Broken Dreams

“Now…Naomi’s husband…died, and she was left with her two sons…After they had lived there about ten years, both … also died, and Naomi was left without…” Ruth 1:3-5.

She went to live in a better place with her husband and children.  They wanted a better life than what was offered in Judah at the time…dreams of living in abundance instead of struggling in the lack of provisions of the land.  Nothing wrong with that dream…I would have chosen the same for my family.  They set up their life living out their dream, until one day her husband died.  Her heart was broken but she had to keep going for the sake of the boys.  Within the next ten years this mommy watched the deaths of both sons.  Broken-heartedness…a heart full of holes…lives lived without…dreams splintered into a thousand shards. 

We all have broken dreams and shattered hopes.  I am no different as I have had to let go of certain dreams in my own family.  I have had to push images from my mind so the pain will not overtake the blessings.  Like Naomi, we all are left without something…that job we have always dreamed of…that parent we thought we would have around longer…that prodigal who has not yet returned…that spouse who determined we were no longer his dream. 

Broken dreams can be pathways to intimacy with God.  Shattered realities may tempt our hearts to quit dreaming.  Staying in our brokenness will affect every aspect of our lives…our spirit… our faith…our relationships.  We were created to dream, not to despair.  ‘Our lack of dreams is probably a by-product of our brokenness, but children of God shouldn’t be without dreams.’ Stronger, p. 160.  Naomi had every reason to be crushed in spirit, yet God would not leave her alone in her despair.  He raised up a new family through Ruth and Boaz who would be the direct descendant to Christ.  He breathed life in the dead places of her heart and resurrected hope in the future.  He had these plans for her all along but heartbreak tends to cloud hope that may be on the horizon.  In the calm times it is easy to trust God with our hearts but will we trust Him with our broken dreams?  Will we truly believe that everything God does is for our future blessing?

Dr. Larry Crabb, author of Shattered Dreams writes, ‘There’s never a moment in all our lives, from the day we first trusted Christ till the day we see Him, when God is not longing to bless us.  At every moment, in every circumstance, God is doing us good…At this exact moment, He is giving us what He thinks is good.’

Will we trust Him with this moment?

The Cost of Friendship

“But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High…Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.  Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven” Luke 6:35-37.

Most likely, if we have enjoyed the benefits of great friendships we have experienced the pain of one ending.  A broken friendship can be one of the most devastating experiences to go through.  Most of the time friendships are built upon an earthly need…a need to comfort or to be comforted…a need to validate or to be validated…a need to receive or a need to give.  That is why so many friendships become derailed…we all come to the table with our own agenda and expectations…friendships outside of the love of Christ are rarely free.

When we love others through acceptance of who they are instead of whom we wish them to be we will experience our great rewards within that relationship.  When we see others through the eyes of unmet expectations and broken promises it is tough to move beyond.  ‘Our world revolves around right and fair and correct.  We protest to gain what we’re entitled to.  What’s owed to us.  What justice must be served.  Jesus’ kind of love is applied to this world in radically different ways.  He calls us to see our broken friendship by extending the same grace Christ has extended to you, the same mercy, the same forgiveness, and the same compassion.  It means laying down our desire to condemn and to demand satisfaction, just as He laid down those things.’ Stronger, p. 151.

God calls us to love as His Son loved…being His children of Luke 6:35-37…this will bring our greatest reward.  We can resemble the kind of radical love that Christ showed or we can resemble the flesh.  ‘Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.’ Matthew 5:33. 

This Thing Called Love

“Dear friends, let us love one another for love comes from God…This is how God showed his love among us:  He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.  This is love:  not that we loved God, but that he loved us…Dear friends, since God loved us, we ought to love one another” 1 John 4:7-11.

L-O-V-E.  The English word "love" can refer to a variety of different feelings, states, and attitudes, ranging from interpersonal affection to pleasure.  The word itself has the power to build or destroy based on our hearts.  We attach so much to the word it is a miracle that anyone feels love or shows love to others.  We tell those people around us that we love them but then we hold on to expectations from them.  We hold in our hearts mysteries of things that must be done for our love to be doled out.  We toss the word around like some bad marketing plan where we are trying to sell it to unconvinced buyers.  A person can tell when there are conditions that must be met to receive someone’s love and affection. 

This is why the true definition of love comes outside of ourselves.  Love was created by God and exists in God.  The only path to true love is through the heart of God.  Our passage begins by stating our command from God:  love one another with the love God gives.  It is followed up with the example we are to follow for love:  sacrifice for others even if it is undeserved.  We are told the benefits of sharing this love:  life experienced in God here and in eternity.   In case we still are unclear about the face of love it is explained again:  we are loved based on His actions, not on any performance.  This passage ends with the same command as the beginning:  love one another with the love previously described.

When following this beautiful blueprint of love we are to measure all of our actions against the question, ‘Is this action rooted in love?’  We are to expect to sacrifice for others as Christ did for us.  We are to expect God to give us life in wounded areas to be able to love like He loves.  We are not to hold others to our own expectations and entitlements when we have been given freedom from performance. 

We are to love others with the same perfect love that God gives us…love that is undeserved… love that is immeasurable…love that always works to the benefit of the other person. 

Our Shriveled Hand

“Then he said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’  So he stretched it out and it was completely restored.” Matthew 12:13.

We don’t know much about the man in this story except that he had a shriveled hand and was in the synagogue where Jesus entered.  We don’t know if he had heard about Jesus and went there, or if he was there daily looking for help.  What we do know is that he had challenging circumstances but he continued to stay engaged with life.  No doubt this disability created a chasm between him and the common man but instead of feeling sorry for himself he remained hopeful and pursued healing.  One of the reasons that Jesus was able to heal him that day was that the man put himself out there.  He didn’t stay at home hiding behind locked doors hoping no one bothered him.   He laid his emotional and physically challenges aside and stayed connected with others.

In the past, I have certainly been one to ‘hide behind locked doors’ and withdraw due to painful circumstances.  It is human nature to occasionally want to unplug, but not for an extended period of time.  Restoration and healing is rarely found behind the locked doors of our hearts.  It is when we have confidence in God, and the trust in His faithfulness that we take our shriveled circumstances and face life with courage.  We determine that He is greater than any pain we face and offer our situation for His healing.  The key for the man with the shriveled hand was his willingness to live life fully and stay connected.   This man was ‘completely restored’ by Jesus as he stretched out his circumstances and expected healing.

‘Father, give us the same courage of this man so that we may confidently expect healing in the places that we have been brokenhearted.  Amen.’

Our Bad Attitudes

“So you must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus…Sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace” Romans 6:11, 14.

When my dad was walking the journey of cancer I’ll never forget how despair was turned into delight when it went into remission.  We obviously would have loved to hear the word cured but remission for a terminal disease is as close as you can snuggle up to cured.  There was great peace in knowing that cancer was no longing reigning throughout his body.  There was always the thought of its return but we just enjoyed each day while it wasn’t active.

When considering our sinful nature I feel there is a great analogy with cancer.  We are born with a sinful nature which reigns within us until we accept Christ into our lives and receive salvation.  It is at that point when our treatment begins to kill off the toxins of sin and replace them with the righteousness of Christ.  Through sanctification the sinful nature with which we were born works its way to the surface transforming us into the likeness of Christ.  However, sometimes circumstances cause us to allow our sin of bad attitudes to come out of remission.  We face circumstances in our lives that dominate our minds and hearts.  We feel rejected…betrayed… alienated…victimized.  We determine that no one’s challenges are as challenging as what we have been asked to endure.  We say ‘I am just this way…it is just who I am…this is just how my life is going to be.’  Wayne Grudem describes what these sins of attitude basically communicate once we are Christians.  ‘To say this is to say that sin has gained dominion.  It is to allow sin to reign in our bodies.  It is to admit defeat.  It is to deny the truth of Scripture.’

And we are supposed to be living alive in God through Christ?  When we are stuck in the emotions of our circumstances we have turned off the cancer treatment and paved the way for our sin to come out of remission.  We must continuously focus on the Christ-drip of transformation and renewal to protect ourselves from living a spiritual life of dead man walking.

Christ didn’t die for us to only have life in the eternal…He died for us to be alive in Him in this life regardless of our circumstances.

So consider yourself alive and start living again!

Walk This Way

“‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said.” Matt 4:9.  “Whoever says He abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked” 1 John 2:6.

The movie Arthur with Dudley Moore has always provided many laughs for me and Bruce over the years.  One of our favorite scenes is dear to us because my father-in-law would always imitate it both pre Alzheimer’s and even in his Alzheimer’s.  He never forgot how the butler looked at Arthur and told him to ‘walk this way.’ In an effort to walk exactly like the goofy butler Arthur humps over and perfectly imitates him although looking ridiculous. 

Art does imitate life many times doesn’t it?  When Jesus originally asked the disciples to follow Him they had no idea what following Christ would look like.  Many days I am confident that the manner in which they walked felt odd and uncomfortable.  Can you imagine the private conversations when they had been asked to duplicate the actions of Jesus?  Have there been times in your life when Jesus is asking you to walk with Him that looks seemingly ridiculous or uncomfortable?  Following Jesus will never be based on our comfort or convenience.  Walking like Jesus was never meant to be easy … our proof is in the cross.  But through His resurrection He grants us the power to accomplish and endure anything.

When you are asked by God to follow Him into whatever circumstance do you go kicking and screaming or are you in perfect harmony with the Leader?  We are to follow Him and respond like Him who gives us the power to be like Him.  Until we are with Him and fully like Him we are to walk behind Him learning His ways.

‘Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” Gal 5:25

Our Inner Lives

“At daybreak he [Jesus] went out to a solitary place” Luke 4:42.  “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” Luke 5:16.

The New Testament paints picture after picture of the way a Christian should strive to live.  It splashes examples on spiritual canvases of Christ-like attributes which we should strive to attain.  There are many times when reading the stories of Jesus that my weaknesses are highlighted when measured against His life on earth.  It sometimes seems that I can’t measure up to these examples by which I am called to live.  But there is one example that every one of us can do that doesn’t require much but yields amazing benefits– solitary time with God.

It is through this principle and commitment that everything else follows.  Through our fellowship and time with our Father we gain the wisdom to make the necessary decisions of this world.  Through our time with God He gives us the grace, mercy and power to forgive others and offer grace to our fellow travelers.  We learn how to respond with love based on the love we have received through this shared intimacy.

Our lives are certainly no busier than Jesus’ life while He was on earth.  He was constantly being asked to teach, to serve, to heal and to speak.  He lived His life as a sacrifice to His own agenda and desires.  His desire was to do the work that His Father had sent Him to do.  He was born with spiritual purpose and kept that at the forefront of His mind daily.  ‘Life all around Him was not balanced, but Jesus stayed steady and secure.  He led with His inner life.’ Stronger, p. 107.

We all ‘lead with our inner life.’ The question is what does our inner life look like… bitterness…self-absorption…our own desires…judging others?  Our behavior will reflect what our inner lives are made up of.  Those witnessing our walk will be able to determine whether we are withdrawing into our flesh or withdrawing into His presence.  When we make intentional decisions to make time for God in our daily routine we will begin to live the life that will afford us the spiritual blessings of Christ.

The Triple Effect

“Praise the LORD.  Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his commands…Even in darkness light dawns for the upright…Surely he will never be shaken… He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trust in the LORD.  His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes” Psalm 112:1-8.

This is our sweetest example of spiritual cause and effect that we could ever hope for.  Like me, don’t you just sometimes make your spiritual walk more difficult than it really has to be?  Jesus made it look so easy but we are shown in Scripture that He followed this psalm.  Jesus was a man who continuously praised His Father, always revered Him and spent the majority of His time delighting in the fellowship they shared.  The effect that came out of those spiritual disciplines was endurance, perseverance and complete trust in God. 

Our darkness will never come close to the darkness He endured…our circumstances will never stand up against the cross.  He was persecuted and sought after multiple times but He never sat in his self-pity waiting for the other shoe to drop.  He had no fear of the impending situations but His security and trust lay in the Lord.  And in the end as He gave up His spirit and closed His eyes on earth the next sight He experienced was His Father’s presence…the ultimate triumph over sin in this temporary home.  ‘Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord” 2 Co 5:6.

We have access to every part of God that Jesus had.  If we live our lives in praise, reverence and fellowship with our Father we will reap the same things that Christ received.  We will live in peace and confidence in God instead of fear of our future.  We will not allow our circumstances to permanently shake us, but will be able to gain our footing quickly after that phone call.  We have a choice of either anticipating bad news or anticipating a great God. 

The only way to live in triumph is to die to self.  We can have complete confidence that we will share in the Christ's blessings when we follow the walk of praise, reverence and delight in our Father.

Doubters

“But he said to them, ‘Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it” John 20:25.

Over the past couple months our daughter Caroline has been involved with a company whom she wishes to obtain employment.  It is a great company that offers many benefits and future opportunities in her field.  She left each interview encouraged that it was moving in the right direction.  As time passed with no response her mind would always settle on discouragement and doubt.  As long as she was in their presence she was encouraged, but discouraged when she wouldn't hear from them.  Yesterday she finally got the call with the information regarding her start date and her salary.  I watched her as she asked them to repeat the salary for fear that she heard them wrong.  They repeated it a second time.  After the phone call she still doubted she heard them correctly and would not allow herself to get excited until she saw with her own eyes the email with the written amount.  She has yet to receive that email…our little doubting Thomas not only requires hearing the amount but also seeing the amount in writing before her doubt is removed.

I always felt sorry for Thomas since his name is associated with his doubt.  In considering Thomas this morning, I felt confident that God used him just as the other disciples to accomplish great things so I researched him and was blessed with the results.  ‘God performed many miracles through Thomas to help the people with whom Thomas shared the Gospel message -- in Syria, Persia, and India.’ Whitney Hopler, former About.com Guide.  Although he performed many miracles the Bible highlights his doubt.  I am confident this is because we as believers need multiple confirmations when following Jesus.  We need to have that second ultrasound to calm our fears.  We need to check on our baby several times through the night to see their safety.  We need to run the numbers a few times to assure our doubts that we are on target for a financial goal.  We need to see the email to confirm we heard correctly.

Many times our doubts are just a way of protecting or preparing our hearts for something to come.  Instead of Thomas doubting because of a weakness I am blessed to consider that, like Caroline, it just seemed too good to be true.  Thomas was already heartbroken from Jesus’ death so dare he open his heart to something so wonderful…so glorious…so impossible?  Christ gave Thomas what he needed that day and as a result Thomas showed us that sometimes those with great faith also need God’s reassurances.

Living Among the Thorns

“For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails ...and my bones waste away” Psalm 31:9-10.

This verse represents one of the deepest states of depression a person could experience… sorrowful life…sighing years…failed strength.   His feelings are taking him to the greatest degree of his emotions as if there could never be healing from his present circumstances. Can you imagine where David would have been if he sat in his emotions indefinitely?   Thankfully, by the end of his prayer he was praising God for future deliverance.  David had what many people lack…expectant hope. 

Many people try to implement the thoughts of Phil 4:6 when they are upset – Don’t worry about things…pray about everything…thank God and let Him know what is bothering us.  But it isn’t until we go further in the passage where we are given the blueprint of success in claiming victory over our emotions.  The challenge is to exchange our anxieties and emotional dilemmas for God’s peace.  We are to replace thoughts of sorrow…sighing…failure…life wasting away with thoughts of Phil 4:8.

‘whatever is true’ – God is greater than our deepest sorrow

‘whatever is honorable’ – we honor God when we trust Him for healing

‘whatever is lovely’ – surrendering our ugly emotions to Him

‘whatever is worthy of praise’ – if we are truly in Him these thoughts should consume us throughout every day

It is only when we change the way we think about our lives that we come in for the blessing of receiving God’s peace.  Short of that we are just quoting some nice words from the Bible.  My study states ‘When a child of God changes the way they think about their life, they are taking a huge, difficult step in spiritual maturity.  It’s tough to do.  Some have been saying the same anxious, sad things for years because it’s been too difficult for them to change their thought patterns.  Or maybe they never really tried.  Jesus had some strong words about why this kind of person won’t live in peace.  Their heart is full of thorns.’ Stronger, p. 54.

‘As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful’ Matthew 13:22.

Let us all live out the second part of a Phil 4:4-9 life.

Handholding

“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.  God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” 1 Co 10:13.

Yesterday we took a hard look at loneliness while today we will consider its playmate – temptation.  We all have temptations that we have battled for years.  They hang in the back of our spiritual closets well aware that we will eventually grab for them again.  They never go out of style and unfortunately our weight doesn’t determine whether we get back in them again.  We can slip them on just as easily as we could 10 years ago…20 years ago…even 40 years ago.  Even as we read these words on the paper the sin that tempts us is never very far from our mind.  We transform it…we mold it…we massage it…we try to morph it in to something that is acceptable in our lives and yet it still has great power.  The difference is not in the power of our temptation, rather the weakness in our armors.

As our passage states God has provided ways to live above our temptations as they remain with us.  It doesn’t state that God will take away the temptation for many times it is what God uses to make us dependent upon Him.  It does state that He will make sure that our temptation is met with the appropriate endurance required but it comes with work.  Several things that have helped me over the years regarding my temptation of spending have been to be watchful and alert when going shopping.  Am I feeling discontent or lonely?  Did I go shopping because I am feeling out of sorts for the moment?  Another tool I use is simply avoiding places without purpose such as going shopping when there is designated purchase.  Many times I will forego shopping trips with friends to avoid that feeling of my sin rising upon me.  Blessedly, I have friends who are all frugal who are great models for spending.  All of these are good strategies but the most important is to stay near to God and His word.  His faithfulness regarding our temptations is not just given to us.  His promise is obtained through the fellowship of God and activated through His strength instead of our own.  We cannot expect God to be faithful to His promise if we are not willing to be sacrificial to our own desires.  We must identify the tools for self-control and be steadfast in our determination partner with God.  It is tough to hold hands with our sin when we are holding our hands around our Bibles.

‘Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial [temptation], for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God promised to those who love him’ James 1:12.

The Mask of Loneliness

“Do your best to come to me quickly…When you come, bring … my scrolls, especially the parchments…but everyone deserted me.  May it not be held against them.  But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength…The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack…To him be glory for ever and ever…Do your best to get here before winter” 2 Timothy 4:9-21.

Loneliness is one of the toughest emotions to shake.  People experience it daily and it masquerades around in costumes that we don’t even recognize.  When my father-in-law lived with us his final year of life I experienced loneliness like I never had before.  With caregivers at the home daily to assist me it seems I shouldn’t have felt lonely.  But during that time, I felt no one could relate to my circumstances.  I was a daughter-in-law caring for my father-in-law on every level.  It would have been a different landscape totally had it been my own parent with 52 years of history, relationship and fellowship.  But the target of adversity rarely lands in expected places.

Paul wrote this passage during the final years of his life.  He so desperately wanted fellowship in prison so he reached out and wrote to his friend Timothy.  I wonder how long he sat there in loneliness before he wrote this letter.   I wonder at what point he turned lonely thoughts into healthy actions.   In considering this, I wonder how long we sit in our self-made prisons waiting for others to attend to our emotional needs.  When do we finally determine that we have responsibilities in our deliverance?  On another note, Paul asked for Timothy to bring his scrolls and parchments.  Scholars differ on what this request truly was but most feel like the scrolls were for intellect purposes while the parchment was most likely parts of the Old Testament.  Just as important as fellowship was his desire to stay mentally and spiritually challenged.  I am reminded of how my grandmother surrounded herself in the assisted living home with her writings and God’s Word in the final two years of her life.  When we feel lonely, do we place as much importance on our spiritual and mental intellect as we do on our emotions of the flesh?   Paul also wrote of future rescues by the Lord.  I wonder if our letters would echo this belief that God has both love and power to rescue us from our lonely place. 

Paul closes his letter with a second plea for a visit but still selflessly thinks of Timothy.  When he encourages his friend to come before winter it is for Timothy’s safety, not Paul’s desperation.  For me, this is the most tender moment between these friends.  Paul doesn’t guilt his friend into coming, nor is his absence held against him.  These friends have pure love for each other at the base of their relationship.  One of my greatest blessings is the unconditional love, acceptance and fellowship between me and my precious friends.  True friends focus on how to be better friends instead of focusing on how their friends can be better.  Love always works for the benefit of the other.

‘A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother’ Proverbs 18:24.  ‘Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends’ John 15:13.

 

The Vigorous Act

“We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God…in whom they had put their trust” Acts 15:22-23.

Yesterday Bruce and I took dinner to dear friends who are walking the journey of cancer.  It is indeed heart wrenching to witness how this disease steals and destroys those whose life it invades.  We were never meant to experience sin and disease but since the fall of man we live parallel lives with its consequences.  Our friend told us last evening that most days she asks for only what God decides she needs for that day alone…that is trust…not the kind of trust that we so flippantly ask others to have but the kind of active trust…life giving trust…authentic trust.  Many feel that the kingdom of God is some futuristic landing spot for eternity.  The Lord’s Prayer tells us different… ‘Thy kingdom come…on earth as it is in Heaven.’ Our friend has entered the kingdom of God on earth by completely and sincerely trusting in God and receiving all of His kingdom blessings…peace, endurance, strength and wisdom.  We are all invited to enter into His kingdom by trusting Him for all of His promises. 

I read a quote in my Bible Study this morning and immediately texted her this quote.  As I read it her face popped into my mind.  You will be blessed to meditate on this and I am blessed to know someone who so closely lives her life by this quote.  ‘Trust is not a passive state of mind.  It is a vigorous act of the soul by which we choose to lay hold on the promises of God and cling to them despite the adversity that seeks to overwhelm us.’ – Jerry Bridges.

I can’t think of a greater adversity that seeks to overwhelm than terminal illnesses.  While there is no remedy for death there is a remedy for life – trusting in the goodness and faithfulness of God on earth, and entering into His rest. 

‘…and blessed is {s}he who trusts in the Lord.’ Proverbs 16:20.

Lowering Our Mats

“Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic…they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and…lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on.  When Jesus saw…he said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven’” Mark 2:3, 5.

When my daughter was entrenched in her drug use, I created my own adversity.   I was so heartbroken and grief stricken I responded in a sinful way.  I began secretly mounting debt in an effort to run away from my pain.  In essence, I was an adversity runaway.  Secret spending turned to cover up and before long I was paralyzed in my sin.  I prayed that God would heal my daughter and restore her life but to no avail.  I lowered my mat of paralyzed hopes and dashed dreams before Jesus but He was more interested in my spiritual condition, just as the paralyzed man.  The man needed physical healing but Jesus gave him spiritual healing first. 

Our spiritual condition will always outweigh our earthly petitions.  God is certainly compassionate to our needs and desires.  However, in some instances there is something sick in our spiritual life that can be healed through our earthly challenges. We go to great lengths to lower our mats before Jesus, but when we have unconfessed sins that need to be revealed and healed that becomes the focus of God.  Once I began praying about my own transgressions and my fellowship with God, He began healing my spiritual condition and gave peace to my heart.  It was another two years before my daughter was rescued and restored but I was no longer living a paralyzed life.  He had forgiven my sins and I came to the altar with pure prayers.

God will heal whatever is broken within our spirits which many times answers the prayers of the deepest desires of our hearts.

Our Staffs

“Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands…As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning" (Ex 17:9-11).

Being a shepherd, Moses used his staff to guide and prod his flock.  This was a tool used in his everyday job much like our computers are for our work responsibilities.  It wasn’t until God empowered the staff that Moses began to perform God’s miracles and fulfill God’s purposes for his life.  We find him facing a battle wherein God instructed him to go and stand on the mountain while Joshua fought this battle.  What part was Moses to play in the day?  He was to use the empowered workplace tool, his staff, to show the others his belief and obedience in God’s deliverance.  When Moses became too tired…too weary…the weight became too much…he dropped his arms and God’s plan became compromised.  We can’t blame Moses…he had worked for years…he was old and weary.  Faithfully, God sent people to stand alongside of him and lift up his arms and the battle was won.

It is easy to get frustrated with our mundane jobs as we face our staff and dread the day.  Our jobs can be a source of joy or a source of monotony.  All of our work has been directed by God in order to accomplish His will.  Don’t you know that Moses became bored as he stood on the sidelines watching the action.  But Moses trusted God for His plan and His provision.  He didn’t argue with God about his job assignment, nor did he reject the help that was offered him.  At the end of the day when the battle was won and their lives were blessed he most likely was both humbled and grateful for his part in the workday.  He was still being mightily used by God as an established leader, although it no doubt didn’t feel like much of a contribution.  We cannot presume to know the impact our contribution is having on others.  We must trust God with our staffs no matter how long we have been working with our vocation.  All work is a blessing from God and shouldn’t be taken for granted.  Every project on which my grandmother worked was dedicated back to God.  She would sit on the floor, spread out the pages and commit it back to Him as a way of deep gratitude for His provisions. 

‘Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.  It is the Lord Christ you are serving’ Colossians 3:23-24.

So Loved!

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16.

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) is a United States Act of Congress that is a the government's aid program for disadvantaged students.  The goal is to ensure that every child has a chance to succeed within their own educational environment, despite their disadvantages.  Congress laid a foundation for the success of every child but at the end of the day the choice to receive and implement still remained with the student.  Success was only achieved based upon the mindset of the child.

We are no different and A.W. Tozer knew this well.  He wrote, ‘What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.’ What we think is how we believe.  God in His deep love implemented the original No Child Left Behind program.  He sent His Son from perfection down to an imperfect world.  He looked upon His creation and saw that we needed a plan from sin…not one of His children was to be left behind.  His plan was grounded in His love but the process was through His sacrifice.  So when we are asked to sacrifice why do we doubt His love for us?  Why do we gladly receive and trust His love for our salvation beyond death, but fail to trust Him during life?  What we think about God is how we see God.  We doubt His love when we experience loss…we question His character when we are living less than joyful lives.  We focus on ourselves and take inventory of our circumstances which leave us powerless, ‘moping through this life apart from the love of God, focused on ourselves and our situation.’ Stronger, p. 22.  We buy into the lie that Satan spins that we are the only one who is experiencing this…that we have suffered longer and deeper than anyone else.  We determine that maybe we have missed out on God’s best.  And Satan smiles because he knows that we have just elevated our circumstances above the grace and love of God.  We have limited both God’s love and power.  God SO loved every child that He gave up temporary fellowship with His Son so that He could have permanent fellowship with every one of us. 

Our spiritual reality is that God became life on earth to die so that we who are dead on earth may eternally live. So let us start living like we believe in God’s love for us in the here and now and not just in the eternal.  1 John 4:8 doesn’t state that God was love or God will be love in Heaven.  It speaks of the here and now… ‘God is love.’ 

Light Expressed

“For His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what He has made.  As a result, people are without excuse.” Romans 1:20.

This morning as I watch the sunrise lending its light to creation I can’t help but to think of this verse.  Since the first sunrise God has been expressing His invisibility through the visible creation of His hands.  From the intimidating mountaintops to the vastness of the oceans, we witness the all-encompassing power of God.  We see the divine nature of God when a stranger stops to console us or a compassionate soul reaches out to help us.  The visibility of God is in everything and everyone but do we do our part?

As believers, we have within us the opportunity to make visible our invisible God.  We possess the capacity to communicate God’s truths helping others understand His ways.  Once we are believers we have no excuse to not be an expression of our glorious Creator.  Just as God placed the sun in the sky to provide light He has placed His spirit in our hearts to provide truth.  When plugged into His spirit we illuminate His power and nature becoming His expression of love and life.  As Christians, when we walk in the flesh we become barriers to His light and His expression is muted.  ‘Light rejected is light denied.’  But when we walk in His spirit we become visible expressions of God’s character and faithfulness.

Just as the sun lends its light to creation the spirit of God lends His invisible attributes to His people for expression.  Divine expression must find a place for revelation and the people of God are those vessels.

Hot Pursuits

“He turned to me and heard my cry.  He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand” Psalm 40:1-2.

As I read this passage this morning I am humbled by the fact that God does for us what we cannot do for ourselves.  If I have the flu, I am well aware of it due to my intense headache and achy body.   If my allergies are active, my eyes itch and my nose runs.  So how is it that when I was spiritually sick my symptoms were not as recognizable?  I wasn’t even aware that I was crying out…didn’t recognize the pit where I resided…the flesh. 

God in His ultimate love turned to me in 2006 and knew that my soul was crying out for something more in this life.  He saw the pit of pursuing approval from people that always tripped me up claiming my actions, attitudes and behavior.  He had seen enough as He patiently waited on me for 45 years to recognize which behaviors were keeping me weighted down in the flesh.  Just as we bend down to retrieve a four leaf clover, so does our mighty God when seeing His unique children stuck in a field of flesh.  He pulls us into His hands and protects us from the elements of the world.  We rest in His confidence and in the shelter of His love and protection.  In hindsight I didn’t even know I needed rescuing, because only God could see what deliverance would look like.  ‘The holes every person tries to fill from birth to death are the needs to be known and to be loved.  We chase everything trying to fill these God-given spaces…He made us incomplete without Him and yet we want everything but Him…so He chases after us.’ Chase, p. 136.

I am blessed this morning to know that I was chosen and loved enough to be chased down and so are you! 

Spiritual Novels

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling" Psalm 46:1-3.

Have you ever noticed that when you are going through tough times the people who have also suffered seem to appear in your life?  It seems as if God strategically places His comfort at every turn, a very present help in trouble.  It seems that these words warn us of life's troubles just as Jesus stated, 'In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world' John 16:33.  Since the beginning of man's fall from grace trouble has been running rampant throughout the earth.  So what do we do with constant sin and persistent trouble with which we are met?  We meet it head on with surrender just as Christ did.

Jesus knew all about the earth giving way as He looked out from the cross.  He was drenched with the waters of pain and disgrace as His enemies mocked and ridiculed Him.  The manner in which Jesus overcame was through His complete surrender.  He didn't fight back...He didn't rebel...He didn't get even...He surrendered for you and He overcame for me.  This is our remedy for our different types of suffering.  I read a beautiful statement this morning that shot right to the center of my heart.  'To truly get God we must learn to receive our lives rather than try to control them.' Chase, p. 118.  As this seeps down in the deep crevice of my heart that is the life I wish to live...receive instead of control...accept instead of question...lay aside instead of picking up.  A life surrendered is a life receiving and a surrendered life is a life of serving.  Isaiah 53:3 prophesied that Christ would be 'despised, rejected...a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering...'  Many of us have been or will be familiar with suffering but will we meet it with bitterness, anger, or self-pity?  Or will we meet it with a spiritual focus that all things taken away in the temporary will be returned in the eternal?  Do we really believe that our lack on earth will be fully provided in Heaven?  Surrendering to God means we will willingly receive whatever He has for us. Then, He takes our surrendered lives and pours them out on people who need His grace.  But we must first offer Him everything and be content with however He writes our story.' Chase, p. 124.

Who is holding the pen in your life?