⁴ But I said, “I have labored to no purpose; I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing. Yet what is due me is in the Lord’s hand, and my reward is with my God.” -Isaiah 49:4

This scripture set me free when I was 18 years old and tried quitting my internship at my church. I was at the peak of disappointment. My romantic notions of what ministry was to be like were shattered. I felt like everything I did had no purpose, I felt like I was spending my strength in vain and for nothing. Then I read it, “Yet what is due to me is in the Lord’s hand, and my reward is with my God.”

All you need to trump romantic notions in your  life is to believe that God is an amazing God who loves you more than you could ever imagine and wants the best for you. Believe that He knows what He is doing, that He’s preparing you for great things, and that His will for your life will come to pass, and that it will be better than anything you ever dreamed of. Read Hebrews 11:6!

When you really trust God for your future, your promotion, your hopes and dreams, nothing will move you.

You don’t need to look to anyone or anything for your reward, security, or any other need you have in your life. It’s in God’s hands, it’s in God’s time. Trust Him! Trust Him for all of your dreams and expectations for life! He knows the desires of your heart! The Bible says Cast all your Cares on Him, for He cares for you.

God is bigger than you could ever imagine. He loves you more than you could ever imagine. It’s time we set all of our hopes, dreams, and romantic notions at His feet, and allow Him to move in our lives. Allow Him to bring things to pass in your lives and to take care of you. To be honest, that’s really the answer to all of our questions, problems, and needs in life.

Are you really trusting God? With your entire life?

I hope this series on Romantic notions helped you.

Here are some scriptures that have helped me in this area:

⁵⁸ So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless. -I Cor. 15:58

⁹ So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. -Galatians 6:9

⁶ And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. -Philippians 1:6

For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. -Psalm 84:10

“I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than . . .” I believe this is a heart that God wants us to have when it comes to serving Him.

So many times when it comes to serving God, especially as we grow and mature, we can get to the point where we think we’re above certain tasks. What used to satisfy us, doesn’t any more, our attitudes shift, we think we should be doing “more important” tasks. We become frustrated that we’re not advancing as we think we should.

Anyone else guilty of this other than me?

God’s really been showing me that He wants me to have the attitude of the psalmist. Recognizing that if I’m doing anything for God, it’s better than anything else I could be doing with my life.

I’m recognizing that it doesn’t matter if the only thing I’m asked to do is to hold a door for the rest of my life, if it’s for God, I’ll do it, I’ll be faithful, I’ll have a great attitude and I’ll do it with all of my heart.

Faithfulness is a much bigger issue than we’ve made it out to be. Faithfulness is a heart issue. Promotion is a God issue. If we take care of the faithfulness issue, God will take care of the promotion issue. In His timing.

Are you willing to be a door holder for God? What areas of your life have you let a bad attitude sneak in because you forgot who you’re really working for and why you’re really doing it? Repent, and with humility, become a door holder!

Thoughts?

⁸Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, ⁹“Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”                           John 6:8-9

Do you ever look at where other people are at life, and feel like where you are is insignificant? Or to get where they have gotten in life would be impossible? I promise you they didn’t just arrive at that place. Everybody who is doing something great had to start with something small, with what they had.

God will take what little we do have and make it much

The reality is, we more to offer than we may think. When we offer what we have (our gifts, our talents, our money, our service) with everything we got, God will take what little we do have and make it much.

Jesus took the boys 5 loaves and two fish and used it to feed 5,000 men plus thousands of women and children.

What we may consider insignificant, is significant to God. He said if you’ll be faithful in little, He’ll make you faithful over much.

So wherever you are in life, no matter how little you may think you have to offer, give everything you do have. Give God your best and watch what He does with it.

In time – being faithful with what seems little now, in retrospect, will just be a small step into the bigger things God has planned for you.But God can’t bring you into more, until you’ve valued and proved yourself with the little you have now.

Zachariah 4:10 says, “Don’t despise the day of small beginnings.”

What is before you that you could give to God that you deem insignificant, but could be used to bring glory to God? That could reach people? Don’t miss out on opportunities to minister to people just because you don’t think you have anything to offer – because God will take your little, and make it do much.