He Cares for You

Property Managers

1 Corinthians 3:16&17 - Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?  If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.

We are the temple of God; where the Spirit of God lives. We have been given the privilege of being host to the Spirit of God (see also Rom 8:9) because of our relationship with Him. With this privilege comes responsibility. We are to maintain this property well because it is holy. How do we do that? Well, we can begin by presenting ourselves to God as living sacrifices: we tend to our minds to make sure they are renewed in the Lord (Rom. 12:2) and we care for our bodies (1 Cor. 10:31, 1 Cor. 9:27) – this is soul care. We also nourish our spirit through the Word of God (Matt. 4:4).

It’s kind of like being property managers. When charged with caring for a property, we wouldn’t let it become run down or damaged, would we? No! Well, or Property Owner has given us guidelines for caring for His holy residence: tend to the mind, the heart, and the spirit in order to keep the property in tip top shape. Can you imagine saying to the Property Owner, “Sorry, I don’t do windows” or “I’m not really into vacuuming, so you’ll need to handle that for yourself”? This is like saying to the Lord, in response to His expectations for us, “Sorry, I don’t do forgiveness” or “I’m not really into love, so you’ll need to handle that for yourself.”

God has made it clear that His temple is not to be destroyed. We are to care for and not damage (nor let anyone else damage) this precious body. This includes partaking in and abstaining from a variety of practices. Part of that responsibility, I would propose, includes physical fitness. Fitness for the sake of health management is good. Disciplining ourselves to eat healthfully and workout is important and valuable. But fitness can be understood and exercised in the context of overall obedience to the word and will of the Father. Our commitment to weight lifting or Pilates or kickboxing can be the outworking of our commitment to God and treating His temple as holy. The same applies to the variety of habits we have. If they are in line with God’s care plan, carry on! If not, seek His help to remove those from your life.

Remember, we are not our own. (1Cor. 6:19-20) We are to diligently honor God with our body...honoring His presence.

Make sure to take good care of His property.

Psalm 3:3&4

But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain.

Breathing our Thankfulness

As we journey in relationship with Christ, our lives are so robust and complex, they take twists and turns, sometimes they don’t make sense, and sometimes we have moments that are so wonderful, we marvel that we get to be a part of them.

Our precious heavenly Father has so much happening on our behalf that it is unfathomable. But even in our finitude, we at least perceive that it is complex and…well…unfathomable. He is orchestrating circumstances on our behalf and allowing us to live lives that are amazing! When I try to articulate exactly how amazing and wonderful, and frustrating, and glorious, and maddening, and intricate, and challenging, and ??? this life is, I find myself lacking words.

I am so very thankful that this great God has it all under control and is on our side. I’m thankful for this life.

What if...?

What would it be like if we walked through this life not using our natural eyes, but with a relentless faith perspective? I mean, what if we were intentional about seeing the world solely from a spiritual perspective?

What if we viewed our children the same as the Father views them? Our spouse? Our boss?

What if we understood the reason why that person who is a societal outcast talks or dresses or behaves “that way”?

What if our hearts were moved with compassion as Christ’s heart was when He saw certain people? It wasn’t that He just saw their frame; it was that He saw their heart.

What if we could be blind to the physical world and only see in the spirit? How would that inform our behavior or our speech? What kind of tenderness and grace would that evoke? What kind of righteous anger would that stir in us? What actions would result? Would we be moved to care for widows and orphans? Would we tend to the needs of the single parent? Would we take more time to talk with the one who we, right now, have very little patience for?

What if we were walking according to our faith in the transcendent, living God who sent His Son to lay down His life for us…according to the ways of Him who loves us with an everlasting love, Who heals…delivers…strengthens…reveals…desires righteousness?

Oh, what on the earth would happen if we boldly and unapologetically kept our hearts and minds attuned to the spiritual realm? Just a flawed, human attempt at walking in daily and hourly and moment-by-moment awareness of the reality that is beyond what we see. What would that walk look like?

2 Corinthians 5:7 - For we walk by faith, not by sight.

Uncle or Earthquake?

God is not a kindly old uncle, He is an earthquake. – Yiddish Proverb

It is a wonder to be in a personal relationship with God. He is the Creator of the universe yet He is loving and kind toward us. He is paternal in nature; dearly providing for and protecting his children. He is our Comforter in our times of pain and He rejoices with us when we are triumphant.

But this saying reminds us that it is not to be forgotten that God is holy and requires us to be holy. That He is righteous and just. That He hates evil. And that there is no negotiation when it comes to our salvation…

Jesus is “‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” – Acts 4:11&12

So, although we have the sweet privilege of being in tender, loving relationship with the Creator of the universe, we must never forget that He is the Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent, Most-High, Everlasting, God Almighty. He is to be respected, feared, and worshipped. He is the only wise God and my words fall short. There is no one like Him.

Close Cousins

Job 1:21 - …and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.”

After Job got the last report on the death of his family (and with more turmoil to come), he fell to his face, worshipped the Lord, and uttered these words. And the scripture tells us that even in the face of this tragedy, he did not sin in his heart.

We learn from this that surrender is a close cousin to faith and trust. Job had faith and trust in the Lord. We looked at that yesterday. But here at the very beginning of his trial it’s clear that Job had already surrendered his life to God. When I say surrender, I mean that he was symbolically holding his family and possessions, and even his own life, with open hands to God. The posture of Job’s heart was that all he had belonged to the Lord; nothing was intrinsically his. So when the Lord then decided to take away what had been given, Job did not count it as unfair. It was painful but Job had a perspective that helped him process this painful reality. He did not charge God with wrong doing.

Oh surrender! That can be a tough one for me. I have the type of personality that really likes the idea of control…often an illusion, I must admit. But Job understood the value of surrender. It can be argued that surrender is foundational to trust. We accept Jesus Christ as our Savior – surrendering our life to Him, then we grow in trust as we deepen in relationship with Him and see Him fulfill His word. And in this process our faith becomes more robust.

Before Paul wrote these words, Job lived them:

I appeal to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship.    Romans 12:1(AMP)

Surrender. Yes, surrender.