“But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Phil 3:13-14
As I rewind and review my life there are many things I would love to forget. We all have suffered as a result of our own transgressions or the pain we have suffered at the hands of someone else’s decisions. Paul was speaking of forgetting not only his sins and failures but also forgetting the things that once were of utmost importance to him. He strains toward what is ahead, which was his new life in Christ, along with privileges He was afforded through Christ.
In this verse I can’t help but notice the word strain which certainly denotes challenge and effort on our part. The definition for strain is to make extreme effort and, ‘to have to make an unusually great or even painful physical or mental effort in order to do something.’ Since we are living in a fallen world, to strain towards Christ requires extreme effort with a great deal of sacrifice. We were never created for this world but for the eternal world. All of our efforts must align with our desire to get back home. Our hearts, mind, body and spirit all must come into adjustment to truly envelop that mindset – straining towards the prize of Heaven.
Paul understood this in every sense of the idea. He understood that straining towards what was ahead in Christ meant suffering on this side of the prize. ‘There is a needs-be for us to give ourselves for the life of the world…Fruit-bearing is cross-bearing. We know how the Lord Jesus became fruitful – not by bearing His cross only, but by dying on it. There are not two Christs – an easy-going Christ for easy-going Christians, and a suffering, toiling Christ for exceptional believers. There is only one Christ. Are we willing to abide in Him and so to bear fruit?’ Hudson Taylor in Believer’s Bible Commentary, p. 1974.
To strain forward is to bear much fruit in the life of the in-between. Then, one glorious day the in-between life crosses over to the realized life for which we were created.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
All Daddy's Strength
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” Deut. 6:4-5
My dad has really been on my mind lately and the impact he had on my life. He showed Christ at every veer in the road, living his life with the cross in the backdrop of every decision. It is no surprise that as I read the verse above this morning I pictured his face.
Daddy was the Director of CEF which is a ministry targeting children who haven’t come to know Jesus yet. The work is powerful and was my dad’s passion as he served for over 10 years volunteering full time work. When Daddy’s cancer came out of remission and his body began to fail, he felt that the time had come to resign his directorship for the benefit of the ministry in late 2007/early 2008.
In August, 2009 each of my sisters including myself received a phone call from him asking us to pray for his body. He had been called out of his bed much like Lazarus was called out of the tomb. God told him to get up and go back to CEF promising Daddy would have the strength to accomplish the will of God…again. Whenever his pain or nausea would overcome him, he would sit in the recliner in his bedroom and pray until it would pass. Sometimes it would pass but sometimes it would not. Either way, 90% of the time he would get dressed, climb up in that truck and drive to the office to serve God…with all of his strength.
This is the call to love God that is written of in the Bible. God pursues a continuing love relationship with each of His children that is personal and intimate. The first and greatest commandment is the standard for our response to the love that He first had for us. It is our spirit answering back to His pursuit of our love. “Jesus replied, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’” Matt 22:37
While we cannot accomplish loving God perfectly we can be victorious in loving God passionately.
My dad has really been on my mind lately and the impact he had on my life. He showed Christ at every veer in the road, living his life with the cross in the backdrop of every decision. It is no surprise that as I read the verse above this morning I pictured his face.
Daddy was the Director of CEF which is a ministry targeting children who haven’t come to know Jesus yet. The work is powerful and was my dad’s passion as he served for over 10 years volunteering full time work. When Daddy’s cancer came out of remission and his body began to fail, he felt that the time had come to resign his directorship for the benefit of the ministry in late 2007/early 2008.
In August, 2009 each of my sisters including myself received a phone call from him asking us to pray for his body. He had been called out of his bed much like Lazarus was called out of the tomb. God told him to get up and go back to CEF promising Daddy would have the strength to accomplish the will of God…again. Whenever his pain or nausea would overcome him, he would sit in the recliner in his bedroom and pray until it would pass. Sometimes it would pass but sometimes it would not. Either way, 90% of the time he would get dressed, climb up in that truck and drive to the office to serve God…with all of his strength.
This is the call to love God that is written of in the Bible. God pursues a continuing love relationship with each of His children that is personal and intimate. The first and greatest commandment is the standard for our response to the love that He first had for us. It is our spirit answering back to His pursuit of our love. “Jesus replied, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’” Matt 22:37
While we cannot accomplish loving God perfectly we can be victorious in loving God passionately.
Friday, October 29, 2010
What Can I Do To Help?
“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
When my children were very young they would want to help me around the house. In an effort to satisfy their desire I would begin telling them what I wanted only for them to scurry off before I was finished explaining. Their eagerness to accomplish did not match their understanding of the task. This understanding required more time with me and experience in the task. Many times at the end of their job I would inspect their work only to discover their shortcuts and compromises. I was not encouraged to give them more to do since the task I did assign was so poorly carried out.
As Christians, we all want to help God accomplish His purposes in the Kingdom. We run up to Him in prayer and ask how we can help, only to dash off before He has finished talking. We ask and then we prematurely act in an effort to mark it off our spiritual list with a big pat on our back for our service. God will call us to accomplish certain tasks but the success in those tasks are both timing and understanding. Certain character traits may require molding, massaging and reworking before the task can be completed.
Over the past year I have felt that God has called me to a grief ministry but I am still experiencing grief over my sister and father. His timing is perfect and there are challenges within myself He must iron out before I can accomplish His purposes in His way. He will not give more tasks to accomplish before I have developed the character required to accomplish the present task. From kneeling beside your child at night to show prayer life to praying before a crowd of thousands God is working within you to accomplish great things for Him.
We will be given a little to work on so He can develop within us the ability to accomplish a lot!
When my children were very young they would want to help me around the house. In an effort to satisfy their desire I would begin telling them what I wanted only for them to scurry off before I was finished explaining. Their eagerness to accomplish did not match their understanding of the task. This understanding required more time with me and experience in the task. Many times at the end of their job I would inspect their work only to discover their shortcuts and compromises. I was not encouraged to give them more to do since the task I did assign was so poorly carried out.
As Christians, we all want to help God accomplish His purposes in the Kingdom. We run up to Him in prayer and ask how we can help, only to dash off before He has finished talking. We ask and then we prematurely act in an effort to mark it off our spiritual list with a big pat on our back for our service. God will call us to accomplish certain tasks but the success in those tasks are both timing and understanding. Certain character traits may require molding, massaging and reworking before the task can be completed.
Over the past year I have felt that God has called me to a grief ministry but I am still experiencing grief over my sister and father. His timing is perfect and there are challenges within myself He must iron out before I can accomplish His purposes in His way. He will not give more tasks to accomplish before I have developed the character required to accomplish the present task. From kneeling beside your child at night to show prayer life to praying before a crowd of thousands God is working within you to accomplish great things for Him.
We will be given a little to work on so He can develop within us the ability to accomplish a lot!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Written Not With Ink
“The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you…he will guide you into all truth…he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.” John 14:26, John 16:13-14
When my children were in middle school they all said the same thing about certain areas of learning. They claimed they would never need certain information ‘in the real world’ so they would learn it for the test only to forget it later. One of my kids whom will remain anonymous actually stated that the need for Math was certainly unnecessary!
Thankfully, the Holy Spirit will not allow us to forget certain lessons and truths which are learned through our circumstances. The information is burned on our hearts with each trial finding a home in our hearts for acceptance and application at a later time. Life will test our knowledge through our tribulations and beckon old truths to be applied to present circumstances. Our knowledge of the One who has authority over all of our days is cumulative and progressive helping us ascertain a fuller knowledge of God.
An important part of hearing and applying this knowledge is having an intimate relationship with God. You can ask any of my children just about any topic and they will be able to tell you what I believe. The reason for their knowledge of my character and ideas about life is from our shared experiences and intimate relationships. The same is with God. The more deeply we pursue knowing who He is the more knowledge in Him we will attain providing His mindset on every area of our lives. We can only hear Him when we know Him and recognize His voice. In John 10:2-14, Christ is described as the good Shepherd knowing His children by name and them knowing Him because they recognize His voice. We must live a John 8:47 life – ‘He who belongs to God hears what God says.’
One of my favorite Scripture verses is 2 Corinthians 3:3. It states, 'You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.'
When my children were in middle school they all said the same thing about certain areas of learning. They claimed they would never need certain information ‘in the real world’ so they would learn it for the test only to forget it later. One of my kids whom will remain anonymous actually stated that the need for Math was certainly unnecessary!
Thankfully, the Holy Spirit will not allow us to forget certain lessons and truths which are learned through our circumstances. The information is burned on our hearts with each trial finding a home in our hearts for acceptance and application at a later time. Life will test our knowledge through our tribulations and beckon old truths to be applied to present circumstances. Our knowledge of the One who has authority over all of our days is cumulative and progressive helping us ascertain a fuller knowledge of God.
An important part of hearing and applying this knowledge is having an intimate relationship with God. You can ask any of my children just about any topic and they will be able to tell you what I believe. The reason for their knowledge of my character and ideas about life is from our shared experiences and intimate relationships. The same is with God. The more deeply we pursue knowing who He is the more knowledge in Him we will attain providing His mindset on every area of our lives. We can only hear Him when we know Him and recognize His voice. In John 10:2-14, Christ is described as the good Shepherd knowing His children by name and them knowing Him because they recognize His voice. We must live a John 8:47 life – ‘He who belongs to God hears what God says.’
One of my favorite Scripture verses is 2 Corinthians 3:3. It states, 'You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.'
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Thy Will Be Done!
“Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: ‘…but a body you prepared for me;’ Then I said, ‘Here I am – I have come to do your will, O God.’” Hebrews 10:5, 7
Jesus was sold out for His Father God. He was the one earthly man since the beginning of time whom perfectly, consistently and passionately sought, pursued and was relentless to know the will of God. He was very clear as to Who was at the center of His life.
We all desire to know and do the will of God but ascertaining this knowledge can be both intimidating and challenging. We enter into fellowship with God with our own slant towards our will instead of God’s will. It is human nature to view our lives through the lens of what we would like to see happen in any given situation. In Experiencing God – Knowing and Doing the Will of God, we are given wonderful tools in discerning God’s will.
1) Seek at the beginning to get our heart into such a state that it has no will
of its own in regard to any given matter.
2) Do not leave the result to feeling or simple impression.
3) Seek the Will of the Holy Spirit combined with the Word of God.
4) Take into account providential circumstances which often indicate His will.
5) Ask God in prayer to reveal His Will to us perfectly.
6) If our mind is at peace, and continues so after two or three more petitions,
proceed accordingly.
In thinking of the example for prayer that Jesus gave to His disciples in Matthew 6:9, I paraphrase as follows for my journal:
- I am to recognize God as my Father who has authority over everything.
- I am to recognize His Holiness and perfection.
- I am to lay down my own will for His will.
- I am to recognize that all things for my growth come from Him.
- I am to recognize that forgiveness for my sins can only come from Him and I am
to extend that to others.
- I am to recognize that I cannot stand against sin alone – I must remain in Him
for this.
- I recognize that everything is working towards the advancement in His Kingdom for
His glory.
Amen and Amen!
Jesus was sold out for His Father God. He was the one earthly man since the beginning of time whom perfectly, consistently and passionately sought, pursued and was relentless to know the will of God. He was very clear as to Who was at the center of His life.
We all desire to know and do the will of God but ascertaining this knowledge can be both intimidating and challenging. We enter into fellowship with God with our own slant towards our will instead of God’s will. It is human nature to view our lives through the lens of what we would like to see happen in any given situation. In Experiencing God – Knowing and Doing the Will of God, we are given wonderful tools in discerning God’s will.
1) Seek at the beginning to get our heart into such a state that it has no will
of its own in regard to any given matter.
2) Do not leave the result to feeling or simple impression.
3) Seek the Will of the Holy Spirit combined with the Word of God.
4) Take into account providential circumstances which often indicate His will.
5) Ask God in prayer to reveal His Will to us perfectly.
6) If our mind is at peace, and continues so after two or three more petitions,
proceed accordingly.
In thinking of the example for prayer that Jesus gave to His disciples in Matthew 6:9, I paraphrase as follows for my journal:
- I am to recognize God as my Father who has authority over everything.
- I am to recognize His Holiness and perfection.
- I am to lay down my own will for His will.
- I am to recognize that all things for my growth come from Him.
- I am to recognize that forgiveness for my sins can only come from Him and I am
to extend that to others.
- I am to recognize that I cannot stand against sin alone – I must remain in Him
for this.
- I recognize that everything is working towards the advancement in His Kingdom for
His glory.
Amen and Amen!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Going Looking for God
“Then he said to them all: ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.’” Luke 9:23 “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.” 2 Co. 2:14
As I have stated I am doing a wonderful Bible Study regarding knowing the will of God. Unit 2 deals solely with our awareness of where God is working and going to Him. We have an invitation to participate in His work rather than our demands of Him to help us accomplish our work.
We cannot live a self-centered and self-focused life when following Christ. We can easily deceive ourselves that we are doing the work of the LORD, when in fact we were never called upon to accomplish certain works. Not only will our attempts not be as triumphant as if God were leading but we risk the exclusion of the chosen instrument of God to carry out that work. We must not frustrate the work of God.
The Bible gives name after name of individuals whom God sought for specific purposes. If that person was surrendered to Him great things were accomplished through Him. Moses did not approach God and ask to free the Israelites from the hands of the Egyptians. Noah did not look around and decide that his fellowmen were evil and informed he was building an ark to separate his family from mankind. God will never sit back and wait on our plans but rather invite us to join Him in His plan. We must decide to wake up each morning and ask God, ‘What can I do to join You in Your work today, Lord?’
Our focus on life should be God and not ourselves. ‘The essence of sin is a shift from God-centeredness to self-centeredness. The essence of salvation is denying self instead of affirming self. We must deny ourselves and return to God-centeredness in our lives. Then God has us in a place where He will accomplish His eternal purposes through us.’ Experiencing God – Knowing and Doing the Will of God, p. 32.
I don’t know about you but I am going looking for God today to spread some of His fragrance!
As I have stated I am doing a wonderful Bible Study regarding knowing the will of God. Unit 2 deals solely with our awareness of where God is working and going to Him. We have an invitation to participate in His work rather than our demands of Him to help us accomplish our work.
We cannot live a self-centered and self-focused life when following Christ. We can easily deceive ourselves that we are doing the work of the LORD, when in fact we were never called upon to accomplish certain works. Not only will our attempts not be as triumphant as if God were leading but we risk the exclusion of the chosen instrument of God to carry out that work. We must not frustrate the work of God.
The Bible gives name after name of individuals whom God sought for specific purposes. If that person was surrendered to Him great things were accomplished through Him. Moses did not approach God and ask to free the Israelites from the hands of the Egyptians. Noah did not look around and decide that his fellowmen were evil and informed he was building an ark to separate his family from mankind. God will never sit back and wait on our plans but rather invite us to join Him in His plan. We must decide to wake up each morning and ask God, ‘What can I do to join You in Your work today, Lord?’
Our focus on life should be God and not ourselves. ‘The essence of sin is a shift from God-centeredness to self-centeredness. The essence of salvation is denying self instead of affirming self. We must deny ourselves and return to God-centeredness in our lives. Then God has us in a place where He will accomplish His eternal purposes through us.’ Experiencing God – Knowing and Doing the Will of God, p. 32.
I don’t know about you but I am going looking for God today to spread some of His fragrance!
Monday, October 25, 2010
Why God?
“‘But sir,’ Gideon replied, ‘if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about…But now the LORD has abandoned us…’” Judges 6:13
As I previously mentioned I am involved with Griefshare at our church and each week we tackle another session trying to make sense and endure grief. This upcoming session will be difficult as it bids the question, ‘Why?’
Whether our grief is from the death of a loved one or the loss of a job, relationship or health, grief can be overwhelming and all consuming. Our grief demands answers and is sometimes fueled with anger. The underlying questions of why God allowed our pain and our belief that He abandoned us have been asked of God since the beginning of time. When pain and suffering come into our lives we look to God for answers, explanations and understanding. We immediately tend to blame God for our circumstances instead of praising God for carrying us through another day. We tend to focus on what God did not do in our lives. Thankfully, God is big enough for our questions. He didn’t respond in anger to Gideon when he claimed that the LORD had abandoned him. Rather, the LORD imparted to Gideon that he would be successful if and when He rested in the LORD’s strength.
Knowing this upcoming session would be difficult I have been reading Confessions of a Grieving Christian by Zig Ziglar. There is awesome material in this book that everyone should read in the face of any kind of grief. He writes, ‘I am truly grateful that our faith enables us to move past our questions. We need to understand that at the time of intense pain…it is natural for little seeds of doubt about our faith to creep into our minds and hearts. God understands this need…and desires for you to bring any doubts and fears to Him. Until you face these emotions in God’s presence, you will not be able to reaffirm your faith completely and accept His grace.’ P. 72-73
I remember asking God why He couldn’t have healed my sister and my dad and answered my prayers. His spirit touched my heart that day and I will never forget His words. ‘Brenda, for me to give you what you were praying for was for me to give them less than what I wanted for them. I was ready for them to have everything.’ Zig Ziglar writes, ‘Our faith assures us that God said no to our prayers for her (his daughter) on earth so He could completely heal her and give her the eternal reward He promised to those who believe. God is good.’ P. 74
The Author of our faith is writing the same truths for each of us. Our healing will come when we are honestly seeking and experiencing God. When His children seek Him, God does not pick and choose to whom He will reveal Himself. He makes Himself accessible to all who seek Him intimately. Are we giving Him the chance to comfort and reveal or are we allowing our pain to become our barrier? Ask God your questions and watch Him work in your healing.
As I previously mentioned I am involved with Griefshare at our church and each week we tackle another session trying to make sense and endure grief. This upcoming session will be difficult as it bids the question, ‘Why?’
Whether our grief is from the death of a loved one or the loss of a job, relationship or health, grief can be overwhelming and all consuming. Our grief demands answers and is sometimes fueled with anger. The underlying questions of why God allowed our pain and our belief that He abandoned us have been asked of God since the beginning of time. When pain and suffering come into our lives we look to God for answers, explanations and understanding. We immediately tend to blame God for our circumstances instead of praising God for carrying us through another day. We tend to focus on what God did not do in our lives. Thankfully, God is big enough for our questions. He didn’t respond in anger to Gideon when he claimed that the LORD had abandoned him. Rather, the LORD imparted to Gideon that he would be successful if and when He rested in the LORD’s strength.
Knowing this upcoming session would be difficult I have been reading Confessions of a Grieving Christian by Zig Ziglar. There is awesome material in this book that everyone should read in the face of any kind of grief. He writes, ‘I am truly grateful that our faith enables us to move past our questions. We need to understand that at the time of intense pain…it is natural for little seeds of doubt about our faith to creep into our minds and hearts. God understands this need…and desires for you to bring any doubts and fears to Him. Until you face these emotions in God’s presence, you will not be able to reaffirm your faith completely and accept His grace.’ P. 72-73
I remember asking God why He couldn’t have healed my sister and my dad and answered my prayers. His spirit touched my heart that day and I will never forget His words. ‘Brenda, for me to give you what you were praying for was for me to give them less than what I wanted for them. I was ready for them to have everything.’ Zig Ziglar writes, ‘Our faith assures us that God said no to our prayers for her (his daughter) on earth so He could completely heal her and give her the eternal reward He promised to those who believe. God is good.’ P. 74
The Author of our faith is writing the same truths for each of us. Our healing will come when we are honestly seeking and experiencing God. When His children seek Him, God does not pick and choose to whom He will reveal Himself. He makes Himself accessible to all who seek Him intimately. Are we giving Him the chance to comfort and reveal or are we allowing our pain to become our barrier? Ask God your questions and watch Him work in your healing.
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