Where's My Focus?

I find it interesting that just when I think I can't cram one more thing into my already busy schedule, the Lord stops me in my tracks.

Oh, I'm not saying He's the reason I have this flu bug or whatever it is, but certainly He allowed it.  At the beginning of a very busy week.  In the middle of a very busy season.  When there are gifts to make, songs to practice, people to meet with, decorating to be done (and undone), presents to wrap, places to go, to do lists to accomplish...

I'm in bed for 2 days.

Sleeping.

Accomplishing nothing.

And yet, somehow, it's okay.

I am reminded that my life isn't about me and what I want to accomplish - it's about the Lord and what HE wants to accomplish through me.  So I'm thinking that perhaps I was getting a bit off track and starting to stress about the unimportant stuff (something I do more often then I care to admit).  That perhaps my focus has been on doing those things that make ME feel good, instead of being focused on doing things to make others feel good - to be an encouragement, a help.

So, I'm re-focusing.  Oh, the house still needs to be cleaned and there are still gifts to wrap and decorating to be done - but before all that, there are friends that need a kind word, a hug (when I'm over being sick, of course), a note of encouragement - family members that need to hear "I love you!" just because...because at the end of the day, if my house is clean, the gifts are wrapped and my house looks festive - who cares, if I have not shown love to the people God has put in my life?

So, thank you, Lord, for ALL that you allow in my life, be it sickness or health, thank you for loving me and reminding me to strive to be more like you. 

What Would You Do if You Hit the Jackpot??

I'm supposed to be reading through Luke in my morning quiet time.  But I keep going back to Luke 5:1-11...it's a familiar story, but this idea keeps rolling through my mind:

Peter, James, John, and possibly other men, at Jesus' command, pull in the biggest catch of their lives.  It was so big, the nets broke - and yet STILL they "filled both ships, so that they began to sink." (verse 7).

This is what they did for a living.  This catch was no doubt THE biggest catch they'd ever had - the biggest "payday" of their lives!  Can you imagine - what if they could catch fish like this EVERY night?  They'd be RICH!  No more worries, no more stress - think of all the GOOD they could do with their new-found wealth!

But verse 11 says, "When they brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him."

     They left the fish in the boats.
     They left the boats on the shore.    
     They didn't run to the market.
     They didn't run to the bank.
     They didn't even run and tell their families.

Their eyes were not on the fish, the catch, the "paycheck."  Nor were their eyes on what the could DO with that paycheck.

     Their eyes were on Jesus.
     Their focus was on the man who created the fish.  Who made it possible to catch the fish.
     Their focus was on Jesus - because Jesus Himself is greater than any "paycheck."

And I keep wondering - where's my focus?

The Peter Progression

A few days ago during my morning quiet time, I was reading in Mark 14.  It wasn't a new passage for me, but I found the footnotes in my bible to be somewhat intriguing, for they caused me to do some hard thinking.

This passage of scripture deals with Peter's declaration of utter devotion to the Lord and ends with his bitter weeping as he denies Christ, just as Jesus had told him he would.  The footnotes on this passage point out the progressive steps that happened between Point A and Point B - and this I found interesting:

1. Peter is over-confident (v29-31) - he claims absolute devotion without understanding all that is taking and will take place.
2. Peter is not praying (v37, 40-41) - Jesus only takes 3 men with him while he goes to pray, yet they fall asleep.  Even if they didn't understand everything Jesus was telling them, they would have had to notice his solemn demeanor and could have been praying with him or for him.
3. Peter didn't listen to Christ (v.47, Luke 22:49-51).  Christ is not upset by the approach of Judas and the soldiers, yet Peter gets all riled up and chops off an ear!  He was very obviously not following Christ's example.
4. Peter associated with the wrong crowd (v54) - Peter tries to blend in with the servants around the fire.  (I admit, I'm not 100% convinced of this point; it seems a little weak to me, but I also didn't take the time to develop it)
5. Peter reverted to old habits (v.71) - he was cursing and using language a Christ-follower should not be using.
6. Peter out-right denied knowing Jesus (v71).

So I read through these notes a few times, and I was somewhat discouraged, for the downward progression really didn't take so very long.  But then I wondered if you could REVERSE the spiral...

1. Confess Jesus Christ as Lord & Savior!  Salvation is the beginning of new life.
2. Give up old habits.  You are a new creation (2 Cor 5:17) - old things need to pass away!  And they can when you rely on God.  (Phil. 4:13)
3. Surround yourself with godly people who love the Lord!  (Hebrews 10:25)
4. "Listen" to the Lord by: going to a bible-preaching church, reading and studying God's word for yourself, praying and listening, seeking godly counsel.
5. Pray!  Don't just ask others to pray for you; you need to pray yourself - and not just FOR yourself, but for others, always seeking to glorify God in your prayers.  (Eph. 6:18, Eph. 5:20)
6. Put your confidence in the Lord.  (Eph 3:12, Phil 1:6)

How encouraged I was by this!!  The steps to growing really aren't big steps, either!!  What an encouragement to know we don't have to make gigantic strides in order to be growing in the Lord - we just need to take baby steps.  And little by little he molds us into His image.

Have a blessed day, y'all!

Have You Ever Cheated??

If you've ever been to an Independent Baptist Church function, be it a service or an activity of some sort, you will more than likely be able to relate to the following...

It was a teen valentine activity.  We'd had some food, we must have played some games, though I really don't remember, and, of course, we had a speaker.  I can't say I remember who it was or what he spoke on - blame it on old age or lack of interest - my whole goal in even going to the event was to spend more time with Mike.  We'd been dating for just shy of 2 months and I spent every possible moment with him.

What I DO remember about that night was this:  just before it was time to leave, the speaker asked everyone to close their eyes and put their heads on the table.  And then, he began to ask a series of questions.  He used words I didn't understand - like salvation, saved, etc., - and in response to his questions, we were supposed to raise our hands.  I didn't have a clue what he was talking about!  So...not wanting to be left out...I cheated.  I peeked under my arm to see when other people were raising their hands, and I did the same.

So, here's the point:  I may have fooled the speaker that night; I may have raised my hand at the appropriate time...I may have fooled anyone else who was "peeking"...but there is one person I didn't fool that night.  In fact, I have never "fooled" him - and that is my heavenly Father.  God.  He sees beyond my raised hand and looks deep into my heart.  He knows everything.  Every good thing, every bad thing.

Our message this morning was on Job.  I've heard lots of messages on Job and most people are familiar with Job's trials.  But I heard something this morning I'd not thought of before in quite this way; yes, we know that God allowed Satan to afflict Job.  We know how Job responded.  But here's the application, the thing I had missed before:

Have I accepted the trials that God has chose for me?

Consider Chapter 1 of Job, where Satan comes to the Lord and claims that Job is only faithful because God has built a hedge of protection around him.  And God says, Fine.  Do what you want - but don't touch Job himself.

Though Satan is strong, he still needs God's permission to exercise that power! 

Of course, we know that Job responded with worship and praise to God, trusting that God is good, even though all these terrible things had happened.  He was hurting, but not defeated.  He did not give up on God.

So, here's the question:  When trials come, will I be strengthen, or defeated?  Will I accept that the trials are allowed by God for the purpose of strengthening my faith, for making more like His Son, or will I let those trials defeat me, giving Satan reason to rejoice in his victory and my loss?  Will I hold fast to God's Truth, or will I succumb to the lies of the devil?

See, everyone's trials are different - some suffer loss of loved ones, financial hardship, an unfaithful spouse, an unfair character attack, loss of material possessions, etc...but God knows what it takes to bring us closer to Him.  God knows us better than we know ourselves.  I'm not saying we have to be "happy" during the hard times - but I am saying we can rejoice, knowing God is still Good; God is still in control; God still loves us; God's ways are not our ways - He sees the beginning from the end, while our sight is limited.

You can "cheat" and fool others, but you can't fool God.  He sees your heart.  Accept the trials he allows in your life - accept them as challenges to strengthen your faith.  And be careful how you look at other's trials - God has a path for them, too.

LIfe is a Journey....

Most of us would agree that life is a journey, right?  And by definition, a journey means you're going somewhere...in fact, you could then conclude that if you're NOT going somewhere, you're at a "sit" - a "rest" - a "standstill"...

One thing we ought never do, however, is we ought NEVER to be at a standstill in our relationship with God.  We ought to always be going somewhere.

Let me pause here for a moment to make something perfectly clear.  To "rest" is not a bad thing, if you define the word correctly.  For example, to say that we "rest" in Christ is to say that we are trusting in Him - we have confidence that He will accomplish His will.  This is not a picture of "in-activity" but rather continual action, unhampered by the concern that I have to take control because God might need a little help here!

Then there is the "rest" that scripture refers to in Genesis.  God never tires - he did not "rest" in that sense of the word, but rather, He stepped back to reflect on and enjoy what he had just finished creating.  Likewise, there are times when we need to step back and reflect and enjoy all God has done and is doing - too often our "vacations" are just a different form of "busyness"!! 

But "rest" is never used as a synonym for laziness, slothfulness, or a "hands-off" attitude (i.e,, 'That's not in my job description').  Indeed, scripture has some very strong words for those who adopt this mindset!

So, back to our journey...

Our journey - our "going somewhere" - ought to be centered on the goal of getting closer to God and looking more like Jesus.  What I love most about my journey is when God reveals more of Himself to me - and, oh, how He has been doing that lately!  For instance, last night Pastor was preaching out of Ephesians 4:7 & 11, and he made this statement (I'm paraphrasing): 

"It is GOD who gives us the gifts and talents we have.  It is GOD who decides who gets what.  There is NO room for jealousy or dissatisfaction - the GOD OF HEAVEN makes those choices!!"

And I thought, Whoa!

Ok, so, academically, I knew this, of course.  But something in the way Pastor said it just slapped me up side the head.  Am I jealous of others?  Am I dissatisfied with the talents and gifts God has given me?  I did some soul-searching right then and there...

I love to play the piano.  In fact, God has been increasing my desire to play and my enjoyment.  I don't consider myself to be particularly good at it - in fact, there are times when it seems I have mittens for hands and I pity the hearers - but, life is a journey, remember?  So, I'm growing.  I see progress.  I'm willing.  It's more about pleasing God than "performing perfectly."

I love to teach, particularly ladies.  In the past, I have been envious of those who seem to have all the answers.  But then one day I realized, Hey, I KNOW I don't know EVERYTHING - so why does this bother me so?  When someone asks me a hard question, God is giving me an opportunity to grow - because now I'm going to go dig for the answer, and in so doing, I learn something - and the next time someone asks, I will know the answer!

Life is a journey, remember?

We raised 4 kids.  (And only by the grace of God, I might add, as culinary talent is NOT one God gave me!!)  Now we have 4 more kids, and 8 grandkids!  Were we perfect parents?  Of course not!
Did we learn anything?  LOTS!  Now God gives us opportunity to use what we've learned with our grandkids and to encourage other young parents.

Life is a journey, remember?

So, my encouragement to you is this:  Take the talents and gifts God has given you and RUN with them!  Don't stand still - let GOD expand them for you; face challenges head-on and look for ways to grow, ways to encourage others, way to bring the lost to Christ, ways to glorify God...

Life is journey, remember?  :)

What is a spiritual sacrifice?

I read 1 Peter 2 this morning – wow!

So verse 1 gives a list of things that will be eliminated when a believer has a proper “diet” for Christian growth.  That proper diet begins with an “appetite” (desire, v2), for the Word of God!  And we ought to have this desire, or appetite, since we have already “tasted” how gracious God is when we accepted his salvation (v3).

Verse 4 calls Jesus the “living stone” - rejected by men, but chosen by God, and precious.  And WE are “lively (living) stones” as well, that make up the church (spiritual house), and like the priests of the OT, we ourselves offer up sacrifices – spiritual sacrifices. (v5).  Looking at Hebrews 13:15-16, we know that those spiritual sacrifices include praising God, doing good, and communicating – sharing – the gospel.

Uh-oh…so what’s the definition of “sacrifice”??  Doesn’t it usually mean to give up something in order to have something else?  The workaholic “sacrifices” his family – he gives them up in order to be at work, to further his career.  The OT saints sacrificed perfect lambs – they had to give up the best of their flocks to atone for their sins.

So, if I’m going to make a “spiritual” sacrifice, what am I “giving up”?  What must I “give up” in order to praise God?   In order to do good?  In order to communicate, or share the gospel?

Mostly, I see that I must give up self.  Pride.  Fear.  Time.  My flesh wants to praise self – and take credit that belongs to God.  My flesh wants to putter about and hang out with friends and family instead of going out visiting or giving up a Saturday to teach, or taking a moment to hand out a track or tell someone that Jesus loves them – heaven forbid they think I’m a fruitcake!

Yeah, in order to make spiritual sacrifices, I must die to self – put myself aside – and remember that it’s all about HIM.  Not me.  And it must be intentional.  The Holy Spirit-controlled life has to be intentional – I must purpose in my heart to praise God, to do good, to share the Gospel.  I cannot fall into the trap of thinking that just because I read the Word this morning, just because I prayed, just because I wrote out these thoughts on paper, that I will “automatically” start praising God, doing good, or sharing the Gospel!!  No, I have to remind myself frequently – throughout the day – that these are the things that PLEASE God and that I must make a continual, conscience effort to DO them, to make these sacrifices!

Spiritual Growth...

It's been a humbling week for me.

Earlier in the week, while studying 1 Peter, Chapter 4, God gently rebuked me through His Word about some good thing I was doing - but I wasn't doing it with the right attitude.

Today, our Pastor, in preaching God's Word, pointed out that God GIVES us what we need to live successful lives as His children - and I know we would all agree with that statement.  The problem is defining what that means.  "Well, we need to obey God's Word.  Go to church.  Pray.  Read our bibles."  Blah, blah, blah.  What does that mean on Monday morning, when I'm at work and the boss is ranting and raving about something over which I have no control?  Or when I'm driving in traffic, minding my own business, and some crazy person, applying makeup, talking on the phone, and eating breakfast, cuts me off?

So, let's get to the nitty-gritty of the issue here.

Look at 2 Chronicles 7:14 - "If MY people, which are called by MY name, shall... 

• HUMBLE themselves, (it's not all about us) and 
• PRAY, (not just at meal time, but constantly, fervently) and
• SEEK my face, (I bet we spend more time & effort looking for a lost earring than we spend looking for what GOD wants for us) and
• TURN from their wicked ways; (oops -" turn" is an pretty bold action word!  I can't just be thinking about something - I gotta actually MOVE)
• THEN will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."
•  Hmmm....or how about this one:
  
  "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.  But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night."  Psalm 1:1-2  
  
  
  • BLESSED is the man - do you want to be blessed??  Then you can't do things your own way, the way your sinful flesh wants to do them!  You have to:
  •  WALK NOT in the counsel of the ungodly (by the way, ungodly people are not just evil, wicked people - ungodly people would be anyone who does not know the Lord as their personal Lord & Savior.  How could you received godly advice from someone who does not even have a relationship with God?)
  • STANDETH IN THE WAY OF SINNERS - Who are you spending time with?  Who do you chat with at work?
  • SIT IN THE SEAT OF THE SCORNFUL - Okay, notice the progression here.  First we're walking - walking is for a limited time; I picture strolling with someone casually.  Then we move to standing.  You've stopped moving, you're paying more attention to what the other person is saying - you're standing.  And now, now we're SITTING.  We're giving that scornful person - that person who mocks and rejects God - our full attention and we're not going anywhere for awhile.  Who do you consider your best friend?  Who do you spend the most time with?  Is it someone who will encourage you to grow in the Lord, or is it a lost friend, who influences you with their worldly ideas and philosophies?
  • HIS DELIGHT IS IN THE LAW OF THE LORD - here's the key; the blessed man (or woman) takes great delight in the ways of God; she hungers to know God better; to be more like Him, to know ALL that God wants her to know.
  
  
  Here's the point:  We ALL have room to grow - and GOD gives us that ability to grow.  And He gives us everything we NEED to grow.  But it involves removing ourselves from the throne and putting HIM back on that throne, as he deserves.  It involves putting God and others first in our thought process, instead of self.  
  
  
  Do a reality check today.  You may be growing - but could you be growing even more?  Be humble, pray, seek, turn...walk not, stand not, sit not...but DELIGHT in the law of the Lord - live it out in real life!    :)

Seeking Godliness

God did not give us His Word, only to have us lay it aside and forget it - especially when we are (supposedly) seeking godliness.  Our own ideas or efforts will never produce godliness; in fact, there is no "easier" path to godliness than to prayerful study and obedient practice of The Word.

Godly Wisdom vs. Earthly Wisdom

I've been studying the book of James recently (one of my favorite books!) and as I studied James 3:13-18, it struck me how God characterizes both “earthly” wisdom and “godly” wisdom:

Godly Wisdom                                                          Earthly Wisdom

Good conversation (lifestyle) (v13)                 Bitter envying (v14)

Meekness (v13)                                                       Strife (v14)

Pure (v17)                                                                 Sensual (v15)

Peaceable (v17)                                                       Devilish (v15)

Gentle (v17)                                                             Confusion (v16)

Easy to entreat                                                       Evil works (v16)
(compliant, open to reason)             

FULL of mercy (v17)

& good fruits (v17)

Without partiality (v17)

Without hypocrisy (v17)

Wow!  If we want to know if someone truly has godly wisdom, we just need to examine the characteristics above!  We all know people who appear to be so “wise” – they know every scripture reference, can explain most if not all doctrines (teachings); they’ve taught classes or seminars or preached a sermon – yet they seem somehow “unreachable” or “above” the rest of us…there is little or no mercy or gentleness about them; if you’re not part of their “inner circle” you somehow feel like a 2^nd class citizen…and there is certainly no openness to reason, no willingness to hear the thoughts or concerns or questions of others...

These people, then, would have “earthly” wisdom, according to scripture, not “godly” wisdom.  For something to be godly, it must have the characteristics of GOD himself!  And God is certainly none of those things!  Knowledge, therefore, does not equal wisdom; wisdom is knowledge encased in the characteristics of verse 17 – the characteristics of God!                 

Huh!  I love it when God reveals more of Himself to me!!  Check it out for yourself - He's waiting to reveal himself to you as well.