From Joshua’s Journal October 6, 2009 "What Do I Aim For?"
I need to not aim for Holiness....Rather my mark should be made on Him. In Him I become holy. My purity isn’t made by promises, but by being in Him. For in Him there is no darkness. Striving to live only a holy life gives me religiosity. Striving to live in Him gives me everything.
I should stop tying to live the perfect life. My life’s focus should be to just live in Him. For it is that wellspring of life that will give me true life, life everlasting.
Only in Him may I last forever or be known as His child.
You can aim at the target which is knowing Him...Or at the stand that holds the target...Or just the shadow or reflection of the target...and miss completely what God has for you.
From Joshua's Journal and one his favorite entries "Why Am I so Inconsistent?"
I can talk a good game. I can restrain my words when someone else is in the car.
But I find out what I'm capable of when I ride by myself. I tend to talk to
other drivers in not so endearing terms. I know what I'm capable of.
Why am I so inconsistent?
I mean, it's not like I don't want to live fully and faithfully for God. Hello.
I do! Or at least I say I do. But when it comes down to doing what it really
takes, my talk is a lot bigger than my walk.
I'm learning this through running.
To run a 10k race, you need to train-unless you're from Kenya. Then you just
have to be breathing.
To be honest I could not run 10k if I had someone chasing me with a gun, I am
that far gone, and out of shape. So I ask myself again, "what am I do to?"
Train! I can't expect to just go run 10k, I need to train for it!
So I ask myself again, "Why am I so inconsistent?"
Because you don't train to run the spiritual race. Or you train, but you train
casually. Instead of training for the Navy Seals or Army Rangers I train for the
missionary aviation.
So what's it going to take for me to live more consistently???? Train to remain.
Train to remain in Christ!!!
Jesus says in John 15, "Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can
bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit
unless you remain in me. 'I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains
in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.'"
Humbling. Yes, I am afraid so...
But I have to begin by humbling myself if I'm ever going to move from gutless
Christian to standing firm in Christ every day. If I want to stop complaining
about my inconsistencies and do something about them, I need get on my knees and
fight like a man. I need to sit and soak in God's word regularly, at length and
with pen in my hand. I need to pray God's word and fast (yes the snackpack
fast). Yes, I need to allow myself to get weaker physically to get stronger
spiritually. His strength is made perfect in my weakness. I need to give and
give sacrificially. Worship God with my lips AND hands.
May my worship dear God, cause me to perspire for your glory. Clean me up, fill
me up, and send me out!!! I drop my trinkets and trivial pursuits and offer
myself to you again today. Remain in me and do what only you can do through me.
In Jesus' ever-present name I pray, Amen...amen