August- Reflections

Genesis 1:26-27
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Colossians 3: 12-17
So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

 Who do you resemble, your mother or father? We gain features from both our parents and sometimes our grandparents. Sometimes there are unique features that run through every generation, like pointy ears or big round eyes. Somtimes you can tell who a child belongs to just by their appearance because they resemble their parents so well. We reflect our parents and past generations of our family. We reflect an image of both of our parents. Not an exact representation, but a similar one. A mirror is designed to reflect an exact copy of anything that stands in front of it. When I look at myself in the mirror, I see clearly what I look like. I can tell if my hair is out of place, if my makeup is good, and if I like what I am wearing. Let’s be honest, our purpose in looking in the mirror is to make sure we look good. We want to make sure we look presentable to the general public.
     Besides physical appearance, we also inherit personality traits from our parents. Maybe your short temper is from your dad or your desire to always be early to an event is from your mother. Kids really are amazing because as they grow older, it becomes obvious what physical similarities and personality traits they have from each parent.
     God says we are made in His image. Think about that. What does His image look like? He doesn’t have a face like you and me. When Jesus came down as man, He had a face, but surely we don’t all truly resemble that image, right? God doesn’t need to eat or breathe like us, so what does it mean that we were made in His image? God does not have a body, but it is His soul we resemble. God is complex in His nature and beautiful, more than we can comprehend. He so complex and beautiful that He created not just one type of human but two, a female and male, which both reflect His beauty. Being part of His image means having His attributes. We are like our Creator because we have reason, intellect, will, and emotion just as He does. Everything He created before us also reflects His beauty, but we are the only creatures that reflect His image, His soul. It doesn’t matter who you are or whether you believe in Jesus, you are created in God’s image. That alone gives our lives significance and value.
     I’m going to state the obvious. We have a will like God does which means He has given us freedom to choose. We have freedom to choose what we eat, what we wear, where we work and how we use our money. We even have freedom to choose if we want to worship and obey Him. Yet, His desire is that we don’t just live with His image, but that we reflect His image and that means using our freedom to make choices that show forth who He is and what He is like. It means that I choose to treat others like He would, that I take care of my body that He created like He would, that I use my money like He would, that I am patient like He is, that I am forgiving like He is, and so forth. The Bible is my source of who and what God is like. His character is displayed from page to page. If you want to know more about His beauty and His creativity, just take a few minutes and read about the process of birth, or how a caterpillar transforms into a butterfly, or how a rainbow is formed. God created all of these. Can you fathom His mind? He is far more superior to us and yet His love for us made us His prized creation. His love chose to make us in His image and we have the honor to imitate Him.
     Even though we can’t be like a mirror and be an exact reflection of who God is, we can strive to come awfully close. The more we spend time with God and let the Holy Spirit transform us, the better we can exhibit His qualities. I look in the mirror daily to make sure I look good, but we must strive to look at God daily and make Him look good through us+. I want to mirror God in my daily life. His qualities are stated for us in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” How well are we doing making God look good in ourselves?

“Being in the image of God means at least that we should image forth God. We should reflect what he is really like. And we should do that not to make ourselves look great (as imagers) but to make him look great (as Creator). People make images of famous people to honor them. God made man in his own image so that he would be seen and enjoyed and honored through what man does.”

John Piper, “Don’t Waste Your Life”

July-Falling in Love

1 John 2:15-17
Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.

1 John 4:15-16,18-21
Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him…..There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because He first loved us. If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.


     What is love? How would you define this word to a child? The Bible says God is love, but what does that really mean? Is it a feeling or state of being or something you are in and out of? Is love at first sight or does it take time? Can you love an object more than a person? It’s a complicated phenomenon this thing called love. Songs are written about it, stories are based on it, and our lives revolve around it. Love can be described as affection or devotion to someone or something. Love can make you feel things you have never felt before and it can make you do things you normally wouldn’t do, good or bad. I’m not just talking about love between a man and woman. Love has different faces. The way a mother loves her child is different than the way she loves her husband or father or sister or even her fancy new dress. We can love as many people and as many objects as we desire.
     Though love may wear different faces, the source of it is the same. I John 4 says that God is love and the one who abides in love abides in God. We have to make something clear. God is specific about His kind of love. His love casts out fear. His love does not lie or hate someone else. His love protects, forgives, and provides (1 Corinthians 13). Our sinful nature has twisted love into things it was never meant to be. When we love like God, we love the right way and everyone benefits. Yet, we have a tendency to fall in love with the wrong things if we are not careful. Love isn’t something that just happens. You may love someone without making it happen, but how you act out of that love is entirely up to you. God does warn us that there are certain things we can’t fall in love with: this world. He makes it clear what it is in this world we cannot love. 1 John says that the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and our pride make us love this world more than the things of God. Our desires and passions are good, but not if they become idols. Not if they make us think we are more superior or deserving than we truly are. That’s how we get entrapped in this world and start to fall in love with all it offers. We start believing we deserve certain things or need them to survive to have a better life. We think we need to live a certain way to truly be fulfilled. Please don’t misunderstand me. You can enjoy your possessions, you gadgets, your vacations, and your latte every morning. That’s not what this is about. That’s not what scripture is saying. God knows all about love and how it works. It’s because of love that He did incredible and kind of crazy things. His love for you and me drove Him to sacrifice His perfect Son so we could have life. His love kept the Israelites wandering for forty years to mold them into His people. His love allowed the disciples to perform outrageous miracles. That same love allowed some of those same disciples to be beaten and beheaded. Does any of this make sense to you? Honestly, I know the stories and know they are true, but what kind of love sacrifices your own flesh for those who are selfish? If love can make the God of the universe do crazy things, what affect will it have on us? Here’s the catch though. Love doesn’t control God. He is love and therefore everything He does, sacrifice or chastening, He does for the purpose of good. We are not God and we are not love. What we have as believers is the Holy Spirit who helps us, if we yield to Him, to live out love in our actions and our speech. If we love God, we act on His behalf. If we love the World, we act on its behalf.
     The bottom line is that when we love our spouses and our families, we will do just about anything for them, even crazy things. And usually it’s all good crazy things for them and for their benefit. That’s how God wants us to love people, with crazy, good, and wild love. The problem is that we start to love this world that same way and God knows how dangerous that can be. When we love this world, our love becomes distorted and usually very selfish. We start to love ourselves more and all of sudden love is unkind, or proud, or angry. The offers of this world are temporary and fading and God wants to protect our love and our lives. Whenever He says ‘No’ to something, it’s always for our protection and for our good. I think you would agree that Love is all things mentioned above. Yes, it can be love at first sight or love that takes many years. It is a state of being and a feeling. Some believe you can fall in and out love. I fall in and out love with TV shows many times! Love is definitely a choice, always. God chose to love us. You choose everyday to love your family. You choose everyday to love God. Our choices and actions demonstrate what and who we love. The cross is a visual reminder of who Jesus loves. It’s a reminder of who and how we are to love. God is love and my desire is to fall in love with Him every day until He comes for me and takes me to the world I can love. It’s okay to love crazy, to love wild, and to express it as long as we what we love, is what God loves.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

June-The Real Hero

1 Kings 16: 29-33, 17:1-6

In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria over Israel twenty-two years. Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him. He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria. Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to arouse the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than did all the kings of Israel before him….Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.” Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah: “Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to supply you with food there.” So he did what the Lord had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.


       Elijah comes on the scene in 1 Kings with a powerful and forceful message. There is not a lot of introduction or explanation, but there is a firm and clear command. It’s not Elijah’s command, but God’s. King Ahab has been a very bad man. In fact it says that he did more evil than any of his predecessors. And he didn’t do this alone. He found himself a bride that was equally wicked. Together, they were a dangerous, ruthless and frightful force. This was a couple that lived off of one another’s selfish desires and they craved power. Everyone was afraid of them. They were not the most reasonable people to deal with. We’ve got this crazy couple in power, and here comes Elijah. He’s not a warrior or soldier. He’s not geared up in leather and crossbows. He’s a prophet and usually prophets don’t pack a lot of heat. They do, however, pack some extremely powerful words. Elijah was singled out by God to single out this diabolical duo. And guess what? This duo singled out Elijah. They would want nothing more than to see him dead.
     Elijah is completely alone and has been called by God to challenge this ungodly couple to stop their oppression. The first thing he does is tell Ahab that there is no rain coming unless God commands it. This not only affects the royal pair, but also the rest of the people. God is going to show everyone, including Elijah, His power and greatness. The next command Elijah is given is to hide now that he’s a fugitive. He is to go down in the ravine and he will be fed by birds. I think it’s fair to say that God has somewhat of a flare for the dramatic. But dramatic gets our attention, right? Elijah is a no nonsense guy, but he does the dramatic himself, which we’ll see later. He lives in the ravine until it dries up and then he’s instructed to live with a widow. Two years pass and the drought is pretty bad. During this drought, Jezebel is on a prophet killing mission. It is at this time that Elijah summons Ahab. To sum it up, Elijah calls him out on his ungodly behavior and his complete defiance of the Lord’s command. He has everyone gathered including about 400 of the pagan prophets. He challenges them to choose God, but there is no movement. They have been stuck in their idolatry together and words are not going to shake them. Now we see Elijah’s flare come out. He proposes a challenge to see whose God listens, theirs or his.


“Then Elijah said to them, “I am the only one of the Lord’s prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. Get two bulls for us. Let Baal’s prophets choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by fire —he is God.” (1 Kings 18: 22-24)

Sounds pretty fair, right? The prophets call upon Baal from morning till noon. Bear in mind that Baal is worshipped as the god of the sun, hence fire! Nothing happens of course. Elijah encourages them with a little taunting. They are screaming, cutting themselves, and crying out to Baal. Still nothing happens. He calls them to his alter and has them pour gallons of water around in the trenches of the altar. Can’t really start a fire with all that water, right? Remember dramatic flare. So we’ve got over 400 prophets, Ahab, and all the people gathered around looking at this spectacle and here’s what they see.

“At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.” Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.” (1 Kings 18: 36-38)

     Wow. I love that even the water was licked up from God’s fire. What happened to Baal? I thought he was in charge of the sun? Elijah’s prayer was extremely simple, but his faith was huge and firm. God answered and brought proof to these unbelieving people. Read the rest of the chapter; it’s amazing. Everyone either was in open idolatry or divided allegiance. Both are wrong. Staying neutral isn’t any better than worshipping idols. You must decide whom you serve. Elijah was a lone hero in this land. He didn’t possess special abilities, or wear a cape, or do cool tricks. He had the power of God. Elijah stood alone, yet his faith and obedience allowed him to stand up to idolatry and to be used in a mighty way. Yes, it is always easier when you have someone standing with you, but you may find yourself like Elijah. You may not confront a whole nation like he did, but what about a person? Would you be willing to stand alone and confront what is wrong? Maybe you already have. If you are walking in obedience and listening to His voice, you will definitely be asked to stand up. Especially in the state of our society where there is open idolatry and divided allegiance. Elijah was on a hit list and actively hunted, but God protected him. Our culture is in no better shape than Elijah’s. It might even be worse. God needs more Elijahs right now and He’s asking us to fill in.


“Elijah, this gaunt, rugged figure striding out of nowhere, suddenly stepping into the pages of history, is a clear witness of the value of one life completely committed to God. An unknown man from a backwater place, he was called to stand against evil in the moist turbulent and violent and decadent of times. Look around. The need is still great, and God is still searching.”                          -Charles Swindoll-

May-Getting Clean

Matthew 23: 25-28
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.


Psalms 51: 7-12
Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.


      Have you ever cleaned a dish only to realize it still had food or stains on it? Or vacuumed your carpet wondering if it really is as clean as it looks? I imagine most of us know that carpets may seem clean to the naked eye, but there is a lot of dust and allergens imbedded underneath. You may also know the best thing to do for a pot or dish that has baked on food is to let it soak in soapy hot water. After a few hours, you can usually scrub away the particles like magic! Or for dried food on stoves, sprinkle salt and let it sit for a while and then scrub away. Didn’t know you were getting cleaning advice, did you? Now here’s the real question. Would you eat or drink out of a dirty, stained dish? Most of us would not. Jesus speaks to us about dirty dishes and unclean graves. But He’s not giving us cleaning advice for our home, but for our heart. He’s not teaching us how to keep a grave clean, but how to keep our minds pure.
     When you eat something that doesn’t settle well in your stomach, it usually has to find its way out. I’m sure we have all dealt with that awful experience. Whatever you put into your stomach has some effect, it can be painful or wonderful. Proverbs tells us to guard our hearts, to protect it and to be on the offensive with its care. Our hearts are as fragile as glass and as strong as steel. We have to learn how to use it properly and to guard it carefully. Our hearts have the power to destroy and the power to heal all at the same time. The words and actions that flow from our heart is determined with what has been put into it. There is so much that influences us on a daily basis. From the moment we wake up, we are listening to the radio, the TV, the people in line, people at work, friends, and relatives. We are reading our phones, computers, books, signs, and billboards. We are talking to people on the phone, people at work, at the grocery store, at the drive through, or down the street. Our brains and hearts have the ability to process all of this and sometimes all at the same time. From information to emotions, our minds and hearts never stop working, processing, and feeling. Tired yet? Yet somehow we have to be able to filter what sticks to our heart and what we need to scrub away. I personally don’t want everything I read on a billboard or hear on the radio to stay with me for the rest of the day. What tends to happen when we are not careful is that whatever we don’t scrub away, somehow finds its way out of our mouth and into our actions. Hence the reasons we must guard, defend, and fortify our hearts and minds.
     So how do we clean and scrub away? I suggest a few cleaning products. The baking soda Bible is the best filtering system you are going to find out there. It’s where stains and crusty particles don’t stand a chance. In the background of God’s Holy truth, our imperfections are revealed. Another good product is Comet people. Having a few godly people who can see the dirty areas, point them out, and help remove them is essential to any cleaning plan. They can help you, sharpen you, and encourage you, but like any cleaning product, you have to let them work. The last item that is by far the most important is the Spic and Span Spirit. The Holy Spirit resides in you if you have surrendered and offered your life to the Lord Jesus. It is the Spirit that gives you the wisdom to understand and apply the baking soda Bible. It is the Spirit that uses the Comet people in your life to show you truth, to rebuke you, and to comfort you. It is the power of the Holy Spirit that truly washes and scrubs you clean. The bottom line? You have all the resources you need to help you remove the stains of anger, selfishness, greed, pride, rudeness, envy, and anything else that is black against the light of the baking soda Bible. The question is will you use it? Do you want to shine from the inside out? I can have awesome products like fancy soap and cool brushes, but unless I use them properly, they are just that, fancy soap and cool brushes.
     Let us go back to the carpet analogy. I can vacuum my carpet and it can be clean on the surface, but unless I deep clean, it is only clean on the top. Underneath lays all sorts of nasty stuff. This is how Jesus describes the Pharisees in the passages above. They seem righteous because they’ve cleaned the surface, but underneath they have stains that only deep cleaning can reach. You have to have the right condition for cleaning as well. You need a hot soapy heart. Yes our hearts are delicate like glass and strong as steel, but we must choose to have soapy delicate strong hearts. Soapy hearts can soak a lot of information and emotions, but then you can apply the baking soda Bible, Comet people, and the Spic and Span Spirit to scrub away the unwanted stains. Cleaning is a daily chore. Just like any chore, sometimes we have no desire to do it. But cleaning isn’t always about desire, is it? It is about what is necessary. If we waited on desire to clean our home, we might end up living in a pig pen. We clean daily because we want our home livable and enjoyable. How much more should we cherish our hearts and minds, and the hearts and minds of those living with us? If you are not cleaning daily with the baking soda Bible, Comet people, and Spic and Span Spirit, then get on board. Dirty hearts are not enjoyable to be around and God can’t always use you the way He desires unless you are in the business of cleaning. Can we agree to start cleaning today and living with soapy hearts?

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity;
keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you.
Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.

Proverbs 4:23-26

April- God Needs My Help, Right?

Genesis 25: 21-23

Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. The Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.”

      Sometimes I really do think God needs my help. He’s very capable of handling things on His own, but have you ever noticed that sometimes He takes longer than He should to answer your question or provide for that need? I’ve noticed that many times in my life and some of those times I’ve decided that my help, or a nudge in the right direction, would really be beneficial for Him. Besides, He has given me wisdom and discernment. Like I said, He’s very capable, but who wouldn’t turn down my help? I know of one woman who felt the same way. So, she decided to help God.                                                                         

     Rebekah was married to Isaac and if you remember, this was the Isaac that Abraham was prepared to sacrifice for God. God spared him and promised Abraham that He would make a great nation through Isaac. That great nation was born from Rebekah. Now, let’s assume that maybe Rebekah doesn’t know or understand this promise that was made from God. She’s pregnant with twins, she feels the babies fighting within her, and it causes her to be concerned. So she does what seemed best, she spoke to the Lord about it. He very clearly tells her that she has two children, and they will be great, but the older will serve the younger. Those are pretty heavy words for her to meditate on. And I’m pretty sure she forgot those words. Fast forward to when her sons, Esau and Jacob, are young men. Let me start by saying that Esau was only the firstborn by a few minutes and that Rebekah favored Jacob. Their father Isaac is going to die soon and per their custom, he needs to bless the first born son. He tells Esau to go hunt game and bring it to him and then he will bless him. Rebekah overhears this conversation and takes into account who she favors [which is Jacob] and possibly remembers that the older son is supposed to serve the younger. She decides at this point that God hasn’t come through on His promises. She does what any loving mother would do, right? She takes matters into her own hands and plays the deceiver to get the end result. Let’s read about it.

"Now Rebekah was listening as Isaac spoke to his son Esau. When Esau left for the open country to hunt game and bring it back, Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Look, I overheard your father say to your brother Esau, ‘Bring me some game and prepare me some tasty food to eat, so that I may give you my blessing in the presence of the Lord before I die.’ Now, my son, listen carefully and do what I tell you: Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, so I can prepare some tasty food for your father, just the way he likes it. Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may give you his blessing before he dies.” Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “But my brother Esau is a hairy man while I have smooth skin. What if my father touches me? I would appear to be tricking him and would bring down a curse on myself rather than a blessing.” His mother said to him, “My son, let the curse fall on me. Just do what I say; go and get them for me.” (Genesis 27: 5-13)

Let me mention that Isaac is pretty much blind at this point, so it was easy to deceive him. Jacob received the blessing by deception, Esau was heartbroken and angry, Isaac was taken by surprise, and I’m not sure what was going on in Rebekah’s mind. But a curse did befall her and really the whole family. Rebekah did not trust God to follow through on what He proclaimed many years before. She deceived both her sons and her husband. I don’t know how His promise would have come through, but I know that it would have been much better for all the people involved than the way Rebekah chose to handle things. She chose to act out of her fears rather than her trust in God. I encourage you to read the rest of the story when you can. That one deceptive decision that Rebekah made and Jacob followed had catastrophic consequences for everybody for years to come. Jacob had to flee from Esau and he never saw his mother again. God still worked good through those poor choices, but oh how it could have been so much better!                                    

     Remember I mentioned earlier that I think I need to help God out sometimes? Well, that’s when I’m thinking out of my fears. To be quite honest, I’m not really thinking at all. I’m reacting to fears and so I act and usually make a mess of things. Can you imagine if Rebekah, upon hearing that conversation between Esau and Isaac, prayed instead of conjuring up a deceptive plan or even had just spoken to Isaac about the matter? Well, let me end by offering some practical instructions for the next time you’re convinced you need to “help” God. You remember what you are supposed to do if you are on fire? “Stop, drop and roll!” Roll that fire out. Well how about when we feel like taking matters out of God’s hand, let’s Stop, Drop and Pray! Pray those fears out completely! I think we can all relate to Rebekah, even more so if you have a child and want the best for them. Yet whether we are single, married, or a parent, our fears can be very powerful motivators. We have to condition our fears to motivate us to literally stop our thinking, drop to our knees, and pray to the Lord. Can we all practice that this month?

STOP your thinking, DROP to your knees, PRAY to the Lord!

 

March - Stones of Memory

Exodus 14: 21-22 

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord swept the sea back by a strong east wind all night and turned the sea into dry land, so the waters were divided. The sons of Israel went through the midst of the sea on the dry land, and the waters were like a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 

Joshua 3: 14-17 

So when the people set out from their tents to cross the Jordan with the priests carrying the ark of the covenant before the people, and when those who carried the ark came into the Jordan, and the feet of the priests carrying the ark were dipped in the edge of the water ….the waters which were flowing down from above stood and rose up in one heap, …. So the people crossed opposite Jericho. And the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan while all Israel crossed on dry ground, until all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan. 

Joshua 4: 2-7

 “Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from each tribe, and command them, saying, ‘Take up for yourselves twelve stones from here out of the middle of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet are standing firm, and carry them over with you and lay them down in the lodging place where you will lodge tonight.’……Let this be a sign among you, so that when your children ask later, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’……So these stones shall become a memorial to the sons of Israel forever"                                                                                                                                              

      I’m a big fan of celebrating. I love birthdays and anniversaries. It is fun to celebrate life and events that change our life. It’s great to gather around other friends and rejoice over something wonderful. This kind of celebrating is part of the community God wants us to have, to love those around us and to remember God’s goodness in the midst of it. Yet, rarely do I commemorate times when God chastens me, or exposes my fears, or brings unwanted change. They don’t seem like things you and I want to put a party hat on for. When I look back and think about when God brought me deeper into His will and strengthened my faith in Him, it usually was in the midst of some trial. It’s not always that He just helps me through the trial, but during the trial, He does something amazing. He’ll reveal something about Himself, or something about me. Or, He’ll do a little miracle that I wasn’t even praying for. Moses led the Israelites out of slavery from Egypt through the Red Sea, literally through the sea. God pushed the waters back and they crossed on dry land. Then they lived on the other side of the Red Sea for 40 years. At the end of the 40 years, Joshua led the Israelites to the Promised Land through the Jordan River, literally. God tells Joshua that the tribe leaders are to pick up stones from the middle of the Jordan River and bring them into their camp. They are to keep them as memorials. Getting on the other side wasn’t necessary the trial the Israelites were nervous about—it was taking over the city of Jericho. Yet cross the river they must and God did an amazing miracle in the Jordan River just as He did on the other side of it. He parted the Jordan River and the Israelites crossed on dry ground…completely dry ground as to be able to pick up stones from the bottom. 

     God’s instruction was to “remember”. Remember what He did and what power He revealed for His people. He wanted the people to have visual reminders of the spiritual and supernatural. The stones were not just a story of crossing the Jordan but of everything before, during, and after the crossing. The stones were visual reminders to celebrate His goodness, to remember His goodness during other trials, and to help others believe in His goodness in the future to come. I remember years ago, walking with a good friend after a break up and trying to move past it. She stopped and picked up a white stone and handed it to me. She told me that whenever you look at it, remember that God is good and everything will be just fine. I kept the stone on my dresser for a while and every time I saw it, I thanked God for His goodness and that He was in control. I wish I still had that stone. 

      We tend to forget so easily what God has done for us. Remembering His power and miracles are not just for ourselves, but for future generations. God wanted the children of the Israelites to know about their parent’s relationship with God, and He wants that for us as well. He does not want us to forget. The enemy would like for us to forget. We have to be active in remembering His miracles, His goodness, and His tenderness so that during trials, our faith is strengthened and we can share it with others. I challenge you and myself to start today to pick up ‘stones’ from our trials. They can be anything that is a sign among you of what God has done. 

Now the people came up from the Jordan on the tenth of the first month and camped at Gilgal on the eastern edge of Jericho. Those twelve stones which they had taken from the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal. He said to the sons of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What are these stones?’ then you shall inform your children, saying, ‘Israel crossed this Jordan on dry ground.’ For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed, just as the Lord your God had done to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed; that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, so that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”

Joshua 4:19-24

February

Proverbs 19:11

A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.

Feel and Act Love

     Last month we looked at love and how it is a sacrifice of ourselves to others. It is all about giving and serving another person. Christ gave and served us on the cross. His love is an example everyday of how you and I should love others. As I think about this, I realize that if Christ had not gone to such lengths to show and prove His love for me, would I do the same? Would I prove my love to Him or to those I love? It’s easy to love when things are easy, but it’s during the difficult times that love becomes more of a choice; a choice to have patience, faith, hope, and endurance. His love is pure, cleansing, forgiving, and enriching. When we as fallen beings practice that kind of love, it refines and cleanses us. Many times that word “refine” is another way of saying that its making us see our sins and having to change our ways—not always fun, huh? And yet, this is how sanctification truly works in our lives. The word “sanctify” can be defined as ‘to purify or free from sin’. That is what Christ wants for us. Is that not the reason He willingly was nailed on the cross…so that we would be free from sin? As a believer, you are free from the eternal consequences of sin, but not from its earthly effects. Choosing to love as Christ is a choice. It is through practicing His love that the Holy Spirit sanctifies us.
     I talk about love again because even though we’ve already seen that sacrifice goes hand in hand when it comes to loving others, the truth is it is hard to love that way. Giving of ourselves does not come easy and sometimes we do truly love others. We just love ourselves more. Think about the last time it was hard to forgive someone. How about that time you were asked to help serve a meal, help someone move, or give an extra offering? What about prayer? Are you praying for those who’ve asked for it? This isn’t about guilt. It’s about how love comes in many forms and how we must recognize all of them. It’s about loving those we live with and loving those outside our ‘circle’. Christ loves us not just by His death, but by His life in us. He loves us by forgiving us every day, redeeming us every day, protecting us every day, and by refining us so that we can love like Him. I hope there’s a certain amount of sorrow as you read this and realize that you have said ‘no’ to some ‘love opportunities’. Not a sorrow that leads to guilt, but to repentance and choosing to love better. (“yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance..” Romans 7:9a)
     For many of us, love sometimes comes down to time. I will be the first to admit that I can be selfish with my time. You’ve heard the phrase “time is money”. Well, in our culture right now, time is precious and valued very much, just like money. I agree that we must protect our time, but to what lengths? We’ve got to let God’s love penetrate where it hurts and I believe it hurts us when it comes to our time and our money. Everything we have, our time, our money, our families, and our bodies belong to God. He has made us stewards to care for such things. How do we love as He loves with the resources He’s given us? I can tell you I don’t measure up that great. I can be selfish with my time and money. The reality is that I have no problem giving my money and time to my family or my closest friends. That’s relatively easy. Even if I don’t feel like loving them, I choose to because of my relationship with them. Anyone else feel that way, too? For the most part I want to serve them and I have no problem sacrificing for them. But, what about those I don’t have a close relationship with? Should sacrificial love be shown to only those I know? What about those that have hurt me or those I don’t know very well. Am I expected to love them with that same love and compassion I have for my family? Did Christ distinguish His love between His disciples and those that nailed Him to the cross? Love hurts.
     You and I have different backgrounds, personalities, strengths, and weaknesses that allow us to relate to others in ways that may not be similar. The Lord has carefully put people in our lives to love us, sharpen us, rebuke us, and comfort us. This is another way He loves us. He wants to grow us in His love. He wants us to experience Himself in many forms. Yet love is not complicated. We can’t forget that truth. Love may be hard, it may not be wanted, it may be wonderful, but it is not complicated. The Lord has made that clear. It was love that allowed Him to create us, it was love that caused Him to save us, it was love that drew Him to the cross, and it was love that moved Him to redeem us eternally. Is it His love that draws me to serve others, is it His love that compels me to sacrifice my time and money, is it His love that moves me to get out of my comfort zone? I wish I could truly say yes to all these questions. I hope that you desire to say yes to these questions. This is the month of commercial love. Valentine’s Day is a recognized Love day. Whatever we may think of it, let’s take advantage of it. It is okay and even fun to love with heart balloons and heart shaped candy, but what if we also use this ‘love’ month to practice Real Love? To show other’s that love is not just giving of gifts, but of oneself as Christ did on the cross? We can’t love others right if we don’t feel and understand God’s own love for us. Love is feelings and actions together.

“True love always feels. But please note this crucial distinction: Feeling doesn’t necessarily mean you love; but if you truly love, you feel…..This means that when God loves, He loves in such a way that He is not just concerned about getting you to heaven. He cares about your comprehensive well-being, every minute detail of your life. He checks into all the nooks and crannies of your existence. No area goes unloved by God because if He gave you Jesus, He’s not going to hold back anything else. He has invested too much in you to overlook anything”

- Tony Evans, Our God is Awesome -

January

Romans 5:6-8 

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 

Philippians 2: 3-8 

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 

J.O.Y. 

One of the recent sermons I heard was on why relationships, any kind, break down. The usual culprit is communication or the lack of communication. I admit I’m guilty of thinking someone can read my mind and know what I need. The thing is that relationships, whether they be with your spouse, your children, or your friends, takes effort. To communicate takes effort, especially for those who have a hard time expressing their emotions. Yet sometimes it’s not just communication, but more about attitude and having too much of it, or about humility and not having enough of it. Love is sacrifice and what greater picture of sacrifice than the cross. Christ laid down his life for you and me and He didn’t do it to gain anything from us. He did to save us. He did to offer us something. That’s the kind of love I want in my friendships and my family. Love is sacrifice. That means we sacrifice our time, energy, interests, resources, and things we desire. That doesn’t mean we sacrifice our principles, but we humble ourselves for those we love. It’s how I want to learn to love people, and how I want to be loved. Somewhere between the desire to love sacrificially to actually doing it, I get in the way. We can speak efficiently, but words are worthless when action doesn’t follow. How do we measure love? Surely not merely by feelings or words, but by actions right? Words can be very powerful and can speak to your soul. Yet words gain their power when they are put into action. When the president speaks, he speaks with authority and power. But what if what he says never happens? Then the power of those words is lost. God says He loves me. But He proved it by saving me from eternal death. He gave up something precious to Him to show how much He really loves me. If what He gave up wasn’t precious to Him, then it wouldn’t be a sacrifice, would it? Yet it was a huge sacrifice for God to give up His son. So, is that what love is, the giving up of something I value? Sacrificing what I value to better the other person? 

      Humility plays a key role in sacrifice. How can we give up what we value for someone else unless we are humble? Humility is putting others before me. I remember the J.O.Y. we are supposed to practice. Jesus, Others, and You. It’s not that hard to know to put Jesus first, but many times I practice JYO. Others are last and where is the sacrificial love in that? This is exactly what Christ did for us. He put God first and then all of us next. That’s how He was able to be nailed to the cross and die knowing what His death would bring for you and me. That is True love. He said He loves me and He showed it. 

     Real love is not usually what is portrayed in the movies. It’s not always easy or fun or happy. Sometimes it is hard, time consuming, and taxing. Love pushes through feelings, but it doesn’t stop with them. Do you think Jesus felt like having nails hammered through Him? I doubt it, but He was not letting His feelings be His guide of what needed to be done. He was being led by Love. True love did not start with fairy tales. True love did not start with the Bible. The Bible was the result of True love already existing and proving that Love for us. 

     I want to live True love daily. What makes it hard is my own selfishness and wanting my own ways. The beauty about sacrificial love is that it not only benefits the receiver, but the giver as well. There is a transformation that takes place deep in our hearts when we choose to love as Christ did. He transforms our hearts to be more like His. Yet it is a daily choice and daily process. Christ did it for you and me in the most painful way imaginable and yet He did it out of His pure love for us. How will you love this New Year? If there is any resolution you and I will make this year, let us make sure it is True Love.

We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren…..let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. 

1 John 3: 16,18

  

December

Ruth 1:3-10, 14-18

Then Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left with her two sons. They took for themselves Moabite women as wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. And they lived there about ten years. Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died, and the woman was bereft of her two children and her husband. Then she arose with her daughters-in-law that she might return from the land of Moab, for she had heard in the land of Moab that the Lord had visited His people in giving them food. So she departed from the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to her mother’s house. May the Lord deal kindly with you as you have dealt with the dead and with me. May the Lord grant that you may find rest, each in the house of her husband.” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. And they said to her, “No, but we will surely return with you to your people.” …. And they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. Then she said, “Behold, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the Lord do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me.” When she saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more to her.

Love that speaks 

      Ruth is a short book in the Bible, but in such few words, it shares the sweet love story of two people that met under difficult circumstances. Ruth was a widow and had no children. She had the choice to go back to her people and her homeland, yet she chose to stay with her mother-in-law, Naomi. That decision had a mighty impact on herself, on Naomi, on Boaz, and on the lineage of Christ. She may not have been aware of this powerful decision, but she knew that her life was not meant to go back to what she was. Naomi was a godly woman and Ruth had lived with her for 10 years while she was married to her son. She must have noticed a difference in the way Naomi lived and worshipped. She willingly followed Naomi back to Bethlehem to make a new life. Naomi was a widow herself and was grieving the loss of her only sons. She knew exactly what Ruth was going through. At a time of grief and uncertainty, they became a comfort to one another. As you read the whole story, you notice that Naomi was bitter and heartbroken about her losses, yet in the midst of this she did not neglect Ruth’s well being. Because they were both poor, Ruth tried to find food in the fields that the harvesters left behind. She did not care how this looked or the fact that she was in a position lower than even servants. In a sense she was a beggar coming up behind the hired help looking for food. She and Naomi needed to survive. God saw her servant’s heart and so did the owner of the field, Boaz. Boaz not only was godly and generous, but also related to Naomi. I greatly encourage you to read the entire book. In it you will see how kind and compassionate Boaz was to his servants. He treated them with respect. This was a glimpse of his integrity and his fear of God. Ruth could have picked any field, but as she was gleaning, she ended up in Boaz’s field and he happened to notice her. Coincidence? Unlikely! God is always in the middle of everything and He was all over this. Boaz provided more than enough food for Ruth to take back. When Naomi realized what was going on, she had Ruth do something that may seem strange to us. She told Ruth to lay down at Boaz’s feet after he fell asleep. Boaz is asleep by his harvested grain. She came secretly, uncovered his feet, laid down and waited. He awoke suddenly and realized there was a woman lying at his feet. Let’s read what happened next:

So she went down to the threshing floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law had commanded her. When Boaz had eaten and drunk and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain; and she came secretly, and uncovered his feet and lay down. It happened in the middle of the night that the man was startled and bent forward; and behold, a woman was lying at his feet. He said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth your maid. So spread your covering over your maid, for you are a close relative.” Then he said, “May you be blessed of the Lord, my daughter. You have shown your last kindness to be better than the first by not going after young men, whether poor or rich. Now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you whatever you ask, for all my people in the city know that you are a woman of excellence. (Ruth 3:6-11) 

Ruth is not being scandalous, but in fact she is being quite humble. When she tells Boaz to ‘spread your covering’ she is essentially asking him to take her as his own, to provide, to protect, and to marry her. Boaz honors and respects her and does marry her. She is provided for her as well as Naomi. Her loss became her gain more than she could have imagined. Her servant’s heart led her to find food in the fields which in return led her to her provider. 

     As sweet as this love story is, it is only a hint of the love story we share with God as His children. He longs ‘to cover’ us with Himself, to be our Protector, our Provider, and our Savior. Ruth can teach us two very important lessons. First, we don’t go back to who we used to be before Christ. She chose to leave behind her old self, her old beliefs, and lifestyle. Second, we must know who we are in Christ. Ruth was a woman of humility. She knew her place, but also her value. She was a woman of virtue and yet recognized that she needed a provider. She came to Boaz in humility with respect and honor. She didn’t see herself lower than Boaz, but she came to him giving him a higher place. I hope you see the difference. Jesus desires us to give Him ourselves completely that He may transform us into something new. Ruth became a new person. She had a new last name, a new home, and was completely loved. She eventually became a mother. She had a life more abundant that she had before. Jesus wants to do that for you and me. You may have already given your life to Christ and need to remember the abundance He has provided for you. You may be someone that does not trust that Christ can really transform your life into something new. I am living proof that He does and He continues to sanctify and renew me in His image every day. For this I am grateful and like Ruth, I am honored to be covered by Christ.

Thus must we by faith apply ourselves to Jesus Christ as our next kinsman, that is able to redeem us, come under his wings, as we are invited and beg of him to spread his skirt over us. 

-Matthew Henry-

November

Psalms 111:10 

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments; His praise endures forever. 

James 3: 13 -18 

Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. 

The Good and the Bad

     I’d like to think that I am wise and full of discernment, but when I sin and make a bad decision, I am reminded that I’m not there yet. According to James, I am to show my wisdom by my good behavior and deeds. Oops! This isn't always true of me. In case you were wondering, I do unwise things sometimes and my behavior doesn't line up with my knowledge. Knowledge is information. We can choose to gain great knowledge or live without it. When I am making a big purchase, I've learned that the informed consumer is the best one. If I know all about the product, I can make an informed decision and be satisfied that I made the best choice possible. Making that knowledgeable decision based on the information I acquired is called wisdom. Wisdom is knowing what to do with the knowledge I have. Yet good wisdom doesn't just come naturally does it? As I read James 3, it says there is wisdom that is not good and not from above. This kind of earthly wisdom does not have to be learned or sought after. Unfortunately it comes pretty natural to us. This is why God calls it earthly and natural. 

     There is so much packed in those verses in James. The first thing I want to bring to our attention is the fact that we show our good behavior in the gentleness of wisdom. What exactly does gentleness of wisdom mean? It suggests that wisdom is not harsh and arrogant. Have you ever known someone that maybe wise and yet the way they choose to act on their wisdom isn't so sweet? Being gentle is being humble. Look at the next verse. As I read this passage over and over I get the idea that if we are bitter and selfish, it’s very difficult to have gentleness of wisdom. He says that bad or natural wisdom is bitter jealousy, selfish ambition, arrogant, and untruthful. Personally I wouldn't call any of these wise, but I think we get his meaning. Look how else he describes this wisdom. It is earthly, natural, and demonic. Wow! It makes me shudder to think that sometimes I act out of bitterness or arrogance and I’m living out demonic and earthly wisdom. We act out of what we know and what we believe. The good news is that we can change what we know and what we believe. 

     The next few verses we have heavenly and earthly wisdom compared. I made it into a list and I think it gives us a good picture of how they play it out in our lives. I've taken this list straight from the passage. 

Heavenly Wisdom:                                 Earthly Wisdom: 

Gentle                                                    Bitter
Order                                                     Jealous
Pure                                                       Selfish
Peaceable                                            Arrogant
Reasonable                                         Untruthful
Merciful                                                Disorder
Good fruits                                          Unfaithful

Unwavering 

Without hypocrisy

Do you know notice anything about the heavenly list? It is very similar to the fruits of the Spirit that is mentioned in Galatians 5: 22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” As a believer, we already have the Spirit of God living inside of us therefore we have all these fruits in us to make wise choices from. We have to practice through the Holy Spirit to be loving, peaceful, gentle and so forth. It’s acting out our wisdom in gentleness. There is no way we can do this without the spirit of God. Our flesh is extremely strong and will carry out what we naturally know whenever it can. I think you would agree with me. 

      Behavior can be adjusted and modified. When we decide to practice out the Heavenly wisdom, we are being wise and understanding as God desires us to be. I mentioned earlier that wisdom is knowing what to do with the knowledge we have. We must strive to gain godly knowledge. This comes straight from God’s Word. If we want to be wise, it’s very simple. Read the Bible, do what it says, and share it with others. Living out the Christian life is not complicated and not rocket science; it’s just a matter of committing our lives to God and then carrying out that commitment. I am not naïve, I know that it’s harder than it actually sounds, but sometimes we make it more intense than it needs to be. When we are not sure, here is what James encourages us to do: 

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. (James 1:5-6) 

God is more than ready to help us, but we just need to ask Him in faith. I want to make decisions that are wise and glorify God. I am fully aware that I am not able to make those wise decisions without His help and His heavenly wisdom. I must seek that wisdom in the Bible and ask for it in prayer. Communion with God is where I grow in wisdom. If the beginning of wisdom really starts with God, then why would we go seek it anywhere else? 

Proverbs 1:7

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction. 

Proverbs 2:6

For the Lord gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding. 

Ecclesiastes 7:12

For wisdom is protection just as money is protection, But the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the lives of its possessors.

October

Matthew 6:9-10 

“This, then, is how you should pray: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 

Jesus did not pray that you would be taken out of the world, and what He did not pray for, you do not need to desire. -Charles Spurgeon- 

A country not our own 

     There have been times in my life where I have thought that if Jesus would just come, it would be a lot easier. But I have to admit that during each time, it was a selfish desire. It was usually because I was in some situation I didn’t know how to deal with or wanted to end. It’s hard to imagine anything beyond this physical world. As I say that, I realize that as a believer I’m supposed to long for heaven, to desire it, but I will confess that in my everyday life, I’m not always thinking of heaven. I’m thinking of this week, of today, and what I need to do to accomplish my present tasks. I’m a planner and without realizing it sometimes, I am planning many days in advance for all kinds of things. Some of you know exactly what I mean if you are a planner as well. I think ahead about what I need to do for next week, or what I am going to make for that party, or what I need to wear for that event, and so on. The reality is that I am planning for everything but being face to face with Christ. I am either way into this world or not enough into living ‘heaven on earth’. Anybody with me? 

     Jesus said that we should be praying for heaven on earth. Anything we should be praying for usually means we should be living it, too. I confess I am not always living heaven on earth. To me, the term ‘heaven on earth’ is not just actions but a mind set, an eternal mind set, one that can see beyond this world and into the next. Here’s Paul take on it:

For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. (Philippians 3:19-21) 

We are already citizens of heaven if we confess with our mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that He is the son of God. Paul says that there are enemies of the cross and their minds are set on earthly things. If you are secured in Christ, you are not an enemy of the cross, but I have to wonder how much do you and I live as an enemy of the cross because our hearts are set on earthly things? I will confess that more than I’d like to admit, I have an earthly perspective instead of an eternal one. I am working on storing treasures on earth more than treasures in heaven. I know that it’s a daily decision I have to make to have and keep that eternal mind set. Without consistent time with God, with believers, and the church, it’s pretty hard to live the godly life that Christ desires for us. And if I can be so bold to say that I miss God’s blessings here on earth when I live as if I belong to this earth instead of heaven. 

     In the Hall of Faith in Hebrews, the author speaks of those believers who longed for heaven and lived heaven on earth. 

All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. …Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. (Hebrews 11:13-14, 16) 

They were longing for a country they had never been to or seen, but they knew that they belonged there and not in this world. The realities of this life are such a distraction from the country that is mentioned in Hebrews, and yet the realities of this life should be evidence that we have to rejoice that there is another world that we belong to. In fact, we should rejoice that ‘this’ isn’t just it. Our plans, our families, our toys, and activities are but a glimmer of the world that awaits us. Even if I can’t fully grasp or understand this concept, I can still take joy in it because it’s mine as a child of God. Whatever pain and heartache we receive in this world, stays in this world and where we are going, it cannot follow. 

     Many of you know that my birthplace is India. In high school I became a citizen of the United States. I’m Indian by birth and American by law, which creates a third category all its own which I label as Indian American. I am not fully Indian or fully American. I practice and live with both cultures combined. We are enemies of the cross by birth and citizens of heaven by His death. We are living with both cultures, a little bit of hell and a little bit of heaven. We’ve got renewed minds, but the same bodies. We have to decide how we live each day, enemies of the cross or citizens of heaven and only you and I can make that choice for ourselves. 

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord…..Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
Ephesians 5:8-10, 15-16

September

Proverbs 17:22 

A joyful heart is good medicine, But a broken spirit dries up the bones. 

Psalms 116:17 

To you I shall offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and call upon the name of the Lord. 

Are you a sensitive soul? 

     As fallen creatures, we are very sensitive of our physical bodies. How we look, how we feel, and what we can and cannot do. When I am sick or injure myself, I am sensitive to that part of my body. Just last week I grated a small part of my hand. Yes you heard me right. I was grating cheese and it slipped and took my flesh with it. It’s still healing and still hurts. Everything I do with that hand is done with precaution. When something brushes up against the wound, I feel it. I’ve been nursing that wound very carefully. Even a paper cut causes some discomfort!
     I’m not sure if I’m this sensitive about my spiritual health. If I am lacking or unhealthy spiritually would I even know it? Would it cause me any discomfort? I certainly hope so, don’t you? It doesn’t take very long for our spiritual health to decline. Many things are competing to feed us and we have to choose wisely what we will eat to nurture our souls. Sometimes there are medications that numb our pain but don’t actually aid in the healing process. If we have a wound and merely apply a band aid over it, it only hides the wound. Our spiritual fixes can be the same. Instead of real healing we put a band aid over our spiritual issues. Being sick spiritually can be a number of things. It can mean being in a spiritual rut where you feel that your time with God or with people is stale. Maybe it means that you’ve fallen away from the discipline of prayer or reading the Bible. It could also mean that you just don’t ‘feel’ God’s presence right now. You feel far away from Him. It can also mean you are disobedient and in sin. No matter the spiritual wound or issue, covering it up or ignoring it is never the answer. Isolating yourself is never good and a good indication that you maybe something is wrong. Plastering a smile for something amiss in the heart only goes so far. This is not what God desires from us. He always wants our hearts and our hurts to be bare before Him. If you don’t tell the doctor what it is that ails you how can he properly help you?
     Psalms reveals an amazing assortment of emotions from fear, anger, jealousy, praise, and joy. I think this book is a gift to the human soul because we can truly relate to the emotions, the circumstances, and can find comfort for our own situations. What you will notice most in Psalms is the amount of praise lifted up. The book itself can be called the ‘The Book of Praises’. This is not by chance, but there is a very good reason why praise is offered so generously to God through this book. There is something mysterious brewing within us when we can come as we are to God and pour praise from hearts. Our hearts maybe hurting, empty, callous, or without concern and yet the praise lifted up despite our hearts are a sweet aroma to God. He takes this offering and speaks directly to our wound. I dare you to try this.
     Praise isn’t the cure all for our spiritual wounds or even sin, but it is a good first response to start the process. Its set our focus first on Christ alone. To praise Him shouldn’t be empty words and if you can’t find the words then praying Psalms is a magnificent way to express your heart. To offer up praise and thanksgiving for what God has done and for the people around you helps transform your perspective to seeing more than yourself and your problems. When we don’t feel God or we have some other spiritual wound, our tendency is to fill that gap we feel with something that will make us feel better. That ‘something’ can be a number of things, but the thing only it should be is God Himself. Whatever your issue maybe, He is the only answer. Drawing to Him is the response that is necessary. Praise nudges us to that place of nearness. Your words do not have to elegant, in fact God is concerned about your heart, not how broad your vocabulary maybe. The Lord proclaims in 1 Samuel 16:7 that “God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” God is very concerned about your spiritual health. Faithfully reading the Bible, faithfully praying, serving, and being in godly fellowship should be part of our daily life. There is a reason God speaks to us about all these things because it promote growth in our life, in our faith, and it is a protections from becoming stale or stagnant in our walk with God. Remember that many things are competing to fill our time, to fill any space we are not using wisely. The Enemy has no concern for you except to keep you from growing in God and from fellowship with the Lord.
     Paul challenges us in this act of praise in Philippians 4: 4-7. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Don’t miss the promise in this verse. Read that last verse. Bringing our hearts to God in prayer, in supplication and thanksgiving brings peace that surpasses our understanding. This peace actually guards our hearts and minds. Our hearts and our minds wander so easily, wouldn’t you agree? We have to continually come to God so that we are guarded. Today is the day you and I praise Him, thank Him, and find peace that surpasses our understanding. That peace is only found in Christ and absolutely nothing else. Our physical bodies are sensitive to any ailment no matter how small, as should be with our spiritual health. I want to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and His leading. He always lead you to praise Christ and we should never decline that opportunity. There is great reward in praising Christ and as Paul has told us, there is great peace as well.

August

Ephesians 3:17-19  

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.   

God is so complicated  
 
     Do you ever think about how God can be so simple in His love for us and at the same time His love isn’t so simple to understand? In fact, I find that although I feel His love at times, or read about it, or see it in others, when I try to understand it, I can’t. I realize that there is much more packed in those 4 letters than I can see, feel, or hear. His ways are not like our ways and He is so complex and so complicated in every possible way. God isn’t difficult, but He is difficult for us to understand in our small minds. When things are wonderful and prayers are answered the way I hoped, His love is easy for me to see and even feel. Everything is just rosy and I could count the ways of how His love is perfect, kind, and generous, but it’s harder to have the same reaction when prayers are deferred and I have no idea what He’s doing. It’s harder for me to express His love or even see it when all I feel is pain or confusion.  
     Job is a perfect example. God loved Job, really and truly loved him. This is how God describes Job: “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.”(Job 1:8) You have to understand this love before you can understand Job’s pain. In the midst of what happened to him, we have to always remember that it was because of how much God loved Job that tragedy struck him in the most horrific way. We saw God’s sweet mercy and love clearly when it came to Hannah’s story. His love was easy to see, easy to read, and honestly easy to feel. Yet with Job I have to really try hard to see God’s true love. To be honest, it’s hard for me to wrap my mind around it. Why does God’s love have to be so hard and complicated in some situations like Job’s? Why did God allow such tragedy to strike when He loved Job so much? I can’t completely answer a tough question like that, but I do want us to try and see that in the heart of calamity, lies His abundant love.    
     Job has everything. He’s got wealth, land, many sons and daughters, a wife, and a home. He’s respected among the city and even among his servants. God has blessed him abundantly and in the midst of all this, he loves the Lord. He really is a blameless and upright man who fears God. God described Job correctly. What Job doesn’t know is that God and Satan are about to have a conversation that is going to rock his world. Let’s listen in and see what takes place.

“The Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.” Then Satan answered the Lord, “Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face.” Then the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him.” So Satan departed from the presence of the Lord.” (Job 1:8-12)

A few more conversations like this and Job has lost his sons and daughters, his servants, his animals, and his health. All that he has left alive is his wife. Can you imagine? Do you see God’s love in this anywhere? At this point of his story, I will be honest and say that not only do I not see His love, but I really feel angry. But forget about me, how does Job respond? “Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?” (Job 2:10) Job knows that God’s love is in the midst of this somewhere. He may not see it, but he refuses to curse God. He does choose to accept this as something from God. The rest of the chapters in Job are about his thoughts, emotions, and his struggles to make sense of this disaster. I encourage you to read it and see how God responds. His story is a good reminder of how small we are and how big God is and that God’s love runs much deeper than we can comprehend. Though Job struggled to understand what was happening, he did not forsake God. What God said about him in the beginning remained true till the end. That’s how I want my stories to end. That at the end I remain true to my God. Even if I can’t see or feel His love in my pain, I trust and believe it covers me completely. If He has the power to raise me from the dead, then surely He can raise me from every kind of pain, sorrow, and conflict.  
     Think through your own tragedies or difficult circumstances. Did you see God’s love evident? It might have been after the crisis calmed down and you could clearly see that God was working and taking care of you. Perhaps you saw it from the beginning or not till weeks later. The bottom line is that whether or not we can see it with our own eyes or feel it, we have to trust that His love is under, in, and on top of the disaster we are facing. Do you truly believe what Romans 8:28 says? “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” He works the catastrophe out for good in some miraculous way. Why? Because His love was involved from the beginning. His love allows the conflict and most definitely ends the conflict. Yes, God’s love can be complicated to comprehend, but it’s not complicated to be loved by Him. I believe I have quoted these words before, but I believe they are powerful to leave with you once again. This is a demon speaking about those who trust God (Enemy) even though it doesn’t make sense. That’s how I want to be described and how I want to live. 

“Our cause is never more in danger than  

when a human, no longer desiring,  

but still intending, to do our Enemy’s will,  

looks round upon the universe from
 which every trace of Him seems to have vanished,  

and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys.”

~ C.S. Lewis-Screwtape Letters ~

July

Hebrews 4:16 
Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Daniel 2: 17-18 
Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven.

2 Corinthians 12: 9-10 
And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

The Fellowship of the Believers

     Last month we had a glimpse into the life of Hannah and we saw what her prayer life consisted of and how God transformed her heart through it. After receiving the one thing she prayed for, she willingly gave it back to the Lord. That’s the kind of power I want to experience over and over in my life. The kind where my heart completely aligns with God’s will and purpose and it bleeds through my daily life. The power emerges from bowing low and praying high. In the past few weeks, this power has become very real in my life and the life of my family. We have gone through some difficulties that seemed, quite frankly, hopeless, but we continued to pray and cry out to God. I have to admit, I wondered if He was listening because when I wanted Him to come through, He didn’t. Yet in a matter of days, literally hours, I saw God’s power working and changing hearts. It was almost unreal. Yet it was very real and my prayers, my family’s prayers became reality. God doesn’t always answer this quickly, but the enormity of the power that is stirring behind our prayers is overwhelming and many times forgotten.
     Being able to approach the Throne of Grace, the place of prayer, is a gift. We are communicating with God, speaking with Him, crying to Him, and sometimes screaming out, but it is simply humbling ourselves in front of a righteous, powerful, but extremely loving God. In the passage above, Daniel and his friends and the rest of their people, have been taken captive by Babylon. They are in service to the king and Daniel has been asked to interpret a dream the king has had that the wise men of Babylon cannot understand. What is Daniel’s response? He asks his closest friends to pray for him. His friends pray and plead on his behalf. God answers their prayer that very night. I truly believe that the most powerful and intimate action a person can take towards a friend is prayer. Praying for a friend and praying with a friend is very intimate and sweet. We have to share what’s going on in our life and our heart when prayer is usually involved. That person gets to know you intimately so they know how to pray for you. I believe this is a side effect of praying for people, but a great side effect. Daniel and his friends were intimate friends because of their prayer life together and their circumstances. Prayer is a common bond I share with those that are closest to me. We pray for each other and we pray with each other. In our American culture, showing weakness is not looked highly upon, and yet admitting our weakness is where we find God’s strength. If we can’t be real with people, then who do we be real with? In a sense we have to be weak and vulnerable with one another to share our hearts. I need others praying on my behalf. The Holy Spirit works amazingly in me through other’s prayers just as much through my own prayers. The Holy Spirit works in you when others pray for you. We are affected by each other’s prayer. James 5:16 reminds us that we should “therefore confess our sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” Pretty powerful stuff, eh?
     Prayer isn’t just about our weaknesses or struggles, but if prayer is communication, then we also get to praise God for the joys in our life. We also saw last week of Hannah’s joyous words of praise over Samuel being born. He was her answered prayer and her response was correct. If my pain draws me to cry to God, then my joy shall draw me to praise Him. He should be my response in and to every situation. Prayer is fellowship with God and with friends. I hope as you are cultivating and strengthening your prayer life with Christ that you are also nurturing your prayer time with friends. He desires that we commune with other believers, that we share our hearts, our weaknesses, and joys. This is how we grow. Hebrews 3:13 says “But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called ‘Today,’ so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” Prayer is part of that encouragement. If the Holy Spirit is in you and in them, then how can you and they not be blessed, encouraged, rebuked, or sharpened? In fact, we should expect this each time we come together. And yet how much more does the Spirit testify to each other’s hearts when we pray together?

“God’s conquering days are when the saints have given themselves to mightiest prayer…..
The secret of success in
Christ’s kingdom is the ability to pray.”
~ E.M. Bounds ~