Heaven's Curriculum

"I will send you the Helper from the Father. The Helper is the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father. When he comes, he will tell about me. And you will tell people about me too, because you have been with me from the beginning." John 15:26-27

Yesterday I was standing in line at the grocery store waiting to check out. There was a sweet little family in front of me with their purchases spread out on the cashier’s revolving belt. The little girl whose eyes were level with the purchases kept reaching up and touching the items…grouping them…arranging them. I began looking at what they were purchasing, and my heart was transported back 50 years ago. Pencils…pads… crayons…packs of notebook paper. It suddenly dawned on me that Monday is the first day of school for many children. I remember the excitement of summer ending and the school year beginning. The night before my clothes and shoes were laid out by my mother. In the morning, she would gently wake me up and I would smell the aroma of bacon and eggs, grits and toast. My little tin lunchbox would be packed for later in the day. We would pile in the station wagon and Mother would begin her morning of chauffeuring us to school. It was so exciting to turn the page to a new year and walk into a new classroom. In later years, our first day would always entail the teacher going over her expectations for us for the months to follow. She gave us a curriculum to help us follow the plan for our time in class. Then she was there every day to guide us through the learning process. We all had the authority to be in our class because we had passed the previous academic year.

This morning I was thinking how we enter our new seasons by the authority of God and the plans He has for each of us. We don’t enter our seasons ill equipped or empty-handed. We enter with a new foundation on which to build from things He has previously taught and shown us. We have been given the curriculum of Heaven by His words that are beautifully expressed throughout the pages of the Bible. How we do in our seasons will be determined by how much time we have spent in His teaching. It is all there in black and white just like in the classrooms of yesteryear. And most importantly, He doesn’t leave us alone in our seasons of learning but has placed a Teacher in our hearts to help guide us…encourage us…and give us wisdom in every situation.

My Bible studies are such blessings from these dedicated authors and scholars. The curriculum along with the Holy Spirit are awesome teachers who remind us of things we have previously learned and who encourage us to gain more wisdom and experience. Every new season will be full of knowledge, revelation and blessings if we invest in the work and show up prepared daily with a hungry heart and a focused mind.

The Untouchables

“Now as for you, everything has been turned over for destruction. Don't covet or take any of these things. Otherwise, you'll make the camp of Israel itself an object worthy of destruction, and bring trouble on it.” Joshua 6:18

The marching orders had been given from God to the Israelite's and the time was upon them to conquer Jericho. The crowd was reminded that Rahab and her family’s household would be spared if the scarlet cord was in the window. But God added another command and underscored the importance of it. He instructed everyone that once the city had been devastated and taken over, nothing should be taken other than the gold, silver, and vessels of bronze and iron which would be consecrated to the treasury of the LORD. God had already given them the land in theory but there was a specific order of circumstances that had to first occur. But we soon discover that not everyone obeyed, and the choice to disobey was a costly one. “Israel has sinned…they have even taken some of the accursed things, and have both stolen and deceived; and they put it among their own stuff.’” Joshua 7:11. The victory was promised by God, and the long-awaited dream was finally on the horizon. All they had to do was obey the one command God added to the march. Don’t touch!

I find this spiritual principle too close for comfort when considering how this ancient story intersects my story. When reading it I am reminded of the many times I have taken control of my circumstances when God said, ‘Do not touch!’ Things He told me not to say but I did…things He told me to say but kept quiet. I recall times when I was convicted to forgive yet held out. Times I withheld a version of the truth which God still considers a lie…all accursed things! Some of the accursed things are choices we make that negatively affect the lives of others. Other times we are negatively impacted from the selfish choices of others. God has promised us good and perfect gifts (James 1:17). He has an amazing harvest for all our lives if we will just obey Him and walk in the Spirit instead of the flesh. ‘The one who sows to please his flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; but the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.’ Ga 6:8-9.

What does it mean to sow to please our flesh? It means we withhold our time from someone who could use a friend. It means we tell white lies to benefit ourselves. We sow to please our flesh when we deny others forgiveness and grace. Our flesh will always find gossip or judgmental words to satisfy our jealous hearts. I don’t know why the children of Israel felt the need to steal something God had already promised them. I guess it the same reason we disobey God…impatience… entitlement…weariness…pride. ‘Every child of God must trust the Father with their future and the provision of their needs. He delights in providing for His children. We can learn from the example of the disobedient Israelite's. We can trust the heart of God, choose obedience, and accept God’s way and timing. The difference is between life and death, blessings and curses (De 30:19-20). The Study Bible for Women, NKJV, p 267. When we choose to sow to please the Spirit, we are living out our best and will inherit a wonderful harvest in our lives.

Passed Over

“Your lamb shall be without blemish…And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts…of the houses…Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you.” Exodus 12:5, 7, 12-13.

These verses are a portion of the instructions given to the Israelite's in Egypt to protect them from the plague God was going to strike against the Egyptians. Animals being used as sacrificial offerings to the Lord was the Old Covenant that God made with Abraham. The Israelite's would not have been shocked by this command since it was their norm for the repentance of their sins before God. What was different this time however was the instruction to take some of the blood of the unblemished lamb and smear it on the two doorposts. When the Lord would move throughout the land, those He would save from death would be identified by the visible blood on the door frames. It wasn’t until this morning that I read a verse in 1 Co 5:7 which I have never before read. I have always known that the blood on the doorposts in Exodus was the foreshadowing of the saving blood of Christ being shed for us. But I have never heard Jesus called our Passover until this morning. ‘For indeed Christ; our Passover, was sacrificed of us.’

Because Christ shed His blood although unblemished God sees what Christ did in place of what we do. Instead of Jesus giving an offering He became the offering given for each of us. As a result, eternal death will pass over each of us as believers. There will be a day when God scans the earth, and our very lives will display the character and actions of Christ. Because He will see that we are covered and protected under the blood of Christ we will not be destroyed but have everlasting life. Once Christ died for you and for me, the New Covenant took over and the price of sin was paid once and for all. This truth will never seem normal to me…this truth will always overwhelm me …this truth that a perfect stranger whom I had never met chose to be my Passover wrecks me. And because of the unblemished life of Jesus, my dark stains from sin are washed back to snow white. When Christ is our life, He becomes our covering and His mark upon our lives becomes our redemption. How can a single moment pass without this awareness in our hearts and minds? I’m so thankful I don’t have to ‘sing for my salvation’ or perform for my position in God's family. Indeed Christ…you are our Passover from death and separation from God and our sins are remembered no more.

“For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.” Col 3:4.

In His Arms

“‘Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me…I go to prepare a place for you… that where I am, there you may be also.’ ‘Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth and the life.’” John 14:1-6

Some of my greatest memories revolve around the 3 times I was putting together a nursery for my babies to enter this world. I carefully chose the furniture, a crib that would protect them as they slept. I decorated with soft colors that would be soothing to their eyes. I purchased things that would provide for them from the time they drew their first breath. And most importantly I placed a rocking chair in the room where I would tenderly hold them and build intimacy with them. These were precious times of preparation and I wouldn’t exchange them for anything in this world. This morning as God lifted this beautiful verse to my mind, I received a new message from an old favorite. This verse has always meant to me the comfort of life in exchange for the sadness of death. But this morning, I am blessed to hold the prism in a different light. This morning the prism sparkles with the message of the present. God not only prepares for our eternal home, but He has prepared for us the circumstances of today and the seasons of tomorrow. Just as we carefully and lovingly prepared nurseries for our children, He goes before us in every circumstance and prepares things along the way that we will experience. He sets protection in place, soothes our fears by placing His comforts around us, and provides for us in every way. But never must we forget that place of shared intimacy that He puts in every season to hold us close…to whisper in our ears in the dark…to console and comfort us…and show us how He prepared for our particular moment...He gently rocks us.

God has been preparing for us, in us and around us since before we drew our first breath. ‘We shouldn’t be surprised to learn that God has been getting things ready for us. He has done this all along for His people. Before He created man and woman, God planted the garden that would feed them. Before He called His people out of Egypt, God called an infant Moses out of the reeds of the Nile. Before Jesus died to promise salvation for all, God watered the tree that would become the cross. God is preparing things for you even now.’ Ready – Finding the Courage to Face the Unknown, Heather M Dixon, p.73.

To the person who will begin treatment…God has given the knowledge to the ones who will care for you. To the parent who is scared to death about losing their child…God has made a promise to never leave them and will guide them home. To the lonely heart, God is moving and preparing hearts to receive love…watch for His movement. To the brokenhearted who is grieving, God has given our loved ones their mansion and is preparing ours for an amazing reunion. God has been preparing for our lives before we ever took a breath. Just as our children trusted us as we watched over them, we must trust God completely as He executes the beautiful plan He has for every one of us.

‘Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you…’ Jeremiah 1:4-5.

Taking Hold

“I know that the LORD has given you the land…For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water… and what you did to the two kings…whom you utterly destroyed…and as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted…for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.” Joshua 2:9-11.

Meet Rahab the prostitute of Jericho. I don’t introduce her that way to shame her but I’m repeating the Bible’s introduction of her. Her home is located and built into the wall of Jericho with a watch area where she can see everything. We know several things about her…she is a sinner looking for a way out… she lives among people who do not follow God exclusively but allow many gods into their lives…she has heard of the miracles that God has performed for His chosen people…she is confident in God’s favor among His children. Lastly, she wants what they have…the power of God within them and the victory of freedom among them. But Rahab knew something that we need to know today. She knew that life apart from God would lead to death. She knew that in order to have God she would have to watch for God and His movement in her life. She fully understood that by choosing to help the people of God she would have to risk the very life she had fashioned for her family. On that day she made a choice between the old and the new…she made a choice between being a leader of faith or a passive pawn…she made a choice to risk everything to gain everything. She hung a scarlet cord in the window as a sign of promise and protection once Jericho was attacked. “‘…when we come into the land, you bind this line of scarlet cord in the window…and whoever is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head if a hand is laid on him’…and she bound the scarlet cord in the window.” Joshua 2:18-21.

How different are we all these years later living in our own self-made Jericho’s? We have a list of sins for which we too feel shame. We want a new way…a new focus…a rescue and a new life from our past circumstances. We also live in a culture where so many false gods are exalted, and the One true God is forgotten. We look at those devoted Christians who give their lives over to Christ and put His will ahead of their own. We see the miracles that God has performed for others and we want the same for our own lives. How can we have the same level of intimacy and favor that the people in our passage this morning had so many years ago? We can boldly stand on our own watch towers looking for the movement of God. Through the sacrifice of Jesus and the blood He shed for us we have a scarlet cord that runs through each of us once we have asked Him to come into our hearts. If we want to find the favor of God, we must set aside daily time to fellowship with Him.

We are God’s blessed children because His first born made a way for us to receive our abundant inheritance on earth and later in Heaven. May we boldly choose to display our ‘scarlet cord’ for all to see as we live out God’s best for us. If we want a life of freedom we must let go of the cord of this world and take hold of the scarlet cord of Christ.

“This day I call the heavens and the 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…” De 30:19-20

Stale Bread

“Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth. Acute desire must be present or there will be no manifestation of Christ to His people. He waits to be wanted. Too bad that with many of us He waits so long, so very long, in vain.” A.W. Tozer.

I love spending time with my children but as grown adults they are so very busy. There are times when I am with them that I can tell they have carved a little bit of time for me out of obligation…because it is the thing to do. There are other times when we are together that I can tell their hearts are really in it and the shared joy is pure…authentic…engaged. I share this with you because I sometimes do this with God. I go through my spiritual checklist…listen to worship music…lift a prayer…do the Bible Study…write the blog. But I must say that sometimes that checklist seems more like an obligation than a joyful privilege. I know that God can sense my stale prayers, empty worship and hurried meditation in His word. This morning I was struck by this quote from A. W. Tozer. When I read the short sentence ‘He waits to be wanted’ tears filled my eyes and conviction struck my heart. I know that I have been disengaged this week and I can feel the spiritual chasm. I have been that child who has shown up this week because she was supposed to. I have marked through the spiritual to-do’s only to leave my time with God the same way my heart approached Him…unchanged…unmoved…disengaged. This week I have been feeding on stale bread instead of the fresh bread He promises us each day.

Stale bread has no worth except as a crumbled topping and certainly cannot fill the cravings of hunger. It’s amazing to me how God can take 5 little words…He waits to be wanted…and awaken my heart to desire more. He fully understands when we approach Him out of obligation instead of joyful intimacy. But even in our complacency, He welcomes us. Even in our lazy attempts to fellowship He fully engages with us. He makes time for us no matter our approach because He promises to never leave us even if we are absent in spirit. Our heart of worship is what He wants us to bring to Him, not our spiritual checklist. It is interesting to me that God waits on us just as much as we wait on God. I never want to think that God’s pursuit of me is in vain.

I'm sick of stale bread this week and I'm so thankful that God never closes the kitchen. He calls us back to the table regardless of how many meals we have missed with Him. He longs to share His best with each of us. When our worship is authentic and our desire for God is great, Christ will be manifested in all of our lives. We must never settle for stale bread when sharing time with Jesus.

"For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” (John 6:33 NKJV)

No Turning Back

“I have decided to follow Jesus…no turning back…no turning back. The world behind me, the cross before me…no turning back…no turning back. Though none go with me, still I will follow…no turning back…no turning back.” I Have Decided to Follow Jesus, a song based on the actions of Nokseng, a Garo man from a Meghalaya tribe in Assam.

Yesterday when I was walking, this old song from my early childhood came floating into my mind and heart for the first time in decades. I was immediately transported back to my church and the pastor who regularly offered altar calls. I can’t remember the first time I stood up in the pew, made my way to the aisle and walked down to the altar, but I do remember that it didn’t even seem like a choice. It seemed like I couldn’t get there fast enough. My heart would race and everyone else was blocked out from my sight. This song couldn’t be played without me responding by rushing down front…again and again. My mother still jokes about how often I marched down that aisle, and how people must have thought I was the biggest sinner. A for a moment yesterday morning I was back in this little girl's body remembering the power of Good News!

But this morning as I am listening to the song again, it dawned on me that what that little girl knew 52 years ago is what this 58-year-old woman still needs to be reminded of. That while we all received Jesus into our heart at one point, we still must choose to follow Him every day. We still must choose to follow Him when He leads us into the unknown. We must still be willing to follow Him when our plans are not His plans for us. We must take our eyes off the world and keep the sacrifice of the cross always in front of us. We can’t turn back on spiritual land we have already conquered in Christ. We can’t turn back when we don’t get our way. We can’t turn our back on what the Bible says in order to please other people. We must understand that at some point in life God will arrange circumstances to where we must decide whether we are really still following Jesus…even if no one supports us…though none go with us.

I love my contemporary Christian music but there is something very powerful about the old hymns beckoning us to remember the simple truths of Jesus. The decision to originally follow…the choice to keep following…the freedom of the cross because He followed.