From Slab to Masterpiece

“Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” Philippians 1:6.

In 1463, the sculptor Agostino di Duccio was commissioned to produce a statue from a large slab of marble. Tragically, his apprentice made a careless mistake which left the marble disfigured. Horrified, Agostino declared this project hopelessly ruined, and abandoned the beautiful piece of stone. Reje...cted by its master, the rock stood in a courtyard for the next 38 years. In 1501, a 25 year old artist named Michelangelo came upon the abandoned stone, and saw its beautiful potential. He began chiseling away anything that didn’t lend itself to being a masterpiece. ‘When he was finished, there stood the awesome statue of David, one of the greatest sculptures of all time’ Experiencing God, p 47.

We all have the potential to be chiseled by the Spirit or disfigured by the flesh. How does one allow the world to hold the chisel even though the Master made the beautiful stone? One way is by allowing the opinions of the world to mold and chip away at your character. Another way is to forget that God created you uniquely and specifically to form you into His masterpiece. It is our Father who assigned us our lives, purposing us for beautiful works according to His will. He will neither reject us nor abandon us when we fail because He sees our beautiful potential. He methodically and tenderly begins chiseling away the imperfections and flaws in our character. He sees how a gentle tap here and a more firm tap there will turn the abandoned into the chosen...the marred into the beautiful.

You can be confident that no matter how your life seems, it is a masterpiece in the making. The best thing that can ever happen to us is for the world to abandon us so that God can make His divine and perfect mark on us. What a beautiful sculpture we will become in the hands of the greatest Sculptor of all time.

‘Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!’ 2 Cor. 5:17

Blessing Jesus

“The king will answer them, 'I can guarantee this truth: Whatever you did for one of my brothers or sisters, no matter how unimportant, you did for me' Matthew 25:40.

When Jesus began His ministry he was only 30 years old.  It is tempting to see Him as this larger than life entity, being as He was the very nature of God.  But He condescended from Heaven as man and chose to set aside His powers.  He only performed works with the power on which He called down from God.  He didn’t come to exhort you and me to be God for we fall short every moment. He came to show us how to be the hands and feet of God who works wonders, and brings comfort to the hurting.  ‘As Jesus walked in the region of Galilee, people were unaware of the staggering reality that the Son of God Himself was talking to them face to face’ Experiencing God, p. 28.  Jesus repeatedly spoke of engaging in the activity of God which was His work.  As He went about His day, whomever God placed in His path was attended to by Jesus through the power of God.  Jesus surrounded Himself with the sinners, the sick and the weak.  They recognized Him because of the power accessed through Him for their healing.

So the question this morning is are we any better at recognizing Jesus today than the people of ancient times?  If what we do for Christ is determined by what we do for others how are doing?  Do others recognize Jesus in how we approach them...how we offer ourselves in their time of need.  I sometimes fall into the mental trap of questioning the significance of my activities.  In asking God this morning for reassurance that every little work is important in the kingdom He lifted Matthew 25:40 to my heart and mind.  It reminded me of His exchange with Paul on the road to Damascus, ‘Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples…‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’ Acts 9:1-4.  Saul had never even met Jesus but it didn’t matter for he had been involved with the persecution of people Christ loved.  What he did to others was counted as what he did to God.

Things are no different today as we are met daily with the needs of others.  God places people in our path who are in need of a Savior.  If we only surround ourselves with our equals and our own circle of friends to what gain was it for the kingdom?  When we see ourselves as too important to really see people instead of seeing through them we have failed to recognize Jesus.  Jesus is the woman who is at the entrance of your store collecting money for recovered addicts.  Jesus is the man with dirty hands approaching you in parking lots for a quarter.  Jesus is the man or woman on the outside of your home waiting for you to respond to the activity of God.  When God called Jesus to help the poor and needy, Jesus never considered the person’s honesty.  He allowed God to provide opportunities for His work to be done, and trusted God to handle the heart of the recipient.

Whatever you do and whatever you say to whom you come in contact, remember that there is a very good chance you are coming in contact with Jesus.  Bless one person and you have blessed Christ.

Impacting Heaven

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy…But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven” Matthew 6:19-20.

My dad worked in the secular world most of his life and retired no less than 4 times.  I’m not sure what the motivation was each time he came out of retirement.  I do know that he experienced true and final joy when he began his work with Children’s Evangelism Fellowship.  This was a ministry dedicated to bringing unchurched children to Christ.  He worked full time in this ministry, along with the help of Mother, over a span of 10 years even as he was dying with cancer.  He never took a dime for his tireless and committed efforts in introducing children to the love of Jesus.  As his bank balance decreased I know that his spiritual balance increased.  Daddy and Mother gave when they didn’t have anything to give with trust in God that He would take care of them until the end.  God has been faithful and I can’t help but believe that Mother is being provided for by the spiritual bank they stored up in Heaven.  What we relinquish to Heaven on God’s behalf will be returned to us ten-fold. 

In considering this I ask myself what hours in the day do I spend on storing up treasures in Heaven?  In what activities do I engage during the day that do not directly benefit me, but benefit others in pointing to Christ?  We all have been given the structure of 24 hours in a day with the freedom and ability to choose life or death…activities of the Spirit or of the flesh.  How will we choose?  Will we simply set up our day as hoarders…hoarding every hour for ourselves?  Or will we relinquish a portion of our time daily like tithing to God?  He has given us these precious hours in every day to do the work of the Kingdom so are we?

What if God was so narrowly focused on preparing our final future…our mansions…that He ignored the daily needs of our life in the now?  Many times that is what we are doing as Christians. We are so single focused on something in the now we ignore the spiritual work that leads to the rewards that God wants to give in the future.  In the parable of the rich fool (Luke 12:16-21) the lesson from Jesus was to invest your life in things that have eternal value and won’t pass away with time.  ‘Spiritual realities do not suffer decay…To lead people to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ means that their eternity is immediately altered and a place in heaven is prepared as a result of what you did on earth’ Experiencing God, p. 38.  What could you possibly do today that is more important than the actual work of your hands on February 26, 2014 impacting heaven for eternity?

‘This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that 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. For the LORD is your life’ Deut. 30:19-20.

A Parent's Prayer

“Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him…‘Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom’…‘You don’t know what you are asking,’ Jesus said to them” Matthew 20:20-22.

John and James’ mother watched her sons walk away from the lucrative family business, a fishing business that their father had built.  The parents had wonderful plans for their boys but Jesus had other plans.  The boys were offered everything financially, but they chose to walk with the one who was Master.  There was something about Him, something for which they were willing to leave everything.  As the fame of Jesus grew so did their mother’s desire for them to have a place beside Jesus.  She kneeled and asked for His favor on their lives.  She asked for them to be exalted in the highest place…next to Jesus.  Jesus replied that to grant this prayer would be something she would never want to live out…for it would be too painful for her…it would mean their deaths.

One of the most heart-wrenching prayers I have ever had to pray was regarding my daughter when she was in the depths of her heroin addiction.  The darkness that accompanies that walk is like none other, and evil is almost a tangible item.  I had watched her living a tortured life for many years with no relief in sight.  I knew that for anyone to pick up a life of drugs was just a means to an end…to numb a heart that had been broken…rejected…abandoned.  Through no fault of her own she had experienced this through a failed relationship.  I remember after years of exhaustion, fear and surrender I got on my knees and asked Jesus to grant her deliverance and freedom…even if it meant taking her home to heaven.  I knew that what He could offer her there was greater than anything that could be offered here.  Thankfully, Jesus said ‘Brenda, you don’t know what you are asking.’  He devised a way to deliver her here on earth and gave her a life with deep meaning and testimony.  She is indeed a miracle and I thank God for her each day, along with the gratitude that He did not answer that prayer.  Since then, I have walked alongside those parents who live each day with the other reality…the reality that their child now sits to the right and left of Jesus…the reality that they walk this life with a temporary absence of their baby.  The pain they experience is one I cannot imagine, but what I do witness is the sustaining and enabling grace of a God who has their hearts in His hand until they see each other again.  I see the holy ground on which God called them and that sacred thread of comfort between the parents.  I see a nod and a glance met between each of them as their pain speaks a private language, one that we cannot speak.

I am confident that God has in reserve special private gardens where beautiful reunions will take place between parent and child.  I can imagine that the Lord will give them immediate knowledge of every moment they were apart as if their history together never stopped.  There will be unending walks and amazing talks that no break in time can diminish.  God has a special place for those whose young ones went ahead to Heaven early…that place is to the right and left of Jesus.  That place is a place where the children await the reunion with the ones who knew them first…their mother and their daddy.  When that guaranteed and beautiful reunion takes place it will be like nothing that earth could ever offer in their time together.  God bless these amazing parents who walk in this pain but still love Jesus.  God bless each and every moment they must be separated and give them a double portion of Heaven for their surrender.  And when these parents step into Heaven they will finally move from their night to Heavens eternal day.

As Moses Talked With Jesus

“But the LORD said to Moses…‘Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them’” Numbers 20:12.

I must admit that I am not wild about this portion of Scripture, the reason being I am a performance based love addict in recovery.  I know that God gets weary with me as He shows me over and over again that He loves me with no strings attached.  His message for me over the past 3 years has been loud and clear…I am loved by Him because of what Christ did, not anything I have done or failed to do.  And yet, I still find myself anxious when I read that Moses who sacrificially served for over 40 years lost his blessing of entering the sweet land of God.  For Pete’s sake, look at the congregation whom he served …frustrating…ungrateful and stubborn people.  Until this morning I have always believed that this conversation between Moses and God came near the end of his life.  I was even more exasperated as I realized this morning that this was not near the end of his service.  Moses continued to lead these people through many battles on their way to the Promised Land.  Moses served God with all of his heart and interceded in prayer constantly for these people who would receive the blessing that he would not.  Nowhere is it written that Moses was bitter and angry, rather Scripture records His unfailing obedience in light of his loss of the blessing.  But then, just as my mind was going there again God pulled back His beautiful curtain and allowed me a sweet revelation. 

‘There he was transfigured before them.  His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.  Just then there appeared before them Moses…talking with Jesus’ Matthew 17:2-3.  Jesus, the little boy of God, precious in His sight was getting ready to lose His life.  As God and the angels watched from above, who was the one chosen by the Father to go and encourage His boy? Moses, God’s friend and faithful servant who found himself in the real Promised Land, the reality of God's favor.  While God said no to Moses on earth He said yes to Moses for the spiritual Promised Land in Heaven.  What greater land of blessing and favor is there than being chosen by God to descend to comfort and encourage Christ?  Moses had proven faithful in the overall call on his life, regardless of his failures and weaknesses.  He was not shut out from the ultimate rewards God had for his service and faithfulness. 

This is a sweet reminder this morning that whatever we lose on earth we regain in Heaven.  It is soothing to my soul that whatever failures or weaknesses we possess here fall away when we step into Glory.  I remember my final conversation with my sister Beth near the end of her life regarding the work God had for her.  I told her that she had completed the earthly work and that God had position and purpose now for her to complete in the heavenlies.  Just like Moses, we will continue to serve in Heaven and be used in the fullness of God.  

I am humbled and grateful that God never grows weary in encouraging our hearts no matter how many times we have been comforted.  I’m overwhelmed that as busy as God is He knows when His daughter’s heart needs encouraging and her hand needs holding.  God is our Father and truly wants the very best for every one of His children. 

ELM - On His Mind

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you…’ Jeremiah 1:5.  “I make known the end from the beginning…what is still to come.” Isaiah 46:10.  “For I know the plans I have for you…plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11.

There is a location on Lake Wylie one road over where Bruce and I have always gone to spend time together.  For over 24 years we have taken our chairs, music and some of our favorite things as we sat overlooking the lake.  We have witnessed thousands of afternoons when the earth beckoned the sun to come to bed.  We have laughed on that hill and cried on that hill as the ebb and flow of our lives together have played out.  I can remember like it was yesterday when we discussed the decision of having more children.  That day we sat on a quilt and talked extensively about a child who wasn’t even born yet…but nonetheless, a child who was in our minds and on our hearts.  By the end of that evening we had chosen to have another child and had beautiful discussions regarding the life of that child.  We tried our best to provide all of the good things to our children, steering them away from things that were unsafe or not beneficial in their lives. Our children are now grown and while we cannot see up ahead in their lives, we do the best we can walking alongside them as they walk out their lives.    

Thankfully we have a Father who can see up ahead and desires to guide us with every step we take.  Like we did with our children, He thought about us before we were even formed.  He carefully considered our purpose in life and chose our gifts specifically for that purpose.  He determined the path He would guide us on, and is delighted with the things He has planned to give us.  He makes decisions for us based on what lies up ahead in front of us.  He guides and reveals to us through His spirit what is still to come to help us discover the treasures of His blessings.  He is eternity focused and Kingdom driven so our purposes are intentional as He guides us into them.  ‘God did not create us for time but for eternity.  Every word, act, and purpose of God is in the context of His eternal perspective.  God never acts for the moment but works with the full knowledge of all that has occurred…leading up to the present time.  He does not speak or act...without knowing what the consequences will be…God knows everything about your future.  He foresees what crisis you’ll face as well as every triumph you’ll enjoy’ Experiencing God, p. 17.

This is wonderful news this morning as I consider all of the things I will face and the decisions I must make.  We are not left to this world on our own but are meant to walk in the daily decisions and dreams of our Father.  I can just picture God spreading out His spiritual quilt 54 years ago enjoying His sunset, and thinking about the life He would give me.  Like that quilt my unlived life was laid out before Him as He saw all the good and perfect gifts from His hand.  Be encouraged and humbled by the fact that every day was a planned day by our Father before one day was ever experienced by you.

‘Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights…’ James 1:17.

ELM - Our Enemies

“The LORD says to my Lord:  ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.’” Psalm 110:1.

Jesus Christ knew all about promise and destiny through suffering.  This verse was originally written by David, theorized by scholars with two separate meanings.  One theory is that David was speaking of his own son, King Solomon after God exalted him as King.  The other translation is more prophetic pointing to a future Messiah who would condescend to an earthly body and return to His rightful place after suffering under the hands of His enemies.  Through Christ’s sacrifice, death and resurrection we became co-heirs in Him.  This position in Christ gives us access through Him to approach the throne of God, and crawl right up in the seat next to Him.

In considering this verse today, I couldn't help but to think of a friend of ours.  Through a secret and dishonest business transaction, she and her family have become victims.  This transaction lacked integrity, taking away many rights she should still possess.  Their treatment of her is so extreme that she endures daily disrespect and deception.  This has been on my mind all morning and I knew that this verse was for her.  She has not attacked back nor has she allowed herself to get pulled into this web.  She knows that God is on her side and if she simply and trustingly sits to His right in His timing her enemies will be taken care of.  He will exalt her over them and they will become ‘a footstool for her feet.’  God will trample over those injustices done to His children if we will trust Him with the battle.  She will not fear because she knows that God is working for her ultimate good in this situation.  We went to God as three in the faith and His word and promises will not come back empty.  ‘…so is my word that goes out from mouth; It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.’  Isaiah 55:11.

I believe that sitting to God's right is another way of saying 'Be still and know that I am God.' Psalm 46:10.  Notice He commands us to sit while He acts.

In Foreign Lands

“By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.  There on the poplars we hung our harps… ‘How can we sing the songs of the LORD while in a foreign land?’ Psalm 137:2.

Life was sweet as the Israelites spent their days in continual worship in Jerusalem.  They built their lives surrounding the temple of God with the freedom and luxury to remain near His dwelling place.  But then one day they hear chaos in the distance…they can feel the shift in their circumstances…they can sense danger and despair all around them.  The Babylonians attacked their happy lives, destroyed what they knew best, and kidnapped them to a foreign land.  As they found themselves by the rivers in their new land they wept bitterly and longed for the city that was left behind.  The harps they used to play to display their joy stayed silent.  Their confidence and security were also kidnapped along with their physical bodies. 

Who of us finds ourselves in a foreign land this morning?  Whose heart is longing for last week before that relationship changed…last month before the doctor’s visit…last year before that job was taken away?  Where did the security go?  Where is the music of our hearts that played out like a beautiful synchronized symphony?  Remembering Zion…tough thoughts…bewitching memories.  While we walked out our Zion…those calm and secure times…we didn’t even know to fear losing it.  But now, our harps are silent for it has become difficult to sing. 

But blessedly, we have a Father who will sing when our sad hearts cannot.  ‘For the LORD your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.’  Zeph. 3:17.  He will turn our weeping to comfort if we commit our sadness to Him.  ‘He who goes out weeping…will return with songs of joy.’ Psalm 126:6.  We must remember that we are in a foreign land in more ways than just our circumstances.  We can never get comfortable on earth for life provides the backdrop for us to be kidnapped by our circumstances.  They attack our comfort and security and hold our hearts and minds hostage.  We cannot give into the despair but must continue to sing songs of the faithfulness of God in these kidnapped times.  The thing about foreign lands is that they are never our home.  God will return us to calm times….sweet times…secure and joyful times again. ‘When the LORD brought back the captives to Zion, we were like men who dreamed.  Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy… ‘The LORD has done great things…and we are filled with joy.’ Psalm 126:1-3.

So don’t hang up your harps…our Great God will deliver you out of your captivity and the joy of the Lord will be ours.

Jesus Loved, Yet He Stayed

“‘Lord, the one you love is sick.’ Jesus loved…yet, he stayed where he was two more days.  So then he told them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe.’  Jesus…came to the tomb.  It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.  ‘Take away the stone…Lazarus, come out!’” John 11:3-43

This is probably one of the most familiar stories from the Bible which can be read with such familiarity that the reality of what happened is minimized.  I can tell you that my own Lazarus story was written and lived out.  My prayer for our daughter during her drug use was like the sisters’ prayer… ‘Lord, I know you love our daughter and she is sick!  Father, why are you taking so long?’   Months turned into years and seven winters would pass before we finally got our spring.  When things were the darkest and her life seemed to be losing its pulse Jesus walked into town.  By this time, many of us had rolled the stone over the entrance...expecting the phone call… anticipating the dreaded news …living through the inevitable outcome for a heroin addict.  But Jesus waited to heal her until He knew He had the audience of a large community…dozens of congregations from churches who watched and prayed.  And on that 8^th Mother’s Day of her drug addiction Jesus came waltzing into the city.  She called to say she was going to a treatment program to get her life back.  Jesus told me to take away the stone of disbelief and told her to come out of her tomb!  Now that’s a story that sells!

There are things this morning in each of our lives that seems to be losing its pulse.  There are prayers being lifted half-heartedly for circumstances that seem dire.  There are dreams that we have already pushed a stone in front of as they seem to be dying.  Oh, we are a disbelieving people!  So many times God tarries so that His glory may be shown to a greater number of people when He brings in the miracle.  Sometimes the miracle is in the peace provided when the outcome is not what we would choose.  There is no discrimination in pain and suffering for we will all be touched by its long arms.  But we have a Savior who has conquered pain, suffering and death.  We have a Messiah who understood the meaning of John 12:24.  ‘…unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed.  But if it dies, it produces many seeds.’  Jesus Christ was that kernel that fell and as a result of His death we are His seeds. 

Whatever looks as if it’s dying be encouraged that God’s greatest power is shown when circumstances look most dire.  Only God rolls stones across entrances according to His plan, so let us believe…truly believe…that the Father who gave up His son for us is working constantly to bring things to life. 

Maneuvering In Darkness

“Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes.  ‘Go…wash.’ So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.” John 9:6-7.

Can you imagine being this man?  He lived in darkness his entire life being blind from birth.  My commentary states that blind people in this day had no other destiny except begging.  His entire life he had maneuvered in darkness, bumping into this and tripping over that.  This story does not state that the man went up to Jesus but Jesus approached him.  As the man continued to beg in his darkness, how surprising it must have been to suddenly have some wet and muddy mess on his eyes.  What on earth could have been going through his mind as Jesus told him to go and wash the mudpack from his face? Just when things were already bad, life got muddier.   But in a major faith move, the man rises and goes…believes and hopes…rinses and dries…opens his eyes and sees the beauty of his surroundings never seen before. 

Life is challenging and sometimes when we think things can’t get worse they do.  Things that are already dark seem to get even darker and more disparaging.  We fall into sleepless nights and reach out to steady ourselves when we constantly are tripping over our emotions.  But, we cannot give up and resort to a life of begging…praying to God with little hope.  Our destiny is not darkness but freedom regardless of our circumstances.  We must power our prayers with belief in the goodness and love of God even when our walk seems dark.  When Jesus places His hands on our circumstances they have been touched by the power of God.  The fall of man ushered in sin and sickness but God uses it to display His power and authenticate His kingdom to come.  We must believe in God's purpose and plan for our lives.  '...but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.' John 9:3.  Sin and sickness do not have the final say for they are temporary blind spots along the way towards living in complete Light.  I might be feeling around for answers on earth but I know that the little sight I have on earth will be nothing compared to the view from Heaven.  There will be a day for all of us when we feel the warm hands of Jesus cover our eyes and when we awake we will see our eternal surroundings like never before.

Eyes closed to this world…eyes opened to Heaven.  Eyes closed to nurses…eyes opened to my loved ones.  Eyes closed to sin…eyes opened to purity.  Eyes closed forever to Satan…eyes opened to the sweet smile of Jesus. 

When Evening Comes...

“When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, where they got into a boat and set off…By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them.  A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough.  When they had rowed three or three and a half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were terrified.  But he said to them, ‘It is I; don’t be afraid.’  Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading” John 6:17-21.

I can still remember calling Mother asking her if she wanted me to go with them to the doctor to get Daddy’s results.  At first she declined stating that she thought it would be fine but appreciated the offer.  A few days later she called back and had decided that she would like me to join them.  So on that day, a day forever burned in my mind and on my heart, I left the doctor’s office a different person than when I walked in.  I walked in as the daughter of a healthy daddy, but walked out as a daughter whose world had just been rocked.  I walked in as a daughter who still enjoyed being nurtured by her mother, but walked out as a daughter who would nurture and encourage her mother.  I walked out to the parking lot and called each of the sisters preparing them for our upcoming journey…‘evening coming…strong winds …waters growing rough…terrified sightings.’ 

Many of us are walking out our evenings…we received the test results…answered that phone call …witnessing circumstances that beckons us to live in fear instead of by faith.  It’s easy to fear, disbelieve and row our boats towards disaster.  Our passage is encouraging to me as it demonstrates that however far we run up ahead in our heads Jesus won’t let us steer into the rocks.  He comes to us where we are and turns our fears into comfort.  In Matthew, this same story is told with the disciples mistaking Jesus as a ghost.  In the rough and stormy waters, Jesus revealed Himself to the disciples.  They had two choices…to receive Jesus into the boat or to continue rowing themselves heading towards destruction.  Once they received Him they reached the shore safely. 

Jesus revealed Himself over and over again in our evening.  When things looked ghostly He showed us His greatness. When things were painful He demonstrated His sustaining and enduring grace.  In the dark and dreary night Jesus walks…in the stormy and scary circumstances Jesus reigns…in our uncertainty and disbelief He steers and guides us back to His peace.  He is the anchor in our rough waters and the rock on which to cling.  Receive Jesus into your boat and you will safely reach the shore where He is leading.

Friends In the Furnace

“If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king.  But even if he does not we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up…and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace” Daniel 3:17-23.

Growing up there was a group of us who did everything together, some awesome things and some things that will not be included in this writing.  There is nothing like the reconnection with precious friends from the past.  It doesn’t matter how much time has passed or what we have individually suffered, hearts connected by childhood stand stronger than most other.  All of us in our group have been thrown into the blazing furnace without exception.  As two received unsettling medical news another will travel to be by her loved one’s side, while yet another one watches the unsettling state of an aging parent.  But our little army of friends, like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are firmly tied together.  When one falls into the furnace we all topple down.  The beautiful thing about the furnace is we are not alone…God is at the center for all of us.   ‘Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement…Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire…Look!  I see four men walking around…unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.’ Daniel 3:24-25.

Sin, sickness and death were never a part of God’s plan, but became our companions with the fall of man.  Satan is the king of darkness that tempts us to blame God.  It was the first trick he used on Eve and continues to use on all of us when we are thrown into the furnace.  Our story clearly reveals that the king of darkness was nowhere around the blazing mouth of the fire, but the King of Light was right there in the fire.  I have been one who emerged from the fire with a miracle regarding my daughter (‘the God …is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us’).  I have also been one who emerged from the fire without my sister and dad (‘But even if he does not…).  In both instances everyone received life, my daughter on earth for a bit longer and my loved ones for eternity.  When we get to the point where we can live out these verses we have become seasoned believers.  “In essence, Daniel’s friends said, ‘God can make all of this go away and save us from this situation, but even if he chooses not to – he’s still God” Spirit Hunger, p. 182… (And we are still all destined for eternity).

God did rescue my family members from the hand of darkness.  They will never have to face sin, sickness or death again for they are walking around in heaven with the One who walked in the furnace with them. 

Meager Basketfuls

“‘This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the village and buy themselves something to eat. We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish.’ ‘Bring them here to me…’ Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven… he gave thanks…gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.” Matthew 14:15-20.

They were exhausted and they were scared as the news of the murder of John the Baptist trickled in. Who would be next? As the visibility of Jesus was growing so were the stakes. Everywhere the disciples turned there were crowds…people who needed the touch of Jesus for healing…no time for them to rest. Finally, as the sun was setting on this day they urged Jesus to send the people to their villages to be fed. Jesus commanded them to take their meager amount and commit it all to Him. Once in the hands of Jesus, He committed it to God through prayer. It was then that the tiny portion multiplied and provided more than the disciples could have ever dreamed. As a matter of fact, my commentary states, ‘His disciplines felt a crisis was brewing…How little they understood the heart of Christ or discerned His power! The Lord assured them that there was no need. Why should the people leave the One who opens His hand and supplies the desire of every living thing…there was more left over when Jesus finished than when He began. Ironically enough there was a basket for each unbelieving disciple.’ Believer’s Bible Commentary, p. 1261.

Are you in the middle of a crisis? Are you hungry…lonely…exhausted? Are your offerings to others meager at best because of your situation? I believe that every one of us can relate to times of crisis and the emotional and mental challenges we experience. Our baskets are full of limited resources, whether it is energy, money or hope in any given situation. We look at our group of 5,000…our unsurmountable circumstances and ask God to send them away. But God allows the crowd to remain so the question is what will we do with our meager offerings? Will we withhold our time and encouragement to others because we are too tired? Will we hoard the little bit we have in fear of running out? We must take our limited basketfuls and commit them to God in prayer. He will provide everything we need with leftovers. We ask for rest…He multiplies with peace. We ask for comfort… He multiplies with blessings. We ask for deliverance…He multiplies with wisdom and knowledge.

Don’t be afraid to share what you have with others because when you run out of your own resources and strength God will provide His.

“Now to him who by his power working in us is able to do far beyond anything we can ask or imagine” Ephesians 3:20.

A City No Longer Deserted

“The LORD has made proclamation to the ends of the earth:  ‘Say to the Daughter of Zion, “See, your Savior comes!”’  They will be called … the Redeemed of the LORD; and you will be called Sought After, the City No Longer Deserted.” Isaiah 62:11-12.

Leading up to February, 2006 I was living a Christian life but was not living in an intimate relationship with God.  The two are as far apart as east is from west with vast acreage in the middle.  I remember staying home from work with the flu, flipping the television out of boredom.  I began watching a Christian channel which prompted stirring in my heart.  The next day I decided to go out and buy a Bible Study on which to meditate every morning.  Eight years later I am more in love with the Lord than ever before, and in looking back I recognize that He was pursuing me.  My Savior came during that season and called me His daughter.  He redeemed my life and gave me purpose and position in His kingdom.  He relentlessly sought after me, creating His residence in a deserted heart.

" Dear Daughter, do you need a Savior this morning to search and rescue you?  Does your life feel like a city that is deserted…deserted from joy…deserted from all hope?  We are the redeemed of the Lord and must live like we believe it!   My dad’s favorite verse was 1 Peter 2:9 which I recite sometimes in my prayers.  Even on days when my city feels deserted there is great reassurance in God’s proclamation of my position in Him.  ‘But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.’

Whatever darkness you are presently surrounded by, you can be encouraged in your position in God.   As His redeemed and sought after child, your story is showing light in your darkness.  You are part of His city for others to see.  ‘You are the light of the world.  A city on a hill cannot be hidden…In the same way, let your light shine before men…and praise your Father in heaven.’ Matthew 5:14.  It is difficult to see light when there is no darkness.  It is in our times of darkness that His light most brightly shines the rays of our position in Him…indwelling of Him…and the sustaining grace promised by Him.  Daughter, where else can you find a better deal?

Love, A City No Longer Deserted"

The Whispers of Freedom

“‘I have had enough, LORD,’ he said.  There he went into a cave…The LORD said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by…’ but the LORD was not in the wind…but the LORD was not in the earthquake…but the LORD was not in the fire.  And after the fire came a gentle whisper.  When Elijah heard it…he went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.” 1 Kings 19:4-13.

Those haunting words… ‘I have had enough, Lord!’  I remember a day like none other when my heart groaned these words.  It was the day that my daughter should have been getting ready for her high school graduation.  It was the day that she should have awakened in her bed only to find her dress that I had laid out the night before.  It was the day when she should have come to the breakfast table, finding a beautifully wrapped gift with a special piece of jewelry for a day never to be forgotten.  Well, it actually is a day I will never forget.  As other moms were calling on restaurants for reservations I was calling on God for rescuing.  As her friends were all lining up for the ceremony she was lying down in her drug use.  I remember dreading this day for over 3 years, with the tumultuous journey of her addiction and homelessness marking our days.  I had reverted to my cave trying to avoid everyone in my community.  That day, the very day I had dreaded for so long was a sweet day of whispers...whispers I never expected.

I took a chair and some soft music out on the deck on that sunny day determined I wasn’t staying within the confines of those walls.  As the clock struck the time the graduation ceremony began, it was like the clouds receded and the sweet rays of heaven settled on my face.  I suddenly became aware of the beauty of the skies, and heard the birds in a way never before.  There was a sweet breeze that danced on my face as tears streamed beneath my sunglasses.  God whispered into my heart that day, ‘You are free now.  All of her friends will disperse and go their separate ways.  You will no longer live under the microscopic views of this little community.'  That day I went out and stood at the mouth of my cave and chose life again.  I realized that God was not in the drugs…He was not in the evil…He was not in darkness.  He was in the whispers of light...freedom...future deliverance of my sweet daughter five years later.

Whatever you face this morning please know that when we have had enough…God will be enough!  He will remind you of the good where there is bad, and whisper love and hope into the circumstances that scream fear and despair.  He will surround you with His creation to tend to your soul and give hope in your spirit.  Don’t be afraid to come to the mouth of your cave…God is there and will show you the sweet whispers.

‘Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.’ 2 Cor. 3:17

Tithing With Our Heart

“You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.  In your good pleasure make Zion prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem.  Then there will be righteous sacrifices, whole burnt offerings to delight you; then bulls will be offered on your altar” Psalm 51:17-19.

King David had everything he wanted but yet it wasn’t enough.  He was living the dream in the eyes of others but in his own eyes he grumbled and groaned.  Ungrateful and bored he sought after another man’s wife and went from bored to broken in no time.  King David wrote this psalm after his heart was broken.  He understood that he had lots of monetary things he could place on God’s altar, but God wasn’t interested in his tithe and sacrifices.  He was more interested in his heart, which had become a place without compassion for his fellow man.  David understood that the only way back to restoration was through a broken heart and spirit.  That was the price for God’s altar in this particular season in David’s life.

I don’t care how seasoned we are as Christians we all have times in our spiritual lives when our hearts become distant.  This distance can lead to sin and destruction, and neither tithe nor service is the offering God desires. Those things are wonderful but they were never meant to take center stage in our relationship with God.  Our service and offerings are the overflow of our worship through our relationship with God, not a guarantee of the favor of God.  God always desires fellowship first, things second.  The most precious gift we can ever lay on the altar is a humble heart, surrendered to God in all circumstances.

He is our Father and wants us to love and delight in Him setting aside all of the formalities of everything else in life.  When we come to Him in our broken and contrite circumstances it gives Him the space to comfort and restore us…to parent and nurture us…things that we cannot buy or obtain through our own doing.  We must make space for grace...

Breakfast With Jesus

“But he replied, ‘Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death…’ Luke 22:23.  ‘The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter.  Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him:  ‘…you will disown me.’  And he went outside and wept bitterly…’ Luke 22:61-62.  ‘Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb…he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.”  Luke 24:12.

One way that Peter is frequently described by scholars is prideful.  Time after time he puffed himself up and in pride acted and reacted.  He was in the inner circle and could sense the rising of the kingdom of Jesus.  He saw great things ahead, not understanding the reality of suffering in the very near future.  He spoke of loyalties and sacrifices on behalf of Jesus, but failed terribly when faced with its reality.  Peter, like us, talked a big game before the kickoff.    The scene is heartbreaking…Peter aware of his failure… his weakness…his pride.  He locked eyes with Jesus and at that instant the prideful became humble… the Savior became the sacrifice.  Did Peter turn and walk away to avoid seeing the hurt in his friend’s eyes?  With his head held low and feeling sick to his stomach where did he go?   How can one get away from the reality of themselves?  Can you imagine how thankful and hopeful he was to hear that Jesus was alive?  He immediately ran to the tomb feeling life again…another chance…a plea for forgiveness…an opportunity to make things right.  But once again, nothing…empty…left with dashed hopes.  Little did he know all things would be restored the following week and he would be sharing breakfast with Jesus.  Not only would they eat together but Christ would exalt Peter as the rock on which He would build the church.  The grace of God was bestowed upon Peter once he was humbled by his circumstances. 

God will not leave us in our seasons of humbling one minute beyond the purpose being fulfilled.  Many times we are unaware of where pride resides in our hearts, but under God’s hand we will be shown.  Any time we are in a humbling season, anxiety is our companion.  There is much spiritual work done in the heart of the humbled, and thankfully it is only a season.  Like Peter, God in due time will restore us, strengthen us and exalt us in our God-directed purposes.  And who knows, we might even find ourselves having breakfast with Jesus.

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.  Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you….And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.  To him be the power for ever and ever.  Amen.” 1 Peter 5:6-11.

Slowly I Turned...

“Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, ‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!’" Mark 9:24

One of my all-time favorite routines is the one from Abbott and Costello called Niagara Falls (Slowly I Turned.)  The routine features a man recounting the day he took revenge on his enemy, becoming so engrossed in his own tale that he attacks the innocent listener to whom he is speaking. The attacker comes to his senses, only to go berserk again when the listener says something that triggers the old memory again.  The implication is that the words have an unpleasant association in the character's past. While the other character merely acts bewildered, the crazed character relives the incident, uttering the words, "Slowly I turned...step by step...inch by inch...," as he approaches the stunned onlooker. The character then apologizes, admitting his irrational reaction to the mention of those certain words. This follows with the victim innocently repeating the words, sparking the insane reaction all over again.

Our passage is about a father who approached Jesus with a story about his demon-possessed son.  No doubt this man had been to many people in the past for healing.  I am confident he had told his story to anyone who would listen.  How many times had he told this story to no avail…no healing…hope dashed by failure?  Don't you know that he had watched others receive healing in the past...the sting of it all.  In telling Jesus his story in hopes of receiving healing, his story slowly turns to doubt.  ‘But if you can…’ Mark 9:22.  He believed that Jesus could heal but his unbelief was surrounding whether He would heal.  Slowly he turned from belief to doubt and step by step watched hope crumble.  But Jesus stopped the story and called him out on his unbelief.  Things would be very different this time and healing would come.

I know sometimes I can be that crazed person who slowly turns to disbelief.  Like the father in our passage, I know God has the capability but will God act…will He heal…and step by step I begin to focus on the future in fear.  My triggers are words like cancer…relapse…death. It is so easy to turn away from our belief in the goodness of God.  Inch by inch we allow negative thoughts to creep into the stories of our mind…will my spouse leave me…will we get our healing…will I ever have a child…will I lose my job? 

We must be 2 Co 10:5 people with steadfast belief and faith in our words during our challenges.  ‘We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought.’  The story we tell in public should match what we believe in private.  When we allow negative fears to dominate our present situation, we become irrational in predicting our future outcomes.  We must take these old triggers captive and replace them with our belief in God who is love…who is good…who is all-knowing, even if we don't understand His ways.  By turning these thoughts over to God, He will infuse His peace and comfort into our challenging circumstances.

  

Growling Stomachs

“Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city, he was hungry.  Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves.  ‘Then he said to it, ‘May you never have fruit again!’  Immediately the tree withered.” Matthew 21:18-19

I remember when I was a little girl being so hungry coming into the house after school.  Sometimes when I would open the door the aroma of something cooking would almost knock me over.  I would rush to the kitchen only to find it in the beginning stages of being done.  The smell tricked me into thinking it was ready for consumption but upon closer inspection it offered me nothing. 

Jesus experienced the same thing one morning as He was coming back into the city.  He was famished, and in the distance was a green and leafy fig tree.  I can imagine that He picked up the pace and could already taste the fig in His mouth.  When He got to the tree the reality was that there were only leaves…no fruit existed…barren and empty…all for show.  This angered the Lord which caused Him to curse future fruit upon the tree.  The Bible states that every one of us is recognized by our fruit.  ‘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 12:33.  It goes on to state that we are ‘a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor’ Isaiah 61:3. 

We are much like this fig tree as Christ comes towards us hungry for us to produce fruit.  He knows that He has planted us in the right soil, sent the rains upon our lives to grow our faith but will He find fruit?  Will we look faithful from afar but upon closer inspection be fruitless?  When the drought comes into each of our lives will we still bloom?  Will we display His splendor both in and out of season?  These are the questions that must be answered in each of our lives.  If we do not bear the fruit of our faith we cannot provide anything for others when they are hungry.  From afar they approach us to find encouragement and nourishment for the soul.  What will our offerings be to the hungry person in our lives?  May our offerings be not for show but for comfort in dealing with those hungry and hurting people around us.  How we feed and nourish others in all times is how we feed Christ.  'I tell the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me' Matthew 25:40.

May all of us produce the fruit that fills and satisfies the growling stomach of Christ.