Unclear…
I don’t like the unclear. I like it plain as day. I don’t like surprises, I like knowing what is ahead, what to expect…and I like understanding the who, what, when, where, and why of it.
I’ve studied the eleventh chapter of Hebrews recently, and again looked at the portraits hanging in the ‘hall of faith’ we are shown there.
“By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.”(Hebrews 11:17-19)
There is a song I like to sing that calls on this event. The lyrics are ‘There he stood upon that hill, Abraham with knife in hand, was poised to kill….but God, in all Your sovereignty, had bigger plans, and just in time, You brought a lamb. Cause You were there, You were there, in the midst of the unclear. You were there, you were there….always. You were there when obedience seemed to not make sense. You were there. You were always there.”
I find it incredible that Abraham intended to obey at such great length. Killing a son who was promised, the son who would supposedly be the beginning of a great lineage..multitudes of heirs to be born in the future. It just didn’t make sense.
Abraham figured God would just over-rule a dead Isaac, and make him alive again. God could certainly do that…HAS done that.
The lyrics of that song haunt me and accuse me. In the midst of the unclear, am I obedient? When obedience doesn’t make sense, do I obey anyway?
Will my picture ever hang in a hall of faith?
I hope I don’t have to be tested to find out……
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Monday, January 2, 2012
Fake...
Fake…
I have some things that are not ‘real’. Lots of costume jewelry, some imitation furs, lots of cut glass.
….fake diamonds, fake mink, fake crystal.
It doesn’t matter to me that they are imitation. They are just as pretty.
I am pickier about some things. I don’t like fake leather. If you know me very well, you know I’m an original bag-lady. I like handbags, and I want ‘real’. Don’t give me some fake leather, I know the difference.
I heard a challenge via a radio message in my vehicle today that caused me to pause and consider my taste in authenticity.
I had just been shopping for a handbag I thought I wanted…til I felt of it and found it to be made of something called pvc. (..I think that must be plastic…)
I didn’t buy what I thought I wanted because it wasn’t ‘real’
I like leather. Real leather. Soft leather. Certainly not plastic.
The radio speaker challenged me about the authenticity of something else….my professed faith.
He said it is easy to fake religious convictions. Just learn the language, wear the clothes, and go to the right places. You’ll blend right in.
I want authentic leather in my handbags.
And I want to be authentic in the professions I make.
Lord, help me walk the talk….cause if you don’t, I’m sure to be faking it.
Help me, Father, to “do my best, fill my mind and help me to meditate on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious--the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Help me put into practice what I have learned..” (Phillipians 4:8- The Message)
I have some things that are not ‘real’. Lots of costume jewelry, some imitation furs, lots of cut glass.
….fake diamonds, fake mink, fake crystal.
It doesn’t matter to me that they are imitation. They are just as pretty.
I am pickier about some things. I don’t like fake leather. If you know me very well, you know I’m an original bag-lady. I like handbags, and I want ‘real’. Don’t give me some fake leather, I know the difference.
I heard a challenge via a radio message in my vehicle today that caused me to pause and consider my taste in authenticity.
I had just been shopping for a handbag I thought I wanted…til I felt of it and found it to be made of something called pvc. (..I think that must be plastic…)
I didn’t buy what I thought I wanted because it wasn’t ‘real’
I like leather. Real leather. Soft leather. Certainly not plastic.
The radio speaker challenged me about the authenticity of something else….my professed faith.
He said it is easy to fake religious convictions. Just learn the language, wear the clothes, and go to the right places. You’ll blend right in.
I want authentic leather in my handbags.
And I want to be authentic in the professions I make.
Lord, help me walk the talk….cause if you don’t, I’m sure to be faking it.
Help me, Father, to “do my best, fill my mind and help me to meditate on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious--the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Help me put into practice what I have learned..” (Phillipians 4:8- The Message)
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Exercise...
Exercise….
This time of year we hear a lot about exercise. There are dozens of infomercials about exercise equipment that will supposedly make exercise easier or more effective.
There are commercials for pills to swallow or concoctions to drink….
But the bottom line is, exercise is work. It takes on purpose, disciplined activity. Strenuous activity. No pain, no gain. (….or should I say loss?)
In my morning quiet time reading from The Message I came across this passage….
“Now pass on this counsel to the Christians there, and you'll be a good servant of Jesus.
Stay clear of silly stories that get dressed up as religion. Exercise daily in God--no spiritual flabbiness, please! Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever.” (1 Timothy 4:6-8)
Like staying clear of those machines that make promises as big as the price tags on them, I am instructed to be wise about my spirituality.
I can’t buy something and sit it in a room of my house and my body automatically be in better physical shape.
Neither can I buy a Bible, or a case of them….and automatically be in better spiritual condition.
Going to a church building won’t do it.
Only exercising the muscles of my heart and mind with the Word of God will make my spiritual condition more vibrant and healthy.
Exercise daily. In His Word.
And don’t wait till January 1st. Begin right now. This minute.
Don’t make a goal that is unattainable. Don’t set yourself up to fail.
One verse that conveys a message of truth from Him is better than reading several chapters.
Read, ask Him to speak to you thru the printed page.
And expect to hear Him….He is faithful.
This time of year we hear a lot about exercise. There are dozens of infomercials about exercise equipment that will supposedly make exercise easier or more effective.
There are commercials for pills to swallow or concoctions to drink….
But the bottom line is, exercise is work. It takes on purpose, disciplined activity. Strenuous activity. No pain, no gain. (….or should I say loss?)
In my morning quiet time reading from The Message I came across this passage….
“Now pass on this counsel to the Christians there, and you'll be a good servant of Jesus.
Stay clear of silly stories that get dressed up as religion. Exercise daily in God--no spiritual flabbiness, please! Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever.” (1 Timothy 4:6-8)
Like staying clear of those machines that make promises as big as the price tags on them, I am instructed to be wise about my spirituality.
I can’t buy something and sit it in a room of my house and my body automatically be in better physical shape.
Neither can I buy a Bible, or a case of them….and automatically be in better spiritual condition.
Going to a church building won’t do it.
Only exercising the muscles of my heart and mind with the Word of God will make my spiritual condition more vibrant and healthy.
Exercise daily. In His Word.
And don’t wait till January 1st. Begin right now. This minute.
Don’t make a goal that is unattainable. Don’t set yourself up to fail.
One verse that conveys a message of truth from Him is better than reading several chapters.
Read, ask Him to speak to you thru the printed page.
And expect to hear Him….He is faithful.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
What?!?.....
What??!!…
I don’t worship angels, don’t assume that they are at my beck and call. (they aren’t)
But this week, I’ve found myself thinking about their roles in the story of Christmas.
The messenger sent to Mary.
The messenger sent to Joseph.
And, the messengers sent to the shepherds.
Imagine having been an angelic being in the Presence of The Triune God and being sent to humans to announce The Word of that God would become one of them. God Himself would become human….
To save them from their fallen human condition.
“WHAT?!?”
“You? The God of the universe, Creator of it all…going to that planet and becoming a ….
….a human?”
And they were sent to announce and smooth the way.
Peter writes that angels ‘desired to look into’ the very things that he was reporting in the letter he was penning. (1Peter 1:12)
Angels were interested in the gospel message.
Angels have no Savior.
We, however, do.
Thank You Lord Jesus. (….sure am glad I’m not an angel)
Monday, December 19, 2011
Mary, did you know?....
Mary, did you know?
Again at Christmas time, I find myself trying to put myself in Mary’s place. Young, common, the future settled… Or so she thought.
Her life was planned out. Her future had been decided. She would be married to Joseph and live happily ever after.
Then…………
"Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.”(Luke 1:30-31)
I wonder, how much courage did it take to announce the news the angel brought to her?
I wonder ,who did she tell first?
I wonder, how long did she wait to tell it?
Did she wait until she was sure she really was with child? Or did she immediately believe, and without reservation, share the angel’s news right away?
How precious that God made sure that Joseph had no unanswered questions. Joseph wasn’t asked just to take Mary’s word for it. What a comfort it must have been to Mary for Joseph to share in the divine revelation of the coming Messiah she carried.
I bet they compared notes about what their angel looked and sounded like, was it the same one, or different…
Mary had her world turned upside down. Yet, she didn’t go into a tailspin. Incredible
(God knew not to pick someone like me, I’d have definitely gone into a tailspin…)
I think Mary probably shed plenty tears, wondering about what lay ahead, hearing the whispers, feeling the stares. But there was no turning back. She did nothing but go forward in trust.
I was once young and certainly common. At one time, I too thought my future was settled. It sure has taken some turns I didn’t expect.
How thankful I am that God continues to reassure me with His Presence.
Mary didn’t know her life would turn out like it did.
But she knew her Child was The Messiah.
None of us can know what our life will turn out like.
But we can know Him, Who was the Christ Child.
He is the great I AM. And He has my future.
Eternally
Again at Christmas time, I find myself trying to put myself in Mary’s place. Young, common, the future settled… Or so she thought.
Her life was planned out. Her future had been decided. She would be married to Joseph and live happily ever after.
Then…………
"Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.”(Luke 1:30-31)
I wonder, how much courage did it take to announce the news the angel brought to her?
I wonder ,who did she tell first?
I wonder, how long did she wait to tell it?
Did she wait until she was sure she really was with child? Or did she immediately believe, and without reservation, share the angel’s news right away?
How precious that God made sure that Joseph had no unanswered questions. Joseph wasn’t asked just to take Mary’s word for it. What a comfort it must have been to Mary for Joseph to share in the divine revelation of the coming Messiah she carried.
I bet they compared notes about what their angel looked and sounded like, was it the same one, or different…
Mary had her world turned upside down. Yet, she didn’t go into a tailspin. Incredible
(God knew not to pick someone like me, I’d have definitely gone into a tailspin…)
I think Mary probably shed plenty tears, wondering about what lay ahead, hearing the whispers, feeling the stares. But there was no turning back. She did nothing but go forward in trust.
I was once young and certainly common. At one time, I too thought my future was settled. It sure has taken some turns I didn’t expect.
How thankful I am that God continues to reassure me with His Presence.
Mary didn’t know her life would turn out like it did.
But she knew her Child was The Messiah.
None of us can know what our life will turn out like.
But we can know Him, Who was the Christ Child.
He is the great I AM. And He has my future.
Eternally
Watch out...
*•♫♪♪♫•*•♫♪♫•*•♫♪♪* “You better watch out !”….*•♫♪♪♫••*•♫♪♫•*•♫♪♪*
That lyric is heard a lot in homes with children this time of year.
I’ve used it many times when my boys were little.
I‘ve sung *•♫♪♫•*“…Santa Clause is coming, to town.”*•♫♪♫•*many many times as a reminder to ‘be good’, and not that I’m pleased that I did it, sometimes I sang it as a threat.
Today I would change the lyrics!
*•♫♪♫•* “You better watch out….Jesus Christ is coming, again.” *•♫♪♫•*
That isn’t a threat, it’s a promise from scripture that you can be sure of.
Whether you are ‘naughty’ or ‘nice’.
Whether you’ve been ‘bad’ or ‘good’.
He sees you.
He knows.
And He is coming.
Surer than Santa Clause….
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Offering...
Offering…
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service..” (Romans 12:1)
I don’t think there is one of us that would jump to say our body is ‘holy’.
But the ‘therefore’ of verse 1 refers back to the preceding 11 chapters of Paul’s message in the book of Romans.
Paul wrote those chapters explaining about the situation of all humans, our ruined condition….and God’s rescue.
We often jump right to the ‘duty’, right to what we should ‘offer’….and never really come to understand the doctrine taught…. that HE is the one that makes our bodies holy.
Nothing I can ever do or not do will make me holy. Not one single thing or a hundred things….
If God places me in His Son, I am holy….
Not because of things I eliminate…
Not because of words I don’t say anymore or places I don’t go anymore…..
Not because of any kind of behavior modification.
The “therefore” of verse 1 is a first step…a first choice to finding God’s will and walking in it……….walking behind His Son Jesus, Whom we follow.
Choosing to do that is really the only thing we have to offer God. He created every single thing that is a reality to you and I. Nothing of that is really mine, I have nothing He has not provided.
The paper (money) that we lay in the offering plate is just a tool that WE have devised to USE what HE has given us in the first place.
The only value it has to Him is the attitude of our hearts when we offer it back to Him. We either offer it freely and with joy, or out of meaningless duty.
Is our money all we offer Him?
During this season of Christmas, we hear songs about the wise men bringing gifts to the infant Jesus.
I’m sure those valuable gifts came in handy to two poor parents, displaced from their homes, separated from family and support systems. The gift was valueable, and the gift was used.
But I wonder what a big smile it brought to God’s heart to have these ‘wise men’ travel such distance, just to meet Immanuel, “God With Us”.
The priority was to find The Promised One. The offerings were the least of it I think…the true gifts they brought were within. The worship of the newly born King of Kings.
What do you understand about what He has given you?
“The One who is highly honored lives forever. His name is holy. He says, "I live in a high and holy place. But I also live with anyone who turns away from his sins. I live with anyone who is not proud. I give new life to him. I give it to anyone who turns away from his sins. (Isa. 57:15)
What do you bring Him this morning?
A little of your money?
An hour or two of your time?
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit…. a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”(Ps. 51:17)
Living sacrifices…..
I am a living sacrifice. Are you?
Like me, do you have a tendancy to squirm around on the altar? Like me, do you regularly climb off?
This morning, I bring an offering of worship to my King. No one on earth deserves the praises that I sing, Jesus may You receive the honor that You’re due…Oh Lord, I bring an offering to You.
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service..” (Romans 12:1)
I don’t think there is one of us that would jump to say our body is ‘holy’.
But the ‘therefore’ of verse 1 refers back to the preceding 11 chapters of Paul’s message in the book of Romans.
Paul wrote those chapters explaining about the situation of all humans, our ruined condition….and God’s rescue.
We often jump right to the ‘duty’, right to what we should ‘offer’….and never really come to understand the doctrine taught…. that HE is the one that makes our bodies holy.
Nothing I can ever do or not do will make me holy. Not one single thing or a hundred things….
If God places me in His Son, I am holy….
Not because of things I eliminate…
Not because of words I don’t say anymore or places I don’t go anymore…..
Not because of any kind of behavior modification.
The “therefore” of verse 1 is a first step…a first choice to finding God’s will and walking in it……….walking behind His Son Jesus, Whom we follow.
Choosing to do that is really the only thing we have to offer God. He created every single thing that is a reality to you and I. Nothing of that is really mine, I have nothing He has not provided.
The paper (money) that we lay in the offering plate is just a tool that WE have devised to USE what HE has given us in the first place.
The only value it has to Him is the attitude of our hearts when we offer it back to Him. We either offer it freely and with joy, or out of meaningless duty.
Is our money all we offer Him?
During this season of Christmas, we hear songs about the wise men bringing gifts to the infant Jesus.
I’m sure those valuable gifts came in handy to two poor parents, displaced from their homes, separated from family and support systems. The gift was valueable, and the gift was used.
But I wonder what a big smile it brought to God’s heart to have these ‘wise men’ travel such distance, just to meet Immanuel, “God With Us”.
The priority was to find The Promised One. The offerings were the least of it I think…the true gifts they brought were within. The worship of the newly born King of Kings.
What do you understand about what He has given you?
“The One who is highly honored lives forever. His name is holy. He says, "I live in a high and holy place. But I also live with anyone who turns away from his sins. I live with anyone who is not proud. I give new life to him. I give it to anyone who turns away from his sins. (Isa. 57:15)
What do you bring Him this morning?
A little of your money?
An hour or two of your time?
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit…. a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”(Ps. 51:17)
Living sacrifices…..
I am a living sacrifice. Are you?
Like me, do you have a tendancy to squirm around on the altar? Like me, do you regularly climb off?
This morning, I bring an offering of worship to my King. No one on earth deserves the praises that I sing, Jesus may You receive the honor that You’re due…Oh Lord, I bring an offering to You.
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