The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon

“As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the multifaceted grace of God. Whoever speaks is to do so as one who is speaking actual words of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

—1 Peter 4:10–11

God encompasses all gifts, but we, as individuals, cannot. His grace is multifaceted like the light passing through a diamond; each of us reflects different aspects of him out into the world. 

He’s made each of us unique—some to speak and some to serve. I love how broad that is, because there are innumerable situations in which one can speak and innumerable ways in which one can serve.

The key is that whatever we do, we do it “by the strength which God supplies.” We can spend years trying to serve without considering how God is leading, strengthening, and equipping us as individuals. When we do this, we aren’t serving out of his strength but attempting to serve out of our own.

Even good works can be works of the flesh if they’re not God–led. 

Though we may not see the earthly outcomes we hope even when serving faithfully, if our service also leaves us drained and hopeless, let’s step out of the bustle and back into the stream of Christ’s living water where he will guide our steps into serving through his strength in the ways he has called us.

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The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon

“By this we know that we are in him: the one who says that he remains in him ought, himself also, walk just as he walked.”

—1 John 2:5–6

Jesus walked in love, caring for those who didn’t deserve it—those who lived in shame and pain and sought something better.

He walked in peace, constantly trusting the guidance from his Father—our own heavenly Father—in where he should go and what he should do, never concerning himself with what man thought of it.

He walked in compassion, healing the sick and lame and providing for the poor.

He walked in truth, speaking it even when it caused division or difficulty.

He walked in selflessness, never asking what was in it for him, but faithfully completing the work given to him by God.

There are too many characteristics of Christ to list here, but I hope we all strive to see how he walked and follow his example. This is proof—both to ourselves and to the world—that we are in him.

Our lives may not look successful in an earthly sense, we may stumble along the way, and everyone may not like us—they hated Jesus to the point of having him executed—but as we walk through life this way, we will impact others in meaningful ways that we never could have planned or predicted.

People may be brought into Christ as they see us walking as he walked, in his goodness, faith, mercy, and love.

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The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon

“I will raise my eyes to the mountains; from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”

—Psalm 121:1–2

I love how David so often poses a question to himself then answers it with the truth he knows.

Instead of sitting around thinking about all the what–ifs and straining to find the answer by his own efforts, David stops and puts the situation in the Lord’s hands.

He recognizes his own limitations but doesn’t let that spiral him into fear. He makes sure, instead, that those limitations send him to God.

The Lord tells us not to worry about tomorrow (Matthew 6:34). This is how we can do that. Instead of pretending we can control all the variables, make all the provisions, and ensure nothing is left to chance, we accept that our own efforts can only go so far toward guaranteeing our safety, our desires, or our fulfillment.

As believers, our confidence is not based on pretending that nothing can go wrong, but on the fact that the Lord holds all things in his hands even when they do. We know that all our earthly trials and sufferings will not matter to us one bit when we reach heaven (2 Corinthians 4:17–18); they will seem like a long–ago dream. Our only security is in the Lord’s salvation and the lasting things of eternity.

What a difference in our attitudes if, at each problem, we take a step back and acknowledge that whatever we may face, the all–powerful, all–knowing Lord is on our side and has already overcome the worst this life can do to us.

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The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon

“Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone wants to come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.’”

—Matthew 16:24

Do we really want to come after Christ and follow him for his own sake regardless of what it means for our earthly lives? Or do we only like the idea of coming after him for his benefits?

Following him means denying ourselves and taking up a cross. 

Many of us believe we can carry that cross without ever denying ourselves, but we will never be able to bear it if we’re still setting our minds on the flesh, not the Spirit (Romans 8:6–9, Galatians 5:16–17). 

We will pick it up and find it too heavy. We cannot carry its weight along with our desires and this world; we must let go of one or the other, and we too often lay the cross back down (Matthew 6:24), go back to following ourselves or the world, and end up with nothing. Losing our lives is the way to finding them (Matthew 10:39).

As Abraham was willing to sacrifice Isaac, we must be willing to offer all our earthly hopes to God. This doesn’t mean we will never have any of them, but we must never rely on them, grip them tightly, or prioritize them above going after Christ himself.

If we hope to bear the weight of the cross, we must be willing to say no to ourselves in order to say yes to the Lord, and we will never do so if we don’t truly love him and want to follow him (John 14:21).

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The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon

“And not only this, but we also celebrate in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” 

—Romans 5:3–5

This passage teaches us that hope has the most unexpected origins. Upon seeing suffering, our human reaction is almost never, “Ahh, there is hope being born.”

In this world, we will likely endure things that, by all earthly standards, should shake our hope and faith. But the true measure of our hope will come clear through these situations.

Where others see only a useless valley of dry bones in our lives, the one who hopes believes the Lord will raise those “bones” from the dead, and, in the process, make us warriors for him (Ezekiel 37).

Where others see only ravenous lions, the one who hopes believes the Lord’s angels can close the lions’ mouths (Daniel 6).

Where others see only the evil of men, the one who hopes believes that God is working it all for good (Genesis 50:20).

Hope cannot exist if there is no valley, no lions, or no evil. It lives in defiance of the sorrow of this world and goes on, even when its outcome is not realized in this life (Hebrews 11:13). It’s about believing that God will make a way where there is no way . . . where we could never make a way with every ounce of skill and effort and willpower we have (Isaiah 43:19).

Living in hope is not living in the absence of suffering but living by the power of the Holy Spirit in spite of suffering.

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The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon

“But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”

—1 Timothy 6:9–10

We usually think this passage only applies to those who already have wealth, but the poorest man might desire to be rich.

Longing for money, even if we don’t get it, can lead us into many types of evil. It may cause us to resist a call of God that doesn’t seem lucrative, to fear standing up for truth, to pursue wealth above the things of God, to envy those who have more than us, to use our wealth to feed sinful desires, to oppress others to line our own pockets, or to be selfish with what the Lord’s provided.

The rich young ruler wanted Christ and eternal life, but at Jesus’s instruction to sell all his possessions, he went away sad (Mark 10:17–27). He couldn’t bring himself to prioritize eternal life over his earthly comfort.

A believer can be wealthy; they’re just not to depend on that wealth (1 Timothy 6:17; Proverbs 11:28; James 5:1–3), be arrogant about it (James 4:13–17), oppress others (James 5:4–6), or hold it greedily (Luke 12:16–21).

We must hold everything loosely and be willing to release it if Christ tells us it’s coming between us and our faith in him. 

When worldly riches are our goal, we will find our end in grief, evil, and emptiness, but aiming for the Lord will lead us to righteousness, hope, joy, and an eternity without pain and sorrow.

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The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon

“I will say to God my rock, ‘Why have you forgotten me? Why do I go about mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?’ As a shattering of my bones, my adversaries taunt me, while they say to me all day long, ‘Where is your God?’ Why are you in despair, my soul? And why are you restless within me? Wait for God, for I will again praise him for the help of his presence, my God.”

—Psalm 42:9–10

This is a reminder that it’s okay to ask why and cry out to God in our heartbreak and disappointment. Feeling like he’s abandoned us is neither proof that he has nor an indication that our faith has somehow failed. It’s normal to have times we feel forgotten, when enemies mock us, and when evil seems to have the upper hand.

However, even when we feel forsaken, we can continue speaking truth to ourselves about who God is and reminding ourselves of the help of his presence. When we wait and keep our hope in him even in the middle of darkness and difficulty, we can know we will praise him again because he has promised to be our salvation, and we will be in his presence forever.

Our circumstances do not determine whether his eye is on us or not. We can run to him with those feelings of forsakenness and remind ourselves that he cannot lie and that all he has spoken will come to pass.

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The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon

“For the moment, all discipline seems not to be pleasant, but painful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”

—Hebrews 12:11

A child rarely enjoys discipline, but we all know that if it’s not given, the child will be poorly equipped for life and a terror to those around him.

Parents give discipline to prepare children for the responsibilities and difficulties that will inevitably come in life, but kids don’t understand that in the moment. They only know it’s unpleasant. It often takes years before a child is old enough to understand and to be grateful for that discipline.

The same is true of us and the way the Lord disciplines. There are things in us that will not serve us or the kingdom of God well in the long–term.

Today, the discipline only feels like painful punishment. We don’t understand all that is coming in our lives and how we need to grow to face those things in a godly way that brings glory to God and does not destroy us. In actuality, that painful discipline is training.

“My son, do not reject the discipline of the Lord or loathe his rebuke, for whom the Lord loves he disciplines, just as a father disciplines the son in whom he delights” (Hebrews 12:5–9; Proverbs 3:11–12).

The Lord will not leave us with attitudes unbefitting of a child of the king or that render us unable to complete the work laid out for us. He will keep training the bad out and the good in until we take in the lessons.

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The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon

“I am not able to carry all this people by myself, because it is too burdensome for me.”

—Numbers 11:14

Moses was tired . . . tired of being responsible for everything and tired of the peoples’ complaints. In the surrounding verses, he basically says, “Why did you give me this job, God? I didn’t ask for it; I don’t want it, and if this is how things are going to continue, just kill me!”

It sounds dramatic, but I think we all feel this way to some extent at some point. And the truth is, the burden often is too heavy for us. We need to roll it over on God and stop trying to control everything. And sometimes, we need the help of the community around us.

In this case, God tells Moses to gather other leaders—seventy of them—and divide up the work. If it was going to take seventy people to do the work Moses had been trying to do on his own, no wonder he was distraught!

When we’re feeling overworked, overwhelmed, and overwrought, we need to ask ourselves if there are some folks we can divide the load with. There’s no shame in asking for help; it’s the posture of humility. And sometimes, we’ve taken on burdens that are not our own, stealing the good works prepared for others (Ephesians 2:10) and keeping them from entering into the service God has given them to do.

When the burden is too heavy, we first take it to the Lord and see if he gives us permission to retreat from some obligations or to hand some of the work to others who can help carry the load.

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The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon

“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he may become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they insult the members of his household!”

—Matthew 10:24–25

Our human nature wants to believe that serving God will have us living our best life (in worldly terms) in the here and now.

But God’s plans don’t always—or even often—look like earthly success. Trusting him will often mean walking a lonely road off the beaten path . . . a road that the world may not appreciate or recognize as valuable. We can look at nearly any Bible character to find that theme. Joseph was sold into slavery by his family. Moses was in exile from Egypt, losing all his earthly connections and power. Most of the Old Testament prophets were unappreciated and even hated. John the Baptist was beheaded. Most of the disciples were martyred. Jesus was murdered. 

Jesus was perfect, and he still didn’t get his earthly due. They even said he was working with Satan. So if we feel like people aren’t paying attention or are even hostile toward what we’re doing when we’re following the Lord, we’re in good company, and we shouldn’t be surprised.

Others’ approval or disapproval cannot tell us if we’re walking in the Lord’s will. Our only aim should be obedience to him, and we shouldn’t be shocked when that obedience leads to unpopularity or persecution.

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