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.