Influence

I “follow” a particular weightlifter on line and he posts what he eats almost on a daily basis. He always tags his meals #paleo. So I decided to check out what that was and in so doing, learned about an interesting eating philosophy. When I told one of my family members about it, she said, “Everyone is eating Paleo these days.” I didn’t know that! I hadn’t heard about it from anyone but him. The point I’m making is that one man had a big impact on me and my life habits.

We, as Christians, should be making an impact on the world around us as well. Matthew 5:13-16 says this: “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

This weightlifter’s “nutrition light” shone for me and I was influenced. How much better is it to allow the light of Christ to shine through us and influence the world around us? Eating healthfully is beneficial. How much more beneficial is it to learn about the Savior of your soul?

As believers, we can influence those around us as we stand on the Word of God. 2 Timothy 3:16&17 says this: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” We are designed for good works in Christ (see Ephesians 2:10) and those works are not for our edification; they are to glorify God. And when we do that, He draws mankind to Himself.

One man can influence many. One man can also change the life of one person for eternity! Who are you influencing for Christ?

What am I Really Seeing?

Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him. (Proverbs 26:12)

We have no earthly idea what is taking place in the spirit realm. We can barely grasp the little we see here on earth! We’ve all read the story of the man on the subway with his three little ones who are acting out and disrupting the ride for the other passengers. The father is really not paying attention and seems “checked out”. Finally one of the other passengers has had enough and tells the father he needs to get his wild kids under control. And in a daze he apologizes and tells the passenger that they just came from his wife’s funeral and he guesses they don’t really know what to do with themselves.

Often we don’t know what we are seeing. Wild kids or grieving kids? The two may look the same. Solomon, here and in Proverbs 3:5&6 (and elsewhere), reminds us that we cannot trust our perception. We are finite. We see with our eyes but misinterpret what we see. We don’t see or grasp the whole picture with its implications. We can’t, but God can. He sees all—both the physical and the spiritual—and He knows all and He knows how it all fits together. So when we read that we are to trust in the Lord with all our heart and lean not on our own understanding, that we are to acknowledge God in all our ways and He will direct our path…we need to take heed to that wise advice. 

I don’t want my life to be more hopeless than that of a fool! I want to walk by faith; not by sight. I want to trust solely in the Lord. I want to recognize that God is God and I want to rely on Him to direct me. Are you with me?

Corner Men

There was a big heavy weight fight coming up for my favorite boxer and I was looking at some stills from his training camp. One caption said, “In preparation for a fight, relaxation is very important.” He went on to say that he takes a walk daily on the week before a fight and integrates a soft skills workout. In all the pictures he had his trainer and other corner men with him and it got me to thinking about a few things:

1.      We are in a daily battle against the enemy of our souls. We need to be mindful of our need for, and diligent to seek after God’s rest.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

2.      Before engaging a big fight—when life is going smoothly—we must continually work on our battle skills: Don’t stop praying. Don’t stop praising. Don’t stop reading God’s Word.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,” Hebrews 12:1

“Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!” 1 Chronicles 16:11

3.      We must keep close those people who love us and are in our corner. Allow them to support us, to provide wise counsel, to minister to us, to provide sanctuary…

“Under the rules of boxing, the fighter's corner is a one-minute sanctuary between the physical battles of each round. During each interval, the corner man may provide the fighter with water or approved electrolyte replacement fluids. The corner man may sponge down the fighter, or attend to any injuries sustained by the fighter…”

            “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to            meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Hebrews 10:24&25

            “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”           1 Thessalonians 5:11

            “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17

It is so important that we have the right people in our corner—people who the Lord places in our lives for His purposes and for our benefit. And it is a privilege to be in the corner of another brother or sister in the faith. Who’s in your corner? Whose corner are you in?

 

http://www.faqs.org/sports-science/Ba-Ca/Boxing-Corner-Men.html

Praise

When he [Jesus] came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!" "I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out." (Luke 19:37-40)

 

All of nature knows that Jesus is worthy to be praised. Even the rocks have sense enough to know that! We humans are made in the very image of God. We are His creation. We have an intrinsic desire to worship our Creator. Some of us resist. Some of us are “hit and miss” with our praise. Some of us are sold out “praisers”. No matter where we land on this matter, the fact is that we are made to praise Him and He’s worthy!

Show Me Your Ways

“Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day.” Psalm 25:4&5

It is not possible for me to get enough of this Hillsong Australia chorus. It’s simple and beautiful:

Show me Your ways

that I may walk with You.

Show me Your ways.

I put my hope in You.

 

The cry of my heart

is to love You more,

to live with the touch of Your hand.

Stronger each day.

Show me Your ways.

In case you're interested in hearing this wonderful song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDKappAASZM&list=PLFE98E2F7EAA16786

A Simple Prayer

"Lord, if it's You," Peter replied, "tell me to come to You on the water." "Come," He said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.  Matthew 14:28&29

 

Father, may we, like Peter, 1) seek You in the midst of our storms, 2) ask for Your direction 3) listen for Your voice, 4) obey Your word, 5) and experience Your mighty power. Amen.

Weaning from "My Way"

Since Jesus went through everything you’re going through and more, learn to think like him. Think of your sufferings as a weaning from that old sinful habit of always expecting to get your own way. Then you’ll be able to live out your days free to pursue what God wants instead of being tyrannized by what you want. 1 Peter 4:1&2 (MSG)

Oh my! Can I ever relate to this! We’ve talked a few times this year about suffering and trial. This is a very good insight about that. We grow in the time of trial if we obey God – if we stick with Him rather than fight Him – if we continue to seek His will. God is able to use our hard circumstances for our good (see Roman 8:28) so this verse tells us to recognize that as we suffer, we are being release from a reliance on getting our way in order to feel joyful and experience a fulfilled life.

Tyranny is a cruel and oppressive way of ruling. Peter is telling us that when we are living our lives solely pursuing our will, we are subjecting ourselves to a cruel and oppressive ruler.  Pursuing our will instead of the Lord’s will result in disappointment, frustration, and anger over unfulfilled desires. But Lamentations 3:25 says “The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.” No disappointment, no frustration, no anger. Now THAT is a ruler that I want to subject myself to!

Abiding...Remaining...Continuing...Persisting in Relationship

I was studying John 15 and was reminded that if I don’t see fruit in my life, it is because I am not abiding in Christ. The Word of the Lord says this:

I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)

In the John 15 passage, Christ repeatedly tells of the importance of abiding in Him. We thrive when we abide in Him. We glorify God when we abide in Him. We receive the things we desire from God when we abide in Him. Our obedience to the commands of God is a direct result of our abiding relationship. We have the joy of the Lord when we abide in Him. We have a godly love for one another when we abide.

Abiding involves a decision followed by activity. We abide in Christ by reading the Word, by praying, by sacrificing our will for His, and being aware of His presence with us at all times.

“It isn’t necessary that we stay in church in order to remain in God’s presence. We can make our hearts personal chapels where we can enter anytime to talk to God privately. These conversations can be so loving and gentle, and anyone can have them. Is there any reason not to begin? He may be waiting for us to take the first step. …Gradually train yourself to show you love for Him by asking for His grace. Offer your heart to Him at every moment. Don’t restrict your love of Him with rules or special devotions. Go out in faith, with love and humility.” – Brother Lawrence, The Practice of the Presence of God

So, are you abiding? It should be easy to answer that question by assessing the amount of fruit in your life. Is it “much”? If not, dig back in to intimate relationship with the Lord—nurture your relationship—and you will see the fruit of that relationship begin to grow.

No "Poker-Face" Whatsoever!

Have you even been trusting on the Word of the Lord regarding a matter? Have you ever heard from Him but then had to await the manifestation of what He said? In those waiting periods, have you ever noticed the enemy will launch a full-scale attack on you, your family, your loved ones, your health, your job, etc.? That is the enemy tipping his hand, so to speak. When you see him doing that, he is inadvertently revealing that the Lord is moving on your behalf. The enemy is making one last ditch effort at discouraging you and hoping to cause you to doubt before you see the blessing of the Lord come to pass. He wants you to be miserable. He wants to destroy you.

So, when you see the attack…smile. Because you just got confirmation that the Lord is working things out for your good.

Now What?

It’s the day after Easter. We’ve journeyed through Lent, Holy Week, Good Friday, and the culmination of it all, which is the celebration of God’s triumph over death and hell. Jesus rose from the dead by the power of God! Amazing.

We sometimes feel uncomfortable using the term “good” to describe that Friday because of the heinous act that occurred that day—Christ’s crucifixion. The torturous, undeserved death of an innocent…HOLY…man.  It was a crime if you look at it from a human perspective. But God reminds us that His ways are not our ways and that His thoughts are not our thoughts. In fact, His ways and thoughts are higher than ours. (see Isaiah 55:8&9) He further reminds us that there is no greater love that exists than for a man to lay down his life for a friend. (see John 15:13) So what we witnessed when Christ was on the cross was not a crime; it was actually an act of love, the likes of which we cannot truly fathom. You see, Christ WILLINGLY gave His life. (see John 10:18) He was not murdered; He allowed Himself to be betrayed…seized…beaten…tortured. And He did this out of love for us: sinful, unrighteous, unloving human beings. He died for the very ones who were laughing and mocking while He was on the cross. He died for those who found pleasure in His death. He died for those who today still have disdain toward Him. He died for those who today find pleasure in His death.

“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:6-8

SO NOW WHAT? All the Easter hype is over. What do we do with Christ…the truth of Who He is…the truth of what He’s done…the truth of who we are? If you have not accepted Christ as your Savior, you need to do that because, in order to live in heaven once you die, you need to be a perfect, sinless person. And, unfortunately, the Word of God tells us this:

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23

“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” 1 John 1:8

But the Word also goes on to say this:

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  ” 1 John 1:8&9

“that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.’” Romans 10:9-11

Jesus, on the cross, paid the price for our sin: He died so that we don’t have to pay for our sin with our lives. So we, when we believe in our heart that He truly is the Savior and we confess our belief in Him, we accept His death as replacement for ours. And this belief supernaturally becomes our salvation. Christ’s death is accounted to us and we are seen, by God, as righteous and “qualified” to spend eternity in heaven with Him. So if you haven’t accepted Christ, I strongly encourage you to investigate the claims of the Bible and ask God to show you the truth. I believe that if you do, you will accept Christ as the living God.

If you have already accepted Christ as your Savior, I praise God! Set your heart and mind on relentlessly living according to His will…to act justly in this world, to cherish mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

It’s odd to celebrate the death of someone. But the death of Christ (motivated by love) brought about our possibility of eternal life with God. It’s an odd thing for someone to rise from the dead. But Christ’s resurrection showed us His omnipotent power.

So now, what will you do?

Joy to the World! He is Risen!

HAPPY RESURRECTION SUNDAY!!!!!
I hope you will take a moment to listen to this classic Easter song by Keith Green, appropriately titled Easter Song. :-)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OEqavkJGCE&feature=kp

How to Live Through a Bad Day (Jack Hayford)

If you want to talk about having a bad day—a day of death-dealing suffering—Good Friday certainly would qualify. While the “good” in that day is related to God’s love gift of His Son, the Good Shepherd, laying down His life for the sheep, it was, nonetheless, a very bad day...

Every day, many of us struggle to cope and hope through “bad days.” But if we look to Jesus, the “author and finisher of our faith,” we realize that “bad day” on Calvary became one which we now call “Good”. And how it became that can be learned from the message inherent in our Lord’s seven statements from the Cross.

1. Forgive everyone who’s trying to ruin your life.

“Father forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” (Luke 23:34)

Through the spirit of forgiveness, Jesus retains control of the situation when it appears He’s being victimized by it. He is mastering the moment; the moment is not controlling Him. Forgiving those who seek to injure us is to be unfettered by the anger or retaliation that would seek to attach itself to us.

2. Help others who are experiencing the same struggle.

“Assuredly I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43)

The criminals on either side of Jesus are experiencing exactly the same agony and suffering as He is. Rather than focusing on His own pain, He extends His concern to those who are struggling with infinitely less resources than He has. In a bad day, it’s important to recognize that others are having it just as tough rather than becoming preoccupied with our own problems.

3. Be sure you’re taken care of those near you.

“Woman, behold your son... Behold your mother.” (John 19:26, 27)

Although Jesus is surrounded by turmoil, He is concerned about His mother’s personal plight and establishes a domestic responsibility for John to take. We have a great tendency to presume that those who are closest to us understand our dilemma and will absorb it along with us. It’s not the spirit of a disciple of Jesus to say, “It’s been a bad day for me, so it’s going to be a bad day for everyone around me, too.” Don’t transmit your trauma.

4. Aim your hard questions at God, not man.

“My God, My God, why have You forsake Me?” (Matthew 27:46)

When you feel sure you’ve lost touch with heaven—aim your hard questions at God, not man. Although human beings may sympathize, none of them have the answer. Job and his comforters are a classic study in how human philosophies fail. Cry out to God. He doesn’t mind our complaints, and although He may seem absent, He’s never far away.

5. Be human enough to acknowledge your need.

“I thirst!” (John 19:28)

Earlier, Jesus turns down the offer of a pain-dulling drink that could have satiated thirst but would have reduced His mental acuity. He chooses to retain command of His senses. Here Jesus asks for a drink because He wants to clear His throat for the confession of faith He’s about to make next. There is no one so spiritual that you can make it through a bad day without people to help you clarify the stance you’re taking of trusting in God.

6. Be assured, there is a purpose and an end.

“It is finished!” (John 19:30)

These are the words we most love about the Cross because they are the declaration of Jesus completing our salvation before He dies. Everything has been fulfilled. It’s a statement of triumph that doesn’t see the victory yet, but lays hold of it by faith. There’s nothing that besets us that God’s hand and purpose won’t work in if we move with Him through a bad day. Just like He did with Jesus, God can turn our bad day into a redemptive event.

7. Finally, surrender your day to God, and let it go.

“Into Your hands I commit My spirit” (Luke 24:46)

The end of a bad day can be the start of a long night of reliving the struggle with bewildering concern: “When will this finally end?” But the way to go through a bad day is to get it into the hands of God and leave it there. That was how the agony of Calvary came to its conclusion. This was not a statement of wearied resignation but one of trust. From the human perspective, Jesus’ words indicate a colossal act of trust in the Father and His fidelity to His own Word.

See the full article at: http://www.jackhayford.org/teaching/articles/how-to-live-through-a-bad-day/

Memorizing Scripture

Did you grow up in a church where scripture memorization was emphasized? Maybe you went to VBS or some other such program where memorizing scripture was regarded as an important part of Christian formation.  There are some scriptures I can recite because they were a part of my early formation as a believer. However, I have, in my adult years, come to better understand the benefit of memorizing God’s Word and started to the practice of memorizing it. Here are a few reasons why I believe it is important (in no particular order):

God says we should: Deut 6:6-8; 11:18-20, Matt 4:4

The Word of God in our hearts helps us to live holy: Psalm 119:11

When the enemy attacks, we have the Word of God as a ready defense: Eph 6:11-17, Heb 4:12

When we speak to others, we can speak with the authority and truth of the Word: Prov 25:11

Knowing the Word helps us to live more like Christ: 1 Sam 3:21, 2 Tim 3:16&17

Our faith is deepened as we hide the Word in our hearts: Rom 10:17

We get to know God through His Word: Heb 1:1-2, Prov 8:17, Isa 44:24

And we could go on and on about further reasons to memorize scripture! But I will stop here and say that as we are seeking to draw people to Christ or minister to the hearts of believers, or in our place of employment, or interacting with the employee of the grocery store, it is beneficial to have the Word in your heart. God is able to flow through us so much more effectively if we have made His Word a priority in our lives. One way we can do this…memorizing it.

I encourage you to memorize scripture if you don’t already do so. You may start with looking up scriptures that pertain to current matters in your life, then may move over to memorizing scriptures about the character and nature of God, then you might flow over to scriptures about who God says you are, and then….well, by then you will be following the prompting of the Holy Spirit and memorizing whatever He leads you to. When we don’t have access to a Bible, if we’ve committed the Word to memory, we can be strengthened and encouraged by the living word of God at any given moment. That alone is a wonderful reason to memorize God’s words.

Casting Your Cares

I like this insightful word from John Bevere:
"When God speaks something to our heart and its manifestation is delayed, we sometimes try to help God bring it about. This too is a care we must cast on Him because our times are in His hands."

 

Lord, may we remember to cast ALL our cares upon You.

Excerpt from the RELENTLESS Study Guide & Devotional

It's Passion Week!

Merriam-Webster gives us the following definitions for passion: 1. Suffering 2. Emotion: intense, driving, or overmastering feeling or conviction.  3. Love: a strong liking or desire for or devotion to some activity, object, or concept (an ardent affection).

Michael Houdemann says this: Passion Week (also known as Holy Week) is the time from Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday (Resurrection Sunday). Also included within Passion Week are Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. Passion Week is so named because of the passion with which Jesus willingly went to the cross in order to pay for the sins of His people. Passion Week is described in Matthew chapters 21-27; Mark chapters 11-15; Luke chapters 19-23; and John chapters 12-19. Passion Week begins with the triumphal entry on Palm Sunday on the back of a colt as prophesied in Zechariah 9:9.

Passion Week contained several memorable events. Jesus cleansed the Temple for the second time (Luke 19:45-46), then disputed with the Pharisees regarding His authority. Then He gave His Olivet Discourse on the end times and taught many things, including the signs of His second coming. Jesus ate His Last Supper with His disciples in the upper room (Luke 22:7-38), then went to the garden of Gethsemane to pray as He waited for His hour to come. It was here that Jesus, having been betrayed by Judas, was arrested and taken to several sham trials before the chief priests, Pontius Pilate, and Herod (Luke 22:54-23:25).

Following the trials, Jesus was scourged at the hands of the Roman soldiers, then was forced to carry His own instrument of execution (the Cross) through the streets of Jerusalem along what is known as the Via Dolorosa (way of sorrows). Jesus was then crucified at Golgotha on the day before the Sabbath, was buried and remained in the tomb until Sunday, the day after the Sabbath, and then gloriously resurrected.

It is referred to as Passion Week because in that time, Jesus Christ truly revealed His passion for us in the suffering He willingly went through on our behalf. What should our attitude be during Passion Week? We should be passionate in our worship of Jesus and in our proclamation of His Gospel! As He suffered for us, so should we be willing to suffer for the cause of following Him and proclaiming the message of His death and resurrection.

 

Source: http://www.gotquestions.org/Passion-Week.html

"De-mask Us"

So you all know that the concept of intimacy is a big deal for me, right? Not only does God desire intimacy with His people, but He has also designed us to live in intimate relationship with one another—to allow ourselves to be known by others and to get to know, deeply, our fellow man—to be transparent and vulnerable. Well, yesterday one of the pastors at my church said that when Paul was on the way to Damascus to persecute believers, the experience he had was the kind that God uses to “de-mask us”. I thought that was clever.

God knocked Paul (Saul, at that time) down, blinded him, and set him on a journey whereby the Lord would strip away all that Paul had been so proud of about himself. He would strip away Paul’s religious mask and replace it with a relationship with the Lord that allowed Paul to develop true intimacy with the Lord and transparency before those he ministered to. Paul was clear that according to the religious standards at the time, he had plenty to boast about, but that once he had a true encounter with the living God, he actually delighted “in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.” Because when Paul was weak, he was able to be truly strong (not a strength that comes from the standards of man) in the Lord.

The Lord blinded Paul, ministered to him for three days, had Ananias come and pray over him to receive sight, and then sent Paul on his way to be baptized and to start preaching. Paul is a patriarch of our faith but started out persecuting believers. That’s incredible.

Such amazing things can happen when we will allow God to strip away those things we are prideful about in our flesh, and take on a humble and intimate relationship with Him!

LOVE

“Love is a fruit, in season at all times and within the reach of every hand. Anyone may gather it and no limit is set.” -Mother Teresa

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22&23

Accepted in the Beloved: A Meditation

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.   Ephesians 1:3-6

1.         God's love for us is beyond our ability to fully understand, but not beyond our ability to realize, accept and enjoy.

2.         Why, when fellowship with God is not in order, do we feel unloved by God? Why do so many Christians when they sin feel driven away from God when they should feel driven toward His great love, with a repentant heart?

3.         To really know God is to receive a revelation of His grace.

4.         "Remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace."   Ephesians 2:13&14

5.         Through Jesus Christ I am completely accepted by God. Oh, how we as children of God have missed this point in our preaching, teaching and personal revelation!

6.         Christians can spend much time and energy seeking the "will of God" as if it were some commodity or some data statistic to be written out…When we realize as we seek God's face His will becomes natural for us and even spiritually logical, in not only the walking of our everyday lives, but also in matters which are not normal everyday decisions.

7.         If we are to learn more about God, learn more of His nature, His love, then we must live our lives in the presence of the Holy Spirit.

8.         When a person feels unaccepted he sometimes figures, the Lord probably gets tired of his repentance again and again. Instead of being driven to God by his sin; he is driven away, where he cannot find peace or forgiveness.

9.         We need to know more than ever that we are accepted in Christ. When we really get this down into our spirits, then we can accept others. I can accept others only to the degree that I realize I am accepted. How much more harmony there will be as we learn how accepted we are and how to accept others, even with their quirks, their ways, and the things about then that have not yet become like our master.

10.       If you are a Christian and have been born again you are "accepted in the Beloved!"

Summary:

We are fearfully and wonderfully made. In our original design, great care was taken to craft a perfect person in God’s own image. Because of our original parents, we sin. Mercifully and graciously, Christ died for our sins. Loving us, forgiving us, and accepting us before we even came to know Him. Then, upon accepting Christ, God declares that we are accepted in His Beloved Son. We are accepted because of Christ. He has graciously favored us through the Beloved One. So even in our “fallen” state, we are wonderful and acceptable. Why would we not also accept ourselves?

Reference

http://www.lightinside.org/light/accepted.htm

A Robust Trust

December of last year we talked about resolving to trust God more this year and I revisited that idea last month: trusting God more than man. Trusting God should be easy because we know that He is the all-powerful God who cannot lie-and this means that if He promises something, it’s done.

“God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?”  Nehemiah 23:19

So why do we struggle with trust?  There are many reasons for this. But I don’t really want to talk about just trusting God today. Rather, I want to talk about trusting God abundantly. Not trusting God enough so that you believe He will do what He says He will do. I mean trusting God enough to not move ahead of Him. To not get in the way. To not act. Trusting God enough to stand still.

“He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.’” The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” Psalm 46:10&11

Do you ever find that you have no doubt that God will do what He says He will do but at the same time you are unable to stand still and let Him do it?!?  Do you get anxious? Although you believe, do you sometimes feel a little shaky in your faith? You are not alone.

“Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, ‘Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!’ [help out what is wanting in my faith with thy grace, the strength of which is perfected in our weakness-MH]”  Mark 9:24

It is possible to have faith at work at the same time that we have an awareness that we can deepen our faith and trust in God. In the Mark passage, the father’s faith (the size of a mustard seed, I’m guessing) was sufficient for the Master to cast out the demon from the boy and not allow it to ever return. The reason I say that the father’s faith was “sufficient” is not because Jesus needs our faith in order to accomplish anything. Rather, I say that because of scriptures like this:

“But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.  That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.” James 1:6&7

The father’s faith was sufficient. His plea to Christ was not that the Lord would deliver him from doubt but that He would give Him grace to more fully trust and believe both in His ability to deliver and willingness to do so…that his faith would be robust.

Precious one, should that not be the cry of each of our hearts? “Lord I believe; please help my belief in You to become more robust and stable!”

Amen!

Why Read the Bible?

When I was a new believer, people kept telling me that it was important to read the Bible so I could grow in my faith. I understood that it would help reveal God to me but I didn’t understand exactly how it would grow or change me. That seemed mysterious.

Turns out I was right! It is a mystery.

“Now to him who is able to establish you in accordance with my gospel, the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ, in keeping with the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from faith— to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.” Romans 16:25-27

The Bible tells us that “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,” 2 Timothy 3:16.

It is a mystery how Christ’s death is able to save us and set us for eternal life. How, exactly, does His death count as our own??? It is a mystery how the Holy Spirit is able to reside in us and give us grace to live victoriously and obediently. It is a mystery how we are able to be transformed from people who are living life to please ourselves to people who are denying their own desires and living to please God. But God is transcendent and He does all this through His omnipotence.  Somehow (and triumphantly) the God-breathed Word is able to work supernaturally within us. God cannot be fully understood by us. His ways are not our ways. But amazingly and wonderfully, He is able to come into our lives and make us new creatures! We grow and become all that He originally designed us to be primarily through reading, meditating upon, memorizing, obeying, and speaking His Word. A wondrous mystery.

Your Biggest Fan

God loves you. He is absolutely crazy about you. He created you in His image. And because He requires perfection to live with Him eternally, He sent His son Jesus to die on our behalf (as an atoning sacrifice), thereby qualifying us to live with Him. Jesus was perfect. He died so that we could live. Have you accepted His gift of salvation?

God values you. He accepts you. He is jealous over you. He thinks about you all the time. He is with you always. He has prepared blessing after blessing after blessing for you. He says that you are accepted, precious, gifted, beloved, wonderfully made, and more! Do you believe that? If you believe anything less, you are not fully trusting in God’s word.

I encourage you to allow yourself to be washed over and swept off of your feet today by the love that the Father has for you. Bask in it. The world has so much ugliness to offer us. But our Father has extravagant love, tenderness, and care to offer. Allow yourself to rest in, rejoice about, and be rejuvenated by that precious truth.

Are You Happy?

Sing it with me

Because I’m happy…

Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof

Because I’m happy…

Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth

Because I’m happy…

Clap along if you know what happiness is to you

Because I’m happy…

Clap along if you feel like that’s what you wanna do

(thank you Pharrell)

Last year Despicable Me2 came out and this was a part of the soundtrack. Later in the year Pharrell Williams released the song and everyone went crazy! We loved this song! We’ve been dancing and choreographing routines and shooting videos like our lives depended on it! It’s nice for such a pleasant song to become an international hit.

So, are you happy? Merriam-Webster defines happy as: feeling pleasure and enjoyment because of your life, situation, etc.   In other words, you need to have some good happenings going on in order to be happy. By implication, this also means that you are unhappy when times are tough.

On the other hand, Theopedia defines joy as: a state of mind and an orientation of the heart. It is a settled state of contentment, confidence and hope. It is something or someone that provides a source of happiness.

Guess Who that source is!

You [God] make known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand. Psalm 16:11

Surely you have granted him unending blessings and made him glad with the joy of Your presence. Psalm 21:6 (by the way, don’t forget that God never leaves us or forsakes us [Josh. 1:5])

There I will go to the altar of God, to God--the source of all my joy. I will praise you with my harp, O God, my God! Psalm 43:4

Need I go on?

So it is wonderful to be happy. It is wonderful when great things are happening in our lives that we can celebrate and enjoy. But an abiding joy (dare I say and abiding happiness?) can only be experienced when God is your source. This means that in the midst of challenging times, we can still be happy! Theopedia points out that joy is an “orientation of the heart”. Joy is a positioning of the heart in a posture of joy. How does that happen? Through our relationship with the Lord. Nehemiah 8:10 encourages us: “Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”  God is the One who strengthens us and guards our hearts. He transforms us. His joy is everlasting and fulfilling: “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:11) It is because of God’s abiding work in our lives that our hearts are able to be postured—positioned—oriented toward and in joy. That’s a reason to rejoice!

Clap along if you know THAT is the truth!

"Don't Worry God, I've Got This Covered"

If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them. James 4:17

This scripture does not mince words. There are no metaphors or hidden symbolism to unravel. In verses 13-17 we learn that we ought not boast about what we will and will not do. We have no idea what tomorrow holds. Rather, we ought to acknowledge that the Lord knows what tomorrow holds, and we should say that if He wills it, we will do it. So, in light of this knowledge, if you continue in your boasting about how much you’ve got it under control (dishonoring God), you are sinning. So once you know what you ought to do, if you don’t, that is sin.

Pretty simple.  

Have a blessed Sunday!

A Lenten "Check-In"

So we are a little more than halfway through the season of Lent. Did you choose to set aside time, during this season, for any of the disciplines of prayer, fasting, confession, abstinence, or repentance?  If not, that’s ok. If so, that’s ok too! Part of the beauty of this season is that it is a focused time within the church to remember in a special way, the temptation of Christ in the desert and His death. And the season ends with the celebration of His resurrection!  It is a wonderful season. If you have chosen to do something special during this season, in an effort to draw closer to Christ, that is wonderful. If you have not, and you desire to, you still can do so. As a matter of fact, anytime is the right time for us to choose to draw closer to Christ, right!?! :-)
 
Blessings to you.

Welcome Russia!

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Blessings to you! 

Settle In

Ok, so this “horse” isn’t quite dead yet, so I thought I’d beat it just a little more.

Last Friday I admonished you to fight the good fight; to not cower, but to resist the devil’s attacks; to deepen your faith and trust in the Lord. On Monday I wanted you to understand that in the midst of challenges, the Lord is preparing you—strengthening you, for what is to come.

Today, I want to revisit that matter of challenge and invite you to “settle in” to your challenge. Merriam-Webster tells us that the verb “settle” means 1. to end (something, such as an argument) by reaching an agreement  2. to make a final decision about (something)  3. to move to a place and make it your home. Each of these nuances of “settle” are appropriate in this context but I’d like to focus on the idea of moving to a place and making it your home.

The early “Settlers” did this. They travelled from wherever they had been, found a new place to settle, and made their homes there. They established businesses and services, they manufactured and harvested and did all that was needed to thrive where they were.

So again, I want to invite you to settle into your challenge. This means that you accept that this is where the Lord has allowed you to be right now and for whatever reason(s). This means that you have resolved that you will not be constantly striving to get out of this place. This means that you find ways to thrive in the midst. You are asking yourself, “what can I do and what should I do, right now, to make this place livable? To be able to thrive?” And as Christians, we always have to ask ourselves, “How can I give God glory in this season?” Divorce…death of a loved one…single-parenting…debilitating illness…unemployment? Yes, even in the midst of those challenges or worse, we ask those questions. We may ask them through tears. We may ask with hurt and resentment (God can handle that). We may ask and really not be sure that God can or will do anything. But we can ask. We can settle in.

Be encouraged, God will strengthen you…

The Lord God is my Strength, my personal bravery, and my invincible army; He makes my feet like hinds’ feet and will make me to walk [not to stand still in terror, but to walk] and make [spiritual] progress upon my high places [of trouble, suffering, or responsibility]! Habakkuk 3:19 AMP

 

…and in His timing, He will deliver you…

Then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment,  2 Peter 2:9 (read verses 4-9 for greater encouragement)

 

…so settle in and allow the Lord to do the work in you that He desires to do…

Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. James 1:2-4

Our God is Truth. He Will do What He says He Will do.

Excuse me while I praise God for the following FACTS:

God is not human, that He should lie, not a human being, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill? Numbers 23:19

Then said the Lord to me, you have seen well, for I am alert and active, watching over My word to perform it. Jeremiah 1:12

Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, you His angels, you mighty ones who do His commandments, hearkening to the voice of His word. Psalm 103:20

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through Him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set His seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. 2 Corinthians 1:20-22

HALLELUJAH! THANK YOU LORD!!!!