My grandfather is dying. Slowly, and yet too quickly and then yet again not quickly enough. Slowly, because his body is gradually, and soon to be rapidly shutting down; he has myoplastic leukemia and is 87 years old. Or "78 years old." He forgets sometimes. His mind has been going a lot longer than his aged body. Too quickly, because even if death is inevitable, even if you know it is more right to let it come quietly instead of playing God and drawing out the eventual painful result, there is always a part of you which wants to prolong it, make the person you love last longer, spend more time with them. Not quickly enough because it is so painful to watch someone you love suffer as their every organ shuts down, as they weaken so much that they cannot raise a hand or speak and they are lost in a haze of pain and drugs to stop it. Delirium. On Saturday I will visit my grandfather. And probably say my last goodbye while he is still conscious, alert and pain free enough to recognize who I am. Two weeks. Maybe. Perhaps more. Or maybe less. Death marches toward us with the steady beating drum.
Nothing can make us shy both towards or away from religion as death can. Those who are angry at God use death as an excuse as to why he does not exist. Those who believe often say that the dearly departed are "in a better place." I am not patronizing either viewpoint. Personally, I believe that when I finally pass on, whether it is five minutes or fifty years from now, I will be going to a place of joy where pain does not exist. This is a promise shown in the Bible. But to those who do not believe that the Bible is truth, it becomes even more meaningless. I can not honestly say that I never have doubts about heaven, or what happens after I die. But that doesn't mean I forsake my beliefs, and here is why: In those moments when I am desperate with grief, or loss or whenever I am simply lost or at the end of my proverbial rope, that is when I find God. God is always there, but it takes reaching out to Him at times to feel Him waiting for you, supporting you. We can lose faith and we can lose our way, but He never forsakes us. This is the great hope that we have. Persevering through loss, reaching out and finding that God has been reaching toward us every step of the way. Showing others that out of our grief and loss there was also hope.
"At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared,he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life."
--Titus 3:3-3:7
That is where I stand, although I know there are many who disagree. Funny, when you think about the number of wars that have been based on this idea, this permanent and inevitable quality of all life. We are all born, and we all will one day pass away. Life and Death are absolutely intertwined with one another. But although there is pain and loss, there is also hope.
There is always hope.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Monday, August 1, 2011
Desert
I am a spiritual desert. The Sahara, Death Valley, the Arabian. Void, without water, without food, without nourishment. And the worst part is that I helped myself get here. Singlehandedly. I packed up my hopes into one small seemingly economical car and drove, never checking a map for the nearest rest stop or gas station. Now I'm stranded. It seemed to happen so suddenly, but looking back I see that it was a long time coming. It crept up on me, and a fantastic mirage kept the reality at bay. There is no water here. There is no food. There is no life. I did this to myself.
This spiritual desert I am in began a few months ago. "I'm too busy," I said, "I'll do a devo tomorrow." And I never did. It didn't seem like such a big deal at first, and I didn't realize the spiritual atrophying of my own soul. Until I realize that I am strangely hollow, joyless, angry without a buffer. Church stopped holding meaning, joy, lessons. Oh, sure, we all have our ups and downs, but I'm talking about apathy meets hopelessness. Frustration. I was...and am continuing to destroy myself. A spiritual desert. I never realized what a dichotomy this would turn out to be. I have this insane thirsting for the Lord, a pining desire acute to the point of pain, and yet, an apathy about it, the "I'll get to it tomorrow" feeling that perpetuates this dry barren land. I don't understand how I can feel both at once. That can't be possible. Like the Israelites, I have exiled myself to the desert. There is a beautiful land waiting for me, but I make the choice to stand apart from it, lost and acting unfairly hurt and abandoned. It isn't fair to God for me to reject Him this way. And yet, despite this, He continues to provide for me. How can I continue to exile myself to this lonely place when I know what the other side feels like? How can I continue to thirst for Him but restrain from action?
I believe David knew how I felt. How hard must it have been for him to keep his humility when he had everything the known world had to offer at his fingertips? From the highest of highs, it becomes possible to know the lowest of lows. I think David knew.
"O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water." --Psalm 63:1
Why do I feel this way? Pride? Maybe. Loss of focus? Maybe. Lack of trust. Perhaps. Or maybe a combination of all of those and more. As I peruse the Bible, a chapter pops out at me, painful in all of its convicting truthfulness.
"Surely God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;
I had nearly lost my foothold.
3 For I envied the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 They have no struggles;
their bodies are healthy and strong.[a]
5 They are free from common human burdens;
they are not plagued by human ills.
6 Therefore pride is their necklace;
they clothe themselves with violence.
7 From their callous hearts comes iniquity[b];
their evil imaginations have no limits.
8 They scoff, and speak with malice;
with arrogance they threaten oppression.
9 Their mouths lay claim to heaven,
and their tongues take possession of the earth.
10 Therefore their people turn to them
and drink up waters in abundance.[c]
11 They say, “How would God know?
Does the Most High know anything?”
12 This is what the wicked are like—
always free of care, they go on amassing wealth.
13 Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure
and have washed my hands in innocence.
14 All day long I have been afflicted,
and every morning brings new punishments.
15 If I had spoken out like that,
I would have betrayed your children.
16 When I tried to understand all this,
it troubled me deeply
17 till I entered the sanctuary of God;
then I understood their final destiny.
18 Surely you place them on slippery ground;
you cast them down to ruin.
19 How suddenly are they destroyed,
completely swept away by terrors!
20 They are like a dream when one awakes;
when you arise, Lord,
you will despise them as fantasies.
21 When my heart was grieved
and my spirit embittered,
22 I was senseless and ignorant;
I was a brute beast before you.
23 Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.
27 Those who are far from you will perish;
you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.
28 But as for me, it is good to be near God.
I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge;
I will tell of all your deeds."
--Psalm 73
I am guilty of so many things in that verse. I'm slipping. I'm envious of those who seem to get away with murder and get rewarded in turn. I'm prideful, distrustful, stubborn.
"When my heart was grieved
and my spirit embittered,
I was senseless and ignorant;
I was a brute beast before you."
I am destroying myself in the process of envy. I am clearly not taking hold of any of the promises and blessings the Lord has for me, and I am missing out on the most beautiful things in life. The verse puts it more poetically, but basically I'm being really dumb. I am focusing more on myself, my desires, how I measure up to others than what the Lord wants for my life. We clearly don't see eye to eye at the moment, and it's obvious by how I feel and how I act that I'm definitely on the wrong side of the battle. I understand, but yet just can't seem to comprehend the next few verses.
"Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward will take me into glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever."
I can forsake Him, but He will never forsake me. He knows my thoughts, my fears, my weaknesses, and none of them are original (as seen in Chapter 73). I'm in the desert, but I won't be here for long.
This spiritual desert I am in began a few months ago. "I'm too busy," I said, "I'll do a devo tomorrow." And I never did. It didn't seem like such a big deal at first, and I didn't realize the spiritual atrophying of my own soul. Until I realize that I am strangely hollow, joyless, angry without a buffer. Church stopped holding meaning, joy, lessons. Oh, sure, we all have our ups and downs, but I'm talking about apathy meets hopelessness. Frustration. I was...and am continuing to destroy myself. A spiritual desert. I never realized what a dichotomy this would turn out to be. I have this insane thirsting for the Lord, a pining desire acute to the point of pain, and yet, an apathy about it, the "I'll get to it tomorrow" feeling that perpetuates this dry barren land. I don't understand how I can feel both at once. That can't be possible. Like the Israelites, I have exiled myself to the desert. There is a beautiful land waiting for me, but I make the choice to stand apart from it, lost and acting unfairly hurt and abandoned. It isn't fair to God for me to reject Him this way. And yet, despite this, He continues to provide for me. How can I continue to exile myself to this lonely place when I know what the other side feels like? How can I continue to thirst for Him but restrain from action?
I believe David knew how I felt. How hard must it have been for him to keep his humility when he had everything the known world had to offer at his fingertips? From the highest of highs, it becomes possible to know the lowest of lows. I think David knew.
"O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water." --Psalm 63:1
Why do I feel this way? Pride? Maybe. Loss of focus? Maybe. Lack of trust. Perhaps. Or maybe a combination of all of those and more. As I peruse the Bible, a chapter pops out at me, painful in all of its convicting truthfulness.
"Surely God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;
I had nearly lost my foothold.
3 For I envied the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 They have no struggles;
their bodies are healthy and strong.[a]
5 They are free from common human burdens;
they are not plagued by human ills.
6 Therefore pride is their necklace;
they clothe themselves with violence.
7 From their callous hearts comes iniquity[b];
their evil imaginations have no limits.
8 They scoff, and speak with malice;
with arrogance they threaten oppression.
9 Their mouths lay claim to heaven,
and their tongues take possession of the earth.
10 Therefore their people turn to them
and drink up waters in abundance.[c]
11 They say, “How would God know?
Does the Most High know anything?”
12 This is what the wicked are like—
always free of care, they go on amassing wealth.
13 Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure
and have washed my hands in innocence.
14 All day long I have been afflicted,
and every morning brings new punishments.
15 If I had spoken out like that,
I would have betrayed your children.
16 When I tried to understand all this,
it troubled me deeply
17 till I entered the sanctuary of God;
then I understood their final destiny.
18 Surely you place them on slippery ground;
you cast them down to ruin.
19 How suddenly are they destroyed,
completely swept away by terrors!
20 They are like a dream when one awakes;
when you arise, Lord,
you will despise them as fantasies.
21 When my heart was grieved
and my spirit embittered,
22 I was senseless and ignorant;
I was a brute beast before you.
23 Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.
27 Those who are far from you will perish;
you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.
28 But as for me, it is good to be near God.
I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge;
I will tell of all your deeds."
--Psalm 73
I am guilty of so many things in that verse. I'm slipping. I'm envious of those who seem to get away with murder and get rewarded in turn. I'm prideful, distrustful, stubborn.
"When my heart was grieved
and my spirit embittered,
I was senseless and ignorant;
I was a brute beast before you."
I am destroying myself in the process of envy. I am clearly not taking hold of any of the promises and blessings the Lord has for me, and I am missing out on the most beautiful things in life. The verse puts it more poetically, but basically I'm being really dumb. I am focusing more on myself, my desires, how I measure up to others than what the Lord wants for my life. We clearly don't see eye to eye at the moment, and it's obvious by how I feel and how I act that I'm definitely on the wrong side of the battle. I understand, but yet just can't seem to comprehend the next few verses.
"Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward will take me into glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever."
I can forsake Him, but He will never forsake me. He knows my thoughts, my fears, my weaknesses, and none of them are original (as seen in Chapter 73). I'm in the desert, but I won't be here for long.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Trust in the Lord
By nature, I am not a patient person. I'm quick, I like to be precise, I like to plan, I like to know things way ahead of time. I don't like to wait. And when I say I don't like to wait, that's like the understatement of the century. This is part of my basic nature, and, I think it is part of human nature. We don't like waiting, we don't like the unknown of the future. But then, there is God, who has His own, perfect plan for our lives, a plan which is far superior and surpasses any understanding we ever could have. Often, when we ask for direction from God, we want a yes or no answer, right away (and preferably the answer we want to hear). But that often just isn't the case. Often, the question can't be answered with a simple yes or no. And then there is the "not now" response. That's the one that drives me nuts.
I've heard a quote for many years from many different Christians. It goes something like this, "God will always answer with a yes, a no, or a not now." I think that's true. God doesn't play mind games. He doesn't throw "maybes" at you to see how you will handle a situation. That just isn't how He works. But we can handle a definitive yes or no quite well. It's the "not nows" that really get us.
That's where I'm at right now. There was something I really wanted to do, something I've wanted to do for years, and there was an opportunity for me to fulfill that desire. When I started praying about it back in November/December, God was pretty quick to give me the answer, but I fought it. I think I was waiting for God to suddenly change his mind, like he would all of a sudden say, "Just kidding! I just wanted to test you out and see if you were actually ready or not. Congratulations!" But instead the words I got from God for what I was desperately seeking were, "Not now. Now is not the right time. I know you want it, so much, but not now. I have another plan for you."
To revert back to the dramatic hyperbole of my younger years for a moment...Death to my soul. Not now? Not now? Come on, God! What is that? If it's going to happen regardless why does the time matter? Now is better than later, right? My brain was screaming in not so quiet of a way, "NOT NOW??? WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT TO ME???"
There are many reasons, in His infinite wisdom, most of which I cannot at this moment in time see. And while I don't think this is the key reason, the thing that comes to my mind is Patience. A lesson from all of this is Patience. A lesson from all of this is Trust. Trust in the fact that God has a plan for me, trust that he will take care of me and those I love, trust that He will provide. Both concepts are so difficult for me that they take the appearance of the foreign. Because the fact of the matter is I so often doubt that I will be taken care of, that there is an ultimate plan for my life. I am impatient because I lack trust that God will take care of me, that I will be able to accomplish everything if I don't just do it all myself. Logically, I know that I am so precious to Him, that He has me in His hands, but sometimes my mind plays tricks. It reverts back to the fears and cares of the world. If I don't get it done, who will? If I don't plan this out perfectly, it will never happen.
And then, there are these verses:
"Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.
Then you will win favor and a good name
in the sight of God and man.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
and He will make your paths straight.
Have no fear of sudden disaster
or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked,
for the Lord will be your confidence
and will keep your foot from being snared."
--Proverbs 3:3-6; 25
"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails."
--Proverbs 19:21
How often do I lean on my own, pitiful understanding? Too often. I love the wording, "love and faithfulness...bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart." The tablet of your heart. What poetry, and what a better image of taking the words to their fullest capacity. It doesn't say, "Hey, write these with a pencil, put some ink on parchment, keep this as a reminder." No, the very mention of a tablet brings to mind carving the words upon stone, something permanent, unchangeable, unforgettable. The weight of these words are incalculable. And these, I think are some core concepts that I do want engraved upon me. Let me never forget that the Lord lavishes me with unending, never ceasing faithfulness, that he adores me, loves me, cherishes me. Let me never forget to trust in Him, despite all that happens in life. Let me trust that He will protect me from disaster, that He will guide my steps, that there is a plan that prevails above all of my meager and flawed desires.
"Not now" has to be one of the most difficult concepts to accept. I'm still struggling with it, even though I know that's the way it should be, that I wasn't just imagining things. My trust is in the Lord. My hope is in the Lord. I give my all to Him. I will acknowledge Him, and He will make my paths straight.
I've heard a quote for many years from many different Christians. It goes something like this, "God will always answer with a yes, a no, or a not now." I think that's true. God doesn't play mind games. He doesn't throw "maybes" at you to see how you will handle a situation. That just isn't how He works. But we can handle a definitive yes or no quite well. It's the "not nows" that really get us.
That's where I'm at right now. There was something I really wanted to do, something I've wanted to do for years, and there was an opportunity for me to fulfill that desire. When I started praying about it back in November/December, God was pretty quick to give me the answer, but I fought it. I think I was waiting for God to suddenly change his mind, like he would all of a sudden say, "Just kidding! I just wanted to test you out and see if you were actually ready or not. Congratulations!" But instead the words I got from God for what I was desperately seeking were, "Not now. Now is not the right time. I know you want it, so much, but not now. I have another plan for you."
To revert back to the dramatic hyperbole of my younger years for a moment...Death to my soul. Not now? Not now? Come on, God! What is that? If it's going to happen regardless why does the time matter? Now is better than later, right? My brain was screaming in not so quiet of a way, "NOT NOW??? WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT TO ME???"
There are many reasons, in His infinite wisdom, most of which I cannot at this moment in time see. And while I don't think this is the key reason, the thing that comes to my mind is Patience. A lesson from all of this is Patience. A lesson from all of this is Trust. Trust in the fact that God has a plan for me, trust that he will take care of me and those I love, trust that He will provide. Both concepts are so difficult for me that they take the appearance of the foreign. Because the fact of the matter is I so often doubt that I will be taken care of, that there is an ultimate plan for my life. I am impatient because I lack trust that God will take care of me, that I will be able to accomplish everything if I don't just do it all myself. Logically, I know that I am so precious to Him, that He has me in His hands, but sometimes my mind plays tricks. It reverts back to the fears and cares of the world. If I don't get it done, who will? If I don't plan this out perfectly, it will never happen.
And then, there are these verses:
"Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.
Then you will win favor and a good name
in the sight of God and man.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
and He will make your paths straight.
Have no fear of sudden disaster
or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked,
for the Lord will be your confidence
and will keep your foot from being snared."
--Proverbs 3:3-6; 25
"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails."
--Proverbs 19:21
How often do I lean on my own, pitiful understanding? Too often. I love the wording, "love and faithfulness...bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart." The tablet of your heart. What poetry, and what a better image of taking the words to their fullest capacity. It doesn't say, "Hey, write these with a pencil, put some ink on parchment, keep this as a reminder." No, the very mention of a tablet brings to mind carving the words upon stone, something permanent, unchangeable, unforgettable. The weight of these words are incalculable. And these, I think are some core concepts that I do want engraved upon me. Let me never forget that the Lord lavishes me with unending, never ceasing faithfulness, that he adores me, loves me, cherishes me. Let me never forget to trust in Him, despite all that happens in life. Let me trust that He will protect me from disaster, that He will guide my steps, that there is a plan that prevails above all of my meager and flawed desires.
"Not now" has to be one of the most difficult concepts to accept. I'm still struggling with it, even though I know that's the way it should be, that I wasn't just imagining things. My trust is in the Lord. My hope is in the Lord. I give my all to Him. I will acknowledge Him, and He will make my paths straight.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Rest In You
"Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies ? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." Luke 12: 6-7
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." --Matt 6:25-34
So, I was really stressing out today. You know, that panicky feeling in your chest/throat that kind of feels like a heart palpitation meets asthma meets headache meets stomach ache? And it just kept on getting worse and worse and I was driving to work and suddenly I was just like, "Jesus, you know me. You care. You are going to take care of me and I refuse to doubt your love. You care about the smallest sparrow, so how much more do you care for me? You provide, you will always be there." And then a few verses popped into my head. I am so valuable to God, how can I doubt that He holds a precious place for me in His heart? How can I doubt that He will take care of me? I am worrying so much. I am literally sick with worry, with stress. I don't know how I am going to support myself, because my family can no longer afford to. I don't know, and I am so stressed and so worried. But it has to end. And the moment I had that epiphany, the feeling kind of stopped. It just disappeared the moment I said His name. The panicky feeling was gone, but I'm still worrying. So I got to work and I forced myself to sit in the car in silence for a moment and then declare His love and grace over myself. And it was tough. I'm a worrier. I'm a planner. Not knowing things stresses me out. My life, right now, is stressing me out majorly. But today God just popped his head into my life and kind of said, "Hey, hey, remember me? I'm over here. Um, stop worrying. I'm holding you up. You can't hold yourself up, so stop trying to. Remember how I led Karen to call you out of the blue and offer you a job when, yeah, you needed one, but it wasn't ABSOLUTELY necessary? And now it is? You don't think I've been planning ahead for weeks? For years? For an eternity? Why are you worrying when I've got it all handled?"
And I went, "Well, gee. I don't know." lol. He took away the panicky feeling, but I'm still fighting the worry and the stress and I know it's not just going to fly away in an instant. This is a serious battle I'm going through. The enemy is trying to tell me I'm not good enough, smart enough, will never be able to earn enough to pay the bills. But I know it's a lie. God sees the sparrow. He saw me. He saw this moment before it even happened and he provided something out of the blue that turned from an "Oh yeah!" blessing to an incredible unforseen blessing of an even deeper nature.
And then Matthew 6 just slapped me in the face. "Do not worry. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them....Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?.....O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'.... But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
Oh me of little faith. How can I doubt that He will provide? Has He not done so so far? Is not life more important? Yes, it is. And I have been worrying, I have been stressing, I have been creating problems that might not even happen in the future. I need to take each day as it comes. That doesn't mean throw plans away and say,"God will lead me. I don't have to do anything. He'll do it all for me if I just believe hard enough." Because that's not true. We meet God half way. Tomorrow has its own issues, and I can deal with them then. But the here, the now, it is so precious. And He is taking care of me, whether I realize it or not.
On the way home, a song by Hillsong came on. "Rest in You."
Your faithfullness endures always
Where mountains fall and reason fails
And You calm the raging seas
And You calm the storms in me, again
All I know is I find rest in You
All I know is I find rest in You
My heart will praise throughout the night
Where singing seems a sacrifice
Your grace is all I need
Your grace is all I need
He is faithful, even when my life is crashing down around me. I will find rest in Him. My soul finds rest in Him alone. His grace is all I need. So my goal is to stop worrying, to rest in His grace, to give all that I am, all of my hopes and fears and worries and stress to Him. He is faithful. And His grace is abundant. I will rest in Him.
Amen
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." --Matt 6:25-34
So, I was really stressing out today. You know, that panicky feeling in your chest/throat that kind of feels like a heart palpitation meets asthma meets headache meets stomach ache? And it just kept on getting worse and worse and I was driving to work and suddenly I was just like, "Jesus, you know me. You care. You are going to take care of me and I refuse to doubt your love. You care about the smallest sparrow, so how much more do you care for me? You provide, you will always be there." And then a few verses popped into my head. I am so valuable to God, how can I doubt that He holds a precious place for me in His heart? How can I doubt that He will take care of me? I am worrying so much. I am literally sick with worry, with stress. I don't know how I am going to support myself, because my family can no longer afford to. I don't know, and I am so stressed and so worried. But it has to end. And the moment I had that epiphany, the feeling kind of stopped. It just disappeared the moment I said His name. The panicky feeling was gone, but I'm still worrying. So I got to work and I forced myself to sit in the car in silence for a moment and then declare His love and grace over myself. And it was tough. I'm a worrier. I'm a planner. Not knowing things stresses me out. My life, right now, is stressing me out majorly. But today God just popped his head into my life and kind of said, "Hey, hey, remember me? I'm over here. Um, stop worrying. I'm holding you up. You can't hold yourself up, so stop trying to. Remember how I led Karen to call you out of the blue and offer you a job when, yeah, you needed one, but it wasn't ABSOLUTELY necessary? And now it is? You don't think I've been planning ahead for weeks? For years? For an eternity? Why are you worrying when I've got it all handled?"
And I went, "Well, gee. I don't know." lol. He took away the panicky feeling, but I'm still fighting the worry and the stress and I know it's not just going to fly away in an instant. This is a serious battle I'm going through. The enemy is trying to tell me I'm not good enough, smart enough, will never be able to earn enough to pay the bills. But I know it's a lie. God sees the sparrow. He saw me. He saw this moment before it even happened and he provided something out of the blue that turned from an "Oh yeah!" blessing to an incredible unforseen blessing of an even deeper nature.
And then Matthew 6 just slapped me in the face. "Do not worry. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them....Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?.....O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'.... But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
Oh me of little faith. How can I doubt that He will provide? Has He not done so so far? Is not life more important? Yes, it is. And I have been worrying, I have been stressing, I have been creating problems that might not even happen in the future. I need to take each day as it comes. That doesn't mean throw plans away and say,"God will lead me. I don't have to do anything. He'll do it all for me if I just believe hard enough." Because that's not true. We meet God half way. Tomorrow has its own issues, and I can deal with them then. But the here, the now, it is so precious. And He is taking care of me, whether I realize it or not.
On the way home, a song by Hillsong came on. "Rest in You."
Your faithfullness endures always
Where mountains fall and reason fails
And You calm the raging seas
And You calm the storms in me, again
All I know is I find rest in You
All I know is I find rest in You
My heart will praise throughout the night
Where singing seems a sacrifice
Your grace is all I need
Your grace is all I need
He is faithful, even when my life is crashing down around me. I will find rest in Him. My soul finds rest in Him alone. His grace is all I need. So my goal is to stop worrying, to rest in His grace, to give all that I am, all of my hopes and fears and worries and stress to Him. He is faithful. And His grace is abundant. I will rest in Him.
Amen
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
The Love of Money and Temptation
"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.
But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.
See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is what he promised us—even eternal life.
I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.
And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him."
-- 1 John 2:15-29
"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him."
Sounds familiar, doesn't it? "Money is the root of all evil," sort of thing? Well, to that I say a few things. First of all, the Bible never says that money itself is evil. The verse that people so often misquote is "For the LOVE of money is the root of all evil."
"But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs."
--1 Timothy 6:6-10
This passage from Timothy ties perfectly into the passage from 1 John. I don't believe for a moment that we are not supposed to love people, to place great value upon them. That's not what the author meant when he said we should "not love the world or anything in the world." We are, in fact, instructed to love each other, cherish each other, treat each other in a Christ-like way. Timothy states it pretty plainly though. We were born with nothing, and that's the way we leave the earth. Things don't matter. Wealth ceases to matter. So why do we become so attached to things like wealth and prestige to the point where it becomes the center of our universe, our "god?" It's not money that's the issue, it is "the LOVE of money." When we take our eyes off of God's will for our lives, and allow ourselves to lust over something, we are really digging our own grave. How often have you seen a life destroyed because of greed? I'm not necessarily talking about a riches to rags sort of deal. At least not monetarily. I'm talking about how many times have you seen a father neglect his family because he wants to make more, be promoted more often, get that next big pitch? Where does that leave the family? Poor, that's where. But poor in a very different sense of the word. It's what leads to being "pierced with many griefs."
I admit, I do it in my own life sometimes. How long have I been neglecting my devos because my work "exhausts" me? How often now do I get tired and frustrated because I am losing sight of the prize that awaits me? How often do I fall into that trap of "loving" the things of this world? I know better, I do, but that doesn't mean it's automatically easy to avoid.
It's not that you have to be poor to be righteous, to be a "good Christian." I point out the tons of people in the Bible who were blessed with riches, all of them extremely godly people. But they kept their eyes on the prize, they kept focused on where God wanted to lead their lives. Abraham, Joseph, David, Solomon, Job, the list goes on and on. Wealth isn't a bad thing, but I do think that it's once you begin to be discontent with wherever you are in life that things begin to go astray.
Also, I love how it states that the lustful cravings are "not from the Father." I think that is an important distinction to make. I hear, a lot of the time, "God is tempting me. He's testing me to see if I can handle it." But that simply isn't true.
"When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death."
--James 1:13-15
Also, the other verse I love regarding temptation:
"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."
--1 Corinthians 10:13
Item number one: No temptation, or sin, or worldly "love" you will ever face will be exceptional, something no one has encountered before. It is "common to man."
Item number two: God is awesome. He will never let you be tempted beyond what you can handle. So when you think, "This is too much, God is giving me too much to handle," just think of this verse. God has your back, He will never let you take on more than you can handle. And not only that, but he gives you a way out when you are tempted. Also, God cannot tempt you with evil because that is outside His very nature.
I used to give this analogy to my campers when I was a camp counselor:
Your mom makes a batch of cookies, and it's before dinner and the cookies are for a charity event. She tells you not to eat any of the cookies and then exits the kitchen to attend to other duties. You're standing there, smelling the amazing fresh cookie smell, and you think to yourself, "she won't notice if just one is gone. They smell so flippin good! How can I resist? She made them right now just to tempt me! She knew I'd want one! It's her own fault if I have one. It's only one, after all, right?" And so, you take one, even though you just ate an hour ago.
Now stop. Let's think this over. Your mom didn't make the cookies to tempt you. That's probably the furthest thing on her mind. And you didn't have to eat the cookie. There were a million other things you could have walked away to do. You have homework. Your best friend wants to hang out. The yard needs mowed. Sponge-bob is on. Whatever. There are a million ways out for you to escape the situation. But what did you do instead? You ate the cookie. Were there other things you could have done instead? Yes. Is being tempted by the wonderful fresh cookie smell something no one else in the history of man has ever had to go through? No. It's not. It's so normal, so "common to man" it's practically laughable.
Temptation. It isn't easy, but we have confidence in the Lord's support. And He's the one guy I definitely want on my side.
Last but not least (I got super off topic here with 1 John), the last line which talks about righteousness. Pay close attention. Read it through again. His righteousness is our righteousness. And I wish I had about two more hours to go over this, but I think I'm out of time. Until tomorrow. =)
Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.
But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.
See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is what he promised us—even eternal life.
I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.
And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him."
-- 1 John 2:15-29
"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him."
Sounds familiar, doesn't it? "Money is the root of all evil," sort of thing? Well, to that I say a few things. First of all, the Bible never says that money itself is evil. The verse that people so often misquote is "For the LOVE of money is the root of all evil."
"But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs."
--1 Timothy 6:6-10
This passage from Timothy ties perfectly into the passage from 1 John. I don't believe for a moment that we are not supposed to love people, to place great value upon them. That's not what the author meant when he said we should "not love the world or anything in the world." We are, in fact, instructed to love each other, cherish each other, treat each other in a Christ-like way. Timothy states it pretty plainly though. We were born with nothing, and that's the way we leave the earth. Things don't matter. Wealth ceases to matter. So why do we become so attached to things like wealth and prestige to the point where it becomes the center of our universe, our "god?" It's not money that's the issue, it is "the LOVE of money." When we take our eyes off of God's will for our lives, and allow ourselves to lust over something, we are really digging our own grave. How often have you seen a life destroyed because of greed? I'm not necessarily talking about a riches to rags sort of deal. At least not monetarily. I'm talking about how many times have you seen a father neglect his family because he wants to make more, be promoted more often, get that next big pitch? Where does that leave the family? Poor, that's where. But poor in a very different sense of the word. It's what leads to being "pierced with many griefs."
I admit, I do it in my own life sometimes. How long have I been neglecting my devos because my work "exhausts" me? How often now do I get tired and frustrated because I am losing sight of the prize that awaits me? How often do I fall into that trap of "loving" the things of this world? I know better, I do, but that doesn't mean it's automatically easy to avoid.
It's not that you have to be poor to be righteous, to be a "good Christian." I point out the tons of people in the Bible who were blessed with riches, all of them extremely godly people. But they kept their eyes on the prize, they kept focused on where God wanted to lead their lives. Abraham, Joseph, David, Solomon, Job, the list goes on and on. Wealth isn't a bad thing, but I do think that it's once you begin to be discontent with wherever you are in life that things begin to go astray.
Also, I love how it states that the lustful cravings are "not from the Father." I think that is an important distinction to make. I hear, a lot of the time, "God is tempting me. He's testing me to see if I can handle it." But that simply isn't true.
"When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death."
--James 1:13-15
Also, the other verse I love regarding temptation:
"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."
--1 Corinthians 10:13
Item number one: No temptation, or sin, or worldly "love" you will ever face will be exceptional, something no one has encountered before. It is "common to man."
Item number two: God is awesome. He will never let you be tempted beyond what you can handle. So when you think, "This is too much, God is giving me too much to handle," just think of this verse. God has your back, He will never let you take on more than you can handle. And not only that, but he gives you a way out when you are tempted. Also, God cannot tempt you with evil because that is outside His very nature.
I used to give this analogy to my campers when I was a camp counselor:
Your mom makes a batch of cookies, and it's before dinner and the cookies are for a charity event. She tells you not to eat any of the cookies and then exits the kitchen to attend to other duties. You're standing there, smelling the amazing fresh cookie smell, and you think to yourself, "she won't notice if just one is gone. They smell so flippin good! How can I resist? She made them right now just to tempt me! She knew I'd want one! It's her own fault if I have one. It's only one, after all, right?" And so, you take one, even though you just ate an hour ago.
Now stop. Let's think this over. Your mom didn't make the cookies to tempt you. That's probably the furthest thing on her mind. And you didn't have to eat the cookie. There were a million other things you could have walked away to do. You have homework. Your best friend wants to hang out. The yard needs mowed. Sponge-bob is on. Whatever. There are a million ways out for you to escape the situation. But what did you do instead? You ate the cookie. Were there other things you could have done instead? Yes. Is being tempted by the wonderful fresh cookie smell something no one else in the history of man has ever had to go through? No. It's not. It's so normal, so "common to man" it's practically laughable.
Temptation. It isn't easy, but we have confidence in the Lord's support. And He's the one guy I definitely want on my side.
Last but not least (I got super off topic here with 1 John), the last line which talks about righteousness. Pay close attention. Read it through again. His righteousness is our righteousness. And I wish I had about two more hours to go over this, but I think I'm out of time. Until tomorrow. =)
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Action
I am going to split up the second chapter of 1 John since it is so long and there is so much to say. It's awesome, pretty much. =)
"1My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
3We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. 4The man who says, 'I know him,' but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: 6Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.
7Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. 8Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.
9Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. 10Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. 11But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.
12I write to you, dear children,
because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.
13I write to you, fathers,
because you have known him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
because you have overcome the evil one.
I write to you, dear children,
because you have known the Father.
14I write to you, fathers,
because you have known him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
because you are strong,
and the word of God lives in you,
and you have overcome the evil one."
--1 John 2:1-14
The Great Intercessor. Fancy name, right? I'm sure you've heard it before, in some context, referring to Jesus. We already knew that we were sinners, sinners with no chance at all. 1 John 1 spends some times discussing that. But the very beginning of the second chapter lets that thought flow into it, working towards completion. Sin is inevitable. But, when it happens, we have someone who intercedes for us, who speaks on our behalf. And then the most real, most intense part of that intercession....that he was the "atoning sacrifice," that he took our place, "for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." That is real love right there. That is real compassion. How could you not enter into a relationship with someone who is so selfless? How could you not want to give some of that back in return?
The second thing that stood out to me from this segment: Christianity is about action, not only about theology. It is about living in real time what you claim to believe. 1 John 2:4 says straight out that, "the man who says, 'I know him,' but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him." Or, if you want a better example, "anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him." That's pretty heavy stuff. This isn't only an action fix we have to do, it's an entire attitude and thought overhaul. And I find it important to mention once again, that no, it wont be easy, but his "commands" also aren't a burden. How many people do you know say, "I would never be a Christian. Christians are boring. They can't do anything. They have too many rules." How many times have you thought something like that yourself? These aren't commands to hold us back, to tear us down, to make our lives harder and more challenging just because. These are commands out of love, out of our best interests at heart. But it is how we react to those commands out of love that make the difference. Do you fight it? Whine? Push away? Then of course it will seem to be a burden, it will seem to hold you back. I think that is often the root of why it seems so hard to begin with. There's always that part of your mind that wants to rebel, to throw caution to the wind and just live life your own way.
I'll tell you though, it won't turn out well at all for you. God has an incredible love, a selfless love that gave Himself up as an atoning sacrifice, just so we wouldn't have to suffer. No gain, all pain for Him. And the light is here, and "the truth is seen in him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining."
And the last part...
Have you ever heard of declaring? It's when you speak a truth over someone, to encourage them, to build them up. I may be off on this, when I read the last part of this passage, that's what I am hearing. I have been forgiven, I have overcome the evil one, I know the Father. I am strong. The word of God lives in me. Satan and death have been vanquished. We are able to have these things, and these things can be declared over us when we have Christ. It gives such joy. And what an encouragement! God's love is amazing.
Truly. It is.
"1My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
3We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. 4The man who says, 'I know him,' but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: 6Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.
7Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. 8Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.
9Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. 10Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. 11But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.
12I write to you, dear children,
because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.
13I write to you, fathers,
because you have known him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
because you have overcome the evil one.
I write to you, dear children,
because you have known the Father.
14I write to you, fathers,
because you have known him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
because you are strong,
and the word of God lives in you,
and you have overcome the evil one."
--1 John 2:1-14
The Great Intercessor. Fancy name, right? I'm sure you've heard it before, in some context, referring to Jesus. We already knew that we were sinners, sinners with no chance at all. 1 John 1 spends some times discussing that. But the very beginning of the second chapter lets that thought flow into it, working towards completion. Sin is inevitable. But, when it happens, we have someone who intercedes for us, who speaks on our behalf. And then the most real, most intense part of that intercession....that he was the "atoning sacrifice," that he took our place, "for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." That is real love right there. That is real compassion. How could you not enter into a relationship with someone who is so selfless? How could you not want to give some of that back in return?
The second thing that stood out to me from this segment: Christianity is about action, not only about theology. It is about living in real time what you claim to believe. 1 John 2:4 says straight out that, "the man who says, 'I know him,' but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him." Or, if you want a better example, "anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him." That's pretty heavy stuff. This isn't only an action fix we have to do, it's an entire attitude and thought overhaul. And I find it important to mention once again, that no, it wont be easy, but his "commands" also aren't a burden. How many people do you know say, "I would never be a Christian. Christians are boring. They can't do anything. They have too many rules." How many times have you thought something like that yourself? These aren't commands to hold us back, to tear us down, to make our lives harder and more challenging just because. These are commands out of love, out of our best interests at heart. But it is how we react to those commands out of love that make the difference. Do you fight it? Whine? Push away? Then of course it will seem to be a burden, it will seem to hold you back. I think that is often the root of why it seems so hard to begin with. There's always that part of your mind that wants to rebel, to throw caution to the wind and just live life your own way.
I'll tell you though, it won't turn out well at all for you. God has an incredible love, a selfless love that gave Himself up as an atoning sacrifice, just so we wouldn't have to suffer. No gain, all pain for Him. And the light is here, and "the truth is seen in him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining."
And the last part...
Have you ever heard of declaring? It's when you speak a truth over someone, to encourage them, to build them up. I may be off on this, when I read the last part of this passage, that's what I am hearing. I have been forgiven, I have overcome the evil one, I know the Father. I am strong. The word of God lives in me. Satan and death have been vanquished. We are able to have these things, and these things can be declared over us when we have Christ. It gives such joy. And what an encouragement! God's love is amazing.
Truly. It is.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Walking in the Light
I am reading 1 John. It is so powerful. Seriously, every time I delve into its pages I am just filled with so much thought, so many ideas. It doesn't matter how many times I've read it before, there is so much more to learn.
"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete.
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives."
-- 1 John 1
I don't really know where to begin. So I guess I'll do the usual and jot down points. And then proceed to go off on wild tangents. Bear with me.
1) This is meant to be real. This isn't some high holy lofty theology which was never meant to touch our hearts and souls. The author of 1 John has several points under this. Our faith is real, it can be testified to, and we share it in order to have fellowship. Now, I know someone is saying, "But faith is trust in something that can't be proven, something you can never be truly sure of." I disagree. No, I cannot quantify God, I cannot quantify our faith. I cannot go out to the "field" and find some way to measure numerically faith. But regardless, I still know that my faith is true, that it is spot on. I went through a period of my life where I really doubted it. I was at the point where I was debating the truth of my own existence (philosophy wise--not crazy insane person wise). But now....now I have seen and experienced too much to ever doubt the reality of what lies before me. I have an incredible God, with an incredible truth to offer.
2) I know I say this all the time. But the following passage is one of my favorite verses in the Bible. I have a really hard time with favorites because a) the Bible is just awesome, b) every time you read a passage it says even more to you and c) there is just so much to get out of everything.
"This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives."
--1 John 5-10
That's pretty heavy stuff right there. And, there are some extremely important points in there.
A) God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.
It's a comforting thought, especially in a world where there always seems to be a flip-side to everything. There is no "flip-side" to God. He is light. He is good. He has your sincerest interest at heart. He is love. There is no darkness in God, for he is the pure embodiment of good. Dark cannot mix with light. It simply won't work, which is why in order to walk with Him, we have to choose to walk in the light.
Seems easy. Seems like a simple concept. A "duh" moment. But it really isn't. It's probably one of the tougher things we will ever have to do in life. Making that choice...going against the world to live in the light when it is shrouded in darkness...you become the anomaly in the world that must be struck down and made to conform.
There is more to being a Christian than saying the sinner's prayer. It is more than just words. It is a deeply complex CHOICE. It is only by choosing to "walk in the light" that we can have fellowship with one another, that we can truly be purified from sin. How often have you seen a "Christian" that is into some truly bad habits, heavy drinking, drugs, promiscuity, whatever, and their excuse for it all is that they'll just be forgiven when they need to be, that all they need to do is ask for it? I'm not a theologian, but it looks like Biblically, that statement doesn't fly. Being a Christian, walking in the light is a choice, and a ridiculously difficult one at that. But it isn't impossible. I'm also not saying that we don't make mistakes, that Christians are perfect. That's a complete lie right there. We all make mistakes. It happens. We're human. But making them consciously and just expecting to be forgiven is the wrong way to treat an incredible gift, and a way that probably doesn't work in the end. After all, sometimes I think we can be our own worst enemy.
B) I kind of mentioned it above, under the "Christians aren't perfect," but I thought I should say that again. No one is perfect. We all make mistakes. And, more importantly, we all sin. Have you ever met a Christian who says they're perfect, blameless, without any past, present or future sin? It seems crazy, but I have. But the next verse really proves my next point in a more perfect way than I ever could. "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves, and the word is not in us...If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives."
If we are perfect, than why do we need Jesus? If we can be perfect than what place does he have in our lives? The answer: If we are perfect, he doesn't belong. And there would have been no point to his life, no point to sacrificing himself for us, laying down His life for us. But we have sinned, and He did how His incredible love for us by laying down his life. We have sinned, all of us, and we "all fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23)." It was incredible love that created a bridge for us to be able to join in fellowship with God. When we admit our sins, when we choose to walk in the light, "he is faithful and just." He purifies, He gives us our crown of righteousness, he forgives. But it is a choice, to walk in the light. It is a choice to freely come forward and commit your life to something more challenging than anything you have ever faced before. It isn't easy. But the return is so worth it.
"We write this to make our joy complete."
My joy is not found here, it is found in the eternal, and it pours out here on earth. In Him my joy is complete. In Him, my joy is found.
"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete.
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives."
-- 1 John 1
I don't really know where to begin. So I guess I'll do the usual and jot down points. And then proceed to go off on wild tangents. Bear with me.
1) This is meant to be real. This isn't some high holy lofty theology which was never meant to touch our hearts and souls. The author of 1 John has several points under this. Our faith is real, it can be testified to, and we share it in order to have fellowship. Now, I know someone is saying, "But faith is trust in something that can't be proven, something you can never be truly sure of." I disagree. No, I cannot quantify God, I cannot quantify our faith. I cannot go out to the "field" and find some way to measure numerically faith. But regardless, I still know that my faith is true, that it is spot on. I went through a period of my life where I really doubted it. I was at the point where I was debating the truth of my own existence (philosophy wise--not crazy insane person wise). But now....now I have seen and experienced too much to ever doubt the reality of what lies before me. I have an incredible God, with an incredible truth to offer.
2) I know I say this all the time. But the following passage is one of my favorite verses in the Bible. I have a really hard time with favorites because a) the Bible is just awesome, b) every time you read a passage it says even more to you and c) there is just so much to get out of everything.
"This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives."
--1 John 5-10
That's pretty heavy stuff right there. And, there are some extremely important points in there.
A) God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.
It's a comforting thought, especially in a world where there always seems to be a flip-side to everything. There is no "flip-side" to God. He is light. He is good. He has your sincerest interest at heart. He is love. There is no darkness in God, for he is the pure embodiment of good. Dark cannot mix with light. It simply won't work, which is why in order to walk with Him, we have to choose to walk in the light.
Seems easy. Seems like a simple concept. A "duh" moment. But it really isn't. It's probably one of the tougher things we will ever have to do in life. Making that choice...going against the world to live in the light when it is shrouded in darkness...you become the anomaly in the world that must be struck down and made to conform.
There is more to being a Christian than saying the sinner's prayer. It is more than just words. It is a deeply complex CHOICE. It is only by choosing to "walk in the light" that we can have fellowship with one another, that we can truly be purified from sin. How often have you seen a "Christian" that is into some truly bad habits, heavy drinking, drugs, promiscuity, whatever, and their excuse for it all is that they'll just be forgiven when they need to be, that all they need to do is ask for it? I'm not a theologian, but it looks like Biblically, that statement doesn't fly. Being a Christian, walking in the light is a choice, and a ridiculously difficult one at that. But it isn't impossible. I'm also not saying that we don't make mistakes, that Christians are perfect. That's a complete lie right there. We all make mistakes. It happens. We're human. But making them consciously and just expecting to be forgiven is the wrong way to treat an incredible gift, and a way that probably doesn't work in the end. After all, sometimes I think we can be our own worst enemy.
B) I kind of mentioned it above, under the "Christians aren't perfect," but I thought I should say that again. No one is perfect. We all make mistakes. And, more importantly, we all sin. Have you ever met a Christian who says they're perfect, blameless, without any past, present or future sin? It seems crazy, but I have. But the next verse really proves my next point in a more perfect way than I ever could. "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves, and the word is not in us...If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives."
If we are perfect, than why do we need Jesus? If we can be perfect than what place does he have in our lives? The answer: If we are perfect, he doesn't belong. And there would have been no point to his life, no point to sacrificing himself for us, laying down His life for us. But we have sinned, and He did how His incredible love for us by laying down his life. We have sinned, all of us, and we "all fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23)." It was incredible love that created a bridge for us to be able to join in fellowship with God. When we admit our sins, when we choose to walk in the light, "he is faithful and just." He purifies, He gives us our crown of righteousness, he forgives. But it is a choice, to walk in the light. It is a choice to freely come forward and commit your life to something more challenging than anything you have ever faced before. It isn't easy. But the return is so worth it.
"We write this to make our joy complete."
My joy is not found here, it is found in the eternal, and it pours out here on earth. In Him my joy is complete. In Him, my joy is found.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Love Pt. Two
Before we get on the subject of tonight's devo... I was thinking...
I've had a lot of people tell me that they don't know how to read the Bible on their own, that they don't know how to do a devo. I think this is a shame. Because your own personal faith can't be built up unless you are spending time in the word. Going to church isn't enough, just going to Bible study isn't enough, just hanging out with "other Christians" isn't enough. Sure those things are important, but we are told to hold the word in our hearts, to let it be inscribed as though on stone. But what of those who don't know how to begin?
My mini "How To" ideas:
My devo format has morphed over the years but one format I stuck with a long time was this:
I would read a chapter a day from a book then write down a quick summary of what I had read to recap it. After the summary I would pick a verse or two or more and write them down. Sometimes I would write why I had chosen them. You'd be surprised how many different ways you can view the same verse. Finally I would write down "Questions" (Ex. from 2 Corinthians 3; "Am I an example of Christ's 'letter' to the world, or is there something that I need to asses and change in my life? How can I further show that I am a letter from Christ?") Questions can be theological, they can be practical, they can be anything you want to be as long as they challenge you. On the back of the paper I would write down my prayer. It's been interesting to go back and read my Questions and Prayers especially. I wish now that I had been better with writing down why I had chosen the verses.
But anyways...
Don't know where all of that came from.
Onto the real purpose of tonight.
LOVE
Did you think about it? I did. I always do, really.
And just to clarify, we're not talking about Romantic Love tonight. We are talking about something so much deeper than that it's difficult to even comprehend. Romantic love is a very human emotion, and, since it is a very human emotion, it is able to become trapped in human pitfalls. I'm not talking about that feel good love, although I'm not dissing romantic love. It can be wonderful. But why do you think so many couples fail in their relationships? Is it because they have a lack of romantic love? Certainly, it's a proven fact that the "honeymoon stage" will end within 3-5 years, and often even sooner, but what is left after that? What kind of love do you exhibit to your loved ones, your friends, your family, or even to strangers? Why is this concept called "Love" so important?
Maybe we should begin with the basics...
Exhibit A) What is love???
1 Corinthians 13:4-8a Bear with me. I know you've heard this verse a million times. Remember...empty cup.
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."
Read it again. I mean really read it. Does this sound like the type of love you show everyone each day?
"It is not self seeking." I think that pretty much sums it up. But how much of our so called love is actually self seeking upon better analysis?
Exhibit B) There is a type of love that encompasses 1 Corinthians 13. This type of love is called AGAPE.
Agape is a powerful love, a selfless love, the deepest type of love, the love that God has for us and that we are expected to show to each other as well. Agape love is a love that loves without expecting anything in return, a love without preconditions or post conditions, a love that loves for the sake of loving and bestowing value upon a person. Agape was exemplified by Christ dying for us. Check out 1 John 4:7-12. By the way, I think that's going to be my next book I go through.
Heads up.
Am I an example of Agape love in my day to day life, or is my love something a little more conditional, a little more selfish? How do I show that the Love I am giving is in fact a part of this complex concept of Agape love and not something that is selfish, self serving? I want to love like God says I should. I want to see the world through His eyes. I don't want to see it through my own. I want to love like He loves us. I want to treat each person as though they are a precious gift, worthy of all love.
So often I fall short of that. But that doesn't mean I have to stop trying.
Whoever you are, wherever you are. I love you. And I am keeping you in my prayers.
Goodnight.
I've had a lot of people tell me that they don't know how to read the Bible on their own, that they don't know how to do a devo. I think this is a shame. Because your own personal faith can't be built up unless you are spending time in the word. Going to church isn't enough, just going to Bible study isn't enough, just hanging out with "other Christians" isn't enough. Sure those things are important, but we are told to hold the word in our hearts, to let it be inscribed as though on stone. But what of those who don't know how to begin?
My mini "How To" ideas:
My devo format has morphed over the years but one format I stuck with a long time was this:
I would read a chapter a day from a book then write down a quick summary of what I had read to recap it. After the summary I would pick a verse or two or more and write them down. Sometimes I would write why I had chosen them. You'd be surprised how many different ways you can view the same verse. Finally I would write down "Questions" (Ex. from 2 Corinthians 3; "Am I an example of Christ's 'letter' to the world, or is there something that I need to asses and change in my life? How can I further show that I am a letter from Christ?") Questions can be theological, they can be practical, they can be anything you want to be as long as they challenge you. On the back of the paper I would write down my prayer. It's been interesting to go back and read my Questions and Prayers especially. I wish now that I had been better with writing down why I had chosen the verses.
But anyways...
Don't know where all of that came from.
Onto the real purpose of tonight.
LOVE
Did you think about it? I did. I always do, really.
And just to clarify, we're not talking about Romantic Love tonight. We are talking about something so much deeper than that it's difficult to even comprehend. Romantic love is a very human emotion, and, since it is a very human emotion, it is able to become trapped in human pitfalls. I'm not talking about that feel good love, although I'm not dissing romantic love. It can be wonderful. But why do you think so many couples fail in their relationships? Is it because they have a lack of romantic love? Certainly, it's a proven fact that the "honeymoon stage" will end within 3-5 years, and often even sooner, but what is left after that? What kind of love do you exhibit to your loved ones, your friends, your family, or even to strangers? Why is this concept called "Love" so important?
Maybe we should begin with the basics...
Exhibit A) What is love???
1 Corinthians 13:4-8a Bear with me. I know you've heard this verse a million times. Remember...empty cup.
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."
Read it again. I mean really read it. Does this sound like the type of love you show everyone each day?
"It is not self seeking." I think that pretty much sums it up. But how much of our so called love is actually self seeking upon better analysis?
Exhibit B) There is a type of love that encompasses 1 Corinthians 13. This type of love is called AGAPE.
Agape is a powerful love, a selfless love, the deepest type of love, the love that God has for us and that we are expected to show to each other as well. Agape love is a love that loves without expecting anything in return, a love without preconditions or post conditions, a love that loves for the sake of loving and bestowing value upon a person. Agape was exemplified by Christ dying for us. Check out 1 John 4:7-12. By the way, I think that's going to be my next book I go through.
Heads up.
Am I an example of Agape love in my day to day life, or is my love something a little more conditional, a little more selfish? How do I show that the Love I am giving is in fact a part of this complex concept of Agape love and not something that is selfish, self serving? I want to love like God says I should. I want to see the world through His eyes. I don't want to see it through my own. I want to love like He loves us. I want to treat each person as though they are a precious gift, worthy of all love.
So often I fall short of that. But that doesn't mean I have to stop trying.
Whoever you are, wherever you are. I love you. And I am keeping you in my prayers.
Goodnight.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Love Pt. One
There is a lot I want to say. There is a lot I want to do. But here is what I am starting with tonight, what I am asking you to do.
I am asking you to ask yourself what you think LOVE is. I want you to analyze it, define it, break it down in every way you think possible. There is a concept that my teacher taught us in our humanities class. He told us, in everything we read, to view it with "an empty cup," to come to it with no preconditions or preconceived notions. It was so we could view the work we were reading as unbiased, so we could take everything we could from it. We even read the book of John, and getting rid of "preconceived notions" was perhaps the hardest thing I have ever had to do in the context of reading. But I learned so much from it. My biases, my previous thoughts had actually blocked me from getting everything I could from it.
So tonight, I want to break down LOVE, that elusive term, I want to see how I define it, and then I want to come and exam that principle biblically, with an "empty cup." So many people say, "Christians are so narrow minded, they don't love anyone who doesn't believe just what they believe." And even some Christians become confused, "If they don't follow what I do, I must not have to love them." But what does the Bible say? What are we supposed to follow? What does LOVE mean?
And in the words of Pilate,
"What is truth?"
Goodnight all. You are in my prayers.
I am asking you to ask yourself what you think LOVE is. I want you to analyze it, define it, break it down in every way you think possible. There is a concept that my teacher taught us in our humanities class. He told us, in everything we read, to view it with "an empty cup," to come to it with no preconditions or preconceived notions. It was so we could view the work we were reading as unbiased, so we could take everything we could from it. We even read the book of John, and getting rid of "preconceived notions" was perhaps the hardest thing I have ever had to do in the context of reading. But I learned so much from it. My biases, my previous thoughts had actually blocked me from getting everything I could from it.
So tonight, I want to break down LOVE, that elusive term, I want to see how I define it, and then I want to come and exam that principle biblically, with an "empty cup." So many people say, "Christians are so narrow minded, they don't love anyone who doesn't believe just what they believe." And even some Christians become confused, "If they don't follow what I do, I must not have to love them." But what does the Bible say? What are we supposed to follow? What does LOVE mean?
And in the words of Pilate,
"What is truth?"
Goodnight all. You are in my prayers.
Friday, April 30, 2010
The Poverty Mentality
First of all I want to apologize. I haven't been quite as good with these as I should have been. Sometimes I get home late after work, and I do my devo but have no more energy left to post something. But that isn't fair.
Secondly, God is good. I'm not chanting that in a churchy, holier than thou art way. I mean it. God is so good. He has blessed me with so much in life, and over the past few days, he's just been showing me how much he has given me, how much I am blessed with, and also how much he cares for everyone on this earth. God is always there, and He will always be there for you, He is reaching out to you, but often He is just waiting for you to reach back out to him.
Lately, Trevor's church has been speaking on the topic of Living as Royalty. That concept could take years to expand on. It's already taking a pastor weeks. And I'm not a pastor. But every week there is the same words that are repeated over and over. And those are the words that we often live with a "poverty" mentality, and not with a mentality for big kingdom living, and not one where we are already blessed and already have what we need. We focus so much on the so called "lack" in our lives that it leaves us unsatisfied and actually unable to claim the things that could be ours. I'm not saying you can speak over the lottery, "In the name of God, I speak over you that you shall be mine!" This goes way deeper than that. This blows that selfish concept away.
But after I began to hear it week after week, this assertion that a "poverty" mentality hinders our relationships with others, and with God, I began to actually notice it for the first time. I began to see it in my own life, and I began to see it in the lives of people I love. Perhaps it was almost easier to see with them, because of the very things they talked about and the lack of hope they exhibited. Perhaps it would be even stronger if I could videotape myself for a day, and see how I really talk and act. But, the thing is, I have realized that I don't have to live in a state of lack, in a state of "poverty," because I am blessed with so much more than that. It's up to me to take up that mantle of "royalty" and live like a child of God. And, to once again clarify, this doesn't mean that life will be peachy, that nothing will ever go wrong, that you will never be uncomfortable, that you will suddenly possess wealth beyond all imagining. This is an attitude adjustment, and one that I so often need. How often do I fall into the trap of the "poverty mentality?" Way too often.
I'm not sure where all of that came from. I came here tonight to discuss the verse from Jeremiah. I guess I can do that as well. =)
"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,'"
--Jeremiah 29:11-14a
I think that is such a powerful verse. It is a verse full of hope, one that sustains us in times of good grace and in times of hardship. Have you ever felt like God was specifically trying to harm you, that He somehow had it in for you? I know I have. But this verse paints a very different picture. God knows the plans for our lives, and His plans are to prosper and NOT to harm us. God is just as concerned with the sparrow as He is with us, He loves us all, and we are all beautiful to Him. His plans would never be to harm us, to bring us down. He has the greatest desire to see us strive and succeed. We are loved. We will succeed. We will prosper. And that is living with a royalty mentality, and not a poverty mentality which tells us we must always struggle in life. We already have the ability to succeed. We are already loved.
And I guess this ties in after all. God says when we call, He listens. When we seek with our whole heart, He will be found by us. This isn't a God who gets "too busy" to deal with us. This isn't a God who falls asleep and forgets to make Himself available. This is a God who will give Himself to us wholly, lovingly. All we have to do is seek Him out as He reaches to us and take His hand as we look for Him with our whole heart.
Tonight, I am thinking of living with a royalty mentality, and not a poverty mentality. And I am thinking of the blessings in my life, the beautiful things and people in my life, the fresh air, the house I live in, my dear friends and family. I am thinking of seeking the Lord, and meditating on what exactly that means. I am seeking Him.
And in seeking Him, I will suddenly find that He too has been seeking me all along.
God is good.
Secondly, God is good. I'm not chanting that in a churchy, holier than thou art way. I mean it. God is so good. He has blessed me with so much in life, and over the past few days, he's just been showing me how much he has given me, how much I am blessed with, and also how much he cares for everyone on this earth. God is always there, and He will always be there for you, He is reaching out to you, but often He is just waiting for you to reach back out to him.
Lately, Trevor's church has been speaking on the topic of Living as Royalty. That concept could take years to expand on. It's already taking a pastor weeks. And I'm not a pastor. But every week there is the same words that are repeated over and over. And those are the words that we often live with a "poverty" mentality, and not with a mentality for big kingdom living, and not one where we are already blessed and already have what we need. We focus so much on the so called "lack" in our lives that it leaves us unsatisfied and actually unable to claim the things that could be ours. I'm not saying you can speak over the lottery, "In the name of God, I speak over you that you shall be mine!" This goes way deeper than that. This blows that selfish concept away.
But after I began to hear it week after week, this assertion that a "poverty" mentality hinders our relationships with others, and with God, I began to actually notice it for the first time. I began to see it in my own life, and I began to see it in the lives of people I love. Perhaps it was almost easier to see with them, because of the very things they talked about and the lack of hope they exhibited. Perhaps it would be even stronger if I could videotape myself for a day, and see how I really talk and act. But, the thing is, I have realized that I don't have to live in a state of lack, in a state of "poverty," because I am blessed with so much more than that. It's up to me to take up that mantle of "royalty" and live like a child of God. And, to once again clarify, this doesn't mean that life will be peachy, that nothing will ever go wrong, that you will never be uncomfortable, that you will suddenly possess wealth beyond all imagining. This is an attitude adjustment, and one that I so often need. How often do I fall into the trap of the "poverty mentality?" Way too often.
I'm not sure where all of that came from. I came here tonight to discuss the verse from Jeremiah. I guess I can do that as well. =)
"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,'"
--Jeremiah 29:11-14a
I think that is such a powerful verse. It is a verse full of hope, one that sustains us in times of good grace and in times of hardship. Have you ever felt like God was specifically trying to harm you, that He somehow had it in for you? I know I have. But this verse paints a very different picture. God knows the plans for our lives, and His plans are to prosper and NOT to harm us. God is just as concerned with the sparrow as He is with us, He loves us all, and we are all beautiful to Him. His plans would never be to harm us, to bring us down. He has the greatest desire to see us strive and succeed. We are loved. We will succeed. We will prosper. And that is living with a royalty mentality, and not a poverty mentality which tells us we must always struggle in life. We already have the ability to succeed. We are already loved.
And I guess this ties in after all. God says when we call, He listens. When we seek with our whole heart, He will be found by us. This isn't a God who gets "too busy" to deal with us. This isn't a God who falls asleep and forgets to make Himself available. This is a God who will give Himself to us wholly, lovingly. All we have to do is seek Him out as He reaches to us and take His hand as we look for Him with our whole heart.
Tonight, I am thinking of living with a royalty mentality, and not a poverty mentality. And I am thinking of the blessings in my life, the beautiful things and people in my life, the fresh air, the house I live in, my dear friends and family. I am thinking of seeking the Lord, and meditating on what exactly that means. I am seeking Him.
And in seeking Him, I will suddenly find that He too has been seeking me all along.
God is good.
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