Luke 11:28
Happy are those who hear the teaching of God and obey it.
What does it mean to actively listen for God’s voice? I always thought that when God spoke to me it would be in unconventional ways that would get my attention. Perhaps He would speak through a lightning bolt or good conk on the head or even through a powerful speaker, it would definitely be an “ahh haa” moment, a revelation. What I am learning though, is that God’s voice is often a soft and gently breeze, a whisper, so quiet that if I’m not listening I’ll miss it. That means I have to be actively listening all the time, I have to be studying His word, immersed in His word and yes, living His word.
Let me put it another way. When you live with a person you begin to know what they will say before they say it, how they will act before they act and how they will react before they react. The longer you live with that person the more their actions become predictable, in some cases you can finish their sentences, no words even need to pass between you and you know what the other is thinking. That is the kind of relationship you need to have with Christ to hear God’s voice.
Colossians 2:6 says “As you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so continue to live in Him. Keep you roots deep in him and have your lives built on him. Be strong in the faith, just as you were taught and always be thankful.”
Christ spent time daily, talking with His Father, listening for His voice and obeying His instructions. We are called to do the same. Are you actively listening for God today? Have you surrounded yourself with things that will help you hear God’s voice or is the cacophony of life drowning Him out?
Take time today to talk to Him. Ask Him for ears to hear, to be actively engaged in listening for Him. And when you hear Him, obey, your happiness will be found when you listen, hear and obey.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
Planted to grow!
Jeremiah 24:6b “I will plant them so they can grow.”
Have you ever planted a vegetable garden? The first year we moved here I determined that in the spring I would plant my own tomatoes, cucumbers for pickling and green beans.
Early in April I set to work, we marked off a rather large plot in the back corner of our yard and the boys turned the earth for me. Then we added fertilizer, not that you have to fertilize but I was determined to follow what the gardening guru’s said would make my garden the envy of the neighborhood.
Then I went shopping. I was very ambitious that first year, a row of cucumbers, a row of beans, two rows of tomatoes with cherry, roma and big beefeaters. Next to that would be pepper plants, green, yellow, red, hot and cayenne. My salsa would come from my own garden, I would can the green beans and make pickles just like nana’s.
What I didn’t count on were the bunnies. Three years later I still attempted green beans and three years later I had the healthiest, chubbiest bunnies in the county. They loved my green beans. I also learned some other very valuable lessons.
First, learn how to space your vegetables apart, cherry tomatoes take up more room than beefeater and cucumber vines go everywhere. Second, patience is the key, especially where peppers are concerned, if you want them to be red or yellow you have to wait, you don’t pick all of them when they are still green. And third, gardening is a lot of work. There are weeds to pull, plants to water and pruning that needs to take place.
Now my garden is a very small 5 by 5 plot, just large enough for 4 tomato plants. Last year I even got the brilliant idea to plant them in pots, no earth digging for me, needless to say, we bought all of our tomatoes for our salsa last fall, expensive but a good lesson. You see, I had every intention of becoming a master gardener. One who knew plants, a green thumb. I was determined that I would master the art of gardening. Truthfully I think it mastered me. I planted, they grew and though I did see some fruits from my labor, the lessons I learned are what I count as the most valuable.
That’s what God says about each one of us. He says “he will plant us so that we can grow”. In the New Testament we are referred to as branches. Jesus says “I am the vine and you are the branches. If any remain in me and I remain in them, they produce much fruit. But without me they can do nothing.” Have you ever seen a tree grow that has no branches? Can you imagine a vine that comes from the earth with no leaves or offshoots? That is what Jesus is saying. If he dwells in you, you will have leaves, you will be a branch and you will bear fruit.
Much like the tomato plants in my garden, if I stopped tending them, learning lessons from them, pulling the weeds around them or watering them, they would shrivel up and stop bearing fruit. Trust me, I’ve neglected them on occasion and the results are not pretty. We are a branch from the “source”. Jesus is that source, He is the good earth, His word is the fertilizer and from that we bear good fruit but only if we continue to fertilize and rely on the root for every decision and every ounce of “growth” in our lives.
God promises He will plant us and we will grow. Luke 6: 43-45a says “A good tree does not produce bad fruit, nor does a bad tree produce good fruit. Each tree is known by its own fruit. People don’t gather figs from thorn bushes and they don’t gather grapes from bushes. Good people bring good things out of the good they stored in their hearts.” What are you storing in your heart today? To produce good fruit we need a strong root. Who have you rooted your life in? Were you planted by God and are you fertilizing your soul everyday? If not take a moment to ask first for forgiveness for not seeking him or if need be for not asking him to plant you in the good soil of his love, then let his word be your fertilizer and his love be the water that helps you produce good fruit of the vine.
Have you ever planted a vegetable garden? The first year we moved here I determined that in the spring I would plant my own tomatoes, cucumbers for pickling and green beans.
Early in April I set to work, we marked off a rather large plot in the back corner of our yard and the boys turned the earth for me. Then we added fertilizer, not that you have to fertilize but I was determined to follow what the gardening guru’s said would make my garden the envy of the neighborhood.
Then I went shopping. I was very ambitious that first year, a row of cucumbers, a row of beans, two rows of tomatoes with cherry, roma and big beefeaters. Next to that would be pepper plants, green, yellow, red, hot and cayenne. My salsa would come from my own garden, I would can the green beans and make pickles just like nana’s.
What I didn’t count on were the bunnies. Three years later I still attempted green beans and three years later I had the healthiest, chubbiest bunnies in the county. They loved my green beans. I also learned some other very valuable lessons.
First, learn how to space your vegetables apart, cherry tomatoes take up more room than beefeater and cucumber vines go everywhere. Second, patience is the key, especially where peppers are concerned, if you want them to be red or yellow you have to wait, you don’t pick all of them when they are still green. And third, gardening is a lot of work. There are weeds to pull, plants to water and pruning that needs to take place.
Now my garden is a very small 5 by 5 plot, just large enough for 4 tomato plants. Last year I even got the brilliant idea to plant them in pots, no earth digging for me, needless to say, we bought all of our tomatoes for our salsa last fall, expensive but a good lesson. You see, I had every intention of becoming a master gardener. One who knew plants, a green thumb. I was determined that I would master the art of gardening. Truthfully I think it mastered me. I planted, they grew and though I did see some fruits from my labor, the lessons I learned are what I count as the most valuable.
That’s what God says about each one of us. He says “he will plant us so that we can grow”. In the New Testament we are referred to as branches. Jesus says “I am the vine and you are the branches. If any remain in me and I remain in them, they produce much fruit. But without me they can do nothing.” Have you ever seen a tree grow that has no branches? Can you imagine a vine that comes from the earth with no leaves or offshoots? That is what Jesus is saying. If he dwells in you, you will have leaves, you will be a branch and you will bear fruit.
Much like the tomato plants in my garden, if I stopped tending them, learning lessons from them, pulling the weeds around them or watering them, they would shrivel up and stop bearing fruit. Trust me, I’ve neglected them on occasion and the results are not pretty. We are a branch from the “source”. Jesus is that source, He is the good earth, His word is the fertilizer and from that we bear good fruit but only if we continue to fertilize and rely on the root for every decision and every ounce of “growth” in our lives.
God promises He will plant us and we will grow. Luke 6: 43-45a says “A good tree does not produce bad fruit, nor does a bad tree produce good fruit. Each tree is known by its own fruit. People don’t gather figs from thorn bushes and they don’t gather grapes from bushes. Good people bring good things out of the good they stored in their hearts.” What are you storing in your heart today? To produce good fruit we need a strong root. Who have you rooted your life in? Were you planted by God and are you fertilizing your soul everyday? If not take a moment to ask first for forgiveness for not seeking him or if need be for not asking him to plant you in the good soil of his love, then let his word be your fertilizer and his love be the water that helps you produce good fruit of the vine.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Wilderness Seasons
Have you ever wondered why God allowed the Israelites to wonder in the desert for 40 years after delivering them from the bondage of the Egyptians? Or why Jesus spent 40 days and nights in the desert being tempted at the beginning of his ministry? Why would God, the one who called Moses to lead His people out of Egypt, and gave His son in human form, send them into the desert for so long when His intention all along was to save and in the end give them a Savior? Why experience wilderness seasons when the He already promised the blessings that came at the end? Why was it necessary to spend time in the wilderness at all?
Maybe you are spending time in the wilderness right now. “Wilderness or wild land is a natural environment on Earth that has not been significantly modified by human activity. It may also be defined as: "The most intact, undisturbed wild natural areas left on our planet—those last truly wild places that humans do not control and have not developed with roads, pipelines or other industrial infrastructure.” (Wikipedia.com, emphasis mine). Hmmm, those last truly wild places that humans do not control. Maybe things for you are out of control. Maybe your life is currently in a state of nothingness. Days just go by, nothing seems to change, the good is still good, and the bad is still bad and maybe you’re not hearing much from God or anything at all. That may be your wilderness. However you define your wilderness state there is one thing you can be assured of. You are not alone. What you are is not in control.
Maybe, like many of us, you are spending your time in the wilderness missing the point. So, what is the point? I believe God allows us wilderness seasons because we need to understand how much we really need Him. The Israelites wondered in the desert for 38 years before coming close enough to the promised land to send scouts in but Deuteronomy 1:2 tells us that in reality the trip from Egypt to the land of milk and honey should have taken eleven days. They took a very long, very round about way to get to a land in which enemies lived that would require conquering before they could settle in what they had been promised. David spent his first 15 years after being appointed by God through the prophet Samuel living in 15 different places, most of it hiding from the corrupt King Saul who in jealousy wanted David dead. It was not until David’s thirtieth birthday that he finally became King of Israel. David wrote Psalms during that time, Psalms of sorrow, frustration, praise, and thanksgiving. David’s time in the wilderness helped him know God better. One of the most beloved Psalm’s, the twenty-third references David’s wilderness when in verse four he says “Even when I walk through a very dark valley, I am not afraid, because you are with me.”
Let’s face it; the wilderness can be very dark, cold and lonely. It can be a time of tears, and mourning. It can be divorce, and addiction, rejection, loneliness, despair, financial crisis, depression, spiritual dryness, childlessness, singleness. Whatever your wilderness you are assured that you are not alone. Isaiah 43:18-19 says “Forget what happened before, and do not think about the past. Look at the new thing I am going to do. It is already happening. Don’t you see it? I will make a road in the desert and rivers in the dry land.” God says, I am making a way for you, even in the wilderness. Isaiah 41 and 42 both tell us “He is holding our hands”.
When Jesus was in the desert being tempted He responded to each temptation with an Old Testament lesson. He was prepared for the wilderness season because he knew God’s word. When you enter into the wilderness seasons of your life, God gives you an instruction book. God often drives us into the wilderness so that we can realize just how empty our own personal resources are. He calls to us to rest in Him, rely on Him and yes, trust Him.
If you are experiencing a time in the wilderness, call on the One who is walking beside you. The Psalms are full of reassurances that God listens to us, loves us and protects us. David learned those lessons in his own personal wilderness season. All we have to do is trust him, not ourselves. Proverbs 3:5-6 says “lean not on your own understanding. Remember the Lord in all you do and he will make your paths straight”. Are you trusting and leaning on him during the wilderness times in your life? The path out won’t be clear until you are. Begin by spending time with him, he will show you the way.
Maybe you are spending time in the wilderness right now. “Wilderness or wild land is a natural environment on Earth that has not been significantly modified by human activity. It may also be defined as: "The most intact, undisturbed wild natural areas left on our planet—those last truly wild places that humans do not control and have not developed with roads, pipelines or other industrial infrastructure.” (Wikipedia.com, emphasis mine). Hmmm, those last truly wild places that humans do not control. Maybe things for you are out of control. Maybe your life is currently in a state of nothingness. Days just go by, nothing seems to change, the good is still good, and the bad is still bad and maybe you’re not hearing much from God or anything at all. That may be your wilderness. However you define your wilderness state there is one thing you can be assured of. You are not alone. What you are is not in control.
Maybe, like many of us, you are spending your time in the wilderness missing the point. So, what is the point? I believe God allows us wilderness seasons because we need to understand how much we really need Him. The Israelites wondered in the desert for 38 years before coming close enough to the promised land to send scouts in but Deuteronomy 1:2 tells us that in reality the trip from Egypt to the land of milk and honey should have taken eleven days. They took a very long, very round about way to get to a land in which enemies lived that would require conquering before they could settle in what they had been promised. David spent his first 15 years after being appointed by God through the prophet Samuel living in 15 different places, most of it hiding from the corrupt King Saul who in jealousy wanted David dead. It was not until David’s thirtieth birthday that he finally became King of Israel. David wrote Psalms during that time, Psalms of sorrow, frustration, praise, and thanksgiving. David’s time in the wilderness helped him know God better. One of the most beloved Psalm’s, the twenty-third references David’s wilderness when in verse four he says “Even when I walk through a very dark valley, I am not afraid, because you are with me.”
Let’s face it; the wilderness can be very dark, cold and lonely. It can be a time of tears, and mourning. It can be divorce, and addiction, rejection, loneliness, despair, financial crisis, depression, spiritual dryness, childlessness, singleness. Whatever your wilderness you are assured that you are not alone. Isaiah 43:18-19 says “Forget what happened before, and do not think about the past. Look at the new thing I am going to do. It is already happening. Don’t you see it? I will make a road in the desert and rivers in the dry land.” God says, I am making a way for you, even in the wilderness. Isaiah 41 and 42 both tell us “He is holding our hands”.
When Jesus was in the desert being tempted He responded to each temptation with an Old Testament lesson. He was prepared for the wilderness season because he knew God’s word. When you enter into the wilderness seasons of your life, God gives you an instruction book. God often drives us into the wilderness so that we can realize just how empty our own personal resources are. He calls to us to rest in Him, rely on Him and yes, trust Him.
If you are experiencing a time in the wilderness, call on the One who is walking beside you. The Psalms are full of reassurances that God listens to us, loves us and protects us. David learned those lessons in his own personal wilderness season. All we have to do is trust him, not ourselves. Proverbs 3:5-6 says “lean not on your own understanding. Remember the Lord in all you do and he will make your paths straight”. Are you trusting and leaning on him during the wilderness times in your life? The path out won’t be clear until you are. Begin by spending time with him, he will show you the way.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Ready, Willing and Able
Over the past few months I have been alternating between studying Priscilla Shirer’s “Discerning the Voice of God” and Kelly Minter’s “Ruth” series. One of the things that amazes me about both of these studies and even the Sunday sermons I hear is that God will continually give me a message in different ways, all saying the same thing until I “get it”. Not long ago Bev Swayze in her sermon on Palm Sunday talked about “taking up your cross daily”, she went on to say that being a Christian is “hard” work. It requires daily sacrifices, discipline, obedience and most of all a willing heart to hear God’s call and move forward.
About 3 years ago I was in the local grocery store standing in the check out line. Ahead of me was a young Mom with her little girl, probably no more than 18 months who watched her with big eyes as she placed her items on the belt. I kept one eye on the baby and one on the groceries as I waited, hoping to catch the baby watching me so I could see her smile. Ever since becoming a grandma, nothing makes me warmer and fuzzier than a babies smile, especially when it’s directed at me. Anyway, when it came time for the young Mom to pay, she became flustered. The baby crinkled up her nose and started to cry. Her Mom, dug frantically in her purse looking for her wallet and I could sense the distress coming from baby and Mom alike. Finally I heard her say that she had forgotten her wallet and would not be able to pay for the groceries. Then, I heard another voice. “Jane, you pay for her groceries”. I looked around. No one was in line behind me, but I was pretty sure I heard a clear, distinct voice say I was to pay for her groceries. Now, let me stop right here and explain that I don’t hear voices regularly, I am not prone to dramatics and though I felt sorry for the Mom, my usual suspicious nature was in high gear. Sure, she forgot her wallet, that’s an old trick, she uses her money for other things, I’ve seen this game before, I bet she had money for the liquor store, the drug dealer, the gambling addiction, just a few of the not so pretty things that ran through my head. Then I heard it again “Jane, you pay for her groceries”. You see, I had been praying that God would help me to hear him. Just that morning I had asked for His voice to be loud and clear, for direction and guidance and if need be, a lightening bolt or two. So, you can imagine my surprise and lack of trust when all the sudden I heard a clear voice telling me to pay for this woman’s groceries.
I wish I could say I had a willing heart, what I had was a suspicious heart. God never spoke this clearly to me before, or so I thought. Yet here I was in the grocery store, in the check out line, hearing him tell me exactly what to do. So, I did. I walked around the women’s cart, slid my card through the charge machine and paid the ninety dollars for her groceries. I’m not sure who was more surprised, the clerk behind the counter, the Mom or me. I don’t really remember saying anything, just acting on what I heard and telling her I was glad to help. She asked for my name and address to repay me, I told her it was not important, paid for my own groceries and left.
All the way home, I tried to figure out what to say to my husband. How did I justify the added ninety dollar expense, how to explain the voice I heard. When I got home I told him just what I related to you, his response “that’s fine honey, glad you could help her out.” No further discussion but oh, what a huge lesson I learned that day.
God does talk to me, sometimes not as clearly as he did on that day but much more often than I am willing to admit. The issue is not what he asks me to do, it’s do I have a willing heart to listen and obey? I am ashamed to admit how many times I have heard and turned my back. How many times I have known what he wanted me to do but been reluctant and sometimes unwilling to carry the load, make the phone call, apologize, write the letter, clean up the mess or just hug the one I hurt. In spite of myself, God continues to pursue me, to call me to action and to equip me with the resources to complete the task at hand. But am I ready to hear his voice, willing to obey and able to pick up my cross and follow him daily?
God’s word says I am. My dependence on God is the only qualification I need to serve Him. 2 Corinthians 12:9 tells me that God’s grace is sufficient for all my needs. Kelly Minter says “One of the most tragic ways for a Christian to spend her life is to be in the right place with all the right resources but without a willing heart.” When we obey, no matter how unusual God’s instructions we create a foundation for the work of Christ to be evidenced through our actions. We are living witnesses that he abides in us. Matthew 7:24 says “Everyone who hears my words and obeys them is like a wise man who built his house on rock”. What are you building your house on? Are you obedient when you hear his voice? I want to challenge you today to be obedient. To be “ready, willing and able” when called.
Oh, by the way, do you know where that saying came from? “Ready, Willing and Able” was filmed in 1937. Its’ stars included Ruby Keeler and Ross Alexander. A movie about mistaken identity, it features “Jane” a young lady who wants to make it on Broadway who is mistakenly thought to be the real “Jane Clark”. Through all its twists and turns, we learn that it is better to tell those you love, who you really are, than try to get away with who you are not. Catch it sometime on TCM.
Since then, we have coined the phrase “ready, willing and able” when talking about our government, our charitable foundations, our military and a whole host of take charge entities, all “ready, willing and able” to step in at a moments notice.
I want to be “ready, willing and able”, ready to hear God’s voice, willing to obey and able to serve at a moments notice. How about you? Philippians 2:17 says “Your faith makes you offer your lives as a sacrifice in serving God.” I want to be a living sacrifice, serving God daily. Ready, willing and able.
About 3 years ago I was in the local grocery store standing in the check out line. Ahead of me was a young Mom with her little girl, probably no more than 18 months who watched her with big eyes as she placed her items on the belt. I kept one eye on the baby and one on the groceries as I waited, hoping to catch the baby watching me so I could see her smile. Ever since becoming a grandma, nothing makes me warmer and fuzzier than a babies smile, especially when it’s directed at me. Anyway, when it came time for the young Mom to pay, she became flustered. The baby crinkled up her nose and started to cry. Her Mom, dug frantically in her purse looking for her wallet and I could sense the distress coming from baby and Mom alike. Finally I heard her say that she had forgotten her wallet and would not be able to pay for the groceries. Then, I heard another voice. “Jane, you pay for her groceries”. I looked around. No one was in line behind me, but I was pretty sure I heard a clear, distinct voice say I was to pay for her groceries. Now, let me stop right here and explain that I don’t hear voices regularly, I am not prone to dramatics and though I felt sorry for the Mom, my usual suspicious nature was in high gear. Sure, she forgot her wallet, that’s an old trick, she uses her money for other things, I’ve seen this game before, I bet she had money for the liquor store, the drug dealer, the gambling addiction, just a few of the not so pretty things that ran through my head. Then I heard it again “Jane, you pay for her groceries”. You see, I had been praying that God would help me to hear him. Just that morning I had asked for His voice to be loud and clear, for direction and guidance and if need be, a lightening bolt or two. So, you can imagine my surprise and lack of trust when all the sudden I heard a clear voice telling me to pay for this woman’s groceries.
I wish I could say I had a willing heart, what I had was a suspicious heart. God never spoke this clearly to me before, or so I thought. Yet here I was in the grocery store, in the check out line, hearing him tell me exactly what to do. So, I did. I walked around the women’s cart, slid my card through the charge machine and paid the ninety dollars for her groceries. I’m not sure who was more surprised, the clerk behind the counter, the Mom or me. I don’t really remember saying anything, just acting on what I heard and telling her I was glad to help. She asked for my name and address to repay me, I told her it was not important, paid for my own groceries and left.
All the way home, I tried to figure out what to say to my husband. How did I justify the added ninety dollar expense, how to explain the voice I heard. When I got home I told him just what I related to you, his response “that’s fine honey, glad you could help her out.” No further discussion but oh, what a huge lesson I learned that day.
God does talk to me, sometimes not as clearly as he did on that day but much more often than I am willing to admit. The issue is not what he asks me to do, it’s do I have a willing heart to listen and obey? I am ashamed to admit how many times I have heard and turned my back. How many times I have known what he wanted me to do but been reluctant and sometimes unwilling to carry the load, make the phone call, apologize, write the letter, clean up the mess or just hug the one I hurt. In spite of myself, God continues to pursue me, to call me to action and to equip me with the resources to complete the task at hand. But am I ready to hear his voice, willing to obey and able to pick up my cross and follow him daily?
God’s word says I am. My dependence on God is the only qualification I need to serve Him. 2 Corinthians 12:9 tells me that God’s grace is sufficient for all my needs. Kelly Minter says “One of the most tragic ways for a Christian to spend her life is to be in the right place with all the right resources but without a willing heart.” When we obey, no matter how unusual God’s instructions we create a foundation for the work of Christ to be evidenced through our actions. We are living witnesses that he abides in us. Matthew 7:24 says “Everyone who hears my words and obeys them is like a wise man who built his house on rock”. What are you building your house on? Are you obedient when you hear his voice? I want to challenge you today to be obedient. To be “ready, willing and able” when called.
Oh, by the way, do you know where that saying came from? “Ready, Willing and Able” was filmed in 1937. Its’ stars included Ruby Keeler and Ross Alexander. A movie about mistaken identity, it features “Jane” a young lady who wants to make it on Broadway who is mistakenly thought to be the real “Jane Clark”. Through all its twists and turns, we learn that it is better to tell those you love, who you really are, than try to get away with who you are not. Catch it sometime on TCM.
Since then, we have coined the phrase “ready, willing and able” when talking about our government, our charitable foundations, our military and a whole host of take charge entities, all “ready, willing and able” to step in at a moments notice.
I want to be “ready, willing and able”, ready to hear God’s voice, willing to obey and able to serve at a moments notice. How about you? Philippians 2:17 says “Your faith makes you offer your lives as a sacrifice in serving God.” I want to be a living sacrifice, serving God daily. Ready, willing and able.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Hearing from God
In my Sunday night study group we are learning how to recognize when God speaks. The people of the Old Testament really had it made when it came to God speaking directly to them. God would show up in a grand way, do what he needed to do and then be silent, sometimes for years on end. I often thought how cool it would be for God to just show up and speak to me, like he did with Moses in the burning bush or Samuel when anointing David or Zechariah in the temple when God told him through an angel that Elizabeth would have a child in her old age. God had this way of just showing up, in splendid ways that would astound and humble the people. Then it occurred to me, God shows up in my life every day, not in splendid ways but in quiet subtle ways and He pursues me. The problem is, I sometimes don’t hear Him, often I ignore Him and many times I just don’t get it. How about you, do you hear from God or has He been silent. Maybe you are experiencing a desert season in your life. What would you say if I told you that even when He is silent He is pursuing you? That he is speaking to you in His silence. Bear with me as I share what I hear.
Priscilla Shirer in her study “Discerning the Voice of God” says this. “The Holy Spirit works in our hearts, in the hearts of others, and in the events of our lives to point us in God’s direction. He uses all these things to cause us to hear and heed His voice.” “God is persistent.” Think of a time in your life when you had to make a decision that was not only difficult but at times agonizing. I can give you an excellent example. Not long ago I was asked if I would be interested in pursuing management with lia sophia. I love the company, the jewelry, the people and I was having fun right where I was, so not only did this surprise me it caught me off guard. Why would I want to pursue being a unit manager? I was comfortable where I was, liked what I was doing and really wasn’t working that hard to earn the extra income lia sophia provided. Management just sounded like a lot of work and a lot of time. My immediate thought was, no, I am comfortable where I am. But God started working on my heart. Daily I committed to pray about what direction He would have me go. Notice I did not immediately respond. I have learned that answering immediately can get you in a lot of trouble. Committing to pray about every decision has become pretty common for me. It’s the learning to say “no” lesson, I needed to learn a long time ago. We’ll call this a lesson that comes with age and wisdom. Anyway, I prayed, hard, for almost a month. And every time I prayed I heard God saying, “Jane, I know you know sales, I know you are good at it, you’ve been selling for years but what you really love, what you are passionate about are books and reading and teaching. Why are you not pursuing your passion?” To which I responded, “but God”. My immediate response was an objection to what I was hearing. How could I pursue my passion? To be a librarian I need a degree, to teach I need a degree and to even work with books I need more knowledge than what I have in my bachelor’s degree arsenal. So, I prayed more and every time I heard God say, “Jane, you love books, you love reading, why are you not pursuing your passion?” Then I heard something else, God, through others was opening the doors for me to not only pursue my passion but promote to manager so that I could help pay for the schooling I need to pursue what I love. He not only provided mentors, people who could guide me but he began to provide shows and people who wanted to be advisors and before I knew it I was signing the paperwork to promote and accepted in the masters program at USC. He provided, He pursued me and all He ask in return was that I hear Him and obey. Not in splendid or supernatural ways but in people He put in my path, books that He knew would help me hear him and even songs that would help me draw closer to what His word was saying to me.
That’s how God works, he pursues us relentlessly. Even in our desert seasons, when His silence rings loudest of all, He is holding us, saying, “wait, I have more for you but right now, I just need you to be still.” It would be so easy to brush Him off, we tell ourselves lies every day about how we are not good enough, smart enough, thin enough, tall enough, the list is endless. And yet, in our weakness He is strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9 from “The Message” says “My strength comes into its own in your weakness”. Romans 8:28 tells us that even when we don’t know what to pray the spirit will intercede on our behalf. God provides the direction; we must choose daily to hear him. This morning in my quiet time God gave me a song. It’s an old hymn written by Clara H. Scott in 1841. Below are the words. As you spend a few quiet moments with God meditate on these words and be ready to hear. Revelation 3:20 says “I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door; I will come in to him and dine with him and he with me.” God is knocking, are you listening?
“Open my eyes, that I may see;
Glimpses of truth thou hast for me;
Place in my hands the wonderful key
That shall unlock and set me free.”
Chorus:
“Silently now I wait for thee,
Ready my God, Thy will to see;
Open my eyes, illumine me,
Spirit divine.”
“Open my ears, that I may hear,
Voices of truth thou sendest clear;
And while the wave notes fall on my ear,
Everything false will disappear.”
Chorus
Priscilla Shirer in her study “Discerning the Voice of God” says this. “The Holy Spirit works in our hearts, in the hearts of others, and in the events of our lives to point us in God’s direction. He uses all these things to cause us to hear and heed His voice.” “God is persistent.” Think of a time in your life when you had to make a decision that was not only difficult but at times agonizing. I can give you an excellent example. Not long ago I was asked if I would be interested in pursuing management with lia sophia. I love the company, the jewelry, the people and I was having fun right where I was, so not only did this surprise me it caught me off guard. Why would I want to pursue being a unit manager? I was comfortable where I was, liked what I was doing and really wasn’t working that hard to earn the extra income lia sophia provided. Management just sounded like a lot of work and a lot of time. My immediate thought was, no, I am comfortable where I am. But God started working on my heart. Daily I committed to pray about what direction He would have me go. Notice I did not immediately respond. I have learned that answering immediately can get you in a lot of trouble. Committing to pray about every decision has become pretty common for me. It’s the learning to say “no” lesson, I needed to learn a long time ago. We’ll call this a lesson that comes with age and wisdom. Anyway, I prayed, hard, for almost a month. And every time I prayed I heard God saying, “Jane, I know you know sales, I know you are good at it, you’ve been selling for years but what you really love, what you are passionate about are books and reading and teaching. Why are you not pursuing your passion?” To which I responded, “but God”. My immediate response was an objection to what I was hearing. How could I pursue my passion? To be a librarian I need a degree, to teach I need a degree and to even work with books I need more knowledge than what I have in my bachelor’s degree arsenal. So, I prayed more and every time I heard God say, “Jane, you love books, you love reading, why are you not pursuing your passion?” Then I heard something else, God, through others was opening the doors for me to not only pursue my passion but promote to manager so that I could help pay for the schooling I need to pursue what I love. He not only provided mentors, people who could guide me but he began to provide shows and people who wanted to be advisors and before I knew it I was signing the paperwork to promote and accepted in the masters program at USC. He provided, He pursued me and all He ask in return was that I hear Him and obey. Not in splendid or supernatural ways but in people He put in my path, books that He knew would help me hear him and even songs that would help me draw closer to what His word was saying to me.
That’s how God works, he pursues us relentlessly. Even in our desert seasons, when His silence rings loudest of all, He is holding us, saying, “wait, I have more for you but right now, I just need you to be still.” It would be so easy to brush Him off, we tell ourselves lies every day about how we are not good enough, smart enough, thin enough, tall enough, the list is endless. And yet, in our weakness He is strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9 from “The Message” says “My strength comes into its own in your weakness”. Romans 8:28 tells us that even when we don’t know what to pray the spirit will intercede on our behalf. God provides the direction; we must choose daily to hear him. This morning in my quiet time God gave me a song. It’s an old hymn written by Clara H. Scott in 1841. Below are the words. As you spend a few quiet moments with God meditate on these words and be ready to hear. Revelation 3:20 says “I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door; I will come in to him and dine with him and he with me.” God is knocking, are you listening?
“Open my eyes, that I may see;
Glimpses of truth thou hast for me;
Place in my hands the wonderful key
That shall unlock and set me free.”
Chorus:
“Silently now I wait for thee,
Ready my God, Thy will to see;
Open my eyes, illumine me,
Spirit divine.”
“Open my ears, that I may hear,
Voices of truth thou sendest clear;
And while the wave notes fall on my ear,
Everything false will disappear.”
Chorus
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Talking to Myself
A dear friend and I agreed to read Jennifer Rothschild’s new book entitled “Self Talk, Soul Talk”. Once a month we are getting together to discuss what we’ve read and share what we’ve learned. I am only on chapter three and my discussion notes will take once a week lunches for a year because I talk to myself. Do you talk to yourself?
In Jennifer’s book she shares these statistics. “Psychologists and neuroscientists have concluded that everybody maintains a continuous, ongoing silent dialogue, or stream of talk, of between 150 and 300 words a minute. These are grouped into 45,000 to 51,000 thoughts each day. Most of those thoughts are neutral or harmless, such as Where did I put my keys? Or I need to go to the dry cleaners today. But another small yet powerful percentage of such self-directed speech can be accurate or inaccurate, constructive or destructive, right or wrong words that pack quite a punch.” Those are the words I am talking about today.
We all talk to ourselves. It’s what we choose to say that impacts how we perceive and begin to understand who we are. It starts early in life too. Remember the first time you were embarrassed in front of your peers? Did your conversation with yourself go something like this? “You idiot, I cannot believe you did that, you will never live this down or maybe like this, I am so mortified, I will never be able to face these people again, they all think I am so stupid, because I am.” However the conversation went, you began to process that you were at times, an idiot, stupid, unaccepted, unloved, would always be on the outside or maybe even, never have any real friends. Whatever you said, you started to stockpile, right then and there, negative thoughts that would resurface each time you made a mistake, wrong choice, had an embarrassing moment or even a bad day.
When I was growing up I had huge issues with weight. It seemed I constantly struggled with overeating, being overweight, finding clothes that would fit and basically a self-image that was so destructive I began to look for my self-worth in very negative ways. By the time I got to college I carried around a lot of baggage, even into my first marriage. I needed my husband and others to give me validity. I expected them to carry the burden of helping me to like myself. How unfair when they had their own baggage, I just heaped on more. I often sought out friends who needed me, because if they needed me then I felt needed, thus better about who I was. Let’s face it, I was helping these unfortunate few, who had no clue I needed them far more than they needed me.
As a young Christian I struggled with my self-image, never understanding how much God loved me as I was. It was not until my divorce and even later that I began to understand how the choices I made; the things I told myself went against everything God said about me. For me, it took some very wise counsel and serious “soul talk”. Colossians 4:6 says “Let your conversation be gracious and effective so that you will have the right answer for everyone.” What I failed to understand is that the conversation has to start with me. God loves us so much that he tells us in Psalm 139 that “he knew us before we were every born”. He also tells us that “He knows our words before we speak them” even to ourselves. How it must distress Him to hear what we say to ourselves when he loves us so much He created us. I think of the young anorexic girl who is starving herself because she tells herself every day how ugly and fat she is. The young Mom who had to keep working to make ends meet after having the baby telling herself what an awful Mom she must be to leave her baby in the hands of a stranger daily. We all fill our heads with negative talk. The world convinces us we are what we tell ourselves. Instead of hearing God, who tells us “we are His workmanship” (Ephesians 2:10) we hear what we are not according to the world. I Timothy 4:4 tells us that “everything God created is good.” How sad God must be when he hears how much we do not like what He has created.
1 Timothy 4 goes on in verse 7 to say “But do not follow foolish stories that disagree with God’s truth, train yourself to serve God.” God’s word tells us that we are made in His image, created by God and loved by God yet we fill our minds with foolish stories, and negative thoughts, contradictory to the Word of God. Jennifer goes on to share “Wise, truthful words are never harsh or unkind. They are gracious. Wise truthful words are never wimpy or without power. They have authority. Even the hard truths we speak to ourselves should not be condemning. They should build us up. You can’t remove those hurtful thoughts, words and memories, but by the power of God, you can drain them of their potential control over you.”
What harsh, hurtful words and thoughts are you carrying as you talk to yourself today? Replace them with the wise words of God found in His letters to you. Are your thoughts based on the truth or lies found in scripture? Take a minute today to examine your “self-talk”. Philippians 4:8 says we are to think about things that are “good and worthy of praise, true, honorable, right, pure and respected.” Start talking those things today that honor God; you will be amazed at the conversations that take place silently and what others in your life start to hear!
In Jennifer’s book she shares these statistics. “Psychologists and neuroscientists have concluded that everybody maintains a continuous, ongoing silent dialogue, or stream of talk, of between 150 and 300 words a minute. These are grouped into 45,000 to 51,000 thoughts each day. Most of those thoughts are neutral or harmless, such as Where did I put my keys? Or I need to go to the dry cleaners today. But another small yet powerful percentage of such self-directed speech can be accurate or inaccurate, constructive or destructive, right or wrong words that pack quite a punch.” Those are the words I am talking about today.
We all talk to ourselves. It’s what we choose to say that impacts how we perceive and begin to understand who we are. It starts early in life too. Remember the first time you were embarrassed in front of your peers? Did your conversation with yourself go something like this? “You idiot, I cannot believe you did that, you will never live this down or maybe like this, I am so mortified, I will never be able to face these people again, they all think I am so stupid, because I am.” However the conversation went, you began to process that you were at times, an idiot, stupid, unaccepted, unloved, would always be on the outside or maybe even, never have any real friends. Whatever you said, you started to stockpile, right then and there, negative thoughts that would resurface each time you made a mistake, wrong choice, had an embarrassing moment or even a bad day.
When I was growing up I had huge issues with weight. It seemed I constantly struggled with overeating, being overweight, finding clothes that would fit and basically a self-image that was so destructive I began to look for my self-worth in very negative ways. By the time I got to college I carried around a lot of baggage, even into my first marriage. I needed my husband and others to give me validity. I expected them to carry the burden of helping me to like myself. How unfair when they had their own baggage, I just heaped on more. I often sought out friends who needed me, because if they needed me then I felt needed, thus better about who I was. Let’s face it, I was helping these unfortunate few, who had no clue I needed them far more than they needed me.
As a young Christian I struggled with my self-image, never understanding how much God loved me as I was. It was not until my divorce and even later that I began to understand how the choices I made; the things I told myself went against everything God said about me. For me, it took some very wise counsel and serious “soul talk”. Colossians 4:6 says “Let your conversation be gracious and effective so that you will have the right answer for everyone.” What I failed to understand is that the conversation has to start with me. God loves us so much that he tells us in Psalm 139 that “he knew us before we were every born”. He also tells us that “He knows our words before we speak them” even to ourselves. How it must distress Him to hear what we say to ourselves when he loves us so much He created us. I think of the young anorexic girl who is starving herself because she tells herself every day how ugly and fat she is. The young Mom who had to keep working to make ends meet after having the baby telling herself what an awful Mom she must be to leave her baby in the hands of a stranger daily. We all fill our heads with negative talk. The world convinces us we are what we tell ourselves. Instead of hearing God, who tells us “we are His workmanship” (Ephesians 2:10) we hear what we are not according to the world. I Timothy 4:4 tells us that “everything God created is good.” How sad God must be when he hears how much we do not like what He has created.
1 Timothy 4 goes on in verse 7 to say “But do not follow foolish stories that disagree with God’s truth, train yourself to serve God.” God’s word tells us that we are made in His image, created by God and loved by God yet we fill our minds with foolish stories, and negative thoughts, contradictory to the Word of God. Jennifer goes on to share “Wise, truthful words are never harsh or unkind. They are gracious. Wise truthful words are never wimpy or without power. They have authority. Even the hard truths we speak to ourselves should not be condemning. They should build us up. You can’t remove those hurtful thoughts, words and memories, but by the power of God, you can drain them of their potential control over you.”
What harsh, hurtful words and thoughts are you carrying as you talk to yourself today? Replace them with the wise words of God found in His letters to you. Are your thoughts based on the truth or lies found in scripture? Take a minute today to examine your “self-talk”. Philippians 4:8 says we are to think about things that are “good and worthy of praise, true, honorable, right, pure and respected.” Start talking those things today that honor God; you will be amazed at the conversations that take place silently and what others in your life start to hear!
Monday, April 12, 2010
Surrender
There’s a wonderful hymn entitled “I Surrender All” that says:
“All to Jesus I surrender
all to Him I freely give
I will ever love and trust Him
In His presence daily live
I surrender all
I surrender all
All to the my blessed savior
I surrender all.”
What does it mean to truly surrender? The word surrender conjures up images of someone guilty being caught, maybe one more cookie from the jar and the lights suddenly turn on, “caught with your hand in the jar” you admit to the crime and head to bed, cookie less and sad. Maybe whoever caught you ended up at the kitchen table with cookies and a glass of milk, giggling that a late night snack was just what they were looking for too. Either way surrender has different outcomes. What do you think of when you hear the word surrender? The dictionary defines the word surrender as “to give up, or give back”, to yield or relinquish”. At times it is to give up control, at others to give up something you have. No matter what you must give up something.
Jesus took the word surrender quite literally. He gave his life as the ultimate surrender so that you could gain your life. Matthew 10:39 says “Those who try to hold on to their lives will give up true life. Those who give up their lives for me will hold on to true life.” Romans chapter six and twelve tell us we are to surrender ourselves as “living sacrifices” to God to be used in doing good. Christ came to bring new life. Colossians 3:10 says “you have begun to live a new life, in which you are being made new and becoming like the One who made you.”
Ruth surrendered herself for the sake of her mother-in-law; the apostles surrendered their lives for the sake of Christ whom they followed to His death and after. David was even willing to surrender himself to a life on the run until such a time as God saw fit to make him King. Being a Christian means “surrender”. It means being willing to give up what you have to gain even more. Kelly Minter in her study on Ruth says “What Christ can do with a willing life surrendered at His feet is more than we can comprehend.” We are all at risk of missing what Christ has in store if we continue to hold onto what we must surrender.
Are you holding onto this life; those old habits? Do you fall back into the patterns of life before Christ when the going gets tough? Are you holding onto a grudge, bitterness, anger? Surrender the old today. Ephesians 4:22-24 tells us to put off the old and become as a new person in Christ. Surrender the old, put on the new. Surrender can be a good thing, what do you need to give up today to make all things new? Tell Jesus what you need to surrender and sing of what you freely give the Savior who surrendered all.
“All to Jesus I surrender
all to Him I freely give
I will ever love and trust Him
In His presence daily live
I surrender all
I surrender all
All to the my blessed savior
I surrender all.”
What does it mean to truly surrender? The word surrender conjures up images of someone guilty being caught, maybe one more cookie from the jar and the lights suddenly turn on, “caught with your hand in the jar” you admit to the crime and head to bed, cookie less and sad. Maybe whoever caught you ended up at the kitchen table with cookies and a glass of milk, giggling that a late night snack was just what they were looking for too. Either way surrender has different outcomes. What do you think of when you hear the word surrender? The dictionary defines the word surrender as “to give up, or give back”, to yield or relinquish”. At times it is to give up control, at others to give up something you have. No matter what you must give up something.
Jesus took the word surrender quite literally. He gave his life as the ultimate surrender so that you could gain your life. Matthew 10:39 says “Those who try to hold on to their lives will give up true life. Those who give up their lives for me will hold on to true life.” Romans chapter six and twelve tell us we are to surrender ourselves as “living sacrifices” to God to be used in doing good. Christ came to bring new life. Colossians 3:10 says “you have begun to live a new life, in which you are being made new and becoming like the One who made you.”
Ruth surrendered herself for the sake of her mother-in-law; the apostles surrendered their lives for the sake of Christ whom they followed to His death and after. David was even willing to surrender himself to a life on the run until such a time as God saw fit to make him King. Being a Christian means “surrender”. It means being willing to give up what you have to gain even more. Kelly Minter in her study on Ruth says “What Christ can do with a willing life surrendered at His feet is more than we can comprehend.” We are all at risk of missing what Christ has in store if we continue to hold onto what we must surrender.
Are you holding onto this life; those old habits? Do you fall back into the patterns of life before Christ when the going gets tough? Are you holding onto a grudge, bitterness, anger? Surrender the old today. Ephesians 4:22-24 tells us to put off the old and become as a new person in Christ. Surrender the old, put on the new. Surrender can be a good thing, what do you need to give up today to make all things new? Tell Jesus what you need to surrender and sing of what you freely give the Savior who surrendered all.
Friday, April 2, 2010
True Giving
2 Corinthians 8:5 “They gave in a way we did not expect. They first gave themselves to the Lord and then to us.”
The people of Macedonia had nothing left to give. 2 Corinthians chapter 8 tells us that these people went through times of very hard trouble. So much so that they were extremely poor and yet they begged and pleaded with Paul and his friends to allow them to give in service for God’s people. As I was searching the scriptures about giving I came across many stories about others who had nothing left to give and yet, gave more.
Do you ever feel that way? Like you have nothing left to give and yet you are being asked to give more? Sometimes it is all you can do to scrape yourself out of bed and give one more day to the world around you. Sometimes there is a spring in your step and you are happy to give because you are in a time of prosperity in your life. Other times, the poverty of not just your wallet but your spirit is a weight that ties you to the bottom of the ocean. How can you possibly give when you can’t even untie the weight? And yet, that is precisely when the biggest blessings of your life are poured out upon you. How do I know? I’ve been there. I have seen the bottom of the ocean and felt the waves crashing and truthfully I anticipate that in my days here on earth I will see the ocean floor many more times. That’s how life works. Cycles of good and plenty, cycles of famine and despair. But even in the times of famine God is harvesting for us a reward we cannot see nor comprehend.
You see, giving does not just mean we give monetarily. Giving is so much more, it is in time, talent, a listening ear, an extra hand, a hug, an offer to help. Giving comes in many shapes and sizes. The problem is, sometimes we feel as though we just have nothing left to give. Unlike the people of Macedonia, most of us, when in this state, just crawl into a corner and cry. I want to say that as a Christian I have changed my ways and step forward in certainty when at the end of my giving, that I can find more and give more but I would be telling a very big lie. I run, I hide and I cry why me, can’t I have a few more minutes, some time for me, me, me, me.
That is when I can feel the love of God ever so strongly pulling me out of my comfort zone. He gently prods me and says, just a little more, the rewards are great, you wait and see. And so, I give, not because it’s easy but because it’s right. The people of Macedonia figured that out. The widow in Mark 12 figured it out. She gave all she had, all she had to live on and was used as a true example of a cheerful giver by Jesus. Most importantly as we come to the weekend in which we celebrate out Lord’s resurrection we remember the ultimate Giver. Not only did Christ give His life for each of us but God gave His only Son so that we could be called sons and daughters of the Most High God.
Kelly Minter, in her study on Ruth talks about giving in times of wealth and in times of poverty. Are you at a place of wealth in your life? Giving seems easy then. But when you are at a place of poverty Kelly says it is then “at a place when I am broken, depressed, and depleted, that God wants me to give even more. We all have something to give, even when we are broke or broken.” When Christ hung, broken and bleeding on the cross he could have screamed in agony and groaned in pain. That is not what He did. Laying aside his pain He asked his Father to forgive us. When he had nothing left to give he gave more, the ultimate example of giving.
Today, if you are experiencing a time when it seems you just have nothing left to give or a time of wealth when giving comes easy take a minute to thank the true Giver of life. The One who gave All so that we could have more, our blessed Savior, Christ Jesus.
The people of Macedonia had nothing left to give. 2 Corinthians chapter 8 tells us that these people went through times of very hard trouble. So much so that they were extremely poor and yet they begged and pleaded with Paul and his friends to allow them to give in service for God’s people. As I was searching the scriptures about giving I came across many stories about others who had nothing left to give and yet, gave more.
Do you ever feel that way? Like you have nothing left to give and yet you are being asked to give more? Sometimes it is all you can do to scrape yourself out of bed and give one more day to the world around you. Sometimes there is a spring in your step and you are happy to give because you are in a time of prosperity in your life. Other times, the poverty of not just your wallet but your spirit is a weight that ties you to the bottom of the ocean. How can you possibly give when you can’t even untie the weight? And yet, that is precisely when the biggest blessings of your life are poured out upon you. How do I know? I’ve been there. I have seen the bottom of the ocean and felt the waves crashing and truthfully I anticipate that in my days here on earth I will see the ocean floor many more times. That’s how life works. Cycles of good and plenty, cycles of famine and despair. But even in the times of famine God is harvesting for us a reward we cannot see nor comprehend.
You see, giving does not just mean we give monetarily. Giving is so much more, it is in time, talent, a listening ear, an extra hand, a hug, an offer to help. Giving comes in many shapes and sizes. The problem is, sometimes we feel as though we just have nothing left to give. Unlike the people of Macedonia, most of us, when in this state, just crawl into a corner and cry. I want to say that as a Christian I have changed my ways and step forward in certainty when at the end of my giving, that I can find more and give more but I would be telling a very big lie. I run, I hide and I cry why me, can’t I have a few more minutes, some time for me, me, me, me.
That is when I can feel the love of God ever so strongly pulling me out of my comfort zone. He gently prods me and says, just a little more, the rewards are great, you wait and see. And so, I give, not because it’s easy but because it’s right. The people of Macedonia figured that out. The widow in Mark 12 figured it out. She gave all she had, all she had to live on and was used as a true example of a cheerful giver by Jesus. Most importantly as we come to the weekend in which we celebrate out Lord’s resurrection we remember the ultimate Giver. Not only did Christ give His life for each of us but God gave His only Son so that we could be called sons and daughters of the Most High God.
Kelly Minter, in her study on Ruth talks about giving in times of wealth and in times of poverty. Are you at a place of wealth in your life? Giving seems easy then. But when you are at a place of poverty Kelly says it is then “at a place when I am broken, depressed, and depleted, that God wants me to give even more. We all have something to give, even when we are broke or broken.” When Christ hung, broken and bleeding on the cross he could have screamed in agony and groaned in pain. That is not what He did. Laying aside his pain He asked his Father to forgive us. When he had nothing left to give he gave more, the ultimate example of giving.
Today, if you are experiencing a time when it seems you just have nothing left to give or a time of wealth when giving comes easy take a minute to thank the true Giver of life. The One who gave All so that we could have more, our blessed Savior, Christ Jesus.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Moses and the Burning Bush
Recently I was studying Moses and the burning bush, boy was I surprised when Priscilla Shirer used that as a reference as we are studying the roll of the Holy Spirit in our lives and how to know when God is speaking to us. And yet, I was not surprised because God truly does know how to get me to hear when a message needs to be heard and this was one of those times! In discussing Moses’ calling I thought this was something you would all get meaning from as well so below are some thoughts I wanted to share with you about Moses and the burning bush as per my study.
If you recall Moses was in the desert herding sheep when he saw the burning bush, his curiosity got the better of him and he had to go “see it for himself”, lets face it, how could a bush be burning yet not turn to ash or anything around it catch on fire. In a hot desert that’s a miracle in and of itself. To say that God’s presence was in the bush is yet another miracle of how he can physically present himself to us! From Exodus 3:1-7, 10 we can learn many things about our own calling. Moses did not have to go check out the bush, he could have taken other’s words for it and just figured oh well, it’s a freak of nature but that’s not what happened. What’s even more astonishing is that he left his job to go see the bush, got there, realized he was on holy ground, took off his shoes and stayed to have a conversation with God. In those days, people believed that if you had that kind of encounter with God you would die, because no one could see God’s face and live. God knew how Moses would react before he even got there, so he said, “take your shoes off and come hang out with me for awhile while I tell you what you are going to do for me.” Just as a side note, by this time Moses was 80 years old!
Do you remember why Moses was in the desert? There was a contract on his life for killing an Egyptian so he fled, for 40 years he lived in the desert as a sheep herder and then God revealed himself. Why not a few years into Mosses’ exile, why 40 years later? Because we all need desert seasons in our lives to become equipped to fulfill God’s calling. I am thanking God right now for those desert seasons and the ones to come because not only will they make each one of us stronger but the lessons we learn will help us lead others through their own seasons and equip us with God’s mighty word to minister to others.
How does God equip us? First of all, he equips us with dedication. Each new circumstance in our lives teaches us a dedication to Him, His word and prayer, we learn that without those three things the circumstances can virtually become unbearable, with those things we are given a mighty strength that comes from God, alone. We are his creation and God prepares these things ahead of time so that we can walk in his word when the time is at hand (Ephesians 2:10).
The second thing God prepares us with is directions. God uses what we are involved in now to prepare us for the future. In Jeremiah God tells us that He has plans for us, plans for a hope and a future (Jer. 29:11). Every single thing you deal with today will prepare you for something you will have to deal with tomorrow.
Third, God equips us with a destination. He leads us to the mountain and into His presence, in the midst of our circumstances he stands beside us and says, “here I am, lean on me”, much like the footprints poem, in the times we are most alone, he is carrying us, He knows the real you! He says, “You are worthy and I love you”. He promised us in his word that we would never be alone. John 14:15-17 tells is that the Holy Spirit will come so that we will always have someone with us, reminding us of God’s truth. It also tells us that all of this is preparing us to one day stand before God’s presence and hear him say “well done good and faithful servant”.
So don’t miss the burning bushes God is placing in your path, when you see the supernatural markers God has placed before you how do you react, with dread, or with an open heart willing to receive the lesson? When you encounter the voice of God it is because he wants to develop intimacy with you. Take off your shoes and worship! Zephaniah tells us in chapter 3 that God is singing over us, that he is our strong warrior here to save us! Psalm 25 tells us that He will plan only the best for us and that if I keep my eyes on him I won’t trip over my own feet!
His plan for us will change the course of our lives. Our life plans are tucked into the plan that God has for the whole universe. In John 4 when Jesus meets the women at the well, he already knew all about her, because of that encounter she went back to her village and witnessed. The entire village became believers because of one conversation at a well. When Saul was converted in Acts 9 and renamed Paul, he became one of the greatest biblical evangelist and wrote more of the books of the New Testament than any other believer, all from one encounter on a dirt road when he was persecuting Christians. We have absolutely no idea how our encounters with God will change our lives but if we are willing to meet him, our lives will be changed. Moses met him at a burning bush, where will you meet him today?
I am praying right now for each one of you as you deal with your burning bushes, let God lead you where he is calling, the rewards will be far greater than you can ever imagine!
If you recall Moses was in the desert herding sheep when he saw the burning bush, his curiosity got the better of him and he had to go “see it for himself”, lets face it, how could a bush be burning yet not turn to ash or anything around it catch on fire. In a hot desert that’s a miracle in and of itself. To say that God’s presence was in the bush is yet another miracle of how he can physically present himself to us! From Exodus 3:1-7, 10 we can learn many things about our own calling. Moses did not have to go check out the bush, he could have taken other’s words for it and just figured oh well, it’s a freak of nature but that’s not what happened. What’s even more astonishing is that he left his job to go see the bush, got there, realized he was on holy ground, took off his shoes and stayed to have a conversation with God. In those days, people believed that if you had that kind of encounter with God you would die, because no one could see God’s face and live. God knew how Moses would react before he even got there, so he said, “take your shoes off and come hang out with me for awhile while I tell you what you are going to do for me.” Just as a side note, by this time Moses was 80 years old!
Do you remember why Moses was in the desert? There was a contract on his life for killing an Egyptian so he fled, for 40 years he lived in the desert as a sheep herder and then God revealed himself. Why not a few years into Mosses’ exile, why 40 years later? Because we all need desert seasons in our lives to become equipped to fulfill God’s calling. I am thanking God right now for those desert seasons and the ones to come because not only will they make each one of us stronger but the lessons we learn will help us lead others through their own seasons and equip us with God’s mighty word to minister to others.
How does God equip us? First of all, he equips us with dedication. Each new circumstance in our lives teaches us a dedication to Him, His word and prayer, we learn that without those three things the circumstances can virtually become unbearable, with those things we are given a mighty strength that comes from God, alone. We are his creation and God prepares these things ahead of time so that we can walk in his word when the time is at hand (Ephesians 2:10).
The second thing God prepares us with is directions. God uses what we are involved in now to prepare us for the future. In Jeremiah God tells us that He has plans for us, plans for a hope and a future (Jer. 29:11). Every single thing you deal with today will prepare you for something you will have to deal with tomorrow.
Third, God equips us with a destination. He leads us to the mountain and into His presence, in the midst of our circumstances he stands beside us and says, “here I am, lean on me”, much like the footprints poem, in the times we are most alone, he is carrying us, He knows the real you! He says, “You are worthy and I love you”. He promised us in his word that we would never be alone. John 14:15-17 tells is that the Holy Spirit will come so that we will always have someone with us, reminding us of God’s truth. It also tells us that all of this is preparing us to one day stand before God’s presence and hear him say “well done good and faithful servant”.
So don’t miss the burning bushes God is placing in your path, when you see the supernatural markers God has placed before you how do you react, with dread, or with an open heart willing to receive the lesson? When you encounter the voice of God it is because he wants to develop intimacy with you. Take off your shoes and worship! Zephaniah tells us in chapter 3 that God is singing over us, that he is our strong warrior here to save us! Psalm 25 tells us that He will plan only the best for us and that if I keep my eyes on him I won’t trip over my own feet!
His plan for us will change the course of our lives. Our life plans are tucked into the plan that God has for the whole universe. In John 4 when Jesus meets the women at the well, he already knew all about her, because of that encounter she went back to her village and witnessed. The entire village became believers because of one conversation at a well. When Saul was converted in Acts 9 and renamed Paul, he became one of the greatest biblical evangelist and wrote more of the books of the New Testament than any other believer, all from one encounter on a dirt road when he was persecuting Christians. We have absolutely no idea how our encounters with God will change our lives but if we are willing to meet him, our lives will be changed. Moses met him at a burning bush, where will you meet him today?
I am praying right now for each one of you as you deal with your burning bushes, let God lead you where he is calling, the rewards will be far greater than you can ever imagine!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Streaks of Clay
Jeremiah 18
There’s a Christian song out that goes something like this:
Father God, I am clay in your hands,
Help me to stay that way through all life's demands,
'Cause they chip and they nag and they pull at me,
And every little thing I make up my mind to be,”
As Tobymac sings these words one can’t help but bob your head and sing along. But the other day I wasn’t bobbing my head; I got stuck on the word “Clay”. The brown gooey stuff that sticks together so that artists can mold it, or the yucky red clay we had in Alabama that leaves streaks on your carpet and is impossible to clean. I began to wonder exactly what kind of clay God sees me as. I think I am the annoying red kind. When Jim and I lived in Alabama that red clay was one of the greatest sources of my frustration and cleaning it was a constant companion in my daily routine.
I began to wonder if God thinks of me as a constant frustration. A mess, he is constantly cleaning up. I know I can go for weeks as a mess God has to work on cleaning up and then I may have some pretty good weeks where my messes don’t seem so bad but I still think he gets frustrated.
The really cool thing about God is that He has infinite patience. Those red clay streaks on the carpet that is my life may have me pulling out my hair but he says it’s what he created us to do. He gets out the carpet cleaner and goes to work. Romans 3:23 says “All have sinned (think red clay here) and are not good enough for God’s glory” We are all clay, our red streaks can be long and ugly but Romans goes on to say in verse 24 “all need to be made right with God by His grace, which is a free gift.” God in his infinite wisdom says: “You are in my hands like the clay in the potter’s hands” (Jeremiah 18:6b) When a crack forms He sets to work remolding, remaking, repairing lovingly and painstakingly with the blood of His Son. As he begins the healing process the sin or dark clay streaks become “whiter than snow”.
Psalm 51 says, “Lord, take away my sin and I will be clean, wash me and I will be whiter than snow.” No more ugly red clay streaks, just the white clay after the heat of the kiln has set me as the “Potter” fashioned me to be. A broken, ugly, clay vessel, molded, remade and fired clean, “whiter than snow”. You and I, because of the great love shown to us by God, because of Christ’s desire to have us in paradise with him are perfected and made “whiter than snow”. No more ugly red streaks on the carpet. I pray daily to be molded by the hands of my loving Father, singing and bobbing my head.
“Father God, I am clay in your hands, Help me stay that way through all life’s demands.”
There’s a Christian song out that goes something like this:
Father God, I am clay in your hands,
Help me to stay that way through all life's demands,
'Cause they chip and they nag and they pull at me,
And every little thing I make up my mind to be,”
As Tobymac sings these words one can’t help but bob your head and sing along. But the other day I wasn’t bobbing my head; I got stuck on the word “Clay”. The brown gooey stuff that sticks together so that artists can mold it, or the yucky red clay we had in Alabama that leaves streaks on your carpet and is impossible to clean. I began to wonder exactly what kind of clay God sees me as. I think I am the annoying red kind. When Jim and I lived in Alabama that red clay was one of the greatest sources of my frustration and cleaning it was a constant companion in my daily routine.
I began to wonder if God thinks of me as a constant frustration. A mess, he is constantly cleaning up. I know I can go for weeks as a mess God has to work on cleaning up and then I may have some pretty good weeks where my messes don’t seem so bad but I still think he gets frustrated.
The really cool thing about God is that He has infinite patience. Those red clay streaks on the carpet that is my life may have me pulling out my hair but he says it’s what he created us to do. He gets out the carpet cleaner and goes to work. Romans 3:23 says “All have sinned (think red clay here) and are not good enough for God’s glory” We are all clay, our red streaks can be long and ugly but Romans goes on to say in verse 24 “all need to be made right with God by His grace, which is a free gift.” God in his infinite wisdom says: “You are in my hands like the clay in the potter’s hands” (Jeremiah 18:6b) When a crack forms He sets to work remolding, remaking, repairing lovingly and painstakingly with the blood of His Son. As he begins the healing process the sin or dark clay streaks become “whiter than snow”.
Psalm 51 says, “Lord, take away my sin and I will be clean, wash me and I will be whiter than snow.” No more ugly red clay streaks, just the white clay after the heat of the kiln has set me as the “Potter” fashioned me to be. A broken, ugly, clay vessel, molded, remade and fired clean, “whiter than snow”. You and I, because of the great love shown to us by God, because of Christ’s desire to have us in paradise with him are perfected and made “whiter than snow”. No more ugly red streaks on the carpet. I pray daily to be molded by the hands of my loving Father, singing and bobbing my head.
“Father God, I am clay in your hands, Help me stay that way through all life’s demands.”
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Expectations
It’s really tough living up to what others expect of you.
Recently I had a conversation with a friend who is a Pastor’s wife. She made an interesting comment. We were talking about how tough it is in society today to be a Pastor’s kid. She said many times in activities or events where they are not among those from their town and people don’t know her husband is a Pastor they purposely will omit his profession “for the kids sake”. The expectations one has of a Pastor’s kid, or let’s face it any profession that puts a parent in the public spotlight, can be so outrageous that possibly living up to those expectations is impossible. These children are set up to fail even before they start. Now, my parents never had jobs in the public spotlight, but we lived in a small enough town that if one of us made a bad decision, did something wrong or broke a law, our parents knew what happened before we ever got home. How much harder must that have been for our Pastor’s children, our Mayor’s children and the other children of parents in the public spotlight?
And yet, we all have expectations, piled on by others, piled on by the media, your family, your classmates, your co-workers. They can be tough if not impossible to live up to. I remember reading an autobiography about Ruth Graham Bell in which she talks about her divorce and how devastating it was. She tells how she was so ashamed because how could the daughter of Billy Graham possibly be a divorcee and how difficult it was to face her parents. She shares “as she drove up the long spiral driveway to her parents home, dreading facing them, she rounded the bend and there waiting for her with arms outstretched was her Father, saying welcome home daughter, how we have missed you and love you.” What Anne expected was censure, what she got was love and understanding. I can certainly relate, when I went through my divorce, I felt the black mark, the stigma and that was only 18 years ago, not a sadly accepted norm as it seems to be today.
As humans we concern ourselves every day with “measuring up”. The expectations of others become what we expect of ourselves. Yet, God tells us that His expectations are all we really need to attain, then all else is basically a given. His expectations are clear. Luke 6:31 says “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Further on in verse 35 he says “love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without hoping to get anything back.” Our rewards will be great for we will have met the expectations of our heavenly Father. Go ahead, keep reading in Luke, it says “Then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High God, because He is kind even to people who are ungrateful and full of sin.”
Expectations. Praise be to God that the only expectation we are expected to fulfill is the one that comes from our heavenly Father. I could never measure up to the ones here on earth that others have placed upon me unless I first fulfilled the ones given by God, without Him what I achieve on earth would be impossible. Thank God, I don’t have to do it alone and neither do you. Start by achieving what he expects, you will be amazed at how all the rest falls into place.
Recently I had a conversation with a friend who is a Pastor’s wife. She made an interesting comment. We were talking about how tough it is in society today to be a Pastor’s kid. She said many times in activities or events where they are not among those from their town and people don’t know her husband is a Pastor they purposely will omit his profession “for the kids sake”. The expectations one has of a Pastor’s kid, or let’s face it any profession that puts a parent in the public spotlight, can be so outrageous that possibly living up to those expectations is impossible. These children are set up to fail even before they start. Now, my parents never had jobs in the public spotlight, but we lived in a small enough town that if one of us made a bad decision, did something wrong or broke a law, our parents knew what happened before we ever got home. How much harder must that have been for our Pastor’s children, our Mayor’s children and the other children of parents in the public spotlight?
And yet, we all have expectations, piled on by others, piled on by the media, your family, your classmates, your co-workers. They can be tough if not impossible to live up to. I remember reading an autobiography about Ruth Graham Bell in which she talks about her divorce and how devastating it was. She tells how she was so ashamed because how could the daughter of Billy Graham possibly be a divorcee and how difficult it was to face her parents. She shares “as she drove up the long spiral driveway to her parents home, dreading facing them, she rounded the bend and there waiting for her with arms outstretched was her Father, saying welcome home daughter, how we have missed you and love you.” What Anne expected was censure, what she got was love and understanding. I can certainly relate, when I went through my divorce, I felt the black mark, the stigma and that was only 18 years ago, not a sadly accepted norm as it seems to be today.
As humans we concern ourselves every day with “measuring up”. The expectations of others become what we expect of ourselves. Yet, God tells us that His expectations are all we really need to attain, then all else is basically a given. His expectations are clear. Luke 6:31 says “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Further on in verse 35 he says “love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without hoping to get anything back.” Our rewards will be great for we will have met the expectations of our heavenly Father. Go ahead, keep reading in Luke, it says “Then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High God, because He is kind even to people who are ungrateful and full of sin.”
Expectations. Praise be to God that the only expectation we are expected to fulfill is the one that comes from our heavenly Father. I could never measure up to the ones here on earth that others have placed upon me unless I first fulfilled the ones given by God, without Him what I achieve on earth would be impossible. Thank God, I don’t have to do it alone and neither do you. Start by achieving what he expects, you will be amazed at how all the rest falls into place.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Hearing From God
2 Timothy 3:16-17
Has anyone seen the new movie “Dear John”? I have a dear friend who often goes with me to “chick flicks” but we opted out of this one. Why? Well, I read the book and while I would venture to guess that the movie, for draw factor, does not end as the book did in sadness, it got the thumbs down from us for big screen viewing. In an effort to not give the movie/book away I will say that much of the story centers on letters written between John and his girlfriend to include a “dear John” letter. Have you ever received a “dear John or dear Jane” letter. You know, the one that says, “Please don’t write again, I’ve moved on with my life”. Sometimes letters are not welcome things, even by way of text messages, emails or phone calls. The words we read or hear are sometimes not easy. That’s not the case with the letters written to us from God. You see, God wrote us a letter spanning the centuries and He tells us that we can hear from him daily by reading it over and over again.
God’s letter will never be a “dear John” letter. It isn’t a letter we put away and never desire to read again. Nor is it a letter we dread receiving. God even tells us it is “living and breathing”. God’s letter contains words of encouragement, it gives us “a hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11), it is also full of “instruction and useful one way or another” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Many of us long to “hear from God.” As we struggle in our day to day decisions we pray for God’s voice to give us clear direction. In decisions that affect our here and now or our future we long to “know” the right direction or course of action. We often search for our answers in conversations with friends, and family, in articles or books we read or programs we watch. All along, the answers are written in letters bound in a book given to us long ago through the inspired Word of God. 2 Timothy 3:17 tells us “using the scriptures, the person who serves God will be capable, having all that is needed to do any good work.” The word “all” here means “entire”, it encompasses every word written by God through man and recorded in the book we call “the Holy Bible”.
So, if you want to know God and discern His voice from your own you have to get to know His written word. Priscilla Shirer in her study “He Speaks to Me” says “The problem is not with God’s communication, the problem is with our ability to listen clearly. The foundation for hearing God speak is knowing and believing in the absolute truth of the Bible.” You want to truly hear God, get to know his letters to you.
Scripture tells us to “write God’s word on our hearts”, to teach it to our children and talk about it when we sit or walk along the road, when we lie down and when we get up. Deuteronomy 6:4-9 goes on to say we should wear it on our hands and write it on our foreheads, doors and gates. In other words, get to know God’s word, teach it to others and then live by what it says because it’s what you know.
So, next time you long to “hear from God” as Joyce Meyer says “go to the throne, not the phone”. God’s words to you are written in scarlet letters and bound for all eternity. Hearing from Him is as easy as reading a letter written to you long ago from a dear, dear friend. The beauty of His letters is they still apply today, he longs to know you and reveal himself to you with an everlasting letter of love (John 14:21).
Has anyone seen the new movie “Dear John”? I have a dear friend who often goes with me to “chick flicks” but we opted out of this one. Why? Well, I read the book and while I would venture to guess that the movie, for draw factor, does not end as the book did in sadness, it got the thumbs down from us for big screen viewing. In an effort to not give the movie/book away I will say that much of the story centers on letters written between John and his girlfriend to include a “dear John” letter. Have you ever received a “dear John or dear Jane” letter. You know, the one that says, “Please don’t write again, I’ve moved on with my life”. Sometimes letters are not welcome things, even by way of text messages, emails or phone calls. The words we read or hear are sometimes not easy. That’s not the case with the letters written to us from God. You see, God wrote us a letter spanning the centuries and He tells us that we can hear from him daily by reading it over and over again.
God’s letter will never be a “dear John” letter. It isn’t a letter we put away and never desire to read again. Nor is it a letter we dread receiving. God even tells us it is “living and breathing”. God’s letter contains words of encouragement, it gives us “a hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11), it is also full of “instruction and useful one way or another” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Many of us long to “hear from God.” As we struggle in our day to day decisions we pray for God’s voice to give us clear direction. In decisions that affect our here and now or our future we long to “know” the right direction or course of action. We often search for our answers in conversations with friends, and family, in articles or books we read or programs we watch. All along, the answers are written in letters bound in a book given to us long ago through the inspired Word of God. 2 Timothy 3:17 tells us “using the scriptures, the person who serves God will be capable, having all that is needed to do any good work.” The word “all” here means “entire”, it encompasses every word written by God through man and recorded in the book we call “the Holy Bible”.
So, if you want to know God and discern His voice from your own you have to get to know His written word. Priscilla Shirer in her study “He Speaks to Me” says “The problem is not with God’s communication, the problem is with our ability to listen clearly. The foundation for hearing God speak is knowing and believing in the absolute truth of the Bible.” You want to truly hear God, get to know his letters to you.
Scripture tells us to “write God’s word on our hearts”, to teach it to our children and talk about it when we sit or walk along the road, when we lie down and when we get up. Deuteronomy 6:4-9 goes on to say we should wear it on our hands and write it on our foreheads, doors and gates. In other words, get to know God’s word, teach it to others and then live by what it says because it’s what you know.
So, next time you long to “hear from God” as Joyce Meyer says “go to the throne, not the phone”. God’s words to you are written in scarlet letters and bound for all eternity. Hearing from Him is as easy as reading a letter written to you long ago from a dear, dear friend. The beauty of His letters is they still apply today, he longs to know you and reveal himself to you with an everlasting letter of love (John 14:21).
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Holding Our Thoughts Captive
2 Corinthians 10:5b
“We capture every thought and make it give up and obey Christ.”
Have you ever thought about what it means to capture your thoughts? Do you put them in glass jars like lightening bugs, poke holes in the top and let them shine until their light goes out? If you capture a thought does it die or fester? Does it become a prisoner longing for freedom or die in the cage you put it in? What makes you capture a thought? Is it because it could destroy you or someone else or is it because it’s too lofty or silly or ambitious for you to think on? What makes a thought bad or good? What does it mean to capture you thoughts?
2 Corinthians was written by Paul as an admonishment to the Christians in Corinth. He wrote to remind them of who they now belonged to as followers of Christ and to always examine themselves as the new creations they now were. The Corinthians had become full of themselves and their “religious fellowship” and they argued over who the best leader was and who had the greatest gifts. When Paul wrote this second letter to them he sought to reign them back in by “taking their thoughts captive” and remembering who they served and the gift of eternal life that could only come from Christ. But Paul wasn’t writing to just the Corinthians of that time, he was writing to all of the “Corinthians” in future generations. The today Corinthians who hold lofty thoughts and puff themselves up with importance and the tomorrow Corinthians, who seek to serve self rather than their fellow man. He was writing to those of us who forget who we belong to and our purposes here on earth because we can’t seem to “take our thoughts and hold them captive in obedience to Christ.”
The word thought or past tense of think has it’s origins in Old English or Saxon language. It literally means the act or process of thinking. When you have a thought you are taking the concept or idea and basically mauling it over. It means you’ve been inspired, have a concept, idea or impression you are now considering. There is a science behind your thoughts. Scientists have long studied brain patterns and gone to great lengths to explain why we think as we do. One of the most interesting things I found in researching the word thought was in Wikipedia under pitfalls; it said that thoughts can lead to self-delusions or the inability to confront relevant issues. I think that’s what Paul was talking about when he said “we must hold every thought captive”. Our thoughts can become destructive. They have the ability to disable us if we let them. David Guzik’s commentary puts this into perspective; he says “Paul's principle has a much broader application. We are not helpless victims or recipients of our thoughts. We can choose to stop our thoughts, and bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”
The application is clear. How we think today, how we process our thoughts is a reflection of whose we are. Paul is saying, if you have a thought and it is contradictory to the way a new creation in Christ must think you need to take that thought, hold it prisoner and banish it. Like the bugs in the jar the light must go out and once you have reined the thought in, it must not be allowed to come back. It is not just a matter of capturing the thought; it is a matter of banishing it and filling you mind with good. Paul goes on to tell us that we have the weapons to fight the thought war and to take the thoughts that destroy us captive. Those weapons are found in Ephesians chapter 6. We put on the “full armor of God” 6:14-18 tells us we have a belt of truth, a shield of faith and shoes that carry the good news. Our salvation is our helmet and our sword is the word of God. God equips us with the tools to take every thought captive. He gives us the armor, and says “use it to defeat the enemies, the thoughts that take you captive and pull you away from me”. I love how the Message translates this part of scripture “So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the devil throws your way….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. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s word is an indispensible weapon.” (vs. 11-14).
Capture your thoughts today, put them in glass jars and if they are destructive use the weapons God provides to destroy them, and then let only the light from the truth shown to you in God’s word shine through. You’ll see a beacon where once there was only a glimmer and your armor will shine like the Son!
“We capture every thought and make it give up and obey Christ.”
Have you ever thought about what it means to capture your thoughts? Do you put them in glass jars like lightening bugs, poke holes in the top and let them shine until their light goes out? If you capture a thought does it die or fester? Does it become a prisoner longing for freedom or die in the cage you put it in? What makes you capture a thought? Is it because it could destroy you or someone else or is it because it’s too lofty or silly or ambitious for you to think on? What makes a thought bad or good? What does it mean to capture you thoughts?
2 Corinthians was written by Paul as an admonishment to the Christians in Corinth. He wrote to remind them of who they now belonged to as followers of Christ and to always examine themselves as the new creations they now were. The Corinthians had become full of themselves and their “religious fellowship” and they argued over who the best leader was and who had the greatest gifts. When Paul wrote this second letter to them he sought to reign them back in by “taking their thoughts captive” and remembering who they served and the gift of eternal life that could only come from Christ. But Paul wasn’t writing to just the Corinthians of that time, he was writing to all of the “Corinthians” in future generations. The today Corinthians who hold lofty thoughts and puff themselves up with importance and the tomorrow Corinthians, who seek to serve self rather than their fellow man. He was writing to those of us who forget who we belong to and our purposes here on earth because we can’t seem to “take our thoughts and hold them captive in obedience to Christ.”
The word thought or past tense of think has it’s origins in Old English or Saxon language. It literally means the act or process of thinking. When you have a thought you are taking the concept or idea and basically mauling it over. It means you’ve been inspired, have a concept, idea or impression you are now considering. There is a science behind your thoughts. Scientists have long studied brain patterns and gone to great lengths to explain why we think as we do. One of the most interesting things I found in researching the word thought was in Wikipedia under pitfalls; it said that thoughts can lead to self-delusions or the inability to confront relevant issues. I think that’s what Paul was talking about when he said “we must hold every thought captive”. Our thoughts can become destructive. They have the ability to disable us if we let them. David Guzik’s commentary puts this into perspective; he says “Paul's principle has a much broader application. We are not helpless victims or recipients of our thoughts. We can choose to stop our thoughts, and bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”
The application is clear. How we think today, how we process our thoughts is a reflection of whose we are. Paul is saying, if you have a thought and it is contradictory to the way a new creation in Christ must think you need to take that thought, hold it prisoner and banish it. Like the bugs in the jar the light must go out and once you have reined the thought in, it must not be allowed to come back. It is not just a matter of capturing the thought; it is a matter of banishing it and filling you mind with good. Paul goes on to tell us that we have the weapons to fight the thought war and to take the thoughts that destroy us captive. Those weapons are found in Ephesians chapter 6. We put on the “full armor of God” 6:14-18 tells us we have a belt of truth, a shield of faith and shoes that carry the good news. Our salvation is our helmet and our sword is the word of God. God equips us with the tools to take every thought captive. He gives us the armor, and says “use it to defeat the enemies, the thoughts that take you captive and pull you away from me”. I love how the Message translates this part of scripture “So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the devil throws your way….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. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s word is an indispensible weapon.” (vs. 11-14).
Capture your thoughts today, put them in glass jars and if they are destructive use the weapons God provides to destroy them, and then let only the light from the truth shown to you in God’s word shine through. You’ll see a beacon where once there was only a glimmer and your armor will shine like the Son!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Go ahead, have a good cry!
As I shared with you last week I am taking a journey through the book of Ruth and learning many lessons. Today Kelly Minter wrote about crying and kindness and what happens when we choose to turn toward our tears instead of away from them. I never really looked at tears as a journey, rather as a stumbling block or a sign of weakness or sometimes even tears of joy over an occasion that made me happy but never a journey. So when we cry where do we travel?
For some of us crying is cathartic. It comes at the end of a trial or argument or incident. Sometimes crying comes during one of those occasions and sometimes crying comes as a result of something outside of ourselves. For instance, most of us cry at the death of a loved one, the end of a relationship or the hurt of heartache. Oh, I know there are other emotions that we encounter as we experience these happenings but for now let’s concentrate on crying.
There are happy tears, sad tears, tears of frustration, of anger or hurt. There are tears of joy and longing and sadness. There are tears of pain and confusion and even self examination. For most, we feel better after a good cry and lousy while we are in the middle of it. Some I know bottle up all their tears and then explode when they can’t hold them in any longer. Not long ago I had a day were everything made me cry. It wasn’t because things were bad or painful it was just because my emotions that day were best expressed in tears. Those are the days I think my husband wonders if a good psychologist might not be such a bad idea. But, overall, I think tears are good.
Did you know that if a person cannot cry there are now eye drops to help you cry? Can you imagine not being able to cry? I cannot imagine during the times in my life when a good cry was necessary to clean out my soul not being able to do so and yet, that is what can happen. Wikipedia states that “to cry or weep is to wail and/or shed tears as a response to an emotional state in humans. Further in the definition it says the function or origin of emotional tears remains open. Theories range from the simple, such as response to inflicted pain, to the more complex, including nonverbal communication in order to elicit "helping" behavior from others”. Like I said, there are a lot of reasons why we cry. But have you ever considered your tears a journey?
Jesus knew the value of tears. When his friend Lazarus died he wept, not so much for the death of his friend but for the grief he saw in those around him, those who did not know that death was not the final destiny but only the end of a persons time here on earth. I think he felt sorrow for those who wept around him and sorrow for those who still did not understand the message of salvation he tried to bring as he ministered to all those lost souls. This was yet another time he would show the people that He would conquer death and claim in triumph the words found in Isaiah “Death is destroyed forever in victory.” (Isaiah 25:8). Jesus also had an experience with the woman who washed his feet with her tears and dried them with her hair in Luke 7:38-50. Jesus said those tears were a sign of great love. How I long for the day that I can bow at his feet and wash them with my tears. Did you know that there are 181 references to crying in the Bible? Jesus even wept for Jerusalem, wondering how long it would take the beloved city to realize that what could give it peace was already there. (Luke 19:41-44) Jesus knew the value of tears and also understood that crying is a part of our journey.
Kelly Minter says; “although there will be weeping in this life, the direction in which we weep is what really matters.” Do your tears move you forward or do they hold you back? Are they cathartic or are they a hindrance? Tears should cause us to want to move forward, not hold us back. So when you cry, what direction are you going in? Are you moving forward or walking backward? The next time you have a good cry ask yourself which direction you plan to go once the good cry is over. If your plan involves wallowing in what caused you to cry to begin with, rethink your strategy. Even Paul cried when he left his friends in Acts 20, not because he wanted to stay were he was but because he knew in following the direction the Holy Spirit was leading him he would have to say goodbye to friends all the while looking forward to where the journey would take him. Don’t get stuck in what was, dig yourself out and journey forward, away from the tears. Old tears can turn to bitterness, even resentment. There will be a day for new tears. Ecclesiastes tells us “there is a time to cry and a time to laugh” (vs 4) our responsibility is to move forward. Today, if you feel a good cry coming on, go ahead, just remember when you move on to the other side of those tears, move forward. Psalm 30:5b says “Crying may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” I pray the other side of your tears finds you on a journey toward joy.
For some of us crying is cathartic. It comes at the end of a trial or argument or incident. Sometimes crying comes during one of those occasions and sometimes crying comes as a result of something outside of ourselves. For instance, most of us cry at the death of a loved one, the end of a relationship or the hurt of heartache. Oh, I know there are other emotions that we encounter as we experience these happenings but for now let’s concentrate on crying.
There are happy tears, sad tears, tears of frustration, of anger or hurt. There are tears of joy and longing and sadness. There are tears of pain and confusion and even self examination. For most, we feel better after a good cry and lousy while we are in the middle of it. Some I know bottle up all their tears and then explode when they can’t hold them in any longer. Not long ago I had a day were everything made me cry. It wasn’t because things were bad or painful it was just because my emotions that day were best expressed in tears. Those are the days I think my husband wonders if a good psychologist might not be such a bad idea. But, overall, I think tears are good.
Did you know that if a person cannot cry there are now eye drops to help you cry? Can you imagine not being able to cry? I cannot imagine during the times in my life when a good cry was necessary to clean out my soul not being able to do so and yet, that is what can happen. Wikipedia states that “to cry or weep is to wail and/or shed tears as a response to an emotional state in humans. Further in the definition it says the function or origin of emotional tears remains open. Theories range from the simple, such as response to inflicted pain, to the more complex, including nonverbal communication in order to elicit "helping" behavior from others”. Like I said, there are a lot of reasons why we cry. But have you ever considered your tears a journey?
Jesus knew the value of tears. When his friend Lazarus died he wept, not so much for the death of his friend but for the grief he saw in those around him, those who did not know that death was not the final destiny but only the end of a persons time here on earth. I think he felt sorrow for those who wept around him and sorrow for those who still did not understand the message of salvation he tried to bring as he ministered to all those lost souls. This was yet another time he would show the people that He would conquer death and claim in triumph the words found in Isaiah “Death is destroyed forever in victory.” (Isaiah 25:8). Jesus also had an experience with the woman who washed his feet with her tears and dried them with her hair in Luke 7:38-50. Jesus said those tears were a sign of great love. How I long for the day that I can bow at his feet and wash them with my tears. Did you know that there are 181 references to crying in the Bible? Jesus even wept for Jerusalem, wondering how long it would take the beloved city to realize that what could give it peace was already there. (Luke 19:41-44) Jesus knew the value of tears and also understood that crying is a part of our journey.
Kelly Minter says; “although there will be weeping in this life, the direction in which we weep is what really matters.” Do your tears move you forward or do they hold you back? Are they cathartic or are they a hindrance? Tears should cause us to want to move forward, not hold us back. So when you cry, what direction are you going in? Are you moving forward or walking backward? The next time you have a good cry ask yourself which direction you plan to go once the good cry is over. If your plan involves wallowing in what caused you to cry to begin with, rethink your strategy. Even Paul cried when he left his friends in Acts 20, not because he wanted to stay were he was but because he knew in following the direction the Holy Spirit was leading him he would have to say goodbye to friends all the while looking forward to where the journey would take him. Don’t get stuck in what was, dig yourself out and journey forward, away from the tears. Old tears can turn to bitterness, even resentment. There will be a day for new tears. Ecclesiastes tells us “there is a time to cry and a time to laugh” (vs 4) our responsibility is to move forward. Today, if you feel a good cry coming on, go ahead, just remember when you move on to the other side of those tears, move forward. Psalm 30:5b says “Crying may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” I pray the other side of your tears finds you on a journey toward joy.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Under His Care
This week I felt that God was leading me to start a study on my own. I sometimes find this difficult as I lead a study every other Sunday evening so delving into two different areas makes me feel as though I cannot give one or the other the true attention it deserves. But, our every other week study often gets postponed due to weather and conflicting schedules and I was feeling rather restless in my study time. In prayer I felt God was leading me to pick up a new study I just purchased by Kelly Minter, entitled Ruth, Loss, Love and Legacy. So, I trust that he will help me tie the two together and in the long run, use one to grow the other. I am always amazed by what he shows me, and I would be remiss if I did not take a minute to share with you what I am learning.
Many of you have studied Ruth before. I knew a few things going in, such as her heritage, a Moabite who worshipped false Gods and her mother-in-law, Naomi, whom she followed back to Israel due to the death of their husbands. But, I am getting way ahead of myself. Suffice it to say, the story may be short but it is full of lessons we can all learn. One lesson I have learned this week is this. It is better to be under His care right here, where I am, than seek the care of something outside of His will. We all know the verse in Jeremiah 29 that says “I know the plans I have for you, plans to help you and not to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future.”
God has our future planned, he knows our tomorrows before we do and His plans include hope and good. Yet, I find myself worrying over, even manipulating the future sometimes, and thinking I know better than God. When Elimelech realized that his family would starve in Bethlehem due to famine, he pulled up stakes and moved his family to Moab.
The ironic thing about all of this was that Elimelech worshipped God, the giver of life, the one who gave manna from heaven for the Israelites as they travelled to the Promised Land. Yet, when the going got tough, rather than believe on the one who could give bread from heaven, he moved his entire family to a place that didn’t even know who God was. The saying goes “The grass is always greener on the other side” and yet, not long after he got there he died and his sons died, leaving young wives and a mother-in-law who were now in a foreign land and knew no one.
There is really no explanation as to why Elimelech chose to go to Moab. Research does not indicate long lost relatives or some distant friend that helped him make his choice. He just packed up and moved to a rather hostile land in which history shows a rather turbulent past with the Israelites. But Elimelech seemed to have forgotten the past troubles and just saw the grass as greener and the famine not so daunting from that far off land. So, he packed, moved and settled in Moab.
Are you ever tempted to pack up, move on and settle in a distant land because the right here and now just looks like it is too hard to bear? I know I can say with all certainty that there have been times in my life when the temptation to pack up and move with no forwarding address was far greater than I care to admit. I have known people to do just that, thinking that by packing and moving the troubles will be gone, a moving truck becomes their escape hatch and all seems right in their world for a few years but eventually the trouble finds them again. You see, I don’t believe troubles disappear just because we run away. I believe they have a way of finding us regardless of where we are. It all boils down to how we live our lives. When hardships come, do we hunker down for the long haul, pull out our faith reserves and like a good soldier secure our bunker or do we hightail it to a distant land because it is so much easier?
The easy way often seems like the best way. Christ even talks about this in John 16:33b when he says “In this world you will have troubles, but be brave! I have defeated the world.” In one breath he says “you are going to have troubles, there are no ifs, ands or buts, however, along with that is this promise, I have defeated the world, so guess what, those troubles are temporary!” Many versions say, “Take heart, I have overcome the world.” What does it mean to overcome? The obvious definition is “to defeat” but if you dig a little deeper the definition is also “To be victorious, to surmount opposition, to prevail” some dictionaries even use the words, wallop, overrun and conquer in their definition. And that is just what Jesus has done for you. He has walloped the world into submission. Before we ever experience our troubles He knows they are coming. He says, here are the tools we have to defeat these troubles, the Word of God, your relationship with God’s son and oh yes, the Holy Spirit whom I sent to help you defend against the attackers this world will bring.
That is the lesson I learned from Ruth, that no matter how green the grass may look on the other side, when troubles come I have been given the tools to hunker down and weather out the storm. I refuse to run like Elimelech, but to stand firm during the famine because “The Bread of Heaven” has assured me, He has already defeated the World! I can’t think of a better soldier I would want fighting my battles, can you? There is not one warrior in the bible whose journey was easy. The cool part was they all had one thing in common, when the going got tough rather than run away, they faced their enemy and the rewards were amazing. Don’t believe me, take a minute today to read Hebrews chapter 11, then go back and refresh your memory with the stories of Moses in Exodus or Abraham in Genesis or David. David can even tell you, that no matter where you run, you can’t hide from God. Lessons learned, examples given, green grass, not so green anymore.
So, when the way seems paved with troubles and the grass is looking a little greener in a far off land, remember Jesus’ promise, “He has defeated the world!” Take up the armor of Christ (Ephesians 6:10-17) and fight the good fight, stay the course, you will find that not only is the grass greener right where you are, the rewards for your faithfulness far outweigh any earthly treasure. 1 Peter 1:7 says “These troubles come to prove that your faith is pure. This purity of faith is worth more than gold, which can be proved to be pure by fire but will ruin. But the purity of your faith will bring you praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is shown to you.” Stay the course, the Glory of Lord is coming!
Many of you have studied Ruth before. I knew a few things going in, such as her heritage, a Moabite who worshipped false Gods and her mother-in-law, Naomi, whom she followed back to Israel due to the death of their husbands. But, I am getting way ahead of myself. Suffice it to say, the story may be short but it is full of lessons we can all learn. One lesson I have learned this week is this. It is better to be under His care right here, where I am, than seek the care of something outside of His will. We all know the verse in Jeremiah 29 that says “I know the plans I have for you, plans to help you and not to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future.”
God has our future planned, he knows our tomorrows before we do and His plans include hope and good. Yet, I find myself worrying over, even manipulating the future sometimes, and thinking I know better than God. When Elimelech realized that his family would starve in Bethlehem due to famine, he pulled up stakes and moved his family to Moab.
The ironic thing about all of this was that Elimelech worshipped God, the giver of life, the one who gave manna from heaven for the Israelites as they travelled to the Promised Land. Yet, when the going got tough, rather than believe on the one who could give bread from heaven, he moved his entire family to a place that didn’t even know who God was. The saying goes “The grass is always greener on the other side” and yet, not long after he got there he died and his sons died, leaving young wives and a mother-in-law who were now in a foreign land and knew no one.
There is really no explanation as to why Elimelech chose to go to Moab. Research does not indicate long lost relatives or some distant friend that helped him make his choice. He just packed up and moved to a rather hostile land in which history shows a rather turbulent past with the Israelites. But Elimelech seemed to have forgotten the past troubles and just saw the grass as greener and the famine not so daunting from that far off land. So, he packed, moved and settled in Moab.
Are you ever tempted to pack up, move on and settle in a distant land because the right here and now just looks like it is too hard to bear? I know I can say with all certainty that there have been times in my life when the temptation to pack up and move with no forwarding address was far greater than I care to admit. I have known people to do just that, thinking that by packing and moving the troubles will be gone, a moving truck becomes their escape hatch and all seems right in their world for a few years but eventually the trouble finds them again. You see, I don’t believe troubles disappear just because we run away. I believe they have a way of finding us regardless of where we are. It all boils down to how we live our lives. When hardships come, do we hunker down for the long haul, pull out our faith reserves and like a good soldier secure our bunker or do we hightail it to a distant land because it is so much easier?
The easy way often seems like the best way. Christ even talks about this in John 16:33b when he says “In this world you will have troubles, but be brave! I have defeated the world.” In one breath he says “you are going to have troubles, there are no ifs, ands or buts, however, along with that is this promise, I have defeated the world, so guess what, those troubles are temporary!” Many versions say, “Take heart, I have overcome the world.” What does it mean to overcome? The obvious definition is “to defeat” but if you dig a little deeper the definition is also “To be victorious, to surmount opposition, to prevail” some dictionaries even use the words, wallop, overrun and conquer in their definition. And that is just what Jesus has done for you. He has walloped the world into submission. Before we ever experience our troubles He knows they are coming. He says, here are the tools we have to defeat these troubles, the Word of God, your relationship with God’s son and oh yes, the Holy Spirit whom I sent to help you defend against the attackers this world will bring.
That is the lesson I learned from Ruth, that no matter how green the grass may look on the other side, when troubles come I have been given the tools to hunker down and weather out the storm. I refuse to run like Elimelech, but to stand firm during the famine because “The Bread of Heaven” has assured me, He has already defeated the World! I can’t think of a better soldier I would want fighting my battles, can you? There is not one warrior in the bible whose journey was easy. The cool part was they all had one thing in common, when the going got tough rather than run away, they faced their enemy and the rewards were amazing. Don’t believe me, take a minute today to read Hebrews chapter 11, then go back and refresh your memory with the stories of Moses in Exodus or Abraham in Genesis or David. David can even tell you, that no matter where you run, you can’t hide from God. Lessons learned, examples given, green grass, not so green anymore.
So, when the way seems paved with troubles and the grass is looking a little greener in a far off land, remember Jesus’ promise, “He has defeated the world!” Take up the armor of Christ (Ephesians 6:10-17) and fight the good fight, stay the course, you will find that not only is the grass greener right where you are, the rewards for your faithfulness far outweigh any earthly treasure. 1 Peter 1:7 says “These troubles come to prove that your faith is pure. This purity of faith is worth more than gold, which can be proved to be pure by fire but will ruin. But the purity of your faith will bring you praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is shown to you.” Stay the course, the Glory of Lord is coming!
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Answering the Call
This morning my quiet time was rather noisy. I started reading and the dog wanted out, I went back to reading and the doorbell rang, I finally got back to reading and the phone rang. Noisy mornings can be so frustrating but, God had a purpose in the noise. He wanted to get my attention. He wanted to talk to me about His calling for me and for you. You see, God calls all of us but the noise of day to day life gets in the way so we don’t always hear him and sometimes when we do, we have moved past the first call to the 3rd, 4th and even 50th call before we get that we are hearing from Him. So, how do we know he is calling and how can we be sure when we hear, that it is truly Him. I have a few thoughts on that, so pull up a chair and I will try to explain.
In the Old Testament God’s calling was usually pretty clear. He called Moses from a burning bush, Joseph in a dream and in many cases as with Noah and Abraham in normal day to day conversations. In New Testament times or the times we now live in, God uses the Holy Spirit to speak to us. Most of us find the Holy Spirit illusive to say the least. We think perhaps as we sit in prayer and hear a voice that it is just our conscious speaking, that it cannot possibly be God since he has so much more important work to do. What we forget is that God promised he would speak to us, if we would listen. The entire 2nd chapter of Acts tells us that God had a plan long before we would understand His Sons death. He wants nothing more than to stay in constant communication with us and He provided the Holy Spirit so that He could do just that. Galatians 4:6-7 tells us that God sent the Spirit into our hearts which cries out Father…so now we are God’s children and he will give us the blessings he has promised because we are his children. God promises if we cry out to him he will hear us and bless us. Ephesians 1:4-5 tells us that God has already chosen us, before the world was made He chose us. Because of His love, God had already decided to make us his own children through Jesus. That was what he wanted and what pleased him. Further on in the same chapter the bible tells us that God put his special mark of ownership on us by giving us the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the guarantee that we will receive what God has promised for his people (vs. 13-14). So, God is calling us.
If you have children you probably understand what I am talking about here. How many times has your child said your name, over and over and over again until you acknowledge them? The proverbial pull on the pants leg, Mom, Mom, Mom, until you finally look down or go into the room from which they are calling and they show you the same drawing but with a new color or the same movie but with a new frame or something all together new that they didn’t show you 2 minutes ago when you answered the last call. That is what God does for you. He calls your name over and over and over again, revealing His glory in sunrises and sunsets, new flowers in the pot on the back porch or new snow on the lawn or rain, washing the dirt from the sidewalk. Each time he is calling you saying, I am here as I promised, I am living in you and I am trying, through the noise of today to get your attention.
Romans chapter 8 talks our calling and the purpose of the Holy Spirit in our lives. 8:28 tells us that in everything God works for the good of those who love him. That we are the people he called, because that was his plan. So now we know we are being called. We know he will make good on His promises, at the end of Romans chapter 8 he tells us that nothing will separate us from his love. He protects us and he reminds us that He is the source of our blessings. All things come from Him, even pain and hardships. Priscilla Shirer in her study He Speaks to Me says “God will not share us with anything or anyone that takes our eyes off Him. He demands all of us.” She also goes on to say “God does not protect us from hardship and trouble; He protects us through them, even to heaven’s door.” Psalm 36 tells us that God protects His people in the shadow of His wings. David cried out for God’s protection time and time again and God said He would protect him. Max Lucado in his book The Applause of Heaven says, “Nothing occurs beyond the reach of God’s power, when you discover His strength you will rely on Him.” God’s power, through his gift of the Holy Spirit, lives in you. Acts 1:8 tells us that because the Holy Spirit resides in us, we have the power to be witnesses. God empowers us to live in a fallen world. Philippians 4:13 sums it up best, “I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength.
So, in the noisiness of your day, if you can; stop for a minute and thank God for never giving up as He calls us. He will continue to call until we hear and he will remind us that he is next to us, providing protection, as the source of our strength, blessing us because he has promised and helping us make it through one more day. All he asks is that we listen and respond to his call. Luke 11: 28 says, “happy are those who hear the teaching of God and obey it”. Lord, help us to hear you and be obedient in what we hear today.
Praying that amidst the noise we each hear Him call today.
Love you all
Jane
In the Old Testament God’s calling was usually pretty clear. He called Moses from a burning bush, Joseph in a dream and in many cases as with Noah and Abraham in normal day to day conversations. In New Testament times or the times we now live in, God uses the Holy Spirit to speak to us. Most of us find the Holy Spirit illusive to say the least. We think perhaps as we sit in prayer and hear a voice that it is just our conscious speaking, that it cannot possibly be God since he has so much more important work to do. What we forget is that God promised he would speak to us, if we would listen. The entire 2nd chapter of Acts tells us that God had a plan long before we would understand His Sons death. He wants nothing more than to stay in constant communication with us and He provided the Holy Spirit so that He could do just that. Galatians 4:6-7 tells us that God sent the Spirit into our hearts which cries out Father…so now we are God’s children and he will give us the blessings he has promised because we are his children. God promises if we cry out to him he will hear us and bless us. Ephesians 1:4-5 tells us that God has already chosen us, before the world was made He chose us. Because of His love, God had already decided to make us his own children through Jesus. That was what he wanted and what pleased him. Further on in the same chapter the bible tells us that God put his special mark of ownership on us by giving us the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the guarantee that we will receive what God has promised for his people (vs. 13-14). So, God is calling us.
If you have children you probably understand what I am talking about here. How many times has your child said your name, over and over and over again until you acknowledge them? The proverbial pull on the pants leg, Mom, Mom, Mom, until you finally look down or go into the room from which they are calling and they show you the same drawing but with a new color or the same movie but with a new frame or something all together new that they didn’t show you 2 minutes ago when you answered the last call. That is what God does for you. He calls your name over and over and over again, revealing His glory in sunrises and sunsets, new flowers in the pot on the back porch or new snow on the lawn or rain, washing the dirt from the sidewalk. Each time he is calling you saying, I am here as I promised, I am living in you and I am trying, through the noise of today to get your attention.
Romans chapter 8 talks our calling and the purpose of the Holy Spirit in our lives. 8:28 tells us that in everything God works for the good of those who love him. That we are the people he called, because that was his plan. So now we know we are being called. We know he will make good on His promises, at the end of Romans chapter 8 he tells us that nothing will separate us from his love. He protects us and he reminds us that He is the source of our blessings. All things come from Him, even pain and hardships. Priscilla Shirer in her study He Speaks to Me says “God will not share us with anything or anyone that takes our eyes off Him. He demands all of us.” She also goes on to say “God does not protect us from hardship and trouble; He protects us through them, even to heaven’s door.” Psalm 36 tells us that God protects His people in the shadow of His wings. David cried out for God’s protection time and time again and God said He would protect him. Max Lucado in his book The Applause of Heaven says, “Nothing occurs beyond the reach of God’s power, when you discover His strength you will rely on Him.” God’s power, through his gift of the Holy Spirit, lives in you. Acts 1:8 tells us that because the Holy Spirit resides in us, we have the power to be witnesses. God empowers us to live in a fallen world. Philippians 4:13 sums it up best, “I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength.
So, in the noisiness of your day, if you can; stop for a minute and thank God for never giving up as He calls us. He will continue to call until we hear and he will remind us that he is next to us, providing protection, as the source of our strength, blessing us because he has promised and helping us make it through one more day. All he asks is that we listen and respond to his call. Luke 11: 28 says, “happy are those who hear the teaching of God and obey it”. Lord, help us to hear you and be obedient in what we hear today.
Praying that amidst the noise we each hear Him call today.
Love you all
Jane
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Worship vs. Worry
This morning as I was reviewing my notes for Bible Study and basically using them as a short devotional, I started thinking about truly worshipping God and what that entails. One question came to mind that was not in my notes but I believe God directly spoke because I needed to hear Him ask. He ask me “do you enter my presence with a mind full of worship or full or worry? I was stunned. I never really thought about it. After all, are we not supposed to bring all of our worries to God, so wouldn’t I bring them too? Although the answer is yes, he wants to hear our worry that is not what he was asking me. He was asking, do I give him my all when I come before him? Do I truly lay it all at his feet and bask in his glory or do I hold on to the pieces and never really give my all to worshipping him? Busted! What a humbling experience to say the least.
My prayer went something like this. Lord, help me to come before you with nothing more that a desire to bask in your glory. To leave worry at the door step and as I take off my shoes and enter your holy place help me to see, hear, think, and feel only the deep presence that being with you brings. Let me arrive as a worshipper, singing to you and surrendering everything I brought. Let my focus be only on you and your word, you and your glory, you and your goodness and mercy, power and might.
As you go before God each day, take the focus off the worry, the world, and focus on the One who already knows all of your worries, the world issues, and the daily grind of living in a fallen world. When you come out you will be ready to face not only the issues you left at the door but equipped to handle them in a new and powerful way that comes from a heart set in true worship mode. Trust me, it works.
I want to leave you with the words to a song by Philips Craig and Dean. If you have never heard it grab a copy and play it while you are worshipping or praying, you will be amazed at the transformation that occurs when you take the focus off you and put it on worshipping the One who deserves our undivided attention.
Father I see that you are drawing a line in the sand
And I want to be standing on your side, holding your hand
So let your kingdom come, let it live in me
This is my prayer, this is my plea
[chorus]
Let the worshippers arise
Let the sons and the daughters sing
I surrender in my all
I surrender to the King
Let the worshippers arise
Let the sons and the daughters sing
I surrender in my all
I surrender to the King
Father I hear it growing louder
The song of your redeemed
As the saints of every nation
Are awakening to sing
From our hearts there comes an anthem
Oh, hear the heavens ring
This is our song, a song to our King!
Praying for your worship to be amazing today!
Love
Jane
My prayer went something like this. Lord, help me to come before you with nothing more that a desire to bask in your glory. To leave worry at the door step and as I take off my shoes and enter your holy place help me to see, hear, think, and feel only the deep presence that being with you brings. Let me arrive as a worshipper, singing to you and surrendering everything I brought. Let my focus be only on you and your word, you and your glory, you and your goodness and mercy, power and might.
As you go before God each day, take the focus off the worry, the world, and focus on the One who already knows all of your worries, the world issues, and the daily grind of living in a fallen world. When you come out you will be ready to face not only the issues you left at the door but equipped to handle them in a new and powerful way that comes from a heart set in true worship mode. Trust me, it works.
I want to leave you with the words to a song by Philips Craig and Dean. If you have never heard it grab a copy and play it while you are worshipping or praying, you will be amazed at the transformation that occurs when you take the focus off you and put it on worshipping the One who deserves our undivided attention.
Father I see that you are drawing a line in the sand
And I want to be standing on your side, holding your hand
So let your kingdom come, let it live in me
This is my prayer, this is my plea
[chorus]
Let the worshippers arise
Let the sons and the daughters sing
I surrender in my all
I surrender to the King
Let the worshippers arise
Let the sons and the daughters sing
I surrender in my all
I surrender to the King
Father I hear it growing louder
The song of your redeemed
As the saints of every nation
Are awakening to sing
From our hearts there comes an anthem
Oh, hear the heavens ring
This is our song, a song to our King!
Praying for your worship to be amazing today!
Love
Jane
Monday, January 4, 2010
The Great Love Chapter
Yesterday our Pastor gave a sermon on I Corinthians Chapter 13, the Great Love Chapter. We hear this chapter recited at weddings more than anywhere else and so it was a nice surprise to hear a sermon on the subject and gain a new perspective on not only why it was written but how it applies to each one of us. One of the things that Pastor Swayze said really stuck with me the rest of Sunday and I wanted to share a few thoughts with you as you start 2010.
If you read through 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 you will notice that Paul is trying to tell the Corinthians what it is like to not have love. He starts out by saying that it does not matter what spiritual gifts you have if you don’t have love they mean nothing. One of the reasons he is telling the Corinthian people this is because they have become so enamored with spiritual gifts that they have lost sight of how they are treating each other. They stopped working together and basically had begun to try and trump each other in the field of spiritual gifts saying one was better than the other and forgetting that as a body, if they stopped working together it didn’t matter what gift they had, everything would fall apart. Pastor Swayze related love to, of all things the blood that flows through our veins. She said “if you don’t have the blood or love coursing through your veins then no matter how many other parts you have they won’t work properly, we need the blood (love) to survive and thrive.” I like that. She went on to point out that there are numerous diseases that can be cured or treated but most blood diseases are fatal and have no cure. How sad, to allow the fatality of self-minded thinking to squeeze the life right out of the body. If we have not love we are like a noisy bell or a crashing symbol. Did you know that the gong or bell was what called the people to worship? If we have not love Paul is saying, all it is, is a bell or crashing symbol. The ringing means nothing. Why respond if you are not going to truly worship?
The love that Paul is talking about here is not eros or passionate love or philos, brotherly love but agape love. Agape love is a self-sacrificing love. It is the love Christ showed for us on the cross when he gave his life for us. It is the love you show when you lay down your life for someone. John 15:12b says “Greater love hath no man than this, that he would lay down his life for his friends.” That is agape love. It is not just what love between a husband and wife is supposed to look like but also between friends. I would lay down my life for my sisters and my Mom, for my husband and my children but do I love my friends enough to lay down my life? Do I love them with agape love? Paul is challenging the Corinthians here. He is saying, if you don’t have that kind of love it does not matter what you have, it means nothing.
One of the things Pastor Swayze challenged us to do was substitute our names for the word love in verses 4 through 7. I tried, oh how pitiful when reading the chapter that way. I try to be more patient, more kind, not boastful or arrogant. I try to be accepting and truthful and love my enemies. But I fail, miserably, on most days. Now substitute the name Jesus for love. He was and is agape. And, because of Him I can be that way to. You see, he paved the way for me and you to give the agape love to every one of our brothers and sisters. His love never ends. His love endures all things, it is not jealous or boastful or proud. His love does not count up wrongs but rejoices in the right. And because He died for me and you, he says, you can live and give agape love. He renews the blood coursing through our veins because he spilled His blood for each of us. Praise be to God that He loved us so much he GAVE us his only son (John3:16).
That is true love. The agape love of the New Testament came as a baby, wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. As we celebrate this New Year and focus on the direction we will each go, remember the blood coursing through your veins. Each day you are given a chance to love with agape love. With a love that says I will lay down my life for you. Read through 1 Corinthians chapter 13. Are you searching for gifts but forgetting the most important ingredient. Take a moment to focus on what really matters. If you remember as your reading a brother or sister, aunt, uncle, cousin, parent, friend, child, anyone whom you have not shown love to, ask God to forgive you. Even better ask that person for forgiveness and love them better than you ever did before.
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud. Love is not rude, is not selfish, and does not get upset with others. Love does not count up wrongs that have been done. Love it not happy with evil but is happy with the truth. Love patiently accepts all things. It always trusts, always hopes and always remains strong. Love never ends…..So these three things continue forever, faith, hope and love. And the greatest of these is love. (vs 4-8a, 13)
Love to all of you in this New Year!
Jane
If you read through 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 you will notice that Paul is trying to tell the Corinthians what it is like to not have love. He starts out by saying that it does not matter what spiritual gifts you have if you don’t have love they mean nothing. One of the reasons he is telling the Corinthian people this is because they have become so enamored with spiritual gifts that they have lost sight of how they are treating each other. They stopped working together and basically had begun to try and trump each other in the field of spiritual gifts saying one was better than the other and forgetting that as a body, if they stopped working together it didn’t matter what gift they had, everything would fall apart. Pastor Swayze related love to, of all things the blood that flows through our veins. She said “if you don’t have the blood or love coursing through your veins then no matter how many other parts you have they won’t work properly, we need the blood (love) to survive and thrive.” I like that. She went on to point out that there are numerous diseases that can be cured or treated but most blood diseases are fatal and have no cure. How sad, to allow the fatality of self-minded thinking to squeeze the life right out of the body. If we have not love we are like a noisy bell or a crashing symbol. Did you know that the gong or bell was what called the people to worship? If we have not love Paul is saying, all it is, is a bell or crashing symbol. The ringing means nothing. Why respond if you are not going to truly worship?
The love that Paul is talking about here is not eros or passionate love or philos, brotherly love but agape love. Agape love is a self-sacrificing love. It is the love Christ showed for us on the cross when he gave his life for us. It is the love you show when you lay down your life for someone. John 15:12b says “Greater love hath no man than this, that he would lay down his life for his friends.” That is agape love. It is not just what love between a husband and wife is supposed to look like but also between friends. I would lay down my life for my sisters and my Mom, for my husband and my children but do I love my friends enough to lay down my life? Do I love them with agape love? Paul is challenging the Corinthians here. He is saying, if you don’t have that kind of love it does not matter what you have, it means nothing.
One of the things Pastor Swayze challenged us to do was substitute our names for the word love in verses 4 through 7. I tried, oh how pitiful when reading the chapter that way. I try to be more patient, more kind, not boastful or arrogant. I try to be accepting and truthful and love my enemies. But I fail, miserably, on most days. Now substitute the name Jesus for love. He was and is agape. And, because of Him I can be that way to. You see, he paved the way for me and you to give the agape love to every one of our brothers and sisters. His love never ends. His love endures all things, it is not jealous or boastful or proud. His love does not count up wrongs but rejoices in the right. And because He died for me and you, he says, you can live and give agape love. He renews the blood coursing through our veins because he spilled His blood for each of us. Praise be to God that He loved us so much he GAVE us his only son (John3:16).
That is true love. The agape love of the New Testament came as a baby, wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. As we celebrate this New Year and focus on the direction we will each go, remember the blood coursing through your veins. Each day you are given a chance to love with agape love. With a love that says I will lay down my life for you. Read through 1 Corinthians chapter 13. Are you searching for gifts but forgetting the most important ingredient. Take a moment to focus on what really matters. If you remember as your reading a brother or sister, aunt, uncle, cousin, parent, friend, child, anyone whom you have not shown love to, ask God to forgive you. Even better ask that person for forgiveness and love them better than you ever did before.
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud. Love is not rude, is not selfish, and does not get upset with others. Love does not count up wrongs that have been done. Love it not happy with evil but is happy with the truth. Love patiently accepts all things. It always trusts, always hopes and always remains strong. Love never ends…..So these three things continue forever, faith, hope and love. And the greatest of these is love. (vs 4-8a, 13)
Love to all of you in this New Year!
Jane
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