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By Paula Marolewski, December 14, 2009 4:42 pm

The Bible teaches that God has a plan and purpose for us – here are some of its highpoints:

• God calls us to become like Christ. We see that in verses like Romans 8:29: “For whom [God] foreknew, he also predestined to become conformed to the image of his Son.”
• God calls us to spread the Gospel. The Great Commission states it clearly in Matthew 28:19-20: “Go therefore and make disciples of all 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.”
• God calls us to love the world. I Corinthians 13 describes that love, declaring in verses 7-8, “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.”
• God calls us to serve the church. In Ephesians 4:12 we are told that we have received spiritual gifts “for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ.”
• God calls us to stand firm against the devil. Ephesians 6:10-12 exhorts us to “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

Consider it: Our goal is to become like Christ. Our commission is to spread the Gospel. Our command is to love the world. Our privilege is to serve the church. Our battle is to fight the devil.

This is a great calling. This describes a life filled with purpose!

© 2009 Paula Marolewski, www.SinkYourRoots.com

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• Running the Race: A Look at the Life in Christ from the Book of Romans

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By Paula Marolewski, December 7, 2009 12:32 pm

Hebrews 11:2 points out something very interesting:  “This is what the ancients were commended for.” What were they commended for? Their faith.

Isn’t that curious? They weren’t commended for doing great deeds. For being intelligent or even wise. Yes, elsewhere their good deeds and wisdom are indeed praised, but it is interesting that in Hebrews 11 the focus is solely on one thing: they were commended for their faith.

I like that, because we often get wrapped up in programs or success or money or numbers … but God says, “No, the root of it all – the thing you have to have before anything else – is faith.”

In fact, we can jump to verse 6: “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” It is impossible to please God without faith. Your good works won’t do it. Your programs won’t. Your ministering won’t. Your giving won’t. Your preaching won’t. EVERYTHING is empty if we lack faith.

Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 7:22-23? “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” If we don’t have a right relationship with God – which is only based on faith – then nothing else matters.

© 2009 Paula Marolewski

www.SinkYourRoots.com

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By Paula Marolewski, November 16, 2009 3:39 pm

The older I get, the more I see a peculiar dichotomy:

Life becomes more and more complicated, because:

• Pat answers don’t fit anymore.
• People are more complex than I’d ever imagined.
• Situations are more tangled than I could even believe possible.

Yet life also becomes more and more simple, because as my understanding of God expands, I see that:

• His knowledge is deeper than all the pat answers in the world – he is Wisdom.
• His salvation extends to every soul in need – he is Love.
• His power is sovereign over all the mess we make of our lives – he is Grace.

Perhaps a part of maturity is to come to the realization that life will never be easy – but that as we trust God more and more, it can become simple again.

© 2009 Paula Marolewski, www.SinkYourRoots.com

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By Paula Marolewski, November 9, 2009 5:50 pm

Elijah had beaten the priests of Baal at Mount Carmel and outrun Ahab to Jezreel – but when Jezebel tacked up a “Most Wanted” poster, he tucked his tail between his legs and ran.

You know the story – the wind, the fire, the earthquake. Then the still, small voice of God.

Remember what God said first?

He asked a question (I Kings 19:13):

“What are you doing here, Elijah?”

I don’t think the question was reproachful or demanding. In the previous verses, God had provided angelic cookery for his weary prophet, and comforted him with gentle words. Perhaps God even asked his question with a hint of a smile:

“Elijah, you’ve seen me stop the rain for three years, provide for you by the stream at Cherith, supply flour and oil for you and the widow and her son, raise the boy from the dead, bring down fire from heaven, and restore water to the earth. Yet here you are, living in a place of fear and doubt and depression. What are you doing here?”

Does God sometimes ask that of us? I think so. When I consider everything God has done for me over the decades in which I have trusted him, I am astonished and overwhelmed. He has never failed me. Never forsaken me. Yet all too easily, I fall into fear and doubt and depression. It is then that I hear his still, small voice asking me the same question: “What are you doing here?”

And here’s the key: I have a choice about where I am going to live. I can live in fear and doubt and depression, looking only at the problems that surround me. Or, I can live in confidence and faith and strength, looking only at my God who is sovereign over all.

Where are you living today? And is God perhaps asking you, gently inquiring,

“What are you doing here?”

© 2009 Paula Marolewski, www.SinkYourRoots.com

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• Dusty Days
• True Comfort

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By Paula Marolewski, November 5, 2009 9:51 am

A thought for the day from Jeremiah 17:7:

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD
         And whose trust is the LORD.”

As I read this verse this morning, I pondered why Jeremiah put in both phrases: “who trusts in the Lord” and “whose trust is the Lord.” I thought of it this way: sometimes, when we put our trust in the Lord, we subconsciously (or consciously!) expect him to act in a certain way. In essence, we are saying, “I trust in the Lord to do this certain thing that I want.” But he doesn’t always do what we want – that’s a fact of life. And if that’s as deep as our trust goes, our trust and faith are going to be shaken quite regularly.

That is why, I think, Jeremiah put in the second phrase: “and whose trust is the Lord.” So that when God does not do the things I want or expect or desire, I need to trust who he is, that is, his character and nature: loving, gentle, kind, just, purposeful, gracious, patient, etc. This is where we find unshakable trust and faith: no matter what happens, no matter what he does or does not do. We know that he works all things together for good, because he is good. We know his actions, whatever they are, are loving because he is love.

© 2009 Paula Marolewski, www.SinkYourRoots.com

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By Paula Marolewski, October 29, 2009 2:38 pm

Just a question for you today: How strong are your Christian convictions?

In the face of …

• Passion. When the heat of the moment is lighting every fire inside you but you aren’t married to the person you’re with … what will you do?
• Pressure. When the people around you – perhaps people whom you respect, perhaps people whom you fear, perhaps people whom you love – are encouraging you down a path Scripture forbids … what will you do?
• Persecution. When threatened with ridicule, loss, slander, pain, isolation – even death – because of what you believe … what will you do?

Be honest. And if you don’t like your answer, then answer this:

What will you do about it?

© 2009 Paula Marolewski, www.SinkYourRoots.com

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• Meditations of a Slave
• Commanded to Suffer

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By Paula Marolewski, October 22, 2009 8:34 am

It is easy to fall into a sense of fatalism … “Whatever will be, will be.” As a believer, that philosophy has no place in our faith. If you have felt the subtle lure of fatalism, ponder the following: 

• Fatalism says, “You are trapped in a maze without a center.” God proclaims, “You are on a journey with a glorious conclusion.”
• Fatalism says, “Whatever you do, it is irrelevant.” God affirms, “Everything you do is relevant. Everything you do matters. Everything you do affects the outcome of your life. That is the meaning of free will.”
• Fatalism says, “Why pray? If there is a God, he’ll just do what he wants anyway.” God states, “Prayer moves my heart. Many times, I choose to act only if you choose to pray. I change the outcomes in life because of prayer.”
• Fatalism says, “Who do you think you are? Do you think anyone cares?” God declares, “I know who you are! I love you – I have proven it, and I will prove it again.”

© 2009 Paula Marolewski, www.SinkYourRoots.com

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By Paula Marolewski, October 13, 2009 4:34 pm

In I Kings 19, we read the story of Elijah running for his life from Queen Jezebel. Seeking refuge on Horeb. The wind, the earthquake, the fire. Then the still, small voice of God.

And when Elijah went forth from Horeb, he did so in strength.

Yet think on it – nothing had actually changed: Jezebel was still after him. The Israelites had declared their allegiance to Yahweh on Mount Carmel, but you don’t see much evidence of actual repentance. Ahab was still a louse.

But something had changed: Elijah’s perspective. His faith. His confidence.

What had happened? Elijah had listened to the still, small voice of God. He had re-established his relationship with his King. He had communed with the great I AM. Therefore, even though nothing had changed, everything had changed: Elijah knew that God would walk with him through the problems, and would resolve them in his own way and in his own time.

How often do I complain to God about all that’s going wrong in my life, and fuss and fume because “God isn’t answering”? The fact is, I want God to fix my problems the way I tell him, and I want him to do it now. But God calls me with his still, small voice. And this is what he says:

“I am with you. I am sovereign over all creation. I love you. I am acting on your behalf. Will you trust me?”

If I refuse his answer, I go forth from my own Horeb a broken, embittered soul; devastated because nothing has changed.

If I respond to his promise, I go forth renewed and restored, and – in his own time and in his own way, starting with me – everything changes.

© 2009 Paula Marolewski, www.SinkYourRoots.com

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By Paula Marolewski, September 17, 2009 6:14 pm

Faith. A small word packed with big meaning. Consider how Hebrews 11 defines faith:

• Faith trusts what God has said. (Hebrews 11:3)
• Faith worships God in an acceptable fashion. (Hebrews 11:4)
• Faith walks with God in the normal, daily activities of life. (Hebrews 11:5)
• Faith acts despite the seeming “unreasonableness” of God’s command. (Hebrews 11:7)
• Faith leaves its comfort zone. (Hebrews 11:8)
• Faith is content with what the Lord gives, even though it may not seem “complete”. (Hebrews 11:9-10)
• Faith believes for the impossible. (Hebrews 11:11-12)
• Faith looks to the eternal. (Hebrews 11:13-16)
• Faith recognizes that we are pilgrims and strangers in this land. (Hebrews 11:13)
• Faith seeks for something beyond and greater than ourselves. (Hebrews 11:14)
• Faith does not turn back from discouragement, doubt, or despair. (Hebrews 11:15)
• Faith seeks for the best, the perfect of God. (Hebrews 11:16)
• Faith is willing to give up even what it loves the best: even what seems to be the promise itself. (Hebrews 11:17-18)
• Faith lets God be God; it doesn’t put God in a box. (Hebrews 11:19)
• Faith takes risks. (Hebrews 11:23)
• Faith takes humility over honor. (Hebrews 11:24-26)
• Faith is obedient. (Hebrews 11:30)
• Faith is willing to suffer and die for God. (Hebrews 11:35-40)

It is by grace that we live this life of faith. Make the above truth your own with this prayer:

By grace, through faith, I will trust in what God has said. 

By grace, through faith, I will worship God in an acceptable fashion

By grace, through faith, I will walk with God in the normal, daily activities of life.

By grace, through faith, I will listen to God and act on what I hear, no matter how “unreasonable” or “irrational” his commands are to me.

By grace, through faith, I will leave my comfort zone when called by God to do so.

By grace, through faith, I will be content with what the Lord gives, even though it may not seem “complete”.

By grace, through faith, I will believe for the impossible.

By grace, through faith, I will keep my eyes focused on the eternal.

By grace, through faith, I will remember that I am a pilgrim in this land, and heaven is my real home.

By grace, through faith, I will seek for something beyond and greater than myself.

By grace, through faith, I will not turn back from discouragement, doubt, or despair.

By grace, through faith, I will seek for the best, and not be content with less.

By grace, through faith, I will give up even what I love the best to God if he asks.

By grace, through faith, I will let God be God.

By grace, through faith, I will take godly risks.

By grace, through faith, I will accept humility over honor.

By grace, through faith, I will be obedient.

By grace, through faith, I will suffer and die for God if he calls me to that end.

Amen, and amen.

© 2009 Paula Marolewski

www.SinkYourRoots.com

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By Paula Marolewski, September 14, 2009 8:16 pm

A few thoughts today on what it means to cast all our cares on the Lord …

What are we giving to the Lord when we give him our burdens?

• Our worry and anxiety about the situation
• Our obsessive desire to think about the situation
• Our need to control the situation
• Our helplessness because we can’t control the situation

What are we not giving to the Lord when we give him our burdens?

• Our concern for the situation
• Our grief and  hurt caused by the situation
• Our responsibility toward the situation

What do we receive from the Lord when we give him our burdens?

• The internal, spiritual resources we need to deal with the situation
• The wisdom to identify our responsibilities within the situation
• The ability to rest despite the situation
• The peace of knowing that God is sovereign over the situation

© 2009 Paula Marolewski

www.SinkYourRoots.com

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• My Dread Champion

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