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!
Friday, January 29, 2010
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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