rediscovered treasure

I did a little spring cleaning this weekend and in the process I discovered this excerpt from my journal. Obviously I didn't write it- there's no question about that, but I'm not sure where it's originally from. All I do know is that God used this so much my sophomore year of college and the words serve as a precious reminder of all that my Savior and Friend has brought me through! So of course I wanted to pass it on to my blog readers... I would recommend printing it out and reading it daily-trust me you'll see why!

"We have to develop godly habits to express what God's grace has done in us. It is not just a question of being saved from hell, but of being saved so that 'the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body'. And it's adversity that makes us exhibit His life in our mortal flesh. Is my life exhibiting the essence of the sweetness of the Son of God, or just the basic irritation of 'myself' that I would have apart from Him? The only thing that will enable me to enjoy adversity is the acute sense of eagerness of allowing the life of the Son of God to evidence itself in me. No matter how difficult something may be, I must say 'Lord, I am delighted to obey You in this'. Instantly, the Son of God moves to the forefront of my life, and will manifest in my body that which glorifies Him.

You must not debate. The moment you obey the light of God, His Son shines through you in that very adversity; but if debate with God, you grieve the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30). You must keep yourself in proper condition to allow the life of the Son of God to be manifested in you, and you cannot keep yourself fit if you give way to self-pity. Our circumstances are the means that God uses to exhibit just how wonderfully perfect and extraordinarily pure His Son is.

Discovering a new way to manifest the Son of God should make our heart beat with renewed excitement. It is one thing to chose adversity, and quite another to enter into adversity through the orchestrating of our circumstances by God's sovereignty. And if God puts you into adversity, He is adequately sufficient to 'supply all your needs' (Philippians 4:19).

Keep your soul properly conditioned to manifest the life of the Son of God. Never live on your memories of past experiences but always let the word of God be living and active in you."

...Just a quick shout out to my friend Lynette who took the time to send this to me two years ago- it's amazing how God saw the potential impact on my life because of it and blessed me through it! I hope God uses it in your life as well!