Unrivaled

December 7, 2017

One of the devotionals that I am going through this Advent season asked a question today. I have been dwelling on this question all morning long.

Can others look at my life and see God’s heart, alive and unrivaled, in me?

I think it was the unrivaled and alive part that has me really thinking today. Is God unrivaled in my life? Merriam-Webster defines unrivaled as “having no rival: INCOMPARABLE, SUPREME.” They included the caps, not me.

Some of the synonyms of this word are excellent, unequaled, unsurpassed, perfect, superior, outstanding, and unmatched.

Wow! I have just been dwelling on whether this describes God in my life. What else in my life am I holding on the same level as God? What are my idols? What is sharing room on the throne of my life and trying to push God off His rightful place?

All of these things have been on my mind this morning. My mind immediately goes to what I do when I first wake up in the morning and what I am doing before I close my eyes. It is the same answer for both. I am on my phone. I can use all the excuses in the book to justify this. I am checking to see what is going on in the world. I am checking to see if anyone needs anything from me in an email or Facebook. I even will use the excuse that I am checking to see if anyone needs prayer. When it comes down to it though, I am addicted to my phone.

Audible sigh here.

Ugh! I have known this for some time. I am compelled to pick up my phone and check Facebook and the news and emails. When I don’t I feel like I am disconnected from the world. I also have a stupid Spectrum TV app on my phone that allows me the ability to watch TV wherever I am, 24 hours a day. It is an addiction that I have struggled with since I was a little girl. I always try to justify that I am watching good, wholesome shows, like Hallmark movies and cooking shows. There is nothing evil about checking emails and Facebook, news sites or TV. It is the fact that these things are becoming rivals to a Holy God.

When I answer the question if God is unrivaled in my life, my phone immediately pops into my head. That makes me sad. I have tried all kinds of things to quench the desire to pick up my phone all the time. I have failed miserably and that right there is the main problem. “I” have tried. “I” have failed. I do not have the power within me to fight this temptation. God does though, and I have forgotten to tap into the incredible power that He offers to those who love Him and follow Him.

One of my favorite verses of all time is 1 Corinthians 10:13,

¹³ No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

This verse is such a promise that God will give us an escape for every temptation. That escape is Himself. The Holy Spirit that lives in us has the power to defeat any temptation. It is the same power that lived within the New Testament disciples who lit the world on fire for the cause of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

When I think about what the disciples did and Christian heroes throughout the years, like Corrie ten Boom, George Muller, John Bunyan, Martin Luther, Jim Elliot, I am humbled, and it brings me to my knees.

I have gotten so comfortable in my typical American home and life that I have forgotten that to be true disciples of Christ we are to Sacrifice our time and money and possessions for the cause of Christ and Serve Him when He calls us to do something, even if it is uncomfortable. We are to Eliminate the things from our life that are not God honoring and Encourage others to follow Jesus. We are to Observe the world around us, so we can see when others need our help and Obey when the Lord prompts us to do so. We are to Leave behind the things that hinder us in our walk with the Lord and Love God and the things He loves more than any possession.

That is the goal of my life.

I recently had a friend ask on her social media accounts to pick one word for the year. I have been really praying over that these past few days. To be honest, I have not received a word yet. For the past two years my word has been JOY. I knew that I did not want to pick it for the third year, but the word is too important for me to just forget this year. I posted this dilemma on her Facebook account. My wonderful, encouraging friend, Jodi Grubbs, replied back that she knew about my love for the word and that it should become my LIFE word.

The light bulb went on over my head. Yes! Yes! YES!!!!!!

JOY is now officially my LIFE word. I do not have to put it aside to make place for some other word that I may feel pressured to pick. JOY will remain such a special word to me. It reminds me of my sweet Asa and all the things the Lord taught me through his loss. It reminds me to put Jesus first, Others second, and myself last.

I am still praying over what word the Lord wants me to focus on in 2018. I truly believe that Lord will reveal the focus of the year to me before January 1, 2018. I am waiting in anticipation at what the new year will bring. The Lord has taught me so much over this past year. I am so excited to see what else this Advent season has for me to learn and then to begin a whole new year with a new focus word.

My prayer for you is that you also consider picking a word for the new year. A word that the Lord guides you to focus on. Pray to Him and seek what He wants for you to do.