I have been thinking a lot about the verses in the Bible that tell Christians not to fear death and not to mourn as the pagans do. Those are very bold statements for such a seemingly painful topic.I will say, the more I have thought on this and sought the Lord my attitude has changed immensely on this subject. As Humans we can have such a finite, small view of life. We only know what is going on in the present. Even the past can become blurred or changed over time. So how are we supposed to cope this something so big and final as death?
Here is the seemingly simple yet mind blowing revelation I have had about death...God does not view death the way we do. Here is what I mean. Say you have a 5 year old and you have planned a surprise trip to Disney world, the mecca of all childhood dreams. In order to get him there you have to take an airplane, his first flight. Once he is on the plane he is in heaven. he thinks this is the greatest thing he has ever done. By the time the plane has touched down in Orlando he is so in love with the plane ride that he becomes fearful, agitated and emotional at the thought of getting off the plane. He begins to trough a fit. crying, whaling, morning the loss of this fun ride. You are the parent know that the plane ride was just a temporary part of his total journey but he cant see that or understand what he has to look forward to. He has never been to Disney world. Never seen the colors, the joy, the music, the lights. All he knows is that he really loved the plane ride and does not want it to end.
You see death of a Christian is not the end. To God it is just the way that person gets to the next and final destination.
God is not cruel. To him the end of a Christian's earthly life is just his "next steps" in how to join us with him for eternity. So to the Christian that passes away they will find themselves "off the plane ride they loved so much" and taken to " Disney World they could never have imagined."
This new perspective has caused me to lose all fear of death. Yes, there is pain for those left here on the "plane" without the love one that has passed on but knowing that it is not their end but merely a far better continuation of their soul is what ultimately brings us comfort in the loss of a (Christian) loved one.
I know I keep saying Christian, and for good reason. The word is very clean that not everyone should have "no fear in death"(John 14: 1-6). That is a peace that can only come to someone that has made their "calling and election sure". (2 peter 1:10) What happens to a non-believer after death does not bring peace to our hearts and that is truly something to mourn.
God would never tell us "not to morn as pagans do"(1 Thes 4:13) or not to have fear if he did not if he did not have a loving plan for us. We can trust him.
Now all of this might seem simple or meaningless but understanding God's view of death for his children is a huge concept that once grasped and rooted into our hearts can free us to be bold for Him in this life. If you truly lose all fear of death than it frees you to not cling to this life and its trappings so much. I understand now why people like Steven could be so brazen in the face of violence and fear. He truly had faith his life would not end if they killed his body but rather his soul would just take its new shape.
In no way am I saying we need to run out and do stupid things in the name of the Lord, but a day may come where your faith could be put to the test as Steven's was and if you don't grasp this truth you may be tempted to gain your life here and lose your eternity with Christ. I hope I have conveyed the thoughts of my heart in a clear way that is understandable. I hope this will bring peace to some that are morning the loss of a Christian family member or friend. And most of all I pray this will light a fire under us that believe to show, tell and help those who have not given Christ their hearts to do so.
Friday, November 20, 2015
Thursday, September 24, 2015
Christians are like worms
I run in the mornings. The sun is at its cleanest, softest light. The air is not yet overly filled with fumes from cars and factories. There is a nice chill to the air that helps to numb my joints out a bit to keep me going. I love morning runs. As I run over the dew soaked sidewalks I scan for signs of life, movement. I am keeping an eye out for something very specific, worms. I just have a soft spot for the little guys. there they are on the rough cement fighting to get across. They lose all their protective slime coat as they search for the other side of the seemingly endless rock hard ground. They are at their most vulnerable to birds. They need help. So no matter what "time" I am trying to beat on my mile or if anyone sees I always stop, pick them up and drop them on the other side in the soft grass. Sometimes picking them up is a challenge in itself. they can be slimy and as soon as they feel me touch them they recoil and writhe all around. I have learned over time to touch them and then let them wiggle until they get them self into a position that i can get a grip on them.
After picking up a particularly fat worm this morning it hit me that this is how life as a Christian is.
Some times we are the worm. We are lost or feeling discouraged and need help. A brother or sister that sees us struggle needs to stop, touch us with a word from the Lord and then wait til we are ready to be helped.
As Christians we should always be "the runner". Asking God to show us those that are in need of help and then "scanning the sidewalks" for the "worms" he puts in our path.that is the very purpose of being a part of the church. To help each other in our times of "wormlyness".
Some worms my fight help and that is ok. we are not called to heal everyone, just to love them and sometimes the most loving thing is to just let them know "I see you. I am here when you need me".
As Christians we should always be the worm too. But she just said we should always be the runner.Are you loco? Nope, not crazy, but when I say be the worm this time I mean that the worms i pass are so helpless. They may or may not ever get to the other side on there own but it would be a lot better trip with help form a "runner" or better yet the "creator of the runner". It is told to us by Jesus to be humble like he was. well you can't get much more humble then a worm stuck on a hot, dry sidewalk. It is OK to need help. It is OK to need a brother or sister you can trust to confess to. Someone God can use to help you in your dry times. Today ask God to help you first be the best worm you can be, humble and in need of a savior and then ask him to send you a runner, someone to help you do life with. Someone that will speak life to you in your darkest times. Then ask him to make you a runner for someone else. Life is short. Don't fight the sidewalk on your own.
After picking up a particularly fat worm this morning it hit me that this is how life as a Christian is.
Some times we are the worm. We are lost or feeling discouraged and need help. A brother or sister that sees us struggle needs to stop, touch us with a word from the Lord and then wait til we are ready to be helped.
As Christians we should always be "the runner". Asking God to show us those that are in need of help and then "scanning the sidewalks" for the "worms" he puts in our path.that is the very purpose of being a part of the church. To help each other in our times of "wormlyness".
Some worms my fight help and that is ok. we are not called to heal everyone, just to love them and sometimes the most loving thing is to just let them know "I see you. I am here when you need me".
As Christians we should always be the worm too. But she just said we should always be the runner.Are you loco? Nope, not crazy, but when I say be the worm this time I mean that the worms i pass are so helpless. They may or may not ever get to the other side on there own but it would be a lot better trip with help form a "runner" or better yet the "creator of the runner". It is told to us by Jesus to be humble like he was. well you can't get much more humble then a worm stuck on a hot, dry sidewalk. It is OK to need help. It is OK to need a brother or sister you can trust to confess to. Someone God can use to help you in your dry times. Today ask God to help you first be the best worm you can be, humble and in need of a savior and then ask him to send you a runner, someone to help you do life with. Someone that will speak life to you in your darkest times. Then ask him to make you a runner for someone else. Life is short. Don't fight the sidewalk on your own.
Saturday, May 23, 2015
Forgiveness sure, but never "forgetness".
Something I have been rolling over and over in my mind for the last few years is this mantra that we see in memes, in posters all over, that Christians can "forgive but never forget". At first glance that seems like wisdom. Sure, if you hurt me once I should not put myself in harms way over and over but something about it did not sit well with me.
Over time as I thought and prayed on this concept I think I now know why it never felt right...there is not one time Jesus said this. Jesus did not look at the thief on the cross next to him and say, "Today you will be with me in paradise but I will never forget all the times you sinned against me." In fact, Jesus always taught the exact opposite of that philosophy. In Matthew 18:21-22 Jesus is asked this exact question. Someone comes to Jesus with an agenda to justify non-forgetness (not a typo, people want to say they forgive but to not forget means they get to hold onto the bitterness) and asks him "Lord, how many times do I have to forgive my brother?" Now stop right there. This question is not even asking about when pagans sin against us, it is specifically asking "Hey teacher, there is this one guy at my synagogue that I just don't like. He can be kind of a jerk. When am I allowed to hate him?" to which Jesus replies, "Um, never. If a brother (or sister) sins against you and they ask for forgiveness you give it over and over because that is how I love you and all I have ever asked of you is to love others the way you have been loved." (my very lose and modern paraphrase. you can read the original for yourself)
The biggest problem with a mantra like "I will forgive you but I will never forget." is that it has a tiny bit of truth to it that makes it kind of sound ok. What I mean is there will be people in your life that you should be guarded with. If you have a sister addicted to drugs I would not suggest she be left alone with your money. That would be unwise. But if she has stolen and sinned against you in the past a great way to show her, the least of these, that you truly do forgive and forget is to drop by her flop house apartment with a hot meal once in a while and just remind her you are praying for her. Tell her you love her. That you forgive like Christ forgives.If you hold her sin against her and we are the ones commissioned to "be the Jesus people see" why on earth would she want to come to Christ? There are people that we should be careful of in this sinful world but they are far fewer of them then we act like. Most people that run around with the battle cry "I forgive but I never forget!!!" are using it against people that have asked for forgiveness. If someone sins against you and they see their sin and they own it that is when you forgive AND forget. Really the only time Jesus ever withholds forgive and forgetness is to the "religious" people that don't own their sin and repent.
I would never say that if a sin has happened between friends that there should be a immediate restoration to the friendship. Trust can take time to rebuild and that is ok, but if one or both of the parties claims to have forgiven but wants to hold on to the hurt by not forgetting then there will never again be trust. What these two friends are saying in their un- forgetness is "I don't believe you when you said sorry and I still want to make you pay." WOW, I think we can all be really thankful that God never says that to us.
I am not perfect, far from it. I say the wrong things at the wrong times in the wrong tone but one thing I do know more than any other thing, I desperately want to be more like my Lord and savior Jesus Christ. If that means forgetting other Christians faults, giving grace and mercy than yes. I will, because I know how badly I need that from those around me.
I don't mean to sound self righteous by pointing this out. There have been times in my life where I have struggled to let go of a hurt but if we really do want to grow and be useful for God we have to let go of these selfish and childish ways of thinking. Jesus was all about turning the other cheek (Luke 6:29) and picking up his cross so that means that no matter what, we should be to if we want to take on his name.
"For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Matt 7:2
Always sobering words to live by. Jesus asks us, above all else, to have a humble and contrite heart. Being humble and remembering how mu is the key to truly loving others the way Christ intended us to. If we can pray to always keep our own need for grace before us it becomes inconsequential what others do to us. We know how easily we can sin against others and that tension helps us give grace, forgiveness and forgetness to others when they need it most. That is the true love of others.
Over time as I thought and prayed on this concept I think I now know why it never felt right...there is not one time Jesus said this. Jesus did not look at the thief on the cross next to him and say, "Today you will be with me in paradise but I will never forget all the times you sinned against me." In fact, Jesus always taught the exact opposite of that philosophy. In Matthew 18:21-22 Jesus is asked this exact question. Someone comes to Jesus with an agenda to justify non-forgetness (not a typo, people want to say they forgive but to not forget means they get to hold onto the bitterness) and asks him "Lord, how many times do I have to forgive my brother?" Now stop right there. This question is not even asking about when pagans sin against us, it is specifically asking "Hey teacher, there is this one guy at my synagogue that I just don't like. He can be kind of a jerk. When am I allowed to hate him?" to which Jesus replies, "Um, never. If a brother (or sister) sins against you and they ask for forgiveness you give it over and over because that is how I love you and all I have ever asked of you is to love others the way you have been loved." (my very lose and modern paraphrase. you can read the original for yourself)
The biggest problem with a mantra like "I will forgive you but I will never forget." is that it has a tiny bit of truth to it that makes it kind of sound ok. What I mean is there will be people in your life that you should be guarded with. If you have a sister addicted to drugs I would not suggest she be left alone with your money. That would be unwise. But if she has stolen and sinned against you in the past a great way to show her, the least of these, that you truly do forgive and forget is to drop by her flop house apartment with a hot meal once in a while and just remind her you are praying for her. Tell her you love her. That you forgive like Christ forgives.If you hold her sin against her and we are the ones commissioned to "be the Jesus people see" why on earth would she want to come to Christ? There are people that we should be careful of in this sinful world but they are far fewer of them then we act like. Most people that run around with the battle cry "I forgive but I never forget!!!" are using it against people that have asked for forgiveness. If someone sins against you and they see their sin and they own it that is when you forgive AND forget. Really the only time Jesus ever withholds forgive and forgetness is to the "religious" people that don't own their sin and repent.
I would never say that if a sin has happened between friends that there should be a immediate restoration to the friendship. Trust can take time to rebuild and that is ok, but if one or both of the parties claims to have forgiven but wants to hold on to the hurt by not forgetting then there will never again be trust. What these two friends are saying in their un- forgetness is "I don't believe you when you said sorry and I still want to make you pay." WOW, I think we can all be really thankful that God never says that to us.
I am not perfect, far from it. I say the wrong things at the wrong times in the wrong tone but one thing I do know more than any other thing, I desperately want to be more like my Lord and savior Jesus Christ. If that means forgetting other Christians faults, giving grace and mercy than yes. I will, because I know how badly I need that from those around me.
I don't mean to sound self righteous by pointing this out. There have been times in my life where I have struggled to let go of a hurt but if we really do want to grow and be useful for God we have to let go of these selfish and childish ways of thinking. Jesus was all about turning the other cheek (Luke 6:29) and picking up his cross so that means that no matter what, we should be to if we want to take on his name.
"For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Matt 7:2
Always sobering words to live by. Jesus asks us, above all else, to have a humble and contrite heart. Being humble and remembering how mu is the key to truly loving others the way Christ intended us to. If we can pray to always keep our own need for grace before us it becomes inconsequential what others do to us. We know how easily we can sin against others and that tension helps us give grace, forgiveness and forgetness to others when they need it most. That is the true love of others.
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
The dirtiest 6 letter word in America
Submit! There, I said it. The most hated word in our post modern culture. Each day that passes seems to shun authority more. But don't be fooled by all the "liberated" men and women out there. We are all submitting to something in some way. Today the standard seems to be "parents, submit to your children. Give them everything they want and never correct them." "Kids, submit to NO ONE!" If your teacher does something you don't like your mommy or daddy will rush in and save you.Wives, submit to your lust for gossip, shopping control of the home. "God never really meant for us to respect our husbands right? If he did he would have made men better, more like us." And of course, men,submit to your fleshly desires. Look all you want, feel what you want. You don't need to submit to God. You are big and strong and you don't need some sissy faith that turns you into a woman.
People look at submission like a prison. "I am never going to give up my rights, my will." But the truth is submission is the most freeing place you can be.
Every so often as we age we might have a flashback of a tender childhood moment. Maybe a thunderstorm caused night unrest and you submitted yourself to the loving arms of a mom and felt safe and secure. Or when you were sick and you knew there was nothing you could do to make yourself feel better so you submit yourself to the care of a mother, trusting her completely, knowing she has your best interest at heart. I remember being a little girl of maybe 6 or 7 and just sitting on my daddy's lap with my ear to his chest. I would just listen to the deep, muffled rumble of his voice as he talked to my mom. I would feel so at rest that soon my eye lids would become heavy.
Maybe you never had a family life where you got to feel this. Maybe you came from a broken home where you could not trust the actions of a mother or father but you could see other kids hugged by their parents. Maybe you grew up longing to submit, to trust your life to someone that would love you but you never had that.Maybe you have lived most of your adult life chasing that base need only to feel empty.
Now is your chance. True peace. Real rest. To feel like a child, wrapped in a warm blanket and held in strong arms. God wants so badly to give you that. To fill that need but just as a child has to submit to a parent, we have to submit our will to him. We have all seen that toddler refuses to take his nap. he fights and cries and pushes his mom away and she desperately tries to subdue the child for his own good. She might have a fun day planned but she know that without his submission to a nap, without him giving up his will, he will never get the rest he needs so that he can enjoy the day ahead. We are the same as that child. We have free will. We fight submission to Christ when all he wants to do is give us rest, equip us, make our lives count and have meaning.
God gave us authority. Kings, presidents, parents, bosses, husbands, the list goes on. But we live in a culture that says "you can be a Christian and not listen to any authority. "I can do what I want as long as i say I know Jesus. He does not want me to be a door mat". Well, actually, he kind of does. Jesus himself tells us to submit ourselves to the laws that we may live in peace and be an example to the lost. (1 Peter 2:13, Heb. 13:17,Rom.13:1 just to name a few)
Submission is not just for first time believers It is for all of us that take on the name of Christ. Submission is unnatural. At the core, man wants his way. We are selfish and sin and temptation pull at us and tell us to "fight for your rights!!" But Jesus wants us to fight for the rights of others. To lay down our lives, to pick up our cross that we might win some. I know I cannot do any of that on my own but when I submit my will to Christ and ask him to give me the power look out! Cool things happen and best of all I get to feel the truest freedom this world will ever know.
I was reminded this week of one of my favorite quotes. "You can't stress over what you don't own." That is what submission does.It takes all our stress and worry because we no longer "own" our lives, we submit them to Christ and ask him to work out all things for our good and to his glory.
It is ok to lose a fight with your spouse. It is ok to go the extra mile for that evil co worker or boss. It is more than ok to teach our kids submission to authority. It is better than ok, it is our call. Wives, we don't lose out if we give our husbands authority in the home. We win because when they feel respected they want to love us which is what we are really seeking anyway. Above all when we submit ourselves to Christ we lose our strife and we gain his peace and joy! I call that a win.
People look at submission like a prison. "I am never going to give up my rights, my will." But the truth is submission is the most freeing place you can be.
Every so often as we age we might have a flashback of a tender childhood moment. Maybe a thunderstorm caused night unrest and you submitted yourself to the loving arms of a mom and felt safe and secure. Or when you were sick and you knew there was nothing you could do to make yourself feel better so you submit yourself to the care of a mother, trusting her completely, knowing she has your best interest at heart. I remember being a little girl of maybe 6 or 7 and just sitting on my daddy's lap with my ear to his chest. I would just listen to the deep, muffled rumble of his voice as he talked to my mom. I would feel so at rest that soon my eye lids would become heavy.
Maybe you never had a family life where you got to feel this. Maybe you came from a broken home where you could not trust the actions of a mother or father but you could see other kids hugged by their parents. Maybe you grew up longing to submit, to trust your life to someone that would love you but you never had that.Maybe you have lived most of your adult life chasing that base need only to feel empty.
Now is your chance. True peace. Real rest. To feel like a child, wrapped in a warm blanket and held in strong arms. God wants so badly to give you that. To fill that need but just as a child has to submit to a parent, we have to submit our will to him. We have all seen that toddler refuses to take his nap. he fights and cries and pushes his mom away and she desperately tries to subdue the child for his own good. She might have a fun day planned but she know that without his submission to a nap, without him giving up his will, he will never get the rest he needs so that he can enjoy the day ahead. We are the same as that child. We have free will. We fight submission to Christ when all he wants to do is give us rest, equip us, make our lives count and have meaning.
God gave us authority. Kings, presidents, parents, bosses, husbands, the list goes on. But we live in a culture that says "you can be a Christian and not listen to any authority. "I can do what I want as long as i say I know Jesus. He does not want me to be a door mat". Well, actually, he kind of does. Jesus himself tells us to submit ourselves to the laws that we may live in peace and be an example to the lost. (1 Peter 2:13, Heb. 13:17,Rom.13:1 just to name a few)
Submission is not just for first time believers It is for all of us that take on the name of Christ. Submission is unnatural. At the core, man wants his way. We are selfish and sin and temptation pull at us and tell us to "fight for your rights!!" But Jesus wants us to fight for the rights of others. To lay down our lives, to pick up our cross that we might win some. I know I cannot do any of that on my own but when I submit my will to Christ and ask him to give me the power look out! Cool things happen and best of all I get to feel the truest freedom this world will ever know.
I was reminded this week of one of my favorite quotes. "You can't stress over what you don't own." That is what submission does.It takes all our stress and worry because we no longer "own" our lives, we submit them to Christ and ask him to work out all things for our good and to his glory.
It is ok to lose a fight with your spouse. It is ok to go the extra mile for that evil co worker or boss. It is more than ok to teach our kids submission to authority. It is better than ok, it is our call. Wives, we don't lose out if we give our husbands authority in the home. We win because when they feel respected they want to love us which is what we are really seeking anyway. Above all when we submit ourselves to Christ we lose our strife and we gain his peace and joy! I call that a win.
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Understanding the big "WHY?"
The Lord gave me a nice window of sun to get a quick run in this morning. I could see the clouds and gray sky before me when I set out. I prayed as I hit play on my Pandora worship station that the Lord would pick the songs I needed to hear. He loves us so much that he even gets involved in the minutia of our day. He did not waste any time bringing me into total worship a tenth of a mile into my run. Once I left our sub and got out onto the open road I was hit head on by a strong wind. Maybe gusts up to 20 mph coming right at me. I love to run not because it gives me some amazing endorphins or anything. I run because I like to eat. So when I face things like rain or strong wind I can find a lot of good reasons to head back home but not today. Today I needed to run for some alone time with the Lord. Today I needed some time to let him speak to me in the solitude of my own mind and he did. As I was closing in on mile one I felt my body want to stop. The wind was taking its toll. Then an amazing song came on and I got lost in worship again. I will run with my hands raised, arms out, eyes closed,( I try to remember to open them every few seconds. I have not been hit by a car...yet.) I must look like a crazy person but it feels so freeing. As I pushed myself on to mile two I felt the Lord lay on my heart, "My love for you is like the wind. Sometimes it will push against you to make you stronger and other times it will come behind you to carry you." You see, most runners know if you want to get stronger muscles you need to train with resistance. Ether wind or water or running in sand. All of those things put stress on you body and while they cause pain and fatigue when you are doing it they will build strength for your next run. Some times God shakes us up. Takes us out of our "happy, comfy spot" to make us stronger. It is ok to ask Him, "why are you doing this? Show me your will." In fact, that is what he wants us to do in the hard times. As king David said. "Search me, God, and know my heart: test me and know my anxious thoughts." Psalm 139:23
It can be hard but the storm never lasts forever. It will always come to an end at some point. Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes with the morning. Psalm 30:5. We all know that sometimes pain last longer than just one night but we can always hope and wait for the wind to change. My first two miles were hard but when I turned around to head home the last two were amazing. I had the wind at my back, my legs were warm and Jesus was in my heart. God knows how long to keep the "wind in our face". He knows when we desperately need "the wind at our back". He is sovereign, merciful, beautiful and wonderful to those that call on him. Sometimes, in our "humanieness" we don't understand what he is doing but if we seek to praise him, trust him and learn from our trials than he will meet us in a beautiful display of hope and compassion. He is so good. He is so faithful. No matter what He asks us to walk through we can trust, hope and know it will be for His glory and for our good. Praise Him in the storm. Praise Him in the calm. Praise Him...
It can be hard but the storm never lasts forever. It will always come to an end at some point. Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes with the morning. Psalm 30:5. We all know that sometimes pain last longer than just one night but we can always hope and wait for the wind to change. My first two miles were hard but when I turned around to head home the last two were amazing. I had the wind at my back, my legs were warm and Jesus was in my heart. God knows how long to keep the "wind in our face". He knows when we desperately need "the wind at our back". He is sovereign, merciful, beautiful and wonderful to those that call on him. Sometimes, in our "humanieness" we don't understand what he is doing but if we seek to praise him, trust him and learn from our trials than he will meet us in a beautiful display of hope and compassion. He is so good. He is so faithful. No matter what He asks us to walk through we can trust, hope and know it will be for His glory and for our good. Praise Him in the storm. Praise Him in the calm. Praise Him...
Saturday, January 10, 2015
A note to the discouraged.
A few months ago I heard a great sermon about Defining moments. The scripture used was the story of David and Goliath and how the fight was a defining moment in David's life. It changed the course of his destiny forever.
In the past few weeks I have had more people than I can now count come to me for prayer for feeling discouraged. Some feel that way in life, in marriage, with their kids and in their walk with the Lord and almost all of them have a common thread, they are all believers, committed Christians.
I think as we look on Face book, watch T.V., meet others for lunch and hear all the great things "the Lord is doing in their life, ministry, job and so on we can feel let down,like our own life feels useless and ineffective. Even sometimes when we read the Word and learn about all the great things Paul, John and the others did it can leave us feeling lame, lacking God's power. But as I read about Abraham this morning it hit me, the bible is like Face book for our faith. I mean no disrespect, stay with me here. What I mean is, when we read it seems that all the people in the Word lead these amazing lives filled with non-stop action but the truth is all we are reading is the snap shots, the high and low lights if you will. When you read about Abraham, for example, It reads like he talks to God, has lunch with angles. God tells him where and when to move, gives him dreams, gives him son's and so on, all excitement and crazy God encounters, but if you read between the lines there are years in between all of these events. Just like our lives. You will have amazing mountain top days in your life. The day you met the Lord and catch fire for His people. The day you hold your first born, (and every other born for that matter. As a second born myself I like to think our parents were just as excited when we showed up too. =) Then there are those amazing moments. The times someone tells you "the Lord really used you to help me." or when you get the honor of leading someone to Christ. These are our "bible highlights, our big or defining moments.Sure it's easy to feel great when we have these times.
It is in the "in between time" that we start to feel down, discouraged, like our faith, our walk does not matter. When we live the day to day, striving to serve the Lord but not really feeling like we get anywhere.It is in the times when I feel like... "Is this mic on? Can anyone hear me?" That is why reading the word this morning refreshed my heart because it reminded me that Abraham, father of all Israel, spent years of just plodding along doing God's will without any bible worthy mentions. Whole lives would pass in the word until they hit a defining, huge moment and then come in to play again. Like when the the bible says "so and so was born. and then the next time you hear about them they are getting married or having a baby. Even Jesus has a lot told about his birth and a bit about his very early childhood and then his story gets really quiet for a while before He comes back on the scene as a 30 something. Does that mean all of those years of His life were meaningless? That the day to day life of Jesus before His next bible entry did not matter? Of course not!! All our days matter. In fact, the down time between the highlights might matter the most. It is in these times that we see how much we really need the Lord to "pull us through". We draw close to Him in the pain of the lonely moments, the dark times. These might be more the defining moments of our lives then when we experience the mountain top times. How we struggle through the "dead times" the "dry times" the times when all your heart wants to do is serve the Lord in a mighty way but nothing seems to go right. Those are the times that show where our true faith lies. I used all these words just to say what the bible sums up in Galatians 6:9 perfectly ~ Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.~
Please know that the Lord IS using you, even if it feels like the world is coming at you and it seems no one cares or is listening, they are. They see. they hear and God can use your faithfulness in the little things, the down times, in the day to day to change the eternity of someone else's life. Keep fighting. Keep seeking the Lord. Keep him before you in all things, even the tiny and you will reap a spiritual harvest in due time.
In the past few weeks I have had more people than I can now count come to me for prayer for feeling discouraged. Some feel that way in life, in marriage, with their kids and in their walk with the Lord and almost all of them have a common thread, they are all believers, committed Christians.
I think as we look on Face book, watch T.V., meet others for lunch and hear all the great things "the Lord is doing in their life, ministry, job and so on we can feel let down,like our own life feels useless and ineffective. Even sometimes when we read the Word and learn about all the great things Paul, John and the others did it can leave us feeling lame, lacking God's power. But as I read about Abraham this morning it hit me, the bible is like Face book for our faith. I mean no disrespect, stay with me here. What I mean is, when we read it seems that all the people in the Word lead these amazing lives filled with non-stop action but the truth is all we are reading is the snap shots, the high and low lights if you will. When you read about Abraham, for example, It reads like he talks to God, has lunch with angles. God tells him where and when to move, gives him dreams, gives him son's and so on, all excitement and crazy God encounters, but if you read between the lines there are years in between all of these events. Just like our lives. You will have amazing mountain top days in your life. The day you met the Lord and catch fire for His people. The day you hold your first born, (and every other born for that matter. As a second born myself I like to think our parents were just as excited when we showed up too. =) Then there are those amazing moments. The times someone tells you "the Lord really used you to help me." or when you get the honor of leading someone to Christ. These are our "bible highlights, our big or defining moments.Sure it's easy to feel great when we have these times.
It is in the "in between time" that we start to feel down, discouraged, like our faith, our walk does not matter. When we live the day to day, striving to serve the Lord but not really feeling like we get anywhere.It is in the times when I feel like... "Is this mic on? Can anyone hear me?" That is why reading the word this morning refreshed my heart because it reminded me that Abraham, father of all Israel, spent years of just plodding along doing God's will without any bible worthy mentions. Whole lives would pass in the word until they hit a defining, huge moment and then come in to play again. Like when the the bible says "so and so was born. and then the next time you hear about them they are getting married or having a baby. Even Jesus has a lot told about his birth and a bit about his very early childhood and then his story gets really quiet for a while before He comes back on the scene as a 30 something. Does that mean all of those years of His life were meaningless? That the day to day life of Jesus before His next bible entry did not matter? Of course not!! All our days matter. In fact, the down time between the highlights might matter the most. It is in these times that we see how much we really need the Lord to "pull us through". We draw close to Him in the pain of the lonely moments, the dark times. These might be more the defining moments of our lives then when we experience the mountain top times. How we struggle through the "dead times" the "dry times" the times when all your heart wants to do is serve the Lord in a mighty way but nothing seems to go right. Those are the times that show where our true faith lies. I used all these words just to say what the bible sums up in Galatians 6:9 perfectly ~ Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.~
Please know that the Lord IS using you, even if it feels like the world is coming at you and it seems no one cares or is listening, they are. They see. they hear and God can use your faithfulness in the little things, the down times, in the day to day to change the eternity of someone else's life. Keep fighting. Keep seeking the Lord. Keep him before you in all things, even the tiny and you will reap a spiritual harvest in due time.
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