"God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits,
to the woman who diligently seeks.
It's a good thing to quietly hope,
quietly hope for help from God.
It's a good thing when you're young
to stick it out through the hard times." Lamentations 3:25
Since the weather has gotten warmer, my son has personified this verse. Well, sort of. It's not about God. It's about wearing shorts.
Every day he wakes himself up at 6:45 and goes into the living room to turn on the TV and check the weather on the news. I didn't even realize he was doing this until this week, when every day we have had a discussion on what he has seen on the news. (Not sure what to think about that!) This morning he came into our bathroom as the hubster and I were getting ready to tell us the latest on the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico!
It's important to him to check the weather every day. He is passionate, he is diligent, he is sticking it out because he has hope . . . that he can wear shorts. That's what it is all about for him. He knows it has to be at least 50 degrees when he gets up and it has to a forecast of mid-60s or higher for him to be able to wear shorts.
What can I say? I gave birth to a bum. Shorts and flip flops are all he wants to wear!
This morning I wondered if I have that kind of diligence with God. Do I wake up with the expectancy of meeting God? Do I have passion, diligence, hope?
Sometimes. Not all the time. But my awesome kid reminded me today that it is a good thing to hope. It is a good thing to be passionate about God! (Take that, Martha!)
Hmmmmm . . . out of the mouths of babes.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
When Words Cannot Express
"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will." Romans 8:26-27
There are times in our lives when we just cannot figure out a way to say how we feel. How wonderful that we can trust that God still hears our prayers!
But we cannot leave it as, "God knows how I feel, so I don't have to pray." It's His desire for us to still turn to Him, even when we don't know what to say.
Remember my post a few days ago, with the song "When I Don't Know What to Say?" Don't shut God out of the burdens that feel too hard to talk about. When you don't know what to say, just speak His praise. Or tell Him that you don't know what to say. His promise in Romans is that His Spirit will understand, and voice our prayers for us.
These two verses precede one of the most well-known: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Even when we don't know which way to turn, how to pray, where to go, we can trust that God is working things out for us.
I hope you have a really great and bountiful day. Keep blazing!
There are times in our lives when we just cannot figure out a way to say how we feel. How wonderful that we can trust that God still hears our prayers!
But we cannot leave it as, "God knows how I feel, so I don't have to pray." It's His desire for us to still turn to Him, even when we don't know what to say.
Remember my post a few days ago, with the song "When I Don't Know What to Say?" Don't shut God out of the burdens that feel too hard to talk about. When you don't know what to say, just speak His praise. Or tell Him that you don't know what to say. His promise in Romans is that His Spirit will understand, and voice our prayers for us.
These two verses precede one of the most well-known: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Even when we don't know which way to turn, how to pray, where to go, we can trust that God is working things out for us.
I hope you have a really great and bountiful day. Keep blazing!
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Ouch. Ouch. Ouch.
The title of today's post is from the sound of me walking. I started working out with a trainer yesterday, and I am sore!!! I mean, SORE!!! So when I walk, I make those sounds. Ouch. Ooooh. Oh. Ouch. I'm not gonna lie . . . it's not pretty.
Sometimes we have to get in shape spiritually, too, and it's not pretty either. There are times when God makes us do some pretty tough workouts, and it's easy to forget that He only has our good in mind.
Sometimes we have to get in shape spiritually, too, and it's not pretty either. There are times when God makes us do some pretty tough workouts, and it's easy to forget that He only has our good in mind.
In 1 Corinthians 9:24-25, Paul says, "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever."
Spiritual training is hard. It involves discipline, desire, and work. It's not easy to be a Christian, nor is it easy to make Christ-like choices. But, as Paul says, our reward lasts a lifetime.
See you (ouch) tomorrow (oh).
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Beauty Is . . .
I love to decorate. I can spend hours pouring over magazines, catalogs and books. There are hundreds of decorating blogs on the internet, and there are some that I love to look at. It's just something I enjoy!
Recently I've been explaining to my son that what you look like on the outside isn't as important as your heart. If I had a girl, it would be easier to explain, I think - "Pretty is as pretty does!" Not so easy with a boy.
Yesterday I participated in a staff retreat with my church, where I'm a volunteer staff member. One of the main topics was, "Barriers to Growth." Not just on a church level, but on a personal level, too . . . Pastor Andy kept asking, "Where are you not growing? What is keeping you from growth?" Deep discussions of this sort always get me thinking, and during our prayer time at the end of the day, my thoughts turned to this awesome kid God has given me.
Sometimes he and I just clash. He'll have a great day at school, I'll have a great day at home, but 5 minutes after we are together we are having an argument. He's in tears, I'm in tears. I. HATE. THAT. Seriously hate it.
Yesterday I prayed that I would spend as much time making my home spiritually and emotionally beautiful as I do physically beautiful. No ministry that I ever have, no impact I make on this world, will matter much to me if my child doesn't know Christ, or is turned from Him because of my actions, my attitudes.
Jesus said in Matthew 18:6: "If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were drowned in the depths of the sea." That's certainly not how I want things to be for us!
So I remind myself that pretty is as pretty does. What good does it do me to spend hours and hours decorating, but have a bad relationship with my son? Or my husband? And once I am confidant that those relationships are built on a solid foundation, my focus moves to my family, my friends. Lives are the important things. Not things. My house is nothing compared to His beauty. So let me remember that, and keep this verse as my motivation:
One thing I ask of the LORD,
this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.Psalm 27:4
Recently I've been explaining to my son that what you look like on the outside isn't as important as your heart. If I had a girl, it would be easier to explain, I think - "Pretty is as pretty does!" Not so easy with a boy.
Yesterday I participated in a staff retreat with my church, where I'm a volunteer staff member. One of the main topics was, "Barriers to Growth." Not just on a church level, but on a personal level, too . . . Pastor Andy kept asking, "Where are you not growing? What is keeping you from growth?" Deep discussions of this sort always get me thinking, and during our prayer time at the end of the day, my thoughts turned to this awesome kid God has given me.
Sometimes he and I just clash. He'll have a great day at school, I'll have a great day at home, but 5 minutes after we are together we are having an argument. He's in tears, I'm in tears. I. HATE. THAT. Seriously hate it.
Yesterday I prayed that I would spend as much time making my home spiritually and emotionally beautiful as I do physically beautiful. No ministry that I ever have, no impact I make on this world, will matter much to me if my child doesn't know Christ, or is turned from Him because of my actions, my attitudes.
Jesus said in Matthew 18:6: "If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were drowned in the depths of the sea." That's certainly not how I want things to be for us!
So I remind myself that pretty is as pretty does. What good does it do me to spend hours and hours decorating, but have a bad relationship with my son? Or my husband? And once I am confidant that those relationships are built on a solid foundation, my focus moves to my family, my friends. Lives are the important things. Not things. My house is nothing compared to His beauty. So let me remember that, and keep this verse as my motivation:
One thing I ask of the LORD,
this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.Psalm 27:4
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Seasons
You heavens above, rain down righteousness;
let the clouds shower it down.
Let the earth open wide,
let salvation spring up,
let righteousness grow with it;
I, the LORD, have created it.
Isaiah 45:8
My husband and I were looking over the fields outside our house this weekend, and I remarked how the seasons of the year are such a metaphor for life. After a long winter, don't you kind of forget how green everything gets in March and April? It's a surprise to me every year.
And just when I think it can't get more beautiful, or the green can't get greener . . . it does! The trees become more plush and the grass deepens and becomes more rich looking.
Then . . . summer, where the green begins to level off, but bursts of vibrant color abound in florals all around us. Trees, plants, bushes . . . summer just seems alive with bright color! Then, around the corner . . . we see tinges of yellow and orange. And autumn sets in, with such richness in color - again, it's like we forget each year - that the beauty takes my breath away.
Then we come full circle, back to winter, where the pattern of bare branches against a white sky make a pattern of lace. And snow that seems alive as it shimmers in the sun. Ice-coated trees that seem to be made of diamonds . . .
It reminds me of life. There are seasons in my life that just seem so full, so rich . . . I think it can't get better. And then . . . it does! But sometimes, there are seasons like a drought-ful summer, where it is so hot that everything seems to wilt - just like in my life, when I'm so busy and overwhelmed I don't think I can go on - where I am just holding on, waiting for the next season. Or the long, cold winter, where everything seems grey and dead - including me, on the inside. That's when spring seems so new. In nature, and in my heart.
Isn't it just like God to use the awesomeness of nature to remind us of the intimacies of life with Him? There will always be another season. There will always be something new. There will always be a time of turning.
There's an awesome song by Nichole Nordeman called, appropriately enough for this post, "Every Season." Here are the lyrics:
Every evening sky, an invitation
To trace the patterned stars
And early in July, a celebration
For freedom that is ours
And I notice You
In children’s games
In those who watch them from the shade
Every drop of sun is full of fun and wonder
You are summer
And even when the trees have just surrendered
To the harvest time
Forfeiting their leaves in late September
And sending us inside
Still I notice You when change begins
And I am braced for colder winds
I will offer thanks for what has been and was to come
You are autumn
And everything in time and under heaven
Finally falls asleep
Wrapped in blankets white, all creation
Shivers underneath
And still I notice you
When branches crack
And in my breath on frosted glass
Even now in death, You open doors for life to enter
You are winter
And everything that’s new has bravely surfaced
Teaching us to breathe
What was frozen through is newly purposed
Turning all things green
So it is with You
And how You make me new
With every season’s change
And so it will be
As You are re-creating me
Summer, autumn, winter, spring
God is so intimate. He uses the mastery of His creation to simply have a relationship with us. Really, think this through . . . isn't He great?
let the clouds shower it down.
Let the earth open wide,
let salvation spring up,
let righteousness grow with it;
I, the LORD, have created it.
Isaiah 45:8
My husband and I were looking over the fields outside our house this weekend, and I remarked how the seasons of the year are such a metaphor for life. After a long winter, don't you kind of forget how green everything gets in March and April? It's a surprise to me every year.
And just when I think it can't get more beautiful, or the green can't get greener . . . it does! The trees become more plush and the grass deepens and becomes more rich looking.
Then . . . summer, where the green begins to level off, but bursts of vibrant color abound in florals all around us. Trees, plants, bushes . . . summer just seems alive with bright color! Then, around the corner . . . we see tinges of yellow and orange. And autumn sets in, with such richness in color - again, it's like we forget each year - that the beauty takes my breath away.
Then we come full circle, back to winter, where the pattern of bare branches against a white sky make a pattern of lace. And snow that seems alive as it shimmers in the sun. Ice-coated trees that seem to be made of diamonds . . .
It reminds me of life. There are seasons in my life that just seem so full, so rich . . . I think it can't get better. And then . . . it does! But sometimes, there are seasons like a drought-ful summer, where it is so hot that everything seems to wilt - just like in my life, when I'm so busy and overwhelmed I don't think I can go on - where I am just holding on, waiting for the next season. Or the long, cold winter, where everything seems grey and dead - including me, on the inside. That's when spring seems so new. In nature, and in my heart.
Isn't it just like God to use the awesomeness of nature to remind us of the intimacies of life with Him? There will always be another season. There will always be something new. There will always be a time of turning.
There's an awesome song by Nichole Nordeman called, appropriately enough for this post, "Every Season." Here are the lyrics:
Every evening sky, an invitation
To trace the patterned stars
And early in July, a celebration
For freedom that is ours
And I notice You
In children’s games
In those who watch them from the shade
Every drop of sun is full of fun and wonder
You are summer
And even when the trees have just surrendered
To the harvest time
Forfeiting their leaves in late September
And sending us inside
Still I notice You when change begins
And I am braced for colder winds
I will offer thanks for what has been and was to come
You are autumn
And everything in time and under heaven
Finally falls asleep
Wrapped in blankets white, all creation
Shivers underneath
And still I notice you
When branches crack
And in my breath on frosted glass
Even now in death, You open doors for life to enter
You are winter
And everything that’s new has bravely surfaced
Teaching us to breathe
What was frozen through is newly purposed
Turning all things green
So it is with You
And how You make me new
With every season’s change
And so it will be
As You are re-creating me
Summer, autumn, winter, spring
God is so intimate. He uses the mastery of His creation to simply have a relationship with us. Really, think this through . . . isn't He great?
Friday, April 23, 2010
Beautiful
Just a quick thought today because I'm on the go! I have been sharing all week about my "Women of Joy" conference, and I just wanted to share one last thing.
Liz Curtis Higgs talked about how loved we are by God. Gray hair, wrinkles, saggy skin . . . none of it matters to Him. He created us! He didn't just create us as babies; He created us to be teenagers, young adults, middle aged, and old! He created boys and girls, men and women . . . all of us the same at the foot of the cross. He created all those stages of our lives . . . so let's celebrate them!
Myself . . . I've been whining about age for 11 years now (since I turned 20, ha ha). But I think that maybe that's an affront to God. He made all my ages . . . so why should I whine about them?
Liz sang this song to us, and I wanted to end the week with it. You know how it goes:
You are so beautiful, to me.
You are so beautiful, to me.
You're everything I hoped for
I'm everything you need.
You are so beautiful . . . to me.
Sing it to yourself . . . use that imagination . . . and hear God singing it to you today.
Liz Curtis Higgs talked about how loved we are by God. Gray hair, wrinkles, saggy skin . . . none of it matters to Him. He created us! He didn't just create us as babies; He created us to be teenagers, young adults, middle aged, and old! He created boys and girls, men and women . . . all of us the same at the foot of the cross. He created all those stages of our lives . . . so let's celebrate them!
Myself . . . I've been whining about age for 11 years now (since I turned 20, ha ha). But I think that maybe that's an affront to God. He made all my ages . . . so why should I whine about them?
Liz sang this song to us, and I wanted to end the week with it. You know how it goes:
You are so beautiful, to me.
You are so beautiful, to me.
You're everything I hoped for
I'm everything you need.
You are so beautiful . . . to me.
Sing it to yourself . . . use that imagination . . . and hear God singing it to you today.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
When I Don't Know What to Do
When I don't know what to do
(I'll lift my hands)
When I don't know what to say
(I'll speak your praise)
When I don't know where to go
(I'll run to your throne)
When I don't know what to think
(I'll stand for your truth)
These are the lyrics to a song I learned this weekend called, "When I Don't Know What To Do." Haven't we all been there? Sometimes we can't find the right action...the right words...the right place....the right thought. We search and search for something right and end up feeling alone. We can easily feel like because God hasn't said, "walk ten paces, turn left, jump up and down" (in other words, told us exactly what to do!), that He has abandoned us.
But this song says it so beautifully. When I don't know what to do . . . I'll praise you, I'll run to you, I'll stand for you. It's all about Him, isn't it? What are we so worried about?
The problem is that sometimes we are searching for an answer, and we should be searching for Him. Does that make sense? Sometimes the answer is not an action, not a word, not a place, not a thought . . . it's simply and completely Him.
Isaiah 41:16-18: "But you will rejoice in the LORD and glory in the Holy One of Israel. The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the LORD will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs."
No matter what we are searching for . . . He is the answer.
(I'll lift my hands)
When I don't know what to say
(I'll speak your praise)
When I don't know where to go
(I'll run to your throne)
When I don't know what to think
(I'll stand for your truth)
These are the lyrics to a song I learned this weekend called, "When I Don't Know What To Do." Haven't we all been there? Sometimes we can't find the right action...the right words...the right place....the right thought. We search and search for something right and end up feeling alone. We can easily feel like because God hasn't said, "walk ten paces, turn left, jump up and down" (in other words, told us exactly what to do!), that He has abandoned us.
But this song says it so beautifully. When I don't know what to do . . . I'll praise you, I'll run to you, I'll stand for you. It's all about Him, isn't it? What are we so worried about?
The problem is that sometimes we are searching for an answer, and we should be searching for Him. Does that make sense? Sometimes the answer is not an action, not a word, not a place, not a thought . . . it's simply and completely Him.
Isaiah 41:16-18: "But you will rejoice in the LORD and glory in the Holy One of Israel. The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the LORD will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs."
No matter what we are searching for . . . He is the answer.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
How Special You Are
OK, I'm not ashamed to admit this. I love Keanu Reeves. I love the movie Speed. Saw it several times in the theater. Own it. Pull it out sometimes for the eye candy. I admit it! (I love you, honey.)
I also love other movies with Keanu in it (we're on a first name basis!). For example, there's a movie called, A Walk in the Clouds. It's about a man home from the war (WWII . . . I think) who is trying to start a business and he ends up befriending a young pregnant-out-of-wedlock woman. He agrees to pretend like he is her husband so that her traditional, proud family (especially her traditional, proud father) won't be upset.
Of course, by the end of the movie, they have fallen for each other - but there are complications! :0) Anyway, this is all to say that there's a line in the movie where Keanu Reeves is arguing with the father about his fake wife, and he says, "Can't you see how good, how special she is?"
OK, it loses something in the blog translation. But it's a very intense moment! I think of God having that kind of intensity about us. And so much more!
He wants you to see it, too. Can you open up your imagination for a moment, and hear God pleading with you . . . "Don't you see how special you are to me? I made you! I love you! You are worth so much more than ______!" Fill in the blank. It could be food, sex, money, sin.
Yesterday I had you look at Psalm 139. Today look-really look-at verse 14: "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."
How do I know that I am wonderfully made? How can I know for sure? Well, the logic goes like this: God is the creator of all things. Can you look at anything that he has created, and not see something special in it? Can you find anything that isn't wonderful? Now, man has messed up a lot of God's creations. Just like we've messed ourselves up. But in the pure, undiluted, unadulterated forms . . . God's creation is perfect.
Do you know that this great big God, this creator, this power, this force, this . . . everything . . . is not too big to beg for you? Isn't that what He did when He sacrificed His son for you? Isn't His word filled with his pleadings? Go back and read some of your favorite passages, and again, use your imagination. Hear His pleading. Jeremiah 29:11-12: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you."
Do you hear it? Do you hear the pleading? The plea says, "I have plans for you!! I will give you hope!! Please come and talk to me. I promise I will listen! I am here!"
Hear His pleas today. You are beloved! You are special! You are His!
I also love other movies with Keanu in it (we're on a first name basis!). For example, there's a movie called, A Walk in the Clouds. It's about a man home from the war (WWII . . . I think) who is trying to start a business and he ends up befriending a young pregnant-out-of-wedlock woman. He agrees to pretend like he is her husband so that her traditional, proud family (especially her traditional, proud father) won't be upset.
Of course, by the end of the movie, they have fallen for each other - but there are complications! :0) Anyway, this is all to say that there's a line in the movie where Keanu Reeves is arguing with the father about his fake wife, and he says, "Can't you see how good, how special she is?"
OK, it loses something in the blog translation. But it's a very intense moment! I think of God having that kind of intensity about us. And so much more!
He wants you to see it, too. Can you open up your imagination for a moment, and hear God pleading with you . . . "Don't you see how special you are to me? I made you! I love you! You are worth so much more than ______!" Fill in the blank. It could be food, sex, money, sin.
Yesterday I had you look at Psalm 139. Today look-really look-at verse 14: "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."
How do I know that I am wonderfully made? How can I know for sure? Well, the logic goes like this: God is the creator of all things. Can you look at anything that he has created, and not see something special in it? Can you find anything that isn't wonderful? Now, man has messed up a lot of God's creations. Just like we've messed ourselves up. But in the pure, undiluted, unadulterated forms . . . God's creation is perfect.
Do you know that this great big God, this creator, this power, this force, this . . . everything . . . is not too big to beg for you? Isn't that what He did when He sacrificed His son for you? Isn't His word filled with his pleadings? Go back and read some of your favorite passages, and again, use your imagination. Hear His pleading. Jeremiah 29:11-12: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you."
Do you hear it? Do you hear the pleading? The plea says, "I have plans for you!! I will give you hope!! Please come and talk to me. I promise I will listen! I am here!"
Hear His pleas today. You are beloved! You are special! You are His!
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
How Do You Worship?
So many wonderful words were spoken this weekend at Women of Joy. Life-affirming, encouraging, focusing, prayer-filled words. Our words are so important! They can build, break, or destroy.
Yesterday after school my son and I had a battle. It was a horrible way to come down from the high of the weekend. It was a fight that had us both crying and feeling horrible. Oh God . . . shut my mouth. Just nail it down, glue it, close it, destroy it . . . don't let my mouth destroy someone else.
I've thought for the last couple of days about something the worship leader said this weekend. He was referring to "church battles." Not spiritual battles, the kind that are written on and taught about in the Bible. But earthly battles of my way or no way, my songs or no songs, my church or no church.
He challenged us in this way: we need to be able to worship without song.
Let me wrap my mind around this: The song leader wanted us to worship without song. Wow! I can't stop thinking about that.
But it's a good truth to wrap around! Because no matter what kind of music you like, the worship is not in the song. There are two elements of worship: God and my heart. I can sing the most beautiful song in the world to God, and He could be disgusted with me because He knows it's fake and phony. Or I can say nothing. And have the most beautiful worship in the world.
When I look up the word "worship" in the Bible, I don't find songs very often. (Except in Psalms, of course!) But look at it yourself. From Genesis to Revelation, music is not a condition of worship. Words are not a condition of worship. The conditions: a worshiper. And the receiver of worship.
More often than not, you'll find the phrase "bow down and worship" when the Bible talks about it. And that tells me everything I need to know. The Bible tells me that it's about my heart, not my mouth. In fact, my mouth often gets in the way.
Worship songs and services are awesome, and I feel so close to God when my hands are lifted with other believers, praising Him and His goodness. But true worship is a lifestyle. We can worship at home. We can worship at Walmart!! We can worship at work. It's not about a place. It's about our hearts.
Where will your worship today? How will you do it? Don't let your attitudes, words, or even songs get in the way of true worship of our wonderful God, who loves and gives with such graciousness I can't even begin to understand.
"Come, let us bow down in worship,
let us kneel before the LORD our Maker;
for he is our God
and we are the people of his pasture,
the flock under his care." Psalm 95:6-7
Yesterday after school my son and I had a battle. It was a horrible way to come down from the high of the weekend. It was a fight that had us both crying and feeling horrible. Oh God . . . shut my mouth. Just nail it down, glue it, close it, destroy it . . . don't let my mouth destroy someone else.
I've thought for the last couple of days about something the worship leader said this weekend. He was referring to "church battles." Not spiritual battles, the kind that are written on and taught about in the Bible. But earthly battles of my way or no way, my songs or no songs, my church or no church.
He challenged us in this way: we need to be able to worship without song.
Let me wrap my mind around this: The song leader wanted us to worship without song. Wow! I can't stop thinking about that.
But it's a good truth to wrap around! Because no matter what kind of music you like, the worship is not in the song. There are two elements of worship: God and my heart. I can sing the most beautiful song in the world to God, and He could be disgusted with me because He knows it's fake and phony. Or I can say nothing. And have the most beautiful worship in the world.
When I look up the word "worship" in the Bible, I don't find songs very often. (Except in Psalms, of course!) But look at it yourself. From Genesis to Revelation, music is not a condition of worship. Words are not a condition of worship. The conditions: a worshiper. And the receiver of worship.
More often than not, you'll find the phrase "bow down and worship" when the Bible talks about it. And that tells me everything I need to know. The Bible tells me that it's about my heart, not my mouth. In fact, my mouth often gets in the way.
Worship songs and services are awesome, and I feel so close to God when my hands are lifted with other believers, praising Him and His goodness. But true worship is a lifestyle. We can worship at home. We can worship at Walmart!! We can worship at work. It's not about a place. It's about our hearts.
Where will your worship today? How will you do it? Don't let your attitudes, words, or even songs get in the way of true worship of our wonderful God, who loves and gives with such graciousness I can't even begin to understand.
"Come, let us bow down in worship,
let us kneel before the LORD our Maker;
for he is our God
and we are the people of his pasture,
the flock under his care." Psalm 95:6-7
Monday, April 19, 2010
What a Weekend
I have spent the weekend in Louisville, Kentucky at a conference I had never heard of before, called "Women of Joy" (go to womenofjoy.org for more information).
I had an amazing time. It was interesting because I had to keep shutting down my brain. Sounds like the wrong thing, but being involved in ministry sometimes means you take in everything you see and hear and try to apply it. Immediately. Like, "ooo we could do that kind of lighting at church! I need to take pictures and take them back to show the staff. And oh! We could do that billowy fabric, and . . . what did she say? I wasn't paying attention."
So I spent the weekend trying to just absorb, while shutting off the worker bee in me. Because I gotta be honest, I needed to hear what these women had to say. Let me tell you about this conference.
Friday night the speaker was Sarah Palin. Yup, the Sarah Palin. Now, I'm an unapologetic conservative, and I'll tell you all about that anytime! ;0) My big issue is life, and as a mother of a Down's Syndrome baby, and the mother of a teenage mother, Mrs. Palin had a lot to share on this issue. (If you want to know what else I think about her after seeing her, you'll have to ask me. Not gonna share it here. lol)
Saturday morning, after an awesome worship time with Charles Billingsley, we heard from Becky Tirabassi. She is amazing! She has real, in the trenches, spiritual experience, and her desire is for women to know who they are in God's eyes, and live and breathe and work, laugh and cry and praise, do everything from our perfect place in God's plan.
The next speaker was Anita Renfroe. Oh. My. Gosh. I have never laughed so hard in my life. Go to youtube.com and search for "Momsense." Hilarious.
That evening we were in concert, with two guys you might have heard of before. Steven Curtis Chapman. Michael W. Smith. That's right, they were both there. Came to sing for little old me. ;0) Steven shared his testimony of the journey he has taken over the last two years since his daughter Maria was accidentally killed in an accident at home. I cried so much . . . well, I really can't even begin to describe it. Let me try to sum it up like this: My dad has been gone for almost 20 years. He has missed lots of things in my life. But SCC reminded me that if he's in heaven, like SCC's daughter is, when I see him again we can catch up on some of that stuff. SCC wrote a song a few years ago called "Cinderella," where he sings about dancing with his daughter. And he shared that he'll dance with her again. I know. Tears, right?
Anyway, on Sunday morning, after more amazing worship, we heard from Liz Curtis Higgs. Her message was of the amazing beauty we all share, simply because we are God's creation. From the moment He formed us He knew about the extra pounds, the gray hair, the imperfections that we had, have, and will have. He hasn't been surprised by any of it! He loves it all!
Liz used a scripture that I had heard many times, and said myself often, and it's from Psalm 139. I decided to read that scripture this morning, and was amazed to find how many of the wisdoms I have heard - and used - over the years were all contained in this one passage!
I'm including the entire psalm below. I'm planning on reading, re-reading, meditating, and memorizing the entire scripture this week. Because it's God's love letter to us - to me. And sometimes I need to be reminded of His love. Sometimes I just bury my feelings of insignificance and worthlessness and act like they aren't there . . . but they are. And God doesn't want me to bury them. He wants me to bring them to Him. So here they are today, God! All the things about me that I think are dirty, hairy, scary and wrong. You say in Your Word that You love me anyway. Not in spite of the bad things. You just love me. And I realize how much I need Your love again.
and you know me. 2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O LORD.
5 You hem me in—behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,"
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake,
I am still with you.
19 If only you would slay the wicked, O God!
Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!
20 They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries misuse your name.
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD,
and abhor those who rise up against you?
22 I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
Blaze brightly for Him today.
I had an amazing time. It was interesting because I had to keep shutting down my brain. Sounds like the wrong thing, but being involved in ministry sometimes means you take in everything you see and hear and try to apply it. Immediately. Like, "ooo we could do that kind of lighting at church! I need to take pictures and take them back to show the staff. And oh! We could do that billowy fabric, and . . . what did she say? I wasn't paying attention."
So I spent the weekend trying to just absorb, while shutting off the worker bee in me. Because I gotta be honest, I needed to hear what these women had to say. Let me tell you about this conference.
Friday night the speaker was Sarah Palin. Yup, the Sarah Palin. Now, I'm an unapologetic conservative, and I'll tell you all about that anytime! ;0) My big issue is life, and as a mother of a Down's Syndrome baby, and the mother of a teenage mother, Mrs. Palin had a lot to share on this issue. (If you want to know what else I think about her after seeing her, you'll have to ask me. Not gonna share it here. lol)
Saturday morning, after an awesome worship time with Charles Billingsley, we heard from Becky Tirabassi. She is amazing! She has real, in the trenches, spiritual experience, and her desire is for women to know who they are in God's eyes, and live and breathe and work, laugh and cry and praise, do everything from our perfect place in God's plan.
The next speaker was Anita Renfroe. Oh. My. Gosh. I have never laughed so hard in my life. Go to youtube.com and search for "Momsense." Hilarious.
That evening we were in concert, with two guys you might have heard of before. Steven Curtis Chapman. Michael W. Smith. That's right, they were both there. Came to sing for little old me. ;0) Steven shared his testimony of the journey he has taken over the last two years since his daughter Maria was accidentally killed in an accident at home. I cried so much . . . well, I really can't even begin to describe it. Let me try to sum it up like this: My dad has been gone for almost 20 years. He has missed lots of things in my life. But SCC reminded me that if he's in heaven, like SCC's daughter is, when I see him again we can catch up on some of that stuff. SCC wrote a song a few years ago called "Cinderella," where he sings about dancing with his daughter. And he shared that he'll dance with her again. I know. Tears, right?
Anyway, on Sunday morning, after more amazing worship, we heard from Liz Curtis Higgs. Her message was of the amazing beauty we all share, simply because we are God's creation. From the moment He formed us He knew about the extra pounds, the gray hair, the imperfections that we had, have, and will have. He hasn't been surprised by any of it! He loves it all!
Liz used a scripture that I had heard many times, and said myself often, and it's from Psalm 139. I decided to read that scripture this morning, and was amazed to find how many of the wisdoms I have heard - and used - over the years were all contained in this one passage!
I'm including the entire psalm below. I'm planning on reading, re-reading, meditating, and memorizing the entire scripture this week. Because it's God's love letter to us - to me. And sometimes I need to be reminded of His love. Sometimes I just bury my feelings of insignificance and worthlessness and act like they aren't there . . . but they are. And God doesn't want me to bury them. He wants me to bring them to Him. So here they are today, God! All the things about me that I think are dirty, hairy, scary and wrong. You say in Your Word that You love me anyway. Not in spite of the bad things. You just love me. And I realize how much I need Your love again.
Psalm 139
For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.
1 O LORD, you have searched meand you know me. 2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O LORD.
5 You hem me in—behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,"
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake,
I am still with you.
19 If only you would slay the wicked, O God!
Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!
20 They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries misuse your name.
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD,
and abhor those who rise up against you?
22 I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
Blaze brightly for Him today.
Friday, April 16, 2010
What are We Destined For? Part 2
"You know quite well that we were destined for them [difficult times]. In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out that way, as you well know." 1 Thessalonians 3:3-4
Continuing on with yesterday's discussion . . . I wonder where we (Christians) came up with the plan that living a "good" life would ensure us tranquility. I've even heard sermons where the pastor would preach about if you are falling on hard times, better check your spiritual life. As if God uses difficulties to punish us, I guess. Have you ever wondered if God uses difficulties as rewards?
We usually turn to the book of Job when we want to talk about someone going through trials and tribulations. At times I have wondered how God could let Satan take Job on. Job 1:8: "Then the LORD said to Satan, 'Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.'" God invited Satan to look at Job. And although I'm not planning on doing a comprehensive analysis on Job today, throughout the whole book, as more and more is taken from Job, everyone, from his friends to his wife, tempts him to denounce God. Now in the last chapter, God lets the friends have it, and Job is made prosperous and whole again.
Don't think Job didn't have his down times. There are 42 chapters in this book, and all the action happens in the first couple of chapters! Job gets down, just like we all do. But Job ends up letting God be God: "My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes. (42:5-6)
Job's eyes hadn't seen God when he was prosperous and had every good thing. Even God called him blameless and upright; and yet still, Job didn't consider himself as really seeing God until he went through his trial. He was destined for the trial, don't you think, in the same way that Paul, Silas and Timothy were destined for their trials they referred to in 1 Thessalonians.
Wow, this is a long post today! I'm trying to keep them shorter, but not today, I guess. Because my point is long, and it is this: there are a lot of trials and tests in life. And it's completely selfish and self-centered to think that we are any better than Job, or Paul, or Timothy. Do we "deserve" bad things to happen to us? No. But neither do we "deserve" good things. We are giving good things through God's grace. And sometimes, we are given the bad things through His grace, too.
One more story, on a personal level. About two years into my marriage, I really went off the deep end and started living a life unpleasing to God. When all my sins and mistakes came out, my husband, of course, was really shaken. But with some time and distance, he actually was grateful to God for the time. My husband was always very independent, and he felt like that time of my wandering forced him to rely on God. (Because he couldn't take it with me anymore!)
What do you think stops you from looking at tough times as gifts from God? What will you do to change your viewpoint?
Continuing on with yesterday's discussion . . . I wonder where we (Christians) came up with the plan that living a "good" life would ensure us tranquility. I've even heard sermons where the pastor would preach about if you are falling on hard times, better check your spiritual life. As if God uses difficulties to punish us, I guess. Have you ever wondered if God uses difficulties as rewards?
We usually turn to the book of Job when we want to talk about someone going through trials and tribulations. At times I have wondered how God could let Satan take Job on. Job 1:8: "Then the LORD said to Satan, 'Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.'" God invited Satan to look at Job. And although I'm not planning on doing a comprehensive analysis on Job today, throughout the whole book, as more and more is taken from Job, everyone, from his friends to his wife, tempts him to denounce God. Now in the last chapter, God lets the friends have it, and Job is made prosperous and whole again.
Don't think Job didn't have his down times. There are 42 chapters in this book, and all the action happens in the first couple of chapters! Job gets down, just like we all do. But Job ends up letting God be God: "My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes. (42:5-6)
Job's eyes hadn't seen God when he was prosperous and had every good thing. Even God called him blameless and upright; and yet still, Job didn't consider himself as really seeing God until he went through his trial. He was destined for the trial, don't you think, in the same way that Paul, Silas and Timothy were destined for their trials they referred to in 1 Thessalonians.
Wow, this is a long post today! I'm trying to keep them shorter, but not today, I guess. Because my point is long, and it is this: there are a lot of trials and tests in life. And it's completely selfish and self-centered to think that we are any better than Job, or Paul, or Timothy. Do we "deserve" bad things to happen to us? No. But neither do we "deserve" good things. We are giving good things through God's grace. And sometimes, we are given the bad things through His grace, too.
One more story, on a personal level. About two years into my marriage, I really went off the deep end and started living a life unpleasing to God. When all my sins and mistakes came out, my husband, of course, was really shaken. But with some time and distance, he actually was grateful to God for the time. My husband was always very independent, and he felt like that time of my wandering forced him to rely on God. (Because he couldn't take it with me anymore!)
What do you think stops you from looking at tough times as gifts from God? What will you do to change your viewpoint?
Thursday, April 15, 2010
What are We Destined For?
Have you ever thought much about destiny? About what it is that you were put on earth to accomplish?
There's a lot of pressure on young people these days to know at the age of 18, when they are entering college, what their career choice will be for the next 50 years. I'm sure not doing what I thought I'd be doing when I was 18. Are you?
The struggle for Christians of all ages is that popular phrase, "doing God's will." Don't we all want to do His will? (For those of you who were in Bible study last night, yes! I'm cheating! I'm using some of our discussion from last night! lol)
Of course, it's a good and wonderful thing to have the true desire to be in God's will. But I wonder if sometimes we make it too hard. Sometimes we act like this: "Well, things didn't go right and I'm having a really hard time. I thought I was in God's will, but now I'm not so sure. Where did I go wrong?"
Where did we get the idea that being in God's will meant Easy Street? Didn't Jesus tell us that the cost of being a disciple was great? That it was equivalent to hating our family, if that's what it took to put Him first? That doesn't suggest an easy life.
In 1 Thessalonians 3, Paul is talking about his desire - need, even - to see his Thessalonian brothers. He says in the previous chapter that Satan stopped him, and then in chapter three he talks about sending Timothy to encourage them. Look what he says in verses 3b and 4: "You know quite well that we were destined for them [difficult times]. In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out that way, as you well know."
These were men who expected persecution and hardship; they considered it their destiny. But most Americans - and even most Christians - think that the purpose of life, of work, and of time is to have an easier life. Now, these aren't people who are CEO's and great leaders. Great leaders know that an easy life should never be a goal. But for most of us, success is a problem-free, stress-free life.
I'm sorry to be the one to tell you that that is not in the Bible anywhere. At least not that I can find.
We're going to conclude this thought tomorrow, but in the mean time I want you to think about this: when was the last time you went through a really difficult set of circumstances? And what was your prayer during that time? Was it for God to take away the pain, the hurt, the financial woes . . . or was it to have more of God during these times?
See you tomorrow for the conclusion.
There's a lot of pressure on young people these days to know at the age of 18, when they are entering college, what their career choice will be for the next 50 years. I'm sure not doing what I thought I'd be doing when I was 18. Are you?
The struggle for Christians of all ages is that popular phrase, "doing God's will." Don't we all want to do His will? (For those of you who were in Bible study last night, yes! I'm cheating! I'm using some of our discussion from last night! lol)
Of course, it's a good and wonderful thing to have the true desire to be in God's will. But I wonder if sometimes we make it too hard. Sometimes we act like this: "Well, things didn't go right and I'm having a really hard time. I thought I was in God's will, but now I'm not so sure. Where did I go wrong?"
Where did we get the idea that being in God's will meant Easy Street? Didn't Jesus tell us that the cost of being a disciple was great? That it was equivalent to hating our family, if that's what it took to put Him first? That doesn't suggest an easy life.
In 1 Thessalonians 3, Paul is talking about his desire - need, even - to see his Thessalonian brothers. He says in the previous chapter that Satan stopped him, and then in chapter three he talks about sending Timothy to encourage them. Look what he says in verses 3b and 4: "You know quite well that we were destined for them [difficult times]. In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out that way, as you well know."
These were men who expected persecution and hardship; they considered it their destiny. But most Americans - and even most Christians - think that the purpose of life, of work, and of time is to have an easier life. Now, these aren't people who are CEO's and great leaders. Great leaders know that an easy life should never be a goal. But for most of us, success is a problem-free, stress-free life.
I'm sorry to be the one to tell you that that is not in the Bible anywhere. At least not that I can find.
We're going to conclude this thought tomorrow, but in the mean time I want you to think about this: when was the last time you went through a really difficult set of circumstances? And what was your prayer during that time? Was it for God to take away the pain, the hurt, the financial woes . . . or was it to have more of God during these times?
See you tomorrow for the conclusion.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
They believed!
Let's stay in Jonah today. I'm not sure why I've decided to start at the end and work my way around, but apparently that's what I'm doing! ;0) Just bear with me, ok?
Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: "Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you." Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very important city—a visit required three days. On the first day, Jonah started into the city. He proclaimed: "Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned." The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. Jonah 3:1-5
Oh, how I pray that I will respond like the Ninevites when God speaks to me, or about me! Notice that they believed God immediately! And it couldn't have been the messenger, right? Jonah didn't want to be there, and so it stands to reason that .... let's just his perhaps his sermons were delivered through clenched teeth.
But in what may be the greatest sentence ever written, "The Ninevites believed God." And they changed their ways!
Now, they had been threatened with destruction; of course that had a major influence on their revival! But think about it: Jonah was threatened with death by a storm, by a whale, and he still didn't change. The Ninevites did, however, and that's where we can focus our attention.
There's really not a lot of explaining to do, is there? God called, they answered. And it just makes me wonder: when God calls me, am I willing? When He points out my sin, do I listen? When He offers redemption, do I jump? Or do I sit around, whining, pretending to be deaf, dumb and blind?
I want to be like the Ninevites!! How about your?
Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: "Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you." Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very important city—a visit required three days. On the first day, Jonah started into the city. He proclaimed: "Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned." The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. Jonah 3:1-5
Oh, how I pray that I will respond like the Ninevites when God speaks to me, or about me! Notice that they believed God immediately! And it couldn't have been the messenger, right? Jonah didn't want to be there, and so it stands to reason that .... let's just his perhaps his sermons were delivered through clenched teeth.
But in what may be the greatest sentence ever written, "The Ninevites believed God." And they changed their ways!
Now, they had been threatened with destruction; of course that had a major influence on their revival! But think about it: Jonah was threatened with death by a storm, by a whale, and he still didn't change. The Ninevites did, however, and that's where we can focus our attention.
There's really not a lot of explaining to do, is there? God called, they answered. And it just makes me wonder: when God calls me, am I willing? When He points out my sin, do I listen? When He offers redemption, do I jump? Or do I sit around, whining, pretending to be deaf, dumb and blind?
I want to be like the Ninevites!! How about your?
Monday, April 12, 2010
We're All the Same
Jonah went out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. Then the LORD God provided a vine and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the vine. But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the vine so that it withered. When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah's head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, "It would be better for me to die than to live." But God said to Jonah, "Do you have a right to be angry about the vine?" "I do," he said. "I am angry enough to die." Jonah 4:5-9
Man, Jonah has a lot of gall, don't you think? God asks Jonah what right he has to be angry, and Jonah's like, "I have every right!" Wah wah wah.
I look at this story and think really negatively about Jonah. How could he go to Ninevah and preach about God's love, mercy, and forgiveness, and then go outside the city and wait to see God's punishment? Did he think God was lying? Did he think God would forgive, but still punish?
To think that Jonah wanted to die because of all this! My goodness! I can't get over it!
We can look through Biblical history and see examples of this over and over. Adam and Eve. They knew God better than any of us can imagine . . . and still turned away. King David, a man after God's own heart, still placed his own selfish desires on the throne, instead of God.
Hmmmm . . . that sounds familiar. Oh yes, that would be me. Why do I think that the men and women of the Old Testament had a better opportunity to know God than I do? Why am I amazed that they would sin, yet want my own sin swept under the rug?
The point is, we all whine. We all mess up. We all act foolishly. We are all the same at the foot of the cross. Romans 3:23 says, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." All. Every last one of us.
So who are we to judge? Let's make this real. When someone has a bad attitude at church, what's your response? Do you deal with them harshly in return? Or do you remember that you've been there yourself? When there are personality conflicts on the softball team, do you add fuel to the fire, and then go out for pizza and trash the others? Or are you like a soothing balm? Would you rather be like Jonah? Or would you rather be like Paul, Silas and Timothy at the Thessalonian church: "...but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children. We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us. Surely you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you. (1 Thessalonians 2:7-9)
When is God's word going to become real to us? We are to be imitators of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1), not of the world. Can He be any clearer with us?
Man, Jonah has a lot of gall, don't you think? God asks Jonah what right he has to be angry, and Jonah's like, "I have every right!" Wah wah wah.
I look at this story and think really negatively about Jonah. How could he go to Ninevah and preach about God's love, mercy, and forgiveness, and then go outside the city and wait to see God's punishment? Did he think God was lying? Did he think God would forgive, but still punish?
To think that Jonah wanted to die because of all this! My goodness! I can't get over it!
We can look through Biblical history and see examples of this over and over. Adam and Eve. They knew God better than any of us can imagine . . . and still turned away. King David, a man after God's own heart, still placed his own selfish desires on the throne, instead of God.
Hmmmm . . . that sounds familiar. Oh yes, that would be me. Why do I think that the men and women of the Old Testament had a better opportunity to know God than I do? Why am I amazed that they would sin, yet want my own sin swept under the rug?
The point is, we all whine. We all mess up. We all act foolishly. We are all the same at the foot of the cross. Romans 3:23 says, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." All. Every last one of us.
So who are we to judge? Let's make this real. When someone has a bad attitude at church, what's your response? Do you deal with them harshly in return? Or do you remember that you've been there yourself? When there are personality conflicts on the softball team, do you add fuel to the fire, and then go out for pizza and trash the others? Or are you like a soothing balm? Would you rather be like Jonah? Or would you rather be like Paul, Silas and Timothy at the Thessalonian church: "...but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children. We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us. Surely you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you. (1 Thessalonians 2:7-9)
When is God's word going to become real to us? We are to be imitators of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1), not of the world. Can He be any clearer with us?
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Who Has the Right?
I never really understood the story of Jonah until I had a child. This was right about the time that the Veggie Tales movie about Jonah came out, and ever since then I have been enthralled with the story.
Sadly, I never realized the whole story of Jonah until I saw the movie. I was caught up in everything God did that showed how mighty He was. A great storm! Swallowed by a whale! Survived the whale and preached God's word! Wow!
But that's not the end of the story. There are only four chapters in Jonah; it's a quick and interesting read. Today I'm going right to the end, chapter 4, verses 1-4:
Note the chapter title: Jonah's Anger at the Lord's Compassion. You know what I have found out? That happens a lot! Christians are mean!! We want the sinner - or worse, the saint who has made a mistake - to pay for what they've done. Forgiveness comes with a price - to receive our forgiveness, you really need to grovel, be downtrodden, hang your head.
Uh-uh. UH-UH!!! No way is that God's plan! How sad - tragic, even - that Jonah knew God so well and yet so little. He even says, "I knew you are gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, loving . . . but I'm still mad." And why? Because he didn't get his way! He thought the people of Ninevah (what a great name!) should PAY for what they had done. They didn't deserve grace . . . compassion . . . love . . . at least, according to Jonah.
And they didn't deserve it. Neither did Jonah, neither do I, neither do you. No one deserves God's gifts. But He gives them anyway. And we certainly don't have the right to tell God who He can give His gifts to!
My brothers and I always used to tease each other by saying stuff like, "Liars go to hell!" (This was usually proceeded by the words "Ohmmm!! I'm telling!") I was thinking about that the other day. Because that is definitely true.
But you know what? Liars go to heaven, too. So do murderers and cheaters and gossips and fish-slappers (you'll have to see the Veggie Tales movie to get that reference!). The difference between the liars and murderers and cheaters and gossips in hell and the liars and murderers and cheaters and gossips in heaven is that the ones in heaven accepted the gift of redemption.
How quickly we judge, how quickly we put others at the mercy of our standards. And how tragic. How selfish to accept God's gifts for ourselves, yet not want to allow others to have access to them. God will have His way, one way or the other. Will it take a storm, a whale, near death for Him to get our attention?
I pray it doesn't! God lavishes His love upon us. Should we do any less with each other?
I'm digging Jonah right now . . . so more tomorrow!
Sadly, I never realized the whole story of Jonah until I saw the movie. I was caught up in everything God did that showed how mighty He was. A great storm! Swallowed by a whale! Survived the whale and preached God's word! Wow!
But that's not the end of the story. There are only four chapters in Jonah; it's a quick and interesting read. Today I'm going right to the end, chapter 4, verses 1-4:
Jonah's Anger at the Lord 's Compassion
But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. He prayed to the LORD, "O LORD, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now, O LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live." But the LORD replied, "Have you any right to be angry?"Note the chapter title: Jonah's Anger at the Lord's Compassion. You know what I have found out? That happens a lot! Christians are mean!! We want the sinner - or worse, the saint who has made a mistake - to pay for what they've done. Forgiveness comes with a price - to receive our forgiveness, you really need to grovel, be downtrodden, hang your head.
Uh-uh. UH-UH!!! No way is that God's plan! How sad - tragic, even - that Jonah knew God so well and yet so little. He even says, "I knew you are gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, loving . . . but I'm still mad." And why? Because he didn't get his way! He thought the people of Ninevah (what a great name!) should PAY for what they had done. They didn't deserve grace . . . compassion . . . love . . . at least, according to Jonah.
And they didn't deserve it. Neither did Jonah, neither do I, neither do you. No one deserves God's gifts. But He gives them anyway. And we certainly don't have the right to tell God who He can give His gifts to!
My brothers and I always used to tease each other by saying stuff like, "Liars go to hell!" (This was usually proceeded by the words "Ohmmm!! I'm telling!") I was thinking about that the other day. Because that is definitely true.
But you know what? Liars go to heaven, too. So do murderers and cheaters and gossips and fish-slappers (you'll have to see the Veggie Tales movie to get that reference!). The difference between the liars and murderers and cheaters and gossips in hell and the liars and murderers and cheaters and gossips in heaven is that the ones in heaven accepted the gift of redemption.
How quickly we judge, how quickly we put others at the mercy of our standards. And how tragic. How selfish to accept God's gifts for ourselves, yet not want to allow others to have access to them. God will have His way, one way or the other. Will it take a storm, a whale, near death for Him to get our attention?
I pray it doesn't! God lavishes His love upon us. Should we do any less with each other?
I'm digging Jonah right now . . . so more tomorrow!
Friday, April 9, 2010
What's It All About?
Today's post is different than anything I've done before. I'm not trying to teach or lead today. I'm just sharing from my heart.
You know, I'm weak. So weak I can't even begin to explain it. I can be on a spiritual mountaintop one day, and down in the depths the next. I'm realizing that I literally cannot go one minute of one day without Christ. I mean, I've known that. It's even in my blog description! ;0) But man . . . it's true. So true.
And so I wonder . . . what is the purpose of so much of what I'm doing? Is it eternal or temporal? What's it going to take for me to live with my eyes on eternity, and not get caught up in the temporary?
I've been singing the song, "Homesick" by MercyMe for about two weeks now. I can only cry when I hear it. The chorus goes like this:
I close my eyes and I see your face
If home's where my heart is then I'm out of place
Lord, won't you give me strength to make it through somehow
I've never been more homesick than now
Man . . . that about sums it up. I want to see Jesus. I feel so out of place here sometimes. But, at the same time, He put me here - right here, in this day, in this place, in the moment - for a reason. And I get so caught up in the day to day that I forget the big picture.
Philippians 3:10 says, "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death." Philippians is such a great book, and the commentary at biblegateway.com says this: "Thus he tells his (possibly) faltering and (apparently) feuding Philippian sisters and brothers that the future does not lie in embracing the past (vv. 4-6); rather, it lies altogether in knowing Christ now, even as that means knowing "the participation in his sufferings" (vv. 7-11); and such present "knowing" of Christ means that a certain prospect still lies in the future, where also lies the ultimate prize of knowing Christ forever (vv. 12-14)."
The future lies in today. Our bible study last night talked about how lives are made of days. How you spend your days .... you spend your life. I can be homesick, and should be homesick for my eternal home. But I was put here, today, now. So when I look at things I'm working on, like our church directory, or decorating my house, or hear scuttlebutt around the church, like personality conflicts, I think . . . am I stupid? Ignorant? Spiritually stalled? Or worse?
Huh. The future lies in today. Our bible study this week talked about how lives are made of days. How you spend your days .... you spend your life. I can be homesick, and should be homesick for my eternal home. But I was put here, today, now. So when I look at things I'm working on, like our church directory, or decorating my house, or hear scuttlebutt around the church, like personality conflicts, I think . . . This is how I spend my days . . .am I stupid? Ignorant? Spiritually stalled? Or worse?
Because you know what? Who cares? Does God care about the church directory? Does He care about decorating and softball teams and small groups and fellowship? Of course, the answer is yes, because I know He cares about what I care about . . . but isn't that backwards? Shouldn't the story of my life be that I care about what He cares about?? And what does He care about?
I guess that's it. That's where I am today. Weak. Homesick. Ready to know Christ better today than I did yesterday.
How about you?
You know, I'm weak. So weak I can't even begin to explain it. I can be on a spiritual mountaintop one day, and down in the depths the next. I'm realizing that I literally cannot go one minute of one day without Christ. I mean, I've known that. It's even in my blog description! ;0) But man . . . it's true. So true.
And so I wonder . . . what is the purpose of so much of what I'm doing? Is it eternal or temporal? What's it going to take for me to live with my eyes on eternity, and not get caught up in the temporary?
I've been singing the song, "Homesick" by MercyMe for about two weeks now. I can only cry when I hear it. The chorus goes like this:
I close my eyes and I see your face
If home's where my heart is then I'm out of place
Lord, won't you give me strength to make it through somehow
I've never been more homesick than now
Man . . . that about sums it up. I want to see Jesus. I feel so out of place here sometimes. But, at the same time, He put me here - right here, in this day, in this place, in the moment - for a reason. And I get so caught up in the day to day that I forget the big picture.
Philippians 3:10 says, "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death." Philippians is such a great book, and the commentary at biblegateway.com says this: "Thus he tells his (possibly) faltering and (apparently) feuding Philippian sisters and brothers that the future does not lie in embracing the past (vv. 4-6); rather, it lies altogether in knowing Christ now, even as that means knowing "the participation in his sufferings" (vv. 7-11); and such present "knowing" of Christ means that a certain prospect still lies in the future, where also lies the ultimate prize of knowing Christ forever (vv. 12-14)."
The future lies in today. Our bible study last night talked about how lives are made of days. How you spend your days .... you spend your life. I can be homesick, and should be homesick for my eternal home. But I was put here, today, now. So when I look at things I'm working on, like our church directory, or decorating my house, or hear scuttlebutt around the church, like personality conflicts, I think . . . am I stupid? Ignorant? Spiritually stalled? Or worse?
Huh. The future lies in today. Our bible study this week talked about how lives are made of days. How you spend your days .... you spend your life. I can be homesick, and should be homesick for my eternal home. But I was put here, today, now. So when I look at things I'm working on, like our church directory, or decorating my house, or hear scuttlebutt around the church, like personality conflicts, I think . . . This is how I spend my days . . .am I stupid? Ignorant? Spiritually stalled? Or worse?
Because you know what? Who cares? Does God care about the church directory? Does He care about decorating and softball teams and small groups and fellowship? Of course, the answer is yes, because I know He cares about what I care about . . . but isn't that backwards? Shouldn't the story of my life be that I care about what He cares about?? And what does He care about?
I guess that's it. That's where I am today. Weak. Homesick. Ready to know Christ better today than I did yesterday.
How about you?
Thursday, April 8, 2010
His Power, Our Action
When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, "Look at us!" So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. Acts 3:3-8
Our final action to discuss today is this: "Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up . . . (verse 7)" A commentary I read said that the power was Christ's, but the hand was Peter's.
What a joy we have in this lesson!! We can really do some remarkable things for people. But not for our glory, for His.
I think it's hard sometimes to differentiate when something is about me instead of God. So often, I start off with the best intentions, really planning on making a difference for God's kingdom. I'll have plans, I'll work hard, I'll do all I know to do . . . see the problem?? I, I, I!!!
God doesn't need me to help Him. But He wants me to help Him. But so often, I am running around making the plans, doing the work . . . and leaving Him completely out of it. No wonder so many of my plans have flopped!
God will use my hand to help someone up. But I have to make sure I remember that it's His power driving my hand. The only way to ensure that I keep running on God's power is to make sure I'm consistently plugged into the source - Him.
Easy to say, right? But how do I make sure that I do that?
It's NOT about having morning "devotionals." You don't have to know me very long to know that I hate that terminology, because it evokes a picture of getting up early in the morning, reading a story, a Bible verse, saying a quick prayer, and getting on with our day.
Devotional is based on the word, devotion, which means "ardent, often selfless affection and dedication, as to a person or principle" according to the American Heritage Dictionary. It's based on love - love as an action, love as a verb, love as an exertion of our will. LOVE!!
I don't think your time with God should be limited to a half hour every morning. I'm certainly not saying it's wrong to start your day that way - but keep it going! Be with God all day! Stay plugged in! Talk to Him, and listen, all the time, all day long!
When you see me talking to myself in the car . . . and you will . . . I'm usually talking to Him. OK, sometimes I'm talking to my imaginary friends. ;0) But usually I'm talking to Him. And sometimes I'm crying. And sometimes I'm laughing. And sometimes I'm thinking.
But when I'm doing none of those things, when I'm not plugging into Him consistently through the day . . . I'm trying to work from my own power source. That never ends well!
So join me, won't you? Let's plug into the power source together. Forget about trying to do, live, even breathe on your own! Do it all through Him and for Him. "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." 1 Corinthians 10:13
Our final action to discuss today is this: "Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up . . . (verse 7)" A commentary I read said that the power was Christ's, but the hand was Peter's.
What a joy we have in this lesson!! We can really do some remarkable things for people. But not for our glory, for His.
I think it's hard sometimes to differentiate when something is about me instead of God. So often, I start off with the best intentions, really planning on making a difference for God's kingdom. I'll have plans, I'll work hard, I'll do all I know to do . . . see the problem?? I, I, I!!!
God doesn't need me to help Him. But He wants me to help Him. But so often, I am running around making the plans, doing the work . . . and leaving Him completely out of it. No wonder so many of my plans have flopped!
God will use my hand to help someone up. But I have to make sure I remember that it's His power driving my hand. The only way to ensure that I keep running on God's power is to make sure I'm consistently plugged into the source - Him.
Easy to say, right? But how do I make sure that I do that?
It's NOT about having morning "devotionals." You don't have to know me very long to know that I hate that terminology, because it evokes a picture of getting up early in the morning, reading a story, a Bible verse, saying a quick prayer, and getting on with our day.
Devotional is based on the word, devotion, which means "ardent, often selfless affection and dedication, as to a person or principle" according to the American Heritage Dictionary. It's based on love - love as an action, love as a verb, love as an exertion of our will. LOVE!!
I don't think your time with God should be limited to a half hour every morning. I'm certainly not saying it's wrong to start your day that way - but keep it going! Be with God all day! Stay plugged in! Talk to Him, and listen, all the time, all day long!
When you see me talking to myself in the car . . . and you will . . . I'm usually talking to Him. OK, sometimes I'm talking to my imaginary friends. ;0) But usually I'm talking to Him. And sometimes I'm crying. And sometimes I'm laughing. And sometimes I'm thinking.
But when I'm doing none of those things, when I'm not plugging into Him consistently through the day . . . I'm trying to work from my own power source. That never ends well!
So join me, won't you? Let's plug into the power source together. Forget about trying to do, live, even breathe on your own! Do it all through Him and for Him. "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." 1 Corinthians 10:13
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Disappointment Rocks!
When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money.Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, "Look at us!" So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. Acts 3:3-9
Today we'll discuss the second action that Peter performed that helped the beggar, and offers us a new way to help ourselves and others.
First, as we discussed yesterday, Peter commanded the man to look at him. And we see in the next sentence that the man did just that. And why? Because he was expecting them to give him something. They did, didn't they? Just not what he was wanting.
He was wanting money, obviously. And Peter addresses that head-on: "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you."
Ouch. Would you have been disappointed? Thinking you were getting lunch money, and being told that that was not going to be it at all? I'm sure the man was disgusted and disappointed.
Some of the greatest gifts of my life have come from disappointment. For seven years, my husband and I tried to have a baby. I cried millions of tears during that time, asked God hundreds of times, "why?" There were times that I felt like my heart was literally broken. There were moments when I felt like everything was ok, I was at peace with not having children . . . then the tears would come again. I could not understand the purpose of all this, especially when I saw what I (probably unfairly) considered unfit people having babies all the time.
In December of 2001, while waiting for the children's Christmas musical to begin at church, a friend came to tell us that his wife was pregnant. I hugged him, congratulated him, sat down . . . and as the lights went dim I started to cry. I cried through the entire service, silently. I cried at lunch, I cried in the car, I cried all day. By the end of the day, I was exhausted. I called out to God in my pain and anguish - and probably in the most honest way I had called to Him in the entire seven years. I said, "God!! Please give me a baby! Or, take away my desire for one. I can't take it anymore!!"
Two months later I found out I was pregnant. No one was more shocked than me! I couldn't believe it! Looking back, it's easy to see God's timing. I wasn't ready when we first started trying. I wasn't ready in the middle. (There are times I think I'm still not ready! Too late now!)
My point of this long (probably boring, to you) story is that I lived with disappointment for years. Later I learned that the disappointment was preparing me for the real gift, the gift of my son Samuel. But truly, the biggest joy of it all is not Samuel. It's what I learned about God during that time.
Disappointment is not merely sadness or being down about something. Disappointment involves another person. To disappoint means: to fail to fulfill the expectations or wishes of (dictionary.com). I wasn't just disappointed about my situation. I was disappointed in God. Right? Don't you see that?
But God is big. He can take my disappointment in order to fulfill His perfect and right purposes. I stayed with Him, stayed true to Him. And now I'm thankful that He didn't give me what I wanted, when I wanted. I got what was perfect, in the perfect way, at the perfect time.
Sometimes God disappoints us to give us what we really need. Is there something in your life that you've been wanting, even begging for, and you've been left unfilled? Praise God! Praise Him for the areas of life that seem empty. That's where He can fill you up.
Tomorrow's action: helping him get up.
Today we'll discuss the second action that Peter performed that helped the beggar, and offers us a new way to help ourselves and others.
First, as we discussed yesterday, Peter commanded the man to look at him. And we see in the next sentence that the man did just that. And why? Because he was expecting them to give him something. They did, didn't they? Just not what he was wanting.
He was wanting money, obviously. And Peter addresses that head-on: "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you."
Ouch. Would you have been disappointed? Thinking you were getting lunch money, and being told that that was not going to be it at all? I'm sure the man was disgusted and disappointed.
Some of the greatest gifts of my life have come from disappointment. For seven years, my husband and I tried to have a baby. I cried millions of tears during that time, asked God hundreds of times, "why?" There were times that I felt like my heart was literally broken. There were moments when I felt like everything was ok, I was at peace with not having children . . . then the tears would come again. I could not understand the purpose of all this, especially when I saw what I (probably unfairly) considered unfit people having babies all the time.
In December of 2001, while waiting for the children's Christmas musical to begin at church, a friend came to tell us that his wife was pregnant. I hugged him, congratulated him, sat down . . . and as the lights went dim I started to cry. I cried through the entire service, silently. I cried at lunch, I cried in the car, I cried all day. By the end of the day, I was exhausted. I called out to God in my pain and anguish - and probably in the most honest way I had called to Him in the entire seven years. I said, "God!! Please give me a baby! Or, take away my desire for one. I can't take it anymore!!"
Two months later I found out I was pregnant. No one was more shocked than me! I couldn't believe it! Looking back, it's easy to see God's timing. I wasn't ready when we first started trying. I wasn't ready in the middle. (There are times I think I'm still not ready! Too late now!)
My point of this long (probably boring, to you) story is that I lived with disappointment for years. Later I learned that the disappointment was preparing me for the real gift, the gift of my son Samuel. But truly, the biggest joy of it all is not Samuel. It's what I learned about God during that time.
Disappointment is not merely sadness or being down about something. Disappointment involves another person. To disappoint means: to fail to fulfill the expectations or wishes of (dictionary.com). I wasn't just disappointed about my situation. I was disappointed in God. Right? Don't you see that?
But God is big. He can take my disappointment in order to fulfill His perfect and right purposes. I stayed with Him, stayed true to Him. And now I'm thankful that He didn't give me what I wanted, when I wanted. I got what was perfect, in the perfect way, at the perfect time.
Sometimes God disappoints us to give us what we really need. Is there something in your life that you've been wanting, even begging for, and you've been left unfilled? Praise God! Praise Him for the areas of life that seem empty. That's where He can fill you up.
Tomorrow's action: helping him get up.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
The Power of Christ
When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, "Look at us!" So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. Acts 3:3-8
So let's back up a bit from yesterday. In this passage, we see how Peter and John got to the facts of verse 19 in the first place. (Remember yesterday's verse? "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.") Now we realize that Peter and John had approached the temple, finding a beggar who asked them for money.
There are three actions that Peter performed to help this man, and these are ways that we can help others, and ourselves, today.
First, Peter firmly said, "Look at us!" Why do you think he did that? He commanded the beggar's full attention. God demands our absolute concentration, too. Giving thought half-heartedly, impatiently, apathetically, is completely unacceptable. Just ask any 7-year-old!
What was about to happen was important, and Peter wanted to make sure that Joe the Beggar was ready for it. Have you ever felt God do that to you? Kind of thump you on the forehead and say, "wake up! Pay attention!" He does that because He wants to do BIG things for us, and so often He's working all around us, but our heads are down and we aren't paying attention. We miss the signs that he has planted around us.
Have you ever seen the movie, "Signs"? I love that film! Without giving too much of the plot away, it's kind of a sci-fi thriller, in that aliens have come to Earth. (I knew it!! lol) But when it comes down to one-on-one combat, with fear, death, and defeat in front of him, it turns out that the keys to victory have always been around the main character, whose name is Graham. The signs include his wife's dying declarations ("swing away"), half-empty water glasses all over the house, and an asthmatic son who was attacked by the alien's gas.
There were signs everywhere, so that when the battle began on a personal level, they realized they were ready to fight.
How can we be ready to fight for God if we aren't looking at Him? When our shoulders are slumped, our heads down, our eyes closed . . . we are sure to be conquered like that, aren't we? Satan wants to see us like that! But warriors have their shoulders back, heads up, eyes wide open -- ready to fight!
Look at God. Look at Him! And be ready to see the signs of Him everywhere.
Tomorrow's action that we'll discuss is disappointment. Peter and John did not give the beggar what he asked for, did they? Something to think about until I see you tomorrow.
So let's back up a bit from yesterday. In this passage, we see how Peter and John got to the facts of verse 19 in the first place. (Remember yesterday's verse? "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.") Now we realize that Peter and John had approached the temple, finding a beggar who asked them for money.
There are three actions that Peter performed to help this man, and these are ways that we can help others, and ourselves, today.
First, Peter firmly said, "Look at us!" Why do you think he did that? He commanded the beggar's full attention. God demands our absolute concentration, too. Giving thought half-heartedly, impatiently, apathetically, is completely unacceptable. Just ask any 7-year-old!
What was about to happen was important, and Peter wanted to make sure that Joe the Beggar was ready for it. Have you ever felt God do that to you? Kind of thump you on the forehead and say, "wake up! Pay attention!" He does that because He wants to do BIG things for us, and so often He's working all around us, but our heads are down and we aren't paying attention. We miss the signs that he has planted around us.
Have you ever seen the movie, "Signs"? I love that film! Without giving too much of the plot away, it's kind of a sci-fi thriller, in that aliens have come to Earth. (I knew it!! lol) But when it comes down to one-on-one combat, with fear, death, and defeat in front of him, it turns out that the keys to victory have always been around the main character, whose name is Graham. The signs include his wife's dying declarations ("swing away"), half-empty water glasses all over the house, and an asthmatic son who was attacked by the alien's gas.
There were signs everywhere, so that when the battle began on a personal level, they realized they were ready to fight.
How can we be ready to fight for God if we aren't looking at Him? When our shoulders are slumped, our heads down, our eyes closed . . . we are sure to be conquered like that, aren't we? Satan wants to see us like that! But warriors have their shoulders back, heads up, eyes wide open -- ready to fight!
Look at God. Look at Him! And be ready to see the signs of Him everywhere.
Tomorrow's action that we'll discuss is disappointment. Peter and John did not give the beggar what he asked for, did they? Something to think about until I see you tomorrow.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Repentance Equals Refreshment
I've been at a loss for what direction our devotions should go in next. In fact, I had just thought of not having anything this week, but when I was looking through my email this morning I found the weekly ad for Hobby Lobby. They had a Bible verse written on a chalkboard for Easter. The verse is Acts 3:19:
"Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord."
And I started thinking. Scary process, to be certain! But I still wanted to share my thoughts!
How interesting that Peter would equate repentance with refreshing. Sometimes we have a view of repentance as shame-inducing. Don't you think that what Peter was saying was that repentance brings a breath of fresh air!
We get tired, we get weary, we need a break. We get so busy in our everyday lives that before long we are strung out! We need refreshing! How often, when we finally turn to God for that refreshing, do we repent on the fact that we got to this point in the first place?
God didn't intend for us to be tired, weary, strung out. When we continually turn to Him, and find rest in Him, we don't need to find time for a break! God has built in breaks for us all the time. When we turn our schedule over to Him, we'll find a refreshing breath of fresh air is what is fueling our schedule all the time!
I don't think Peter was referring to how busy we are when he preached this sermon. But it's interesting to apply this scripture to that part of our lives.
More on this tomorrow, and the other areas of life that this verse applies to! If you want to work ahead, read the entire chapter of Acts 3.
"Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord."
And I started thinking. Scary process, to be certain! But I still wanted to share my thoughts!
How interesting that Peter would equate repentance with refreshing. Sometimes we have a view of repentance as shame-inducing. Don't you think that what Peter was saying was that repentance brings a breath of fresh air!
We get tired, we get weary, we need a break. We get so busy in our everyday lives that before long we are strung out! We need refreshing! How often, when we finally turn to God for that refreshing, do we repent on the fact that we got to this point in the first place?
God didn't intend for us to be tired, weary, strung out. When we continually turn to Him, and find rest in Him, we don't need to find time for a break! God has built in breaks for us all the time. When we turn our schedule over to Him, we'll find a refreshing breath of fresh air is what is fueling our schedule all the time!
I don't think Peter was referring to how busy we are when he preached this sermon. But it's interesting to apply this scripture to that part of our lives.
More on this tomorrow, and the other areas of life that this verse applies to! If you want to work ahead, read the entire chapter of Acts 3.
Friday, April 2, 2010
The Fifth Gift of Easter
Do you know what I think the last gift of this week is? It's obsession. Not a perfume, mind you, but an honest-to-goodness, all-out obsession for God. Do you have that kind of obsession?
Are you willing to say that you love God more than ____________? Fill in that blank. Shopping? Your spouse? Alcohol? Food? Television?
To be honest, when I put it that bluntly, I realize there have been things in my life, times in my life, when I have not been able to say that. But I want a new life! I want to love God more than anything. I want to be passionate about Him, excited about Him, obsessed with Him.
I want people to know God when they know me. I want obsession! I want to be like the women at the tomb on Easter morning (yes, I've already used this scripture this week, but come on!): "On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, 'Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: "The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again."' Then they remembered his words. When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense."
I want to be like these women! I want to tell others of the resurrected Jesus! Who cares what they think of me? Someday they'll realize the truth, just like the disciples did.
We all know the scripture in Deuteronomy 6:5 about loving God with our heart, soul and strength. But that's not all the verse says to do. Look at the next passage, verses 6-9: "These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."
We aren't just to love Him, and stop right there. It's supposed to be all over us! We're supposed to talk about this love, show this love, inscribe this love. That's obsession! When was the last time that you talked to a friend about how much God loves you? About how much you love Him?
What's stopping you from being totally obsessed with God and His love for you? Whatever it is, figure it out, and put an end to it! Make this Easter an heart-changing, brand-new day for your Love relationship! Become obsessed today!
Are you willing to say that you love God more than ____________? Fill in that blank. Shopping? Your spouse? Alcohol? Food? Television?
To be honest, when I put it that bluntly, I realize there have been things in my life, times in my life, when I have not been able to say that. But I want a new life! I want to love God more than anything. I want to be passionate about Him, excited about Him, obsessed with Him.
I want people to know God when they know me. I want obsession! I want to be like the women at the tomb on Easter morning (yes, I've already used this scripture this week, but come on!): "On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, 'Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: "The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again."' Then they remembered his words. When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense."
I want to be like these women! I want to tell others of the resurrected Jesus! Who cares what they think of me? Someday they'll realize the truth, just like the disciples did.
We all know the scripture in Deuteronomy 6:5 about loving God with our heart, soul and strength. But that's not all the verse says to do. Look at the next passage, verses 6-9: "These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."
We aren't just to love Him, and stop right there. It's supposed to be all over us! We're supposed to talk about this love, show this love, inscribe this love. That's obsession! When was the last time that you talked to a friend about how much God loves you? About how much you love Him?
What's stopping you from being totally obsessed with God and His love for you? Whatever it is, figure it out, and put an end to it! Make this Easter an heart-changing, brand-new day for your Love relationship! Become obsessed today!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
The Fourth Gift of Easter - Joy
It occurs to me as I write this week's blog just how little I know. I'm not a theologian, or a Biblical scholar, or a preacher. I'm just a simple girl in the Midwest who is consistently overwhelmed with God's love. To narrow down the gifts of God, the gifts of Easter, into a week-long devotional seems simple and silly. I know there is so much more to it!
Yet the simpleness of it all is part of the gift. I don't have to be a learned scholar to understand that our joy is made complete because of Christ's sacrifice during this Easter week. Yet when I stick the word "joy" in the Biblegateway.com search, there are over 56 references to joy in Psalms alone!
So what makes me think that joy is a gift of Easter? Because I find verses like this in Isaiah: "Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world. Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you (12:5-6)." Or this in 26:19: "But your dead will live; their bodies will rise. You who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for joy. Your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead."
Because of the promise of resurrection, there will be a day when dead bodies will rise, shake off their dust, and shout for joy. Let me rephrase: shout for joy!!!! There's a part of me that is full of joy for what God has done for me now. But I truly don't think I will understand complete joy until that day.
I also find many, many references to God taking away our joy; I wonder, how can that be possible? But I believe that there are times when God takes away joy as we know it here, so that we may experience it fully on that day. Habakkuk 3:17-18 says, "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior."
I marvel at the joy of the women at the tomb on that third day. Matthew 28 shares it this way: "The angel said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you.' So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. 'Greetings,' he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him."
They were afraid, yet filled with joy. Joy is a choice, not a happenstance. I kind of think that the joy we often think of, the joy that God at times takes away, is not true joy. It is a circumstantial happiness that occurs when everything is going our way. True joy dares to hope, as the women did at the tomb. True joy trusts in the face of fear. True joy lives despite the threat of death. True joy believes that all things work together for God's purpose.
I was reading this week about Rich Mullins, and I found the following quote from him in an interview. He had been with a woman for ten years, and was engaged to her, when she called it off. His viewpoint of how that all turned out is quite interesting: "....And it was just a few years ago that I finally realized that friendship is not a remedy for loneliness. Loneliness is a part of our experience and if we are looking for relief from loneliness in friendship, we are only going to frustrate the friendship. Friendship, camaraderie, intimacy, all those things, and loneliness live together in the same experience... I have no interest in anybody else and she is married to someone else so that's the way it goes and I don't mind that. Right now I cannot imagine that life could be happier married than it is single so I'm not in a panic about getting married. And I think, you know, maybe God wanted me to be celibate and the way that he accomplished that was to break my heart. So that's the way it goes."
God broke his heart . . . and out of that arose true joy. Look up his bio at wikipedia.com for more information about his amazing life and ministry.
Are you willing to have bad times in order to have joy? Are you willing to surrender yourself to God, knowing that He may break your heart, so that you can experience His joy, true joy? How much are you willing to trust Him? That's really the lesson of joy at Easter. It took breaking everyone's hearts to receive the true joy. It took the ultimate sacrifice to bring the ultimate joy.
I enjoy hearing from you. Let me know how you are doing, if you think of it! See you tomorrow.
Yet the simpleness of it all is part of the gift. I don't have to be a learned scholar to understand that our joy is made complete because of Christ's sacrifice during this Easter week. Yet when I stick the word "joy" in the Biblegateway.com search, there are over 56 references to joy in Psalms alone!
So what makes me think that joy is a gift of Easter? Because I find verses like this in Isaiah: "Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world. Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you (12:5-6)." Or this in 26:19: "But your dead will live; their bodies will rise. You who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for joy. Your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead."
Because of the promise of resurrection, there will be a day when dead bodies will rise, shake off their dust, and shout for joy. Let me rephrase: shout for joy!!!! There's a part of me that is full of joy for what God has done for me now. But I truly don't think I will understand complete joy until that day.
I also find many, many references to God taking away our joy; I wonder, how can that be possible? But I believe that there are times when God takes away joy as we know it here, so that we may experience it fully on that day. Habakkuk 3:17-18 says, "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior."
I marvel at the joy of the women at the tomb on that third day. Matthew 28 shares it this way: "The angel said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you.' So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. 'Greetings,' he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him."
They were afraid, yet filled with joy. Joy is a choice, not a happenstance. I kind of think that the joy we often think of, the joy that God at times takes away, is not true joy. It is a circumstantial happiness that occurs when everything is going our way. True joy dares to hope, as the women did at the tomb. True joy trusts in the face of fear. True joy lives despite the threat of death. True joy believes that all things work together for God's purpose.
I was reading this week about Rich Mullins, and I found the following quote from him in an interview. He had been with a woman for ten years, and was engaged to her, when she called it off. His viewpoint of how that all turned out is quite interesting: "....And it was just a few years ago that I finally realized that friendship is not a remedy for loneliness. Loneliness is a part of our experience and if we are looking for relief from loneliness in friendship, we are only going to frustrate the friendship. Friendship, camaraderie, intimacy, all those things, and loneliness live together in the same experience... I have no interest in anybody else and she is married to someone else so that's the way it goes and I don't mind that. Right now I cannot imagine that life could be happier married than it is single so I'm not in a panic about getting married. And I think, you know, maybe God wanted me to be celibate and the way that he accomplished that was to break my heart. So that's the way it goes."
God broke his heart . . . and out of that arose true joy. Look up his bio at wikipedia.com for more information about his amazing life and ministry.
Are you willing to have bad times in order to have joy? Are you willing to surrender yourself to God, knowing that He may break your heart, so that you can experience His joy, true joy? How much are you willing to trust Him? That's really the lesson of joy at Easter. It took breaking everyone's hearts to receive the true joy. It took the ultimate sacrifice to bring the ultimate joy.
I enjoy hearing from you. Let me know how you are doing, if you think of it! See you tomorrow.
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