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Will 2009 Be Divine? How Will You Seize Your Divine Moments in 2009?
The past month, I have been thoroughly captured by Erwin McManus' book Seizing Your Divine Moment. It is challenging me out of my complacency, theological foxholes, and muddled thinking. We live in a church culture which thinks that "God is only in it" if the provision comes before the task at hand. That, McManus writes, is the opposite of the biblical story. Provision comes when we least expect it, often at the last moment, when we are trusting God the most...after all human efforts have failed and we've exhausted our own human strength.
McManus writes, "Our wealth and abundance of human resources have positioned us to accept a paradigm that provision precedes vision. This has been the foundation of building no-risk faith. This is a tragedy when a part of the adventure is the discovery that vision always precedes provsion."
"There are few things more inspiring than a life lived with passionate clarity," McManus writes.
How many of us are standing back, waiting for God to move, when God has already spoken? The first word of the Great Commission is "Go"! Do we need any more permission than this?
Love God, live passionately, let the chips fall where they may.
What steps of faith will you be taking in 2009 to seize the divine moments God has already prepared in advance?
"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
Ephesians 2:10
McManus writes, "Our wealth and abundance of human resources have positioned us to accept a paradigm that provision precedes vision. This has been the foundation of building no-risk faith. This is a tragedy when a part of the adventure is the discovery that vision always precedes provsion."
"There are few things more inspiring than a life lived with passionate clarity," McManus writes.
How many of us are standing back, waiting for God to move, when God has already spoken? The first word of the Great Commission is "Go"! Do we need any more permission than this?
Love God, live passionately, let the chips fall where they may.
What steps of faith will you be taking in 2009 to seize the divine moments God has already prepared in advance?
"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
Ephesians 2:10
Tags: divine, erwin, faith, god, joey, love, mcmanus, moment, o'connor, risk
Comment
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Comment by David Zailer on January 27, 2009 at 5:51pm -
Love you, Joey. And I love the way you write. Like butta!
Dave
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Comment by Christene Sloan on January 10, 2009 at 5:06pm
- Joey, I love the tern seize and when you connect it to Divine Moment it is so powerful, let's make this our attitude for the board meeting!
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Comment by Deborah Ford on January 5, 2009 at 3:12am - Thanks for the insites on where we should all be. I've been waiting for God to move! Mistake when the great commision is to "Go"! Standing back and listening to negativity of where other people say you should be. What better commission than that of Gods. God has blessed me with so many divine moments I just need to seize the days of me getting in the way. Thanks again Joey I'll have to read that book.
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Comment by Spencer Stewart on December 30, 2008 at 8:52am -
That's a really cool and good point: vision before the provision
Really encouraging and well written... and something I still am learning. It's definitely a thought I'm going to keep into the new year.
Thanks!
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Comment by Naomi Williams on December 30, 2008 at 6:31am - I feel like I'm experiencing this now. I am working on some major projects, but I lack the resources needed to make them fly. God has taught me a lot about having faith and being anxious for nothing. When I obey these commands, I find that things always work out. In terms of my projects, the Lord has already put the desire in my heart so that I can pursue the calling. All I have to do is trust that He will make the way!
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Comment by Anne Driesenga on December 29, 2008 at 9:09pm -
I am incredibly excited about 2009 just because it is good enough reason to start acting on a new perspective. Psalm 98 - sing a NEW song. The message has been coming to me from several directions teaching me that God could actually use me to bring a new "sound"to our culture, whether literally or experientially. It is a new song in Psalm 98 that brings all of creation before Him in worship. He is the Creator and I'm in relationship with Him. I may not know all my circumstances in advance but my answer to Him is YES. Yes I will spend my time thinking about you and not being anxious for anything.
Thanks Joey!
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Comment by Carla Jo Novotny on December 29, 2008 at 8:48pm - I was just reading Christianity Today email magazine, Reflection section for today, Dec.29, with quotations titled, Benedictine Wisdom. It is quote 8. I reconfigured this quote from Michael Casey's, Wisdom from the Monastery. It seems to fit here and in my life of practicing the presence of God. "We need to be quietly working our way through life, willing to be surprised, resisting the temptation of total control." Carla Jo --So as I wait for the public expression of my Scripture art to be out there and the extended speaking of it I keep plugging away at the pieces of finishing, polishing, and business management. For me divine risk is to keep asking for help when I don't always know the question and the lack of interest/ability about business to be able to give away the good works more, farther, further as my dreams see it. So it will be fun to see the provision come just in time. I will be more diligent to watch and seize the divine moments.
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Comment by Brent Doster on December 29, 2008 at 3:08pm - Well I have passion but it is clarity that I lack. One out of two aint bad.
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