Proverbs 25:2
Isaiah 45:15
Deuteronomy 29:29
Ecclesiastes 11:5
Isaiah 55:8-9
Romans 11:33
1 Corinthians 2:16
Romans 8:28
All if these verses above speak to the fact that we as humans cannot understand God and His ways. However, because Romans 8:28 clearly stats that God works all things together for His glory and purposes, we can have faith and hope knowing that whatever happens, God will use it for His glory and purposes.
The reason why I wrote this is because there are times where people have righteous motives and their hearts are in the right place, but God still decides not to allow them to accomplish the dreams that they have desired. It is just like how King David wanted to build the temple, but God said that it was a good desire to have, but He wanted Solomon to build it instead. We will not always understand all of God's ways, but we can trust Him and surrender to Him knowing that He works everything out for His glory.
It is like a computer being asked to fully comprehend everything about the human who created it...it just doesn't make sense.
Saturday, 15 March 2014
Is my heart right?
God does not look at us the way the world, or even we, look at ourselves. "God looks at the heart, not outward appearance.". Therefore, it is important to realize that God can use us in any way He sees fit. It doesn't matter what we think we may or may not be good at. If God wants to accomplish something through us then He will - as long as we are surrenders. The surrender is the "heart" part. God looks at our heart, and He can use us as long as we are surrendered. For this reason, we must always be examining our heart to ensure that we are surrendered.
When I look at my last experiences with golf I realize that my heart was not where it needed to be. I did want to be a pro golfer in order to have a witness for God and His Kingdom. I genuinely wanted to use that influence to lead people to Christ. However, my heart was not where it should have been. There was pride in my heart. I wanted the attention that came from speaking in front of people. I wanted the attention that came from playing golf in front of millions of people. I wanted the celebrity that came from all of this. I do not believe that it is wrong for people who are in these situations to enjoy these things, but it is wrong to love these things. When those things develop pride in your heart, and cause competition with God for your surrendered heart, then it is wrong.
I am sure that there are many other reasons why God did not allow me to become a professional golfer, and I believe the condition of my heart was one of them.
Tuesday, 4 March 2014
What God has been teaching me about the ways I was wrong in pursuing golf
God has helped me to realize that I have not been surrendered to Him. I have been trying to pursue golf because it is something I wanted to do. Although I did have righteous desires in it, I also had some unrighteousness, selfish desires too. God has helped me realize that I was trying to pursue golf, but I had not surrendered the results to Him. I was obsessed with the results that I wanted and was not surrendered to allow God to use the talents He has given me for His purposes, and to fulfill the plans that He sees as best, the plans that He has for me.
It is very ignorant of me to take the talents God has given me and then say, "Thank you God for these talents. I will use them in this particular way for you. I am not interested in using them in any other ways that you might have me to".
God has been helping me realize that it is okay to pursue golf as long as my priorities are straight. Golf must take a back seat to many other things in my life which are so much more important - namely God and the beautiful family He has blessed me with. So, He has taught me that it is okay to pursue golf as long as my priorities are straight, but with that said, my pursuit must be surrendered to Him. I should pursue excellence, however, I must surrender all results to Him. I must surrender where it takes me and what I do with golf. I must be seeking God for how He wants me to use the talents He has blessed me with. I have always wanted to be a successful tournament player, but if God wants me doing something else with my talents, then I have the responsibility to do that. And what a joy I know that will be because I am always most fulfilled when I am surrendered to God's perfect will. When God leads me away from my initial dreams toward something else, He is doing this out of love. I want what He wants because it is ALWAYS best, and will always lead to the greatest joy and fulfillment.
Something else that God has been teaching me, and I find this so exciting, is the fact that in the past I wrongfully attempted to find joy in my pursuit of golf, but now, god is calling me to put that passion into priorities which are so much more important. I am excited to put that passion into loving and serving God, growing with Him and seeking opportunities that He leads me to to minister for Him and spread the gospel. Also, loving and serving my family, raising my beautiful children, growing with and supporting my gorgeous wife - these are priorities that are so much more important than pursuing the "possibility" of becoming a professional golfer. Even as I type this, I am more excited to pursue these things than I ever have been about pursuing golf. The reason for this is because to pursue golf has an element of selfishness in it. By pursuing things in a way which keep my priorities straight, that brings peace because I am aligned with God and His Word.
It is very ignorant of me to take the talents God has given me and then say, "Thank you God for these talents. I will use them in this particular way for you. I am not interested in using them in any other ways that you might have me to".
God has been helping me realize that it is okay to pursue golf as long as my priorities are straight. Golf must take a back seat to many other things in my life which are so much more important - namely God and the beautiful family He has blessed me with. So, He has taught me that it is okay to pursue golf as long as my priorities are straight, but with that said, my pursuit must be surrendered to Him. I should pursue excellence, however, I must surrender all results to Him. I must surrender where it takes me and what I do with golf. I must be seeking God for how He wants me to use the talents He has blessed me with. I have always wanted to be a successful tournament player, but if God wants me doing something else with my talents, then I have the responsibility to do that. And what a joy I know that will be because I am always most fulfilled when I am surrendered to God's perfect will. When God leads me away from my initial dreams toward something else, He is doing this out of love. I want what He wants because it is ALWAYS best, and will always lead to the greatest joy and fulfillment.
Something else that God has been teaching me, and I find this so exciting, is the fact that in the past I wrongfully attempted to find joy in my pursuit of golf, but now, god is calling me to put that passion into priorities which are so much more important. I am excited to put that passion into loving and serving God, growing with Him and seeking opportunities that He leads me to to minister for Him and spread the gospel. Also, loving and serving my family, raising my beautiful children, growing with and supporting my gorgeous wife - these are priorities that are so much more important than pursuing the "possibility" of becoming a professional golfer. Even as I type this, I am more excited to pursue these things than I ever have been about pursuing golf. The reason for this is because to pursue golf has an element of selfishness in it. By pursuing things in a way which keep my priorities straight, that brings peace because I am aligned with God and His Word.
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