Wrestling...

The team that directs our Christian school sat around a table last night and wrestled with the budget numbers for the coming fiscal year; working to reconcile the vision with the available resources! It is not a simple task to discern what is mission critical and what is not, to know what God would have us trust Him to provide and yet to be responsible as stewards of a vital ministry. I was made glad by the efforts of the group, who dealt with tough issues in a godly, faithful, and ultimately hopeful way - as Christians should. This ministry will be stronger because several people are willing to wrestle with these things to clarify the purpose and methods.

We all have to wrestle with tough issues, with difficult decisions- don't we? Life is often an uphill climb for those who want to be better, build bigger, grow deeper!
Close-knit families don't just happen, they are created and maintained with hard work.
Good character is developed as we fight our way through the thicket of self-indulgence and resist the seductions of the 'broad way that leads to destruction.'
Skills and spiritual gifts are honed for maximum effectiveness through prolonged study and/or practice.
Fit bodies are made by sustained discipline of exercise and careful choices in our diet.

Don't be discouraged by the struggles of life! Don't think you're doing something wrong because you're in a wrestling match with sin, self, or Satan! It may be the very means that God is using to develop you into a champion for His purposes. Jacob, whose story we read in Genesis, spent a night wrestling with the Lord. It is a story with cryptic details, yet the larger message comes through clearly-- Only as we are willing to wrestle with those situations that God allows to come our way can we develop into the person God wants us to be!

Here's how it's told: "...during the night Jacob got up and sent his two wives, two concubines, and eleven sons across the Jabbok River. After they were on the other side, he sent over all his possessions. This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until dawn. When the man saw that he couldn’t win the match, he struck Jacob’s hip and knocked it out of joint at the socket.
Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is dawn.” But Jacob panted, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” “What is your name?” the man asked. He replied, “Jacob.” “Your name will no longer be Jacob,” the man told him. “It is now Israel, because you have struggled with both God and men and have won.”
“What is your name?” Jacob asked him. “Why do you ask?” the man replied. Then he blessed Jacob there. Jacob named the place Peniel—“face of God”—for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared.” (Genesis 32:22-30, NLT)

A new name signified a new man! Jacob, the Liar (as his name meant) became Israel, the man who wrestled with God!

Those struggles that are making you wrestle with faith, that cause you to question God's plans and purposes, that make you groan in prayer, that drive you to seek out the wisdom of the Word are not a bad thing. God can use them to mold you into a person worthy of His high calling IF you'll wrestle and not quit!

Here's a word to take with you today:
Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. (Ephesians 6:13, The Message)