Thursday, September 17, 2015
Monday, September 14, 2015
connect the dots - God's purpose, plan, will and call in your life
God’s promise and purpose for your life
Connect the dots
Week 1
Take home questions
1. What desires and
intentions do you have for your life?
2. Read Genesis 37, 39-45. Think about Joseph’s dreams and how they came
to pass.
· Do you think his dreams came to pass when and how he
expected them to?
· What do you think God accomplished in Joseph by
delaying the fulfillment of Joseph’s dreams?
· What do you think God has accomplished in you by
delaying the fulfillment of your dreams?
3. Read the following excerpt from an article
written in Guidepost magazine by Catherine Marshall:
Like most people, when I first began active
experimentation with prayer, I was full of questions, such as: Why are some
agonizingly sincere prayers granted, while others are not? I still have
questions. Mysteries about prayer are always ahead of present knowledge—luring,
beckoning on to further experimentation.
But one thing I do know; I learned it through hard
experience. It’s a way of prayer that has resulted consistently in a glorious
answer, glorious because each time, power beyond human reckoning has been
released. This is the Prayer of Relinquishment.
I got my first glimpse of it in the fall of 1943. I had
been ill for six months with a lung infection, and a bevy of specialists seemed
unable to help. Persistent prayer, using all the faith I could muster, had
resulted in—nothing. I was still in bed full-time.
One afternoon I read the story of a missionary who had
been an invalid for eight years. Constantly she had prayed that God would make
her well, so that she might do his work. Finally, worn out with futile
petition, she prayed, All right. I give up. If you want me to be an
invalid, that’s your business. Anyway, I want you even more than I want health.
You decide. In
two weeks the woman was out of bed, completely well.
This made no sense, yet the story would not leave me. On
the morning of September 14—how can I ever forget the date?—I came to the same
point of abject acceptance. I’m tired of asking, was the burden of my prayer.I’m beaten. God, you decide what you want for me. Tears flowed. I had no faith as
I understood faith, expected nothing. The gift of my sick self was made with no
trace of graciousness.
And the result? It was as if I had touched a button that
opened windows in heaven; as if some dynamo of heavenly power began flowing.
Within a few hours I had experienced the presence of the Living Christ in a way
that wiped away doubt and revolutionized my life. From that moment my recovery
began.
Through this incident, God was trying to teach me
something important about prayer. Gradually, I saw that a demanding spirit,
with self-will as its rudder, blocks prayer. I understood that the reason for
this is that God absolutely refuses to violate our free will; that, therefore,
unless self-will is voluntarily given up, even God cannot move to answer
prayer.
· What does this speak to you
regarding God answering your prayer about your plans for your future?
4. What is motivating
your dreams for the future?
5. Do you have any dreams
you need to surrender to God?
6. Have you
unintentionally put finding your purpose ahead of pursuing your relationship
with God?
7. What does Jeremiah
29:11 speak to you personally?
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Ability Awareness
Last week a friend of mine invited me to hear a couple of people speaking at the local university. They were focusing attention on the issues that people with disabilities face. Both speakers were born with birth defects. They described the kind of obstacles that might have caused them to be bitter, filled with self pity and anger. I can't say that I wouldn't have responded that way. But these two men, rather than focusing on their disabilities, saw the abilities that God gave them. The ability for one to play baseball, the other football. Both men played college ball, one played professionally for four years. Neither allowed his disability to handicap him. In fact, it seemed that his disability made each of them more aware of his abilities than he might have been otherwise.
As one of the speakers said, we are all born with handicaps. His was visible. Not all impairments can be seen. Sometimes the biggest handicaps people face aren't physical. They are the handicaps of fear, doubt, distrust, rejection, hopelessness, and despair. How do we overcome those handicaps and keep them from robbing us from achieving what God has planned for us?
Do we overcome by focusing on our limitations and our disabilities? Or do we overcome by focusing on our strengths and our abilities? I am inclined to believe that you get more of what you focus on. The best way to grow your fear (or insecurity, or hurt, or whatever is holding you back) is to focus on it. When you do that, it is like you feed it with the attention you give to it. Or, you can choose to starve it by focusing on God, the abilities that He has placed within you, and the power and strength that is yours in Him.
What is your disability? Recognize it for what it is. Then turn your attention to your abilities. I empathize with those with disabilities and support efforts to raise awareness of their struggles. But maybe it would also be helpful for us all to set aside our own Ability Awareness Week. To focus on the potential within us, both through what we are born with along with what the Holy Spirit gives to us. Concentrate on God's strength and abilities that He has placed within you to help you overcome whatever threatens to disable you from achieving your goals and dreams.
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. -- Philippians 4:13.
For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. -- 1 John 5:4
As one of the speakers said, we are all born with handicaps. His was visible. Not all impairments can be seen. Sometimes the biggest handicaps people face aren't physical. They are the handicaps of fear, doubt, distrust, rejection, hopelessness, and despair. How do we overcome those handicaps and keep them from robbing us from achieving what God has planned for us?
Do we overcome by focusing on our limitations and our disabilities? Or do we overcome by focusing on our strengths and our abilities? I am inclined to believe that you get more of what you focus on. The best way to grow your fear (or insecurity, or hurt, or whatever is holding you back) is to focus on it. When you do that, it is like you feed it with the attention you give to it. Or, you can choose to starve it by focusing on God, the abilities that He has placed within you, and the power and strength that is yours in Him.
What is your disability? Recognize it for what it is. Then turn your attention to your abilities. I empathize with those with disabilities and support efforts to raise awareness of their struggles. But maybe it would also be helpful for us all to set aside our own Ability Awareness Week. To focus on the potential within us, both through what we are born with along with what the Holy Spirit gives to us. Concentrate on God's strength and abilities that He has placed within you to help you overcome whatever threatens to disable you from achieving your goals and dreams.
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. -- Philippians 4:13.
For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. -- 1 John 5:4
Friday, October 19, 2012
Today is the Day
Today is the Day. For what? I don't know yet. I know what is on my schedule. My haircut at 11:30. My class at 7:00. What I need to accomplish in between. But regardless of what is on my calendar, God has appointments lined up for me that I don't even know about yet.
I can look back on days past and see chance encounters where I had the opportunity to pour into someone else's life. I also see days where other people ministered to me when they had no idea they that they were impacting me. Those were appointments God had planned from the time I was conceived. Mind boggling, I know. But Psalm 139:16 says: all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
Today is the Day. God has something lined up. He has appointments for me today, too. Maybe they will relate to my haircut and 7:00 class, maybe not. Maybe they will be totally unexpected. But he has given me the hours in this day to unwrap, like a package. Today was part of the birthday present He gave me years ago on the day I was born. Every day is like a package, waiting to be opened. I get to open today, October 19, 2012, today. Tomorrow I get a new package to open. But today, this one is full of surprises, waiting for me to embrace, enjoy, live.
Today is the Day!
This is the day which the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:24)
I can look back on days past and see chance encounters where I had the opportunity to pour into someone else's life. I also see days where other people ministered to me when they had no idea they that they were impacting me. Those were appointments God had planned from the time I was conceived. Mind boggling, I know. But Psalm 139:16 says: all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
Today is the Day. God has something lined up. He has appointments for me today, too. Maybe they will relate to my haircut and 7:00 class, maybe not. Maybe they will be totally unexpected. But he has given me the hours in this day to unwrap, like a package. Today was part of the birthday present He gave me years ago on the day I was born. Every day is like a package, waiting to be opened. I get to open today, October 19, 2012, today. Tomorrow I get a new package to open. But today, this one is full of surprises, waiting for me to embrace, enjoy, live.
Today is the Day!
This is the day which the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:24)
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Welcome to Moe's
"Welcome to Moe's!"
I wanted a little something to eat yesterday afternoon. Not sweet. But I needed something before I went to the grocery store so I wouldn't spend so much money. Moe's was close by, and we settled for some nachos and cheese. It was a gorgeous day, sunny, a little breezy, and I just had to sit outside. It seems a shame to waste days like that sitting indoors if you don't have to. As we enjoyed the fresh air, the breeze was a little more than I expected, and one of the nacho chips blew off the tray. Several small sparrows were waiting to claim the prize. (I suspect they had enjoyed a few chips before.)
The chip was rather large for a small bird, so none of the birds could manage the entire thing. I stood up and stepped on the nacho, breaking it into smaller pieces so the birds could enjoy a snack as well.
Several birds flew toward the broken chip. Some birds would hop toward it, but were frightened of us, and would fly away without getting any of the chip. One bird came and got a piece of chip, and as he hopped away with it, another bird came and stole it from him and flew away. Yet another bird came, and bit the chip, with some little crumbs falling off a little further from us than the original chip was. A bird that had been afraid to get close to us came and ate the crumbs that fell. One bird, however, came right next to us and boldly claimed a rather large piece of chip.
As I watched the birds respond differently, I thought, this was the kind of situation that might have prompted Jesus to tell a parable. An everyday occurrence. Insignificant, but as you watched, you could see the parallel to life. Don't we often respond like those sparrows?
God wants to nourish us -- with His word and His presence. But sometimes we start to draw near, and we are afraid. We are afraid of getting too close. So before we do, we withdraw without receiving what God wants to give to us. Sometimes, we receive it. But very quickly the distractions and heartaches of life come and rob us of the blessing we received from Him. Sometimes, He wants to give us more; but we settle for the crumbs. We let someone else draw close, hear from God, and we just settle for what they share second hand.
But some people are bold. They go right into the presence of their Heavenly Father. They get as close as they can and can't wait for more.
Hebrews 4:16 says: Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God’s unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it].
When we approach God boldly, we are rewarded with so much more than we could ever imagine. Mercy, Grace. Help.
Welcome to God.
I wanted a little something to eat yesterday afternoon. Not sweet. But I needed something before I went to the grocery store so I wouldn't spend so much money. Moe's was close by, and we settled for some nachos and cheese. It was a gorgeous day, sunny, a little breezy, and I just had to sit outside. It seems a shame to waste days like that sitting indoors if you don't have to. As we enjoyed the fresh air, the breeze was a little more than I expected, and one of the nacho chips blew off the tray. Several small sparrows were waiting to claim the prize. (I suspect they had enjoyed a few chips before.)
The chip was rather large for a small bird, so none of the birds could manage the entire thing. I stood up and stepped on the nacho, breaking it into smaller pieces so the birds could enjoy a snack as well.
Several birds flew toward the broken chip. Some birds would hop toward it, but were frightened of us, and would fly away without getting any of the chip. One bird came and got a piece of chip, and as he hopped away with it, another bird came and stole it from him and flew away. Yet another bird came, and bit the chip, with some little crumbs falling off a little further from us than the original chip was. A bird that had been afraid to get close to us came and ate the crumbs that fell. One bird, however, came right next to us and boldly claimed a rather large piece of chip.
As I watched the birds respond differently, I thought, this was the kind of situation that might have prompted Jesus to tell a parable. An everyday occurrence. Insignificant, but as you watched, you could see the parallel to life. Don't we often respond like those sparrows?
God wants to nourish us -- with His word and His presence. But sometimes we start to draw near, and we are afraid. We are afraid of getting too close. So before we do, we withdraw without receiving what God wants to give to us. Sometimes, we receive it. But very quickly the distractions and heartaches of life come and rob us of the blessing we received from Him. Sometimes, He wants to give us more; but we settle for the crumbs. We let someone else draw close, hear from God, and we just settle for what they share second hand.
But some people are bold. They go right into the presence of their Heavenly Father. They get as close as they can and can't wait for more.
Hebrews 4:16 says: Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God’s unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it].
When we approach God boldly, we are rewarded with so much more than we could ever imagine. Mercy, Grace. Help.
Welcome to God.
Monday, October 15, 2012
Chaos
Chaos. That's what it was in the beginning. Remember, back when. Genesis 1:2. "The earth was without form and void. Darkness was upon the face of the deep." God had created. Evil had corrupted. What had been beauty and order and become darkness and confusion.
That's how it seems now. Like there isn't anything in this world that is containing the confusion and madness. Everywhere you look it seems like the world, people's lives, are clouded with darkness. Sadness. Hurt. Despair. We live in a world tainted by the chaos of evil.
Don't think this will be all negative. It won't be. But at this moment, I am overwhelmed by those stories I hear of tragedies happening in the world around me. Stories of people struggling with issues that are beyond comprehension. A 12 year old girl who has battled cancer for the last six months and is facing a life changing surgery today. A young student I met in Atlanta over the weekend who is working three jobs and battling cancer. A 50 year old pastor friend with three children who has lung cancer. I could go on with the cancer theme, but there are other tragedies, too. The wife of the news anchor in Arkansas who is now dealing with the death of her 32 year old husband in a tragic car accident this past week. After reading her blog, I feel like I've met her too.
Then there are the world events -- I won't go into the details, but you feel them too. The unstable political environment, the economic uncertainties, constant news of unrest abroad, changing moral trends.
Chaos. That's what it was in the beginning. Father, it's chaotic now too!! But wait, remember what God does? GOD MAKES ORDER OUT OF CHAOS! God said, "Let there be light . . . ." Father, we need your light in the middle of all this to eliminate the chaos and darkness!
I asked someone this week about what gave them hope. The person couldn't figure out an answer. That may have been one of the worst tragedies I encountered this week. That, and the fact they didn't want to hear about my Hope.
The common link in all of the sad stories I shared, what they all have in common despite the circumstances, is each person is a strong Believer in Jesus Christ and knows that they have an eternal Hope in Him! They know that whatever they are dealing with, it will not win. From the 12 year old to the 50 year old, each person knows that they have a Hope that is secure, that the current darkness will be dispelled by His Light! That He will bring order to the chaos of life!
God promises our chaos is temporary, but our Hope is eternal. The Message Bible, in Philippians 3, shares Paul's message of hope and promise: There are many out there taking other paths, choosing other goals, and trying to get you to go along with them. . . But there’s far more to life for us. We’re citizens of high heaven! We’re waiting the arrival of the Savior, the Master, Jesus Christ, who will transform our earthy bodies into glorious bodies like his own. He’ll make us beautiful and whole with the same powerful skill by which he is putting everything as it should be, under and around him.
One of these days, God is going to transform this world back to the perfect place it was "in the beginning." He is going to bring everything under submission to him! The chaos will end. He will put everything back as it should be, under and around him.
That's how it seems now. Like there isn't anything in this world that is containing the confusion and madness. Everywhere you look it seems like the world, people's lives, are clouded with darkness. Sadness. Hurt. Despair. We live in a world tainted by the chaos of evil.
Don't think this will be all negative. It won't be. But at this moment, I am overwhelmed by those stories I hear of tragedies happening in the world around me. Stories of people struggling with issues that are beyond comprehension. A 12 year old girl who has battled cancer for the last six months and is facing a life changing surgery today. A young student I met in Atlanta over the weekend who is working three jobs and battling cancer. A 50 year old pastor friend with three children who has lung cancer. I could go on with the cancer theme, but there are other tragedies, too. The wife of the news anchor in Arkansas who is now dealing with the death of her 32 year old husband in a tragic car accident this past week. After reading her blog, I feel like I've met her too.
Then there are the world events -- I won't go into the details, but you feel them too. The unstable political environment, the economic uncertainties, constant news of unrest abroad, changing moral trends.
Chaos. That's what it was in the beginning. Father, it's chaotic now too!! But wait, remember what God does? GOD MAKES ORDER OUT OF CHAOS! God said, "Let there be light . . . ." Father, we need your light in the middle of all this to eliminate the chaos and darkness!
I asked someone this week about what gave them hope. The person couldn't figure out an answer. That may have been one of the worst tragedies I encountered this week. That, and the fact they didn't want to hear about my Hope.
The common link in all of the sad stories I shared, what they all have in common despite the circumstances, is each person is a strong Believer in Jesus Christ and knows that they have an eternal Hope in Him! They know that whatever they are dealing with, it will not win. From the 12 year old to the 50 year old, each person knows that they have a Hope that is secure, that the current darkness will be dispelled by His Light! That He will bring order to the chaos of life!
God promises our chaos is temporary, but our Hope is eternal. The Message Bible, in Philippians 3, shares Paul's message of hope and promise: There are many out there taking other paths, choosing other goals, and trying to get you to go along with them. . . But there’s far more to life for us. We’re citizens of high heaven! We’re waiting the arrival of the Savior, the Master, Jesus Christ, who will transform our earthy bodies into glorious bodies like his own. He’ll make us beautiful and whole with the same powerful skill by which he is putting everything as it should be, under and around him.
One of these days, God is going to transform this world back to the perfect place it was "in the beginning." He is going to bring everything under submission to him! The chaos will end. He will put everything back as it should be, under and around him.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Build that Wall
Fifty-two thousand captives had left Persian captivity and returned to Judah. King Cyrus had ordered that anyone who wanted to go should be allowed to leave. Fifty thousand left with Zerubbabel. Two thousand left later with Ezra. Nehemiah had undoubtably had the option to leave when the others did, but he chose to stay.
Nehemiah had a good thing going in the capital at Susa and he knew it. He was the cupbearer. That may sound like he was insignificant, but far from it. Next to the queen, he probably had more access to the king than anyone else. The king trusted him with his life -- literally. Nehemiah managed the meals at the palace. Part of his responsibility was to be sure that everything that the king ate was safe. Attempts to assassinate the king were not uncommon. The threat of poisoned food was real. Nehemiah would put his life on the line each day, testing the food, assuring the king that it was safe for consumption.
Nehemiah was obviously dependable, trustworthy, and responsible. He was a man of integrity and honor. He had strong convictions about doing the right thing. When he heard the news that the wall around Jerusalem was still down, Nehemiah was heartbroken. He was grieved to hear that the city and its people were left without the defense that the wall would provide. He felt a deep sense of urgency that something had to be done, and that he was the one that had to do it.
The wall would be the only thing that would stand between the city and its enemies. The people had to have someone to lead them in building the wall. Nehemiah felt the weight of a need that they had ignored.
After spending time in prayer, Nehemiah took a chance and made a bold request of the king. It was a risky thing to do, but Nehemiah knew that he had to do something. His people were in need.
He took a risk, and the king showed him favor. He gave him permission and provisions to go to Jerusalem and build the wall. Nehemiah was a pioneer mission worker. He led a small construction team that, with the help of the Jews who were already in the city, accomplished more than it would seem possible.
In 52 days, they built a wall 15 feet thick and 4.5 miles long. It is impressive to think how much they accomplished in such a short period of time. It is amazing what can happen when God empowers and equips.
Nehemiah felt compelled to build a wall that would defend the city of Jerusalem and its people. He knew that without the wall, the people were vulnerable and subject to attack. The wall was important to keep them safe from their enemies.
Walls. People build walls to keep some things in and other things out. Walls are important. We have to put walls around those things we think are important.
God continues to call wall builders. He continues to place in people's heart the sense of urgency to respond to others who are needy and vulnerable.
What has God put in your heart? What need pulls at your heartstrings? What concerns come to your mind time and time again during your quiet time? What has come to your attention that you just can't forget about?
Does it seems impossible? Maybe. Building a 4.5 mile long wall that is 15 feet thick in 52 days sounds impossible to me.
So does the possibility of a girl from Brunswick, Georgia, going to Egypt all alone with just $100 to her name and starting an orphanage. But that is what Lillian Trasher did. In 1910, 10 days before she was to be married, Lillian responded to the call to build a wall in Egypt. To build a wall of protection around children who were dying with no one to care for them. She called off her wedding and answered God's call. She left against the wishes of her family to build an orphanage that since it started has housed 25,000 children. Lillian Trasher was a wall builder.
God is still calling people to do what may seem impossible or at least improbable. Is he leading you to give your time? Your money? Your skills? Your gifts? Your prayers?
What wall is God calling you to build?
Nehemiah had a good thing going in the capital at Susa and he knew it. He was the cupbearer. That may sound like he was insignificant, but far from it. Next to the queen, he probably had more access to the king than anyone else. The king trusted him with his life -- literally. Nehemiah managed the meals at the palace. Part of his responsibility was to be sure that everything that the king ate was safe. Attempts to assassinate the king were not uncommon. The threat of poisoned food was real. Nehemiah would put his life on the line each day, testing the food, assuring the king that it was safe for consumption.
Nehemiah was obviously dependable, trustworthy, and responsible. He was a man of integrity and honor. He had strong convictions about doing the right thing. When he heard the news that the wall around Jerusalem was still down, Nehemiah was heartbroken. He was grieved to hear that the city and its people were left without the defense that the wall would provide. He felt a deep sense of urgency that something had to be done, and that he was the one that had to do it.
The wall would be the only thing that would stand between the city and its enemies. The people had to have someone to lead them in building the wall. Nehemiah felt the weight of a need that they had ignored.
After spending time in prayer, Nehemiah took a chance and made a bold request of the king. It was a risky thing to do, but Nehemiah knew that he had to do something. His people were in need.
He took a risk, and the king showed him favor. He gave him permission and provisions to go to Jerusalem and build the wall. Nehemiah was a pioneer mission worker. He led a small construction team that, with the help of the Jews who were already in the city, accomplished more than it would seem possible.
In 52 days, they built a wall 15 feet thick and 4.5 miles long. It is impressive to think how much they accomplished in such a short period of time. It is amazing what can happen when God empowers and equips.
Nehemiah felt compelled to build a wall that would defend the city of Jerusalem and its people. He knew that without the wall, the people were vulnerable and subject to attack. The wall was important to keep them safe from their enemies.
Walls. People build walls to keep some things in and other things out. Walls are important. We have to put walls around those things we think are important.
God continues to call wall builders. He continues to place in people's heart the sense of urgency to respond to others who are needy and vulnerable.
What has God put in your heart? What need pulls at your heartstrings? What concerns come to your mind time and time again during your quiet time? What has come to your attention that you just can't forget about?
Does it seems impossible? Maybe. Building a 4.5 mile long wall that is 15 feet thick in 52 days sounds impossible to me.
So does the possibility of a girl from Brunswick, Georgia, going to Egypt all alone with just $100 to her name and starting an orphanage. But that is what Lillian Trasher did. In 1910, 10 days before she was to be married, Lillian responded to the call to build a wall in Egypt. To build a wall of protection around children who were dying with no one to care for them. She called off her wedding and answered God's call. She left against the wishes of her family to build an orphanage that since it started has housed 25,000 children. Lillian Trasher was a wall builder.
God is still calling people to do what may seem impossible or at least improbable. Is he leading you to give your time? Your money? Your skills? Your gifts? Your prayers?
What wall is God calling you to build?
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Teach Me to Wait
Waiting on God. Who has time to wait on anything or anyone these days? Wait on God? If He wanted us to wait, would He have placed us in a time in history when we get everything now? We want to read a book, we download it. No need to go to the bookstore. We want dinner. We microwave it. Ready in minutes instead of hours. We want information, it is at our fingertips, 24/7.
We want it now. We want it easy. We want it cheap. We want it perfect.
There always seems to be somebody that tells us that's what we can can have. We can have our best life now. We can have a new husband by Friday. WE can lose 10 pounds in 10 days without changing what we eat or exercising.
There is someone who will tell us: we can have what we want, when we want it, the way we want it. It tickles our ears. It sounds good. Too good to be true, maybe?
Ever heard the saying, "If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing well. If it is worth having, it is worth waiting for. If it is worth attaining, it is worth fighting for. If it is worth experiencing, it is worth putting aside time for."
That seems like an outdated way of viewing life. Do we still have to wait, fight, invest our time for things that are important to us? Or are we living in a new age and time when that no longer holds true?
What can we have now? What do we still have to invest our time and effort in? How do we know the difference?
We have one minute devotionals. We say 30 second prayers. Has God adapted to the 21st century way of life? Surely he understands that we are busy. Too busy. We don't have time to wait on Him like people once did.
Waiting on God. Does He make us wait on Him just because He can? Because He wants to make life hard for us? Or does He make us wait on Him because of the change it makes in us?
Could it be that God wants me to wait because when I wait, I take time to look at things that I normally rush past?
Be still and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10). Take a moment and regain a right perspective. Do I forget that He is God? Do I rely on this world and the things it offers and not on the One who created it all?
But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31). When I wait I will gain strength. He renews me when I wait. He prepares me to soar!
Waiting isn't sounding so bad. Not grow tired? That sounds good. Growing stronger sounds pretty good too. Being tired and weak seems to be a way of life. Maybe there is a better way.
Jesus promised power to those who wait. Luke 24:49 "And I myself will send upon you what my Father has promised. But you must wait in the city until the power from above comes down upon you." I need his power. I am certainly aware of my powerlessness.
Waiting isn't a stagnant waste of time. It's a pause in eternity to invite the Almighty into my circumstances. It's allowing the Creator of Time to take time to revive my worn out spirit. Waiting transforms me from overwhelmed and defeated to on top of things and victorious.
Teach me, Lord. Teach me, Lord, to wait.
We want it now. We want it easy. We want it cheap. We want it perfect.
There always seems to be somebody that tells us that's what we can can have. We can have our best life now. We can have a new husband by Friday. WE can lose 10 pounds in 10 days without changing what we eat or exercising.
There is someone who will tell us: we can have what we want, when we want it, the way we want it. It tickles our ears. It sounds good. Too good to be true, maybe?
Ever heard the saying, "If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing well. If it is worth having, it is worth waiting for. If it is worth attaining, it is worth fighting for. If it is worth experiencing, it is worth putting aside time for."
That seems like an outdated way of viewing life. Do we still have to wait, fight, invest our time for things that are important to us? Or are we living in a new age and time when that no longer holds true?
What can we have now? What do we still have to invest our time and effort in? How do we know the difference?
We have one minute devotionals. We say 30 second prayers. Has God adapted to the 21st century way of life? Surely he understands that we are busy. Too busy. We don't have time to wait on Him like people once did.
Waiting on God. Does He make us wait on Him just because He can? Because He wants to make life hard for us? Or does He make us wait on Him because of the change it makes in us?
Could it be that God wants me to wait because when I wait, I take time to look at things that I normally rush past?
Be still and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10). Take a moment and regain a right perspective. Do I forget that He is God? Do I rely on this world and the things it offers and not on the One who created it all?
But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31). When I wait I will gain strength. He renews me when I wait. He prepares me to soar!
Waiting isn't sounding so bad. Not grow tired? That sounds good. Growing stronger sounds pretty good too. Being tired and weak seems to be a way of life. Maybe there is a better way.
Jesus promised power to those who wait. Luke 24:49 "And I myself will send upon you what my Father has promised. But you must wait in the city until the power from above comes down upon you." I need his power. I am certainly aware of my powerlessness.
Waiting isn't a stagnant waste of time. It's a pause in eternity to invite the Almighty into my circumstances. It's allowing the Creator of Time to take time to revive my worn out spirit. Waiting transforms me from overwhelmed and defeated to on top of things and victorious.
Teach me, Lord. Teach me, Lord, to wait.
Monday, May 14, 2012
"What Do You Want Me to Give to You?"
My husband and I had been married six years, were in our late twenties, and desperately wanted children. Nothing happened. Month after month we were disappointed when I didn't become pregnant. I began to accept that the ugly label -- infertile -- applied to me.
Oh, how I remember the comments. People who innocently ask why you don't have any children yet. The ones who tell you to just relax. Others who tell you how they never had that problem. It seemed like people always had something to say. Then there were the women who didn't want children who were having them. It all seemed so unfair!!
Finally, we went to the closest infertility specialist we could find. Her office was a little over two hours away. When we went in, she sat down to talk with us before she examined me. Her first question blew me away.
"What can I do for you?", she asked. HELLO?! This was a reproductive endocrinologist, an infertility specialist! What does she think I am here for? After looking at her, completely surprised by her question, I responded. "You can help us have a baby. Help us find out why we haven't been able to so far."
When she asked what I needed from her, I knew exactly what I wanted. My heart's desire was to have a child. I had been thinking about nothing else and had made the appointment weeks ahead of time, believing that she could help us.
2 Chronicles 1:7 - 10 records that God asked Solomon a similar question: God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” Solomon answered God, “You have shown great kindness to David my father and have made me king in his place. Now, Lord God, let your promise to my father David be confirmed, for you have made me king over a people who are as numerous as the dust of the earth. Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people.... Solomon was bold when he responded to God. He made a big request, and because Solomon's desire honored God, he was given all he asked and more.
God is still asking, "What do you want me to give to you?" Psalm 37:4 says Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. In Mark 11:24 Jesus said, "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. " In John 16:24 Jesus said "Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full."
Are you still seeking God for your heart's desires? Are you still asking for Him to deliver on the promises He made long ago? Are you boldly asking for Him to give you those things that you desire to return to Him to honor him?
While cautioning us about our motives, James states in chapter 4 verse 2: You do not have, because you do not ask God.
What do you want from God? Do you want more of Him? Ask Him. Do you want to have opportunities to be used by Him? Ask Him. Do you want Him to shake your life, your family, your church, with His presence and His power? Ask Him.
Our answer to the infertility specialist's question led to her intervention in our situation. I had hoped she could help. Several months later I became pregnant with our first son. What if I had not told her what I wanted? To think, I could have missed out on the joy of my child!
When God asks the question,"What do you want me to give to you?", He has unlimited resources and total power to give us what we desire. What are you missing out on because you haven't answered His question?
Oh, how I remember the comments. People who innocently ask why you don't have any children yet. The ones who tell you to just relax. Others who tell you how they never had that problem. It seemed like people always had something to say. Then there were the women who didn't want children who were having them. It all seemed so unfair!!
Finally, we went to the closest infertility specialist we could find. Her office was a little over two hours away. When we went in, she sat down to talk with us before she examined me. Her first question blew me away.
"What can I do for you?", she asked. HELLO?! This was a reproductive endocrinologist, an infertility specialist! What does she think I am here for? After looking at her, completely surprised by her question, I responded. "You can help us have a baby. Help us find out why we haven't been able to so far."
When she asked what I needed from her, I knew exactly what I wanted. My heart's desire was to have a child. I had been thinking about nothing else and had made the appointment weeks ahead of time, believing that she could help us.
2 Chronicles 1:7 - 10 records that God asked Solomon a similar question: God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” Solomon answered God, “You have shown great kindness to David my father and have made me king in his place. Now, Lord God, let your promise to my father David be confirmed, for you have made me king over a people who are as numerous as the dust of the earth. Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people.... Solomon was bold when he responded to God. He made a big request, and because Solomon's desire honored God, he was given all he asked and more.
God is still asking, "What do you want me to give to you?" Psalm 37:4 says Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. In Mark 11:24 Jesus said, "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. " In John 16:24 Jesus said "Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full."
Are you still seeking God for your heart's desires? Are you still asking for Him to deliver on the promises He made long ago? Are you boldly asking for Him to give you those things that you desire to return to Him to honor him?
While cautioning us about our motives, James states in chapter 4 verse 2: You do not have, because you do not ask God.
What do you want from God? Do you want more of Him? Ask Him. Do you want to have opportunities to be used by Him? Ask Him. Do you want Him to shake your life, your family, your church, with His presence and His power? Ask Him.
Our answer to the infertility specialist's question led to her intervention in our situation. I had hoped she could help. Several months later I became pregnant with our first son. What if I had not told her what I wanted? To think, I could have missed out on the joy of my child!
When God asks the question,"What do you want me to give to you?", He has unlimited resources and total power to give us what we desire. What are you missing out on because you haven't answered His question?
Monday, May 7, 2012
Money from Jesus
I remember when our oldest son, Drew, graduated from the nursery to the two-year-old Sunday School class. No more toddling around with the babies, crying and grabbing cookies from the other kids. Now it was time to move to a room with a table, where he would sit in a chair, sing songs, listen to a lesson and color. He was finally learning about God, Jesus, the Bible! I could hardly wait to pick him up and see what he thought of his new class.
As I had hoped, he had fun. He was in a familiar place with familiar people, so the transition was easy. I asked him about his "story" and he seemed to be excited. Sunday School was going to be a good experience. As he jabbered about it (after all, he was two), he showed me something that he had gotten that morning: a quarter! Confused, I asked him to explain where the quarter came from. "Money from Jesus", he explained. Money from Jesus? He went on to tell me about the basket they passed around that had money in it. "Money from Jesus!"
I was mortified! It had never dawned on me when I was telling him about his new class that they would be passing an offering basket. My sweet, innocent two-year-old had thought the basket was for him to take money from it! When he went back the next week, he had the quarter he had taken, plus his own "money FOR Jesus"!
Unfortunately, my then two-year-old's misunderstanding becomes the mind frame of many Christians. Many of us continue to live year after year looking for what God can give to us, rather than what we can give to God. We, too, fail to understand that Christianity isn't about what God can do for us, it is about what He has called us to do for Him.
What delight there is in giving to God, to giving ourselves to Him! To fully realize the joy that overflows when we are seeking what we can do for Him, rather than focusing on what He can do for us! The psalmist said: Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4).
What are you seeking? Could you really be satisfied with anything less than the outpouring of the blessing and favor that comes from seeking HIM? As Matthew 6:31-33 says in The Message Bible: What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.
As I had hoped, he had fun. He was in a familiar place with familiar people, so the transition was easy. I asked him about his "story" and he seemed to be excited. Sunday School was going to be a good experience. As he jabbered about it (after all, he was two), he showed me something that he had gotten that morning: a quarter! Confused, I asked him to explain where the quarter came from. "Money from Jesus", he explained. Money from Jesus? He went on to tell me about the basket they passed around that had money in it. "Money from Jesus!"
I was mortified! It had never dawned on me when I was telling him about his new class that they would be passing an offering basket. My sweet, innocent two-year-old had thought the basket was for him to take money from it! When he went back the next week, he had the quarter he had taken, plus his own "money FOR Jesus"!
Unfortunately, my then two-year-old's misunderstanding becomes the mind frame of many Christians. Many of us continue to live year after year looking for what God can give to us, rather than what we can give to God. We, too, fail to understand that Christianity isn't about what God can do for us, it is about what He has called us to do for Him.
What delight there is in giving to God, to giving ourselves to Him! To fully realize the joy that overflows when we are seeking what we can do for Him, rather than focusing on what He can do for us! The psalmist said: Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4).
What are you seeking? Could you really be satisfied with anything less than the outpouring of the blessing and favor that comes from seeking HIM? As Matthew 6:31-33 says in The Message Bible: What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Deceit, Disobedience, Destruction
It's so easy to be deceived. If for just a split second we think that we don't have to do exactly what God said, we can fall into Satan's trap. If we listen to a voice other than God's, we follow a path that leads to destruction. Ask the man of God in 1 Kings 13.
A man of God went to then King Jeroboam and prophesied. He witnessed miracles as amazing as the ones Moses witnessed before Pharoah. How humbled he must have been to be so close to what God was doing.
The man of God had specific instructions: "You must not eat bread or drink water or return by the way you came."--1 Kings 13:10. After witnessing God move, he started out as God instructed, going down a different road.
The man of God was on a complete fast until he returned to Judah. He was hungry and thirsty. God had said no food or water. He was going back a different way, and maybe the way back was even longer. How long before he could eat?
As so often happens, in all our lives, he met temptation. Temptation came in the form, not of a serpent like in the garden, or some obvious sin to be avoided, but as an old prophet.
Satan knew where the man of God was vulnerable. He knew who he would listen to. King Jereboam had urged him to stay and eat. He refused. But an old prophet offering food? The hungry man of God couldn't resist a meal offered by one he believed to be a fellow prophet.
Satan knows how, when, and where to strike. He won't hit us in places where we are sure to avoid the trap he is setting. He hits us where we are vulnerable. He tells us what we want to believe.
The man of God didn't know as he ate that the meal would be his last. I imagine him sitting there, stuffing his face, justifying his disobedience to the almighty God, when the old prophet, used by God, told him of his fate: "You came back and ate bread and drank water in the place where he told you not to eat or drink. Therefore your body will not be buried in the tomb of your fathers."--1 Kings 13:22.
How downcast he must have been when he left that place! And how quickly the Bible records that God dealt with his disobedience: "As he went on his way, a lion met him on the road and killed him, and his body was thrown down on the road"--1 Kings 13:24.
How sad! The man of God had prophesied events that would happen years later and seen God perform mighty miracles! But he didn't follow God's instructions. He started out strong, but he didn't follow through.
The price of disobedience is high!! Remember the choice God game the children of Israel in Deuteronomy 30:15: "See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction." If we are disobedient, we will suffer consequences for not following the directions that God has laid out before us. But if we obey God, He blesses us, and we will be able to say as Paul did in 2 Timothy 4:7 "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."
A man of God went to then King Jeroboam and prophesied. He witnessed miracles as amazing as the ones Moses witnessed before Pharoah. How humbled he must have been to be so close to what God was doing.
The man of God had specific instructions: "You must not eat bread or drink water or return by the way you came."--1 Kings 13:10. After witnessing God move, he started out as God instructed, going down a different road.
The man of God was on a complete fast until he returned to Judah. He was hungry and thirsty. God had said no food or water. He was going back a different way, and maybe the way back was even longer. How long before he could eat?
As so often happens, in all our lives, he met temptation. Temptation came in the form, not of a serpent like in the garden, or some obvious sin to be avoided, but as an old prophet.
Satan knew where the man of God was vulnerable. He knew who he would listen to. King Jereboam had urged him to stay and eat. He refused. But an old prophet offering food? The hungry man of God couldn't resist a meal offered by one he believed to be a fellow prophet.
Satan knows how, when, and where to strike. He won't hit us in places where we are sure to avoid the trap he is setting. He hits us where we are vulnerable. He tells us what we want to believe.
The man of God didn't know as he ate that the meal would be his last. I imagine him sitting there, stuffing his face, justifying his disobedience to the almighty God, when the old prophet, used by God, told him of his fate: "You came back and ate bread and drank water in the place where he told you not to eat or drink. Therefore your body will not be buried in the tomb of your fathers."--1 Kings 13:22.
How downcast he must have been when he left that place! And how quickly the Bible records that God dealt with his disobedience: "As he went on his way, a lion met him on the road and killed him, and his body was thrown down on the road"--1 Kings 13:24.
How sad! The man of God had prophesied events that would happen years later and seen God perform mighty miracles! But he didn't follow God's instructions. He started out strong, but he didn't follow through.
The price of disobedience is high!! Remember the choice God game the children of Israel in Deuteronomy 30:15: "See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction." If we are disobedient, we will suffer consequences for not following the directions that God has laid out before us. But if we obey God, He blesses us, and we will be able to say as Paul did in 2 Timothy 4:7 "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."
Monday, April 2, 2012
Thirsty for God
Lord, I am parched. Thirsty.
I haven't felt well for a couple of weeks. That spring flu/allergy thing going on. Not a big deal, but I still didn't feel like myself for a few days. During that time, I turned my focus to physical preservation and away from spiritual sustenance. The thing about our physical needs is they scream at us to be met. They insist that we respond. I am understanding even more the reason that fasting is such a vital discipline. It gives us the opportunity to bring our bodies, which can be so demanding, to their rightful place in line. Spiritual needs met. Then physical.
We live in a physical world. We tend to identify physical needs that we have and not only meet them but indulge them. We have difficulty bringing our bodies into submission. We can be overwhelmed not only by our physical needs but by our physical desires. We are in tune with the things we see, feel, touch, taste, hear.
I have spent two weeks attending to my physical needs at the expense of my spiritual needs. As I have begun to feel better, I have become aware of my spiritual thirst.
Lord, I am parched. I feel dry. I need your water. I want you; I need you.
David, too, had times that he was driven by self-preservation. God had appointed him king, but David still had struggles. His son, Absalom challenged David and tried to kill him (2 Samuel 15 - 18). It was during that time that David probably wrote Psalm 63: God, you are my God.
I search for you.
I thirst for you
like someone in a dry, empty land
where there is no water.
Imagine the thirst of someone in a desert with no water. Can you get a sense of how your body would ache for water in the scorching heat of the day as your throat was throbbing from being so dry? How you would fight for just a few drops of water to quench your thirst? How the need for water would be the one thing on your mind, driving you each step of the way?
So was David's thirst for God. He was driven as if by the thirst of a man in the desert with nothing to drink. With a thirst that could only be quenched by God. He was obsessive in his search for God who would satisfy the thirsting of his soul.
So I want to be in my search for God! Only He can satisfy this ache in my spirit. I am keenly aware of the need to have Him flow in, through, over me. I don't want just a few drops. I don't want to sip it. I want to gulp the waters of His Spirit. As the psalmist said in Psalm 42: As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When may I come to see God's face?
"Lord, I am thirsty for you. Thirsty for your presence. Thirsty for your guidance. Thirsty for your purpose. Thirsty for your mercies. Thirsty for your grace. Thirsty for your direction. Thirsty for your embrace. Thirsty for your peace. Thirsty for your Word. Thirsty for your Voice. Thirsty for your love."
But may my thirst for Him never be satisfied! May I never get "filled up"!
"Lord, I want always to be seeking more of You. To have You spilling out of me, into the lives of others. May I seek not just to quench my thirst but may I seek to be poured out into a world that desperately needs you."
I haven't felt well for a couple of weeks. That spring flu/allergy thing going on. Not a big deal, but I still didn't feel like myself for a few days. During that time, I turned my focus to physical preservation and away from spiritual sustenance. The thing about our physical needs is they scream at us to be met. They insist that we respond. I am understanding even more the reason that fasting is such a vital discipline. It gives us the opportunity to bring our bodies, which can be so demanding, to their rightful place in line. Spiritual needs met. Then physical.
We live in a physical world. We tend to identify physical needs that we have and not only meet them but indulge them. We have difficulty bringing our bodies into submission. We can be overwhelmed not only by our physical needs but by our physical desires. We are in tune with the things we see, feel, touch, taste, hear.
I have spent two weeks attending to my physical needs at the expense of my spiritual needs. As I have begun to feel better, I have become aware of my spiritual thirst.
Lord, I am parched. I feel dry. I need your water. I want you; I need you.
David, too, had times that he was driven by self-preservation. God had appointed him king, but David still had struggles. His son, Absalom challenged David and tried to kill him (2 Samuel 15 - 18). It was during that time that David probably wrote Psalm 63: God, you are my God.
I search for you.
I thirst for you
like someone in a dry, empty land
where there is no water.
Imagine the thirst of someone in a desert with no water. Can you get a sense of how your body would ache for water in the scorching heat of the day as your throat was throbbing from being so dry? How you would fight for just a few drops of water to quench your thirst? How the need for water would be the one thing on your mind, driving you each step of the way?
So was David's thirst for God. He was driven as if by the thirst of a man in the desert with nothing to drink. With a thirst that could only be quenched by God. He was obsessive in his search for God who would satisfy the thirsting of his soul.
So I want to be in my search for God! Only He can satisfy this ache in my spirit. I am keenly aware of the need to have Him flow in, through, over me. I don't want just a few drops. I don't want to sip it. I want to gulp the waters of His Spirit. As the psalmist said in Psalm 42: As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When may I come to see God's face?
"Lord, I am thirsty for you. Thirsty for your presence. Thirsty for your guidance. Thirsty for your purpose. Thirsty for your mercies. Thirsty for your grace. Thirsty for your direction. Thirsty for your embrace. Thirsty for your peace. Thirsty for your Word. Thirsty for your Voice. Thirsty for your love."
But may my thirst for Him never be satisfied! May I never get "filled up"! "Lord, I want always to be seeking more of You. To have You spilling out of me, into the lives of others. May I seek not just to quench my thirst but may I seek to be poured out into a world that desperately needs you."
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
The Cost of Not Waiting
Ever feel like you were born waiting? Waiting to be seated at restaurants, waiting to order, waiting to get food, waiting for the check. Waiting to check your luggage at the airport, waiting in lines at airport security, waiting to board your plane, waiting for your plane to take off. Waiting to get a doctor's appointment, waiting in the office for the doctor to see you, waiting to get test results after the doctor's appointment.
Practice might make perfect in some things, but waiting isn't one of them. The more we wait, the more irritable we often become. We can't just wait! We need to be doing something! We want to make things happen!
We have attempted to speed up some areas of our lives to compensate for the areas that we can't avoid having to wait in. We cook in microwave ovens that cook foods more quickly. We take advantage of twenty minute workouts that help us exercise more efficiently. We use hot houses and Miracle-Gro to make our plants grow faster.
We don't like to wait.
But sometimes we run into a situation, and God says wait.
That's what happened to Saul. Saul "was an impressive young man without equal among the Israelites" (1 Samuel 9:2). When Israel rejected God as their king and demanded an earthly king, God selected Saul to fill that position.
Some time after he became king, Saul found himself waiting at Gilgal. Jonathan had won a battle against the Philistines, but the Philistine armies had joined together to attack Saul. He apparently had instructions from Samuel to wait for seven days for Samuel to arrive to offer the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings.
Saul's troops began running off. Where was Samuel? Saul waited. The days passed. Four. Five. Six. Seven. The day Samuel was to arrive. What time was he coming?
"Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with fear. He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul's men began to scatter." (1 Samuel 13:7-8).
Saul waited. How much longer was he supposed to hold on? Saul's impatience finally reached its limit. Deciding something needed to be done, he took matters into his own hands.
Saul offered up the burnt offerings himself.
Remember the rules about the burnt offering? The priest was to offer it. No one else, including the king, had authority to do that. No exceptions.
Here is recently appointed King Saul taking on a role only the priest was to fill. Here is King Saul disobeying God. Notice Saul's explanation for his arrogant gesture: "I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering." (13:12). Compelled? Saul had a sense of urgency to ignore what Samuel said and to put himself above God's law? What could have possibly compelled him to do that?
All Saul had to do was wait, but he determined that he couldn't. He decided he didn't have to follow the law. The kingdom was his. He had celebrated with the people who were elated to have him as king. No split decision or opposing parties. Israel wanted a king and they wanted King Saul. But the decision not to wait cost Saul God's favor.
Ironic that what Saul didn't get, his successor King David understood very well. Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. (Psalm 27:14)
We say we would rather do something than nothing. We don't stop to realize that waiting on God is the most important something we can do.
What's the cost of not waiting on God?
It cost Saul his kingdom and eventually his relationship with God.
What might not waiting on God cost us?
Practice might make perfect in some things, but waiting isn't one of them. The more we wait, the more irritable we often become. We can't just wait! We need to be doing something! We want to make things happen!
We have attempted to speed up some areas of our lives to compensate for the areas that we can't avoid having to wait in. We cook in microwave ovens that cook foods more quickly. We take advantage of twenty minute workouts that help us exercise more efficiently. We use hot houses and Miracle-Gro to make our plants grow faster.
We don't like to wait.
But sometimes we run into a situation, and God says wait.
That's what happened to Saul. Saul "was an impressive young man without equal among the Israelites" (1 Samuel 9:2). When Israel rejected God as their king and demanded an earthly king, God selected Saul to fill that position.
Some time after he became king, Saul found himself waiting at Gilgal. Jonathan had won a battle against the Philistines, but the Philistine armies had joined together to attack Saul. He apparently had instructions from Samuel to wait for seven days for Samuel to arrive to offer the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings.
Saul's troops began running off. Where was Samuel? Saul waited. The days passed. Four. Five. Six. Seven. The day Samuel was to arrive. What time was he coming?
"Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with fear. He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul's men began to scatter." (1 Samuel 13:7-8).
Saul waited. How much longer was he supposed to hold on? Saul's impatience finally reached its limit. Deciding something needed to be done, he took matters into his own hands.
Saul offered up the burnt offerings himself.
Remember the rules about the burnt offering? The priest was to offer it. No one else, including the king, had authority to do that. No exceptions.
Here is recently appointed King Saul taking on a role only the priest was to fill. Here is King Saul disobeying God. Notice Saul's explanation for his arrogant gesture: "I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering." (13:12). Compelled? Saul had a sense of urgency to ignore what Samuel said and to put himself above God's law? What could have possibly compelled him to do that?
All Saul had to do was wait, but he determined that he couldn't. He decided he didn't have to follow the law. The kingdom was his. He had celebrated with the people who were elated to have him as king. No split decision or opposing parties. Israel wanted a king and they wanted King Saul. But the decision not to wait cost Saul God's favor.
Ironic that what Saul didn't get, his successor King David understood very well. Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. (Psalm 27:14)
We say we would rather do something than nothing. We don't stop to realize that waiting on God is the most important something we can do.
What's the cost of not waiting on God?
It cost Saul his kingdom and eventually his relationship with God.
What might not waiting on God cost us?
Monday, March 19, 2012
Press In. Press On. Press Forward.
Ever been to an event where people are standing, waiting to see a celebrity or important person? Invariably there will be someone from the back who is determined to get to the front of the crowd. They seem oblivious to everyone else who has been waiting patiently, courteously, standing in polite rows, following the unwritten rule that you fall in behind the person in front of you. This person will shove everyone else aside, pushing ahead, pressing in, determined to get as close as they possibly can. Maybe they came late to the event, but they aren't going to let that stop them from being close. No one is going to keep them from the front row.
Seems rude. Shouldn't they have come early if they were really that interested? How dare they push everyone else out of the way!
The woman who had been bleeding for twelve years may have seemed rude as she pressed in close to Jesus. She wasn't rude. She was desperate. Desperate to be healed. Desperate to touch the one who could change her life. If she could just get close enough to touch his clothes....
She pressed in.
Jesus turned and saw the woman and said, "Be encouraged, dear woman. You are made well because you believed." And the woman was healed from that moment on. -- Matt. 9:22.
Then sometimes you press on.
Naomi went from being a wife, mother of two sons and mother-in-law, to being a widow with two widowed daughters-in law. Life was filled with pain and heartache. The future seemed empty and hopeless. But Naomi didn't give up.
Naomi pressed on.
Naomi returned to her home in Judah with her daughter-in-law Ruth. There she introduced Ruth to Boaz, Ruth's kinsman redeemer. Through events only God could arrange, Ruth married Boaz. Then God gave her not only a husband, but a son. God redeemed Ruth and restored Naomi's dreams.
The women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the LORD, who this day has not left you without a kinsman-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.”Then Naomi took the child, laid him in her lap and cared for him. The women living there said, “Naomi has a son.” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David. -- Ruth 4:13-17.
God gave her a grandson. A little baby boy to love and hold. She was undoubtably thrilled and excited. But little did she know how much more God was doing than she could see. She thought she was holding a grandson. She didn't know she was holding a great-grandparent of the Messiah, the Promised One.
Naomi could have focused on her losses. But she pressed on to be a part in the events that set the stage for the birth of the kinsman redeemer who would redeem all mankind.
Press Forward.
One thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. -- Philippians 4:13-14.
We are not made to live here. This earth is not our home. If sometimes we feel a little out of sorts being here, it is because we were never supposed to be completely comfortable here. This is our preparation area for heaven.
Too often we live like this life is all there is. We don't talk about hell much anymore. We don't talk about heaven, either. We act as if the Christian life works because it is good for us now; that we accept Christ for what He can do for us in this life.
But we are called to press forward to heaven.
When I was a little girl, I loved the old songs about heaven. I remember regularly singing:
When We All Get to Heaven
Sing the wondrous love of Jesus,
Sing His mercy and His grace;
In the mansions bright and blessed
He’ll prepare for us a place.
Refrain:
When we all get to heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We’ll sing and shout the victory!
Onward to the prize before us!
Soon His beauty we’ll behold;
Soon the pearly gates will open;
We shall tread the streets of gold.
We can not allow ourselves to become so acclimated to this earth that we don't yearn for heaven. We were created for heaven! We were created to walk on streets of gold, to live in mansions God has prepared for us, to spend eternity praising the One who died for us. There was an old saying that we don't want to be so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good. I am afraid that we have compensated to the point that we aren't heavenly minded at all!
Be changed by His Spirit. Don't give up despite the circumstances. Yearn for heaven.
Press in. Press on. Press Forward.
Seems rude. Shouldn't they have come early if they were really that interested? How dare they push everyone else out of the way!
The woman who had been bleeding for twelve years may have seemed rude as she pressed in close to Jesus. She wasn't rude. She was desperate. Desperate to be healed. Desperate to touch the one who could change her life. If she could just get close enough to touch his clothes....
She pressed in.
Jesus turned and saw the woman and said, "Be encouraged, dear woman. You are made well because you believed." And the woman was healed from that moment on. -- Matt. 9:22.
Then sometimes you press on.
Naomi went from being a wife, mother of two sons and mother-in-law, to being a widow with two widowed daughters-in law. Life was filled with pain and heartache. The future seemed empty and hopeless. But Naomi didn't give up.
Naomi pressed on.
Naomi returned to her home in Judah with her daughter-in-law Ruth. There she introduced Ruth to Boaz, Ruth's kinsman redeemer. Through events only God could arrange, Ruth married Boaz. Then God gave her not only a husband, but a son. God redeemed Ruth and restored Naomi's dreams.
The women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the LORD, who this day has not left you without a kinsman-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.”Then Naomi took the child, laid him in her lap and cared for him. The women living there said, “Naomi has a son.” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David. -- Ruth 4:13-17.
God gave her a grandson. A little baby boy to love and hold. She was undoubtably thrilled and excited. But little did she know how much more God was doing than she could see. She thought she was holding a grandson. She didn't know she was holding a great-grandparent of the Messiah, the Promised One.
Naomi could have focused on her losses. But she pressed on to be a part in the events that set the stage for the birth of the kinsman redeemer who would redeem all mankind.
Press Forward.
One thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. -- Philippians 4:13-14.
We are not made to live here. This earth is not our home. If sometimes we feel a little out of sorts being here, it is because we were never supposed to be completely comfortable here. This is our preparation area for heaven.
Too often we live like this life is all there is. We don't talk about hell much anymore. We don't talk about heaven, either. We act as if the Christian life works because it is good for us now; that we accept Christ for what He can do for us in this life.
But we are called to press forward to heaven.
When I was a little girl, I loved the old songs about heaven. I remember regularly singing:
When We All Get to Heaven
Sing the wondrous love of Jesus,
Sing His mercy and His grace;
In the mansions bright and blessed
He’ll prepare for us a place.
Refrain:
When we all get to heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We’ll sing and shout the victory!
Onward to the prize before us!
Soon His beauty we’ll behold;
Soon the pearly gates will open;
We shall tread the streets of gold.
We can not allow ourselves to become so acclimated to this earth that we don't yearn for heaven. We were created for heaven! We were created to walk on streets of gold, to live in mansions God has prepared for us, to spend eternity praising the One who died for us. There was an old saying that we don't want to be so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good. I am afraid that we have compensated to the point that we aren't heavenly minded at all!
Be changed by His Spirit. Don't give up despite the circumstances. Yearn for heaven.
Press in. Press on. Press Forward.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Chosen to Make a Difference
In the book of Joshua the children of Israel were victorious warriors who were following God and claiming God's promise.
In Judges, a new generation grew up. Unlike their fathers, they quickly turned from the way in which their fathers had walked (Judges 2:17).
People haven't changed much. How easily forgotten are the lessons learned by previous generations. Pridefulness makes us think that we are smarter and more accomplished than our parents and grandparents. The children of Israel arrogantly rested in the military successes of their forefathers. No longer did they depend on the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to lead them. No longer did they celebrate the crossings of the Red Sea and the Jordan River. They had come to believe their sufficiency was in themselves and not in God who had delivered them from Egypt and established them in Canaan.
In the midst of this apostasy, God's spirit continued to move. He continued to raise up leaders to challenge Israel and to direct them back to the source of their strength and hope.
Leaders who were willing to take a stand.
God chose leaders who didn't always fit the mold. Women. A wimp. A disabled person. People who might have been viewed as incapable and whose lives may have seemed inconsequential. Yet these people became leaders who changed the outcomes of battles and reminded the people of God's power and love for them.
A woman named Deborah.
After the need for military leadership waned, God raised up judges to lead the land. Until Deborah, all of the judges named were men, but at that time a woman was appointed to leadership. Deborah was respected, both for her judgement and military prowess. When God instructed Deborah to direct Barak, a commander in the army, to complete the conquest of Canaan, he balked and agreed to go only if she accompanied him. Deborah agreed, but warned that because of his reluctance to go, the honor of defeating Sisera, the Canaanite commander, would go to a woman.
A woman named Jael.
Barak had a shrewd plan of attack, and Sisera's entire army was killed. Sisera alone fled for his life, into the tent of Jael. Jael's husband and Sisera's king were on good terms. Sisera didn't know it, but Jael didn't feel as hospitable toward him as her husband had. He went into her tent, drank some milk, told her to stand guard at the tent door while he went to sleep. She waited until he went to sleep and drove the tent peg through his temple.
Don't mess with Jael.
Forty-seven years later -- forty of those peaceful, and Israel had once again abandoned their faith in God. At that time another unlikely leader came to power. Reluctantly. He seemed more than content to hide out threshing wheat in a winepress. A winepress?
Gideon never professed to have great courage.
Or great faith. God called. He answered, in a squeaky voice. "But Lord". "But Lord, surely you have made a mistake." "But Lord, surely you can find a man more suited for the job." But Lord, how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family. (Judges 6:15)
God sees what we can become, not how we are. The angel addressed Gideon as a "mighty warrior". He didn't look like one when he was hiding out in the cave using the press that was designed to extract wine to make flour. Nor did he look like one when he asked for a sign that it was really God calling him. So God gave him a sign. Did fire from a rock convince him? No, he needed more convincing. He requested a wet fleece and dry ground, then a dry fleece and wet ground before he answered the call.
Even then, he wasn't ready to lead the army into battle against Midian. He agreed to go, but was uncertain of victory. God spoke to him and sent him to hide out and listen in on a conversation in the Midianite camp.
Gideon was good at hiding out. Remember the winepress.
Gideon heard two Midianites talking One shared a dream. The other interpreted. This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon. God has given the Midianites into his hands. (Judges 7:14).
Gideon finally got it. He led the army. The battle was won.
Don't mess with Gideon when he's finally convinced of what God can do.
Fast forward over a hundred years later. Israel was still rebelling. They had again abandoned their faith. But God is faithful to the faithless. An infertile couple was visited by an angel and told they would give birth to a son. He would be a Nazirite. They named him Samson.
Samson was destined for greatness. He looked like a leader. But bad choices changed the course of his life. He had a weakness, and it wasn't short hair.
It was women.
Samson bought a night with a prostitute, sold the secret of his physical strength, and the Lord left him. Left powerless to defend himself, he could do nothing as the Philistines gouged out his eyes and shackled him. Later they mocked him and used him for entertainment like some sick sideshow spectacle. The once impressive leader became an impotent fool.
His hair grew back. So did his relationship with God.
Samson did more after his blindness than he ever did when he had sight. His disability focused him on the source of his ability. When he was being taunted at a celebration for the Philistine God Dagon, Samson prayed for God to strengthen him one more time. God did. Samson pushed on the central pillars of the temple, and the building came down on the three thousand people who were in it. Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived (Judges 16:30).
Deborah. Jael. Gideon. Samson. Not the typical leaders. Weak by the world's standards. Flawed. Disabled.
CHOSEN. Chosen to impact their world. Chosen to make a difference.
God doesn't choose us because of what we have to offer. He chooses us because of what he can do through us.
Each of us has been chosen. Chosen by God to make a difference. Whether we allow Him to use us is up to us. God did not put us on this earth to wile away our seventy plus years waiting for Him to take us home. Sure, we need to be anticipating our next life. But we need to be spending our time and energy in this one fighting the enemy. Our enemy isn't the Canaanites or the Philistines. It isn't the Taliban or terrorists. 1 Peter 5:8 identifies Satan as our enemy who is trying to destroy us. Trying to destroy us and prevent us from reaching the millions, maybe billions, who don't know who Jesus is and what He did for them.
Chosen to fight. Chosen to preach. Mark 16:15 says Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. You have an appointment to do His work. Will you accept the challenge?
Deborah. Jael. Gideon. Samson. Flawed, weak, disabled. Brad. Kierra. Brooke. Lucas. Brittany. Jamal. Rick. Alex. Each of us can add our names to the list. The list of the flawed, weak, and disabled. The list of people God has chosen.
Chosen to impact the world. Chosen to make a difference.
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