LAST PLACE!!! TOP THAT!!! (A desire for the unexplainable)

TODAY'S READING: Psalm 124; 2 Corinthians 11; 2 Corinthians 12; 2 Corinthians 13

SCRIPTURE: 2 CORINTHIANS 12:10

"That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

OBSERVATION:

I want to be a testimony of God's greatness - His love, His grace, His power.  If I build something on my own strength it is very understandable.  If I can boast, "Look what I built!"  "I thought of that."  "That was all me."  then what I am saying is that it was explainable and without need of God.  While I acknowledge that I have talents, abilities, knowledge, and wisdom, I don't want those things to define my life.  I do not want people at the end of my life to say about me - "Yeah, his life makes sense."  I truly want people to have to acknowledge God in my life in a way that it gives hope and inspiration for their own lives.

I want to be in last place so I can be on top.  I want the unexplainable to be a regular part of my life.  I want less of me and more of Jesus.

APPLICATION:

Paul, says in other places of his writings that he dies to himself.  Most of us apply this to the bad parts of our lives - hurts, sin, failures,etc..  At times Paul gives this dying a specific context - die to sin, dead to the law, etc., but other times he just says he dies daily, or dies to self.  I tyhink this is the key.  I need to die (acknowledge my death) everyday to all things self - my abilities as well as my flaws; my pride as well as my insecurities; my righteousness as well as my sins; my motivations, my agenda, my desires, etc....... myself.

I need to come alive in the strength of the Lord Jesus Christ thru prayer and the word.  I need to spend time with the one who allows me to live beyond myself and brings the unexplainable to fruition.  The one who marks my life and will have people say about me, "WOW!  I never saw that one coming."  I want to live a last place life so that as Christ takes first place in me and thru me I can say "TOP THAT".

PRAYER:

God you are good to me.  You are the unexplainable factor that I want prevalent in my life.  Lord that my life would be profoundly and significantly lived out before my family, friends, church, and community, I wouldn't be able to point at any part of it without pointing to you.  Help my life be marked by your presence, goodness, grace, love, strength, and power.  In Jesus name,  AMEN!