Day 30- Convenient Christianity

Good Evening Ladies,

Wow! We made it...and we are still alive! This past 30 days has been tremendous. As I look back on this journey I cant help but marvel at how much has happened in such a small time span. God has done so much in my life in 30 days. I hope He has touched you in ways that you will never forget as well.

Today's lesson talks about following God wholeheartedly. No matter the circumstances just follow Him and seek His will. The plain truth is that we are totally human. 100% flesh and bone, self-seeking human. The good news is that while that may be a grim fact, we have a huge God that is not human! God requires more of us than our humanness would readily provide if it were not for His commands. 
Think back to the beginning of Judges 6. Gideon was a fearful no-name guy in his tribe. God came to him and required him to complete a task that would alter history. Think about that for a minute. Imagine yourself folding the laundry or washing dishes when out of nowhere the Angel of Lord comes to you and asks something big of you. All you are required to do is trust Him. God never promises us bodily safety. He never promises us an easy road. What He does say is that if we do His will it will bring glory to him. But wait a minute, I am not finished with my laundry or the dishes yet. God is going to need to wait. As soon as I am finished with what I have on my list I can jump right on that! Doesn't that sound like us? Well, it absolutely sounds like me!

As I sat down to open this last days study I felt like I was standing in front of a firing squad! I read the title and sunk in my seat a little bit. Like most moms I am busy. Really busy. I have my days and months scheduled out. This summer was no exception. While I was planning to participate in this study I looked at my schedule and I had the time. Let me tell you ladies something you probably already know. God has His own plans for my life, daily! God had so many adventures on the calendar for me this summer that I had no clue about. So plans changed! My life is not usually this interesting. This summer however my plans would change right up to the minute before I was to walk out the door. At first I would get tight in the chest and get frustrated. I would just like to highlight a few of my unforeseen adventures. At the beginning of the summer we started off with 2 rounds of seasonal allergies with the kids and wrapped up with them each getting a virus that I had never heard of. An uncle passed away after a long hard battle that truly brought him closer to the Lord and I believe healed some large cracks in my family. My brother had routine surgery to remove his appendix which turned out to be cancerous. He, his wife and new baby waited weeks to learn that it was only contained in his appendix and had been removed. It is a miracle that it was found in the first place. Praise God! This has also lead to some major family healing! My dad has major heart issues. Usually once a year for the past 3 or 4 years he has been in the hospital for a stint and once for bypass surgery. It looked like this summer was no exception. He felt that he had a heart attack but waited until the next day to tell anyone! MEN!! So, we went to the doctor to get him checked out, fully anticipating the worst. After the doctor gave him the once over it was discovered that he only had vertigo. Sheesh! This was a blessing because it really got his wheels turning on his health again. He is recommitted to cleaning up his health. (This is a very frustrating topic for me because I just want him to fix it. But then I am reminded of my lack of will power and shut down my judgements) During most of all of this my sweet mother in law was battling a nasty virus of her own that is just now subsiding. It has taken all summer. She is usually my biggest help with the kids. The kids and I had alot of time together this summer:) I have also dealt with an intestinal issue for years that became a huge problem for me this summer. Then I was introduced to a new way of eating that has taken away every single symptom! Praise God!!

There was actually more to write but I want to get to my point. God has His plans for us. Each day He has our day laid out. All we are required to do is get in the thick of it with Him. We need to do the inconvenient things. As I looked back on this summer and all of its drama I am blinded by the fact that God delivered me through it all. Did I loose 2 uncles to Heaven this summer? Yes. Did the family have more than its share of health scares? Yes. Did my kids go to more funerals and viewings and doctors appointments and road trips than either of us cared for? Yes! But when each situation is looked at individually I can see what God wanted me to learn or how He wanted to change my perspective on something. It was almost as if He was showing off! He really did deliver my family in so many ways this summer. 

Back to the firing squad. Nearly a year ago God started working on me to do a study in a public format. It turns out that it was this blog. Once I quit dodging His request I committed to this study. However, I have not been faithful in staying on the schedule. I know that I had a lot going on. That was my excuse for lagging behind. The truth is I was exhausted by the end of the day when I sat down to work on the study. Getting up early was not always an option either. I was tired!! It was not convenient for me to stay the course and stay up later or to rise earlier. I have felt convicted about this. God has given me numerous lessons this summer that were so perfect. Stay the course, He has me! He can change hearts that were once so hard. Live a life so much for God that when you die that is what people remember. 
Do not be so wounded that you don't let God reach you. This world is not for us, do not get too comfortable here. Learn from the lives of older folks. Be kind and generous with your words. Love on people, it will touch them in ways that you may never know.

Something that Priscilla said in her study was that 'our convenience does not trump Gods rules!! 
There are so many reasons we give for not attending church, reading the Word, praying, getting involved. Just don't. Save the excuses and get into Kingdom work. Start at home. Keep your life Christ centered! I am talking to myself as well here. Remain humble because the minute you get it all together on your own, God will show you otherwise. The best part about doing Gods will is seeing His glory shine! 


My hope is that this blog was helpful to you in your walk. Ladies, I love y'all so much for supporting this Blog and for loving our Lord! Your love for the Lord will always encourage others. I would love your suggestions on what you would like to see next on here. Or would you like to take a break? I'm open and praying:)

~Randi 

Judges 6:12
When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior."

You are what God says you are.