Have you ever felt like you made a huge mistake? Yeah, me too. Many times. My latest huge mistake moment came when I realized I’d picked the wrong website server.

Some time ago God had told me to build a website and blog. I immediately thought, I can’t do that, I don’t know any of that technical mumbo jumbo. But I began researching and found Weebly. It’s drag and drop interface seemed like the perfect fit for my non-technical skills.

I spent months and countless hours building my website, only to find out that I really couldn’t get anyone to see my site or read my blog posts with Weebly. It seemed that I had missed the boat and was paddling my little website into the big black sea all alone. This is when I discovered WordPress and found out that everything I needed to do in order to see my little website get going was on WordPress.

Now, I had two problems. I didn’t know how to use WordPress and I needed to figure out how to move my website over to it.

Again I did some research and found out that moving a website from Weebly to WordPress is not an easy task. That was a real gut punch. I decided I had two options, give up or figure it out. Well, I’m no quitter, especially when God has told me to do something. So, even though it seemed like an impossible task, I resolved myself to the fact that it was time to make the move.

With a lot of trepidation I began by setting up a WordPress site where I could transfer all of my Weebly stuff over. Setting up the new site was the easy part. I had 115 posts and I don’t even know how many pictures to move. I thought it would take about a week to do it. Well, it ended up taking six weeks, a lot of headaches and some shear determination. In the process I learned a lot about WordPress, and more importantly God taught me some great lessons on following Him even when it seems impossible. Here are my three big takeaways from this experience.

#1 Be Patient and Persevere

Rejoice in hope, be patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

                                                 Romans 12:12

When we think of affliction it’s usually in the physical form. Someone who has a terrible disease or debilitating disability. Although I wasn’t afflicted in a typical way, I felt I was afflicted in a mental and emotional sense. The frustration I felt grew bigger every day until I wanted to throw my computer out the window. Mentally, I thought, I just can’t do this. Emotionally, I felt drained. About half the way through I wanted to give up completely. My normal “can do” attitude was gone. But God whispered from deep inside of me, “Keep going. Don’t give up.” I knew I had to finish what I started so, I put blinders on and pressed forward. I found a rhythm, get one post transferred and then the next and the next. Still it seemed like there was no end in sight. Patience and perseverance became my only goal. Patience because it was taking so much longer than I expected. And perseverance to keep at it no matter how long or hard it got. After weeks of endless hours staring at the computer screen, I suddenly realized everything was moved and it was time to make the permanent change over to WordPress.

#2 Trust God when change is scary.

Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in you.

                                             Psalm 56:3

I don’t know when or how but during this six week period my Weebly site became a security blanket to me. It was a backup just in case a transfer didn’t take. Now it was time to delete the Weebly site and make the move permanent. All of the hard work I had put into building that site was about to disappear with one click of the mouse and my security blanket was going to be pulled out from underneath me. It was scary! I hemmed and hawed about it and walked away from the computer multiple times. Finally, after much deliberation, I decided it was now or never. I sat at the computer staring at that delete button and prayed, “Please God.” Those were the only words I had in that moment. And with that I clicked delete.

It took some time for the new WordPress site to become active. That next day of waiting was full of stress and dread. Doubt filled my heart. What if it doesn’t work? What if I can’t fix it? But I put my trust in God and believed that He had it under control.

#3 God makes the impossible possible.

With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.

                                                 Matthew 19:26

I may have had serious doubts about my technical abilities going into this move, but I had zero doubts about God’s ability to bring about His will in my life. When I saw my new website up and running I can’t tell you how much relief I felt. God is good, always good. But it took me being obedient to Him and stepping out in faith to see the goodness of God in my life. I give God all of the credit. He did it. Without Him it would have been an impossible task for me to accomplish on my own. But with God the impossible became possible.

I know it may seem that this post is all about me, but in my heart it is all about you. I want to encourage you to seek God, persevere through the difficult times, trust Him when change is scary and see the impossible happen in your life too.

Has God asked you to do something that seems impossible? Are you thinking of taking that leap of faith? You may feel that the deck is stacked against or that you’re facing an impossible task. But when you follow God you will never go wrong. May God bless you!

Popular Posts from Master’s Hand Collection!

Faith filled products from Master’s Hand Collection

Last week we discussed, “What is the Meaning of Life?” People have searched for the answer to this question since the beginning of time. They are hoping to find a meaning to all of the chaos we face. They mistakenly believe that if they can answer this one question, then all of their problems will fade away. As Christians we know that God gives us the answer in His Word. It’s surprisingly simple, yet powerful. If you missed last week’s post, you can read it here.

This week, I’d like to take the discussion one step further and look at the Purpose of a Christian’s life. Because we are followers of Jesus our purpose is different from the rest of the world. While most people are working hard to buy expensive possessions or rack up their 401k, we are called to achieve a more important goal.

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
                                                                                       Matthew 28:18-20

This passage of Scripture we all know as “The Great Commission”. But what does it mean in our lives right now? This verse is our purpose and our calling as Christians. It is a commandment from our Savior about how we should be living every day. Within this one commandment there are three distinct points about the purpose we have been given, and how we are to grow God’s kingdom.
 
Go and make disciples…
 
Some of us will have the opportunity to serve God in foreign countries. But most of us will serve God here in our own country. We don’t have to go to a far off land to follow the Great Commission. Wherever we are, and whatever we are doing it is our responsibility to tell people about Jesus. We can’t leave it to chance that someone else will do it for us. God puts us where He wants us to be and we can win souls for Him right here in our own backyards. All we have to do is look around us and we will see that there are so many people who are already in our lives that need Jesus. Whether it is our calling to serve God at home or abroad, we have been given the power of the Holy Spirit to fulfill our purpose to make disciples.
 
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
                                                                                            Acts 1:8
 
Baptize…
 
Baptism is an outward showing of our faith. It is a symbol of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection. Being baptized doesn’t save us, instead it shows the world that we are changed and have a new life in Jesus. When someone is saved, the next step is baptism. We need to make sure that we following Christ’s command to baptize people in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit once they have received Jesus as their Savior. As always, Jesus is our example. He was baptized by John the Baptist and in doing so, fulfilled God’s will.
 
It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. Then a voice came from heaven, You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
 
                                                                                        Mark 1:9-11
 
 Teach…
 
Once someone that we have witnessed to is “saved”, our job isn’t over. They need to be taught the Bible and about how to have a personal relationship with Jesus. I’m very grateful for all of the wonderful people who poured their knowledge of Jesus into my young mind while I was growing up. Of course, my parents, but also many Sunday School teachers, VBS workers, Deacons and friends. They invested in my life and discipled me along the way. Now it’s our turn to be the teacher. All of the things we learned, probably many years ago, God tells us to teach to the new Christians in our lives. Jesus spent time, one on one, with people. He taught them all that God wanted them to know. He is our example of how to be a teacher, and how to invest in the lives of the people around us. Just as He gave His knowledge to the twelve disciples, we must pass on our knowledge to the people that we have witnessed. Then one day they will be ready to teach all that they have learned to the next batch of new Christians.
 
And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
 
                                                                                       2 Timothy 2:2
 
While other people are worried about their place in life, we can rest easy. Our loving Heavenly Father has given us the answers the most pressing questions we face. What is the meaning of life? Why are we here? And what is our purpose? We now know that we were created for His glory and our purpose is to share Him with everyone we meet.
 
I’m so excited to bring this post to you this week! And I hope that it will encourage you, as you go out into your personal mission field, wherever that may be! There are so many people in our lives who are lost and need Jesus. I pray that you will be able to show them Christ’s love. May the God of hope guide you as you fulfill the Great Commission!
 
Again, if you missed the first part in this series “What is the Meaning of Life?” you can find it here.

Don’t Miss These Posts from Master’s Hand Collection!

It’s the age old question that scholars have pondered since the beginning of time…

What is the meaning of life?

For a Christian the answer is very obvious. God doesn’t leave us in suspense. He tells us, in His Word, exactly why we were created.

Everyone who is called by My name,
Whom I have created for My glory:
I have formed him, yes, I have made him.
                                    Isaiah 43:7

So the simple answer is this, we were made for God’s glory! We were put on this earth not for our own glory, but to bring glory to the One who created us.

This revelation leads us to another, more important question…

How do we bring glory to God? Let’s take a look at a few verses that tell us some of the ways we can glorify Him.

#1 Praise God.

Whoever offers praise glorifies Me…
                                     Psalm 50:23

If we want to bring glory to God then the first thing we need to do is to praise Him. It’s easy to praise God when life is good. But sometimes praising God is the last thing in world that we want to do. Maybe times are tough and things aren’t going so great in our lives. But God doesn’t ask us to praise Him only in the good times. When we praise God, in good times and in bad, we bring glory to Him. No matter what our current circumstances are, we can rest assured that when we praise the God who made us for His glory, He will lift us up.

#2 Live our lives in a way that pleases God.

Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
                                 1 Corinthians 10:31

The way that we conduct ourselves can either bring glory to God or dishonor to His name. The world is watching us to see how Christians react. Most of us probably don’t think about if we are bringing glory to God when we are at work or school or wherever we are spending our time. It’s not really about what we are doing at these places, it’s if the people around us can see that there is something different about us. Do they see Jesus when they look at us? Or do we act just like the rest of the world? Sometimes I live up to that standard and sometimes I fail. But what’s important is to keep trying to set an example of why we are different. And that brings us to the last verse I’d like to look at today.

#3 Let your light shine.

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
                                   Matthew 5:16

I’m sure there is an unsaved person in your life that you know is watching you. They ask questions that they think you can’t answer or they point out the things that you do wrong and say, see they aren’t so perfect after all. We all have a few of those people in our lives and it’s our job as believers to shine our light in a way that shows them Jesus. I have people in my life like this too and I want so badly to show them the Savior. I try to be a good example of Christ’s love, but somehow I always leave feeling like I said or did the wrong thing. I wonder if I’ll ever get it right. But it’s a humble reminder that I am living my life not for myself but for Jesus, and whatever I say or do should bring glory to our Father in heaven.

We no longer need to ask the question, what is the meaning of life? If we are saved, then we already have the answer. So, let’s start living our lives to glorify God. He will surely bless us for it!

Now that we know the Meaning of Life let’s take it one step further and discover the purpose of a Christian life. Check out Part 2: “What is the Purpose of Life?”

Popular Posts from Master’s Hand Collection

I love lists! I love them so much, I make one almost every day. And I love the feeling of accomplishment I have when I can cross out that “big” thing on my list. Usually my to-do list includes ordinary things like grocery shopping, returning phone calls, answering emails, running errands, etc. with a few occasional “big ticket” items thrown in for good measure. But there’s one thing that lately hasn’t made its way onto my list, a quiet time with God.

Okay, so I admit it, I’m not perfect. But I’m such a perfectionist! Still, I struggle. Probably with the same things you struggle with too. Recently that struggle has been a lack of motivation to spend time with God every day. My heart just hasn’t been in it. There’s an ebb and flow in life where things are good for a while and then all of a sudden everything seems hard. Right now, I’m going through one of those hard times. I’m still recovering from a low back injury and in a lot of pain. Even the smallest task seems difficult. My house is a total wreck. Everything that could break is broken and everything that could go wrong has. I’m falling so far behind on everything, that my to-do list makes me want to freak out. Plus a million other excuses that don’t mean much, because that’s all they are, excuses.

Knowing God and His will for our lives is the only way we can ever truly get ahead. And spending time with Him and applying His Word to our daily lives is what grows our faith. God doesn’t ask much from us. And He promises to give us so much in return.

In every relationship there are ups and downs. But we can’t have a relationship with someone we never spend time with. It takes commitment and follow through on our part to make it happen.

The great thing is, God hasn’t gone anywhere. He’s exactly where He was before. He doesn’t change. He is constant. He is faithful. Even when I am not.

Psalm 1:2-3 says.
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And on His law he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.

I want to be like that tree, firmly planted by the river. And I want to be firmly planted in God’s Word. So, I am committed to growing my relationship with a God who loves me and wants to see me prosper in His ways. I know the only way to get there is to “delight in His law” (the Word of God) and make my time with God a priority every day.

So, I began by praying and asking God to return the joy of reading His Word to me. At the same time, I also began searching for a Bible study that would speak to my heart as I started my devotions again.

Slowly, God has restored my love of His Word to me. The more time I spend reading the Bible and listening to His wisdom, the more I understand who God is and how much He loves me. And the more time I spend praying and seeking His face, the closer I feel to Him.

I love God more than anything and I know that He loves me even more. So, I am fully committed to making my time with God the most important thing on my to-do list from now on! And I hope that you are too.

If you are struggling to spend time with God every day, then I want to encourage you. The investment you put in today will be repaid tenfold. When you began to spend time with God you will see His blessings in your life the same way that I have. You will become like a tree firmly planted by the rivers water. And everything you do will prosper.

You can begin the same way I did, by praying and asking God to give you joy and knowledge. Then find a Bible study that speaks to your heart or just start reading the Bible. Any book in it is a great place to start. I think you will be surprised by all of the wonderful things God has in store for you. God Bless!

Don’t Miss these Posts from Master’s Hand Collection!