Blog Layout
Stay in Your Own Lane
Andrea Lende • October 6, 2020
I Timothy 4:16
Stay in Your Own Lane
You can also listen to the meditation and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/Stay-in-Your-Own-Lane-ekmsfo
I Timothy 4:16
“Look well to yourself [to your own personality] and to [your] teaching; persevere in these things [hold to them], for by so doing you will save both yourself and those who hear you.”
As I read this verse today, I could hear my niece say, “Stay in your own lane”.
She says this phrase often.
And the message is wonderful.
It is so easy to get sidetracked from our main purpose in life.
We have different seasons in life that do call for new directions.
And with new directions there are new beginnings.
With every new beginning there is an ending.
However, I have found myself getting of course in this lifetime.
I have found I pursue things other than what the Lord wants me to pursue.
Maybe a friend is involved in a worthwhile activity, so I get involved as well.
There may be a new way of serving that looks beautiful and beneficial to others, so I give time to that.
But if I truly seek the Lord for His will for my life, He will lead me in the direction I should go and help me stay on course.
Then it is largely up to me to focus and continue on that path until the Lord leads me in a different direction.
We need to stay in our own lane and not get distracted by other things even if those things are worthy.
Our verse says, “for by so doing you will save both yourself and those who hear you.”
There are other people to consider when we make a decision to quit something we should be doing and move in another direction.
Even though our journey is our own, we impact others on that journey.
If we quit, then the opportunity to impact people for the specific reason that God wants us to impact them is gone.
Of course, God can do anything.
He will send another person to help those people we failed to help.
But wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could be used by God in the way He intends us to be used the first time?
I often wonder how many times I’ve blown it.
I wonder how many people I have let down because I’ve left something to do something else.
However, I am thankful He has me right here for right now.
And I am thankful that He wrangled my spirit to do His will even though I could have given more to Him if I would have listened sooner.
Again, our verse spoke to me today as I am reminded to stay in my own lane.
I am reminded to do what the Lord has called me to do and not worry about what He has told someone else.
He will bless me as I do the work that He gives me for right here and right now.
Today I choose to follow the Lord and stay in my own lane as He leads me to do His work.
May you find that as you follow God, He will lead you to the perfect life that He has planned for you and you will bless others through it.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for showing me that Your plan for me is perfect for me. Thank You for showing me that as I follow You, that You will bless those around me as well. Help me hear You, Father. Help me listen. And then help me be obedient to You. Light the path I need to follow. Order my steps according to Your plan. Bend my will to Yours, Lord. Don’t let me be blown about by the winds of change. Help me to hold fast to Your leading and Your plan. Keep me focused and clear about the path I need to follow so You can use me as You will. Continue to ready me for Your service. Continue to change and soften my heart along the way. Break my heart for what breaks Yours. Help me see others through Your eyes, Father. Help me tend to them and care for them. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM with you, My child, and AM leading and guiding you along your way.
Response: Thank You, Almighty God and Father.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.