Craving Bread

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all of these things will be given to you.” Matthew 6:33.

This verse is the remedy to a preceding passage that begs us to lay down our worries. I have always found comfort in this verse but I certainly have done my share of worrying about what I will eat…and drink…and wear…and every other thing under the sun. But is wasn’t until this morning that I more clearly understood the original translation of ‘seek’ in this verse. The original intention of seeking God’s kingdom and His righteousness is to crave. When I look back over the course of my adult life I am embarrassed about the things of this world that I craved over Jesus. Some of the most intensely craved things were people…my children…my grandchildren…man’s approval and acceptance. Honestly, I am sure that Satan places disguised cravings all around me…this relationship…that pursuit…another distraction from being right in the middle of God’s presence. Craving anything always leads to a provision of something. Who will we allow to fill our hunger? God? The world? Our personal relationship?

Lisa TerKeurst writes a powerful statement in her Bible Study, Finding I Am: ‘What we consume will consume us.’ That statement knocked me back as I have just come out of a season where I was completely consumed with my set of circumstances. Don’t get me wrong…I was constantly in prayer over this situation throughout each and every day. But somewhere along the way I became consumed with the circumstances instead of being consumed with God. I craved and sought after a resolution that was not mine to demand…His will, not mine. To identify our cravings, we must be honest with ourselves and recognize our appetite. Our appetite is formed by our desires, and with what we feed our leanness will determine where our devotion lies. Do we crave power and status? Do we desperately seek ways bringing our kingdom to come instead of God’s kingdom? What is God’s kingdom? It is waiting patiently on Him to bring resolution in His way and His timing. It is sitting in the lack and giving Him an opportunity to fill our cravings. If we stay on the run, craving this trip, that purchase, those pursuits of nothing we will miss out on the fullness that can be ours in Him.

When we become consumed with Christ all of our striving and toiling will fall to the side. God desires to be our craving…our consumption…our desire. Anything short of that becomes an idol producing a toxic hunger.

“‘Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry…’” John 6:35.

Holy Wrestling

“God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: “‘I AM has sent me to you.’” Exodus 3:14.

I am starting a powerful Bible Study by Lisa TerKeurst entitled Finding I Am. I can tell it is going to be one of those studies that will require a great deal of emotional investment. Her words exhort me to find the great I AM within my heart, my life, my joys and my disappointments. We all have them, we all have prayed for them and we all have cried over them…disappointments. What do we do when we have invested years and years in a prayer that still remains just a tired muttering of a future resolution? How do find a fresh I AM in a stale situation? God still speaks to us in an attempt to teach us who He is in our current situations and how He can be trusted in spite of a dream temporarily set aside. I love Lisa’s statement of living in the tension of holy wrestling while tears are still on our pillows. She states, ‘I’m desperate, I’m hopeful, but I’m tired.’

Who is desperate, hopeful but tired waiting on their desire to become reality? She states that God wants more than to be all we need. He wants to become all we desire. In considering that statement this morning I was trying to apply it to my life. I believe that God being everything I need is His devotion to me. God being everything I desire is my devotion to Him. There is big difference and I know that He will set up painful circumstances to show Himself faithful in supplying with all things to endure tough times. But when we choose to be with Him, walk with Him and develop intimate fellowship we are creating an ‘I AM’ desire for Him. With all relationships, honesty is essential in discovering the I AM’s of Jesus. Over the course of my life when walking out challenges, God was certainly all I needed, but there are still unresolved areas where God has yet to be the God of what I wanted. Amidst the uncertainty of unanswered prayers, I will stand in certainly of His promise. Life is fickle and full of disappointments but Jesus is constant and the full of every satisfaction. Jesus, the flesh manifestation of the great I AM of God. By getting to know Jesus better, I get to know God and who He is in my heart. I can have courage to still breath hope in unanswered prayers where Jesus invites me to dream big in a big dream.

So today I say, 'I am hopeful, I am confident, I am certain in the great I AM!'

Whack-a-Mole

“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on…And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need then. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you.” Matthew 6:24-33

When my daughter Caroline was around 8 years old, I remember we took our kids to an arcade while on vacation. I can still see that little blonde headed child excited to play Whack-a-Mole. This game was a surface of holes offering a mechanical mole to randomly pop up through one of the them. When it was the person’s turn, they were to try to whack the mole with a rubber mallet before it disappeared back into the box. Caroline’s excitement quickly turned into frustration when she kept missing the mole. Eventually, she started whacking at all of the holes before the mole even popped up. I kept trying to tell her to calm down and wait until the mole appeared before swinging the mallet. Needless to say, that little girl wore her arm out before the mole ever popped up.

How many days are we like that little child? Wearing ourselves out by whacking at things that aren’t even happening, swinging our emotions at situations that haven’t even occurred. We worry about things that never come to be. We take a turn at hitting our discontent with a consumer based swing, purchasing things we do not need in an effort to satisfy. Between worry and discontent we take on the goal of the pagans…running after things that do not satisfy…fearing our ‘have nots’ of earthly things over recognizing our ‘haves’ of the spiritual things. We will wear ourselves out whacking these moles that may even not appear, and cannot satisfy if they do. Instead of swinging our mallet we must swing our Sword when walking out our journeys. Our sword of the Spirit is the word of God and we must sharpen it so we will be prepared when our hearts are not satisfied and our minds are full of worry.

"But godliness with contentment is great gain...But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness." 1 Timothy 6:6-11

Risky Business

“‘Master, I know you have high standards…you demand the best…I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound…’ The master was furious. ‘That’s a terrible way to live! If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least? The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum, where at least I would have gotten a little interest. Take the thousand and give it to the one who risked the most. And get rid of this ‘play-it-safe’ who won’t go out on a limb.’” Matthew 25:24-30. (Combination translation from Lauren Chandler and The Message)

This parable told by Jesus is extremely applicable in living out our lives. Jesus tells of a situation between a master and his three servants. We are told that all three men are given an opportunity according to their abilities, which I am assuming would be their decision-making abilities. The one who was given the least made the decision to do nothing, and that is exactly what was gained for the master. No risk, no return, no sharing joy with the master. Instead, his master was furious and pointed out to his servant what was in his heart…fear and laziness.

So many times, we also choose to forego opportunities given by God. We rationalize why we don’t take advantage of a situation that suddenly arises. Or we sit back and just wait for God to show up, instead of thinking on our feet and using our abilities to serve Him. Sometimes, we need to wait on God to bring the opportunity to us. Other times, we need to take some risks and earn some interest in His kingdom. We need to show Him we will be fruitful with the abilites in which He entrusted us…our time…our gifts…our resources. We cannot be lazy or fearful with what He has entrusted us, and must be fruitful in accomplishing our best for God. Afterall, our best is the very least we can do for Him. Many times in my life, I have played-it-safe and a few times I have gone out on a limb for Him. I can attest that the times I have gone out on a limb, I have been able to ‘share my master’s happiness!’ (Matthew 25:21b) It is not our natural inclination to enbolden ourselves in new activities, but God desires to grow us up through these opportunities and share in His blessings.

Prayer for wisdom and guidance is extremely important, but we cannot be that servant who plays it safe every time. We must be courageous and responsive to the opportunities sent by the Master.

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’” Matthew 25:21.

The Ghost of Happiness

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.

The other day I was speaking with a parent who looked at me and stated that every parent just wants their children to be happy.  As soon as those words were spoken something in my spirit took note of disagreement.  Yesterday while walking I remembered those words and gave them further consideration.  I probably would have said that same statement for the biggest part of my parenting years. But as my wrinkles deepen and my steps get slower, life has shown me that happiness is a fickle companion.  It is a fleeting partnership with no lasting relationship and little depth.  Happiness is nothing more than a temporary emotion based on a temporary fix.  Happiness can be that next drink…that new drug…that new purchase…that desired relationship. 

I have decided that the one thing I want for my children is godliness which produces joy instead of happiness, and gratitude instead of grumbling.  I believe that our passage this morning gives us insight on how to attain godliness.   Every one of us has a story of how God has blessed us in the past.  Being joyful is imperative in keeping our prayer life active, remembering that He will continue to act in the future as faithful as He has in the past.  A commentary states ‘to rejoice always is to see the hand of God in whatever is happening and to remain certain of God’s future salvation.’  When we rejoice in His past deliverances, we have a more grateful heart.  ‘Joy is a fruit of the Spirit and is not dependent upon certain conditions.  It is rooted in the unperishable, unchanging, and unconditional.  As long as we have the Spirit, we can have eyes to see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living…Rejoicing and faith go hand in hand.  If we are to rejoice always, it is imperative to believe that there is more than what we can see, taste, smell, hear and feel.’ Steadfast Love, Lauren Chandler, p. 167.

So on this beautiful day that the Lord has made I wish you godliness instead of happiness, and fruitfulness instead of idleness. 

When There Is No Other

“…so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting men may know there is none besides me.  I am the LORD, and there is no other.  I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things… ‘let righteousness grow with it; I, the LORD, have created it.’” Isaiah 45:6-8.

To fully experience the face of God we must revere the sovereignty of His power, but remember the motivation of His heart.  He wills circumstances into our lives that are both joyful and sorrowful… blessings and calamities.  But this verse also tells us that these situations are means to the beautiful end…righteousness in Christ and the strength to face any adversity that comes our way.  Whatever we are experiencing we can be confident that God is equipping us to walk through it.  Adversity is not sent to us just for the sake of experiencing it.  It finds a way to burn off the things of this worldly kingdom and purify the things of the spiritual kingdom.  Adversity shines a bright light on what we really believe and the depth of our faith.

Our passage gives a clear message of God’s desire as the outcome of our circumstances…the growth of our righteousness.  Through our increasing righteousness we become more aware of what has previously gripped our hearts and mastered over us.   

J. I. Packer once wrote, ‘Still he seeks the fellowship of his people and sends them both sorrows and joys in order to detach their love from other things and attach it to himself.’  We all have been guilty of this in the past or maybe even in our present circumstances.  So, I ask each of us this morning:  To what have we attached ourselves that has wreaked havoc in our lives?  Does that attachment continue to master over us bringing chaos and painful circumstances?  What will it take to replace that destructive attachment with the wholehearted attachment to God?  

God wants to bless us with His abundance and lavish love but He will wait until we are ready to receive it.  He will continue to create situations that will urge us to lay down the things that no longer work for who we are in Him.   Whether it is a behavior, an attitude or a fear that paralyzes us we must engage in constant fellowship with the only One who can set us free.

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.  Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by the yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1.

The Fury of our Storms

“That night…he said to the disciples, ‘Let us go over to the other side.’  A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped…The disciples woke him and said… ‘Teacher, don’t you even care if we drown?’  He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet!  Be still!’  They…asked each other, ‘Who is this?  Even the wind and waves obey him!’” Mark 4:35-41.

By the time this event took place the disciples had already sat under the teachings of Jesus.  They had witnessed His supernatural miracles, and watch the world be turned upside down from His words.  They certainly had more head knowledge about Jesus than any other person.  And yet, they didn’t really know Him as well as they thought.  Once the danger that had despaired them had passed, they marveled in a fresh awareness of His capabilities and power.  This event is a beautiful unfolding of each one of us as our furious storms come into our lives.

Just like the disciples, if we are following Jesus we will be led into troublesome times to grow our faith, and show us another facet of God.  When Jesus called them to the other side He was well aware what their future held.  God knows exactly what is up ahead in your life and mine, and the manner in which He will bring it to completion.  We think we know Him but then some set of circumstances occur and we not only learn what is really in our hearts, but we become aware of His incredible power.  Just like the disciples, we sometimes approach Him with accusations and fear.  We have moments of doubt that God is in control, and that He really cares for us since no resolution is on the horizon.  ‘Is He sleeping or worse…does He really care if we drown in our suffering?’

The Jesus who said, ‘Quiet!  Be still!’ is the same Jesus who is with us in the boat experiencing the fury of our storms.  He is the same Teacher who will bring our head knowledge of Him to our hearts, showing us the power of His words.  He is not asleep in the stern and He loves us with every ounce of His being.  Just because the waters are still crashing into our lives doesn’t mean He is not in control of the circumstances. We must continue to call to Him and have confidence that He will deliver us in every storm.  ‘Storms are scary.  It tests our faith and reveals the true condition of our hearts.’ Steadfast Love, Lauren Chandler, p. 150.

“Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.” Mark 4:39.