Hello, dear friends!
I have not been well for about three days now. Yes, it's been a drag...today, I've been coughing my head off most of the day (it's August in Tulsa...go figure!)...and trying to prepare to leave town tomorrow morning for several days. Lovely...y'know, it amazed me how much 'stuff' I had to do on the computer before leaving! Notifying necessary people that I won't be here for scheduled times of getting together. Well, one of the abilities that He has put in me is connecting, so there ya go! And I had to schedule payment of three different bills online. Doesn't sound like much, but it adds up, especially when one isn't feeling that hot to begin with.
And, I still have to pack, BUT, I have already done my laundry. Yet, when I see my friend that I'm going to see, whom I only get to see about once a year, 'it will be worth it all.' We've been friends for over 35 years and have lived in different states for about 25 years, but we've considered our friendship of enough value to maintain it all these years! That is SO special! We can be apart for a year or more, yet when we get together, it's like we've never been apart! Yes, we miss 'chunks' of each others' lives, but we still know that inner person of each other. So, some things change, and some things don't. One of us might be discouraged or in a tough season of life, but inside, we're still the same (although growing in Him). That is a beautiful thing. I hope you have someone in your life that knows you like that. Our lovely God has made us to be connected to others, especially other members of His Body. I marvel sometimes at new things I learn about Him by connecting with one of His kids who know Him in a little (or very!) different way than I do!
And, likewise, whatever 'preparing' we have to do down here, some of which may be quite unpleasant, 'it will be worth it all, when we see Jesus!' Amen? Amen! So, it'll be a few days before you hear from me again and I wanted to let you know I've not forgotten you. :)
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Who Am I?
It seems as though this past year, the Lord has had me on a quest to learn more about not just who I am, but who He created me to be. Now, one friend of mine has a concern that this may be drawing me away from more important things, like getting to know Who He is. But, I see them as going hand in hand. If He created me very uniquely (and He did), does that NOT teach me about Who He is? I believe it does. Also, in that 'package' comes a freedom, and that freedom gives me more incentive to know Who He is. Having had parents who 'squashed' the real me, I've 'fought' to know who I really am for many years of my life. And, this is answer to many prayers I've prayed that He would make me into the woman He created me to be, as most of my life, I've felt I've been light-years aways from that. So, as I've been in the process of becoming the woman He created me to be, I'm 'freed' from that search. I'm freed from self-condemnation for not being whatever it is I think I'm NOT being! sigh...we make things so much more complicated than I think He ever intended.
Anyway...it started with learning what my passions are, and that I even HAD/HAVE passions! Yes, me! I have passions! And guess what? I've had them for a while, just didn't notice them as such. Maybe that doesn't excite you, but it has excited me! Why? For so many years of my life, I just kind of drifted along, day to day, doing whatever 'happened,' like a cork floating on water. No intentional direction...yet, I see His gracious hand, even in that, as He knew me and my background. I don't say this in a hateful way, but my parents never taught me about goals. How could they? They knew little about goals themselves. Their main (only?) goal was to make it to the next paycheck. So, most of my life, 'goal' has been 'a four-letter word' to me. People who accomplish much don't usually have that outlook. At this point, you may be wondering what my passions are. Ok...I'll tell you. Prayer is a top passion for me. People are a top passion for me. Encouraging people is a top passion of mine. And, it's one of my spiritual gifts. In fact, it's the first one I discovered I had! (That's another story...)
Then, on June 5th, I took a one-day class called 'Your One Degree.' All my life, I've never known 'what I want to be when I grow up.' I've tried other 'classes' or online 'tests,' but I was never satisfied with the results. They always somehow seemed to 'misdiagnose' me, I felt. Well, there have been weekly followup classes since. They have really helped me to hone in on my God-given design. I've learned, not just what my spiritual gifts are, (as so many seek, then stop there), but those abilities and skills He's woven into me that ENERGIZE me! (Ok, so now you want to know what THOSE are, right?) Well, sit down, as I'm sure you'll be surprised. (NOT! Unless you don't know me well). I won't mention ALL of them, as many are very similar, but some are: communicating, connecting and empowering. Oh, yes! These are things I LOVE to do and am also GOOD AT! (Now, if you DO know me well, and disagree, PLEASE let me know!)
Now my big question is: How can I utilize these now-identified abilities to support myself? I don't know how to bundle these and drop them into a 'job-classifier' and have a perfect job description pop out! But guess what? There is One Who has already defined all the jobs there are and He's defined many that aren't listed on the job search websites. He's been preparing me and teaching me...now, because He is faithful (even when I am faithless), He will show me what, when and where...in His timing!
Anyway...it started with learning what my passions are, and that I even HAD/HAVE passions! Yes, me! I have passions! And guess what? I've had them for a while, just didn't notice them as such. Maybe that doesn't excite you, but it has excited me! Why? For so many years of my life, I just kind of drifted along, day to day, doing whatever 'happened,' like a cork floating on water. No intentional direction...yet, I see His gracious hand, even in that, as He knew me and my background. I don't say this in a hateful way, but my parents never taught me about goals. How could they? They knew little about goals themselves. Their main (only?) goal was to make it to the next paycheck. So, most of my life, 'goal' has been 'a four-letter word' to me. People who accomplish much don't usually have that outlook. At this point, you may be wondering what my passions are. Ok...I'll tell you. Prayer is a top passion for me. People are a top passion for me. Encouraging people is a top passion of mine. And, it's one of my spiritual gifts. In fact, it's the first one I discovered I had! (That's another story...)
Then, on June 5th, I took a one-day class called 'Your One Degree.' All my life, I've never known 'what I want to be when I grow up.' I've tried other 'classes' or online 'tests,' but I was never satisfied with the results. They always somehow seemed to 'misdiagnose' me, I felt. Well, there have been weekly followup classes since. They have really helped me to hone in on my God-given design. I've learned, not just what my spiritual gifts are, (as so many seek, then stop there), but those abilities and skills He's woven into me that ENERGIZE me! (Ok, so now you want to know what THOSE are, right?) Well, sit down, as I'm sure you'll be surprised. (NOT! Unless you don't know me well). I won't mention ALL of them, as many are very similar, but some are: communicating, connecting and empowering. Oh, yes! These are things I LOVE to do and am also GOOD AT! (Now, if you DO know me well, and disagree, PLEASE let me know!)
Now my big question is: How can I utilize these now-identified abilities to support myself? I don't know how to bundle these and drop them into a 'job-classifier' and have a perfect job description pop out! But guess what? There is One Who has already defined all the jobs there are and He's defined many that aren't listed on the job search websites. He's been preparing me and teaching me...now, because He is faithful (even when I am faithless), He will show me what, when and where...in His timing!
Friday, August 6, 2010
Kitty Tales
I've mentioned before how God uses my kitties to show me things. I doubt I'll remember all of them in this post, as there've been so many things. But, here are a couple:
Percy is very laid back EXCEPT when it comes to his mealtimes. He has an alarm clock in his tummy! Even if his last meal was much later than usual, his little tummy alarm goes off at the same time for his next meal. He expects to be fed at the usual time regardless of when he last ate. I might want to feed them later than usual since their last meal was later than usual. This is my prerogative as 'the human,' right? Well, when Percy is ready to eat, he often 'camps out' on my lap until I feed him. No, this is not affection. It's more like the widow and the judge in Luke 18! Verse 5 says, "yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out." I didn't know Percy knew Scripture, but he sure knows that parable! Sometimes I go ahead and feed him earlier than I planned or he WEARS ME OUT with his whining! So, am I willing to wait on God for that particular item when He wants to give it to me later than when I'm expecting it? Then, do I wear HIM out with my whining? (notice I didn't say 'praying,' but 'whining'...yes, there is a difference!)
And, my cats are indoor kitties. I've declawed both of them (front paws only) and for different reasons. I declawed Mazie because this little gal was DANGEROUS with her claws! I was SO glad I'd already had her declawed when I got Percy, or she'd have ripped him to shreds! I actually had Percy for a little over two years before I got him declawed, as he'd NEVER been aggressive with them. But, he'd unintentionally scratch me with them, knead the back of my couch with them and occasionally snag my clothes with them. He'd even get them caught in the rug sometimes! So, when I was able to afford it, I had him declawed, too. And, (partly) because they're declawed, I don't let them outside. But the MAIN reason I don't let them outside is because I don't want them bringing in fleas and/or ticks! What's the spiritual lesson in this? They, being cats, didn't understand why I had them declawed. It was a little miserable for them as they recovered. But they didn't know they'd be much happier without them! No more getting them stuck in the carpet! And, to my knowledge, neither of them know about fleas or ticks, as they've never had them since they've been in my care. So, when they think I'm a mean momma for not letting them go outside, they are unaware of the dangers on the other side of the glass sliding doors! They don't even know what fleas and ticks ARE or that they could get hit by a car (what's a car, Momma?) or attacked by another cat...on and on we could go. They don't know I'm protecting them! It just looks like a whole lot of fun 'on the other side!' Does this remind you of the prodigal son? It does me! How many times have we gotten angry at Him for not letting us do something that we REALLY WANTED TO DO, all the time never knowing the dangers associated with that activity? He's all-knowing and we are not. How many times has He protected us and we never even knew it?
I'm certainly not 'all-knowing,' but I know more than my cats do. Because I know more than they do, I can protect them from things they know nothing about. And I do it out of love for them. Our God has protected and will protect us from things we often know NOTHING about...because He loves us and is wiser than we are. Let us be grateful to Him for His protection rather than be angry at Him for not allowing us certain things He knows we're better off without.
Percy is very laid back EXCEPT when it comes to his mealtimes. He has an alarm clock in his tummy! Even if his last meal was much later than usual, his little tummy alarm goes off at the same time for his next meal. He expects to be fed at the usual time regardless of when he last ate. I might want to feed them later than usual since their last meal was later than usual. This is my prerogative as 'the human,' right? Well, when Percy is ready to eat, he often 'camps out' on my lap until I feed him. No, this is not affection. It's more like the widow and the judge in Luke 18! Verse 5 says, "yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out." I didn't know Percy knew Scripture, but he sure knows that parable! Sometimes I go ahead and feed him earlier than I planned or he WEARS ME OUT with his whining! So, am I willing to wait on God for that particular item when He wants to give it to me later than when I'm expecting it? Then, do I wear HIM out with my whining? (notice I didn't say 'praying,' but 'whining'...yes, there is a difference!)
And, my cats are indoor kitties. I've declawed both of them (front paws only) and for different reasons. I declawed Mazie because this little gal was DANGEROUS with her claws! I was SO glad I'd already had her declawed when I got Percy, or she'd have ripped him to shreds! I actually had Percy for a little over two years before I got him declawed, as he'd NEVER been aggressive with them. But, he'd unintentionally scratch me with them, knead the back of my couch with them and occasionally snag my clothes with them. He'd even get them caught in the rug sometimes! So, when I was able to afford it, I had him declawed, too. And, (partly) because they're declawed, I don't let them outside. But the MAIN reason I don't let them outside is because I don't want them bringing in fleas and/or ticks! What's the spiritual lesson in this? They, being cats, didn't understand why I had them declawed. It was a little miserable for them as they recovered. But they didn't know they'd be much happier without them! No more getting them stuck in the carpet! And, to my knowledge, neither of them know about fleas or ticks, as they've never had them since they've been in my care. So, when they think I'm a mean momma for not letting them go outside, they are unaware of the dangers on the other side of the glass sliding doors! They don't even know what fleas and ticks ARE or that they could get hit by a car (what's a car, Momma?) or attacked by another cat...on and on we could go. They don't know I'm protecting them! It just looks like a whole lot of fun 'on the other side!' Does this remind you of the prodigal son? It does me! How many times have we gotten angry at Him for not letting us do something that we REALLY WANTED TO DO, all the time never knowing the dangers associated with that activity? He's all-knowing and we are not. How many times has He protected us and we never even knew it?
I'm certainly not 'all-knowing,' but I know more than my cats do. Because I know more than they do, I can protect them from things they know nothing about. And I do it out of love for them. Our God has protected and will protect us from things we often know NOTHING about...because He loves us and is wiser than we are. Let us be grateful to Him for His protection rather than be angry at Him for not allowing us certain things He knows we're better off without.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
God our Pilot
In my last post, I shared about my trip to Thailand and how that came about. Well, here's 'the rest of the story.'
I mentioned in the last post that I'd never been to another country. Well, actually I had been to Canada a couple of times, but didn't fly into Canada either time. (and it's on the same continent). I KNEW that God had orchestrated this trip and my flights were reserved 3-4 months before the trip. So, I didn't have to face my fear until about a month or so before I was to leave. Fear? Fear of what? FLYING OVER THE OCEAN! I kept putting on a false bravado (mostly to myself, as I didn't really share this with anybody). To add to this, another friend of ours had flown over to see them in March of that year (I flew in late September) and said the flights and airports in Asian languages were very difficult to maneuver. And she's traveled all over the world! Oh, my! Was God big enough for THIS??? He'd already proven Himself able to set up the trip, but was He going to be TANGIBLE to me in foreign airports where I didn't know the language? Ooohhh...scary! Then another friend said, "Well, you're doing the hard one first. If you can do Asia, any other countries will be a piece of cake!" THAT was a real confidence-builder!
So, oh, was I PRAYING about the flights over there! And guess what God did? Karen, the female friend I was going to see (I was going to visit a married couple) told me she needed to come back to the States for a business trip in September! She said she'd try to work it out so she could fly back to Thailand with me! Boy, I was REALLY praying now! I was asking for even just one leg of the trip for her to be with me, as that close to trip time, I didn't DARE think she'd be able to fly the whole way back with me! Well, our God is GREAT!!! She and I flew all the way from Tulsa to Chiang Mai, Thailand TOGETHER and she booked her flights about three weeks before I was scheduled to leave for Thailand! And, in the almost four years she's been in Thailand, I can only think of ONE other time she's come back for business. I did fly back by myself, but I'd already been through the airports and came back the same way I went. So, it was a piece of cake! (And they DO, after all, have most signage in English). Thanks to Him! I came back through DFW and my friend that went in March came back through LA. (shudder) She said that was the worst part of her return flights!
So, may I remind you of Psalm 81:10? (You know I will anyway!) It says, "I, the LORD, am your God, Who brought you up from the land of Egypt; Open your mouth wide and I will fill it." Yes, He did and He will!
I mentioned in the last post that I'd never been to another country. Well, actually I had been to Canada a couple of times, but didn't fly into Canada either time. (and it's on the same continent). I KNEW that God had orchestrated this trip and my flights were reserved 3-4 months before the trip. So, I didn't have to face my fear until about a month or so before I was to leave. Fear? Fear of what? FLYING OVER THE OCEAN! I kept putting on a false bravado (mostly to myself, as I didn't really share this with anybody). To add to this, another friend of ours had flown over to see them in March of that year (I flew in late September) and said the flights and airports in Asian languages were very difficult to maneuver. And she's traveled all over the world! Oh, my! Was God big enough for THIS??? He'd already proven Himself able to set up the trip, but was He going to be TANGIBLE to me in foreign airports where I didn't know the language? Ooohhh...scary! Then another friend said, "Well, you're doing the hard one first. If you can do Asia, any other countries will be a piece of cake!" THAT was a real confidence-builder!
So, oh, was I PRAYING about the flights over there! And guess what God did? Karen, the female friend I was going to see (I was going to visit a married couple) told me she needed to come back to the States for a business trip in September! She said she'd try to work it out so she could fly back to Thailand with me! Boy, I was REALLY praying now! I was asking for even just one leg of the trip for her to be with me, as that close to trip time, I didn't DARE think she'd be able to fly the whole way back with me! Well, our God is GREAT!!! She and I flew all the way from Tulsa to Chiang Mai, Thailand TOGETHER and she booked her flights about three weeks before I was scheduled to leave for Thailand! And, in the almost four years she's been in Thailand, I can only think of ONE other time she's come back for business. I did fly back by myself, but I'd already been through the airports and came back the same way I went. So, it was a piece of cake! (And they DO, after all, have most signage in English). Thanks to Him! I came back through DFW and my friend that went in March came back through LA. (shudder) She said that was the worst part of her return flights!
So, may I remind you of Psalm 81:10? (You know I will anyway!) It says, "I, the LORD, am your God, Who brought you up from the land of Egypt; Open your mouth wide and I will fill it." Yes, He did and He will!
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Low Expectations
Today in my reading, I read this: One of our greatest spiritual shortcomings is low expectations. We don't expect much from God because we aren't asking for much." I'm inclined to rearrange that to say, " We don't ask much from God because we don't expect much from God."
Does this describe you? It certainly has described me for much of my life. Yes, I've been a faithful pray-er for all of my 32+ years as a believer, but for most of those years, I asked only minimally for myself. Now, I'm not in the 'ask for a gold cadillac' group, BUT...I do think that many of us who are His kids don't ask Him for NEARLY as much as He'd love to give us. And even in that, we must exercise humility. (one of those words not promoted much by our current culture)
Example: Almost four years ago, very dear friends of mine went to Thailand with a well-known ministry organization. When they knew for sure that they'd be going, they said to me, "You'll have to come and visit us in Thailand!" Now I'd never seriously aspired to even visit another country, but even if I had, it would never have been Thailand. HOWEVER, as I've always said about New York, I'd LOVE to go if I could go with someone who knew it! And, certainly, by the time I'd go, my friends would 'know' Thailand. So, I got online and starting looking at airfares. Well, AY YI YI!!! Even using the sites that shop for the cheapest prices, I was looking at about $4,000! No way could I afford that, so I 'crossed it off my list' and moved on with life.
Then, a little over two years ago, it occurred to me that I'd NEVER EVEN ASKED the Lord about going to Thailand! (Yes, I'm a little slow...) I apologized to Him for not even asking Him about this and told Him if He wanted me to go to Thailand to make a way. I then pretty much forgot about it, but not for long. A friend from Egypt had been here for about six months, was getting ready to go back and asked me to go to dinner with her before she and her family left. I happily agreed. Well, before the night of our dinner, I looked up fares for Egypt, thinking maybe they'd be cheaper than fares to Thailand. They were about $6,000! I nearly fainted and decided I wouldn't be going to Egypt, either. So, during dinner, my friend said, "You ought to come to Egypt" to another friend who dined with us. I said, "Oh, right! It costs about $6,000!" She said, "Oh, no. We're only paying $500 apiece to fly back." I asked her WHERE she got those fares and she said, "Consolidator.com." So, when I got home that night, I checked that site and found a fare to Thailand for only $2,000! (Now, this is still a lot of money, but it was HALF of what I'd found at first!) So I emailed my friends in Thailand and asked if they still wanted me to come. They did and I went! And not only did God get me to the site with the $2,000 fare, He also helped out with the cost (but I'm not at liberty to share how). All of this prompted me to wonder how many things I've maybe missed out on because I never asked Him! I would have missed out on going to Thailand if I'd never asked Him! And I'm sure it was Him reminding me that I'd never asked Him! After all, I'd 'crossed it off my list!'
Can you think of any desire you've 'crossed off of your list' because you don't think He'd EVER work it out for you? Has it ever occurred to you that, just maybe, HE's the One Who put that desire in your heart in the first place? Maybe He's LONGING to fulfill that desire but He's waiting on YOU to trust Him enough to ask Him for it! Well, you just read my story and He loves me NO MORE than He loves you! Go for it! ASK Him! (I dare you!)
Does this describe you? It certainly has described me for much of my life. Yes, I've been a faithful pray-er for all of my 32+ years as a believer, but for most of those years, I asked only minimally for myself. Now, I'm not in the 'ask for a gold cadillac' group, BUT...I do think that many of us who are His kids don't ask Him for NEARLY as much as He'd love to give us. And even in that, we must exercise humility. (one of those words not promoted much by our current culture)
Example: Almost four years ago, very dear friends of mine went to Thailand with a well-known ministry organization. When they knew for sure that they'd be going, they said to me, "You'll have to come and visit us in Thailand!" Now I'd never seriously aspired to even visit another country, but even if I had, it would never have been Thailand. HOWEVER, as I've always said about New York, I'd LOVE to go if I could go with someone who knew it! And, certainly, by the time I'd go, my friends would 'know' Thailand. So, I got online and starting looking at airfares. Well, AY YI YI!!! Even using the sites that shop for the cheapest prices, I was looking at about $4,000! No way could I afford that, so I 'crossed it off my list' and moved on with life.
Then, a little over two years ago, it occurred to me that I'd NEVER EVEN ASKED the Lord about going to Thailand! (Yes, I'm a little slow...) I apologized to Him for not even asking Him about this and told Him if He wanted me to go to Thailand to make a way. I then pretty much forgot about it, but not for long. A friend from Egypt had been here for about six months, was getting ready to go back and asked me to go to dinner with her before she and her family left. I happily agreed. Well, before the night of our dinner, I looked up fares for Egypt, thinking maybe they'd be cheaper than fares to Thailand. They were about $6,000! I nearly fainted and decided I wouldn't be going to Egypt, either. So, during dinner, my friend said, "You ought to come to Egypt" to another friend who dined with us. I said, "Oh, right! It costs about $6,000!" She said, "Oh, no. We're only paying $500 apiece to fly back." I asked her WHERE she got those fares and she said, "Consolidator.com." So, when I got home that night, I checked that site and found a fare to Thailand for only $2,000! (Now, this is still a lot of money, but it was HALF of what I'd found at first!) So I emailed my friends in Thailand and asked if they still wanted me to come. They did and I went! And not only did God get me to the site with the $2,000 fare, He also helped out with the cost (but I'm not at liberty to share how). All of this prompted me to wonder how many things I've maybe missed out on because I never asked Him! I would have missed out on going to Thailand if I'd never asked Him! And I'm sure it was Him reminding me that I'd never asked Him! After all, I'd 'crossed it off my list!'
Can you think of any desire you've 'crossed off of your list' because you don't think He'd EVER work it out for you? Has it ever occurred to you that, just maybe, HE's the One Who put that desire in your heart in the first place? Maybe He's LONGING to fulfill that desire but He's waiting on YOU to trust Him enough to ask Him for it! Well, you just read my story and He loves me NO MORE than He loves you! Go for it! ASK Him! (I dare you!)
Monday, August 2, 2010
'That Vengeful God of the Old Testament'
I've been reading Jeremiah. I love the major prophets. And I love how the Word can be new to you even when you've read it MANY times before. I know I've read Jeremiah 5:1 several times, but when I read it Friday, it was like I'd never read it before. It says, "Roam to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, And look now and take note And seek in her open squares, If you can find a man, If there is one who does justice, who seeks truth, Then I will pardon her." Does this remind you of anything? Well, it never did with me before, but Friday it SO reminded me of when Abraham was discussing the overthrow of Sodom with the LORD. In Genesis 18:26, the LORD said, "If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare the whole place on their account."
How often do believers and unbelievers alike hear these accounts and refer to 'the God of the Old Testament' as a vengeful God Who is full of wrath? PUH-LEASE!!! In the Genesis account, it's a city full of extremely wicked unbelievers, with the exception of 'righteous Lot' and maybe his family. So God, Who has a RIGHT to judge wickedness (do we believe that?) is willing to spare 'the whole place' if He can find fifty righteous within the city! The stakes are a little higher here than in the Jeremiah account, but in Jeremiah, He is dealing with those who profess to know Him. So, for them, He is only requiring ONE! Instead of judging God as One Who is vengeful, why don't we focus on His willingness to spare ALL of them if ONLY ONE does justice and seeks truth? Is this too much for God to ask? Could this possibly be a reference to the 'only One' Who did justice and sought truth as He walked in an earthly body?
Jeremiah goes on to intercede for the people of Jerusalem and God recounts their many sins and their unfaithfulness to Him. He reminds Jeremiah of how they have willingly embraced the lies the prophets have told them and even says in verse 11, "For the house of Israel and the house of Judah Have dealt very treacherously with Me." Now when someone we love deals treacherously with US, we are quick to protest and tell everyone in earshot how we've been wronged! But when we wrong the Lord, well...that's another story, isn't it? He'll forgive us because Jesus came to die for all our sins, right? No big deal. ooohhh...we put a different standard up for ourselves, don't we? We care either nothing or very little about His feelings or even His right that we live righteously! We're quick to call Him vengeful, when, in fact, He's waited for a very long time on these people (both accounts and many more) to repent. Even with the Canaanites, Joshua and Caleb reported to the Israelites after spying out the land, "Their protection has been removed from them." (Numbers 14:9) This was after how many years of wickedness on their part? God gave the land of Canaan to the Israelites because He was TAKING IT AWAY from the Canaanites due to their great wickedness.
Let us be quicker to remember this about our great and loving Lord: "Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you For the LORD is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him." per Isaiah 30:18. May we teach ourselves to long for Him instead of accusing Him.
How often do believers and unbelievers alike hear these accounts and refer to 'the God of the Old Testament' as a vengeful God Who is full of wrath? PUH-LEASE!!! In the Genesis account, it's a city full of extremely wicked unbelievers, with the exception of 'righteous Lot' and maybe his family. So God, Who has a RIGHT to judge wickedness (do we believe that?) is willing to spare 'the whole place' if He can find fifty righteous within the city! The stakes are a little higher here than in the Jeremiah account, but in Jeremiah, He is dealing with those who profess to know Him. So, for them, He is only requiring ONE! Instead of judging God as One Who is vengeful, why don't we focus on His willingness to spare ALL of them if ONLY ONE does justice and seeks truth? Is this too much for God to ask? Could this possibly be a reference to the 'only One' Who did justice and sought truth as He walked in an earthly body?
Jeremiah goes on to intercede for the people of Jerusalem and God recounts their many sins and their unfaithfulness to Him. He reminds Jeremiah of how they have willingly embraced the lies the prophets have told them and even says in verse 11, "For the house of Israel and the house of Judah Have dealt very treacherously with Me." Now when someone we love deals treacherously with US, we are quick to protest and tell everyone in earshot how we've been wronged! But when we wrong the Lord, well...that's another story, isn't it? He'll forgive us because Jesus came to die for all our sins, right? No big deal. ooohhh...we put a different standard up for ourselves, don't we? We care either nothing or very little about His feelings or even His right that we live righteously! We're quick to call Him vengeful, when, in fact, He's waited for a very long time on these people (both accounts and many more) to repent. Even with the Canaanites, Joshua and Caleb reported to the Israelites after spying out the land, "Their protection has been removed from them." (Numbers 14:9) This was after how many years of wickedness on their part? God gave the land of Canaan to the Israelites because He was TAKING IT AWAY from the Canaanites due to their great wickedness.
Let us be quicker to remember this about our great and loving Lord: "Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you For the LORD is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him." per Isaiah 30:18. May we teach ourselves to long for Him instead of accusing Him.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
That Old Tongue...
There are so many things on my mind right now that I tried to take a nap & couldn't! (This could be a modern-day miracle!)
I have many friends, for which I am most thankful, especially since I've never married or had children. The only family I have is the Body of Christ, and I don't say that in a complaining way. Many of my friends have only known me for five years or less, so they don't know 'the old me.' (Good for them!) But, in younger years, yes, even as a Christian, I used my tongue in very hurtful ways. Some of it was because I was insensitive to others. Much of this was due to my self-absorption which was due to emotional and spiritual immaturity which was due to unresolved pain in my life. I don't say this as justification for my actions, but partly as an intro to what I'm going to say next. As members of the Body of Christ, we are exhorted to build each other up in Christ, not decimate each other with our tongues. Right? If you don't know even one verse that purports this, let me know and I'll get some for you. There are many.
Have you ever stopped long enough to consider how many people you've hurt, damaged or even destroyed with your tongue? sigh...I have and it's brought me much grief. It has also brought me to repentance. For several years now, I have tried to think BEFORE I speak, rather than afterwards. It's not usually hard for me to apologize to someone, but even if an apology is well-received, there may still be a scar left behind on the soul. How many scars on the souls of others have my name on them? sigh...Lord, please heal them and forgive me...
Why do we do this to each other? Are we afraid of silence, so we say something, anything, to fill up that space? Are we immature? In younger years, I would make snide comments about or to others, then say I was joking so I could make my point. groan...or are we trying to impress another/others with how wise we are? There's a very old saying I love (yet still probably don't heed yet often enough) that goes like this: It's better to be silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and prove it.
You've probably heard plenty of sermons on the tongue, so I should probably quit while I'm ahead. But have we taken those sermons to heart? Have we let them pierce our hearts as needed or as deeply as needed? How often do we hear something, feel a slight sting, then walk away and forget it, rather than take it before Him and let Him do that deep work in our soul(s)? For well over a year now, my prayer has been: Lord, if that ugly thing I said wasn't first in my heart, it couldn't have rolled off my tongue. So, Lord, please cleanse my heart so there are no things that will come out of my mouth that offend You. I say a lot less things that are hurtful these days...Praise His glorious Name!
I have many friends, for which I am most thankful, especially since I've never married or had children. The only family I have is the Body of Christ, and I don't say that in a complaining way. Many of my friends have only known me for five years or less, so they don't know 'the old me.' (Good for them!) But, in younger years, yes, even as a Christian, I used my tongue in very hurtful ways. Some of it was because I was insensitive to others. Much of this was due to my self-absorption which was due to emotional and spiritual immaturity which was due to unresolved pain in my life. I don't say this as justification for my actions, but partly as an intro to what I'm going to say next. As members of the Body of Christ, we are exhorted to build each other up in Christ, not decimate each other with our tongues. Right? If you don't know even one verse that purports this, let me know and I'll get some for you. There are many.
Have you ever stopped long enough to consider how many people you've hurt, damaged or even destroyed with your tongue? sigh...I have and it's brought me much grief. It has also brought me to repentance. For several years now, I have tried to think BEFORE I speak, rather than afterwards. It's not usually hard for me to apologize to someone, but even if an apology is well-received, there may still be a scar left behind on the soul. How many scars on the souls of others have my name on them? sigh...Lord, please heal them and forgive me...
Why do we do this to each other? Are we afraid of silence, so we say something, anything, to fill up that space? Are we immature? In younger years, I would make snide comments about or to others, then say I was joking so I could make my point. groan...or are we trying to impress another/others with how wise we are? There's a very old saying I love (yet still probably don't heed yet often enough) that goes like this: It's better to be silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and prove it.
You've probably heard plenty of sermons on the tongue, so I should probably quit while I'm ahead. But have we taken those sermons to heart? Have we let them pierce our hearts as needed or as deeply as needed? How often do we hear something, feel a slight sting, then walk away and forget it, rather than take it before Him and let Him do that deep work in our soul(s)? For well over a year now, my prayer has been: Lord, if that ugly thing I said wasn't first in my heart, it couldn't have rolled off my tongue. So, Lord, please cleanse my heart so there are no things that will come out of my mouth that offend You. I say a lot less things that are hurtful these days...Praise His glorious Name!
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