Ordinary Us.

At McKinney, we've been studying how to accept the invitation that Jesus presents before us to be "beyond ordinary." This got me thinking about how much this applies to so many of our lives and needs to be addressed.  I often find myself in admiration of others who seem to easily live the life that Christ has called them to live. You know those people that radiate Christ's love so much that they seem special and different? We see them as having "it," and we so desperately want to have it.  It's the way they walk, talk, the look in their eyes, the ease and confidence that they carry, appearing completely secure in their walk with Christ. Well theres something that they have that we don't. Trust. It's the difference between us and those who we consider to be beyond ordinary. 

I sometimes find myself being called to do these beyond ordinary things, but I question Him and come up with all of the reasons why I shouldn't be a part of it. I think a lot of us do this. We think that what we are being called to do, is for those beyond ordinary people that we look up to. We tell ourselves that we don't have what they have. By doing this we are telling Christ that what He is asking of us isn't possible, even with Him in the mix. We often reply to His call by saying that it's way too big for someone like us to step up and take action. 

We have to trust in ourselves as being beyond ordinary so that we may trust His beyond ordinary plan for us. He's had this plan in place before we were even born, how insane is that? It's not about what we can provide, so forget that. We need to accept His invitation to let Him show us how BIG He is. He uses us to fill a need that He sees. He is higher than any other. He always has us perfectly positioned. We must allow Him to work in us. Our God is huge and powerful, why should we ever have any hesitation to go where we are called? We shouldn't. 
Charles Spurgeon once said, "My faith rests not upon what I am, or shall be, or feel, or know, but in what Christ is, what He has done, and what He is now doing for me." We have to be all in. When we rest our faith in Him, we will trust Him. 

Chris Freeland, the pastor at McKinney, summed up the entirety of this message in two sentences: God often calls us to meet beyond ordinary needs around us so He can meet a beyond ordinary need within us. When we trust God with ordinary us, He always reveals beyond ordinary Him. 

He is always up to something beyond ordinary, 

Courtney