Saturday, November 10, 2018

LIfe is a Story - N. D. Wilson



I just wanted to share this passage from a book I'm "listening" to.  As anyone who knows me will attest, I do not like to read.  Words on pages are not something I do well with.  But spoken words, they resonate.  This book by N.D. Wilson has me in chapter 6 on the first day!  It's called "Death by Living".  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.


LIFE IS A STORY!

Christianity is no good at all as an idea.
Stop thinking that assertive propositioning is the same thing as faith.  It’s a start, but it can also be a costume. Flesh it out. What is Christianity incarnate?

Merry Christmas! Join the wise men and find out.  Follow the shepherds, be blind by the road, or hungry in a crowd, or terrified in a boat, or lame at a pool, or dangling through the ceiling, or a whore with too much perfume, or a thief in a tree – or on a tree.  Or an adulteress facing execution, or a liar, or a sodomite, or a hypocrite, or all the above.  Be guilty.  Betray and despise all that is good and free and beautiful.  Walk past that slacked soldier with the sour sponge on a stick.  Stand with Mary at the foot of the cross.  And you will see that the cross is not an idea.

This world is all incarnation – words made flesh. Words.  God has seen, and God has said. His imagination is bone shaking and soul shivering, and He has never groped for words to capture and be those things. He imagined galaxies and clogged drains and sharks and harmonies and running and villains and foes and fungus and that heavy marriage of air and water whereby we can skip rocks, that can quench, freeze, and baptize.

He imagined and felt the ache of a mothers love and the immortal yearning caused by the passing of time and the speed of a falcon and the fear of a hare and minor chords and the smell of carpet glue.  And none of these were any good as ideas because they became words, sounds mouthed by the infinite, rhythms verbally fleshed out and shaped by the divine.  They were spoken, which is just another way of saying, life is a story. 
If you think it, live it.
If you don’t live it you don’t really think it.
You are not what you think or what you think you think.
You are not what you say you are.
You are what you do.

Christianity is no good as an idea.

-         -  N.D. Wilson “Death by Living: Life is Meant to be Spent”


Thursday, October 25, 2018

Perseverance



“For they all were trying to make us afraid, saying, “Their hands will be weakened in the work, and it will not be done.” Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.” – Nehemiah 6:9
There’s a beautiful story in Nehemiah about perseverance, continuing in a work despite all difficulty.  Yet, if we read it too quickly, we just might miss it because the story itself is as entertaining as any screen production! 
The scene begins with Nehemiah, the Prophet.  He has been in captivity for years and is serving as King Artaxerxes cup bearer.  Being cupbearer was not a title anyone would choose.  His duty was to taste everything the King ate so that if it was poisoned, he would die instead of the king. Obviously in a world of national enemies, the King knew not to get too fond of Nehemiah.
But Nehemiah had heard that the Jews that had escaped captivity were trying to live in Judah because the wall of Jerusalem was broken down and even burned.  They were without food, being attacked and having their food stolen, having to place their own children into slavery to survive!  Without a wall to protect them they were in constant fear of their enemies. As is the case even in modern days, Jews were hated.
Nehemiah’s heart was grieved for them, which I happen to believe this was part of God’s encouraging him to act.  So, he prayed first, and acted second (there’s a whole lot to be said about that!).  He went before King Artaxerxes and asked that he be sent to rebuild back the wall, and that the King would use his power to have the neighboring lands provide building supplies.
While supplies were sent out of reverence to the King, many of the governors surrounding Jerusalem were not happy about the rebuilding of the wall.  Two such were Tobiah and Sanballat.  They knew this would better the wellbeing of the children of Israel and cut off their stealing of the supplies from the Jews.
Nehemiah begins to rebuild the wall with the volunteers he could get from the Jews and is continually mocked with statements like “Whatever they build, if even a fox goes up on it, he will break down their stone wall.” (Nehemiah 4:3). But Nehemiah persevered!  Sometimes you have to turn a deaf ear to the naysayers and just pursue God’s plan.
Tobiah and Sanballat could not stand the thought of them completing the wall, and fortifying Jerusalem as a city once again.  So, they sent a message to Nehemiah trying to trick him to leave the city and come to them.  Obviously, their intent was to lure him away and kill him.  Note, it’s often the leader the enemy will go after as this is the fastest way to stop the work. 
But Nehemiah was given wisdom to understand what was behind their plan.  He sent them a message saying “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?” (Nehemiah 6:3) and continued to work.
Five times they tried to lure him away from his work – FIVE.  But the final time they sent a messenger to him with a note in hand telling him that it had been reported to the nations that the Jews planned to rebel, and that Nehemiah had hired prophets to say that “There is a king in Judah!” which would bring a breach of trust between him and King Artaxerxes. 
Nehemiah sends back yet another message in the same hands saying “No such things as you say are being done, but you invent them in your own heart.”
Ok, now things are getting serious! He’s called his enemies out! He’s called them liars.  If you’ve ever been in a conflict you know this is an escalation point!
Nehemiah’s team wants to have him stay in the temple, a holy place that would be less likely to be invaded to harm him.  Yet, Nehemiah sees the work at hand, and knows it must be done.  He continues to lead despite adversity and even a death threat.  He understands that their threats were meant to slow their work, or even stop it.  Nehemiah perseveres!
In 52 days an entire wall was rebuilt around Jerusalem.  It was 2 ½ miles long, 39 feet tall, and 8.2 feet thick!  There were 34 watchtowers, and seven main gates. No bull dozers, no cranes, no massive transports of large concrete blocks.  It was built by hand by men who pursued a plan with a leader that was continually leading, continually pursuing the goal.
That wall was built in 52 days, and to date it has been attached 52 times. It was destroyed once after Nehemiah built it, and in 1535 was rebuilt by Sultan Suleiman I, and it took four years.  Being completed in 1541, it still stands today.
Had Nehemiah not persevered, what would have become of the Jews?  An entire race could have been destroyed.  But Nehemiah, praying first, knew God was on His side.  Acting second, He knew God would strengthen Him and not see Him fail.  And in the end, Nehemiah rejected praise for His work and pointed all the glory to God.  Ah, that’s when you know you’ve really done a great job – when you can see that God’s hand was with you and you succeeded.  It’s a double whammy – you did good work, and you pleased God.
Friends, don’t give up on what you’ve been called to do.  Leaders, do not abandon your post!  PERSEVERE!
So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in fifty-two days.  And it happened, when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations around us saw these things, that they were very disheartened in their own eyes; for they perceived that this work was done by our God.” – Nehemiah 6:15-16

Monday, August 27, 2018

Praising God in Disappointment



 When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, he enabled her to conceive, but Rachel remained childless. “– Genesis 29:31

When you read the story of Rachel and Leah, you really feel like Leah got a bad deal.  How horrible was her father, Laban, that he tricked Jacob into marrying her instead of her younger sister that he loved.  It’s hard to imagine how she must have felt, knowing that she was being given to a man that did not love her.

Seven years Jacob had worked for Rachel.  Seven long years.  But his love for her was so strong that verse 20 of this chapter says that “they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.” Rachel loved Jacob as well, and Leah knew it.

But the custom of the day was that the older sister must marry first.  Aren’t traditions just the worst thing? They are rules made up by people in a different age and time, that are handed down without any thought to how crazy they are.  So he tricked Jacob into marrying Leah.  It was only the next morning (the morning after the honey moon) that Jacob opened his eyes and saw it was Leah.  Only God knows what he must have said to Leah in his great surprise. 

Angry at the way Laban his father-in-law had tricked him, Laban agreed to give him Rachel also if he would work another 7 years for her.  So immediately Rachel became his wife also, the wife he loved and cherished.  And Leah would have fallen into the background – except for one thing.  Leah could have children and God had closed Rachel’s womb.

The story of how she named her children from Jacob tells it all. 

The first was Reuben, “because the Lord has seen my misery.  Surely my husband will love me now.”  Lots of women fall into this trap even in this age.  Feeling they’re losing the love of a husband they have a child, only to find out that a child doesn’t bring them together.  How sad that even a small baby would not bring her love, but she still craved the love of Jacob.

The second was also a son, Simeon, “because the Lord hear that I am not loved, and he gave me this one too.”  Still unloved, still craving love in her life from someone who could not give it, she had another son.  But even two young boys were not enough to fill the void in her heart.

The third child was named Levi, and she said “Now at last my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.”  Stop a second and think about the situation going on in the background here.  Jacob is still living with Rachel, loving Rachel, but making love to Leah and having children by her.  While in today’s world having two wives is nothing less than adultery, at this time the laws had not been given.  Yet the heartbreak Leah had to feel each night Jacob returned to Rachel is very real.  He was the one she could not have because he simply did not love her.

The fourth and last child was named Judah.  Yes, Judah as in the tribe of Judah that God would later send His Son Jesus to be born from.  When Leah had Judah, she did something she’d never done before.  Instead of looking at what she wanted, she looked up in praise to God.  She named him Judah, and said “This time I will praise the Lord.” 

Four children later, Leah realized something.  Somewhere between the birth of Levi and Judah, she realized that the love she could not have from Jacob was harming her.  She found the love of God in the gifts He had given her.  It wasn’t just the children, but the ability to have those children when Rachel could not.  She had a purpose, one that was blueprinted into even the birth of Christ being in her lineage. 

Friends, we’re all Leah at one time or another.  We want the love of someone who is unable to love us back in the way God wants us to be loved.  Think not for a second that God was not in control of this situation.  While He gives us free will, and that led Laban to be the cause of this horrible blow to Leah’s life, He could have changed Jacob’s heart.  He changed the hearts of many in the Bible.  But as he spoke to Paul, “my grace is sufficient”, He also gives us grace and mercy.  Grace is strength, favor, blessings to heal the wounds.  In that grace, He gifted Leah with four sons. 

The number four in the Bible indicates completeness.  In having Judah, Leah finally found a way to feel complete.  She came to peace with herself and with God.

Sometimes the love we crave, the one we want, or the things we think will make us happy are not given to us for very good reasons.  It hurts! It crushes our hearts and breaks our spirit.  And when that happens, we need to be as Leah, and look to God in praise.  That’s right – PRAISE.  He sees the future as history, and His will for us is always good.  Trusting God that He is in control of all things, and He is, is powerful medication for those wounds.  He does not forsake us when our prayers are answered with “No.”.  Instead, He sooths the broken heart.  Psalms 147:3 says “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”.  Pray out your pain to Him when you’re disappointed.  He is ready and willing to bind your wounds.
 


Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Hide it Under a Bushel, No?




Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.” – Daniel 6:10

Most of us won’t even pray over our food in public because it makes us “uncomfortable”.  Yet Daniel, knowing that there was a lions den waiting for him, remained devoted to God, praying three times a day in his window as he always had.  He could have took a 30 day break, as the law was only for 30 days, but he was loyal.  The laws of man were not going to change his relationship with God.  Daniel was, in a word, bold.

The Bible speaks of boldness several times.  It says Jesus spoke boldly before the Jewish ruler in the temple (John 7:26).  Barnabas, in his discussion with the disciples about Paul (recently known as Saul the Christian killer), testified that he had preached Christ boldly in Damascus (Acts 9:27). Several times after that, Paul also was recorded to preach boldly.

So many of us have lost our boldness (writer included).  We’ve allowed political correctness and social acceptance to imprison our Christianity.  We hide it under a bushel as the song “This Little Light of Mine” we sung as a child, declaring we would not do that very thing.  While we’re quick to share our opinions on so many controversial topics, we hide our Christianity as if it were a terribly embarrassing disease.  We have made a choice, consciously or unconsciously.  We’ve decided that the approval of society is more important that the approval of God.  In doing so, we’ve worshipped society, placing it above the will of God.  Yeah, I know it’s hard to hear, but am I wrong?

Jesus had something to say about this behavior in Luke 9 that I think would be wise for us all to consider.  Speaking in verses 23-26 he says:
“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels.”

Wednesday, July 11, 2018

Letting Go of the Tiny Hand



Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.” – Psalms 56:3


I think both of my kids would agree that I’m an overly protective mom.  Sure, I worry about the big things that would harm their life, but I also worry about the small things, the insignificant-in-the-long-run things. 

When Lev was a little toddler, he fell and busted his lip on the coffee table.  I called the doctor.  I didn’t just call him, I was crying and upset and just wanted the bleeding to STOP.  But in retrospect, it wasn’t life threatening.  It was just a heart broken mom seeing her baby bleed for the first time.

When Gabby was small we had a white cat that came and decided to stay.  It bit her one day, and I cried with her.  The cat was rehomed.  And when was life flighted to Vanderbilt at 5 years old, I thought my world was going to end.  But it didn’t.  God took over.  Little Aubree would continually say to me what I always said to her, “Don’t Fall!”  I worried about her scrapping a knee or hitting her head.    And not only does Pearl hold my or Pops hand when going down the stairs, but when she gets to the bottom she looks back to hold mine for me to come down the stairs saying “Gramma, I help you”.  My worrisome thoughts rubbed off on them all through the years it seems.

All this time I thought I was dealing with anxiety, being overly protective, maybe not even letting my kids just be kids.  But I was able to let go.  I realize that when I was able to let them do their own thing, it was hard, but I didn’t do it alone.  A friend of mine told me once that God is the best babysitter you can have because He’s with your kids all the time, He loves them as His own, and He is all powerful.  When I was afraid for them, like when Gabby moved to college in a dorm room all alone, or when Lev went to boot camp, I could let go and remember that God sees them when I don’t.  I spend a lot of time praying for their heath, happiness, and protection from evil, and leave it all in God’s hands because He can do what I cannot.  It’s common sense, is it not?

Today I’m still trusting Him.  I cannot travel Lev, Kristan, and Pearl.  I have so many things I can and do worry about with them being so far away.  But, when I am afraid, I move my thoughts to the baby sitter, our Sovereign God.  He sees what lies ahead not only within their view as they travel, but for miles into the future.  He knows where every evil lurks.  He changes the course of lives to protect them.  I refuse to dwell on the things that could happen, because life has taught me that the majority of them never do!  God is a great Father, and He watches over His children out of a love so deep mine cannot compare.

I know there are parents reading that are getting ready to send their kids to kindergarten for the first time, and that is hard to do when they’ve been with you every day of their life.  I know that there are other parents who are sending their kids to camp and they’ll be away from home for a full week for the first time.  And yet other parents are preparing to pack up their teens and move them to college, sometimes far away.  All of these steps require you to let go of their hand, let go of control over their coming and going, trust them to be who they have been raise to be.  But as you let go of that little hand, take hold of God’s mighty hand.  When you are afraid, trust him.  His love for them is even greater than yours.  His control is stronger than yours.  And His presence is closer than yours.    

Tuesday, June 12, 2018

Be Still and Trust





“Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” – Psalms 46:10

It’s easy to get discouraged.  It’s so easy to feel depressed, anxious, and let down by all that goes on around us every day.  After meditating on this verse this morning, I’ve come to realize that we go through all those feelings because we don’t stop when we’re given those thoughts of discouragement and refocus to realize WHO is in control.

I’ve had many years of being a child of God, and I’m grateful for His hand over me to shadow me from the evil of this world.  But there are still times when I get discouraged, when things don’t seem to be working out the way I want.  At those times my first instinct has turned to ‘what can I do?’.  My independent nature, which this world would applaud, is my worst enemy in times like this.  It leads to putting the weight of the world on my shoulders and crumbling me to the ground.  I feel helpless, unable to do anything that will suffice to stop the worries and stress.

But is that God’s will?  Is it His will that I would worry, be anxious, have heart palpitations, bad dreams, and sleepless nights? ABSOLUTELY NOT!

His words are very clear.  “BE STILL”.  Don’t worry, don’t focus on the bad, don’t let your mind take over.

“KNOW THAT I AM GOD”.  Oh, you can’t really gain the full value of that statement without knowing that God operates from love for His children.  Knowing that He is God, almighty, ever present, ever loving, never forsaking, with buckets of grace that I cannot empty, and that He loves me and seeks the best for me...that’s what allows me to do that He says and “BE STILL”.

I don’t have to have life figured out.  I don’t have to know what the weeks ahead or even years ahead will bring in my health, my job, my family, my friends, my nation, or anything else!  I just need to TRUST God.  His love and His power can be my shield from all anxiety.  Every worry can begin and end in a split second – defeated – when I trust Him.

Walk with me through each day, Father God.  Keep me wrapped in your love as a warm blanket that guards my thoughts and heart from all that could come against me.  Let me hide in you from all that I would otherwise worry and stress about.  Even in the valley Father, let me find peace.  Amen.

“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul:’ – Psalm 23:2-3


Sunday, March 18, 2018

A Lesson on Violence in the World



"And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones. When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him. And he cried out with a loud voice and said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me.” - Mark 5:2-6

If you are concerned with the violence in this world, you should be concerned with the spirituality of this world. Take a lesson from this man whom no chains could bind. He was evil unleashed on the world. There was nothing and no one that could stop him. School shootings? He could have done it. Abusive to children? All within his capabilities. Murderous, deceitful, thievery, there was nothing that he would not do that was evil.

He was also suffering within who he was. He would cut himself and abuse himself, cry out in misery and pain. He lived among the tombs, probably wishing his own death would take him from his pain. And yet, no one could, or would, help him.

But...JESUS.

At the first sight of Jesus, the man didn't run away. He ran TO Jesus. He worshipped him. And not understanding the love within Jesus for him, he first thought Jesus was there, as the demons were, to torment him.

Yet, Jesus didn't do that. Jesus freed him! He sent the demons into a herd of pigs and they ran off a cliff to death.

Friends, if we want to do ANYTHING to make a lasting effect on the violence in our world now, we have to start with the hearts of those who are violent. We have to start with the children in preschool who will slap another child, the children in 3rd grade who will steal from another and deny it, the children who live on the streets, the children who find their happiness in drugs. We have to seek out those that are hurting and help them find Jesus and find freedom from the chains within them that bind them to the evil in their hearts.

The hands do not craft evil, so removing weapons doesn't fix it. Another weapon will come along.

The brain does not craft evil. All the gun safety, bullying prevention classes, equal rights messages, and etc. will not fix it.

The heart is where evil begins. A heart that does not love itself can never love another. A heart that does not love itself has never found the joy of Christ, and learned their self-value to the One who made Heaven and Earth. Change the heart - and you've stopped evil.

I'd like you to consider this from now on when confronted with someone who you find even a spec of evil in. Think about what they're missing and get them there. "Love one another even as I have loved you" was the message of Christ. Instead of showing anger, show love. Instead of turning your back in disgust, show love. Instead of condemning them to a life of self-hate, self-harm, bullying, violence, and worse - LOVE THEM. Show them Christ. His Love can change the world.

Friday, March 2, 2018

Four Men in the Fire


 

“So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace.  The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, 23 and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.

Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?”  They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.”He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.” 

Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!”

So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire,  and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.

Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.  Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.” – Daniel 3:21-29

 

I believe God is in control of everything.  I believe He is almighty.  I believe He keeps all kinds of evil on a short leash.  I believe that the things that happen in this world are either ordained by Him, or allowed by Him, as in the life of Job.    

He could have easily saved Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the fire.  He could have put out the fire, but He didn’t.  He could have pulled them up into a chariot as He did Elijah.  He could have sent an army of angels to close up the furnace. But He did not.

Instead, He allowed those that threw them into the fire to die from the flames, proving it was hot enough to kill, and then let His three children be thrown into the fire like yesterday’s trash.    

Instead of preventing the fire, which would not have even made the Babylonian Times paper of the day, He chose to go through it with them. There were four men, walking around in the fire. FOUR!  Think about that. 

What did it do for the faith of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego?  They had tremendous faith already.  They told Nebuchadnezzar that even if God did not deliver them from the fire, they would not serve his gods or worship his images of gold.  How do you think they responded when they saw the Son of God, man number four, in the fire with them?  Friends, I doubt anything later on in their life could have caused their faith to be diminished.  In fact, I think it grew even greater. 

What did that do to the faith of Nebuchadnezzar?  I can tell you what it did!  It converted him!  He became a believer!

Friends, struggles and trials are meant to draw us to Him, and draw others.  If live was a cakewalk, we’d never pray, never cry out, never see our need for a Father that will go through the fire with us.  And no, God doesn’t give the toughest struggles to the toughest of His children.  He treats us all equally.  It’s not about you and what you can take, it’s about you reaching out to Him.    

The struggle isn’t about our persecution.  It’s about how we walk through them.  It’s about a God that wants us to draw closer and closer and closer to Him until we can see Him in the fire.  It’s about who learns from our struggles what a great God we serve.  It’s about Him.  It’s about His love for mankind.

God still walks through the fires with us.  Sometimes He pulls us through without even the smell of smoke. Sometimes He chooses to let us bear a burden to show others how strong our faith is. 

If you’re in the fire, look around.  He is there.  He will never forsake His children (Joshua 1:5).  He is always there.   

Monday, February 12, 2018

Five Stones and Faith



He picked up five stones from a stream and put them into his shepherd’s bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd’s staff and sling, he started across the valley to fight the Philistine.” – 1 Samuel 17:4

The story of David and Goliath says that he picked up 5 stones, and put them into a pouch and went out with his sling.  But he also took with him his shepherd’s staff.

If you don’t know about the staff, you don’t know how he truly killed the giant.  Let’s just think about this.  How often have you heard of a man being killed by one rock? Hmm?  How often have you heard of a young boy with a slingshot using it as a weapon in a homicide?  Yea, it’s pretty far from what we see as reality, right?  If this appeared on the 6 o’clock news tonight it would be with a heading like ‘Incredible story of a young man who killed a villain who was tormenting their town with just one small rock.  More on that in our newscast.” It’s unexplainable!

Unexplainable, that is, until you realized what the staff represents.  The Shepherd’s staff was a tool of warfare for a shepherd.  It was used to fight off predators from the sheep he was entrusted to protect.  When a fight was done, they would often carve into the staff a history of what they had fought.  It was sort of like the old gun shooters notching their belts for the number of kills. For David, these were his credentials given to King Saul to allow him to go to war single handedly against the giant.  In 1 Samuel 17: 34-37 he tells Saul:

“I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats,” he said. “When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death.  I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God!  The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!”

Lions and Bears defected, the giant wasn’t that scary to this young man.  Can you imagine being as bold as to chase down a lion or a bear and club it to death?  If you read that last sentence again you’ll see where his boldness came from.  David didn’t put his faith in rocks or wooden objects.  His faith was in God, and that was his true weapon!  He realized that it was the Lord who had fought those battles, and delivered him.  He was ready for the next battle because he again had faith that God would deliver him.

Friends, every single day we fight a battle.  There are battles inside us for our will over God’s will, battles around us for us to conform to the world, battles in the workplace for us to be silent and conceal our faith, battles in the marketplace for us to devote ourselves to the desires of the world.  Here a battle, there a battle, battles battles everywhere! More often than we should, we all lose battles. 

Today, remember you do not fight those battles alone.  You’re a tool in the hands of Mighty God.  If you will submit to Him, He will win those battles for you.  Pray and stay in touch with him.  Keep your faith in Him.  We can often lose faith in ourselves and our abilities to fight the temptations we face.  But when we recall, when we pull out from our memories of all the things He has conquered for us, the carvings on our shepherd’s staff, we realize that there is no fight God isn’t strengthening us to fight.  There is no time when He will send us to war alone.  You CAN do ALL things THROUGH CHRIST who gives you UNEXPLAINABLE strength! (Philippians 4:13)

Now, go out and watch the enemy tremble! Raise a victory banner over each of your battles! God has empowered you to fight!

Happy Monday Ya’ll!

Monday, February 5, 2018

Eyes Wide Open


“By now Balaam realized that the Lord was determined to bless Israel, so he did not resort to divination as before. Instead, he turned and looked out toward the wilderness, where he saw the people of Israel camped, tribe by tribe. Then the Spirit of God came upon him,  and this is the message he delivered: “This is the message of Balaam son of Beor, the message of the man whose eyes see clearly, the message of one who hears the words of God, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who bows down with eyes wide open:” – Numbers 24: 1-4

Throughout God’s Word you can read the word EYE.  But if you’ll notice, it has two meanings.  Most commonly, we hear of the physical eye with which we see.  Exodus 21:24 refers to “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”, and the story of Samson in Judges 16 talks about how the Philistines gouged out his eyes.  Yes, our eyes are very important to our wellbeing, but perhaps not as important as the second type of “eye”.

If you read through the Bible carefully, you will find that the eye also refers to spiritual knowledge revealed.  Back as far as Genesis 3:5 Satan told Eve that “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it” referring to the fruit of the forbidden tree.  They were already seeing, but not spiritually.  Psalms 119:18 speaks of these eyes of the soul saying “Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions.”  Balaam speaks in Numbers 24 after the Holy Spirit rested on him that God has given him “eyes wide open” that He would bless Israel.  The book of Revelation uses the phrase “and I saw” ten times in John’s description of the vision of Heaven he saw.  While he did not see with physical eyes, God allowed him to see it with spiritual eyes.  I Corinthians 2:9 speaks of what Heaven will be like and says ““Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

The singular “eye” is the spiritual eye.  Jesus says in Matthew 6:22 “The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.” The very next verse speaks of the eye being evil and the body in turn being dark, pointing to the spiritual eye and light is a metaphor for wisdom.

With our spiritual eye, we can see things far greater than the physical one can show us.  Spiritual sight comes through faith when God’s grace provides it.  Sometimes it comes in the chaos of life that we could not otherwise overcome.  Sometimes it’s as simple as a deep belief that is so strong that it is established in your heart even before you see it with your eyes, like that of an expectant mother who knows the sex of her child before it’s born without seeing it. 

I’ve been struggling lately with feelings of complacency, depression, lack of passion and problems making decisions.  I’m going through a phase of life that I think we all go through in our careers where we feel the need to make changes.  We want to fulfill God’s plan for our life, and also to see what else is out there for us.  My career has taken some different turns in the past few years, and I’ve seen God’s hand leading me away from what is tried and true.  I’m finally at a point that I believe I can “see” with spiritual eyes what He has in store for me.  Because of that I’m going to put in a lot of time chasing that goal.  I ask for everyone’s prayers as I go through this journey.  I need your prayers for clarity of my spiritual sight.  To walk away from what I know and discover something new is tough.  It’s uncertain.  But God has given me eyes to understand it – eyes wide open. If I find that He does not walk with me through that, then I’ll know that isn’t the path He has chosen for me, and I rest in His promise that He will complete the work He started in me and that He does have a plan for my future both here, and hereafter. 
 
May God give you all eyes wide open.

 

 

Friday, January 26, 2018

Mountains and Valleys


 
Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places smooth; The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken” – Isaiah 40:4-5

Our lives are filled with highs and lows.  Lately all around me there seem to be lows.  There are sick friends, children fighting horrible diseases, destruction of strong families, financial struggles, and the list goes on and on.  As I drove home yesterday God showed me something.  As I drove in the dark, which is something I don’t often do because I can’t see well at night, I was following Don’s tail lights.  But if he went down a hill before I did, I couldn’t see him.  I’d have to just follow in faith – and then a few seconds later, there he would be. 

Going through life is much like that.  We are sometimes in such a low that we cannot see over the mountains that surround us.  Or we’re on such a high mountain top, with everything right in our little world that we don’t see what’s coming up the mountain to drag us back down. 

Today, regardless of where you are – a mountain or a valley – realize these three things, and find your joy and hope.

First, God is never taken by surprise.  Isaiah 46:9-10 says that God has declared the end from the beginning.  He is omniscient, knowing all actualities and possibilities.  We walk through this life not knowing what the next moment will bring, much like my driving in the dark.  But we can all have faith that God has seen them already, and is leading us to them, and through them. 

Secondly, realize God has a plan for your entire life filled with mountain highs and desperate valleys – and it’s a good plan!  Jeremiah 29:11 says that His plan for us are for good, not evil, and they offer us a future and hope.  He knew us before we were even formed in the womb (Jeremiah 1:5), every cell of our body was part of His perfect construction plan.  Every moment, every single day is designed for you with a purpose that only the plan maker can fully grasp.   He will complete that plan, as stated in Philippians 1:6 “he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ”.  Look at the paths of people like Moses, David, Joseph, and Jacob in the Bible.  Their lives overflowed with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.  But they became great because they leaned on God in the difficult times, and continued to follow him. 

Lastly, find hope in knowing that one day, God has promised to raise the valleys, lower the mountains,  make the crooked times in your life straight, and the rough places smooth.  One day you will see and know why your life plan was filled with potholes and ditches, as well as elevated days (Isaiah 40:4-5).  The glory of God will be revealed in your life if you continue to follow His lead.    

Looking back at my ride home last night, I’m grateful to have had Don’s tail lights to follow.  His vision is clear, and he drives home at night all week long.  He’s experienced at handling the dark, and knows where the hills are and the valleys, and the curves and crooks, the entire way home.  Likewise, God knows where we’re going to hit a bump and a curve will come out of nowhere.  Those are good reasons to follow Him closely.  What better guide can you have through this life than to follow the one who holds the blueprinted plan of your life?  Lean on Him in prayer in the tough times and praise Him in the good times.

 

 

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Can We Be Holy?


 

“But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” – 1 Peter 1:15-16

I didn’t get far in my Bible study this morning.  I got to the opening page of BibleGateway.Com, and this was the verse of the day.  I’ve read it many times, but what does Holy REALLY mean?  I looked it up.  According to Strong’s Concordance (G40), it means to be “pure, sinless, upright, holy”.  Reading further it states that it means “distinctly of God pre-eminently”, “such as a kiss is a sign of the purest love”.  
But can we mere mortals be holy?  The answer, simply put is YES.  We have the ability in our own bodies to be holy.  Look at Enoch, who walked so closely with God that he didn’t experience death (Hebrews 11:5), but was taken up with God.  Look at Job, who is said to have been “blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil” (Job 1:1).  These real human beings, just like we are.  They lived lives in this world just like we do with daily chores and jobs, health issues, problems of all kinds, and they were “pure, sinless, upright, holy”, and demonstrated in their lives that they were distinctly of God.

I also do not believe we would have been commanded to be holy if it were not possible.  God’s words in this verse first appear in Leviticus 11: 44-45, when God himself says: “For I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy. Neither shall you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth.  For I am the Lord who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.”  
Consecrate yourselves, setting yourselves apart, is what God desires of us.  He desires that “you shall be holy for I am holy”.

I believe as a people we have chosen to believe this is impossible rather than defining the source of the problem.  We do not want to fully obey God.  Obedience, at 100%, would be holiness.  But in our own wills lies those seeds of sin that we haven’t pulled out of the garden where we grow.  We choose to act out on our anger.  We choose to be greedy.  We choose to be prideful.  We choose to slander.  In all our sins, we have a choice, and we choose sin.

Sanctification is a word we rarely hear.  It means to be “set apart for Holy purpose”.  The Christian life of growth is supposed to occur in phases.  Just as humans we go through the phases of newborn, childhood, and adulthood, we are to go through the spiritual growth stages.  We’re to move from justification (being made right with God by Christ, 1 John 3:1), to Sanctification (obeying God’s will and being set apart for Him, 1 John 3:3) to Glorification (face to face with God, 1 John 3:2). What occurs is we receive Christ’s justification, but somewhere along the way we stop in the path of sanctification, choosing our own sinful will over God’s.  Grace steps in and allows us to remain His, for we are saved by Grace and not by our works (2 Timothy 1:9).  But our growth, like children who are never given proper foods to grow strong and healthy, stops. 

Friends, let’s all examine ourselves.  Are we growing?  Or are we frail and unhealthy children?  If we’re not growing holier by applying His Holy Word and His Will to our lives, then we’re not becoming holy.  While the command may sound impossible, we need to remember that with God…all things… are possible.