Places Where Humans Can't Reach

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  For we do not know how we ought to pray, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans too deep for words” Romans 8:26.

I remember when I was visiting my grandmother in the nursing home her last year of life.  We were talking about prayer which prompted a question in my mind.  I asked her if she still prayed, and I will never forget her answer.  She said, ‘Oh dear, no!  I can no longer remember names and the difficulties of others.  But, the Lord knows those who are in my heart and what they need.’  With that being said, I saw her pray with a nurse within a few weeks of that statement which proves our passage.  Even at her weakest moment, the Spirit interceded, and placed prayers in her mind and heart for this nurse.

The reality is even when we are experiencing despair and words fail us, there is a beautiful Spirit within us who forms expressions of our pain and communicates it to our Father.  As our heart breaks, the Spirit groans to God to bring His comfort into our hearts.  When we are paralyzed with fear, the Spirit releases God’s peace to settle in our minds and souls.  When we are so overwhelmed with our circumstances and the future it might bring, the Spirit lifts a prayer of urgency for God to show us hope.  When God told us that we will never walk alone, the Spirit is one way that He lives up to His promise.  And when our knees are raw and our tears are flowing, we can have confidence that our unspoken prayer requests are finding their resting place on the heart of Jesus through the Holy Spirit.  With the Trinity Team how can we fail?  I leave you with the beautiful Trinitarian Benediction shared from my Bible Study this morning.

“May the grace of Jesus meet you at every step today, may you be bundled in the love of God, and may the Holy Spirit fellowship with you in places no human can reach.  And if you are weak may you find Christ gloriously strong in you.  Amen.”

Prove It!

“…since you are demanding proof that Christ is speaking through me…He is powerful among you.  For to be sure, he was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God’s power.  Likewise, we are weak in him, yet by God’s power we will live with him to serve…” 2 Co 13:3-4.

The Corinthians were both a blessing and a burden to Paul as he continued to demand that they turn away from false teachers.  His deep love for them was his blessing, but the burden came with the sting of their accusations that he was not who he said he was.  They questioned the message of Christ which they had previously embraced.  They accused him of being ineffective because his life didn’t show material success, grandiose displays and other worldly importance.  They made the erroneous assumption that if Christ was really in Paul, they why didn’t his life look more successful with less suffering.  They demanded proof before they would return to embrace Christ.  The only problem with this is the fact that proof is only as good as our perception.

I began thinking how does a person’s life show proof that Christ is in them?  Is it because they have a lot of money?  Is it because they have fame and power in our culture?  Could it be Christ is resting on someone because of their beautiful appearance, amazing intelligence or some other attribute?  It is a certainty that all of those good things come from God but not out of favor for one child over another.  It comes out of grace, love, and mercy which God gives to all of us in different ways.  The real proof that Christ resides in our hearts is when the adversity comes.  We get the painful call from the doctor and yet we find peace in our hearts…proof of Christ.  Our bank account is bare but the bills keep coming in, yet we still donate to a cause…proof of Christ.  Our loved one has transitioned into Heaven and we feel all alone, but then we experience His presence…proof of Christ.  We are convicted to forgive when we don’t want to, and give grace where it’s not deserved…proof of Christ.

We might not be asked to ‘prove Christ is in us’ but when we do this well, both believers and non-believers will not even have to ask.  Our activity and attitudes will display the fruit of the beautiful Spirit and we will showcase Christ’s power.  When people wonder if we possess Christ they only have to look as far as the manner in which we respond to all of life’s offerings.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” Gal 5:22-23.

Onion Skin Faith

“I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling.  My message and preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power” 1 Co 2:4-5.

Have you ever been presented with a situation which would require you to stretch yourself ‘onion skin thin’ in an effort to serve another in need?  Paul certainly did when he dealt with the Corinthians of the early church.  We can determine from this passage that he didn’t feel up for the job, and he was scared to the point of shaking.  But Paul knew something that we must consider when walking out a tough journey.  Paul knew that when he relied on his own abilities he would miss out on the power of God.  He understood well that any task for which he was called would be met with the power of God’s Spirit to accomplish that task.  He believed his own message of the power of the gospel as providing our lack for everything. God’s power neither weakens nor changes through time.  It is the same power that was exerted into the lifeless body of Jesus, raising Him from the dead.  It is the same power that got my family through the terminal illnesses of our loved ones.  It is the same power that got me and Bruce through times with no work.  It is the same power who raised my daughter back to life after drug addiction.  It is the same power that will fulfill good and perfect promises to me up ahead.

Many of us face these trembling times this morning as we look up ahead to the tasks for which we are called.  What will we do?  Will we focus on our weaknesses?  Will we elevate fear over faith?  Or will we slip on the garment of the Spirit’s power and walk in confidence through our situation?  The garment of the Spirit offers so much more than the frailty of onion skin faith.  We are called to a life of courage as we make our way to ‘the city not made by human hands.’ (2 Co 5:1) Those watching our walk are so desperate for a demonstration of a mighty power.  ‘What people are longing for is to meet someone with abiding spiritual wisdom and knowledge about what truly matters.  Someone to tell them the wisdom of God that rescues us from loneliness, satiates our longings, obliterates the strongholds that keeps us addicted, and washes our consciences clean!  This secret wisdom is cultivated by time in God’s word.  It’s quickened in prayer.  It’s deepened by fellowship with other believers.  It’s revealed in greater degrees when we’re obedient.  You can’t buy the secret things of God, but He’s pleased to give them to the ones who seek Him.’ All Things New, Kelly Minter, p. 167.

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart.” Jeremiah 21:13

And So She Walks....

Happy heavenly 8th birthday, Beth! Today's ELM is dedicated to our sister, Beth who now resides in Heaven.

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to be silent and a time to speak, He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” Eccl 3:1-11 (NIV)

During the last two weeks of my sister, Beth’s life, her constant smile was replaced with a distant stare. Previously, she would fight her worn out body by willing herself out of bed, as if showing both cancer and death who was boss. But now, both her mind and body were emptied of any fight and both were surrendered. Our bedside interaction was replaced with silence and subtle acknowledgements. God had led me to begin considering music for her funeral.

Beth’s funeral…how heart-wrenching that thought was as it traveled from my head to my heart. Never had I imagined that our little community of four sisters would lose one of its residents at such an early age. Yet, isn’t every experience of life only a season as King Solomon penned?

During those silent visits, I began remembering my conversation with Beth a few months earlier which brought tears to my eyes, but a smile to my face. Due to the extreme pain from her cancer, she was on an unbelievably high dose of several pain blocking narcotics. She seemed on any given day to drift between reality and fantasy. One day as we sitting together in the Hospice House, she patted her bed with her fragile little hand signaling for me to join her. I had bought her a decorative box in which she could store her pens, pads, paper, Bible and books. She reached over and grabbed a pad and pen and the fantasy of planning her wedding unfolded. I was painfully aware that even in her deep confusion, the reality of death and her funeral was never far away. I so appreciated the grace of God painting this picture with the beautiful colors of a wedding instead of the dark charcoals of a funeral. Her questions warmed my heart as she would record my answers by drawing little bubbles on the page, much like a stenographer would record every important word. I still smile when I consider the questions coming from her place in fantasy met with God’s grace. She asked, ‘Now should we serve hors d’oeuvres in the front of the church? Will there be a celebration afterwards? What kind of music shall we play?’

Many days were spent planning this wedding with questions and answers that never changed, and the same plans ‘bubbled on the pages of her wedding planner.’ Never in a million years could I have predicted that this wedding day would occur on the same day 14 years previously when she gave her heart and life to her husband, Paul. As our family worked together to come up with the beautiful music, I burned the cd that would be played in the waiting moments before for our guests before the funeral began.

During the last ten days of her life, I brought my laptop to her room and would play these beautiful songs, more for my own heart and spirit. I can’t help but wonder what she was experiencing in those quiet, unreachable days when she was finally bed bound and did not walk. Was this in between living holy ground for which no one could enter? She must have rehearsed this walk a million times much like a bride imagines the day she walks down her aisle. I cannot help to feel that as she could no longer walk on earth, she was preparing to walk to heaven. So, in the spirit of all of our planning, our talks and the bubbles on the page, I share my version of her experience in those last days when she couldn’t be reached between death on earth and birth into eternity.

“She must be nervous for off in the distance she hears the echo of music playing and soft murmurs of familiar voices. She has considered this walk a million times in her mind, but this time was different…no fear...no anxiety…no turning back. She could finally see what was up ahead of her and it was grander than anything behind her. No turning around this time for she was embracing this wedding day, and would kneel on the altar of eternal commitment – the surrender of total body and spirit to the One.

She treasures in her heart that for the second time March 14th offers the day she offers her love completely to another whom she adores. She lovingly remembers how her earthly father offered his arm the first time. But, this time it will be her heavenly Father that offers His arm to walk her down the aisle. The Director comes to her and whispers that it is time and she hears the music swell. She nervously steps out into the aisle with a pounding in her heart and a radiance surrounding her. Her radiance is met with the radiance of her Father as He offers His arm to her. How beautiful she looks to Him!

She carries a bouquet with the fragrance of her courageous walk during her suffering. She is dressed in a white linen robe instead of sequins and lace. Her hair is held back with ribbons of righteousness as she is being made perfect and pure. Her earthly knowledge is being replaced with pearls of wisdom as everything is becoming more clearly seen in the spiritual realm. Her vision is still slightly blurred by the thin veil of her earthly inhabitation of flesh. How excited she must be at the thought of her veil soon to be lifted by the One whom she loves. It will be the perfect timing of God that will determine when her veil is lifted and their eyes meet each other’s gaze. The delicate petals of her faith are scattered along the aisle from earth to heaven. The petals are seen from both sides, the view from the earth as petals of inspiration while the view from heaven as petals of fulfilled purposes.

She trustingly reaches out her tiny arm and joyfully slides it into her heavenly Father’s arm. The music builds in intensity, the processional begins, and so they walk. As she walks she hears sobs of those she loves who must give away the bride. The further she walks down that divine aisle, the sobs are replaced by the anticipation and joy of her new family as they welcome her into their eternal family. While her heart is burdened for the temporary separation of her earthly family, her new wisdom reminds her that one by one they will join her someday.

And so she walks…"

The Irony of Progressives

“‘You will not surely die,’ the serpent said. ‘For God knows that when you eat of it…you will be like God…’ Gen 3:4-5. “But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may some-how be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” 2 Co. 11:3-4.

It is so important to understand the danger of allowing our minds to accept versions of God’s truths. Versions are nothing different than opinions and perspectives offered by Satan to create pleasures and attitudes that lure us away from God. No wonder our culture accepts everything, all in the name of progress. The ironic thing about people claiming to be progressives is that they are doing the same old thing Eve did in the beginning of time. Being duped by the devil into thinking they know better than what God has stated. Their thinking is no different…no more progressive than the first people who walked this earth. Satan first paints pictures for our mind, then the more we think on those lies the more we rationalize our behavior. And before we know it, we’ve also been kicked out of the Garden. ‘When the enemy comes to deceive us he does so cunningly. Remember, the serpent in the garden of Eden…He must have seemed believable, his arguments buyable, and his promises desirable for Eve to be deceived. This is why we must continually immerse ourselves in the Word.’ All Things New, Kelly Minter, p. 162.

But we are welcome to return to His beautiful place…the garden of forgiveness and fellowship. The garden where we walk with Him in the coolness of the day and He continues to share both love and wisdom with us. We must protect our mind with everything in us as if our life depends on it…it does! We must guard our heart as if they can be ensnared…it can! We must read the Word as if it speaks truth to us…it will! Without renewing our minds, guarding our hearts and understanding what God says about everything we, too, may be led away by our desires.

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2.

Fighting With Weakness

“God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.  He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things- and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are…” 1 Co. 1:27b-28.

We’ve all heard it and we probably have all looked like it no matter which gender we are… ‘You fight like a girl.’  Whether it is a physical fight, an emotional fight or a mental argument, the sentiment is the same, ‘You are the weaker one.’  Well there is great news is this statement!  When someone boasts that they are superior in an area, we must just thank them for that.  We can take comfort in the truth that when we are weak in any area, our weakness unleashes God’s mighty strength.  When people tell us we lack in something, we can be thankful that through our lack God flings open the storehouse of provisions.  When foolish attitudes are marching across our landscapes, we can have confidence that the wisdom of God will always trump foolishness.  When lies pepper the things we know are not true, we have a Judge who sits on the throne and declares the real truth and justice in our situations.

What does ‘fighting like a girl’ mean?  It means we don’t accept what the doctor says until God determines the outcome.  It means we allow God to fight our battles against the bullies of the world.  It means we might look crazy for things we stand up for but we leave the consequences to God.  ‘Fighting like a girl’ means no matter what our bank account shows, having complete confidence that God will provide. 

Personally, 2016 will go down in my history as one of the weakest years I have ever had in my life.  But weakness had a companion who held my hand the entire journey.  His name is Jesus among other names.  God was never so strong and mighty during my year of greatest weakness. 

“Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there.  Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war.” Rev. 19:11.

Life As An Only Child

“For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends” 2 Co 10:18.

Growing up in a family of 4 daughters, it was easy to constantly compare myself to them.  I always wondered what it would be like to be the only daughter, or the only child.  My constant comparison had little to do with the love of my parents for they treated us each equally in love, acceptance and support.  It was more about the desire to be someone special…someone unique…someone important.  As I grew I expanded my measuring stick to include my friends, other school mates and other church friends.  As I became an adult the search for approval and acceptance as it measured against the standards of the world became a full-frontal attack on my psyche.  It wasn’t until 45 years of age that I finally shifted my ruler to the Creator who knew my value, my heart and my purpose.  It was at that point I realized that He was the only one who could have billions of children but able to make me feel like an only child. 

When we measure anything against man, we are measuring ghosts.  Someone will also be smarter, richer, better looking, more talented, more successful…and list goes on and on.  But God has assigned our areas of worth, and when we align with that assignment we strike gold.  We live and move within our God-given talents and strengths, understanding that He delights in seeing us succeed in what He has given us.   Once we embrace our value through God’s eyes, He continues to expand our areas of influence and work.  We cannot measure up to the next level God desires for us, until we master the assignment He has given us in this season.  God did not create us to remain stagnant in life.  He created us to embrace…to be courageous…to climb mountains and conquer valleys.  A life standing still spiritually is a life without a pulse.  Pray that the Father will reveal those beautiful areas He has assigned you, and then sit back and enjoy being an only child.

‘And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming…See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.’ 1 John 2:28-3:1.

Grief, Another Word for Love

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Matthew 5:4

The wonderful thing about this beatitude is that the blessing comes before we must face the loss. God places us on the road of preparation before we ever experience the individual grief. Grief comes in many forms as we live our lives. Obviously, the most severe form of grief is the death of a loved one.

Personally speaking, this beatitude has been put to the test and has proven it's worth in gold! The comfort that God has brought me in the loss of my loved ones has been unparalleled and ‘beyond understanding.’ Don’t get me wrong – I have felt the sting of salty tears in my eyes, more tears than I would ever wish to shed. But the comfort that has been mine has held back the flood of uncontrolled emotions much like the waters being held back for the crossing of the Jordan. God laid on my heart the truth that He called my loved ones home and they found eternal life free from all pain and suffering. God’s nature is always love which is His motivation for everything. Grief places our focus on our pain - not on our loved one’s gain. We approach our loved one’s death as me-first, then them instead of them-first, then us. It is our humanity crying out.

Psalm 139:16 states my highest form of comfort. ‘You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.’ “The concept is that God has a departure date for us. He knows the exact time we will enter eternity. God does not see time the way we see time. God measures one’s success not in terms of longevity but rather as fulfillment of one’s God-given purpose in life.” Zig Ziglar

“Success is finishing what God gave you to do. From the world’s viewpoint, these things are great tragedies. But from the divine perspective, this was an incredible triumph, for each of our losses has represented them having finished well the appointed tasks they had been given to do by the Lord before their births.” Rev Harold Cook

My grandmother told of an afternoon when she had visited my grandfather’s grave 4 weeks after his death. She stated that for one moment in time she felt that God allowed her to feel the full extent of her grief at his gravesite. She couldn’t believe the amount of comfort that God had lavished upon her days since Granddaddy’s death. It was at that moment that she realized the full extent of this beatitude. She laid her mourning on the lap of Jesus and came in for the blessing. The other blessing I have realized in my mourning is the fact that my deep grief is a result from being blessed with a deep love. If I grieve it is only because I have loved!

Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted.

Our Echo

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich” 2 Co 8:9.

This morning as I was doing my Bible Study the question was asked, ‘What Christ-like quality have you been inspired to pursue because you first saw it in someone else?’  My parents immediately came to my mind.  Their sacrificial giving whether in time or money was an example they continually set.  They would assess the need of the person and not their balance in the bank.  They would serve according to need, instead of the demands of their calendar.  They gave when they didn’t have it, and I’m sure sometimes they served when they didn’t feel like it.  Their generosity in many forms displayed a quality that I feel Jesus displayed while on this earth.  God stepped off His throne, laid down His power, took on the poor form of man and chose to die in poverty so that we could live in grace.  We can never give back to Him the equivalence that He gave to us.  But, we can certainly recognize how His poverty made us rich.

‘It made us rich in peace that doesn’t cut and run in the face of uncertainty.  Rich in contentment that knows how to ride both the waves of abundance and slim pickings.  Rich in intimacy with Him that oddly enough grows deeper and more precious in suffering’s soil.  Rich in joy whether by the gifts of material blessings that bring us a measure of happiness, or the joy that comes with giving our lives away.  Rich in life – abundant and eternal.’ All Things New, Kelly Minter, p. 113.

This is not just about signing a check that calculates 10% of anything coming in.  It is about praying for God to show a need, and then trusting Him to write whatever that amount is without considering our bank balance.  It is about pouring ourselves into service that will encourage another, even if it messes up our calendars.  It is about looking to the interest of others and having a generous spirit.  My parents had it right, and I pray for the generosity of heart to live the same way.  We all have something to give to others to bless them, whether it is money, time, prayer or fellowship.  We just need to show up and be there.  We are to echo the heart of Jesus.

‘So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us.’ 2 Co 5:20

Groundhog Day

“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast” Psalm 139:7-10.

This is one of my favorite passages of Scripture in the entire Bible. It is an affirmation from David that God will be available in all situations. Once we are a child of God we cannot separate ourselves from that position any more than our children can separate from belonging to us. When our lives seem to be running smoothly it is heavenly. When our lives seem to be out of control we feel the depths of fear. Whether it be in the dark of the night or the rising beauty of the morning, God is always attentive to our needs. He will guide us through whatever messiness life imposes upon us, and carry us through the devastating times. He is always faithful in where He is, what He is doing and how He is accomplishing things for our benefit. We can neither outrun God nor can we out-think God. But, the blessing of this passage takes effort on our part. 

Prayer and meditation on His word are the vessels for us to receive these blessings. God doesn’t expect a daily list of prayer items. His desire is for our time with Him to be actual fellowship, an exchange of sharing our hearts. I used to believe that I had to name every prayer for others every time I prayed. My prayer life was more like Groundhog Day, having the same discussions with God each morning. I have since come to understand that true fellowship with God is similar to true fellowship with those whom I love. It is sharing my heart with God, and then waiting on Him to response in guidance, comfort or wisdom. It is a two-way flow with an audience of One who knows my heart, remembers my prayers for others and shares His love and heart on everything that flows into my life.

Whatever you are facing and wherever you are going, you can have confidence that He is up ahead, alongside, and your rear guard for whatever you face. Just talk to Him, with Him and about Him. He will not disappoint.

Wet Cement

“What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal” Albert Pine.

I read this quote this morning and it reminded me of something I saw yesterday as I was walking. I looked down and in the cement, I saw a leaf forever imprinted into the concrete. I immediately began considering the impact we have the opportunity to make while on this earth. As long as the alarm goes off, and our eyes are open to face the day ...the cement is still wet.

What we do in this life impacts people who come along behind us. I know that I am the recipient of a tenacious prayer warrior before I ever took a breath. My grandmother, along with my parents prayed life and legacy into my existence. In addition to her concern for her own family, she served others every day that she lived. She knew that walking like Jesus meant to see the needs of the hungry…the weak… the sick…the unsaved. Most likely, we have all been positively impacted by someone, and prayerfully we are impacting others. God doesn’t call us to be isolated in service within our family. He expects us to look outside of our own interests and make a lasting impression in His kingdom. 

Every day we have opportunities to place our mark in the world with spiritual significance. When we focus on worldly significance that distracts us from holiness, no lasting impression will be left. Only God knows when the cement is going to dry. May our lives leave an impression that is as beautifully and intricately displayed as in this leaf.

Dancing Beyond the Waterfall

“This day I call the heavens 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” De 30:19.

This is the time of year that holds power and possibility.  It is the time of year when our focus as a family turns to journeys already taken.  It is the time of the year that offers curses or blessings.  It is the time of year that marks anniversaries of transitions from earth to heaven.  March reminds us that our hearts hurt and our family has missing pieces.  March offers the chance to see these transitions through the eyes of our loved ones or the emptiness of our own hearts.  March lays out two paths.  One path is of gratitude for their lives, and a belief that God is loving and faithful.  March also lays out another path which invites us to be victims of our circumstances, and stuck in our emotions.  When we choose to believe that God has planned all things good for all His children, we are able to experience the blessings in all circumstances.  We look beyond the grave and see them alive instead of dead.  We choose to take God at His word, when He proclaimed that death does not hold any victory. 

Yesterday, Mother and I went to place flowers on the graves of Daddy, Beth and my grandparents.  I am always surprised at the sneak attack of grief, even 7 and 8 years later.  We always say a prayer holding hands at their spot, but yesterday seemed like I couldn’t form the words.  I pushed through and I know the Holy Spirit spoke the prayer, and it was more beautiful than I ever could have prayed. As I heard myself pray, I pictured Daddy and Beth receiving everything they deserved from a sweet Father who lives up to His word.  It is easy to forget that where our loved ones reside is the place we are going.  We are all caravanning in life, and we just got separated on the road.  We’ll catch up and eventually get there and be reunited.

Not that ‘choosing life’ is easy, but it is hopeful and necessary for healing.  Choosing life sees our loved ones beyond the waterfall, dancing and worshiping the Father who created them.  Choosing life is putting the joy of heaven for them in place of the pain in our hearts on earth.  Choosing blessings is accepting God’s comfort and healing when He offers.  I don’t know what people apart from God turn to for comfort.  I’m so thankful that through Christ all separation from my loved ones is temporary, and I am guaranteed to dance beyond the waterfall with them one day.

No Thank You, Jesus

“As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain” 2 Co 6:1.

 

I love the commercial where a man is offered a raise at work, and he thanks his boss but declines it.  Another commercial is along the same lines whereas a child declines a gift her father desires to give her.  I began thinking about how ridiculous in reality that seems, but it is the very thing we constantly do when dealing with God’s grace.  He wants to give us everything but we pick and choose which gift we will receive.  Some gifts we decline occasionally while others we reject daily, taking God's grace in vain.

 

When we are confused about a situation we are in, we take matters into our own hands, telling God ‘no thank you’ for wisdom.  When we hold onto to the wrong others have done to us, we say ,no thank you God, to forgiveness.  When others ask for our forgiveness, we slide the gift back to God so we don’t have to show grace.  When God just wants to comfort us, we won’t allow Him to because we hold anger in our hearts towards Him.  When He wants to bless us through our obedience, we say no because the task is too difficult.  God has given His word as a beautiful gift, but we say 'no thank you' when we do not make reading the Bible a daily priority.

 

We carry within our hearts ‘jars of clay’ that have the capacity to hold the fullness of Christ.  We will fill it up with the world or God’s goodness.  God has a storehouse of blessings for each one of us, but we must accept the gift He is offering.  Some gifts come through suffering, while others come as outright blessings.  The key is that we must choose to receive what He desires to give us regardless of the peripheral circumstances.  Even when the circumstances look horrible, we can have confidence that every situation will turn back into blessings.

 

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.  We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed” 2 Co 4:7-9.

Bundle Up!

“Even though someone is pursuing you to take your life…be bound securely in the bundle of the living by the LORD your God…the LORD has done every good thing he promised” 1 Samuel 25:29-30.

 

Sometimes in life we overcomplicate things when facing adversity.  We get distracted by the overwhelming details in our circumstances.  We get bogged down in our emotions, blinding us to the situational wisdom God desires to give us.  We feel pursued by our challenges and ensnared by their threats.  At best, we just hang on for dear life during certain seasons.  But I have learned the hard way, that we are going to be bound by something…either our circumstances or our God. 

 

When we bind ourselves to the Word, we build up a barrier of insolation against the despair of our trials.  We bundle up near the Fire of Heaven and allow our hearts to stay warm in Him instead of developing ice cold attitudes.  We give God the opportunity to minister and move in His perfect will and ways.  God has promised us good and perfect gifts, many we have already opened but many are still left for the future.  I know the times when I am bundled in the Lord, for the peace I have in certain situations certainly is beyond understanding.  The peace has nothing to do with a future outcome, but it’s peace for today.  That is how the bundle works…we get everything we need moment by moment…tear by tear…strength to strength.  The bundle is when we allow God to be God.

 

This life has a catalog of pursuits that will break our hearts and dismantle our faith.  But we are called to live about our circumstances, and receive the things that God has promised us if we will allow our hearts to trust…our minds to settle…our emotions to not dictate. 

 

Whatever is pursuing you in this season, you can be confident that God is still on the throne, the promises are still valid and that He will be everything you need.

Saying Grace

“Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven…For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened…Now it is God who has made us…and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come” 2 Co 5:1, 4-5.

I remember when our sweet dad was diagnosed with cancer I came home, and began to fill Bruce in on the appointment. At one point in the conversation I told him that Daddy was terminal. He looked at me with loving eyes and said, ‘Brenda, we are all terminal.’ I’ve never forgotten those words and truer words have never been spoken. From the onset of birth, we begin the countdown of going home. We begin living in the hourglass as the grains slowly drop one by one into the ‘days lived out’ mound. We were created to share fellowship with God with the end goal being our reunion with Him. While on earth we get to fellowship with Him through His spirit. But one day we get to fellowship with Him face to face. But thankfully, until then we have been given the down payment of sorts to keep our hearts longing for home. The Spirit moves in us and through us, transforming our earthly bodies into glorious bodies. As we cross that threshold, our broken earthly bodies will be discarded like an overcoat. Our new glorious bodies will never age or decay.

There is a thin veil between heaven and earth, and my grandmother spoke of this in such beautiful terms. I told her how astonished and inspired I was how courageously she walked out her grief. Her words held life for me and I’ll never forget them. She told me that it was like Granddaddy just got up from one side of the table of Jesus and moved around to the other side to sit closer to Him. What a beautiful image that we sit as the Body around the table of Jesus but are all still connected to the same feast. I know there is nothing more powerful than longing for home. ‘Home is not so much about a structure but the people that inhabit it.’ All Things New, Kelly Minter, p. 75.

I don’t know about you but I am all about going home in God’s timing, and seeing those who now reside there. There is an empty chair on that side of the table between my daddy and my sister, and of course Jesus will say grace.

Take the Dare

“Yet, I still dare to hope when I remember this:  The faithful love of the LORD never ends!  His mercies never cease.  Great is his faithfulness…The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!  The LORD is good to those who depend on him, to those who search him.  So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the LORD…For no one is abandoned by the LORD.” Lamentations 3:21-33.

When I was growing up I was in a group of girls who made up different flavors for sure, and I am still enjoying them to this day.  One of the things that drew me in was the excitement of watching them do things that required boldness.  Boldness can certainly cut both ways I discovered it is a blessing and a curse sometimes.  On several occasions, they dared me to do certain things.  One dare was as innocent as eating something they concocted in the kitchen, while another dare was to swipe a little stuffed animal from a store.  Thankfully, we have all grown up and none of us ended up in jail.  We love the Lord and minister to each other in the Lord.  As I began considering dares I realize that each and every day God dares us to do something.  Sometimes it to forgive someone who needs forgiveness.  Sometimes He dares us to trust in Him when we are scared.  I was thinking about the different dares that we are invited to take from either the world or God.  Most of the time these dares will be in drastic conflict of each other.   So today…I dare you to:

To be courageous in something you fear.

To laugh when there is no reason to laugh.

To forgive when you don’t feel like forgiving.

To choose hope and starve your despair.

To believe when you see no proof.

To replace your pessimism with beautiful optimism.

To invest in the journey instead of fixating on the outcome.

To trample on your fears before they trample on you.

To be confident in God’s ability instead of the doctors’ prognosis.

To pray even though other prayers remain unanswered.

There are dares every day that we can take which unleash the faithfulness and power of God.  When we accept the invitation to dare we live on a spiritual realm that lifts us above all of our circumstances, and plants our feet firmly in Christ.  Taking dares will allow us to claim our inheritance that God has set aside for those who trust.

Only you know your dare…so today I dare you to choose life over death....blessings over curses.