Seeing Isn't Believing

“Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’” Matthew 14:29-30.

I have read this story countless times as it is one of my favorite stories. It is a story where the seeking meets the Seeker…the fearful meets the Fearless…the pursuer becomes the pursued. As this story unfolds the disciples were out in the boat when they discovered a figure walking on the water towards them. They were frightened and mistook Jesus for a ghost at which point He identified Himself entreating them to take courage. Once they recognized Jesus, Peter asks for an invitation to join Him on the water. Jesus joyfully extends the invitation to Peter, who climbs out of the boat to join Him. It is at this point that I noticed a small word in the story never before noticed with huge implications…Peter saw the wind. We all know that he took his eyes off of Jesus but what is interesting to me is that he didn’t feel the wind…he wasn’t knocked off balance by the wind…it doesn’t say he even experienced the wind. It says that he saw the wind.

For me this has an important application when considering our times of struggles and fears. First of all, we must acknowledge and recognize that God is in the middle of what seems like chaos in all of our storms. Secondly, we must remember and trust with complete confidence that Christ has authority over every detail of our circumstances. Also, we must not allow our eyes to see things before we are even experiencing them. To see the possibilities of dreadful outcomes is to forget the possibilities of divine interventions. To see our future with despair and hopelessness is to forget that God still performs miracles. Peter did not begin to sink because of the actual wind…the Bible states that he began to sink when he became afraid of what he saw.

We must not only set our eyes upon Jesus but ask Him for help in sustaining our focus on faith instead of fear. Like Peter, our storms present us with two things to see…the frightful circumstances or the fearless Deliverer. We must stay on top of the water and soar on heights with faith and confidence in a loving God who has the power to save and love to give.

Raised and Glorified

“So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body” 1 Cor. 15:42-44.

Today is the day Bruce and I will walk behind our daughter and grandchildren as they make their way down to the front of church to tell our former son-in-law goodbye.  As they were a couple, it has been a ten year season of highs and lows, hopes and dashed hopes, sickness and health, physical separation and now a temporal goodbye.  Just four days before his death, we stood in a courtroom as they finalized their decision to officially end their marriage after almost 4 years of separation.  They both stood before the judge and mutually agreed upon this decision, which little did we know would never become official.  As we were departing, we watched Wayne walk across the parking lot to return to a life that seemed to lack the rewards that Kristen had found for her life.  Tearfully she spoke words that at the time seemed sad but four days later seemed spiritually prophetic, ‘Mom, I’ve got so much to go back to, what does he have?’ 

Well as I sit here this morning adjusting my mind and heart to the goodbye, I’m elated for what Wayne went back to.  He went back to trading a tired, sick and worn body for a beautiful whole spiritual body made in the image of his Father.  He went back and traded in sinful flesh for a perfect and pure spirit never to be tempted again.  He traded weaknesses that plagued his life for the power of God who saved his life.  As he stood at heaven’s gates I know that he handed over the final thing before entering… his naturalness…his fallen condition since birth…his earthly tent.

He now walks in perfection and purity in a spiritual body, and he is the one who came out of the Judge’s chamber with everything.  My daughter and her new life will be a sweet one as she will be well taken care of but Wayne received the ultimate inheritance – a child of God going home to spend eternity with his Father face to face.

“He will wipe every tear from their eyes.  There will be no death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.  He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’” Revelation 21:4-5.

Under the Columns

“I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day” Exodus 16:4.

While the Israelites were wandering in the desert they were promised God’s daily provision. The catch was if they concerned themselves with getting enough food for more than that day it would spoil and be unhealthy the following day. His strict orders of only being concerned with the hunger of that day alone are still the same for you and for me.

Our family finds ourselves deep in the wilderness as we face many unknowns and dissect various ‘what-ifs.’ There is a volatile situation that accompanies our journey full of instability and uncertainty. Over the past few days I have sensed the Holy Spirit reminding me of Matthew 11:23, and encouraging me to claim on Christ’s authority power over this situation. “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.” My mind was so frazzled through the night I couldn't even think of a Bible verse to settle my thoughts. But this morning during my prayers I once again claimed authority based on this verse of the situation which is upon us today. Once my prayer time was over I opened up my Bible study and my exhaustion was met by His excellence! There was that same verse anchoring my Bible study this morning…manna for my day…my daily bread. I was flooded with the love and confidence of my mountain and expect it to find itself at the bottom of the sea by the end of the day.

Not only do we have all of God in our situation but He has given us the rest of the Trinity. I’ve never noticed that the end of Romans 8 and the beginning of Romans 9 stand as columns bearing both the responsibility and the weight of our suffering. Romans 8:26 states: ‘…the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.’ Romans 9:34 states: ‘Christ Jesus…is at the right hand of God, and is also interceded for us.’ So with the Holy Spirit whispering in one ear and Christ whispering in the other ear of God, I sit under the columns of the great Trinity. I will feast on the bread that He has given me as I claim this mountain to crumble into the sea.

Whatever you are facing today, face it with faith… whatever you need for tomorrow, trust God will be there when you arrive. Devote yourself to the Lord in Scripture and prayer and allow the Trinity to minister to your soul.

ELM - He Hovers...

“In the beginning God created…Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering…” Gen 1:1.

Last night my granddaughter spent the night with us after she found out her daddy had died. When she first walked in she had a brave forced smile on her face as she held up a picture of her daddy. She had a tight grip on what will become representation of the day ‘the world got dark.’ I listened to her throughout the evening with heartbreak and deep sadness. ‘Emmy, I have asked God to send my daddy back with a new heart…Do you think He will? Emmy, I want you and Grandpa to come and live with us so you won’t die.’ Just a few of the thoughts of the brokenhearted…and darkness was over the surface of the deep.

…and the Spirit of God was hovering. God was so amazing yesterday thanks to so many prayers. My sister sent me a link to a book she is reading called Learning to Walk in the Dark by Barbara Brown Taylor. I read the author's interview and loved her take on darkness. She said that ‘darkness is everything I do not know, cannot control, and am often afraid of. But that’s just the beginner’s definition. If I am a believer in God, then darkness is also where God dwells.’ I believe that is why we learn of God’s nature more in the dark, and sense His leading when the light is gone. Over the past couple days I look and see the formless and empty eyes of my grandchildren…children walking out the darkness…their new beginning. The comforting aspect in all of this is that the same God who created something from nothing in the beginning is already creating something here. He is hovering…He is dwelling…He is going to make beauty from darkness. It is what He does and it is who God is. He breathed life into the universe and He will breathe life into the hearts of our babies. As Taylor stated in her interview, darkness should not be 99% negative connotation since powerful things happen in the darkness. What happens when we walk in the darkness as Christians? Amazing fellowship with God the Father happens, sharing in the suffering of Christ the Son is experienced , and allowing the groans of the Holy Spirit to cry out on our behalf is demonstrated.

‘In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans’ Romans 8:26.

In the darkness, we don’t have to do the work, but the work of faith will do the work through the Trinity.

My Unwelcome Guest - Adversity

I write about it…I make speeches on it...I counsel others in the midst of their challenges. But here I sit in the wake of chaos this morning. Just a few days ago the world was a nicer place for my grandchildren, a stable place in their little worlds. But two days ago, a sudden heart attack whisked their dad away along with the innocent days of childhood. Like many of us who have experienced the loss of a parent, they will face each day as their eyes open with a hole in their heart. They will cling onto my daughter fully aware now that her very existence is no longer guaranteed. One by one she will tell them about their dad and be forced to see brokenness behind eyes that held light yesterday. My nine year old grandson already knows and is more concerned with the sadness of his baby sister who will find out today. As I tucked him in last night I remembered Bruce telling me that Carson’s heart was more centered on how this will affect his older sister as she became aware last night. The two of them have not yet seen other, but today their eyes will meet for the first time since the line of ‘before and after’ was drawn.

My daughter is one of the strongest women I know and there is no doubt that she will prevail…that she will succeed with everything ahead of her…that she will comfort her children in a way only a mother can. But, that is head knowledge…not heart knowledge for me. As I watch my daughter and grandchildren suffer, I am reminded that this is not a broken toy they are bringing to me to fix. I must sit back and watch God work it all out, and walk along side of them. I must become a faithful force instead of a panicked participant in this chaos. I am reminded this morning that God is both interested and responsible for our peace in this season. ‘For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace’ 1 Cor. 14:33.

I must take what I’ve learned from my Father in heaven in other seasons and anchor it in this season. I must remember that my Savior crawled up on that cross in the midst of chaos and triumphed over death and despair. I must claim with authority this same power that raised Christ from the dead, and assign it to my situation. I must walk in the abundance that God promises and provides to us and not buy into Satan’s doom and gloom mentality. He lies, and he lies well but it will be my pleasure to ruin Satan’s day by speaking the truth of God into my situation moment by moment. I will not hand over my faith to Satan and allow him to taint it with his cowardly ways. He doesn’t even play fair and I’m already seeing that in this situation. But I’m seeing it…God’s giving me His spiritual vision to walk around the landmines of Satan. So with confidence in a Savior that saves and belief in a Redeemer that redeems I once again write my letter to adversity.

“Dear Adversity,

I write to you not to introduce myself, for you know me very well. You have shown up at my home uninvited and unwelcome during parts of my adult life. You have tunneled through my emotions, leaving them raw and dissected. You have lacerated my heart with no concern of looking back, requiring me to sort out everything with my limited understanding. You have exercised a tremendous amount of power in my life, leaving me feeling like a victim of circumstance.

I write to you today to proclaim freedom! While you have once again taken up residence in my home for an undetermined period of time, my God was faithful in preparing me for your visit. I have been tutored and well trained for this season. I didn’t know when you would arrive, but I knew I would be prepared this time. Welcome to my home; I embrace your visit! I no longer see you as an adversary, but rather as a means to obtain the prize, my ultimate fellowship with Father in heaven, my precious Christ, and my constant Savior. I conclude this letter assuring you that I will strive to be a gracious hostess during your stay and will recognize that the only power you possess over me is what I assign. The power that will hold me during your stay is the power of the knowledge of God and what He will accomplish in me through this season.

Because of Christ, I am.

Brenda”
Please pray for my daughter Kristen, my future son-in-law Matt, Tiffany, Carson and Kherington. God bless you for your prayers.

Spiritual La-Z-Boys

^“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” Mark 10:45 (ESV).

I was doing my Bible Study this morning when the author used the phrase spiritual La-Z-Boys.  I can’t think of a better phrase that lends us a powerful image when considering our spiritual service.  We shop around in this old world looking for ease and comfort.  We decide to accept Christ in hopes of attaining a good life.  We settle in to a life filled with Christian principles with do’s and don’ts.  We become very at ease in our lives and give ourselves to the work of God as it appeals to us. 

But what happens when we do more than just accept Christ for our salvation?  What happens when we allow ourselves to accept Christ as our life?  The Bible shouts of sharing in the suffering and work of Jesus.  The Bible never promises that this world will be easy but promises we will be comforted in our suffering.  We were never meant to jump up in our spiritual chairs and recline, waiting on some appealing type of service to find us. What does spiritual laziness look like today in our world?  It is only praying to God when you need something…it is only serving when it’s appealing and convenient…it is only sharing when it’s comfortable.  We have been called to more than comfort in the flesh…we have been called to abandon the flesh and walk in the love and work of Christ.  “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another” Gal. 5:13.

If Jesus waited until something appealing came along, the cross would be empty and we would be eternally doomed.  Jesus came with one thing in mind…to serve you and to serve me through losing His life.  What on earth could motivate us more to get out of our spiritual chairs, step out of our earthly selfishness and serve with the same zeal our Savior served for us. 

What crosses are we leaving empty?

Getting On With It

“Milk is for beginners, inexperienced in God’s ways; solid food is for the mature, who have some practice in telling right from wrong…So come on…Grow up in Christ…Let’s get on with it!  Hebrews 5:13 – 6:3.  (Message)

When my children were young I was always amused at their faces when I introduced new things to their diet.  After milk, there was cereal with its thickness and change of consistency they had to get used to.  Then once cereal was mastered bacon and eggs were introduced followed by the sweet treats of pop tarts and donuts.  As their appetites became more mature the flavor of their foods satisfied them to new levels, leaving behind the blandness and flavorless foods of infancy.  As adults we seldom reach for soy milk and flavorless cereal when selecting meals.

Yet, in our spiritual lives we constantly reach for baby food.  We have received Christ but we are satisfied with a bland spiritual existence.  We live safe and comfortable lives leaving our testimonies lacking flavor and seasoning.  Why do we pursue the grown up things in the flesh but are satisfied with baby’s milk in the spiritual?  Paul was exhorting the early Christians to match their actions with their talk.  Christ made some very grown up spiritual decisions for our good, and now it is time for us to make some grown up decisions for the good of His kingdom.  Every one of us needs to choose the solid food of our fellowship with Christ not doing things we know are wrong.  We need to serve where the needs are regardless of the inconvenience.  We need to love the unlovely and forgive the unforgivable.  We need to be people who live up to our word, and don’t mind the sacrifices required of us. 

When the solid food of honesty, compassion and generosity is ours for the choosing, we cannot be Christians who reach for milk.  When life got rough for Jesus He didn’t turn back to the easy things of this world – He reached further to the cross…He got on with it!

…and so should we…

Finding God Every Day

“When the people saw that Moses delayed…they gathered around…‘Come, make us a god…because this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt – we don’t know what has happened to him!’” Exodus 32:1.

Years ago my children had this book called Where’s Waldo. Each page was full of colorful cartoon characters crowded in different rooms, cities, parks, etc… The ...point of the book was to find Waldo on every page. Some pages took me much longer to find this character but some were easily seen. The more challenging pages where I couldn’t find him made me frustrated and impatient. I wanted to skip over the page out of impatience and boredom.

This is where we find the children of Israel. How soon they forgot all of the brutal labor they were forced to endure. Day after day, Pharaoh’s army would stand over them requiring unhealthy and exhausting working conditions. They cried out to heaven for God to deliver them from their misery and longed for a day when they could rest. God brought them out of slavery, and gave them miracle after miracle during their days in the desert. He could be found on every page of their life in the wilderness. Yet, when they got to a page that took a little longer, 40 days to be exact, they decided to skip the page and find another god. Their impatience turned to temptation which resulted in sin.

We will all find ourselves in seasons of waiting…seasons of wondering…seasons we would rather skip. But God’s best work is done on the pages of our lives when we must simply trust that He is in the picture. We must discipline ourselves to stay on that page until God is visible with both His plan and timing. God doesn’t rescue us just to turn His back on us. He is hidden in every detail of our lives with our part being patience, trust and confidence in Him. The important part of our journey is not just to get to the end of the book but to find Him on every page during the read.

So protect your heart and mind and don’t turn the page before you find Him.

Our Seventh Day

“The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught…he said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest’” Mark 6:30-31.

One of my greatest blessings in my life is my husband. Over 30 years ago he became the one who seemed to enjoy (tolerate) all of my quirkiness, weaknesses and flaws. He has loved me with such tenderness and has been my biggest advocate. He has supported me in every outlandish thing I came up with and forgiven me for many wrongs. He is one of the hardest working people I have ever met. This morning I am met with overwhelming emotions as our passage rolls off the lips of Jesus regarding him. He is in a season of much needed and much earned rest. Faithfully, God looked upon the life of my husband and is rewarding him for a life well lived and a rest well earned. It has been somewhat unnerving for him since working hard is what he has known since age 14.

This is what our Savior wants from us… to approach Him in rest and solitude on all days. He knows that it is not easy to rest but rest was a part of creation even for God. ‘…so on the seventh day he rested from all his work’ Gen 2:2. We are told over and over again to be still…cast our burdens…to come to Him we who are weary. Ironically, some of hardest striving will be in resting, since many seldom rest. But Jesus says to you and to me, ‘Stillness of soul is increasingly rare in this world addicted to noise and speed. I am pleased with your desire to create a quiet space where you and I can meet. Don’t be discouraged by the difficulty of achieving this goal. I monitor all your efforts and am blessed by each of your attempts to seek My face’ Jesus Calling, p. 99.

Who is tired this morning down deep to the bone? Who needs to enter into the arms of Jesus for comfort, restoration and reminders of His love? I love the translation of the Message for Matthew 11:28-30. May it bless you as it did me this morning as we all remember that rest was a part of God’s perfect creation. Rest was a blessing from God and it still is.

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

In The Same Way

"In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple” Luke 14:33.

As Jesus traveled along the region of Perea a great crowd was following. The people were pushing up against each other trying to catch a glimpse…trying to hear His voice…attempting to understand what He was saying to them. He told them that to be one of His disciples ...they must hate their parents, spouse, children and siblings. He said they must even hate their own life, giving up everything to follow Him. These were tough words with tough implications, but the message was more about surrendering lives than abandoning family. His message was more about warning them of the cost of following Him than commanding them to hate their families.

I wonder how many people inconspicuously snuck away when Jesus got to this part. I wonder if you could feel the excitement in the air change to hesitation and contemplation. Did their stomachs drop at the realization of what was being asked of them? Did some drop their head, turn around and walk away realizing the cost was too great? Are we any better today when we realize God is asking something difficult of us?

What is God asking you to lay down right now in your own life? What is He asking you to abandon in your life so that you can truly follow Him? Are we hating or loving our own will, possessions, and dreams? Are we giving our time and resources to God at all costs? ‘Jesus said that if your response to God’s invitation comes into conflict with your commitment to material possessions and ambitions, there should be no question what you should do. He was saying that your possessions should have no hold upon your life. You ought to be able to part with everything God asks of you. If you possess anything that hinders you from being on mission with God, get rid of it!’ Experiencing God, p. 200. God might never take away the very thing He is asking you to surrender. Many times God will bring us to the place of surrender to test the attitude of our heart and the obedience of our spirit.

“‘Do not lay a hand on the boy,’ he said. ‘Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.’” Genesis 22:12.

Taking Note

“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus” Act 4:13.

As Christians we rarely face situations when our spoken faith in Christ Jesus could end our lives. The passage above was just that as the rulers, elders and high priest demanded to know some information from Peter and John. This confrontation happened as a result of Peter and John healing a crippled man. The confronters asked in whose name the man was healed. Boldly and unapologetically, Peter spoke up in one of the most courageous phrases penned. ‘If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.’ Acts 4:9-10.  Now that is spiritual courage! These men who had Peter and John’s lives in their hands stood amazed by the men’s courage. It was obvious that the two men had received a portion of the power and authority of Jesus Christ. The group of men associated their power with their association with Jesus.

If Peter and John possessed the power of a resurrected Jesus Christ, don’t we also have access to the same? Once we become Christians the spirit of God is placed within us but that is not enough. We must associate with Jesus, not just think about Him. The miraculous acts performed by Peter and John were performed in the name and power of Jesus. They called on this because they knew how to access the mind of Jesus since they hung out with Him for over 3 years.

We will never be filled with the power and authority of Christ until we begin sharing fellowship with Jesus. Thinking of Him and praying to Him is not the kind of fellowship that accesses total power. True fellowship is walking with Him during the day…watching for His activity and joining Him … giving Him the time and space to speak to us. When thinking of my marriage, if we only spent time together when we needed something from each other I doubt our marriage would grow. But a healthy relationship is one walked out in the joyful…the tearful…the calm…the rocky…the boring and the exciting. The same is essential with our relationship with Jesus.  It is sharing every detail of our life with the One who is in charge of our life. Once we begin living in constant communion with Christ people will ‘take note that we have been with Jesus.’

Living Homeless

“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven…” Matthew 16:19.

Years ago when I was helping a family member move from one home to a new one, I was amazed at the dozens of keys they possessed.  These keys were unmarked and whenever one was needed it seemed to take forever to find the one that provided access to that entrance.  When I questioned what they were access to the owner didn’t even know.  Some were keys that remained from things long gone while some were keys to doors where the locks had been changed.  Yet, he hung on to every futile key even though they opened nothing.

In considering this I am amused at how we hang on to things that open nothing in our lives.  We are promised that we need only one set of keys to access the kingdom of God.  Yet, we lug around this keychain filled with futile keys…pursuit of money…pursuit of popularity…pursuit of approval.  We try to force these keys that lead to nowhere trying to access happiness.  When circumstances get dicey we reach for the entangled keys trying one to no avail, only to try another to gain access to peace and resolution.  In this world, apart from God the door to peace will not open...He is the only key.

When will we learn that we can save ourselves undue grief by only reaching for one key to access everything we need…the key that accesses the full abundance of God?  If we are Christians we all have this key, but it will only be dependable if we remove the competing keys from our key ring.  Sadly, many times we fail to realize the power and authority we have to call on God in the name of His Son.  We go through life’s overwhelming circumstances having the ability to get everything we need at all times but fail to use the right key.  ‘In Matthew 16:19, Jesus was telling His disciples that because of their special relationship with the Father, they were being given a set of keys.  As children of God, they now had direct access to God and to His resources’ Experiencing God, p. 192.

Living life without accessing God’s power and provision is like living homeless with a key to a mansion in your pocket.