths of His love and grace with others. As we are broken if we allow God to have His way, He will separate the trash from the treasure.  We will come forth with a right perception of His grace, a clear understanding of our limitation and a greater revelation of His love. 

In the mist of suffering, why not allow our brokeness to serve a greater purpose? Why should we settle for brokeness?  Pray for the perfecting work.  It is when brokeness bring forth the break through of an enduring faith, a perserving faith, and proven faith to believe God period. To trust God period. Strangely enough a deeply rooted faith does not occur in spite of brokeness but through brokeness.

Just remember when visible things are being broken invisible things are coming together.

Desperate for Deliverance

The children of Israel were progressing. Finally, the dependency for direction of the cloud leading by day and fire by night was over. No longer waiting for manna, or living hand to mouth as we call it. Upon receiving the blessings of God they became comfortable. Instead of being the influence they were greatly influenced by surrounding nations. Slowly but surely, the Israelites begin to turn away from God. The problem with "doing good" is it's never popular.

Isaiah 63 speaks of how God judges his people. In fact, the New Century Version (NCV), verse 10 & 11 states "But they turned against him and made his Holy Spirit very sad. So he became their enemy, and he fought against them." In our nation there isn’t a group of people who so strongly identify with the deliverance of God depicted with Israel as those of the African brought to America.

This people who were not a people became one. Although they came from various tribes, languages, and countries they became one by their slave ship journey. The Americans taught African slaves of their God. Their ears heard and hearts pondered the story of Moses leading the Israelites out of slavery. They heard of God’s great deliverance and they placed their hope and trust in Christ. And after a time God’s hand moved them to freedom.

Today, many African American communities are plagued with brokenness, addictions, illiteracy, and violence.  We fight against poverty but we are dealing with an infraction. Our communities are faced with a moral dilemma of turning away from what is good.

In addition to money and opportunity we desperately need a pivotal turn in the right direction. Certainly it works. God help us as we make a spiritual shift to enjoy what is good and to remember His plan is to prosper us and give us hope as we live in Him.

From long ago no one has ever heard of a God like you. No one has ever seen a God besides you, who helps the people who trust you. You help those who enjoy doing good, who remember how you want them to live. Isaiah 64:4 (NCV)