Aligning Goals with God's Will Part 4
Download MP3Welcome to a place of peace, hope, and divine encouragement. This is Joy in Every Step with your host, beloved preacher, retired teacher, and faithful faithful servant of the Lord, Sarita Bernadette. Each week, Sarita shares heartfelt messages rooted in the Word of God, filled with wisdom, joy, and the gentle reminder that God cares deeply for you. Whether you're walking through the valleys or dancing on the mountaintops, Sarita's voice will guide you back to his promises step by step. So open your heart, settle your spirit, and take the next step in faith with Joy in Every Step.
Sarita Bernadette:Hi, I'm Sarita Bernadette and welcome back to another episode of Joy in Every Step. I'm glad you're here. January is flying by and many of us find ourselves working overtime to make sure our plans are aligning with those of the Creator. That requires taking the occasional pause to assess where we are, right? As we lean into the voice of the Lord by seeking Him in prayer and studying His word, we come to understand that not only does the Lord make everything beautiful in His own time, but he also equips us to do what he has planned for us to do.
Sarita Bernadette:So we mentioned seed, time, and harvest during the last episode. We talked explicitly about how we plant seeds in the ground and wait. We trust that there is something going on under the soil. And when we're trying to grow something we've never grown before, it really stretches our faith doesn't it? It takes a while for us to see anything up top.
Sarita Bernadette:Meanwhile, we go about nurturing what we've planted. And if all goes well, what we've planted and looked after grows and we reap the harvest at the right time. Last week we examined the concept of time. Kronos versus kairos. Deep time, deep time, or God's time, if you will.
Sarita Bernadette:Kairos, time serves a greater purpose, right? It's not about the calendar or the clock. It's about the moments in life that feel profound in some way. God has a perfect divine schedule, and that calls for some waiting on our part. Waiting isn't easy, but God's meanwhile is packed full of moments crucial for our spiritual development.
Sarita Bernadette:As we grow in God, he causes our assignment to come into view. Again, he doesn't give it to us all at once, but next steps are revealed as we go. I love the quote attributed to Doctor. King, Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase. Meanwhile, as you take steps, your faith is built up and your relationship with the Lord is deepened.
Sarita Bernadette:King knew what he was talking about because he was indeed a trailblazer. It can be a little unsettling when one doesn't have a map or a template for what God is calling one to do. Listen, beloved. For some of us, this next chapter will require us to let go of our own limited understanding and depend fully on God's infinite wisdom. James one and five: If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you.
Sarita Bernadette:Some of us are going to be faced with situations we've never seen before. New tasks, new people, new places. That scripture reminds us the Lord is generous with his wisdom. All we have to do is ask in faith and receive. When we arrive at that place that is unfamiliar, we can ask God for his wisdom, and he'll be right there.
Sarita Bernadette:It's his plan anyway, right? Let's talk more about trailblazers. I've always been fascinated by the origin of the term. It literally refers to those individuals who blazed or marked trees with notches or blazes, making it possible for others to follow a route through unsettled territory. The term is synonymous with pioneer or a pathfinder or a guide or groundbreaker, if you will.
Sarita Bernadette:Simply put, it's the first one to do a thing. Listen to what Paul the Apostle, the trailblazer, wrote in Romans fifteen and twenty: Thus I make it my ambition to proclaim the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, so that I do not build on someone else's foundation. But as it is written, those who have never been told of him shall see, and those who have never heard of him shall understand. Beloved, we know that God sends us into places we've never been to do things we've never done so that the people in those places can be introduced to him. Second Corinthians ten and fifteen: We do not boast beyond limits, that is, in the labors of others, but our hope is that as your faith increases, our field among you may be greatly enlarged.
Sarita Bernadette:Verse 16: So that we may proclaim the good news in lands beyond you without boasting of work already done in someone else's field. Paul is telling the church at Corinth that as God leads they should be willing to do the work themselves and not depend upon anyone else. He hopes that the Corinthians' growing faith will help spread the message of the gospel. Beloved, we may not go into these new spaces waving a Bible, but our mere presence can speak loudly. For some people, we're the only Jesus they'll ever see.
Sarita Bernadette:We live our lives before them, representing Christ, and as a result, they get to know him. I mention that so that we all understand our assignments aren't always going to be inside the walls of the church building. We are the church. God equips us and sends us out into the world. The word of God mentions many trailblazers throughout its 66 books.
Sarita Bernadette:Let's look at one in particular today. Romans 16 opens by introducing us to a woman named Phoebe. We don't get a lot of information about her life leading up to this moment, but there is just enough written to let us know that she was an important member of the early church. Romans 16 verses one and two: I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church at Cencrie, so that you may welcome her in the Lord as is fitting for the saints and help her in whatever she may require from you, for she has been a benefactor of many and of myself as well. Paul is writing to the Roman Christians to inform them that he is sending someone their way.
Sarita Bernadette:He tells them to welcome her warmly. Note, he says, as is fitting for the saints. In other words, represent the Lord well. Show her you know him. He goes on to tell them to provide her with whatever she needs while she is there.
Sarita Bernadette:He also testifies about her character. He says, For she has been a benefactor of many and of myself as well. That tells us Phoebe has given to the cause of the gospel. It seems that Phoebe was a wealthy woman and that she had a well established reputation for generous service among the saints. Some translations simply say that she was a helper.
Sarita Bernadette:The King James version uses the term succourer, a person who gives help or assistance especially during hard times. We know Phoebe was a leader in the church. She's described by Paul using the Greek term diaconos, which when translated in the NIV is deacon. It is believed by some scholars that she served in that office, and others believe she served the church in some official role. Through Paul, God entrusted Phoebe with the task of carrying a letter from Cenchreae, a port city near Corinth in Greece, where Paul was located while writing the book of Romans to the city of Rome.
Sarita Bernadette:This was no small task in the ancient world, beloved. She traveled seven fifty miles across the Mediterranean by merchant ship. There was no passenger sea vessel equipped with a lido deck back in those days. It's likely she was on a large, bulky, sail powered ship equipped with oars for maneuvering, designed to transport goods across the sea like grain and wine and oil, not people. Certainly not women.
Sarita Bernadette:Phoebe probably had the means to travel and have someone accompany her on the trip. But remember, there's no template for this. It is true that Paul sent other co laborers in the gospel to deliver his letters and to serve as emissaries. And yes, those individuals were responsible for interpreting said letters for the people that received them. But Phoebe was the first to deliver and explain Paul's epistle to the Roman church.
Sarita Bernadette:That had never been done before. No one had been to Rome with the word. I want to circle back here to the to the part that really lifts her up for me and that is she had to be really well versed in what was in that epistle when she went there. It's likely that she had to read it aloud and explain its theology and answer questions for the community. Can you imagine being on the receiving end of that foundational text?
Sarita Bernadette:It's the book of Romans. You know the people had questions. She had to understand the gospel message thoroughly so she could break it down for the Roman Christians. Without Phoebe, the gospel doesn't get to Rome. Phoebe was used by the Lord to get us the book of Romans.
Sarita Bernadette:She helped Paul spread Christianity westward. We don't know if she understood the impact of what she was doing at the time. As Jesus was washing the disciples' feet in John thirteen:seven, he tells Peter, You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand. Beloved, I believe God reveals the steps of our journey as we go because he wants to stretch our faith. God desires that we be strong in the faith.
Sarita Bernadette:God also knows that we would probably become anxious if we knew the whole story ahead of time. Not sure we can handle that, beloved. Isaiah 50 five:eight-nine tells us that God's thoughts and ways are not ours, they're higher. He sees the whole picture. Romans eight twenty eight declares that all things are working for our good.
Sarita Bernadette:All things. So God sees the whole picture, and it's all working for our good. Beloved, I want to add here we should not let comparison stop us before we get started. I'm going to say that again, beloved, don't let comparison stop you before you get started with your mission. Back to Phoebe, the trailblazer.
Sarita Bernadette:I can only imagine what she must have felt being asked to carry this epistle from Paul to the Christians in Rome. Maybe excitement, anxiety, vulnerability, maybe even some overwhelm. All human emotions, right? She might have spoken to others that had been on similar missions just to get some perspective on what a trip like that would entail. Sounds reasonable, right?
Sarita Bernadette:However, God cautions us about relying too much on the experiences of others. Scripture says, I know the plans I have for you. You. We've all heard the expression, Comparison is the thief of joy. Truth is, God doesn't tell us to stop all comparison.
Sarita Bernadette:If we did, that would mean we wouldn't learn anything at all from the Bible. The word of God is rife with lessons using the lives of those who came before us, and it admonishes us to pay attention to them. First Corinthians eleven:one reads, Be imitators of me as I am of Christ. That's Paul encouraging the church members to make a comparison, a healthy one, one that looks for Jesus in their fellow parishioners. We get another reminder in First Peter two and twenty one: For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps.
Sarita Bernadette:What if we made our comparisons based on godliness instead of some of the other things tend to pull our focus, beloved? Worldly comparison based on physical attributes, monetary wealth, and the like can lead to jealousy, insecurity, and maybe even discontentment. Working toward being more Christ like, that is focusing on love and grace and humility and serving others leads to satisfaction, contentment, and yes, joy. So trailblazers, continue leaning into the instructions God is giving you. There is joy in clearing a path for others.
Sarita Bernadette:You've been listening to Joy in Every Step. I'm Sarita Bernadette, and I'm grateful you chose to spend some time here with me. Feel free to share this episode with someone you know would appreciate it. You can find Joy in Every Step wherever you listen to your podcasts and give us a follow there. Do check out the website at joyineverystep.org.
Sarita Bernadette:See you next time.
Creators and Guests
