Jealous… Suspicious that we do not enjoy the affection or respect of others, or that another is more loved and respected than ourselves….
Ouch.
Seems to me that jealousy and security are mutually exclusive. That security must be in both the relationship with other individuals, and within.
I’m secure in my marriage relationship. I have no cause for jealousy, no threat of someone else being more loved than I am. I am loved.
I’ve become secure in my relationship with God. I have come to believe that he really and truly does love me, and that He will do what He says He will do….grant me the right-standing of Christ and an eternal life. I don’t need to be jealous in that relationship, because His love for you does not diminish His love for me in the slightest degree.
But I realize this morning that I am not innocent. There are areas of my life that are tainted with insecurity and jealousy. Even worse, I fear I may incite a little jealousy in others given the opportunity.
Joseph may have been guilty of such. Gen 37 tells the story. It’s worth your time to read it. Joseph was a love child, born to a man of many years. Israel/Jacob might have been wiser in his doting on the boy. Giving him a brightly colored coat to wear only displayed his favoritism to his other sons.
Everyone wore a garment like that, it was used for warmth, to sit on, to bundle things up in, or even as a security for a loan. But robes were plain. Except for the rich and famous…. Royalty.
Young Joseph’s father gave him the robe of royalty, and young Joseph wore it. Perhaps pridefully….maybe even for the purpose of inciting jealousy.
Or…maybe Joseph thought everybody loved him like his father did. He was young and unwise to flaunt what he had been given. And even more unwise in sharing his dream about being bowed down to by his big brothers. They took the opportunity to rid themselves of him when a caravan of slave traders came by.
This story is full of lessons for us. When I look into the character of each of the individuals involved, I see myself.
Are you there?
Father, I confess the jealousy in my heart. Thank You for revealing areas of sin, and Your cleansing from them. Thank You for the help and power You provide, that I may live a victorious life, free from the strong holding power of the sin of jealousy. (Gal.5:20)
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Manipulating....
Manipulating… To manage or utilize skillfully. To control by artful means to one’s own advantage. To change by artful means to serve one’s purpose…
Manage. Control. Change.
When trusting God is a situational condition and not a complete way of life, I wonder that we are not guilty of trying to manipulate the Creator of the universe.
Faith in Him should not be a way out of a difficulty, but rather an in-place covenant relationship that provides comfort, strength, and resolve even as the moment of crisis unfolds.
We want God to meet whatever need we have at the moment. Especially when we haven’t been able to fill or meet that need for ourselves.
When we try to manipulate our environment and circumstances in order to meet our own needs, with no regard to He Who is Master and Creator, I fear we are guilty of idolatry. We so often put trust in people/things/self, placing them on the throne, with God waiting on the back burner…just in case we can’t pull it off.
When all else fails, how often do we then begin to bargain with Him?
How often do we exhaust every other avenue before throwing ourselves at His Feet?
Why is it that we seek after Him when we are faced with situations beyond our ability to manipulate, and don’t tip our hat to Him the rest of the time?
Or, maybe I’m the only one guilty. Maybe I’m the only one who forgets that the air I suck into my lungs is there only because of Him. Not to mention the health of the lungs that breathe in that life-sustaining oxygen.
Every time I successfully manipulate circumstances in my life to my advantage, I experience only a by-product of His blessed provisions.
HE pours HIS life into mine. I create nothing.
I dare not take the glory for what goes right and blame God when things go wrong.
Even the closer relationship I enjoy with Him is because He has revealed Himself to me. Yes, I must choose. Yes, I must obey. Yes, I must commit.
But try as I might, I would never know God were He not to reveal Himself TO me.
I have not learned how to successfully manipulate God. I am learning how to stop.
Manage. Control. Change.
When trusting God is a situational condition and not a complete way of life, I wonder that we are not guilty of trying to manipulate the Creator of the universe.
Faith in Him should not be a way out of a difficulty, but rather an in-place covenant relationship that provides comfort, strength, and resolve even as the moment of crisis unfolds.
We want God to meet whatever need we have at the moment. Especially when we haven’t been able to fill or meet that need for ourselves.
When we try to manipulate our environment and circumstances in order to meet our own needs, with no regard to He Who is Master and Creator, I fear we are guilty of idolatry. We so often put trust in people/things/self, placing them on the throne, with God waiting on the back burner…just in case we can’t pull it off.
When all else fails, how often do we then begin to bargain with Him?
How often do we exhaust every other avenue before throwing ourselves at His Feet?
Why is it that we seek after Him when we are faced with situations beyond our ability to manipulate, and don’t tip our hat to Him the rest of the time?
Or, maybe I’m the only one guilty. Maybe I’m the only one who forgets that the air I suck into my lungs is there only because of Him. Not to mention the health of the lungs that breathe in that life-sustaining oxygen.
Every time I successfully manipulate circumstances in my life to my advantage, I experience only a by-product of His blessed provisions.
HE pours HIS life into mine. I create nothing.
I dare not take the glory for what goes right and blame God when things go wrong.
Even the closer relationship I enjoy with Him is because He has revealed Himself to me. Yes, I must choose. Yes, I must obey. Yes, I must commit.
But try as I might, I would never know God were He not to reveal Himself TO me.
I have not learned how to successfully manipulate God. I am learning how to stop.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Now..
Now… If you are reading these words, you’re safe and blessed. You have a computer before you, eyes that see, a mind that has learned to read, and the opportunity of choice to use these next few minutes as you like…
Now is all you have. You may not finish this reading. (…if I even get to finish writing down these thoughts !)
What do we do with our ‘now’? And do we realize Who/who is responsible for this ‘now’? Everything I experience and enjoy in my life is attached to another ‘who’ and is absolutely because of ‘Who’. God has a say-so in everything that touches me, and every choice, every action I take or do not take, has an impact.
I must not live my life and make my decisions as if it’s only and all about me and this ‘now’.
Isaiah 39 tells the story of King Hezekiah. God had caused the sun to retreat backwards several degrees. The Assyrians, prominent world power of the day, worshipped the sun god. The Babylonians were enemies of the Assyrians, and they really liked that Hezekiah’s God had power over the sun. They thought it in their interest to befriend Hezekiah and his God.
So they came with gifts. And flattery.
Hezekiah accepted not only the gifts, but the flattery. Not only that, he did a little showing off.
“Hezekiah received the envoys gladly and showed them what was in his storehouses…the silver, the gold, the spices, the fine oil, his entire armory and everything found among his treasures. There was nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them” (Isa. 39:2)
Do you think there was a little pride going on there? Ever notice how often that of which we become proud is that which is often taken away?
Oh, Hezekiah didn’t suffer much for it. But the very ones to whom he strutted were the predecessors of the ones who would come and destroy everything he had been so prideful of.
“The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your fathers have stored up, will be carried off to Babylon. ..and some of your own flesh and blood who will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.”
It’s not just about ‘now’. Yes, our choices are important for the immediate, but they have such a profound effect on what days lay ahead.
After Isaiah had informed Hezekiah about the real nature of his Babylonian friends, and what they would be capable of in the future, he replied…
‘….“The word of the Lord..is good.”….For he thought, ‘there will be peace and security in my lifetime.’…”(Isa. 39:8) He was concerned about his 'now'.
I am convicted today that I have enjoyed the peace and security of my lifetime, and horrified that the way we have lived in godless fashion may bring devastation in the days ahead.
God help us to repent of our wicked ways, turn back to You, seek Your Face, and humble ourselves completely. Forgive us for living in our ‘now’ and being blind to the consequences for our sons and daughters. Only You can heal what is so diseased and broken. Help each of us…ME…to be obedient in what You call us to do, help us to live our lives first and foremost for Your purposes…trusting that those purposes are always best for us.
Now is all you have. You may not finish this reading. (…if I even get to finish writing down these thoughts !)
What do we do with our ‘now’? And do we realize Who/who is responsible for this ‘now’? Everything I experience and enjoy in my life is attached to another ‘who’ and is absolutely because of ‘Who’. God has a say-so in everything that touches me, and every choice, every action I take or do not take, has an impact.
I must not live my life and make my decisions as if it’s only and all about me and this ‘now’.
Isaiah 39 tells the story of King Hezekiah. God had caused the sun to retreat backwards several degrees. The Assyrians, prominent world power of the day, worshipped the sun god. The Babylonians were enemies of the Assyrians, and they really liked that Hezekiah’s God had power over the sun. They thought it in their interest to befriend Hezekiah and his God.
So they came with gifts. And flattery.
Hezekiah accepted not only the gifts, but the flattery. Not only that, he did a little showing off.
“Hezekiah received the envoys gladly and showed them what was in his storehouses…the silver, the gold, the spices, the fine oil, his entire armory and everything found among his treasures. There was nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them” (Isa. 39:2)
Do you think there was a little pride going on there? Ever notice how often that of which we become proud is that which is often taken away?
Oh, Hezekiah didn’t suffer much for it. But the very ones to whom he strutted were the predecessors of the ones who would come and destroy everything he had been so prideful of.
“The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your fathers have stored up, will be carried off to Babylon. ..and some of your own flesh and blood who will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.”
It’s not just about ‘now’. Yes, our choices are important for the immediate, but they have such a profound effect on what days lay ahead.
After Isaiah had informed Hezekiah about the real nature of his Babylonian friends, and what they would be capable of in the future, he replied…
‘….“The word of the Lord..is good.”….For he thought, ‘there will be peace and security in my lifetime.’…”(Isa. 39:8) He was concerned about his 'now'.
I am convicted today that I have enjoyed the peace and security of my lifetime, and horrified that the way we have lived in godless fashion may bring devastation in the days ahead.
God help us to repent of our wicked ways, turn back to You, seek Your Face, and humble ourselves completely. Forgive us for living in our ‘now’ and being blind to the consequences for our sons and daughters. Only You can heal what is so diseased and broken. Help each of us…ME…to be obedient in what You call us to do, help us to live our lives first and foremost for Your purposes…trusting that those purposes are always best for us.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Security
Security… protected from danger. How secure are you?
Do you pay for one of those security systems for your home so that when you are in danger, help will come to the rescue?
Do you have an arsenal ready to meet intruders?
Do you have securities? Stocks and bonds. Equities and options. Certificates. Mutual funds. Money in the bank?
Do you have a dead bolt on your door that would keep out the uninvited?
Just what is it that you put on the list of things that make you secure?
Perhaps it is government….the law of the land…laws that forbid anyone or anything to steal your secure status.
Perhaps it is medicine… physicians and surgeons….if/when sickness or injury comes, there should be a pill or treatment or a surgery to prevent your secure health from being compromised or lost.
Whatever it is you put on your list. It’s a lie.
There IS no security other than the eternal security in Jesus Christ.
Laws won’t do it, the Ten Commandments are a witness to that fact. Government won’t do it. It is impossible to legislate right behavior. There is a presence of evil in our world.
“for what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending His own Son…”(Rom. 8:3)
Money won’t do it. The value changes, it is unstable and unreliable. And what is it really except paper or chunks of metal? Who decides what it’s value is?
“Since you trust in your deeds and your riches, you too will be taken….”(Jer. 48:7)
“though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them.”(Ps. 62:10)
Guns and armies won’t do it. Battles and wars have been taking lives the entire history of our race, and still we struggle to be secure.
“Woe to those…who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the Lord.” (Isa. 31:1)
“My hope is certain. My hope is something for my soul to hold on to. My hope is strong and secure. My hope goes all the way into the Most Holy Room behind the curtain. That is where Jesus has gone. He went there to open the way ahead of me…”
(Heb.6:19 NIrV personalized by me)
I am forever secure. Hallelujah.
Do you pay for one of those security systems for your home so that when you are in danger, help will come to the rescue?
Do you have an arsenal ready to meet intruders?
Do you have securities? Stocks and bonds. Equities and options. Certificates. Mutual funds. Money in the bank?
Do you have a dead bolt on your door that would keep out the uninvited?
Just what is it that you put on the list of things that make you secure?
Perhaps it is government….the law of the land…laws that forbid anyone or anything to steal your secure status.
Perhaps it is medicine… physicians and surgeons….if/when sickness or injury comes, there should be a pill or treatment or a surgery to prevent your secure health from being compromised or lost.
Whatever it is you put on your list. It’s a lie.
There IS no security other than the eternal security in Jesus Christ.
Laws won’t do it, the Ten Commandments are a witness to that fact. Government won’t do it. It is impossible to legislate right behavior. There is a presence of evil in our world.
“for what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending His own Son…”(Rom. 8:3)
Money won’t do it. The value changes, it is unstable and unreliable. And what is it really except paper or chunks of metal? Who decides what it’s value is?
“Since you trust in your deeds and your riches, you too will be taken….”(Jer. 48:7)
“though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them.”(Ps. 62:10)
Guns and armies won’t do it. Battles and wars have been taking lives the entire history of our race, and still we struggle to be secure.
“Woe to those…who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the Lord.” (Isa. 31:1)
“My hope is certain. My hope is something for my soul to hold on to. My hope is strong and secure. My hope goes all the way into the Most Holy Room behind the curtain. That is where Jesus has gone. He went there to open the way ahead of me…”
(Heb.6:19 NIrV personalized by me)
I am forever secure. Hallelujah.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Parenting
Parenting… Somebody should have warned me it would be so difficult !
And somebody should have explained that it’s never a done deal. Once a child is born to you, it’s a forever thing. A relationship that is multi-faceted and ever changing.
It is easy when they are little children. Though that time is so difficult, and so very very important. That time to a great degree determines the course of the rest of the relationship, thru the teens and into the adult years.
My parents are both still living as I write this. I wonder at their thoughts about the four of their children. I wonder at the concerns, the frustrations, the joy, the satisfactions…
I pray I have not caused them much frustration and heartache. I pray they spent few sleepless nights in concern for me.
Children have such an unrealistic idea about parents. I did. Only when I began to face some of the things I was so critical about did I appreciate my parents’ parenting.
Children have all the answers. Ever notice that? Young adults…they are just as wise as hoot owls! They often think so anyway. I did.
Now, the older I get, the more I realize how little I know, and how helpless I am.
I have a lot of regret about my parenting. The enemy would like to continue to use that, but he’s a defeated liar, and it’s a waste of time to continue to grieve over what is done.
2 Samuel 12 tells a good story about such as that. As long as there is life, there is hope in prayer against even death itself. If we bear guilt, it is right for us to grieve and repent.
And it is right that we ACCEPT forgiveness, get up, worship and love God for Who He is, and follow Him past the ‘now’.
The ‘now’ may be sad, even heart wrenching…but there comes a time to lay aside the sorrow and hurt…and we must never allow our enemy to influence us to allow the thing to stop us from worshipping God and following after Him.
Our failures are against God. Even those failures of parenting. And when we try to ‘fix’ them ourselves, we butt our heads against a wall if we do not go to Him first, for ‘…against You, You only, have I sinned…’ (Ps. 51:4)
“I will restore to you the years that the locust have eaten….” (Joel 2:25)
He is God. He can heal and restore ANYthing. Hallelujah !!
And somebody should have explained that it’s never a done deal. Once a child is born to you, it’s a forever thing. A relationship that is multi-faceted and ever changing.
It is easy when they are little children. Though that time is so difficult, and so very very important. That time to a great degree determines the course of the rest of the relationship, thru the teens and into the adult years.
My parents are both still living as I write this. I wonder at their thoughts about the four of their children. I wonder at the concerns, the frustrations, the joy, the satisfactions…
I pray I have not caused them much frustration and heartache. I pray they spent few sleepless nights in concern for me.
Children have such an unrealistic idea about parents. I did. Only when I began to face some of the things I was so critical about did I appreciate my parents’ parenting.
Children have all the answers. Ever notice that? Young adults…they are just as wise as hoot owls! They often think so anyway. I did.
Now, the older I get, the more I realize how little I know, and how helpless I am.
I have a lot of regret about my parenting. The enemy would like to continue to use that, but he’s a defeated liar, and it’s a waste of time to continue to grieve over what is done.
2 Samuel 12 tells a good story about such as that. As long as there is life, there is hope in prayer against even death itself. If we bear guilt, it is right for us to grieve and repent.
And it is right that we ACCEPT forgiveness, get up, worship and love God for Who He is, and follow Him past the ‘now’.
The ‘now’ may be sad, even heart wrenching…but there comes a time to lay aside the sorrow and hurt…and we must never allow our enemy to influence us to allow the thing to stop us from worshipping God and following after Him.
Our failures are against God. Even those failures of parenting. And when we try to ‘fix’ them ourselves, we butt our heads against a wall if we do not go to Him first, for ‘…against You, You only, have I sinned…’ (Ps. 51:4)
“I will restore to you the years that the locust have eaten….” (Joel 2:25)
He is God. He can heal and restore ANYthing. Hallelujah !!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Sleeping
Sleeping… I haven’t done much of it the last couple weeks.
I remember when sleep was my escape. When I was stressed out about anything at all, I’d get sleepy…I could sleep right thru most anything.
When I was sad or mad, sorrowful or worried, I could just close my eyes and turn it off. I’ve slept thru bad storms, barking dogs…those days are gone.
I have joked that God wakes me up at night just to have some time alone with Him. I really believe He does that sometimes.
This morning, I read that Jesus slept thru a storm. “Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping.” (Matt.8:24)
Do you ever feel like Jesus is sleeping when there’s a storm raging in your life?
I know the answer to that.
The accuser and enemy of our souls would have us believe that Jesus is sleeping and even that He doesn’t care about the storm. He is a liar. (Rev. 12:10, John 8:44)
“Lord save us!!!” (Matt.8:25)
Jesus may have been asleep, the storm may have been frightful, but all was secure. The storm raged, the waves crashed….but all on the boat with Jesus were safe.
Hard for us to feel safe when there’s obvious danger. Even harder when circumstances bring harm, destruction, even death.
Hard for us to look past the storm. Not hard at all for Jesus.
Stay in the boat with Him. When the water is calm, don’t get out for a swim. When the storms come, don’t bail out to try to escape them.
And if you’re not in the boat….get in!! Then when the storms come, the waves crash and beat….call Him.
He is ‘Sar Shalom’. The Prince and Keeper of Peace.
I remember when sleep was my escape. When I was stressed out about anything at all, I’d get sleepy…I could sleep right thru most anything.
When I was sad or mad, sorrowful or worried, I could just close my eyes and turn it off. I’ve slept thru bad storms, barking dogs…those days are gone.
I have joked that God wakes me up at night just to have some time alone with Him. I really believe He does that sometimes.
This morning, I read that Jesus slept thru a storm. “Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping.” (Matt.8:24)
Do you ever feel like Jesus is sleeping when there’s a storm raging in your life?
I know the answer to that.
The accuser and enemy of our souls would have us believe that Jesus is sleeping and even that He doesn’t care about the storm. He is a liar. (Rev. 12:10, John 8:44)
“Lord save us!!!” (Matt.8:25)
Jesus may have been asleep, the storm may have been frightful, but all was secure. The storm raged, the waves crashed….but all on the boat with Jesus were safe.
Hard for us to feel safe when there’s obvious danger. Even harder when circumstances bring harm, destruction, even death.
Hard for us to look past the storm. Not hard at all for Jesus.
Stay in the boat with Him. When the water is calm, don’t get out for a swim. When the storms come, don’t bail out to try to escape them.
And if you’re not in the boat….get in!! Then when the storms come, the waves crash and beat….call Him.
He is ‘Sar Shalom’. The Prince and Keeper of Peace.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Abba
Abba… In the language of scripture, it is the equivalent of ‘daddy’. Jesus called God ‘daddy’……
“Daddy, everything is possible for You. Take this cup from Me. Yet not what I want, but what You want…” (Mark 14:36 my translation)
I have so often thought about the relationship of father and child, and how our perception of the relationships with our earthly fathers colors our perception of our heavenly Father.
I have a good father. I call him ‘daddy’. I obeyed him without question. I never feared for my safety, but at the same time, never questioned the consequences of disobedience.
As an adult with children of my own, I’ve learned more and more about my daddy. My perceptions of him as a kid growing up were often so wrong. I thought he was too strict, when he was in fact enforcing boundaries that provided safety not just for the moment, but even now, continue to bring me security. I continue to be thankful for those boundaries.
All daddies aren’t good. That is a horrible truth. Some just walk away. Some are abusive in devastating ways. I pray especially for those people.
There was a period of my life when I thought my daddy was unapproachable. (He never was really..)
There was also a period of my life when I was not confident in approaching God. I assigned to God the image of my daddy. While I was hesitant and afraid to go to daddy with certain things, I was terrified to go to God ! (‘Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Heb.4:16 ‘In Him and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.’ Eph. 3:12 Hallelujah.!!)
Let’s not make God into the image of our daddy. Whatever fault there is in the relationship, ( and there are faults in all human relationships…) let’s not forget the tragedy of the garden. Humans all suffer from the disease of sin, we all share the incapacity of achieving perfection, especially in our relationships.
Our Daddy in heaven does not mirror our daddy on earth.
But we are so very blessed when our daddy here mirrors the Perfect Daddy of heaven.
I thank you Daddy for my daddy here, and for his commitment to You and to the family You entrusted to him. Give him long life and health.
“Daddy, everything is possible for You. Take this cup from Me. Yet not what I want, but what You want…” (Mark 14:36 my translation)
I have so often thought about the relationship of father and child, and how our perception of the relationships with our earthly fathers colors our perception of our heavenly Father.
I have a good father. I call him ‘daddy’. I obeyed him without question. I never feared for my safety, but at the same time, never questioned the consequences of disobedience.
As an adult with children of my own, I’ve learned more and more about my daddy. My perceptions of him as a kid growing up were often so wrong. I thought he was too strict, when he was in fact enforcing boundaries that provided safety not just for the moment, but even now, continue to bring me security. I continue to be thankful for those boundaries.
All daddies aren’t good. That is a horrible truth. Some just walk away. Some are abusive in devastating ways. I pray especially for those people.
There was a period of my life when I thought my daddy was unapproachable. (He never was really..)
There was also a period of my life when I was not confident in approaching God. I assigned to God the image of my daddy. While I was hesitant and afraid to go to daddy with certain things, I was terrified to go to God ! (‘Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Heb.4:16 ‘In Him and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.’ Eph. 3:12 Hallelujah.!!)
Let’s not make God into the image of our daddy. Whatever fault there is in the relationship, ( and there are faults in all human relationships…) let’s not forget the tragedy of the garden. Humans all suffer from the disease of sin, we all share the incapacity of achieving perfection, especially in our relationships.
Our Daddy in heaven does not mirror our daddy on earth.
But we are so very blessed when our daddy here mirrors the Perfect Daddy of heaven.
I thank you Daddy for my daddy here, and for his commitment to You and to the family You entrusted to him. Give him long life and health.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Lost
Lost… Destroyed. Wasted. Employed to no good purpose. Mislaid. Cannot be found… Forgotten.
This past week has brought many losses. Much was destroyed. Many things were wasted and made unusable, no longer suitable for any good purpose. Belongings can’t be found.
But the loss will not be forgotten. Ever.
Those who mourn their lost begin to count…marking the passing of time.
Jesus’ purpose in coming was ‘to seek and save what was lost.’ (Luke 19:10)
He is the One to turn to with our loss. ‘Salvation has come..’(vs.9)
He is Savior.
He is Redeemer.
Lord help the brokenness. Bring spiritual wholeness, a capacity to accept and continue…and an assurance that this is not the end of the story.
This past week has brought many losses. Much was destroyed. Many things were wasted and made unusable, no longer suitable for any good purpose. Belongings can’t be found.
But the loss will not be forgotten. Ever.
Those who mourn their lost begin to count…marking the passing of time.
Jesus’ purpose in coming was ‘to seek and save what was lost.’ (Luke 19:10)
He is the One to turn to with our loss. ‘Salvation has come..’(vs.9)
He is Savior.
He is Redeemer.
Lord help the brokenness. Bring spiritual wholeness, a capacity to accept and continue…and an assurance that this is not the end of the story.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Today
Today… Now. At present. Not future. Not past….
“..encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” (Heb. 3:13)
This verse has always haunted me. ‘Today’. That’s all we have. No promise for tomorrow, yesterday is certainly gone…and even today may be short-lived.
I don’t profess to know all things, my mind struggles to wrap itself around concepts like this. My life is so defined by time. I can’t understand how it will be, to be free of those limitations. I can’t grasp that God is not in this time box with me, He is not limited by anything, even time.
The only limits God has, are the ones I choose to set. He allows me that freedom, and will never take that choice from me. Even when I make bad ones…
And the part about sin being deceitful and the danger of it hardening my heart….what’s that all about?
New meaning on this ‘today’.
Sin has no pride, is not put off by circumstances….in fact, cashes in on each opportunity.
When we are at our lowest, ‘like a roaring lion’ it creeps in to devour.(1Peter 5:8)
We need God’s strength and protection even more during those times…we need encouragement from our spiritual siblings to help us keep our eyes on Jesus and not our situation. We need to live ‘today’ while fully expecting the promises of His tomorrow, trusting Him without reservation with our future. (we certainly can’t secure it..)
If we do not have Him, we push our way thru the difficulties of this life, depending on self, and callous ourselves against the pain of living.
And living in this place can be so painful. It is a dire mistake to try to stop that pain.
If we choose to slowly protect ourselves from that pain, we wake up one day having slowly calloused ourselves over, so that we no longer hurt…but we are just as insensitive to God as we are to the hurt that comes from living in this world.
“If we can only keep our grip on the sure thing we started out with, we’re in this with Christ for the long haul. These words keep ringing in our ears: Today, please listen; don’t turn a deaf ear…” (Heb. 3:14,15 The Message)
“..encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” (Heb. 3:13)
This verse has always haunted me. ‘Today’. That’s all we have. No promise for tomorrow, yesterday is certainly gone…and even today may be short-lived.
I don’t profess to know all things, my mind struggles to wrap itself around concepts like this. My life is so defined by time. I can’t understand how it will be, to be free of those limitations. I can’t grasp that God is not in this time box with me, He is not limited by anything, even time.
The only limits God has, are the ones I choose to set. He allows me that freedom, and will never take that choice from me. Even when I make bad ones…
And the part about sin being deceitful and the danger of it hardening my heart….what’s that all about?
New meaning on this ‘today’.
Sin has no pride, is not put off by circumstances….in fact, cashes in on each opportunity.
When we are at our lowest, ‘like a roaring lion’ it creeps in to devour.(1Peter 5:8)
We need God’s strength and protection even more during those times…we need encouragement from our spiritual siblings to help us keep our eyes on Jesus and not our situation. We need to live ‘today’ while fully expecting the promises of His tomorrow, trusting Him without reservation with our future. (we certainly can’t secure it..)
If we do not have Him, we push our way thru the difficulties of this life, depending on self, and callous ourselves against the pain of living.
And living in this place can be so painful. It is a dire mistake to try to stop that pain.
If we choose to slowly protect ourselves from that pain, we wake up one day having slowly calloused ourselves over, so that we no longer hurt…but we are just as insensitive to God as we are to the hurt that comes from living in this world.
“If we can only keep our grip on the sure thing we started out with, we’re in this with Christ for the long haul. These words keep ringing in our ears: Today, please listen; don’t turn a deaf ear…” (Heb. 3:14,15 The Message)
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Difficult
Difficult… Easier to define in the negative…what difficult it NOT.
It’s NOT easy. NOT compliant. NOT accommodating. NOT yielding.
Life seems to get more and more difficult. The longer our stay here, the further reaching our relationships become, the more entangled we are with each other. It is difficult at times, but I wouldn’t have it any other way would you?
I’m glad I hurt when others hurt. I do not want to have a heart that is not touched by others pain.
And I am so grateful to the Divine Helper. If there was no Hope past this realm and all it holds, how and why do we go on in the midst of difficulty? If there was no Help, would anyone be able to rise above the difficult times?
“Is anything too hard for the Lord” (Gen. 18:14) No!! Hallelujah. I’m so thankful, because I don’t go thru a day when I’m not faced with circumstances that are too hard to ‘me’.
I have witnessed and experienced the fulfillment of the promise…. “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” ( 2 Cor. 12:9)
At our weakest point and greatest need, His power in our lives is stronger than ever. We are limited, He is not. Our Father does not intend for us to be weak and ineffective. But when we are, when circumstances of life knock the wind out of our sails and disable us, He can be depended on, never to fail.
Grace is there in proportion to need. I don’t have the grace at this moment to face a tragedy… But I am absolutely certain that were tragedy to strike, there would be abundant grace to see me thru.
I have no doubt that abundant grace is available to those who do face tragedy right now.
I pray each one finds The Source and clings to Him as they ‘walk thru the valley of the shadow of death’. (Ps. 23:4)
It’s NOT easy. NOT compliant. NOT accommodating. NOT yielding.
Life seems to get more and more difficult. The longer our stay here, the further reaching our relationships become, the more entangled we are with each other. It is difficult at times, but I wouldn’t have it any other way would you?
I’m glad I hurt when others hurt. I do not want to have a heart that is not touched by others pain.
And I am so grateful to the Divine Helper. If there was no Hope past this realm and all it holds, how and why do we go on in the midst of difficulty? If there was no Help, would anyone be able to rise above the difficult times?
“Is anything too hard for the Lord” (Gen. 18:14) No!! Hallelujah. I’m so thankful, because I don’t go thru a day when I’m not faced with circumstances that are too hard to ‘me’.
I have witnessed and experienced the fulfillment of the promise…. “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” ( 2 Cor. 12:9)
At our weakest point and greatest need, His power in our lives is stronger than ever. We are limited, He is not. Our Father does not intend for us to be weak and ineffective. But when we are, when circumstances of life knock the wind out of our sails and disable us, He can be depended on, never to fail.
Grace is there in proportion to need. I don’t have the grace at this moment to face a tragedy… But I am absolutely certain that were tragedy to strike, there would be abundant grace to see me thru.
I have no doubt that abundant grace is available to those who do face tragedy right now.
I pray each one finds The Source and clings to Him as they ‘walk thru the valley of the shadow of death’. (Ps. 23:4)
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Beauty
6-15-10
Beauty.. What makes something beautiful? Is it a permanent condition?
I’ve been to Albert’s Pike many times. I considered it beautiful. I haven’t seen it since the flood except in pictures, but it’s not so beautiful now. The rocks and trees are still there. There is still water in the river. All the things that defined it as beautiful to me…they’re still there.
What changed? Nothing really…everything just got re-arranged. Including people and all their belongings.
God thought up beauty in the first place. It reflects His character. But to be beautiful there must be harmony, balance, symmetry, perfect rhythm… Like Him.
I can’t achieve that on my own. How grateful I am that He has made provision for my failure.
“He is my refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. I will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.
There IS a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall. God will help her at break of day….
Be still, and know that I am God. ..The Lord Almighty is with us…” (selected verses from Ps. 46)
Father, as families bury their dead, remembering the horror of this flood, and grieving over the precious ones who are snatched away, I beg You to make Yourself known thru these circumstances. Lord, I ask that You bring not only comfort and healing, but new and deeper dependence on You. Protect them from lies of the enemy, make them to see truth, never doubting or questioning Your love.
‘Hear O Lord, and be merciful, O Lord, be their help, turn their wailing into dancing, remove their sackcloth and clothe them with joy…’ (Ps. 30:10,11)
Beauty.. What makes something beautiful? Is it a permanent condition?
I’ve been to Albert’s Pike many times. I considered it beautiful. I haven’t seen it since the flood except in pictures, but it’s not so beautiful now. The rocks and trees are still there. There is still water in the river. All the things that defined it as beautiful to me…they’re still there.
What changed? Nothing really…everything just got re-arranged. Including people and all their belongings.
God thought up beauty in the first place. It reflects His character. But to be beautiful there must be harmony, balance, symmetry, perfect rhythm… Like Him.
I can’t achieve that on my own. How grateful I am that He has made provision for my failure.
“He is my refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. I will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.
There IS a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall. God will help her at break of day….
Be still, and know that I am God. ..The Lord Almighty is with us…” (selected verses from Ps. 46)
Father, as families bury their dead, remembering the horror of this flood, and grieving over the precious ones who are snatched away, I beg You to make Yourself known thru these circumstances. Lord, I ask that You bring not only comfort and healing, but new and deeper dependence on You. Protect them from lies of the enemy, make them to see truth, never doubting or questioning Your love.
‘Hear O Lord, and be merciful, O Lord, be their help, turn their wailing into dancing, remove their sackcloth and clothe them with joy…’ (Ps. 30:10,11)
Monday, June 14, 2010
Suddenly
Suddenly… I don’t like suddenly. I like slow and easy. Expected, not surprised.
I like ordinary. I find comfort in routine.
I’m finding new meaning to one of my favorite verses. “ I will extend peace to her like a river..” (Isa. 66:12) I’ve used that verse on my Facebook page since I opened it. I use it on my blog. I think of it every time I am near water.
Water has always brought me such a feeling of peacefulness.
This past week, I saw some stagnant water. Dead fish were everywhere. I found no peace there.
This past week, I heard about the devastation from a flash flood. People I love are gone…suddenly. There is no peace there for sure.
I’ve sat and looked at water for hours on end over the years. He has spoken to my heart so many times during those moments. Sustaining my life. Cleansing me. Healing me. Refreshing me. Exciting me. Calming me. Soothing me. Providing for me. Nourishing me. On and on the list could go…
But then the circumstances of nature and life bring a cold hard reality. Water can kill….suddenly.
Our Father provides many blessings here. My mind can not stretch to understand when and why it seems as though those blessings are withheld and circumstances often feel like curses. I don’t understand why one is taken and another left.
There is a negative side to every physical aspect of this realm. There is no absolute security except in the eternal realm. I am thankful to Him for that truth. I find my peace and security in Him, and commit myself afresh this morning to His care, whatever my future may hold.
“Alongside Babylon’s rivers we sat on the banks we cried and cried, remembering…
Alongside the quaking aspen trees we stacked our unplayed harps…
Oh, how could we ever sing God’s song in this wasteland” (Ps. 137:1,2,4 The Message)
I will never again sit by water and not remember.
Father, as the waves of grief pound, “Restore the joy of Your salvation and grant a willing spirit, to sustain.” (Ps. 51:12)
I like ordinary. I find comfort in routine.
I’m finding new meaning to one of my favorite verses. “ I will extend peace to her like a river..” (Isa. 66:12) I’ve used that verse on my Facebook page since I opened it. I use it on my blog. I think of it every time I am near water.
Water has always brought me such a feeling of peacefulness.
This past week, I saw some stagnant water. Dead fish were everywhere. I found no peace there.
This past week, I heard about the devastation from a flash flood. People I love are gone…suddenly. There is no peace there for sure.
I’ve sat and looked at water for hours on end over the years. He has spoken to my heart so many times during those moments. Sustaining my life. Cleansing me. Healing me. Refreshing me. Exciting me. Calming me. Soothing me. Providing for me. Nourishing me. On and on the list could go…
But then the circumstances of nature and life bring a cold hard reality. Water can kill….suddenly.
Our Father provides many blessings here. My mind can not stretch to understand when and why it seems as though those blessings are withheld and circumstances often feel like curses. I don’t understand why one is taken and another left.
There is a negative side to every physical aspect of this realm. There is no absolute security except in the eternal realm. I am thankful to Him for that truth. I find my peace and security in Him, and commit myself afresh this morning to His care, whatever my future may hold.
“Alongside Babylon’s rivers we sat on the banks we cried and cried, remembering…
Alongside the quaking aspen trees we stacked our unplayed harps…
Oh, how could we ever sing God’s song in this wasteland” (Ps. 137:1,2,4 The Message)
I will never again sit by water and not remember.
Father, as the waves of grief pound, “Restore the joy of Your salvation and grant a willing spirit, to sustain.” (Ps. 51:12)
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Tragedy
Tragedy… It comes. No invitation. No respecter of person. And we ask why…
The age old question. Why?
Faith in God nor obedience to Him shuts out afflictions and death.
My heart hurts. Tragedy strikes, friends die, children die, those who survive suffer.
As much as I grieve, I realize that it pales in comparison to the ones who have been left behind. I can only pray that I never get any closer to tragedy than this day.
I do not want to be like Job’s friends, who had all the answers and all the reasons why the bad things that happened to Job had befallen him.
I do not know why God has allowed this tragedy. I do not believe the God I serve caused these awful things to happen. Yet, I know He is all powerful, and could have stopped it. Why He chose not to do so, I can’t imagine.
At the same time, I wonder in what ways He did act during the tragedy.
Who did He comfort and calm as the flood waters swept? Who did He speak to?
In what ways will He minister to families in the days, weeks, and even years to come?
What good will He work out of all this misery and grief?
Of one thing I have absolutely no doubt. He was there.
I know is He is God. And I am not.
I hope, were tragedy to strike much closer to me, that I would say with Job ‘Though He slay me, yet will I hope in Him.’ (Job 13:15)
The age old question. Why?
Faith in God nor obedience to Him shuts out afflictions and death.
My heart hurts. Tragedy strikes, friends die, children die, those who survive suffer.
As much as I grieve, I realize that it pales in comparison to the ones who have been left behind. I can only pray that I never get any closer to tragedy than this day.
I do not want to be like Job’s friends, who had all the answers and all the reasons why the bad things that happened to Job had befallen him.
I do not know why God has allowed this tragedy. I do not believe the God I serve caused these awful things to happen. Yet, I know He is all powerful, and could have stopped it. Why He chose not to do so, I can’t imagine.
At the same time, I wonder in what ways He did act during the tragedy.
Who did He comfort and calm as the flood waters swept? Who did He speak to?
In what ways will He minister to families in the days, weeks, and even years to come?
What good will He work out of all this misery and grief?
Of one thing I have absolutely no doubt. He was there.
I know is He is God. And I am not.
I hope, were tragedy to strike much closer to me, that I would say with Job ‘Though He slay me, yet will I hope in Him.’ (Job 13:15)
Friday, June 11, 2010
Spittin' image
Spittin’ image… That’s what they say about my sons and their daddy. Looks as if I had nothing to do with it. I did.
I woke up this morning with ‘image bearer’ on my mind. Humanity was created by God to bear His image. “God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him, male and female created He them.” (Gen. 1:27)
I am intended to bear the image of God. That was His intention. Of course, that got wrenched up and the rest of history has been HIS-story. The story of redeeming and restoring. God still intends for me to bear His image.
Oh how I want to be the spittin’ image of my Father! Don’t you? Our entire race seems to have lost the knowledge of just who we really are. And we have lost the knowledge of Who our Father is.
Jesus was the spittin’ image. Literally. “…the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.” (John 1:14) John continues to tell us that ‘No one has ever seen God….but God…..Who is at the Father’s side, has made Him known.’ (vs. 18)
I am so often the spittin’ image of my father Adam. I make poor choices, pick my way, listen to the voices of others while questioning what God has said. That same enemy influences me that influenced Adam.
But I am ‘being transformed into His likeness’ (2 Cor. 3:18) And “my life is gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters my life and I become like Him.” (2Cor. 3:18 The Message)
I can’t grasp how He will accomplish it, but I believe His promises. “Just as I have born the likeness of the earthly man, so shall I bear the likeness of the Man from heaven….I will be changed….” (1 Cor. 15: 49,51)
He has started His work in me. It is an undertaking that will take my entire lifetime.
But the finished work will endure eternity.
Hallelujah !
I woke up this morning with ‘image bearer’ on my mind. Humanity was created by God to bear His image. “God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him, male and female created He them.” (Gen. 1:27)
I am intended to bear the image of God. That was His intention. Of course, that got wrenched up and the rest of history has been HIS-story. The story of redeeming and restoring. God still intends for me to bear His image.
Oh how I want to be the spittin’ image of my Father! Don’t you? Our entire race seems to have lost the knowledge of just who we really are. And we have lost the knowledge of Who our Father is.
Jesus was the spittin’ image. Literally. “…the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.” (John 1:14) John continues to tell us that ‘No one has ever seen God….but God…..Who is at the Father’s side, has made Him known.’ (vs. 18)
I am so often the spittin’ image of my father Adam. I make poor choices, pick my way, listen to the voices of others while questioning what God has said. That same enemy influences me that influenced Adam.
But I am ‘being transformed into His likeness’ (2 Cor. 3:18) And “my life is gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters my life and I become like Him.” (2Cor. 3:18 The Message)
I can’t grasp how He will accomplish it, but I believe His promises. “Just as I have born the likeness of the earthly man, so shall I bear the likeness of the Man from heaven….I will be changed….” (1 Cor. 15: 49,51)
He has started His work in me. It is an undertaking that will take my entire lifetime.
But the finished work will endure eternity.
Hallelujah !
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Stumbling
Stumbling… Have you ever found yourself stumbling around, unable to walk without bumping into something, loosing balance, or even falling down…?
God is often a ‘stone for stumbling’. (Isa. 8:14)
That is hard to swallow at first. But at further study, it makes perfect sense.
When God is not my sanctuary, not placed in the highest place, not calling the shots…then He becomes a stone for my stumbling.
He is to be the center of my existence, I am created (by Him) for that to be so.
When I look to possessions or pleasure, or work, or distractions in activities, or power…or whatever else…then I will find myself contining to stumble over Him!
What is created can never fill the place of God in our lives. No person can do that. No relationship other than the relationship with Him can fill that God-shaped hole.
And when we continue in endeavors to find that satisfaction, we continue to find out that satisfaction is short lived. And we stumble. Over God.
Of all the people in the world, those of us in these United States should wake up to the truth about physical and material wealth. It is never enough. There is always one more thing. More. Bigger. Better. More expensive.
That continuing search is really a stumbling. We are falling right over the God of the universe, the God Who created us and wants to fulfill us in the way He meant for it to be.
I am thankful that He is so long-suffering, that He continues to make attempts to communicate to us how empty our pursuits are. How gracious He is to continue to love us and extend His love and mercy to us. How long will He wait? How far will we fall before we get it? That question is very unsettling to me. Our nation is so much like the situations that Isaiah wrote about.
We are familiar with 2 Ch. 7:14... ‘ If My people who are called by My Name, will humble themselves….’ but what about the verse before it? ‘WHEN I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land, or send a plague among my people…’ What is He shuts up the heavens to us, or causes our land to be devoured, or allows a plague? Or has that happened…or is that happening?
The displeasure of our God is something to think about. He continues to make us stumble over Him, but for how long? It seems to me He has let us have what we have insisted upon, and it is eroding and consuming us.
God is often a ‘stone for stumbling’. (Isa. 8:14)
That is hard to swallow at first. But at further study, it makes perfect sense.
When God is not my sanctuary, not placed in the highest place, not calling the shots…then He becomes a stone for my stumbling.
He is to be the center of my existence, I am created (by Him) for that to be so.
When I look to possessions or pleasure, or work, or distractions in activities, or power…or whatever else…then I will find myself contining to stumble over Him!
What is created can never fill the place of God in our lives. No person can do that. No relationship other than the relationship with Him can fill that God-shaped hole.
And when we continue in endeavors to find that satisfaction, we continue to find out that satisfaction is short lived. And we stumble. Over God.
Of all the people in the world, those of us in these United States should wake up to the truth about physical and material wealth. It is never enough. There is always one more thing. More. Bigger. Better. More expensive.
That continuing search is really a stumbling. We are falling right over the God of the universe, the God Who created us and wants to fulfill us in the way He meant for it to be.
I am thankful that He is so long-suffering, that He continues to make attempts to communicate to us how empty our pursuits are. How gracious He is to continue to love us and extend His love and mercy to us. How long will He wait? How far will we fall before we get it? That question is very unsettling to me. Our nation is so much like the situations that Isaiah wrote about.
We are familiar with 2 Ch. 7:14... ‘ If My people who are called by My Name, will humble themselves….’ but what about the verse before it? ‘WHEN I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land, or send a plague among my people…’ What is He shuts up the heavens to us, or causes our land to be devoured, or allows a plague? Or has that happened…or is that happening?
The displeasure of our God is something to think about. He continues to make us stumble over Him, but for how long? It seems to me He has let us have what we have insisted upon, and it is eroding and consuming us.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Numbers
Numbers… Account numbers, confirmation numbers, drivers license and social security numbers, patient number…. What happened to names?
I don’t like having to keep up with and remember all the numbers !! I remember when all I had was my name, and everything operated on that. Sigh…..not now.
I sometimes feel like I’ve lost a bit of my identity, the people I deal with about things don’t know my name anymore, they want the stinkin’ number. And if you don’t have the right numbers….forget it. I can’t get an order submitted, can’t get a prescription filled, can’t pay a bill..
God is into numbers too. “ ..even the very hairs of your head are all numbered…” ( words of Jesus in Matt. 10:30)
“The Lord knows those who are His” (2Tim. 2:19) Jesus said, “I know My sheep and My sheep know Me…they listen to My voice: I know them, and they follow Me..” (John 10: 14,27)
“I have called you friends..” (John 15:15) Jesus is my friend. He knows my name.
He may have a number for the hairs on my head, but I am not a number to Him, He knows my name.
And I am SO thankful !!!
I don’t like having to keep up with and remember all the numbers !! I remember when all I had was my name, and everything operated on that. Sigh…..not now.
I sometimes feel like I’ve lost a bit of my identity, the people I deal with about things don’t know my name anymore, they want the stinkin’ number. And if you don’t have the right numbers….forget it. I can’t get an order submitted, can’t get a prescription filled, can’t pay a bill..
God is into numbers too. “ ..even the very hairs of your head are all numbered…” ( words of Jesus in Matt. 10:30)
“The Lord knows those who are His” (2Tim. 2:19) Jesus said, “I know My sheep and My sheep know Me…they listen to My voice: I know them, and they follow Me..” (John 10: 14,27)
“I have called you friends..” (John 15:15) Jesus is my friend. He knows my name.
He may have a number for the hairs on my head, but I am not a number to Him, He knows my name.
And I am SO thankful !!!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Answers
Answers… Usually we use words to answer. But answers can be communicated with frowns or smiles….even silence.
The old saying ‘ sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me’ is an out right lie of the devil.
Words do hurt. Tremendously. There is power in words. And that power can be wielded in positive ways…but to do so is NOT to use stronger words or louder voice.
“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” (Proverbs 15:1) The Message puts it like this, ‘A gentle response defuses anger, but a sharp tongue kindles a temper-fire’
I’ve tested it. It is true. But it is difficult to respond with gentle words. The way the majority of the world thinks, strength is displayed in force. But Jesus showed us thru His life, the characteristics and power of gentleness and humility.
Humility is NOT self-degradation. It is knowing the truth about myself, that I am nothing of myself, only valuable because I am created in the image of God, ‘So God created man in His own image’ (Gen. 1:27) and re-created in the image of His Son. ‘I have taken off my old self with its practices and have put on the new self, ‘which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator’ (Col. 3:9,10)
Humility is knowing who I am, and who I am NOT. And BEING who I am, and not TRYing to be who I am not.
Confused yet?
It is fascinating to study the way Jesus answered people. He had ‘the whole world gone after Him!’ (John 12:19) ….which caused much concern in the world of the Pharisees. Great crowds of people gathered around Him wherever He went…. He was ‘gentle and humble in heart’ (Matt. 11:29)
And He was the most powerful man to ever impact this world.
I want to answer like He answered.
Father, ‘create in me a clean heart, renew a right spirit within me’…..help me to always answer with gentleness and never with harsh words…make me more like Jesus today.
The old saying ‘ sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me’ is an out right lie of the devil.
Words do hurt. Tremendously. There is power in words. And that power can be wielded in positive ways…but to do so is NOT to use stronger words or louder voice.
“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” (Proverbs 15:1) The Message puts it like this, ‘A gentle response defuses anger, but a sharp tongue kindles a temper-fire’
I’ve tested it. It is true. But it is difficult to respond with gentle words. The way the majority of the world thinks, strength is displayed in force. But Jesus showed us thru His life, the characteristics and power of gentleness and humility.
Humility is NOT self-degradation. It is knowing the truth about myself, that I am nothing of myself, only valuable because I am created in the image of God, ‘So God created man in His own image’ (Gen. 1:27) and re-created in the image of His Son. ‘I have taken off my old self with its practices and have put on the new self, ‘which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator’ (Col. 3:9,10)
Humility is knowing who I am, and who I am NOT. And BEING who I am, and not TRYing to be who I am not.
Confused yet?
It is fascinating to study the way Jesus answered people. He had ‘the whole world gone after Him!’ (John 12:19) ….which caused much concern in the world of the Pharisees. Great crowds of people gathered around Him wherever He went…. He was ‘gentle and humble in heart’ (Matt. 11:29)
And He was the most powerful man to ever impact this world.
I want to answer like He answered.
Father, ‘create in me a clean heart, renew a right spirit within me’…..help me to always answer with gentleness and never with harsh words…make me more like Jesus today.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Healing...
Healing… I cut my finger quite often. It heals every time. Sometimes I cut the cape laying around a client. It never heals….
Go figure. Think God has anything to do with that ? I do.
I can’t make those cells heal…I can help them NOT heal, by not properly taking care of the injury. Or, I can protect them…by cleanliness, even medicine…but I can’t make a single cell rejuvenate.
I struggle with issues of healing. Even though I believe that God is El Rapha, the God Who heals, He obviously does not heal every time. People die. Young people die.
‘O Lord my God, I called to You for help and You healed me.’ (Ps. 30:2)
‘Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for You are the One I praise.’ (Jer. 17:14)
I wrestle with the fact that many believe, many call on Him, and many still die. Has He said ‘no’? If He has, then what is the deciding factor in His answering?
There was a time when I was afraid to speak with Him about things like this. I thought of Him as an angry old man who scowled down from His throne and shouted ‘because I said so’. ( that was a god made in my image…an image that I conjured up from misunderstandings and believing lies of our enemy..)
I respect that He is God. He does not answer to me. Yet, I am secure in His love, secure enough to take every concern to Him and ask Him to help me understand.
And when I don’t understand, I ask Him to help me accept. Sometimes, there are things beyond my ability to wrap my mind around. ( HE is Elohim, Mighty Creator, certainly not me !)
I know that ‘by His wounds we are healed’ (Isa. 53:5, 1 Peter 2:24)
Sometimes, that healing comes thru a miracle. Instantly. Sometimes, the healing comes thru a pill or injection…even a surgery. Sometimes, thru a series of treatments that are difficult.
Sometimes, I believe the healing comes from death. Healed eternally.
I am thankful today for the physical health I enjoy.
And I am even more thankful to be spiritually healed. For just as I can’t accomplish the healing of my cut finger, neither can I heal myself of the sin disease we all suffer from.
‘By His wounds, I am healed’ (Isa. 53:5) Hallelujah.
Go figure. Think God has anything to do with that ? I do.
I can’t make those cells heal…I can help them NOT heal, by not properly taking care of the injury. Or, I can protect them…by cleanliness, even medicine…but I can’t make a single cell rejuvenate.
I struggle with issues of healing. Even though I believe that God is El Rapha, the God Who heals, He obviously does not heal every time. People die. Young people die.
‘O Lord my God, I called to You for help and You healed me.’ (Ps. 30:2)
‘Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for You are the One I praise.’ (Jer. 17:14)
I wrestle with the fact that many believe, many call on Him, and many still die. Has He said ‘no’? If He has, then what is the deciding factor in His answering?
There was a time when I was afraid to speak with Him about things like this. I thought of Him as an angry old man who scowled down from His throne and shouted ‘because I said so’. ( that was a god made in my image…an image that I conjured up from misunderstandings and believing lies of our enemy..)
I respect that He is God. He does not answer to me. Yet, I am secure in His love, secure enough to take every concern to Him and ask Him to help me understand.
And when I don’t understand, I ask Him to help me accept. Sometimes, there are things beyond my ability to wrap my mind around. ( HE is Elohim, Mighty Creator, certainly not me !)
I know that ‘by His wounds we are healed’ (Isa. 53:5, 1 Peter 2:24)
Sometimes, that healing comes thru a miracle. Instantly. Sometimes, the healing comes thru a pill or injection…even a surgery. Sometimes, thru a series of treatments that are difficult.
Sometimes, I believe the healing comes from death. Healed eternally.
I am thankful today for the physical health I enjoy.
And I am even more thankful to be spiritually healed. For just as I can’t accomplish the healing of my cut finger, neither can I heal myself of the sin disease we all suffer from.
‘By His wounds, I am healed’ (Isa. 53:5) Hallelujah.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Idolatry
Idolatry.. What god do we have? Think there aren’t any gods… think there is only One God Whom we serve ? I wonder….
Molech was a god of the Ammonites in Biblical history. Ammon was the son of Lot, closely related to the Israelites, because Lot was Abraham’s nephew. I don’t know how it happened, and haven’t the time now to research it…but it is true that they worshipped this god called Molech. And the worship practices involved sacrifices. Sacrifices of chidren.
“Oh how horrible!!” we say. How could they do that !?
I can’t explain where the concept came from that placing a child onto the outstretched arms of a brass figure, to roll back into it’s belly and a blazing inferno would have a positive outcome…who comes up with that? What a lie to think that would change anything for the better!
But look at our culture…look at the lies that people believe concerning the care and nurturing of children….or even of allowing the life of a child to be birthed and lived.
We discard children to fend for themselves, raise themselves, barely knowing they exist much less ‘training the child in the way he should go’ (Prov. 22:6)
We sit them in front of some electronic device and let it train the child.. (usually in the way he should NOT go)
We fail so often in saying “Come, my children, listen to me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord.” (Ps. 34:11)
I think the practice of abortion is the modern Molech. The outstretched arms where we place the unborn to die so that some god can be appeased.
The god of self that doesn’t want the responsibility.
The god of self that is more concerned with personal guilt and shame than life.
The god of self that rejects the idea of sharing personal time, energy, and resources with another person.
The god that worships personal image and beauty, and doesn’t want it marred, even at the cost of another life.
Oh how horrible indeed.
Molech was a god of the Ammonites in Biblical history. Ammon was the son of Lot, closely related to the Israelites, because Lot was Abraham’s nephew. I don’t know how it happened, and haven’t the time now to research it…but it is true that they worshipped this god called Molech. And the worship practices involved sacrifices. Sacrifices of chidren.
“Oh how horrible!!” we say. How could they do that !?
I can’t explain where the concept came from that placing a child onto the outstretched arms of a brass figure, to roll back into it’s belly and a blazing inferno would have a positive outcome…who comes up with that? What a lie to think that would change anything for the better!
But look at our culture…look at the lies that people believe concerning the care and nurturing of children….or even of allowing the life of a child to be birthed and lived.
We discard children to fend for themselves, raise themselves, barely knowing they exist much less ‘training the child in the way he should go’ (Prov. 22:6)
We sit them in front of some electronic device and let it train the child.. (usually in the way he should NOT go)
We fail so often in saying “Come, my children, listen to me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord.” (Ps. 34:11)
I think the practice of abortion is the modern Molech. The outstretched arms where we place the unborn to die so that some god can be appeased.
The god of self that doesn’t want the responsibility.
The god of self that is more concerned with personal guilt and shame than life.
The god of self that rejects the idea of sharing personal time, energy, and resources with another person.
The god that worships personal image and beauty, and doesn’t want it marred, even at the cost of another life.
Oh how horrible indeed.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)