DAY 8-9

Today, Let us ponder Cindy's thoughts.   I believe God's hand is in everything we do, in every breath we take, but at the same time, I understand sin enters in.  I'm not always the sharpest pencil in the box but I do allow God to continue to sharpen me. (p. 25)  You realize what you're doing, right?  The decision ultimately lay in my hands--stay where life was comfortable or walk into the desert...I knew God had called me into uncharted territory...(p.27)

I pondered this while reading...How would I feel if I was a pencil?

 Would it hurt to be sharpened?

 When our shavings come off what would that mean?

 I hope these questions are answered by the end of reading Days 8-9. I believe this was a revelation from God. 
The following video is from others who have also had revelations about this topic. 

Has He given you revelations about "uncharted territory?" 

Please share with us. 

 

How Will You Choose to WRITE Your Story?

 PENCIL-Putting Everything N Christ… Inspired Living

The difference between mechanical and traditional pencil is much like the difference between toxic and inspirational living. Picking up our cross daily in a fallen world is challenging, but it leads to abundant life. The lead of pencils are now made of a combination of graphite and clay and much like our earthly bodies these combined materials are soft and brittle, and easily broken.  Since these materials cannot function on their own they require some type of holder.  As we begin each day let us focus on who we allow to put a hold on our lives and decide how you will choose to WRITE your story.

Pencil Thoughts...

Hurts to be sharpened.. Less of me means more of Him=the point..
Can’t see what’s going on and have to give full control to Christ since you are trusting in His plan and His grace (through the cross).

-Eraser is pink from his blood on the cross…ready to erase any mistakes..When a pencil is not sharpened it cannot be used.

When God allows us to be sharpened (through trials) we are ridded of toxins (left-over  pencil sharpening) that we will no longer carry with us on our journey…it may not always feel good but as we allow ourselves to be sharpened we become more like Christ...when people look at us they see a wooden cross covering a fleshly body but a story of grace.

Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.

-Although graphite and clay by themselves can’t function, much like our fleshly bodies, when they are allowed to be shaped and molded in the shadow of the cross they are capable of beginning this beautiful story of redemption.

Romans 9:21 New International Version (NIV)

²¹ Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?

VS. YIELDING TO THE WORLD --REPRESENTED BY THE MECHANICAL PENCIL

-The lead is obtained on-demand “right now” just liked when we strive to obtain things before God’s allotted time. Some people call this type of pencil a “propelling pencil.”  When we choose to write our story with this pencil many time we are self-propelled...leaving God out of our lives.

-Although the lead is obtained faster by clicking once there is no more lead left  the pencil becomes useless just like when we strive and depend on ourselves and find that we get to a point where nothing is left when we are not depending on God. (When I’m out of “ME” there is nothing left…The Prodigal Son

-Although some mechanical pencils are clear and we can see how much lead is left…we may feel more in control, but at the end of the day the struggling makes us feel lifeless…

-Sometimes when we push too hard on this type of pencil and the lead cracks…useless to the writer…often times we fool ourselves.  Pushing ourselves will not be enough in a situation when God wants us to depend on Him.

-The outside of a mechanical pencil is plastic…man made…it reminds me of how we want the world to think that we are perfect, we take pills, have surgeries …but nothing can be done with our toxic flesh without God’s covering through His wooden cross.