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. 

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