Getting More Out of God's Word

My daily devotions, or quiet time, has been centered around the book of Hebrews recently.  I have been so encouraged by God's Truth!  And it is always thrilling when God reveals more of Himself to me - things I've not seen before, or when He gives me understanding of something that had previously alluded me!

One of the very valuable things I have learned to do is to start my quiet time by asking the Lord to show me from His Word what he wants me to see that day; not only that, but that He would show me how to use that truth in my life.  Don't you, as parents, strive to teach your children truth?  Don't you want them to understand how to use that truth?  What it means to them when they're going through their school day, for instance?  Well, our heavenly Father wants that for us, as well   - but too often we're in a big hurry to "check off" our quiet time from our daily "to do list" (if we bother with it at all), and we're not willing to slow down long enough to listen to what the Lord wants to share with us.

So many believers struggle with "knowing God's will" for their lives.  And we're quick to point out that God's Word has everything we need for "life and godliness" (2 Peter 1:3).  But here's the problem - we can't just pick up God's Word when we need something - like it's a Google search engine!  Knowing God's will, understanding what we need for life - that comes when we spend daily time in His Word, as we gain knowledge and wisdom and understanding and discernment for the day to day, everyday living "stuff".  We can't wait until some major crisis hits, or some major "life event" (a baby, a new job, a move, etc) happens; by then it's too late!  It's like trying to put snowtires on your car in the middle of the blizzard - it's a little too late at that point.

BUT, if we prepare ourselves by constant (daily), earnest, surrendered seeking of God through His Word, then when those times come, we'll already know that answer; we'll already be clothed in the armour of God (Eph.6:10-17), ready to tackle whatever God chooses to allow into our lives.

God's will is not a big, secret mystery.  He wants us to glorify Him.  He wants us to obey his commandments (and there are way more than 10!).  As we surrender ourselves with an attitude of service and humility; as we begin to grasp the idea that life is not all about making ourselves "happy;" rather, its all about God - then God begins to reveal his will for us as individuals. 

But we have to start with the basics - doing the simple things that we already know about.  After all, if God can't depend on us to do the simple things, how can he trust us with the big things?

Makeup Remover

"The most effective makeup remover is not found in any bottle, but only in a woman's tears." - Tammy Gallion, January 2014

Why Does God Bless Us?

How many blessings from the Lord have you received this week?  This month?  This past year?

What did you do with them?

I heard a great quote yesterday:  "Blessings are not an end in themselves."  God doesn't shower us with blessings so that we can sit back and soak it all in.  Or so that we can revel in how blessed we are.  Or so we can compile a list and compare it with our neighbor's.  God expects us to USE those blessings..

What are your blessings?

• A warm home?  Invite someone over for fellowship and encouragement.
• A reliable vehicle?  Pick someone up for church, or run errands, or take someone out for a drive, or meet someone for lunch.
• An "ok" singing voice?  Volunteer to sing a special at church, either by yourself or with someone else.
• The ability to play a musical instrument?  Play for church; encourage someone through your music, even if it isn't "professional" grade.
• Can you spell?  Write someone a note of encouragement - let them know you're thinking about them & praying for them.  (And DO pray for them - don't just say it!)
• Kids & grandkids?  Set about to ON PURPOSE to influence them for the Lord.  Teach them songs about Jesus; teach them how to behave like Jesus wants them to; encourage your adult children to rely on the Lord.
• A spouse?  Whether your spouse is walking with the Lord or not, treat them like the gift from the Lord that they are.  You may be surprised how much YOUR treatment of THEM affects how they treat you.
• Cooking/Baking?  Take someone in need a meal or drop off an "I was thinking of you" treat.
• A job?  Take the opportunity to make provision for someone who is not as well off as you.
• The ability to teach?  Volunteer to teach a Sunday School class, sub for a class, or teach a bible study.
• Has God taught you ANYTHING since the day He saved you?  Share it with someone else.  It may be exactly what they need to hear.

The point is this:  God didn't give us His Word just to fill our heads with knowledge (my Pastor says this frequently!!) and He doesn't bless us just so we can hoard the blessings and hide them in our cedar chest!!  People around us ought to be able to see Christ in our lives, so share what God has given you.

On Being Engaged...And Beyond

Recently overheard:

Young man recently engaged:  "Yep, come May I'll have an ol' ball & chain!"

Now, before we go any further, I want to tell you about this young man.

This young man has trusted Jesus as his Savior.  And I believe he loves the Lord and wants to serve Him with his life.  He has a wonderful godly family, a wonderful sense of humor, is multi-talented, and is now engaged to a beautiful godly young lady.

And I know he made the above statement entirely in jest and that he loves his bride-to-be with all his heart.

So why even bring it up?

Well, because God has taught me some things over the years.  And one of those things is that even in jest, the things we say impact our attitudes.  The things we watch - like those "funny" and "harmless" tv shows (the ones the bash the dad for being an idiot, or promote living together without being married, or lift up rebellious kids as being funny and cute, etc, etc, etc) - those things impact our attitude.  These things are subtle and seem like "not a big deal."

Exactly what Satan would like us to believe.  That it's no big deal.

But here's the challenge:  What if, instead of talking about our spouses as balls & chains - even in jest - we talked about how precious they are to us?  How much we love and appreciate their sense of humor?  Their gentleness? Their godliness?  What if we actually talked about them the way we actually feel - or should feel?  I guarantee that the man who treats his wife (or fiance) as a precious gift from the Lord, AND talks about her that way, will develop an even deeper love and appreciation for her than he has today.  I guarantee that the woman who treats her husband (or fiance) as her knight in shining armour and talks about him as such, will, in fact, HAVE a knight in shining armour!

We are too often unaware of how powerful our actions (words, deeds) impact our attitude - and then impact those we love.  A one-time jest may be no big deal...but all too often, a one-time joke becomes a habit...and a habit becomes an attitude...and an attitude affects our relationships.

So be careful what you say - treat your spouse in a way that  honors God - and you just might be surprised at how your spouse responds!  :)

Why Go To Sunday School?

My Sunday School kids - ages 4th - 6th grade - started asking some really good questions this morning during class.  The questions did NOT relate directly to the lesson, but were prompted by our discussion of the lesson, which was on Psalm 1. 

• If a person is saved and does really bad things and mocks God, will they still go to heaven?
• Can you become unsaved?
• Does a person who commits suicide go to heaven?

The kids asking these questions have been in church all their lives.  One might think they should know these answers already.  But here are some things to ponder:

• Just because a person sits under the godly, accurate preaching and teaching of the Bible does not mean they automatically understand everything they hear.
• We ALL - children included - grow spiritually at a different pace than the next person - much as we physically develop at different paces.  Perhaps these questions had not crossed their minds until now.
•  Sometimes children (and adults!) are afraid to ask questions for fear of being mocked or ridiculed for not already knowing the answer.

After I answered these questions, one the of girls said, "We should have a class where we just ask questions!"

Here's my point of sharing this:  Too many believers do not know what they believe or why they believe it.  When an adult accepts the fact that they are a sinner and that the only way to spend eternity in heaven with a Holy God is to accept the sacrifice that Jesus paid on the cross, we for some reason - I guess because they are adults - assume that they know and understand the same things we understand - even though we may have known Jesus for 30 years or more! 

When our children are brought up in the church, we assume they hear and understand what is being said from the pulpit just like we understand it.  We assume they understand everything being taught in their Sunday School class and in Junior Church.

But there is a lot of "not understanding" going on in our churches today.

Ask someone to explain salvation and they may toss around words like "regeneration" and "sanctification" and "sacrifice" and "holy" and "propitiation"....but ask them to DEFINE these same words and they are at a loss.  They know the language, but they don't really understand what they're saying.

The young people in my class will be the next generation of believers who lead God's church.  At least, that is my prayer.  Perhaps if we can answer their questions TODAY, they will STAY in the church - and not only stay, but be able to live that abundant life that Jesus died for because they know and understand what God expects of them.

I want my class to be a place where the kids feel free to ask me anything.  I may not have the answer - after all, I'm still growing in the Lord, too! - but that's okay, because their questions prompt me to find the answers in God's Word - which means we'll be growing together.  And in the end, what God wants is to be glorified through surrendered, humble, growing believers who obey his command to become more like Jesus...by finding the answers to our questions in His Word.

So, should we have a Sunday School class where "we just ask questions"??  The answer is a resounding, YES!!  Ask away, class, ask away! 

Where's my focus?

My mind sometimes jumps around like a pinball machine, never settling on any one thing for too long.

I am out of sorts today.  It may have to do with the lack of power this morning; my morning routine was out of sync as I got ready for church.  My hair wasn't cooperating, but that doesn't bother me too much - I'm not too vain - in fact, I'm probably a little TOO laid back in that department...it probably had more to do with NO COFFEE...

Anyway, the more I study God's Word, the more I am convinced that I really have no concept of His majesty and holiness...the words "King of Kings" and "Lord of Lords" are tossed too lightly from my lips...Yes, he's my friend, but first of all, he's my KING....but does my LIFE reflect that??

I focus on the petty things...I let the actions of others bother me...and yet, I am forever telling others to show grace...we all grow at different rates in our spiritual life...God teaches us as we surrender to him and are able to hear...how can I therefore be frustrated with a fellow believer who does not display the spiritual maturity I would expect from them?  It ought to break my heart, not cause me frustration!

My frustration only points out my own lack of spiritual maturity.  :(

Oh, that I would cultivate a devotion to God in my own life, that I might grow to understand who he REALLY is and who I really am in light of who He is...I am convinced this is the key to living a godly christian life....

My thoughts are still bouncing....

It's Fall! Better than January 1st...

Every fall we send our kids off to school.  As you look back, do you see growth and change in your child?  Not just physically, but mentally?  Emotionally?  Socially?  Do they know more today than they did in kindergarten?  Do they handle conflict better than they did in preschool?  Can your 3^rd grader help a 1^st grader tie his shoe?

We measure our child’s progress by the things they learn at school and at home; it’s usually pretty obvious when there is a deficiency in some particular area – it shows up in a test result, an inability to accomplish some task, or even by comparison to other children of the same age.

But do we ever stop to consider our own progress?

As Christians, our goal in life is to please God. 

We please God by becoming more and more like Jesus. 

So how do we KNOW if we’re becoming more and more like Jesus?  Is there an “Image of Jesus” test?  Is there some task by which we can measure our accomplishment?  Do we dare compare ourselves to another Christian to measure our growth?

No matter when we were saved – whether we were 4 years old, 14 years old, 40 years old, or 80 years old – we ought to see growth and change in our lives.  God knows we won’t be perfect, but He does expect us to be growing.  We ought to know more about God today than we did the day we received Him as Lord and Savior; we ought to know better how to live the Christian life - how to look like Jesus - today than we did last week.  Last month.  Last year.

So how can we know?

1. To be like someone, you must know that someone.

1. You can’t know how to imitate Jesus if you don’t know anything about Him, and you won’t know anything about Him if you don’t read his autobiography, the Bible.

2. Upon salvation, we received the Holy Spirit – He dwells within us.  If we allow Him complete control of our lives, as He desires, we will be Spirit controlled.  If we are Spirit controlled, others will see the fruit of the Spirit manifested (made obvious) in our lives.  They will see:

                                                   i.      Love – doing what is in the best interest of the other person

                                                 ii.      Joy – sweet thoughts of Christ that eclipse the circumstances around us

                                                iii.      Peace – toward God AND men; we are restful and quiet, not argumentative, not hateful, not distraught, but thoughtful

                                               iv.      Long-suffering – that quality that enables a person to bear reproach, adversity, injury; it allows them to patiently wait for the improvement of those who have done them wrong.

                                     v.      Gentleness – in conduct; not sharp or bitter; mild, courteous, soft-spoken; that quality which encourages others to seek our company.

                                               vi.      Goodness – willing to help others in their need.

                                             vii.      Faith – believing the best; not suspicious, not looking for fault

                                            viii.      Meekness – not quick to anger; thoughtful; contemplative

                                               ix.      Temperance – sober, pure, chaste; not quarrelsome

2. Compare yourself not to others, but to Jesus.

1. Why would we compare ourselves to other imperfect Christians?  Our standard, our goal, is the perfect, sinless Christ – as the old saying goes, if you aim for nothing you will hit it every time!  But if you shoot for the stars, you’ll at least get off the ground!  Remember, God doesn’t expect us to be perfect, but he does expect us to be growing.  We may not be able to attain sinlessness, but we all have room for improvement!

2. The World’s standards change with the latest trends and philosophies.  Do you remember when being pregnant before marriage was a shame that sent the young woman to some far-off relative’s home?  Do you remember when television shows showed married couples in separate twin beds, wearing pajamas that completely covered their bodies?  Do you remember when the greatest topic of conversation was not that the movie, Gone with the Wind, was 3 hours long, but was the one word that Rhett Butler uttered near the end of the film because it was so shocking?  No, we do not want to measure ourselves by the World’s standards, for they are a moving target.

3. Evaluate your daily life, not just your “Sunday” life.

1. Can we even see the fruit of the Spirit in our daily lives? 

2. Do we see more fruit or less fruit than we saw a month ago?  A year ago?

3. Look at our responses to every day life – how do we respond to the crazy drivers on our way to work?  How do we view doing the laundry, taking out the trash, doing homework, a boss’s unreasonable request, our children squabbling, our husband’s muddy footprints on the freshly mopped floor?  Do we treat these events as OPPORTUNITES to display the fruit of the Spirit, or are they annoyances and aggravations and testings and trials and opportunities to cry out, Why me, God??  Why me??

Your answer will reveal a lot about how much you look like Jesus.

It’s fall again.  Don’t wait until January 1^st to take stock; do it now – in fact, do it daily! – make it your goal, with God’s help, to please him by looking more and more like Jesus.