I was reading Ps 113:4 this morning, which says, 'The LORD is high above all nations; His glory is above the heavens.' So, this verse states that His glory is ABOVE the heavens. But Ps 19:1 says, 'The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.' And Habakkuk 3:3 says, 'His splendor covers the heavens, And the earth is full of His praise.' Wow...these are just three verses that talk about how the heavens relate to or are used by God to show His glory and splendor. There are many more.
But as I read Ps 113:4, what I noticed is that His glory is ABOVE the heavens. I have to wonder if His glory is so permeating that it CAN'T HELP but 'break through' the heavens, causing them to tell of the glory of God, per Ps 19:1...to declare the work of His hands? that, as His glory is above the heavens, it is an intertwining of His splendor covering the heavens? Maybe you're thinking, 'Well, D-U-H!', but, really...have you ever pondered this?
And then, Ps 97:6 says, 'The heavens declare His righteousness, And all the peoples have seen His glory.' So, hmmm...now the heavens are said to declare His righteousness as well as His glory and splendor. Do you think there could be a connection? Do you think anyone could be excused from seeing His glory, righteousness or splendor when it goes on to say that ALL the peoples have seen His glory? Ok, you might say, 'What about those who are blind?' Well, obviously there is a link between the heavens declaring His righteousness and all people seeing His glory, but it still doesn't say, 'except those who are blind,' does it? What about Helen Keller? She was blind AND deaf, yet saw His glory. I once lived above a couple who were both blind. Yet, she sewed all their clothes and cooked all their meals! I can't sew and I have sight! Do you think they may have seen His glory even thought they were blind? I wasn't a believer when I lived above them, but perhaps I'll see them in Heaven. Yes, I definitely believe you can be blind but still see His glory.
In fact, Saul/Paul had to blinded BEFORE he could see His glory! In Acts 9:3, it says, 'As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.' Then, in verses 8 & 9, it says, 'Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus. And he was three days without sight.' This was the beginning of his coversion, from Saul to Paul, and from darkness to Light...the True Light. John 1:4 says, 'In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.' It's interesting to me that I started off with His glory and splendor and how it related to Heaven, then transitioned to blindness and sight. I didn't mean to. Yet, the heavens, which contain the Son/sun, can either blind us or give us the sight we need to see His glory. In Acts 9:18 after Ananias prayed for Paul, 'immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight.' Ah...whenever we look at the heavens, (and even when we don't) may we marvel at His glory and allow Him to remove the scales we've allowed to build up and regain our spiritual sight!
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Psalm 106
Ah...it's been two months since I've posted. Sorry! Actually, I've been so truant in my posting since the beginning of the year, I probably don't have any regular followers anymore anyway. But, let's move on.
Here are verses 37 & 38. 37 They even sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons, 38 And shed innocent blood, The blood of their sons and their daughters, Whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; And the land was polluted with the blood. Genesis 1:1 says, 'In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.' So He created the heavens and the earth before He created anything else. He created it to be a habitat for man, whom He would create five days later. How long did it take man to pollute this earth with the blood of others? Only one generation, for Genesis 4:8 says, 'And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.'
We take that lightly, don't we, that murder pollutes the land with blood? Do we even consider it pollution? Do we even see that abortion is no different than sacrificing sons and daughters to the idols of Canaan? Is it not the same as sacrificing the unborn to the idol of having a more comfortable life or the idol of convenience? Idols are idols whether you can actually touch them or not.
But let's go back to Psalm 106:40 & 41. It says, 'Therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against His people And He abhorred His inheritance. Then He gave them into the hand of the nations, And those who hated them ruled over them.' So, do you think perhaps the Lord just might be angry with our nation, that has aborted more people than Hitler killed? Do you think just maybe, He would DARE to give our nation into the hand of the nations that those who hate us might rule over us? Every time I read figures about how many illegal immigrants have taken up residence here, it's different, but there are probably at least 19 MILLION. That's one figure I've read, but it increases daily. Do you think, just maybe, this MIGHT be a way in which the Lord is giving us into the hand of the nations to be ruled by those who hate us? They enter our country illegally, work without paying taxes and burn our flag. The list goes on. Do you think they love us? Does this type of behavior exhibit love? or disdain and contempt?
You might say, 'Oh, that's Old Testament and He was talking about Israel, not us.' Well, I say, 'Wake up!' He WAS talking about Israel, but do you really think there is no application to those of us who are New Testament believers? Of course there is. Psalm 104:32 says, 'He looks at the earth, and it trembles; He touches the mountains, and they smoke.' Maybe you're not as old as I am, but have you not seen this in your lifetime? What about the tsunami in December of 2004? Do you think this was just 'a weather phenomon' or could it have been Him, looking at the earth? Do you think when the mountains smoke, it's merely a geophysical event? Yes, He can use those things, but just think what a brief look from Him CAN do. What do you think would happen to you if you could SEE Him looking at you for just a second? Your life would be changed forever. HOW it would be changed forever depends on the condition of your heart.
So, how polluted do you think our land is? Not only do we have the blood of abortions, but the blood of the Civil War, the blood of more murders than we can count, the blood of many abused children, whether they died or not. The list goes on. It's no wonder each generation is worse than the one before it. We 'accumulate' blood, sin, the sins of our fathers and grandfathers. It is an ABSOLUTE MARVEL and an act of extreme mercy that He breaks in on us and rescues us from this continuum of sludge! So, I'll end with the last verse of Psalm 106. Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, From everlasting even to everlasting. And let all the people say, “Amen.” Praise the LORD!
Here are verses 37 & 38. 37 They even sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons, 38 And shed innocent blood, The blood of their sons and their daughters, Whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; And the land was polluted with the blood. Genesis 1:1 says, 'In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.' So He created the heavens and the earth before He created anything else. He created it to be a habitat for man, whom He would create five days later. How long did it take man to pollute this earth with the blood of others? Only one generation, for Genesis 4:8 says, 'And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.'
We take that lightly, don't we, that murder pollutes the land with blood? Do we even consider it pollution? Do we even see that abortion is no different than sacrificing sons and daughters to the idols of Canaan? Is it not the same as sacrificing the unborn to the idol of having a more comfortable life or the idol of convenience? Idols are idols whether you can actually touch them or not.
But let's go back to Psalm 106:40 & 41. It says, 'Therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against His people And He abhorred His inheritance. Then He gave them into the hand of the nations, And those who hated them ruled over them.' So, do you think perhaps the Lord just might be angry with our nation, that has aborted more people than Hitler killed? Do you think just maybe, He would DARE to give our nation into the hand of the nations that those who hate us might rule over us? Every time I read figures about how many illegal immigrants have taken up residence here, it's different, but there are probably at least 19 MILLION. That's one figure I've read, but it increases daily. Do you think, just maybe, this MIGHT be a way in which the Lord is giving us into the hand of the nations to be ruled by those who hate us? They enter our country illegally, work without paying taxes and burn our flag. The list goes on. Do you think they love us? Does this type of behavior exhibit love? or disdain and contempt?
You might say, 'Oh, that's Old Testament and He was talking about Israel, not us.' Well, I say, 'Wake up!' He WAS talking about Israel, but do you really think there is no application to those of us who are New Testament believers? Of course there is. Psalm 104:32 says, 'He looks at the earth, and it trembles; He touches the mountains, and they smoke.' Maybe you're not as old as I am, but have you not seen this in your lifetime? What about the tsunami in December of 2004? Do you think this was just 'a weather phenomon' or could it have been Him, looking at the earth? Do you think when the mountains smoke, it's merely a geophysical event? Yes, He can use those things, but just think what a brief look from Him CAN do. What do you think would happen to you if you could SEE Him looking at you for just a second? Your life would be changed forever. HOW it would be changed forever depends on the condition of your heart.
So, how polluted do you think our land is? Not only do we have the blood of abortions, but the blood of the Civil War, the blood of more murders than we can count, the blood of many abused children, whether they died or not. The list goes on. It's no wonder each generation is worse than the one before it. We 'accumulate' blood, sin, the sins of our fathers and grandfathers. It is an ABSOLUTE MARVEL and an act of extreme mercy that He breaks in on us and rescues us from this continuum of sludge! So, I'll end with the last verse of Psalm 106. Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, From everlasting even to everlasting. And let all the people say, “Amen.” Praise the LORD!
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Hinds' Feet
Ah...time flies, doesn't it? The old saying implies it only flies when you're having fun, but I've modified that saying to this: Time flies whether you're having fun or not! All that to say I can't believe it's been a month since I've blogged!
Since then, we've had nearly all days with well over 100 degree highs. UGH! And no rain until just the past few days. I also took a vacation to Texas, where, amazingly, in July, of all months, it was actually cooler in Texas than it was in Oklahoma! As Bob Dylan penned, "The times, they are a-changin.'" Is that an understatement, or what?
But, on to more spiritual things. I had a lovely quiet time this morning, OUTSIDE, on my back patio. It was only 77 degrees! WAHOO! And, it was wonderful! I read several things that inspired me, but one thing, from 'Hinds' Feet on High Places,' reminded me of an experience I hadn't thought about in some time. If you've never read this book, it's by Hannah Hurnard and I suggest you do so. Anyway, in chapter nine, Much-Afraid, the main character, comes face-to-face with very high walls of rock. Now, you might think, big deal! But...she's to journey over these foreboding mountains! She declares, 'I can't do it; I can't. I shall never get to the High Places.'
Well, many years ago, I was hiking in the Rockies with two friends. Now, we were on man-made trails, so it wasn't terribly dangerous or anything. Interestingly, before we sat down to take a break, I'd been at the back of the group, or third in line, as we were going single-file. We took our break just before scrambling up the side of a short waterfall to get to a higher elevation with a beautiful lake. But when we resumed our hike, I was in the middle. I got about half way up...and froze! I was terrified that if I put my foot in the 'next obvious place,' I wouldn't have enough leverage to move upward, but would fall backwards. Karen was above me & offered me her hand, to pull me up. But, I was afraid I'd pull her down with me. Sally was below me and offered to push me up. That also made me afraid I'd fall backward and possibly knock her down on the way. If I'd been at the back, as I had been previously, I'd have gone back to our break-spot and waited for them (never making it to 'the high places.') The Lord had positioned me right where He wanted me. I was MUCH AFRAID, so prayed, as they did, that He'd help me up that cliff and the next thing I knew, I was there...with both my friends and on we went to the beautiful lake in 'the high places.'
The book is a spiritual analogy of our journey to the High Places, but I was struck as I recalled this long-ago incident of the personal spiritual analogy He'd given me. It was so similar to Much-Afraid's, even down to the name. It's easy to read this book and kind of sneer at her fear, at least it is for me. Yet, He reminded me that, yes, I'm still fearful, too. Perhaps the fear I despise in her is the fear I despise in myself. But, praise His Name, that's not the END! The end is that He has promised us hinds' feet so that we might be able to navigate those steep trails on our earthly journey! Is that not marvelous? Let me end with one of my favorite verses from Habakkuk 3:19 The Lord GOD is my strength, And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, And makes me walk on my high places. Shall we allow Him to do so!
Since then, we've had nearly all days with well over 100 degree highs. UGH! And no rain until just the past few days. I also took a vacation to Texas, where, amazingly, in July, of all months, it was actually cooler in Texas than it was in Oklahoma! As Bob Dylan penned, "The times, they are a-changin.'" Is that an understatement, or what?
But, on to more spiritual things. I had a lovely quiet time this morning, OUTSIDE, on my back patio. It was only 77 degrees! WAHOO! And, it was wonderful! I read several things that inspired me, but one thing, from 'Hinds' Feet on High Places,' reminded me of an experience I hadn't thought about in some time. If you've never read this book, it's by Hannah Hurnard and I suggest you do so. Anyway, in chapter nine, Much-Afraid, the main character, comes face-to-face with very high walls of rock. Now, you might think, big deal! But...she's to journey over these foreboding mountains! She declares, 'I can't do it; I can't. I shall never get to the High Places.'
Well, many years ago, I was hiking in the Rockies with two friends. Now, we were on man-made trails, so it wasn't terribly dangerous or anything. Interestingly, before we sat down to take a break, I'd been at the back of the group, or third in line, as we were going single-file. We took our break just before scrambling up the side of a short waterfall to get to a higher elevation with a beautiful lake. But when we resumed our hike, I was in the middle. I got about half way up...and froze! I was terrified that if I put my foot in the 'next obvious place,' I wouldn't have enough leverage to move upward, but would fall backwards. Karen was above me & offered me her hand, to pull me up. But, I was afraid I'd pull her down with me. Sally was below me and offered to push me up. That also made me afraid I'd fall backward and possibly knock her down on the way. If I'd been at the back, as I had been previously, I'd have gone back to our break-spot and waited for them (never making it to 'the high places.') The Lord had positioned me right where He wanted me. I was MUCH AFRAID, so prayed, as they did, that He'd help me up that cliff and the next thing I knew, I was there...with both my friends and on we went to the beautiful lake in 'the high places.'
The book is a spiritual analogy of our journey to the High Places, but I was struck as I recalled this long-ago incident of the personal spiritual analogy He'd given me. It was so similar to Much-Afraid's, even down to the name. It's easy to read this book and kind of sneer at her fear, at least it is for me. Yet, He reminded me that, yes, I'm still fearful, too. Perhaps the fear I despise in her is the fear I despise in myself. But, praise His Name, that's not the END! The end is that He has promised us hinds' feet so that we might be able to navigate those steep trails on our earthly journey! Is that not marvelous? Let me end with one of my favorite verses from Habakkuk 3:19 The Lord GOD is my strength, And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, And makes me walk on my high places. Shall we allow Him to do so!
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Let Them Lead Me
This morning I read and was arrested by Psalm 43. Verse 3 says, "O send out Your light and Your truth, let them lead me; Let them bring me to Your holy hill And to Your dwelling places." Is that not beautiful? Let us ponder this verse. If you're in a very dark cave with no flashlight, but you see light, do you walk away from the light? NO. You walk toward the light, letting it lead you to the opening or exit of the cave so you can walk out of the darkness. Darkness can be pretty scary, yet we tend to walk in it quite frequently, don't we? So, the light leads us...out of the darkness.
And truth has become such a 'relative' thing, hasn't it? But, no, not really. We only want to make it relative to justify going our own way, don't we? And then we wonder why the world is in such a mess! If 'your truth' and 'my truth' are not the same, this could be like two trains traveling at high rates of speed on the the same track...but heading straight toward each other! NOT GOOD! Yet, if we embrace the Truth as it is in Christ Jesus, we'll all be traveling in the same direction even if we are going at different rates of speed. After all, Truth is one of His names. In John 14:6 Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life;" so, He is the Way to the Truth which leads to (His) Life. Now we see truth leading...to the Life, as He went on to say that "no one comes to the Father but through Me." May we arrive there safely, having been led by His light and His truth.
Psalm 136:7 says, "To Him who made the great lights, For His lovingkindness is everlasting." In our day and age, we have GPS's. Before those came out, we had compasses and maps. But prior to that, travelers looked to the stars to guide them, as the three wise men did. These are only part of 'the great lights' made by Him, but part of the reason He made them was to direct, or, lead us. And, where was that 'star in the east' (Mat 2:2) leading the three wise men? to the new little Life, who, even as a babe, was worthy of worship and would grant them eternal Life. That great light led them to His dwelling place. Oh, let's read the verse again! "O send out Your light and Your truth, let them lead me; Let them bring me to Your holy hill And to Your dwelling places."
And truth has become such a 'relative' thing, hasn't it? But, no, not really. We only want to make it relative to justify going our own way, don't we? And then we wonder why the world is in such a mess! If 'your truth' and 'my truth' are not the same, this could be like two trains traveling at high rates of speed on the the same track...but heading straight toward each other! NOT GOOD! Yet, if we embrace the Truth as it is in Christ Jesus, we'll all be traveling in the same direction even if we are going at different rates of speed. After all, Truth is one of His names. In John 14:6 Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life;" so, He is the Way to the Truth which leads to (His) Life. Now we see truth leading...to the Life, as He went on to say that "no one comes to the Father but through Me." May we arrive there safely, having been led by His light and His truth.
Psalm 136:7 says, "To Him who made the great lights, For His lovingkindness is everlasting." In our day and age, we have GPS's. Before those came out, we had compasses and maps. But prior to that, travelers looked to the stars to guide them, as the three wise men did. These are only part of 'the great lights' made by Him, but part of the reason He made them was to direct, or, lead us. And, where was that 'star in the east' (Mat 2:2) leading the three wise men? to the new little Life, who, even as a babe, was worthy of worship and would grant them eternal Life. That great light led them to His dwelling place. Oh, let's read the verse again! "O send out Your light and Your truth, let them lead me; Let them bring me to Your holy hill And to Your dwelling places."
Friday, July 8, 2011
...for power is perfected in weakness...
Well, I'm not exactly starting off with something that would 'draw people in,' am I? Who wants to be weak? I must confess, I don't like being weak, either. Yet, at the same time, I desire His power to be perfected in me. We live in 'oxymoronism,' don't we? (Don't look it up. I just coined it).
That verse, 2 Corinthians 12:9, arrested me yesterday. Let me give you the entire verse: And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” As Americans, we were once a nation full of Christians who walked out their faith. Oh, yes, there are some today, but I suspect not nearly as many as there were 100 years ago. And I'm sure the reasons are more numerous than we'll ever know, this side of heaven. But I have to wonder how much of it is that we refuse to allow ourselves to be weak. And, by this refusal, how much of His power has NOT been perfected in us? Owww...this sadly applies to me as well as the rest of His body.
I've always been single. This is a great excuse for not allowing myself to be weak. What about the adult who was an abused child? the adult who was bullied in junior high? the adult male who wasn't into sports as a child, but preferred music or reading? The list goes on. Could we possibly meet ANYONE who has no reason to put on a tough exterior to hide their weakness?
Yet, He has said His grace is sufficient for us and His power is perfected in our weakness. Do we REALLY believe it? I'm jobless at this time. Do you think I want to appear to be weak, especially as I look for possible jobs and see few, if any, that truly 'fit' what I'd LIKE to do? We fear being taken advantage of if we exhibit our weakness...even by God...even by the Church.
Yet, He longs for us to allow Him to unleash His power in us. He longs, more than that, I suspect, that we would TRUST Him. I'm not sure we remember how, as we've been so self-sufficient. But, He is faithful, even when we are faithless (2 Timothy 2:13). Isaiah (11:3) said, "He will not judge by what His eyes see, Nor make a decision by what His ears hear." We westerners are not in the habit of applying this verse to ourselves. We, for the most part, trust our ears and eyes far more than we trust Him. We've trusted more in our 401K's than we've trusted in Him. Our brothers and sisters in Christ in other countries have much more experience at this AND 2 Cor 12:9, as they've had much taken away from them that has made them 'strong' in and of themselves. I fear this is the only way most of will let go of our 'faux strength' and let Him become our strength. He is, after all, no respecter of persons, is He? May we choose NOW to expose our weakness to the One Who is full of strength and longs to operate it in and through us, as, in Heaven, that opportunity (to choose) will be over. O LORD, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth! (Ps 8:9)
That verse, 2 Corinthians 12:9, arrested me yesterday. Let me give you the entire verse: And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” As Americans, we were once a nation full of Christians who walked out their faith. Oh, yes, there are some today, but I suspect not nearly as many as there were 100 years ago. And I'm sure the reasons are more numerous than we'll ever know, this side of heaven. But I have to wonder how much of it is that we refuse to allow ourselves to be weak. And, by this refusal, how much of His power has NOT been perfected in us? Owww...this sadly applies to me as well as the rest of His body.
I've always been single. This is a great excuse for not allowing myself to be weak. What about the adult who was an abused child? the adult who was bullied in junior high? the adult male who wasn't into sports as a child, but preferred music or reading? The list goes on. Could we possibly meet ANYONE who has no reason to put on a tough exterior to hide their weakness?
Yet, He has said His grace is sufficient for us and His power is perfected in our weakness. Do we REALLY believe it? I'm jobless at this time. Do you think I want to appear to be weak, especially as I look for possible jobs and see few, if any, that truly 'fit' what I'd LIKE to do? We fear being taken advantage of if we exhibit our weakness...even by God...even by the Church.
Yet, He longs for us to allow Him to unleash His power in us. He longs, more than that, I suspect, that we would TRUST Him. I'm not sure we remember how, as we've been so self-sufficient. But, He is faithful, even when we are faithless (2 Timothy 2:13). Isaiah (11:3) said, "He will not judge by what His eyes see, Nor make a decision by what His ears hear." We westerners are not in the habit of applying this verse to ourselves. We, for the most part, trust our ears and eyes far more than we trust Him. We've trusted more in our 401K's than we've trusted in Him. Our brothers and sisters in Christ in other countries have much more experience at this AND 2 Cor 12:9, as they've had much taken away from them that has made them 'strong' in and of themselves. I fear this is the only way most of will let go of our 'faux strength' and let Him become our strength. He is, after all, no respecter of persons, is He? May we choose NOW to expose our weakness to the One Who is full of strength and longs to operate it in and through us, as, in Heaven, that opportunity (to choose) will be over. O LORD, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth! (Ps 8:9)
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
No Expiration Date!
One of the verses I pray for the suffering church is Acts 16:25 ~ But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; so, I pray that my brothers and sisters who are in prison will pray and sing hymns of praise to God, that the other prisoners would hear them, and be encouraged and/or saved. I've prayed this many times, but today as I did, it came to mind that even though Paul wrote this verse some 2,000 years ago, it didn't expire. It can be, and probably is, as applicable today as it was then. Of course, this is true of most verses in the Bible, but it just hit me today in a way it hadn't before. (Don't you just love it when He does that?)
We're used to lots of things having an expiration date on them...food, prescriptions, hmmm...what else? But the Word of God never expires. It never has and it never will. Hebrews 4:12 (one of my favorite verses) says, "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." God is eternal and so is His Word. Indeed, John 1:1 says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." So the Word is as eternal as He is, for the Word is with Him and IS Him. Wow...that's utterly amazing, don't you think?
Our present culture is defined well by two words: 'instant' and 'disposable.' We have become used to having most of what we want NOW! And, when we tire of it or use it up, we just throw it away. There is rarely much more thought given to it. We just buy a replacement. I grew up before life became so much that way and the generation before me grew up at the end of the depression. Therefore, they threw little away unless there was absolutely no value left in the item. Many never learned to throw anything away, as they'd had to do without a lot that we've since taken for granted .
How much of this have we applied to other things that we should not have applied it to? How about human life? If you 'accidentally' get pregnant, you just toss it away and conveniently call that unborn baby a 'blob of tissue.' This helps ease your conscience. If you meet someone you're very attracted to, why wait to get married? You can go ahead and have sex now! Why wait? After all, why should we have to wait for anything? We're so special!
We apply it to the Word of God as well. Sadly, many of today's believers are unfamiliar with the Old Testament. So, if you use an Old Testament verse to exhort another believer with, they'll often say, 'That's Old Testament, so it doesn't apply today.' It is true that you need to look at the context of the verse, yet I find that many verses written to Israel (in the Old Testament) also have application to the Church of the New Testament. This is getting lengthy, so I won't give too many examples, but let's take Proverb 8:33 "Heed instruction and be wise, And do not neglect it." And how about Isaiah 55:8 "“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD." How about Isaiah 30:18 "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?" Do you really think these are not for the Church as well as for Israel? I do. Let us not put an expiration date on that which has none!
We're used to lots of things having an expiration date on them...food, prescriptions, hmmm...what else? But the Word of God never expires. It never has and it never will. Hebrews 4:12 (one of my favorite verses) says, "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." God is eternal and so is His Word. Indeed, John 1:1 says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." So the Word is as eternal as He is, for the Word is with Him and IS Him. Wow...that's utterly amazing, don't you think?
Our present culture is defined well by two words: 'instant' and 'disposable.' We have become used to having most of what we want NOW! And, when we tire of it or use it up, we just throw it away. There is rarely much more thought given to it. We just buy a replacement. I grew up before life became so much that way and the generation before me grew up at the end of the depression. Therefore, they threw little away unless there was absolutely no value left in the item. Many never learned to throw anything away, as they'd had to do without a lot that we've since taken for granted .
How much of this have we applied to other things that we should not have applied it to? How about human life? If you 'accidentally' get pregnant, you just toss it away and conveniently call that unborn baby a 'blob of tissue.' This helps ease your conscience. If you meet someone you're very attracted to, why wait to get married? You can go ahead and have sex now! Why wait? After all, why should we have to wait for anything? We're so special!
We apply it to the Word of God as well. Sadly, many of today's believers are unfamiliar with the Old Testament. So, if you use an Old Testament verse to exhort another believer with, they'll often say, 'That's Old Testament, so it doesn't apply today.' It is true that you need to look at the context of the verse, yet I find that many verses written to Israel (in the Old Testament) also have application to the Church of the New Testament. This is getting lengthy, so I won't give too many examples, but let's take Proverb 8:33 "Heed instruction and be wise, And do not neglect it." And how about Isaiah 55:8 "“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD." How about Isaiah 30:18 "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?" Do you really think these are not for the Church as well as for Israel? I do. Let us not put an expiration date on that which has none!
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Obstacles
I'm currently doing a Beth Moore study called, 'Breaking Free.' Today, I was working on the day that deals with generational strongholds. The other day, I was reading Isaiah 57:14, which says, "And it will be said,"Build up, build up, prepare the way, Remove every obstacle out of the way of My people." When you read the verse I just cited, did you notice the word 'every?' God is speaking in this verse and He doesn't say, 'Remove most of the obstacles out of the way of My people,' does He? No. He says, 'Every!' That means He's made provision for removing ALL the obstacles out of your life and mine! Does that excite you? If not, it should.
I'm delighted to be able to report that He has removed MANY of the obstacles that have been in my way. I'd love to be able to report that He's removed ALL the obstacles, or strongholds, in my life, but I seem to want to cling to one or two. Isn't that stupid? I know He can, yet I continue to allow condemnation to hover over me from time to time. I suspect this may be something He'll address with me as I go through this study.
Beth, as usual, is doing a great job of taking us through this study to set us free from the obstacles and/or strongholds in our lives, as she has been. Yet, even she has had to do the study over, having let one creep back into her life. Why do we so easily let these ugly things back in our lives to rob us of His victory in us? Have you dealt with any or some (or all) of these yuckies in your life? Why are they there and where did they come from?
Are you familiar with Exodus 20:5 & 6? It says, "You shall not worship them (idols) or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments." You might say, 'But I don't hate Him!' or 'My parents didn't hate Him!' But, we all despised Him before we accepted His gift of salvation, didn't we? We all bring our baggage from those unsaved years into our lives as His children. That's why He wrote verse 6. He is ready to set us free from the strongholds we inherited from our forefathers but we are often blind to them or, sadly, unwilling to let go of them, even if they make us miserable! We tend to cling to that which is familiar, even if it's bad, rather than venture into the unknown.
May we all ask Him to expose the obstacles in our lives that hinder Him from having His place in us...ALL of it. He is willing. Are we? I've found myself at times asking Him to remove a stronghold in my life only to find myself hanging onto it for dear life when He tries to answer my prayer! I have a hard time understanding love that continues to pursue me in light of this behavior. But that's the only kind of love He has. Praise the glorious Name of the One Who shows lovingkindness to thousands! (per above verse)
I'm delighted to be able to report that He has removed MANY of the obstacles that have been in my way. I'd love to be able to report that He's removed ALL the obstacles, or strongholds, in my life, but I seem to want to cling to one or two. Isn't that stupid? I know He can, yet I continue to allow condemnation to hover over me from time to time. I suspect this may be something He'll address with me as I go through this study.
Beth, as usual, is doing a great job of taking us through this study to set us free from the obstacles and/or strongholds in our lives, as she has been. Yet, even she has had to do the study over, having let one creep back into her life. Why do we so easily let these ugly things back in our lives to rob us of His victory in us? Have you dealt with any or some (or all) of these yuckies in your life? Why are they there and where did they come from?
Are you familiar with Exodus 20:5 & 6? It says, "You shall not worship them (idols) or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments." You might say, 'But I don't hate Him!' or 'My parents didn't hate Him!' But, we all despised Him before we accepted His gift of salvation, didn't we? We all bring our baggage from those unsaved years into our lives as His children. That's why He wrote verse 6. He is ready to set us free from the strongholds we inherited from our forefathers but we are often blind to them or, sadly, unwilling to let go of them, even if they make us miserable! We tend to cling to that which is familiar, even if it's bad, rather than venture into the unknown.
May we all ask Him to expose the obstacles in our lives that hinder Him from having His place in us...ALL of it. He is willing. Are we? I've found myself at times asking Him to remove a stronghold in my life only to find myself hanging onto it for dear life when He tries to answer my prayer! I have a hard time understanding love that continues to pursue me in light of this behavior. But that's the only kind of love He has. Praise the glorious Name of the One Who shows lovingkindness to thousands! (per above verse)
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Our Warfare
I was reading Ephesians 6 earlier today. In younger years, I was very familiar with verses 10-18, having been in a local assembly involved in much spiritual warfare. Yet, as I read verse 12 this morning, I thought to myself, 'So, we need to be praying that our God will SHAKE the spiritual forces of wickedness OUT OF the heavenly places!' Yes, I'll 'look up' the verse for you: For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Now, you may have one of two reactions to my statement. You might think, 'YEAH! Let's pray against those suckers and be tough in the Lord!' My response to your response would be, 'Hold on! You don't pray things like that by yourself! This isn't an action movie where the good guys immediately recover from the hits they take. Our enemy is REAL...AND POWERFUL. If you're going to pray things like this, you need to be praying with a group of dedicated believers. If you 'go solo,' you'll be struck down by the forces you're praying against. And, if you read Ephesians 6:1-9, Paul is not speaking to them as 'an individual,' he is speaking to them as a group. Therefore, Ephesians 6:10-19 is also written as a corporate admonishment, not as to an individual. In other words, even though I've heard 6:10-19 taught as to us as individuals, I believe it's to be read and applied to GROUPS of believers. Let me apply it this way: Our nation doesn't send one man, or even a bunch of men individually, to fight a war, do they? No. They send an ARMY, a GROUP of men, who are trained to fight as a group, not as lone rangers fighting a foe. Even David, warrior that he was, didn't go out and fight the enemy all by himself. (The nine-foot giant was an exception). He fought with a group of 'mighty men.'
The other reaction you might have is, 'Ooohhh...I'd NEVER do that!' (because you don't know your standing in Christ). As with so many facets of the spiritual life, balance is needed. We can be either 'too brave' or 'too afraid' of our enemy. If you're in the group who are afraid of the enemy, let's look at Revelation 21:8. "But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." Now, truly, this verse is not referring to believers, BUT...notice that God lists the cowardly FIRST! If God lists this trait as that despicable to Him in those headed for the lake of fire, do you think He likes it any better in those who have His Spirit living in them?
I'm not encouraging you to start 'attacking' the enemy. But, if he assaults you, as Paul said in verse 13, stand firm! Again, balance is needed. There is a measure of 'standing alone' we need to do, yet not really alone, as we must stand 'in Him' or failure is certain. But, God has designed us as the army described above. As Paul stated in verse 12, 'our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.' Do you really think you can battle against this vast array of foes alone and not suffer deadly blows? Please don't! Let's couple these verses in Ephesians 6 with John 17:20 & 21: "I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You." Even if you're not being assaulted by our enemy, please always remember that, as members of His Body, we are members one of another. We can't make it alone. And He designed it that way!
Now, you may have one of two reactions to my statement. You might think, 'YEAH! Let's pray against those suckers and be tough in the Lord!' My response to your response would be, 'Hold on! You don't pray things like that by yourself! This isn't an action movie where the good guys immediately recover from the hits they take. Our enemy is REAL...AND POWERFUL. If you're going to pray things like this, you need to be praying with a group of dedicated believers. If you 'go solo,' you'll be struck down by the forces you're praying against. And, if you read Ephesians 6:1-9, Paul is not speaking to them as 'an individual,' he is speaking to them as a group. Therefore, Ephesians 6:10-19 is also written as a corporate admonishment, not as to an individual. In other words, even though I've heard 6:10-19 taught as to us as individuals, I believe it's to be read and applied to GROUPS of believers. Let me apply it this way: Our nation doesn't send one man, or even a bunch of men individually, to fight a war, do they? No. They send an ARMY, a GROUP of men, who are trained to fight as a group, not as lone rangers fighting a foe. Even David, warrior that he was, didn't go out and fight the enemy all by himself. (The nine-foot giant was an exception). He fought with a group of 'mighty men.'
The other reaction you might have is, 'Ooohhh...I'd NEVER do that!' (because you don't know your standing in Christ). As with so many facets of the spiritual life, balance is needed. We can be either 'too brave' or 'too afraid' of our enemy. If you're in the group who are afraid of the enemy, let's look at Revelation 21:8. "But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." Now, truly, this verse is not referring to believers, BUT...notice that God lists the cowardly FIRST! If God lists this trait as that despicable to Him in those headed for the lake of fire, do you think He likes it any better in those who have His Spirit living in them?
I'm not encouraging you to start 'attacking' the enemy. But, if he assaults you, as Paul said in verse 13, stand firm! Again, balance is needed. There is a measure of 'standing alone' we need to do, yet not really alone, as we must stand 'in Him' or failure is certain. But, God has designed us as the army described above. As Paul stated in verse 12, 'our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.' Do you really think you can battle against this vast array of foes alone and not suffer deadly blows? Please don't! Let's couple these verses in Ephesians 6 with John 17:20 & 21: "I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You." Even if you're not being assaulted by our enemy, please always remember that, as members of His Body, we are members one of another. We can't make it alone. And He designed it that way!
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Captivity and Pride
Yesterday I was reading Jeremiah 13 and was arrested by verse 15, which says, "Listen and give heed, do not be haughty, For the LORD has spoken." This reminded me of Proverb 6:16 & 17, which says, "There are six things which the LORD hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood." (Yes, that's only three, so, if you want to know the rest of them, get your Bible or online, look up verses 18 and 19). What I want to focus on in this verse is not being haughty. Many years ago, I was in a church that, I'm sorry to report, was haughty. We thought we were the 'spiritual elite' and that most other churches were carnal and Laodicean. Well, that's 'real spiritual,' isn't it? What an oxymoron!
Anyway, after leaving that church (after the discovery that the pastor had been engaged in activity that was anything BUT spiritual or elite), and entering into the awareness of how sickeningly arrogant my/our attitude had been, Proverb 6:16 came to mind several times. Please note that of the seven things which the Lord hates, the very first one is haughty eyes. We do a lot of things (especially nowadays) rather haphazardly. If we made a list of seven things we hate, they might not be in the order that we hate the most to the least. Not so with the Lord! He listed haughty eyes FIRST because it's the thing He hates the most.
You might ask, 'The Lord hates haughty eyes more than lying and killing?' I'd say, 'Yes.' Why? Because haughty eyes equals PRIDE. Does not lying and killing come forth from pride? Most of our lying is to either cover up a wrong or to make ourselves look better in another's eyes. This is pride. Killing is extreme pride! Unless it's self-defense, what makes you think you have the right to take another's life? That is God's place and His alone!
So, I repented of looking down my nose at other believers (and unbelievers) with haughty eyes. And I prayed that the Lord would put His love in my heart for others instead of my conditional, shallow love. Which makes me think of another verse I'd memorized many years earlier...Matthew 5:46 "For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?" Ouch...
Well, I've since been delighted at how He has answered my prayer. I'm still far from perfect in this realm of my spiritual walk, but it's SO MUCH better! And, there is an 'overflow' that results from this...others I (choose to) love, love me back!!! WOW! Such a deal! Don't tell me God isn't cool, ok?
But, if you glance back at my title for this post, I mentioned captivity. The first Scripture I mentioned was Jeremiah 13:15, but let's go on to verse 17. (I'd show verse 16, too, but this is getting lengthy. It'd be worth your time to look it up). But if you will not listen to it, My soul will sob in secret for such pride; And my eyes will bitterly weep And flow down with tears, Because the flock of the LORD has been taken captive. Wow...read it again. What is the end result of pride? CAPTIVITY!
You might think this is presumptuous on my part, but, having been held captive by pride, I say it's not and I'm trying to get you to see this in His Word. After all, just because I believe or say something doesn't make it true. But His Word is ONLY truth. Indeed, Truth is one of His names. Did He not say, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life?" in John 14:6? (The answer is 'yes').
So, my friend, let's not allow ourselves to be blinded any longer to our captivity if we wallow in pride and try to justify it. The One Who created us and redeemed us didn't allow Himself to be crucified merely to save us from Hell, but to save us from captivity and pride. (Can you say, 'Sanctification?') He longs for us to be captive only to Him...and we can't do that if we're captive to anything else. And, even in our captivity, we can be blind to the fact that we are! The best thing to do is ask Him to show us any captivity in our lives, then, as He faithfully shows us, ask Him for His deliverance from it. This is what He's been waiting for! He has blessings for us that are much better than what we are grasping in our hand(s) if we'll only let go. In His Love, Lois
Anyway, after leaving that church (after the discovery that the pastor had been engaged in activity that was anything BUT spiritual or elite), and entering into the awareness of how sickeningly arrogant my/our attitude had been, Proverb 6:16 came to mind several times. Please note that of the seven things which the Lord hates, the very first one is haughty eyes. We do a lot of things (especially nowadays) rather haphazardly. If we made a list of seven things we hate, they might not be in the order that we hate the most to the least. Not so with the Lord! He listed haughty eyes FIRST because it's the thing He hates the most.
You might ask, 'The Lord hates haughty eyes more than lying and killing?' I'd say, 'Yes.' Why? Because haughty eyes equals PRIDE. Does not lying and killing come forth from pride? Most of our lying is to either cover up a wrong or to make ourselves look better in another's eyes. This is pride. Killing is extreme pride! Unless it's self-defense, what makes you think you have the right to take another's life? That is God's place and His alone!
So, I repented of looking down my nose at other believers (and unbelievers) with haughty eyes. And I prayed that the Lord would put His love in my heart for others instead of my conditional, shallow love. Which makes me think of another verse I'd memorized many years earlier...Matthew 5:46 "For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?" Ouch...
Well, I've since been delighted at how He has answered my prayer. I'm still far from perfect in this realm of my spiritual walk, but it's SO MUCH better! And, there is an 'overflow' that results from this...others I (choose to) love, love me back!!! WOW! Such a deal! Don't tell me God isn't cool, ok?
But, if you glance back at my title for this post, I mentioned captivity. The first Scripture I mentioned was Jeremiah 13:15, but let's go on to verse 17. (I'd show verse 16, too, but this is getting lengthy. It'd be worth your time to look it up). But if you will not listen to it, My soul will sob in secret for such pride; And my eyes will bitterly weep And flow down with tears, Because the flock of the LORD has been taken captive. Wow...read it again. What is the end result of pride? CAPTIVITY!
You might think this is presumptuous on my part, but, having been held captive by pride, I say it's not and I'm trying to get you to see this in His Word. After all, just because I believe or say something doesn't make it true. But His Word is ONLY truth. Indeed, Truth is one of His names. Did He not say, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life?" in John 14:6? (The answer is 'yes').
So, my friend, let's not allow ourselves to be blinded any longer to our captivity if we wallow in pride and try to justify it. The One Who created us and redeemed us didn't allow Himself to be crucified merely to save us from Hell, but to save us from captivity and pride. (Can you say, 'Sanctification?') He longs for us to be captive only to Him...and we can't do that if we're captive to anything else. And, even in our captivity, we can be blind to the fact that we are! The best thing to do is ask Him to show us any captivity in our lives, then, as He faithfully shows us, ask Him for His deliverance from it. This is what He's been waiting for! He has blessings for us that are much better than what we are grasping in our hand(s) if we'll only let go. In His Love, Lois
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Blessing & Israel/Jacob
Back in January, I was reading in Genesis 48 about Israel blessing his grandsons through Joseph. Yes, I've already blogged about that, but that blog was about Israel getting to see those grandsons shortly before he shed his earthly body. What I want to focus on now is something I never caught before that particular time of reading.
When Israel/Jacob blessed his grandsons through Joseph, he reversed the order of blessing. You may say, I knew that. I did, too, but hadn't made the correlation of the similar occurrence in his own life so many years earlier. Just as Jacob was the secondborn (not by much, mind you!) and received the blessing of the firstborn, so, too, did he pronounce the blessing of the firstborn upon the second son. I find this interesting, don't you?
Now, I doubt he did this merely because that's how it was in his life. Not to deny our human tendency of doing things 'just because that's the way it's always been done.' No, I believe he was led by God in doing so. At least Manasseh didn't STEAL the blessing of the firstborn from Ephraim, as Jacob had from Esau! And you may say, "Oh, how did he know to do this from God?" Well, perhaps you should read the prophecies Israel proclaimed regarding his sons in Genesis 49.
And, there was no manipulation by either grandson regarding his blessing upon them. In fact, Joseph was the one who was displeased. Verses 17 and 18 say, "When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on Ephraim's head, it displeased him; and he grasped his father's hand to remove it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head. Joseph said to his father, "Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn. Place your right hand on his head." But, per verse 19, his father refused and said, "I know, my son, I know; he also will become a people and he also will be great. However, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations." (Does this sound familiar?) At this point in Israel's life, I don't think he'd have trusted in himself to make this determination. He'd heard this from his (and our) God. In the lives of Israel/Jacob and Ephraim, grandfather and grandson, both received the blessing of the firstborn thought they were the secondborn. Jacob asked for it, Ephraim did not.
Are you the firstborn? Are you the secondborn? But more importantly, are you born again, from above? John 3:3 says this: Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." Jacob wanted to see the kingdom of God. Do you? If you are born again, do you long for the blessing/inheritance God has in mind for you? If you're not born again, you can only receive the blessing(s) of God by entering into a relationship with His Son, Whom He sent to purchase your redemption. Yes, He loved(s) you THAT MUCH!!! It's so easy...just ask Him! Revelation 3:20 says, "'Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me." This invitation is being issued by Jesus Christ...to YOU! He issued this invitation to me almost 31 years ago. I took Him up on it and was 'just going to try it to see if it really worked.' It DID! I've been his daughter for that long now. I'm the firstborn of two. But, guess what...He has blessed me lavishly over these many years. I was the firstborn of two earthly daughters, but Jesus Christ was the only begotten Son of God the Father. God the Father transferred the blessing of the Firstborn to the secondborn, you and me.
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. (per Jude 24 & 25)
When Israel/Jacob blessed his grandsons through Joseph, he reversed the order of blessing. You may say, I knew that. I did, too, but hadn't made the correlation of the similar occurrence in his own life so many years earlier. Just as Jacob was the secondborn (not by much, mind you!) and received the blessing of the firstborn, so, too, did he pronounce the blessing of the firstborn upon the second son. I find this interesting, don't you?
Now, I doubt he did this merely because that's how it was in his life. Not to deny our human tendency of doing things 'just because that's the way it's always been done.' No, I believe he was led by God in doing so. At least Manasseh didn't STEAL the blessing of the firstborn from Ephraim, as Jacob had from Esau! And you may say, "Oh, how did he know to do this from God?" Well, perhaps you should read the prophecies Israel proclaimed regarding his sons in Genesis 49.
And, there was no manipulation by either grandson regarding his blessing upon them. In fact, Joseph was the one who was displeased. Verses 17 and 18 say, "When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on Ephraim's head, it displeased him; and he grasped his father's hand to remove it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head. Joseph said to his father, "Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn. Place your right hand on his head." But, per verse 19, his father refused and said, "I know, my son, I know; he also will become a people and he also will be great. However, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations." (Does this sound familiar?) At this point in Israel's life, I don't think he'd have trusted in himself to make this determination. He'd heard this from his (and our) God. In the lives of Israel/Jacob and Ephraim, grandfather and grandson, both received the blessing of the firstborn thought they were the secondborn. Jacob asked for it, Ephraim did not.
Are you the firstborn? Are you the secondborn? But more importantly, are you born again, from above? John 3:3 says this: Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." Jacob wanted to see the kingdom of God. Do you? If you are born again, do you long for the blessing/inheritance God has in mind for you? If you're not born again, you can only receive the blessing(s) of God by entering into a relationship with His Son, Whom He sent to purchase your redemption. Yes, He loved(s) you THAT MUCH!!! It's so easy...just ask Him! Revelation 3:20 says, "'Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me." This invitation is being issued by Jesus Christ...to YOU! He issued this invitation to me almost 31 years ago. I took Him up on it and was 'just going to try it to see if it really worked.' It DID! I've been his daughter for that long now. I'm the firstborn of two. But, guess what...He has blessed me lavishly over these many years. I was the firstborn of two earthly daughters, but Jesus Christ was the only begotten Son of God the Father. God the Father transferred the blessing of the Firstborn to the secondborn, you and me.
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. (per Jude 24 & 25)
Monday, January 24, 2011
Change of Location
In June of 2007, two men I'd met and been mentored by both went home to be with the Lord. Even then, as I thought about their passing, I came to the conclusion that for both of them, it was merely a change of location, as they both had very intimate relationships with the Lord. Think about it...one minute, he's sitting in his chair, not feeling particularly well, or perhaps lying in his bed, in pain. But both are communing with Him. All of a sudden, in the twinkle of an eye, they're bodiless, but still in His presence! Freed from physical pain, NEVER to experience pain again, EVER!!! Looking at the Face of the One Who set them free! Looking into the Face of eternal love. Looking into the face of NO condemnation! because all the condemnation they heaped upon themselves while on earth was placed upon One other than themselves.
Thinking about this made me wonder what my transition will be like, as well as the transition of others. How many of His kids will be shocked when they see Him face to face, never having made time to look at it while on earth? It could be like all of a sudden being in the presence of your most beloved friend...or it could be like all of a sudden being in the presence of someone you really don't know very well. Could there be a brief moment of awkwardness? Or could it be like being reunited with someone you love deeply, but haven't seen for many years? In one of his books, Larry Crabb wrote of meeting a friend and jumping up and down and clapping with excitement! I've always loved that visual. Wouldn't you LOVE for someone to be THAT excited to see you after a long separation? How do you feel when you see someone you've not seen for a while and they don't particularly act enthused about seeing you? It's a hurtful thing, even if they're not one of your favorite people, isn't it? But on the other hand, how can you not have some kind of affection for someone who is SO happy to see you?
Ah...may we endeavor to gaze on His face now, while we're in our mortal bodies so when they fall off of us, we'll be in the presence of a dear and trusted Friend, instead of a stranger with Whom we'll have to BEGIN an eternal relationship! Warning: You may be overwhelmed by the Beauty you'll see if you're not already familiar with it! :)
Thinking about this made me wonder what my transition will be like, as well as the transition of others. How many of His kids will be shocked when they see Him face to face, never having made time to look at it while on earth? It could be like all of a sudden being in the presence of your most beloved friend...or it could be like all of a sudden being in the presence of someone you really don't know very well. Could there be a brief moment of awkwardness? Or could it be like being reunited with someone you love deeply, but haven't seen for many years? In one of his books, Larry Crabb wrote of meeting a friend and jumping up and down and clapping with excitement! I've always loved that visual. Wouldn't you LOVE for someone to be THAT excited to see you after a long separation? How do you feel when you see someone you've not seen for a while and they don't particularly act enthused about seeing you? It's a hurtful thing, even if they're not one of your favorite people, isn't it? But on the other hand, how can you not have some kind of affection for someone who is SO happy to see you?
Ah...may we endeavor to gaze on His face now, while we're in our mortal bodies so when they fall off of us, we'll be in the presence of a dear and trusted Friend, instead of a stranger with Whom we'll have to BEGIN an eternal relationship! Warning: You may be overwhelmed by the Beauty you'll see if you're not already familiar with it! :)
Sunday, January 23, 2011
A Surprising Surprise
Ok...I said yesterday I wanted to blog about Genesis 48:11. So, here goes!
Once again, I must confess, I've read this verse probably dozens of times, but this morning I REALLY read it! So you don't have to take the time to look it up, here 'tis: Israel said to Joseph, "I never expected to see your face, and behold, God has let me see your children as well."
Oh, my gosh!!! Have you ever let this verse bring tears to your eyes? I did this morning, and even now, it brings tears to my eyes. We're all familiar (hopefully) with Jacob and most of his life, but stop and reread it. Joseph was Jacob's favorite son. He'd believed for many years (no, I'm not going to stop and figure out how many) that his FAVORITE son was DEAD!!! (Thanks to his other, less-than-favorite sons) As stated in the verse, he NEVER expected to see Joseph's face again, this side of Heaven. But God had a surprising surprise in store for His beloved Israel. Don't overlook the fact that this occurred AFTER God changed his name from Jacob (deceiver or chiseler) to Israel.
Would it not have been enough for God to bless Israel with JUST seeing Joseph's face again? And I'm certainly not downplaying this. But, no. Our God is One Who loves to LAVISH upon us good gifts from His generous and loving hand. And, I believe He also loves to surprise us! He also let Israel see Joseph's children as well! Now, c'mon, you grandmothers! Isn't one of your favorite blessings getting to see your grandchildren? Yes, Israel had MANY other grandchildren...but not by his favorite son.
Now this is, frankly, overwhelming, especially for a man as old as Israel was. Yet, not only did he get to SEE his favorite son's sons, but he got to bless them before he died. This is not a common habit among us today, but think about it. Would it not bless YOU to pronounce a blessing upon your precious grandchildren right before you shed your earthly body? If I had any, I think it would be marvelous!
AND...another thing I had never caught before is in verse 5, Israel adopted Joseph's sons! Yes! Did you ever see that before? I hadn't! Here's verse 5: "Now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are." This makes me think of Joel 2:25 "Then I will make up to you for the years That the swarming locust has eaten." This is getting rather long, but I keep seeing even more as I post! (It's so exciting!) It wasn't just Israel who'd missed out on seeing Joseph's sons all those years, but Joseph's sons, also, had missed out on having Israel as their grandfather all those years! So he gave them a double portion! Wow...This all seems very powerful to me, but if you're a grandmother (or grandfather), SOAK IT UP and GLORY in what God did for Israel (and Joseph and his sons) at the end of his life. Marvelous!
Once again, I must confess, I've read this verse probably dozens of times, but this morning I REALLY read it! So you don't have to take the time to look it up, here 'tis: Israel said to Joseph, "I never expected to see your face, and behold, God has let me see your children as well."
Oh, my gosh!!! Have you ever let this verse bring tears to your eyes? I did this morning, and even now, it brings tears to my eyes. We're all familiar (hopefully) with Jacob and most of his life, but stop and reread it. Joseph was Jacob's favorite son. He'd believed for many years (no, I'm not going to stop and figure out how many) that his FAVORITE son was DEAD!!! (Thanks to his other, less-than-favorite sons) As stated in the verse, he NEVER expected to see Joseph's face again, this side of Heaven. But God had a surprising surprise in store for His beloved Israel. Don't overlook the fact that this occurred AFTER God changed his name from Jacob (deceiver or chiseler) to Israel.
Would it not have been enough for God to bless Israel with JUST seeing Joseph's face again? And I'm certainly not downplaying this. But, no. Our God is One Who loves to LAVISH upon us good gifts from His generous and loving hand. And, I believe He also loves to surprise us! He also let Israel see Joseph's children as well! Now, c'mon, you grandmothers! Isn't one of your favorite blessings getting to see your grandchildren? Yes, Israel had MANY other grandchildren...but not by his favorite son.
Now this is, frankly, overwhelming, especially for a man as old as Israel was. Yet, not only did he get to SEE his favorite son's sons, but he got to bless them before he died. This is not a common habit among us today, but think about it. Would it not bless YOU to pronounce a blessing upon your precious grandchildren right before you shed your earthly body? If I had any, I think it would be marvelous!
AND...another thing I had never caught before is in verse 5, Israel adopted Joseph's sons! Yes! Did you ever see that before? I hadn't! Here's verse 5: "Now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are." This makes me think of Joel 2:25 "Then I will make up to you for the years That the swarming locust has eaten." This is getting rather long, but I keep seeing even more as I post! (It's so exciting!) It wasn't just Israel who'd missed out on seeing Joseph's sons all those years, but Joseph's sons, also, had missed out on having Israel as their grandfather all those years! So he gave them a double portion! Wow...This all seems very powerful to me, but if you're a grandmother (or grandfather), SOAK IT UP and GLORY in what God did for Israel (and Joseph and his sons) at the end of his life. Marvelous!
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Glossing Over
One of my favorite verses is Hebrew 4:12 ~ For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Now, this verse could be the subject of SEVERAL blog posts! But, today I bring it before you merely to let you know I'm very aware that any time we read the Word, we can gain new insights. Sadly, though, we often don't. My personal opinion (worth maybe five cents or a cup of coffee) is that our culture has become so 'busy,' that we don't slow down for a LOT of things, including reading His Word. Am I saying I'm not guilty of the same? NO!!! That's why I've been MAKING myself slow down more lately to bend down and pick up the gems He has laid at my feet. Yes, they're always there, but we don't stop often enough to pick them up and admire them.
I remember the first time I saw the ocean. It was down in Florida. I'd seen different seashell collections that friends had in their homes and always thought most of them to be rather boring. But when I walked on the beach along the ocean for the first time, I was totally enthralled by all the 'treasures' laying in the sand! I finally HAD to stop picking them up, as my hands were full and I could hold no more! (Yes, I brought them all back with me from my trip). Well, reading His Word is much the same. We can walk along the beach, totally oblivious to the many seashells and other things that are there. We can walk right by them, over them or ON them and never bend down to pick up a one! I believe we do the same thing with the Word. We read it...often zoom through it, in fact, never stopping to bend down and pick up a beautiful gem that's right there in front of us. After all, we have only 'x' number of minutes to read, so we have to read as much as we can in our allotted amount of time! Zoom! Zoom!
I have a friend who has been living in another country for the last four years. (She's lived the rest of her life in America). So, when she has returned to visit over these years, one of the questions she is most frequently asked is, 'What's the first thing you notice when you come back to the States?' She said her answer is always the same: how busy everybody is. AARRGH! Guilty? Rather, do you know anybody who ISN'T? I've actually written all of this to go into my pondering of Genesis 48:14, but now my post is too long for that. (So this can be a 'teaser' for tomorrow!) ;)
So, my friend, teach yourself to slow down. You might be surprised at what you've been missing out on!
I remember the first time I saw the ocean. It was down in Florida. I'd seen different seashell collections that friends had in their homes and always thought most of them to be rather boring. But when I walked on the beach along the ocean for the first time, I was totally enthralled by all the 'treasures' laying in the sand! I finally HAD to stop picking them up, as my hands were full and I could hold no more! (Yes, I brought them all back with me from my trip). Well, reading His Word is much the same. We can walk along the beach, totally oblivious to the many seashells and other things that are there. We can walk right by them, over them or ON them and never bend down to pick up a one! I believe we do the same thing with the Word. We read it...often zoom through it, in fact, never stopping to bend down and pick up a beautiful gem that's right there in front of us. After all, we have only 'x' number of minutes to read, so we have to read as much as we can in our allotted amount of time! Zoom! Zoom!
I have a friend who has been living in another country for the last four years. (She's lived the rest of her life in America). So, when she has returned to visit over these years, one of the questions she is most frequently asked is, 'What's the first thing you notice when you come back to the States?' She said her answer is always the same: how busy everybody is. AARRGH! Guilty? Rather, do you know anybody who ISN'T? I've actually written all of this to go into my pondering of Genesis 48:14, but now my post is too long for that. (So this can be a 'teaser' for tomorrow!) ;)
So, my friend, teach yourself to slow down. You might be surprised at what you've been missing out on!
Friday, January 21, 2011
God Humbles Himself?
I was reading Psalm 113 earlier today and verse 6 says, 'Who humbles Himself to behold The things that are in heaven and in the earth?' I've always loved this verse, but today it arrested me more than before. As human beings, it seems that one of the LAST things we want to do is humble ourselves. Yet, God Himself humbles Himself! And, it's not an act that has nothing to do with us! He humbles Himself to behold (to stop & gaze or ponder) the things that are in the earth. That's us, folks! I'd have to assume from this verse that it's not JUST us, but certainly it includes us. Isn't that amazing? We should be filled with awe that He does this. How little and/or seldom do I/we really stop to consider that our God is HUMBLE? This makes me think of Psalm 144:3, 'O LORD, what is man, that You take knowledge of him? Or the son of man, that You think of him?' After all, He doesn't HAVE to...He's God, very God. He could have put us here and let us fend for ourselves, ('and may the best man win!') then evaluated us at the time of our death and...frankly, what choice would He have but to put us in Hell for eternity? Who, apart from the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ could possibly EARN Heaven as their eternal home? I know some very upstanding people, yet even they couldn't earn Heaven as their eternal home. Another verse comes to mind: Romans 3:23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Uh oh! The second word in that verse is 'ALL.' NO exceptions! In our present culture, we don't think that way, do we? Not much (to us) is all-inclusive is it, either on the positive side OR the negative side. After all, we've become of the mindset that even if a child hasn't proven himself capable of moving on to the next grade, we can't possible damage his self-esteem by holding him back. Oh, there are so many more examples, that time doesn't permit!
Anyway, since this is getting rather lengthy, let us take the time to pause, behold, the fact that our God is humble (actively, not passively) and, that being the case, should we not strive to be or do any less?
Anyway, since this is getting rather lengthy, let us take the time to pause, behold, the fact that our God is humble (actively, not passively) and, that being the case, should we not strive to be or do any less?
Thursday, January 20, 2011
A Work of Art
So many times when I'm holding Percy, I tell him he's a little work of art. And he is. But, as I told him that this morning, I entered into a deeper awareness of the fact that you and I, too, are works of art, created by a Master Designer, Who makes no mistakes and Who is the Auther of beauty...beauty as defined by Him, not us. (That's another whole post all by itself! His definition of so many things as compared to how we define certain things)
But, you may be like me in the regard of not thinking of yourself as beautiful, cute, pretty or whatever term is most appealing to you. If you know me well, there are some who have referred to me as cute, pretty, etc., but I always think, 'Oh, they just like or love me, so that's why they think that.' Yet, I would tell you that (y)our outer beauty is so connected to (y)our inner beauty.
I remember in my very first office job, there was a lady that was quite striking in appearance. She always looked 'just so.' So, especially being in my early 20's, I was rather intimidated by her. Well, one night her team bowled against my team. (Yes, we were both on the company bowling league. Do they even do that anymore?) She kept score and so did I. Well, long story short, I was rather UNimpressed by her at the end of the evening and decided looks aren't everything! On the flip side of the coin, there was (same company) a little gal who worked in the section behind me. Now, at that point in time, we all had scheduled break times, so I'd see her every day walking with her friends on their way to the cafeteria. I always thought to myself, 'That is one of the homeliest girls I've ever seen.' Well, some time after that, I got to know her and what a delight she was! She had such a cute personality, she became cute in my eyes instead of homely.
This has been quite a detour, but, all this to say that He designed each of us. He created us to be beautiful in His eyes. Now, I do believe He very well knows what we consider beautiful and what we consider downright ugly. We all know not everyone is beautiful or even cute. We've all seen some pretty ugly people, haven't we? Yet, anybody who knows Him can be transformed into one who is beautiful because He lives in us. Does that change our physical features? No, obviously, but I'm sure you've met or know certain people that at first glance are not too attractive. Then, you get to know them...even just a little bit...and you discover an inner beauty that arrests you! This reminds me of 2 Corinthians 4:6, that says, 'For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves.'
So, my friend, don't focus on your outer beauty or lack thereof. Let His beauty shine through you! Then you will be truly beautiful, inside and out. <3
But, you may be like me in the regard of not thinking of yourself as beautiful, cute, pretty or whatever term is most appealing to you. If you know me well, there are some who have referred to me as cute, pretty, etc., but I always think, 'Oh, they just like or love me, so that's why they think that.' Yet, I would tell you that (y)our outer beauty is so connected to (y)our inner beauty.
I remember in my very first office job, there was a lady that was quite striking in appearance. She always looked 'just so.' So, especially being in my early 20's, I was rather intimidated by her. Well, one night her team bowled against my team. (Yes, we were both on the company bowling league. Do they even do that anymore?) She kept score and so did I. Well, long story short, I was rather UNimpressed by her at the end of the evening and decided looks aren't everything! On the flip side of the coin, there was (same company) a little gal who worked in the section behind me. Now, at that point in time, we all had scheduled break times, so I'd see her every day walking with her friends on their way to the cafeteria. I always thought to myself, 'That is one of the homeliest girls I've ever seen.' Well, some time after that, I got to know her and what a delight she was! She had such a cute personality, she became cute in my eyes instead of homely.
This has been quite a detour, but, all this to say that He designed each of us. He created us to be beautiful in His eyes. Now, I do believe He very well knows what we consider beautiful and what we consider downright ugly. We all know not everyone is beautiful or even cute. We've all seen some pretty ugly people, haven't we? Yet, anybody who knows Him can be transformed into one who is beautiful because He lives in us. Does that change our physical features? No, obviously, but I'm sure you've met or know certain people that at first glance are not too attractive. Then, you get to know them...even just a little bit...and you discover an inner beauty that arrests you! This reminds me of 2 Corinthians 4:6, that says, 'For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves.'
So, my friend, don't focus on your outer beauty or lack thereof. Let His beauty shine through you! Then you will be truly beautiful, inside and out. <3
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Privacy
One time, many years ago, I was reading Jeremiah 17:9 ~ The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it? After I read it, it occurred to me how cool it is that what's in our hearts is private. (I was about two years old in the Lord at the time). I reveled in the realization that when I'm talking to you, you can't see what's in my heart and I can't see what's in yours! You may say, big deal, I already knew that. But...have you ever really thought about it? Our God is so exceedingly gracious that He set it up this way. He didn't have to. We could have computer screens on our foreheads showing what we're REALLY thinking when our good friend asks, 'How do you like my new hairdo?' (and you DON'T like it!) Maybe, in a few cases, this would be a good thing. It would certainly keep us honest, wouldn't it? NO MORE WHITE LIES! :)
But, really, isn't it a wonderful thing? It's a two-way street. Not only am I protected, but so are you! Once again, He has given us a choice. We can be honest with each other, or we can not be honest with each other. Of course, He wants us to be honest with each other, yet with grace and diplomacy. You might ask me what I think about that guy you're dating. I might think he's a major jerk. But, because you can't see what's in my heart, I can tactfully say, 'You might want to check him out pretty thoroughly before you get too deeply involved with him.'
But, the other/real issue here is...you can't see the sin in my heart and I can't see the sin in yours. We all harbor sin in our hearts...past, present and future. When you and I are out together having coffee or lunch, you can't see all the horrid sins I committed since I've become His daughter. I can't see the sins you're contemplating committing. Neither of us can see the sin in each other that even we don't know is lurking there! He alone knows these things and because He is such a gentleman, full of grace and truth (per John 1:14), He has given us the privilege of privacy concerning such. Really...do you know of any other 'little-g' god who is as gracious as He is? And what other god is so ready to forgive? He is waiting for us to recognize our sins and bring them to Him, confessing them for what they are and trusting Him to forgive us and cleanse us rather than shame us and display our wicked behavior before others. Oh, what a GOOD God we belong to! I thank Him for the privacy He has given us which we so take for granted! (But He probably knew NONE of us would even like each other had He not!) :)
But, really, isn't it a wonderful thing? It's a two-way street. Not only am I protected, but so are you! Once again, He has given us a choice. We can be honest with each other, or we can not be honest with each other. Of course, He wants us to be honest with each other, yet with grace and diplomacy. You might ask me what I think about that guy you're dating. I might think he's a major jerk. But, because you can't see what's in my heart, I can tactfully say, 'You might want to check him out pretty thoroughly before you get too deeply involved with him.'
But, the other/real issue here is...you can't see the sin in my heart and I can't see the sin in yours. We all harbor sin in our hearts...past, present and future. When you and I are out together having coffee or lunch, you can't see all the horrid sins I committed since I've become His daughter. I can't see the sins you're contemplating committing. Neither of us can see the sin in each other that even we don't know is lurking there! He alone knows these things and because He is such a gentleman, full of grace and truth (per John 1:14), He has given us the privilege of privacy concerning such. Really...do you know of any other 'little-g' god who is as gracious as He is? And what other god is so ready to forgive? He is waiting for us to recognize our sins and bring them to Him, confessing them for what they are and trusting Him to forgive us and cleanse us rather than shame us and display our wicked behavior before others. Oh, what a GOOD God we belong to! I thank Him for the privacy He has given us which we so take for granted! (But He probably knew NONE of us would even like each other had He not!) :)
Monday, January 10, 2011
Who is king?
As I was reading the account of King Uzziah earlier today, I was reminded of this quote, "God permits what He hates in order to accomplish what He loves. I'm not sure who to give credit to for this quote, but I think I heard it from Charles Stanley. Now, you may be wondering, what or which account of Uzziah?
It's from 2 Chronicles 26, where Uzziah decides he's going to burn incense on the altar of incense. If you're not familiar with this story, it has some great instruction for us. To summarize, Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king and he did right in the sight of the LORD according to all that his father Amaziah had done. (per 2 Chr 26:3,4) However, after many years of success, he forgot his allegiance to his LORD. He forgot that God is the ultimate King, not him. This reminds me of King Nebuchadnezzar, also, although he wasn't a believer in the Most High before God humbled him to eating grass for seven years. He was afterward, though!
2 Chronicles 26 goes on in verse 16 to say, "But when he became strong, his heart was so proud that he acted corruptly, and he was unfaithful to the LORD his God, for he entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense." Long story short, because of this brazen act, Uzziah was struck with leprosy. Well, guess Who struck him with leprosy? The King he was subject to, but had forgotten he was subject to! You may think this is a rather severe punishment for an act you consider no big deal. Well, it was a big deal to God! He had previously set aside this act ONLY for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who were consecrated to burn incense. (per 2 Chr 26:18) Verse 21 tells us, 'King Uzziah was a leper to the day of his death; and he lived in a separate house, being a leper, for he was cut off from the house of the LORD.' Now it's not recorded whether King Uzziah repented or not, but, we ALWAYS have those two choices when God disciplines us...we can repent and humble ourselves before Him or we can become bitter and blame Him for our act of rebellion, angry at Him for the consequences we have to suffer for our sin.
This reminds me of my mother. She had polio in her left arm as a child. She told me the doctor gave her a little red rubber ball to squeeze in order to regain strength and muscle tone in that arm. She told me, "But I didn't do it," with a sneer, like she was so smart to do other than what the doctor told her to do. Well, as an adult, guess who she blamed for having a left arm that was thinner and weaker than her right arm? You guessed it! She blamed the Lord! I told her one time that the Lord loved her and her response was, 'Then why did He give me THIS?' (referring to her left arm) She never took accountability for her own failure to follow the instruction the doctor gave her.
All this to say that God disciplines us for our own good, that we may repent and turn our heart humbly back to Him to be molded by His loving hand into what He designed us to be before the foundation of the world. So, the next time you think He is being harsh with you or another, remember the saying I quoted at the beginning: God permits what He hates in order to accomplish what He loves. And, you might ask yourself, 'Who is on the throne of my heart? Him? Or me?'
It's from 2 Chronicles 26, where Uzziah decides he's going to burn incense on the altar of incense. If you're not familiar with this story, it has some great instruction for us. To summarize, Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king and he did right in the sight of the LORD according to all that his father Amaziah had done. (per 2 Chr 26:3,4) However, after many years of success, he forgot his allegiance to his LORD. He forgot that God is the ultimate King, not him. This reminds me of King Nebuchadnezzar, also, although he wasn't a believer in the Most High before God humbled him to eating grass for seven years. He was afterward, though!
2 Chronicles 26 goes on in verse 16 to say, "But when he became strong, his heart was so proud that he acted corruptly, and he was unfaithful to the LORD his God, for he entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense." Long story short, because of this brazen act, Uzziah was struck with leprosy. Well, guess Who struck him with leprosy? The King he was subject to, but had forgotten he was subject to! You may think this is a rather severe punishment for an act you consider no big deal. Well, it was a big deal to God! He had previously set aside this act ONLY for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who were consecrated to burn incense. (per 2 Chr 26:18) Verse 21 tells us, 'King Uzziah was a leper to the day of his death; and he lived in a separate house, being a leper, for he was cut off from the house of the LORD.' Now it's not recorded whether King Uzziah repented or not, but, we ALWAYS have those two choices when God disciplines us...we can repent and humble ourselves before Him or we can become bitter and blame Him for our act of rebellion, angry at Him for the consequences we have to suffer for our sin.
This reminds me of my mother. She had polio in her left arm as a child. She told me the doctor gave her a little red rubber ball to squeeze in order to regain strength and muscle tone in that arm. She told me, "But I didn't do it," with a sneer, like she was so smart to do other than what the doctor told her to do. Well, as an adult, guess who she blamed for having a left arm that was thinner and weaker than her right arm? You guessed it! She blamed the Lord! I told her one time that the Lord loved her and her response was, 'Then why did He give me THIS?' (referring to her left arm) She never took accountability for her own failure to follow the instruction the doctor gave her.
All this to say that God disciplines us for our own good, that we may repent and turn our heart humbly back to Him to be molded by His loving hand into what He designed us to be before the foundation of the world. So, the next time you think He is being harsh with you or another, remember the saying I quoted at the beginning: God permits what He hates in order to accomplish what He loves. And, you might ask yourself, 'Who is on the throne of my heart? Him? Or me?'
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Constituted for Heaven
On the very first page of "What is Man?" by T. Austin-Sparks, he wrote: As the crawling caterpillar or silkworm has to spin its shroud and yield that form of life in order to awaken in a new order, break through into a new world as a beautiful moth or butterfly, so has man now to pass out of one order and be constituted anew with faculties and capacities for a higher.
I think most believers have heard the story of the butterfly and the analogy as presented above, but I wonder how aware we are of our need to be constituted for the change we are all looking forward to. How willing are we (really) to 'yield that form of life (we currently know) in order to awaken in a new order?' It's so easy to just think, 'Oh, yes, I was an ugly caterpillar, accepted Christ, then He made me into a beautiful butterfly!' Yes, that, too, is a fitting analogy, but let's not stop there.
Are we intentionally preparing ourselves to pass out of this order of life to be fit for the higher life He has in mind for us? (both here AND in eternity) This reminds me of 1 Corinthians 3:15 that says, 'If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.' Fire destroys all that it touches, with the exception of gold (and possibly other substances of which I'm not aware).
So, what does it mean, that this person will suffer loss? One commentator puts it this way: He shall be injuriously affected by this forever. It shall be a detriment to him to all eternity. The effects shall be felt in all his residence in heaven; not producing misery, but attending him with the consciousness that he might have been raised to superior bliss in the eternal abode. The phrase here literally means, "he shall be mulcted." The word is a law term, and means that he shall be fined; i.e., he shall suffer detriment.
So, when we're just about to speak 'that little white lie,' cheat on our taxes, just take one peek at internet porn, or even 'just' gossip about our brother or sister in Christ, let us remember we are affecting our eternal abode. May we ask ourselves, 'Is it really worth it?' and trust the One Whose name is Truth to do or say the right thing. Blessings to you to become an astoundingly beautiful butterfly!
I think most believers have heard the story of the butterfly and the analogy as presented above, but I wonder how aware we are of our need to be constituted for the change we are all looking forward to. How willing are we (really) to 'yield that form of life (we currently know) in order to awaken in a new order?' It's so easy to just think, 'Oh, yes, I was an ugly caterpillar, accepted Christ, then He made me into a beautiful butterfly!' Yes, that, too, is a fitting analogy, but let's not stop there.
Are we intentionally preparing ourselves to pass out of this order of life to be fit for the higher life He has in mind for us? (both here AND in eternity) This reminds me of 1 Corinthians 3:15 that says, 'If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.' Fire destroys all that it touches, with the exception of gold (and possibly other substances of which I'm not aware).
So, what does it mean, that this person will suffer loss? One commentator puts it this way: He shall be injuriously affected by this forever. It shall be a detriment to him to all eternity. The effects shall be felt in all his residence in heaven; not producing misery, but attending him with the consciousness that he might have been raised to superior bliss in the eternal abode. The phrase here literally means, "he shall be mulcted." The word is a law term, and means that he shall be fined; i.e., he shall suffer detriment.
So, when we're just about to speak 'that little white lie,' cheat on our taxes, just take one peek at internet porn, or even 'just' gossip about our brother or sister in Christ, let us remember we are affecting our eternal abode. May we ask ourselves, 'Is it really worth it?' and trust the One Whose name is Truth to do or say the right thing. Blessings to you to become an astoundingly beautiful butterfly!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
A New Bookshelf
I bought a new bookshelf a while back. I immediately began to rearrange all my books. I'd had some sitting on the floor, hence the decision to buy a new bookshelf. Well, I've taken way too long to redo my books, so I started again this evening. Part of the problem is that I start 'peeking' into some of them and get sidetracked. I have a GREAT library! (truly)
Well, I decided I MUST share this paragraph from one of them. It is "Abba's Child," by Brennan Manning. I find it so appropriate for so many. 'Christians who remain in hiding continue to live the lie. We deny the reality of our sin. In a futile attempt to erase our past, we deprive the community of our healing gift. If we conceal our wounds out of fear and shame, our inner darkness can neither be illuminated nor become a light for others. We cling to our bad feelings and beat ourselves with the past when what we should do is let go. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, guilt is an idol. But when we dare to live as forgiven men and women, we join the wounded healers and draw closer to Jesus." Isn't that powerful? I love it. Who can minister more effectively to a wounded person than another who has been similarly wounded and healed?
I'm constantly amazed at how many fantastic books have been written and at how many songs have been written, played and sung by so many immensely talented artists. Some of them aren't even written to glorify Him, but are still great works. Of course, the best ones are the ones that DO glorify Him and they will last throughout eternity. And yet, people are STILL writing more books and music! I doubt that will ever stop. As Psalm 139:14 says, (paraphrased) we are fearfully and wonderfully made. David penned this, speaking of himself, but I suspect it applies to all humans, since He made us in His image.
I rejoice in the writings of so many, books and music both. It is a pleasure and a privilege to own as many as I do. Thank You, Lord! You are the Author of all true creativity and expression, which cannot be contained, but must be shared with others who need it, or merely enjoy it.
Well, I decided I MUST share this paragraph from one of them. It is "Abba's Child," by Brennan Manning. I find it so appropriate for so many. 'Christians who remain in hiding continue to live the lie. We deny the reality of our sin. In a futile attempt to erase our past, we deprive the community of our healing gift. If we conceal our wounds out of fear and shame, our inner darkness can neither be illuminated nor become a light for others. We cling to our bad feelings and beat ourselves with the past when what we should do is let go. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, guilt is an idol. But when we dare to live as forgiven men and women, we join the wounded healers and draw closer to Jesus." Isn't that powerful? I love it. Who can minister more effectively to a wounded person than another who has been similarly wounded and healed?
I'm constantly amazed at how many fantastic books have been written and at how many songs have been written, played and sung by so many immensely talented artists. Some of them aren't even written to glorify Him, but are still great works. Of course, the best ones are the ones that DO glorify Him and they will last throughout eternity. And yet, people are STILL writing more books and music! I doubt that will ever stop. As Psalm 139:14 says, (paraphrased) we are fearfully and wonderfully made. David penned this, speaking of himself, but I suspect it applies to all humans, since He made us in His image.
I rejoice in the writings of so many, books and music both. It is a pleasure and a privilege to own as many as I do. Thank You, Lord! You are the Author of all true creativity and expression, which cannot be contained, but must be shared with others who need it, or merely enjoy it.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Questions for God, Part 2
I was reading Genesis today. As I was reading verses 6:19 & 20, (And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. Of the birds after their kind, and of the animals after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive.), it occurred to me...what if Noah would have stepped on Mr. & Mrs. Cockroach? YEAH!!! Nobody who's ever lived since Noah would have had to put up with those nasty varmints! I could say he'd have been a hero, but that's not true. We'd have never known to be thankful to him for this deed! I wonder if he was tempted...and not just with cockroaches. Maybe Noah had other 'living things' he particularly disliked, like spiders or snakes. Surely he must have been tempted!
Anyway, I thought that was an interesting contemplation. Life could have been very different for a lot of people if Noah had disobeyed God and taken things into his own hands (or feet). I mean, think of all those for whom cockroaches are a daily nuisance! Or those who live in areas where snakes are a menace...or alligators! aarrgh! How about rats? ugh!
But, verse 6:18 says that God told him He'd establish His covenant with him...before entering the ark. And, in verses 6:8&9, it's recorded that Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. It also says Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God. Ah, well...so much for stepping on the cockroaches.
Of course, this causes me to wonder what I'd have done. I would consider it an act of love to mankind to step on Mr & Mrs Cockroach. But, obviously, God had SOME reason for sending them with all the others. (Yes, this was AFTER the curse...) Then I have to wonder, how different is this thinking than that of Abram and Sarai? They weren't necessarily thinking about all of mankind, although that may have entered in. After all, God had already told Abram he'd have 'descendants as the dust of the earth, so that if anyone can number the dust of the earth, then your descendants can also be numbered.' (Gen 13:16) So, they may have just been 'helping God out.' I mean, I'm sure they didn't want people to think God was a liar! But, I suspect the driving factor was their desire to have a child and, for Sarai, to have the reproach of barrenness removed. Look at the consequences we've lived with ever since because of the decision they made to 'help God out' instead of waiting on Him to do what He'd already told them He would do.
Hmmm...how often do we give in to this same kind of thinking? sigh...more often than we'd all probably like to admit. Especially here in the good old US of A, we are used to 'instant.' Instant cocoa, instant info when we press the enter key on our computer keyboard, instant money when we go to the ATM...and the list goes on. We aren't used to waiting and we put that same mentality on God. Then we make a decision and act on it because we decide God either didn't hear us or He forgot. (RIGHT!) Then, at some point, sooner or later, we realize we should have waited and have to live with the consequences of that decision. And that's often not fun, or even downright tragic. How many bad marriages are born from this kind of thinking? How many illegitimate babies are born...or aborted?
May we stop before we act and consider whether it's Him leading us or whether we're unwilling to wait on the One Who knows the outcome of our decision. May we all, in this new year of 2011, do this and be willing to assess our seemingly harmless decisions...first and foremost out of love and obedience to the One Who saved us, or just to be wise! In this case, self-protection would be a GOOD thing!
Anyway, I thought that was an interesting contemplation. Life could have been very different for a lot of people if Noah had disobeyed God and taken things into his own hands (or feet). I mean, think of all those for whom cockroaches are a daily nuisance! Or those who live in areas where snakes are a menace...or alligators! aarrgh! How about rats? ugh!
But, verse 6:18 says that God told him He'd establish His covenant with him...before entering the ark. And, in verses 6:8&9, it's recorded that Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. It also says Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God. Ah, well...so much for stepping on the cockroaches.
Of course, this causes me to wonder what I'd have done. I would consider it an act of love to mankind to step on Mr & Mrs Cockroach. But, obviously, God had SOME reason for sending them with all the others. (Yes, this was AFTER the curse...) Then I have to wonder, how different is this thinking than that of Abram and Sarai? They weren't necessarily thinking about all of mankind, although that may have entered in. After all, God had already told Abram he'd have 'descendants as the dust of the earth, so that if anyone can number the dust of the earth, then your descendants can also be numbered.' (Gen 13:16) So, they may have just been 'helping God out.' I mean, I'm sure they didn't want people to think God was a liar! But, I suspect the driving factor was their desire to have a child and, for Sarai, to have the reproach of barrenness removed. Look at the consequences we've lived with ever since because of the decision they made to 'help God out' instead of waiting on Him to do what He'd already told them He would do.
Hmmm...how often do we give in to this same kind of thinking? sigh...more often than we'd all probably like to admit. Especially here in the good old US of A, we are used to 'instant.' Instant cocoa, instant info when we press the enter key on our computer keyboard, instant money when we go to the ATM...and the list goes on. We aren't used to waiting and we put that same mentality on God. Then we make a decision and act on it because we decide God either didn't hear us or He forgot. (RIGHT!) Then, at some point, sooner or later, we realize we should have waited and have to live with the consequences of that decision. And that's often not fun, or even downright tragic. How many bad marriages are born from this kind of thinking? How many illegitimate babies are born...or aborted?
May we stop before we act and consider whether it's Him leading us or whether we're unwilling to wait on the One Who knows the outcome of our decision. May we all, in this new year of 2011, do this and be willing to assess our seemingly harmless decisions...first and foremost out of love and obedience to the One Who saved us, or just to be wise! In this case, self-protection would be a GOOD thing!
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