Already There

“‘The LORD turned to him and said, ‘Am I not sending you?’  Gideon said to God, ‘If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised – then I will know…Do not be angry with me.  Allow me one more test…’ That night, God did so…” Judges 7:39-40.

If anyone had the right to be frightened for his life, it would have been Gideon.  He was the weakest family member in the weakest tribe of Israel, yet God chose him to be His instrument to save Israel.  Israel had once again become a people of idolatry and disobedience, but God’s patience is long and faithfulness is infinite.  Gideon’s prayers resonate deep in my heart this morning as I consider what was at stake.  Gideon was chosen to face multiple armies in an all-out battle for lives, for purpose and for deliverance.  His mind must have been spinning as he considered the possibility of going through the bloody battle which could result in his death.  But notice that his dialogue with God was more concerned with understanding whether this was God’s will for his life.   He knew God would save – but was Gideon clear on God using him for this task?   Instead of pleading for his life, he was pleading to recognize God’s will.  That was what was paramount in his prayer…God’s will over his comfort.

If we could only be as relentless in prayer about God’s will the way we are about our will for certain outcomes, we would experience God in a way unparalleled.  The joy would be in the confidence we have in the Lord instead of the fear we have in the outcome.  Jesus also prayed for God’s will – not an outcome.  ‘…yet not my will, but yours be done.’ Luke 22:42.  Mary prayed for God’s will knowing she faced a hard life.  ‘May it be to me as you have said.’ Luke 1:38b.

God knows how tough this life is and the bloody battles we face.  But with this knowledge comes power, strength and growth deep in our spirit that moves us from weak to strong…victim to conqueror.  God will look at the meekness of our bodies and the weakness of our hearts and softly beckon through our circumstances, "Am I not sending you for this season of your life?  Am I not lifting you up to show others your testimony and your faith?  Am I not empowering you to walk through this battle?"

Wherever God is calling you to go, He is already there!

Dancing In The Meadows

“So do not consume yourselves with questions…Outsiders make themselves frantic over such questions; they don’t realize that your heavenly Father knows exactly what you need.  Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and then all these things will be given to you too.  So do not worry about tomorrow. Let tomorrow worry about itself.  Living faithfully is a large enough task for today” Matthew 6:31-34. (The Voice – New Testament)

Do you consider yourself an outsider in the family of God?  Of course we do not, but why do we act like one?   We fear the invisible tomorrows with all of our preconceived threats of what if’s instead of claiming the day in which we are blessed.   My family was blessed to have many ‘todays’ to claim when we realized that our loved ones were crossing over that bridge to Heaven…no words left unspoken…no touches unfulfilled…no memories unshared.  I have also been devastated by a sudden death when my sweet mother-in-law unexpectedly died.   Those unfulfilled moments due to perceived tomorrows left a broken heart that God was faithful in healing.  God heals the wounded regardless of the circumstances.   We would all prefer more tomorrows for our loved ones but each one of us are only guaranteed limited days on earth.  ‘All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be’ Psalm 139:16. 
 

Why is it only when our tomorrows become threatened we begin to claim our todays?  Why can’t we chase, catch and embrace the winds of today like the tail of a kite swishing through the breeze?  Where is that spiritual child who leaves the burdens up to her Father while she dances in meadows and sings at the top of her lungs?  Living faithfully in the present day is a large task when that type of faithfulness includes trusting God for His best while we walk in our worst circumstances.  He will share the complete joy of His presence in our today if we refuse our tomorrows to consume us.

‘Do not let you hearts be troubled.  Trust in God, trust also in me.’ John 14:1

Fists to Heaven

“I have loved you,” says the LORD.  “But you ask, ‘How have you loved us?’” Malachi 1:2

When I was a young bride I secretly wondered if Bruce really loved me.  I was an emotional abyss that required constant reminders of his love.  Many times I would tearfully question his affection, requiring him to verbally recount the ways he loved me.  He was always patient with my needs and cautious with my heart.  I would tend to forget the daily loving actions and my hungry heart would begin wondering again…how has he loved me?  The issue I had to work out in my mind and heart was that he did love me, and everything out of that love was true and secure. 

Spiritually speaking, we also have to settle in our minds once and for all that God loves us.  The suffering of life is not from a God whose love is fickle but from sin whose arms are long.  It is because of God’s love that He takes what sin demands and turns it to our benefit.  It is because of God’s love that we are able to love the unlovely and forgive the undeserving.  It is because of God’s covenant love with our ancestors that we are in a covenant relationship with Him.  It is because of God’s love that He surrendered His own Son through torture and shame so that we might live.  ‘God’s love for us makes our relationship with Him possible. “We love because he first loved us (John 4:19).  The foundation of our relationship with God is not our FAITH – though faith is essential; it is God’s love.  Everything begins with God.’ The Applied Old Testament Commentary, p. 1311.

So the next time we shake our fists to heaven, we had better be ready to recount the ways that we have loved Him.

Life's Fragrance

“Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair.  And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.” John 12:3.

In the Bible we are told that Mary possessed pure nard which was very expensive and no doubt one of her most valuable treasures. This wonderful fragrance was derived from the Spikenard plant when its underground stems were crushed and distilled into intensely aromatic amber-colored oil very thick in consistency.  The plant alone did not possess the fragrance but the process of breaking down the stems and removing the impurities created the pleasing aroma.  It is written that once she poured it on the feet of Jesus the house was filled with the fragrance. 

When we allow God to take our underground attitudes that lie below the surface and crush them through circumstances, He will remove the impurities of our heart.  Our flesh will be distilled and transformed with the thick aromatic oil of the Holy Spirit.  When that oil is poured out into the purposes of God our lives will become aromatic and Christ filled to all around us.  When others breathe in our lives they breathe in the fragrance of the King.  When they witness our walk they see us walking behind the Savior on a mission.  Our spiritual gifts will be our greatest treasure as we offer it back to God.   Our talents poured over the agenda of God will dispense the beautiful life that resembles His Son. 

‘But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.  For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.  To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.’ 2 Co 2:14-16.

How would others describe the aroma of your life?

The Death of Death

“…to have them celebrate annually the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month…as the time when [they] … got relief from their enemies and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into celebration.” Esther 9:21-22.

We all have dates that are forever burned onto our hearts and into our minds, some joyful like births but others heartbreaking like deaths.  The painful anniversaries of departed loved ones approach with such power of dread, grief and sorrow.  Personally speaking, Feb 2, March 15 and March 16 hold buckets of tears as my loved ones lost their battles to Alzheimer’s and cancer.  Illness of any kind is an enemy that wages war against our physical bodies.  It is a relentless opponent that never tires of attacks.  Enduring any kind of illness, whether mental or physical, wears down the body and the soul.  I have repeatedly witnessed how illness temporarily robs one of everything, leaving its victim sorrowful and sad with the reality of life on earth winding down. 

But what about seeing their departures through the spiritual lens of Heaven?   What about tuning our spiritual ears to the distant cheers above?  As our loved ones exhale their final breath on earth, their next inhale is the spiritual fragrance of Heaven.  As they breathe life in the joyful surrounding of Christ, illness breathes it final breath on earth.  Illness dies when our loved ones are given relief from their enemies of suffering. 

When these dates roll around and I am tempted to be sorrowful and mourn their death, I must remember that the only thing that died on those dates was the enemy.  Their suffering no longer holds the power of pain in their lives.  On these dates, my loved ones’ sorrow was turned to joy and their mourning was turned to dancing as they celebrated death to sin and suffering.  As we sat at their funeral, they were sitting at the funerals of their enemies – cancer and Alzheimer’s.

‘And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them.  They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.  He will wipe every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”  He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Rev 21:3-4.

I’ll just bet that my loved ones joyfully anticipate the anniversaries of when their enemy died once and for all, and everything about them was made new!

A 'Far Be It From Me' Life

“As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you…But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you.” 1 Samuel 12:23-24.

After God’s chosen people demanded a king, they were given what they asked for.  God used His servant Samuel to anoint Saul as their leader.  It wasn’t that God agreed with them, but rather allowed their desires to play out.   Make no mistake…God saw their desire for a king as complete disobedience and rejection of His Lordship.  Samuel was aware that the only way for them to be successful in their circumstances was to never lose sight that it was God who set King Saul before them.  Samuel goes into a farewell speech to the people basically reminding them of how many times they had rejected and forsaken God.  His words echoed the many messes they had gotten into through the generations and how God had rescued them each time.  Samuel basically ended the speech with ‘Heaven help you…I don’t agree with you…but here are the things that must be done at a minimum.’  The most interesting nugget from this passage is his promise to pray for them not out of concern for them, but to keep him from being responsible for sinning.

Interesting…I know the power of praying for those who are not living according to our opinions.  I have just come out of a season where I continuously prayed for someone who had hurt my family.  My motivation of prayer for him was not out of my deep love for him, rather out of my desire to see the situation become more stabilized.  Never in my mind, did I consider that to not pray for him would be a sin.  Samuel, God’s mouthpiece, unapologetically assigns failure to pray for others as being a sin.  Notice that his part in the process was to keep himself clean before God, while their part was left between them and God. 

When dealing with people in our lives, our part is to pray for them without judgment, and God’s part is to justifiably deal with them on His terms.  When we do not have a heart of prayer for everyone, we set ourselves up to be justifiably dealt with also…just for a different sin.

So let us live a ‘far be it from me’ life and lift a prayer for both friends and foes.

Hidden Among the Baggage

“God changed Saul’s heart…the Spirit of God came upon him in power…Finally Saul son of Kish was chosen.  But when they looked for him, he was not to be found…And the LORD said, ‘Yes, he has hidden himself among the baggage.’  They ran and brought him out…” 1 Sam 10:9, 10, 22-23.

Yesterday I received a call from my pastor that left me reeling with the desire to go bury my head in the sand.  It is an opportunity that will certainly be a privilege and honor in serving God, but emotionally speaking a costly one.  The rising numbers of young girls on the streets are at a staggering high as fathers become less and less visible in the home.  These young girls are extremely vulnerable to sexual predators with targets on their backs.  I know that when my daughter was living on the streets, she witnessed the power daily that these men had over these girls.  That was 15 years ago and I can only imagine how rampant it must run in today’s society.  The project is Home Campaign with the purpose of getting these young girls off of the streets and moving them to a safe place.  It will require much of me emotionally as I walk among the tombs of memories buried in my heart from a time that I never wanted resurrected.  But God changed my heart this morning and has invited me to participate in the rescue of His daughters. 

This morning I find myself hiding among the baggage of my past wounds, reminding the Lord that my call is a morning devotional and grief ministry.   Isn’t that enough?  Isn’t it helping others?  Am I to be that cowardly Saul who ran when he was chosen, only to be hiding like a scared little girl?  Scripture records that the people ran out and brought him in.  This indicates that they were desperate for something that God could provide – and Saul was the instrument to be used.  Another important treasure from this passage is that it was only through the power of the Spirit of God that Saul would be capable in the call.  I will remember that truth as I consider my role in this campaign.  As I peer over the straps on the luggage, with my eyes wide open and my heart raw I will surrender to His power in this project instead of the power of past wounds.  ‘I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.’ Romans 9:17.

His call was confirmed this morning as I turned the pages of God Loves Broken People and read the following line:  ‘In love’s service only the wounded soldiers can serve.’

God will equip you with the wisdom, power and strength for whatever service He calls you to participate with Him.  So don’t hide among the baggage…be brave and courageous and you will be blessed in the offering.

Heavenly Chess

“For the Jews it was a time of happiness and joy, gladness and honor.”  Esther 8:16

In the Book of Esther, there was a 70 day span of time between the first decree announcing the future annihilation of the Jews and the second decree giving them hope.  The second decree gave them the right to assemble and protect themselves…at last, something that looked like hope!  But what about those 70 long days when the first thought every morning was probably their impending death?  What about those long nights when they likely laid awake in the dark wondering how it would do down…picturing their loved ones on that final day.  Day after day, as their eyes filled with tears and their hearts with fear, they couldn’t have known the psychological chess game being played in the palace.  They were not privy to the unseen battles of will waging behind those walls…and neither are we.

In life we have all received that news which marks our emotional calendar forever with heartbreak.  Life becomes divided in two parts…before the call and after the call.   Our fears keep us up at night and days are filled with emotional distractions.  In our hearts we feel as Paul felt, ‘We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.  Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death.’ 2 Co. 1:8.  Who is feeling the pressure of your situation this morning?  Whose life has spun out of control and far beyond the ability to endure?  Who is feeling the sentence of death this morning?

The good news is no matter what your circumstances involve, there is an unseen battle taking place in the heavenlies on your behalf.  It is not your battle to fight, but your faith to claim.  Just as the Jews were unaware as to the providence of God working in the palace, we are unaware of the circumstances God is putting in place to rescue us.  Each occurrence in our situation is a calculated move on God’s part to bring us through our adversity and be triumphant in the end.   ‘But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.  He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us.  On him we have set our hope…’ 2 Co. 1:9.

God sees the end to our suffering and in His perfect timing our Father’s hand will eventually move our circumstances to align with His purpose.  He will look at evil, smile and make His move…checkmate!

Breakfast Guests

“‘I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations…I will use them to test…and see whether they will keep the way of the LORD and walk in it’…he did not drive them out at once” Judges 2:21-23.

I absolutely love the orange juice commercial where the woman is having breakfast with her challenges for the day.  Each obstacle informs her of the manner in which they will make her day challenging.  She listens tentatively to each, as she sips on her OJ, peering over the top of her glass.  'No problem...Great' she states with a nod and smile.  She has learned to both expect and embrace her obstacles, being fully prepared and armed with her daily intake of strength.

If there is one description of our Father that I have learned, it is that everything He does is intentional and rooted in love for our best interest.  He will allow obstacles in our daily walk to sharpen our faith and put it into practice.  Sometimes the obstacles are severe ‘thorns in our side’ that are not being removed.  Other times they are a sum of ordinary issues that build into extraordinary stress.  Whatever we face each day is allowed into our lives for the betterment and growth of our faith.  God will use whatever challenge we face to exercise our spiritual muscle building confidence in Him.  Each morning we must scoot up to the spiritual breakfast table and sip on His word.  Spending time with Him assures the preparation we need daily to face whatever comes our way.

We listen for His guidance and trust Him with our day, no matter what it brings.  In our quiet morning fellowship, we drink our spiritual OJ – Our Jesus – which carries us through the day and better prepares us to face our overwhelming obstacles.  The obstacles we face feel like the enemy but they are providing the growth required to be built into a mighty people of God.  God will banish them when His work has been accomplished.  ‘The LORD will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you.  They will come at you from one direction but will flee from you in seven.’ Deut 28:7.

Don’t forget to drink your OJ this morning!

Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head

“I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things.  You heavens above, rain down righteousness; let the clouds shower it down.  Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness grow with it; I, the LORD, have created it” Isaiah 45:7-8.

This morning I read that rain clouds are a result of instability in the atmosphere. They can form alone, in clusters, or, when along a cold front, in a squall line. There is usually quite a bit of lightning through the heart of the cloud.  Bottom line, with all the instability and clashing lightning within the cloud, there comes a point when it accumulates the weighted capacity and the rain must fall.  No matter what kind of rain cloud, the pressure becomes too great and the moisture becomes too heavy.  What seemed like a violent occurrence within the cloud produces the life giving waters onto the earth.  Life springs through the soil as a thank you to the rain.

I cannot think of a more beautiful analogy than this one in considering adversity.  We float through this life collecting the moisture of circumstances…some joyful but some sorrowful.  The burdens build within our lives, casting heaviness in our souls.  Tragedy and suffering strikes like lightning within our hearts and the pressure becomes too great, and the burden becomes too heavy…the heart has reached its capacity, and the tears must fall.  The moisture was never intended to live in the cloud, but rather to pass through the cloud just as our challenges pass through our lives producing the gentle rains of righteousness. 

Our Scripture tells us that whether we are experiencing ‘prosperity or disaster’ the yield is intended for good...salvation, life and growth in our faith and fellowship with Christ.

‘…let the clouds shower it down.’

Sitting At The King's Gate

“…Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate…And Mordecai came into the presence of the king…The king took off his signet ring…and presented it to Mordecai… ‘For how can I bear to see disaster fall on my people?  How can I bear to see the destruction of my family?’” Esther 2:19, 8:3, 8b.

I was the second of four daughters in my family, and had the privilege of being raised by amazing Christian parents.  From the earliest of memories, I have been loved and cared for in ways that protected my heart from fearing the realities of this world.  My mother and my daddy were the courageous shields between the safe haven of our home and an uncertain world I had not yet discovered.   There was a constant flow of love, encouragement and praise that filled my heart and my life. 

My dad had a passion for God and bringing children who didn’t know his king into the Kingdom.  For the last ten years of his life my dad positioned himself at the king’s gate, working tirelessly to bring all those little ones standing in the outer courtyard into the inner sanctuary of God's love.  I was visiting Mother and Daddy when I asked him about his experience giving his life to Christ.  My grandfather was a Wesleyan minister throughout my dad’s life and fervently served God.  As part of his sermons he always extended an invitation for those to come to the altar and give their life to God.  I can only imagine Granddaddy’s surprise when after the prayer he lifted his head and his eyes met the eyes of his twelve year old son.   How nervous Daddy must have been to walk that aisle as a young boy.  He must have gotten his courage by knowing at the end of the aisle were the ones who knew him best and loved him most. 

But on March 16, 2010 Daddy passed through that gate and left his position on this side of Heaven.  He stepped onto that aisle for a second time, but this time giving up his physical body.  He came into the awesome presence of the King where God presented everything to him. 

We didn’t think we could bear losing him, nor did we think our family could ever be the same.  But this is the way of God’s ultimate plan.  As each of our family members slip into this world quietly and perfectly timed, each of us will pass through the King’s gate into eternity for reunion and celebration.  While Daddy’s passing was difficult, it did not hold the power of disaster or destruction in our family. 

‘When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true:  “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”’ 1 Co 15:54.

As Angels Hold Their Breath...

“Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served…or the gods … in whose land you are living.  But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD” Joshua 24:15.

As I continue to drink in the wonderful writings of Sheila Walsh I am constantly amazed by her revelations.  My Bible and other studies are marked up with bright yellow highlights, asterisks and squiggly lines written all over the pages.  The problem with this book, God Loves Broken People, is that my markings are lost among the pages as everything is marked.  She hits the nail on the head every time building a blueprint of truth for the Christian walk. 

The underlying unapologetic theme is simple…we have all suffered in this world, and we will all suffer again due to its brokenness.  With Walsh, it is a settled attitude removing all uncertainty, freeing up the mental and futile questions of why.  Her why is answered once and for all with one word – sin.  When sin entered the world brokenness rode in on its back.  What we are left with is our response to the certainty of pain and suffering.  God echoed this in 1 Peter 4:12, 19, ‘Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange was happening to you…So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.’ 

Committing to the Creator…choosing whom we will serve...We can serve the gods of resistance, bitterness, continued questioning or we can serve the God who restores, heals and gives life.  It is a choice that our hearts must make in the face of fear and the circumstances of suffering.  ‘The power of suffering to create beauty in your life lies almost entirely with you, in how you choose to react to the difficulties and even catastrophes that invade your life.  In a sense, the angels hold their breath waiting to see how you will respond…and what you will choose.’ God Loves Broken People, p. 106.  Deuteronomy sings a beautiful song in a symphony to be sung by all Christians in their walk of faith.  ‘I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses.  Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him’ Deut 30:19-20.

Notice that Scripture states that through our choosing of life, our children will feel life.  Our responses to difficult times provide the manner in which our children will emulate.  If we choose life, they will experience life…if we choose the hysteria and chaos of the moment, they will settle into that choice.  Our response to suffering opens its arms and gathers our loved ones pulling them in to our attitudes.  ‘How we choose to respond to life’s challenges, setbacks, and tragedies makes an enormous difference – not only to our own experience of life, but also to the experience of those who travel life with us.’ God Loves Broken People, p 105.

Choosing Life

“When all these blessings and curses I have set before you come upon you and you take them to heart…Even if you have been banished to the most distant land…from there the LORD your God will gather you and bring you back.  The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts…so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live…Now choose life…For the LORD is your life” Deut. 30:1-20.

This is one of the most beautiful parts of Scripture with paramount implications and bottomless rewards.   We glean many truths from this beautiful speech between Moses and God’s chosen, and they are still applicable today.  These are ancient truths from our relative God.

-          We will all experience times of peace and times of suffering (blessings & curses)

-          God holds all time and circumstances in His hands (I have set before you)

-          There is no suffering too great for God to heal (banished to the most distant land)

-          God is our LORD and will pick us up and restore us (gather & bring back)

-          God will cut back the weak and unproductive areas of our hearts through suffering (circumcision of our heart)

-          God’s work in our hearts will increase the ability to love and devote ourselves to Him (so that you may love him)

-          Through the emergence of this reciprocal love, we gain life even in horrible seasons (and live)

-          Even with His fierce display of love, we still have the choice to respond (Now, choose)

-          Whenever we choose to respond to suffering with complete trust and confidence in the Father, we will experience peace and joy in the face of uncertainty…life in the threat of death.

Scripture encourages the suffering heart that our pain is not in vain.  God steadies pain as the life-giving scalpel that removes the areas of our heart that are hinderances instead of love.  He mends our heart back together with the sutures of love, grace and faithfulness.   Through the process we move from despair to determination, and learn of His fierce love shared by Father and child.  We must surrender to His processes to receive the full benefits of life.

Now choose life!

Settle Down & Build

“This is what the LORD almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile… ‘Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.  Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage…Increase in number there; do not decrease.  Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile.  Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.’” Jeremiah 29:4-7.

I read a wonderful piece yesterday about a guy who has taken this verse as a challenge in the wake of the presidential election.   He understands that our country is in exile from the tenants of God.   It doesn’t matter which candidate sits in the oval office this morning.  What matters is the mess we have gotten our country in over the last decades.  Charles Stanley preached a few weeks ago that it is not any one leader who led us into our country’s chaos, but a series of administrations that ruled the country with the Bible closed. 

This passage was God’s mouthpiece instructing His people to settle in – it was going to be a long ride.  He encouraged them to invest in their exile by setting up homes, and throwing out seed in their gardens to provide for their families.  The instruction to marry and have children made it obvious that their exile was going to be multi-generational, and they were to increase as a people among their captives.  To decrease would mean to become invisible and be swallowed up in the society for which they were enmeshed.   The LORD knew the only way they could live in peace among their kidnappers would be by asking the LORD for His peace and eventual deliverance.   

Our culture has become one where Christianity is on the decrease and the rising tides of the flesh mandate the day.  We have become a nation carried off by the individual desires of its residents instead of the determined worship of one God.  As God’s chosen people, we must do what our Father instructed back in Jeremiah’s time… build our spiritual homes while in exile, settling into the life of a divided country for which we find ourselves.  We must plant seeds of hope and faith in God so that the harvest will produce different fruit than the poisonous fruit we see today.  We must marry our faith with God’s laws not bending His word into our own agenda.  The only way we will live among the exiles during this precocious time is through constant prayer and supplication to the only One who can and will deliver us from ourselves.   His instructions were clear…settle down!  No moaning, no groaning, no plotting, no planning… build, plant, multiply, invest, increase, prosper, turn our face back to the LORD. 

‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declared the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you, plans to give you hope and a future…You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  I will be found by you…and will bring you back from captivity.  I will gather you…where I have banished you…and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.’   Jeremiah 29:13-14.

Sometimes we are forced into exile because we no longer stand out as His children.  We have become a nation of the invisible where it is tough to determine who is living out God’s agenda and who is living out their own.  To be unified we must all look towards the same Leader and work towards the same message – the message of God’s word.  That Leader rules from within each of us and not from Washington, giving us ability and opportunity to allow His reign through our voice and actions.  We are instructed to pray for our leaders and invest in the country for which we have been exiled.  So settle in, build lasting homes, plant seeds, invest and by all means let us increase as Christians instead of decreasing as a divided body of the people of God.

From Infancy to Adult

“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.  Until I come, devote yourself…Do not neglect your gift, which was given you…Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress.  Watch your life and doctrine closely.  Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.” 1 Tim 4:12-16.

This passage speaks loving and encouraging words from Paul as he attempted to build up his ‘son in the faith.’  Paul knew that Timothy’s youth was being called into question by the older believers.  God had entrusted Timothy with an amazing gift of preaching and teaching the message.  Many times he was not taken seriously because of his age and lack of experience in life.  My heart goes out to this youthful pastor whose desire was to grow people into the faith.

By the time I was 21, I was already a wife and mother.  Older friends of my parents were constantly describing me as a child with a child, creating deep insecurities regarding motherhood in my mind and heart.  These sweet people never intended to harm me with their comments, but my awareness of inexperience and age left me feeling inadequate as a mother.  I can remember many talks with my mother, asking her if she thought I was a good mother.  She was always encouraging and convincing as she consistently lifted me up.   (Now she lifts me up as an old mother!)  If it were not for the on-going support she gave me, I could have been distracted and ineffective in caring for God’s gift to me.

When we decide to pursue God more deeply, He reveals our spiritual gifts to accomplish His purpose for each of our lives.  We all begin as baby Christians in our walk of faith nursing on the words of God.   As our devotion to Christ increases, our spiritual impact emerges as our doctrines are in our feet instead of simply on our tongues.  Our confidence in God begins to grow and our story of faith is in full view regardless of how long we have pursued Him. 

Those of you who have recently discovered your God-given gift, do not measure your effectiveness against others – each gift has been handpicked for you from God.   He is your confidence and your hope.  Those who see opportunities to lift up others in their walk should take the time to encourage and build up the faith of others. 

We will always find ourselves surrounded by those whose faith is more mature and those whose faith is in its infancy.  The goal is to measure ourselves against God, not man.  ‘For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you…For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.’ 2 Tim 1:6-7.

Building Gallows

“Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs attending the king, said ‘A gallows seventy-five feet high stands by Haman’s house.  He had made it for Mordecai, who spoke up to help the king.’” Esther 7:9. 

Don’t you know that Harbona couldn’t spit those words out quickly enough?  His response reminds me of when my children were little and one couldn’t rush quickly enough to show me what the other had done wrong.  On some occasions I would be pulled by the hand to be shown the disobedience….ahhhhh…..the joy of one child seeing the other child get what they deserve.  My children were not mean-hearted…just justice-driven.

We are no different as Christian adults as we run to God, grabbing His hand and dragging Him to the feet of someone who deserves to be punished.  We point out situations that God is already very aware of.  We give God ideas for the punishment we feel they should experience.  We remind God that our motivation is based on fairness and justice, not a heart screaming out from the flesh.   

In watching someone set up the gallows for one of my children, I was tempted to point out the noose to God.   In prayer, I reminded God that this person needed to be punished and that my daughter was the intended neck for the gallows.  What words I wasted in remembering that God will permit providence to play out until man hangs on his own gallows.  John Calvin said, ‘Man falls as God’s providence ordains, but he falls by his own fault.’ I love that we don’t have to build gallows and tell God how to do His job.  He ordains which circumstances we will experience which align with His ultimate purpose for each of our lives. 

The next time we wish to see someone hang for their actions, we must remember that someOne hung for our actions. 

Banging On Doors

“…how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man?  Then he can rob his house.” Matthew 12:26

Growing up in the country I always felt a sense of safety and security.  We lived in the middle of five acres with few houses in our community.  When I married Bruce, I moved into his home which was in the middle of six acres with very few neighbors.  Moving into my new life with him felt like going home.  I felt a continued sense of safety and security and most times I never locked our front door.  I would leave and return many times throughout the day and never think twice about walking into an unlocked home.  When Bruce began traveling with work the days turned to nights and still the doors remained unlocked until bedtime.  Thankfully and by the grace of God, I never experienced any break-ins or robberies.  Now that I have gotten older and more mature, I realize how I had left myself vulnerable for unnecessary peril and dangerous situations.

In our spiritual lives the entrance to our heart is no different.  If we leave the doors unchecked we become vulnerable to Satan’s invasion.  If we allow the windows of fear to remain open, Satan will climb in and rob us of our peace.  He will ransack our faith, opening memories of past failures and fears taking us hostage in our heart.  If we do not check the locks on every emotion daily we run the risk of being bound up and tied to them forever.  We must be a watchman over our heart and look for what God says in every situation.

“This is what the Lord says to me:  ‘Go, post a lookout...’ ‘Day after day, my Lord, I stand on the watchtower’” Isaiah 21:6, 8.

1 Peter 5:8 warns us that we are to be alert to Satan’s attacks through the self-controlled actions of our daily walk.  As we meditate on God’s word, the door slams shut.  As we enter into intimate fellowship with God, the bolt slides over.  As we surrender our emotions and disappointments to the Father, the windows of our heart become fortified with bars.  We will see Satan running feverishly around the house, trying windows and banging on doors…sorry, no invitation…no entry.   The next time Satan thinks of attacking our home he will have to work for it – no more waltzing through the front door with no effort. 

  

 

What Dreams Are Made Of

“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’” Jeremiah 29:11.

I read the most beautiful folk tale this morning that demonstrates Jeremiah 29:11.  It is such a poignant story about the promises of God and the wisdom of His plans for each of our lives.  I hope you are blessed by this old folk tale.

‘Once there were three little trees, with big dreams.  The first tree dreamed of being carved into a beautiful and ornate treasure box that would hold the greatest treasure the world had ever seen.  The second tree dreamed of being fashioned into a great ship that would sail the Seven Seas.  The third tree didn’t want to leave its home on the mountaintop.  “I want to grow so tall that when people see me, they’ll raise their eyes to heaven and think of God.”

One day when the young saplings had grown into tall, strong trees, three woodcutters climbed the mountain.  As they cut down the first tree, it could barely contain its excitement – it just knew it would soon fulfill its destiny.  But instead of an elaborate treasure chest, workers made the tree into a plain, ordinary feedbox for farm animals.  The tree felt bitterly disappointed.  The second tree got made into a ship, but not the kind to crest the waves of mighty oceans.  It became just a simple fishing vessel, floating in a lake – not the stuff dreams are made of.  The third tree, to its horror and dismay, also got chopped down, cut into wooden beams, and then left to gather dust in a lumberyard.  ‘All I ever wanted was to stay on the mountaintop and point to God,’ it moaned.

Time passed and the trees forgot their dreams, until one night when a young woman placed her baby in the animal feedbox – and the first tree knew that indeed it carried the greatest treasure on earth.  Another night, a tired man and his friends crowded onto the little fishing boat.  They got halfway across the lake when a terrible storm blew in, threatening to tear the boat to pieces.  The tired man stood up and said, “Peace, be still.”  The second tree knew then that it was carrying the King of heaven and earth.  One Friday morning the third tree felt itself yanked from the woodpile and dragged through city streets, where crowds shouted insults.  The tree felt cruel and ugly when it realized it had become an instrument of torture.  Soldiers nailed a man’s hand and feet to its beams.  But on Sunday morning, when the sun rose and the earth trembled with joy, the tree stood tall, knowing that from now on, it would forever point people to God.’

As we spiritually mature and grow we cannot be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ until we allow ourselves to be cut down and refashioned into the instruments of God.  If we surrender our own hopes and dreams and trust in God’s plans for our lives we become part of God’s story instead of writing our own.  

Much like our little trees, we carry the treasure of God within our hearts, we carry the power of God within our lives and our faith points to God because of Christ.