THIS WEEK has been a very merry Christmas week. I've been blessed with nights when I have gone out with my family and seen the lights or stayed home, watched movies like "It's a Wonderful Life," and gone shopping at the Town Center, which is one of my favorite places to go.
One of my favorite things this week was the special Christmas Eve Service at Southpoint Community Church. We sang the best Christmas songs - the ones that are actually about Jesus Christ - and we listened to Pastor Russ' message about the wonder that God came in the flesh to have a human experience. That human experience meant that we can know He knows how we feel and that He could die in the place of sinful humanity. We needed a perfect sacrifice to take all our sins away, and so He gave Himself to us.
We also had Communion that evening. Pastor Russ calls it a "spiritual meal." It's amazing what a tiny, square cracker and a little cup of red juice represent. It is truly a spiritual experience to eat these things, for I remember that Christ really died - died! - for me, and that it is so much more than a story. When I'm eating that cracker - not even enough to fill my mouth - I remember His body being hung up on a cross. When I take that single sip of juice - only enough to cover my tongue -I remember His blood falling to the ground, and it all becomes more real to me than it already was. It's good. Jesus told us to do this is remembrance of Him, and that is precisely the purpose it serves. It is a gift that He has given us just to help us keep Him in our minds.
The worship at church that night was spectacular, but in particular one song that we sang has really stuck with me. It really reminds me of what a wonderful thing it is that God has given us His Son, Himself. I just looked it up: it's called "How Many Kings" by Downhere. The chorus goes:
"How many kings stepped down from their thrones? How many lords have abandoned their thrones? How many greats have become the least for me? How many gods have poured out their hearts to romance a world that was torn all apart? How many fathers gave up their sons for me? Only one did that for me."
John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
Can you imagine anything that is so precious to you that you would give a child for it? I think of Abraham, whom God told to sacrifice his long-awaited, only son. Abraham consented, although God did sent an angel to stop him at the final second and a ram to be the sacrifice instead. God was measuring Abraham's faith and obedience.
I don't think Abraham would have given his son for just anything. Would you? No, only the most important thing - God - could make him willing to do that. How much more amazing is it that God came into this world in the body of a Man, His own Son Jesus, to reconcile us to Himself? Only God can make a sacrifice like that.
Yesterday I was at a Christmas party with my family, and I saw my brand new cousin Marco for the first time in several weeks. He was born on the first of this month, and today he is only 25 days old. His every movement is precious and wonderful and amazing, and he is so small and fragile. He is the perfect thing to cover with kisses cradle with love. I see how very much Marco's parents love him. I have not yet had the chance in my life to love someone quite as much as a father or a mother loves a son or a daughter. But I know it is a very strong, protective, unconditional love, because I have been loved this way by my own parents.
It was someone even more precious than little Marco that God gave for us. He knew we needed someone perfect, someone completely sinless and righteous, to take up the sins of anyone who believes. We needed someone to come and suffer for no sin of His own, but for all of ours, in our place. We needed someone of immeasurable, infinite price. Only He could be that perfect. So He sent Himself. That's what we celebrate at Christmas.
Think about the fact that God gave something so precious as His own Son, even His own self in the flesh, to this world to die for us. Please think about this. It means that God the Father loves the sinful world enough to give His only precious Son, so that if we'll just believe in Him and come back home to Him our souls won't die but will live forever in His arms. That is a love too big to wrap our minds around. It's too big to fathom even with all of the minds in the world put together.
It means that He wants so much for us to be His, to serve Him and love Him, to come home and be cherished, that He is willing to give up His own Son in our place. As precious as Jesus is, it was something that was more profound even than Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son.
The great thing is that once Jesus Christ had been sacrificed, God continued the miracle even further and resurrected Him, showing Him to so many people that it could not be reasonably denied that He is risen. So the faith spread and still spreads continually.
In Romans 8:31-34 Paul writes, "[31] What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? [32] He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? [33] Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. [34] Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us."
Let's celebrate Jesus' birth, life, death, and resurrection, and the sure hope of His return, not only during Christmas but on every day of the year. Let's show how real He is to us, keeping the idea of Communion in our hearts all the time. Let's show how beautiful it is that He is so good to us and fills us with such life, such living water, such an abundance of the Holy Spirit. Let's tell the world who it is who has been born King of the Jews, in the town of Bethlehem.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Service
THIS WEEK I'm celebrating one year of blogging! One year ago yesterday I started this blog, and I haven't missed a Sunday since. This week I also finished filling up my first Bible Study journal, which now contains my Bible Study notes between July 6 and December 14, 2010. I started another journal on the 15th.
This week I am also celebrating answered prayers. A lot of important things were due at school this week, so I prayed believing that I would be victorious over this week and that would not become overwhelmed. My prayers have been answered, and I'm celebrating God's faithfulness. I have been filled with joy just to belong to Him, just to be heard by Him, just to know that He will always be there. Whether the mountain is as big as a heartbreak or as small as a pile of homework, He promises to guide us over it and never leave.
This blog is one of the ways I like to try to serve God. What's been on my mind this week is the concept of "service." What does is mean to serve? And how does one best go about serving God?
This has been on my mind lately because I've been praying about whether I should go on a mission trip, and where, and when. I understand that not everybody has been called to the mission field. In addition to these prayers I have been trying to understand what the call of the Spirit is in my life, since we can only serve God if we are obedient to Him.
On Tuesday my friend Arun brought 1 Corinthians 12 to Bible Study, and I learned a lot from it. This is the chapter which describes all Christians as being the body of Christ, unified by Him as a set of members which each serve a specific purpose. This means that everyone is necessary, but not everyone has the same gifts. v. 4-7 "[4] There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. [5] There are diversities of ministries, but the same Lord. [6] And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. [7] But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each of for the profit of all." And v. 30-31 "[30] Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? [31] But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way."
I love this because it tells me something about serving God. He has given us each gifts to use for serving Him, and when we use them we benefit the rest of the body of Christ. It's okay that some people speak in tongues and others do not. If God wants to give somebody that gift, or any gift, then He will. What gifts has He given you? What are you good at doing? Whatever it is, God can use it for the glory of His name.
1 Corinthians 10:31 "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." This means that all of our actions should be directed toward lifting Him up. That is how a servant and child of God is called to live.
I feel that He has given me gifts in art, in writing, in understanding and in explaining things. He has given all kinds of gifts to all parts of the body of Christ, just as He gives a heart the ability to pump blood, the ears the ability to hear, etc. But not every part is meant to do everything. We serve God by doing what He has made us to do, not just whatever looks good to us. After all, our bodies would be a mess if our feet decided to be hands and our kidneys decided to be stomachs. The important thing is to be willing to obey Him and to do things for His glory rather than for own.
Having begun to learn about service already by Tuesday, I sat down with my Youth group on Wednesday and listened to Pastor Ryan telling us about the meaning of 'service'. I learned that service is not just an action, but it requires a heart that seeks God's glory. Even a pastor or a singer in the choir can only serve God if his heart is for praising our praiseworthy Savior rather than for being seen. Jesus had many problems with the attitudes of the scribes and Pharisees during the time when He walked the earth. They were the religious leaders who had an appearance of great spirituality but were full of vanity and greed. They announced their charitable deeds so that people would glorify them, and as a result, Jesus said, their reward would not be from heaven but from humans.
In Matthew 6:3-4 He tells us how to act instead. "[3] But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, [4] that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly." I admit that I have trouble with this myself, and I'm working on it. From Jesus' words I learn that it is important to watch who we're worshipping when we do good. To be safe, better to just keep it a secret as much as possible. And when we use our talents, better to honor God with them than to desire to have people watching us.
Jesus Himself gives us the perfect example of the heart of a servant in the way He treated His disciples. In John 13 He washed their feet, and in John 19 He died to save the world. What is service, then? It is putting oneself aside out of love for another, to lift someone else up. Philippians 2:8 "And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross." He did this for the glory of God and for our salvation, and at Christmas we celebrate this gift of salvation to the world.
At the end of the Youth service I learned that there is to be a mission trip to Peru in June. It is planned to be a week or two right after I graduate high school! I have been praying that the Holy Spirit will tell me whether I should go on a mission trip, and now I am praying to know whether this is something He wants me to do.
This week I read the story of the man who was possessed by many demons, which collectively called themselves "Legion." In Mark 5 Jesus casts these demons into a herd of swine, which then proceeded to run off the edge of a cliff. The people of the region begged Him to leave when they heard about it, but the man whom Jesus had healed wanted to come with Jesus as He left.
v. 18-20 "[18] And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him. [19] However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, 'Go home to you friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.' [20] And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled."
I always wondered why Jesus didn't want him to come. He told other people to come and follow Him, so why not this man? Now I understand that this man was following Him by being obedient, which is a demonstration of love and respect. This man served where he already was by telling everybody what God had done. Whatever Jesus' reasons may have been for wanting this particular fellow to stay rather than come along, it is clear that He still wanted him to serve by glorifying God.
No amount of activity, even religious activity, can be called 'serving God' if it is not done for God's glory. It has to be what He wants us to do, and it has to be done out of a desire to glorify Him. Let's be like the Lord Jesus in character and serve by showing love, by humbling ourselves, by benefitting the body of Christ and by putting God's glory first. That is what we have been made to do.
This week I am also celebrating answered prayers. A lot of important things were due at school this week, so I prayed believing that I would be victorious over this week and that would not become overwhelmed. My prayers have been answered, and I'm celebrating God's faithfulness. I have been filled with joy just to belong to Him, just to be heard by Him, just to know that He will always be there. Whether the mountain is as big as a heartbreak or as small as a pile of homework, He promises to guide us over it and never leave.
This blog is one of the ways I like to try to serve God. What's been on my mind this week is the concept of "service." What does is mean to serve? And how does one best go about serving God?
This has been on my mind lately because I've been praying about whether I should go on a mission trip, and where, and when. I understand that not everybody has been called to the mission field. In addition to these prayers I have been trying to understand what the call of the Spirit is in my life, since we can only serve God if we are obedient to Him.
On Tuesday my friend Arun brought 1 Corinthians 12 to Bible Study, and I learned a lot from it. This is the chapter which describes all Christians as being the body of Christ, unified by Him as a set of members which each serve a specific purpose. This means that everyone is necessary, but not everyone has the same gifts. v. 4-7 "[4] There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. [5] There are diversities of ministries, but the same Lord. [6] And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. [7] But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each of for the profit of all." And v. 30-31 "[30] Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? [31] But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way."
I love this because it tells me something about serving God. He has given us each gifts to use for serving Him, and when we use them we benefit the rest of the body of Christ. It's okay that some people speak in tongues and others do not. If God wants to give somebody that gift, or any gift, then He will. What gifts has He given you? What are you good at doing? Whatever it is, God can use it for the glory of His name.
1 Corinthians 10:31 "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." This means that all of our actions should be directed toward lifting Him up. That is how a servant and child of God is called to live.
I feel that He has given me gifts in art, in writing, in understanding and in explaining things. He has given all kinds of gifts to all parts of the body of Christ, just as He gives a heart the ability to pump blood, the ears the ability to hear, etc. But not every part is meant to do everything. We serve God by doing what He has made us to do, not just whatever looks good to us. After all, our bodies would be a mess if our feet decided to be hands and our kidneys decided to be stomachs. The important thing is to be willing to obey Him and to do things for His glory rather than for own.
Having begun to learn about service already by Tuesday, I sat down with my Youth group on Wednesday and listened to Pastor Ryan telling us about the meaning of 'service'. I learned that service is not just an action, but it requires a heart that seeks God's glory. Even a pastor or a singer in the choir can only serve God if his heart is for praising our praiseworthy Savior rather than for being seen. Jesus had many problems with the attitudes of the scribes and Pharisees during the time when He walked the earth. They were the religious leaders who had an appearance of great spirituality but were full of vanity and greed. They announced their charitable deeds so that people would glorify them, and as a result, Jesus said, their reward would not be from heaven but from humans.
In Matthew 6:3-4 He tells us how to act instead. "[3] But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, [4] that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly." I admit that I have trouble with this myself, and I'm working on it. From Jesus' words I learn that it is important to watch who we're worshipping when we do good. To be safe, better to just keep it a secret as much as possible. And when we use our talents, better to honor God with them than to desire to have people watching us.
Jesus Himself gives us the perfect example of the heart of a servant in the way He treated His disciples. In John 13 He washed their feet, and in John 19 He died to save the world. What is service, then? It is putting oneself aside out of love for another, to lift someone else up. Philippians 2:8 "And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross." He did this for the glory of God and for our salvation, and at Christmas we celebrate this gift of salvation to the world.
At the end of the Youth service I learned that there is to be a mission trip to Peru in June. It is planned to be a week or two right after I graduate high school! I have been praying that the Holy Spirit will tell me whether I should go on a mission trip, and now I am praying to know whether this is something He wants me to do.
This week I read the story of the man who was possessed by many demons, which collectively called themselves "Legion." In Mark 5 Jesus casts these demons into a herd of swine, which then proceeded to run off the edge of a cliff. The people of the region begged Him to leave when they heard about it, but the man whom Jesus had healed wanted to come with Jesus as He left.
v. 18-20 "[18] And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him. [19] However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, 'Go home to you friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.' [20] And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled."
I always wondered why Jesus didn't want him to come. He told other people to come and follow Him, so why not this man? Now I understand that this man was following Him by being obedient, which is a demonstration of love and respect. This man served where he already was by telling everybody what God had done. Whatever Jesus' reasons may have been for wanting this particular fellow to stay rather than come along, it is clear that He still wanted him to serve by glorifying God.
No amount of activity, even religious activity, can be called 'serving God' if it is not done for God's glory. It has to be what He wants us to do, and it has to be done out of a desire to glorify Him. Let's be like the Lord Jesus in character and serve by showing love, by humbling ourselves, by benefitting the body of Christ and by putting God's glory first. That is what we have been made to do.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
About 1 Kings 18:20-40
THIS WEEK there has been one chapter in particular which I have enjoyed discussing with my friends. We talked about it both at Bible Study on Wednesday and at FISH club on Thursday. It's 1 Kings 18, a wonderful story about how awesome God is.
I don't know why I thought about this story. I think I must have heard it at church once upon a time, and for some reason it was on my mind earlier this week. I looked in the dictionary in the back of my Bible under "Elijah" to find where it might be, and I found that he was performing miracles in 1 Kings, so I looked around in there and I found it.
The part that really got my attention was 1 Kings 18:20-40. Elijah was the only prophet of God left among the children of Israel, and everybody was following the prophets of a false god named Baal. God gave Elijah boldness and guided him in what to do. Elijah challenged the 450 prophets of Baal, to decide who is the real God.
v. 23-24 "[23] 'Therefore let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it. [24] The you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord; and the God who answers by fire, He is God.' So all the people answered and said, 'It is well spoken.'"
So the two sides would set up sacrifices, and the real God - the only one who should be worshipped - would set His sacrifice on fire. So the prophets of Baal go first, yelling all morning until noon and trying again in the evening, begging their deaf god to answer them. v. 27 "And so it was, at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said 'Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened.'" So the prophets of Baal cut themselves and they prophesied all afternoon and begged again in the evening, and at the end of the day Elijah told the people to put buckets and buckets of water on the other sacrifice - the one God would light on fire. They poured twelve waterpots on the altar and then filled a trench around it with water.
Elijah prayed once to God in asking Him to light the fire. He did not have to pray all day long like the others, because his God heard him. v. 36-37, "[36] And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, 'Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. [37] Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again."
v. 38 "Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench."
And all the people of Israel worshipped God, and the prophets of Baal were executed on the Brook Kishon.
Isn't that amazing, that this is the God we worship even today? He is the same now as He was then. What I learned from this is that when we pray within His will, full of faith and without doubt, He will answer. That sacrifice was completely drenched in water. Elijah's faith was so strong that he knew God could catch this wet sacrifice on fire - He could catch the ocean on fire if He wanted to! But what He wanted to do was bring these people back to Him, by doing what no false god could ever do. If a god besides this God cannot even catch a sacrifice on fire when his worshippers ask him, beg him to - even a dry sacrifice - then certainly that god cannot save souls like this God can.
God wanted his people to understand that He is the only one who should be worshipped, and to stop wasting their devotion on someone who could not bless them like He wants to do. The worshippers of Baal cut themselves and yelled, while the worshippers of God do not have to do these things to be heard. We need only present to Him humble and repentant hearts, full of devotion and reverence toward Him, willing to be corrected and to serve. That's what the children of Israel did when they saw what the true God had done. v. 39 "Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said 'The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!'"
And how wonderful that He wanted them back, even though they had turned from Him to follow their passions and pleasures with a god who couldn't see them and correct them. That's what He is doing, even today! He shows us who He is, how He can do the impossible and turn hearts around, by giving the life of His precious Son Jesus Christ for our sakes, and by resurrecting Him from death with many witnesses to see it. And He calls us back to Him by showing us that He loves us enough to do that. All He wants for us is what is good for us, and all He wants from us is a humble heart, a willingness to serve Him instead of somebody else. He will never disappoint.
I don't know why I thought about this story. I think I must have heard it at church once upon a time, and for some reason it was on my mind earlier this week. I looked in the dictionary in the back of my Bible under "Elijah" to find where it might be, and I found that he was performing miracles in 1 Kings, so I looked around in there and I found it.
The part that really got my attention was 1 Kings 18:20-40. Elijah was the only prophet of God left among the children of Israel, and everybody was following the prophets of a false god named Baal. God gave Elijah boldness and guided him in what to do. Elijah challenged the 450 prophets of Baal, to decide who is the real God.
v. 23-24 "[23] 'Therefore let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it. [24] The you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord; and the God who answers by fire, He is God.' So all the people answered and said, 'It is well spoken.'"
So the two sides would set up sacrifices, and the real God - the only one who should be worshipped - would set His sacrifice on fire. So the prophets of Baal go first, yelling all morning until noon and trying again in the evening, begging their deaf god to answer them. v. 27 "And so it was, at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said 'Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened.'" So the prophets of Baal cut themselves and they prophesied all afternoon and begged again in the evening, and at the end of the day Elijah told the people to put buckets and buckets of water on the other sacrifice - the one God would light on fire. They poured twelve waterpots on the altar and then filled a trench around it with water.
Elijah prayed once to God in asking Him to light the fire. He did not have to pray all day long like the others, because his God heard him. v. 36-37, "[36] And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, 'Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. [37] Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again."
v. 38 "Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench."
And all the people of Israel worshipped God, and the prophets of Baal were executed on the Brook Kishon.
Isn't that amazing, that this is the God we worship even today? He is the same now as He was then. What I learned from this is that when we pray within His will, full of faith and without doubt, He will answer. That sacrifice was completely drenched in water. Elijah's faith was so strong that he knew God could catch this wet sacrifice on fire - He could catch the ocean on fire if He wanted to! But what He wanted to do was bring these people back to Him, by doing what no false god could ever do. If a god besides this God cannot even catch a sacrifice on fire when his worshippers ask him, beg him to - even a dry sacrifice - then certainly that god cannot save souls like this God can.
God wanted his people to understand that He is the only one who should be worshipped, and to stop wasting their devotion on someone who could not bless them like He wants to do. The worshippers of Baal cut themselves and yelled, while the worshippers of God do not have to do these things to be heard. We need only present to Him humble and repentant hearts, full of devotion and reverence toward Him, willing to be corrected and to serve. That's what the children of Israel did when they saw what the true God had done. v. 39 "Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said 'The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!'"
And how wonderful that He wanted them back, even though they had turned from Him to follow their passions and pleasures with a god who couldn't see them and correct them. That's what He is doing, even today! He shows us who He is, how He can do the impossible and turn hearts around, by giving the life of His precious Son Jesus Christ for our sakes, and by resurrecting Him from death with many witnesses to see it. And He calls us back to Him by showing us that He loves us enough to do that. All He wants for us is what is good for us, and all He wants from us is a humble heart, a willingness to serve Him instead of somebody else. He will never disappoint.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Marco Polo
THIS WEEK my Aunt Qatresha had a baby boy - Marco Neil Champagne. He is her and my uncle Neil's second child.
When I found out on Tuesday night, the last day of November, that she had gone into the hospital, I hoped that I would get the chance to wait in the waiting room for him to be born like I had for several of my other little cousins. I got my wish. My mother and I got to the hospital around 8:00 pm and went to my aunt's room. She had not had the baby yet.
I went with my mom, my grandparents, and my little cousin Maya to wait in the waiting room. This was the hospital where Maya had been born two and a half years ago, and this was the waiting room where I had waited for her to be born. Since I had no idea how long we would be there, I worked on homework while I waited. Then I finished my homework, and I watched some television while I waited some more. Then it was past midnight, and we turned off the lights while we watched Roxeanne and M.A.S.H. and tried to get to sleep. The room was chilly and the chairs were not built for sleeping. But I do not regret the wait, which lasted until about 4:00 am, because at the end of it I got to see Marco.
Seven lbs., seven ounces, born in Room Seven. Marco was precious as he wimpered for food and wrinkled his eyes, unaccustomed to air. What a miraculous thing, what a wonderful way God designed for new people to be born. To begin protected by their mothers, to be so delicate that every instinct instructs others to protect them, their voices being like tiny birds or fallen snow. To have all working parts, covered in the softest of skin. To be the most precious kind of person, one for whom even the opening of the eyes is a miracle, and everyone gets the chance to be a baby at some point. It reminds me how precious we are to God, and how much He wants to hold us and keep us safe, how He wants us to know we have been created by Him, for Him. Every baby is another reason to believe in God.
Psalm 139: 13-16 "[13] For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. [14] I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. [15] My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. [16] Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them."
Maya, Marco's big sister as she proudly declares, would not get to see Marco until much later that day, because she had been waiting for so long that she had become grumpy. Her parents wouldn't want her to be unhappy the first time they met. It must have been very difficult for Maya, having been an only child for her two and a half years, to understand why she couldn't see her mom for hours that night, and where her daddy kept going, and what exactly she was waiting for. As I waited with her she seemed to get increasingly tired and grumpy, although she was still very cute with her "Big Sister" shirt and her curly hair. She told my grandma that her Bankey Dog, the toy dog she carries around, was mad, but that probably meant that she was mad.
Maya was asleep when I left the hospital that night/morning. The difficulty of her waiting made me think of how hard it is sometimes for us to understand our circumstances. Like Maya knew there was a wonderful little brother on the way, we trust God that He has good things planned for us. So it's sometimes frustrating when we run into problems and challenges or when things don't go the way we expect. But even if the process irritates us, it is good for us.
One of my favorite verses lately is Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." This is encouraging because although we will inevitably face discouragement and frustration, God has not forgotten us. We are His children, after all. In the same chapter, Romans 8:14-15 say "[14] For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. [15] For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, 'Abba, Father,'" 'Abba' means 'Daddy.' We are precious to God, so He will challenge us and teach us, and He will not leave us disappointed. At the end of the day, Maya did get to see her brother. If we hold on to God's promises, we will never be disappointed.
When I found out on Tuesday night, the last day of November, that she had gone into the hospital, I hoped that I would get the chance to wait in the waiting room for him to be born like I had for several of my other little cousins. I got my wish. My mother and I got to the hospital around 8:00 pm and went to my aunt's room. She had not had the baby yet.
I went with my mom, my grandparents, and my little cousin Maya to wait in the waiting room. This was the hospital where Maya had been born two and a half years ago, and this was the waiting room where I had waited for her to be born. Since I had no idea how long we would be there, I worked on homework while I waited. Then I finished my homework, and I watched some television while I waited some more. Then it was past midnight, and we turned off the lights while we watched Roxeanne and M.A.S.H. and tried to get to sleep. The room was chilly and the chairs were not built for sleeping. But I do not regret the wait, which lasted until about 4:00 am, because at the end of it I got to see Marco.
Seven lbs., seven ounces, born in Room Seven. Marco was precious as he wimpered for food and wrinkled his eyes, unaccustomed to air. What a miraculous thing, what a wonderful way God designed for new people to be born. To begin protected by their mothers, to be so delicate that every instinct instructs others to protect them, their voices being like tiny birds or fallen snow. To have all working parts, covered in the softest of skin. To be the most precious kind of person, one for whom even the opening of the eyes is a miracle, and everyone gets the chance to be a baby at some point. It reminds me how precious we are to God, and how much He wants to hold us and keep us safe, how He wants us to know we have been created by Him, for Him. Every baby is another reason to believe in God.
Psalm 139: 13-16 "[13] For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. [14] I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. [15] My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. [16] Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them."
Maya, Marco's big sister as she proudly declares, would not get to see Marco until much later that day, because she had been waiting for so long that she had become grumpy. Her parents wouldn't want her to be unhappy the first time they met. It must have been very difficult for Maya, having been an only child for her two and a half years, to understand why she couldn't see her mom for hours that night, and where her daddy kept going, and what exactly she was waiting for. As I waited with her she seemed to get increasingly tired and grumpy, although she was still very cute with her "Big Sister" shirt and her curly hair. She told my grandma that her Bankey Dog, the toy dog she carries around, was mad, but that probably meant that she was mad.
Maya was asleep when I left the hospital that night/morning. The difficulty of her waiting made me think of how hard it is sometimes for us to understand our circumstances. Like Maya knew there was a wonderful little brother on the way, we trust God that He has good things planned for us. So it's sometimes frustrating when we run into problems and challenges or when things don't go the way we expect. But even if the process irritates us, it is good for us.
One of my favorite verses lately is Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." This is encouraging because although we will inevitably face discouragement and frustration, God has not forgotten us. We are His children, after all. In the same chapter, Romans 8:14-15 say "[14] For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. [15] For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, 'Abba, Father,'" 'Abba' means 'Daddy.' We are precious to God, so He will challenge us and teach us, and He will not leave us disappointed. At the end of the day, Maya did get to see her brother. If we hold on to God's promises, we will never be disappointed.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Gratitude, and God's Guiding Light
THIS WEEK was one of those wonderful weeks we wait for all year long, the week of a special holiday called Thanksgiving. I love that in America we have a whole day set aside for gratitude, just in case we've forgotten to be thankful for the rest of the year. I looked up "thanksgiving," as in 'gratitude toward God', in my Bible and I found a powerful little 5-verse Psalm. Psalm 100 is all about praising God and showing Him how grateful we are toward Him for everything.
"[1]Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! [2] Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing. [3] Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. [4] Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. [5] For the Lord in good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations."
It's a lovely little psalm. It reminds me how much I have to be thankful for: my parents and my sister and my brother, my aunt who is about to have a baby any day now, the cold and the warm weather, my house and clothes, more than enough to eat and drink, a Spirit-filled church family, and many more things than I could ever go about naming. I love Thanksgiving. I'm praying that we could have a spirit of thanksgiving all year long, because God is always good.
I'm thankful for answered prayers, and for the peace that God speaks into my heart. Today, and for the past few days, even while I have been joyful over Thanksgiving and over my cousin's birthday party, I have been feeling a little frustrated. Maybe it's partially because I visited another college, UF, on Wednesday, and my mind is on my future. All I want is to know what God wants me to do, because I've learned very well that I don't know what I'm doing nearly as well as I think I do. I just want to please Him. I have no idea how to make the decisions I have to make. So I've been praying harder and harder to hear what God says about all this. I've been begging to hear His Spirit talking to me, telling me how to serve him in the present day in the actions I take now, and showing me what steps to take in my future.
God has responded to my prayers, but not how I expected Him to. Surprising us with the way He answers prayer is something that God does pretty often. But He does answer. He answered me by giving me assurance, for which I'm truly grateful.
It came when I was reading John 8, the chapter when Jesus shows mercy to the adulteress and then deals with the arguments of those Jews who did not believe in Him. Jesus challenges the woman's accusers, the scribes and Pharisees, to let the one who is without sin throw the first stone at her. None of them, the religious leaders of the Jews, can bring himself to throw the stone. After they have all turned and gone, Jesus Himself, who alone is without sin, forgives her.
Then Jesus speaks to the people who had come to hear Him. v.12 "Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, 'I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.'"
Then after He has dealt with some of the arguments of the unbelieving Jews, Jesus speaks some more words of encouragement for believers. v. 31-32 "[31] Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, 'If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. [32] And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.'"
What these words of the Lord say to me is that all we need to do is keep following Jesus, and it will be clear what we need to do. He will light our paths. I still don't know where He'd like me to go to college, or what career path to take, or even who to talk to and what to say when I'm at school. But He will show me what to do in His wonderful timing. If we continue to actively seek Him in prayer and in the Word I know that we'll be able to hear when He calls. And if we serve Him by obedience and praise and show His love continually, He will guide our hands and feet and help us as we try to stay safe within His will.
I think that by these words the Lord wanted to remind me that I don't need to be frustrated. I think that's something I struggle with. I want to do His will and I'm afraid to miss it, so I tend to get frustrated while I wait to know something that maybe I'm not supposed to know until later. It's good to pray to be within His will, and for His will to be done. But it's not good to get frustrated when it seems there are things I just don't know.
After all, I'm not walking a road with no street lights here. He guides all of His people, and He lights our paths. He makes us free with His truth so that we do not have to struggle and stumble, chained in bondage to sin. He stays with us and shows us what He wants us to do. And I'm thankful for that. I'm thankful that we are justified by His grace, and by nothing else. Not by works and not by traditions. We are justified by the blood of God Himself, God-in-Man, Jesus, God's gift of Himself to us. And He will not now proceed to forget us. He is our light and our life, forever. That is something to be truly thankful for.
"[1]Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! [2] Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing. [3] Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. [4] Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. [5] For the Lord in good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations."
It's a lovely little psalm. It reminds me how much I have to be thankful for: my parents and my sister and my brother, my aunt who is about to have a baby any day now, the cold and the warm weather, my house and clothes, more than enough to eat and drink, a Spirit-filled church family, and many more things than I could ever go about naming. I love Thanksgiving. I'm praying that we could have a spirit of thanksgiving all year long, because God is always good.
I'm thankful for answered prayers, and for the peace that God speaks into my heart. Today, and for the past few days, even while I have been joyful over Thanksgiving and over my cousin's birthday party, I have been feeling a little frustrated. Maybe it's partially because I visited another college, UF, on Wednesday, and my mind is on my future. All I want is to know what God wants me to do, because I've learned very well that I don't know what I'm doing nearly as well as I think I do. I just want to please Him. I have no idea how to make the decisions I have to make. So I've been praying harder and harder to hear what God says about all this. I've been begging to hear His Spirit talking to me, telling me how to serve him in the present day in the actions I take now, and showing me what steps to take in my future.
God has responded to my prayers, but not how I expected Him to. Surprising us with the way He answers prayer is something that God does pretty often. But He does answer. He answered me by giving me assurance, for which I'm truly grateful.
It came when I was reading John 8, the chapter when Jesus shows mercy to the adulteress and then deals with the arguments of those Jews who did not believe in Him. Jesus challenges the woman's accusers, the scribes and Pharisees, to let the one who is without sin throw the first stone at her. None of them, the religious leaders of the Jews, can bring himself to throw the stone. After they have all turned and gone, Jesus Himself, who alone is without sin, forgives her.
Then Jesus speaks to the people who had come to hear Him. v.12 "Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, 'I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.'"
Then after He has dealt with some of the arguments of the unbelieving Jews, Jesus speaks some more words of encouragement for believers. v. 31-32 "[31] Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, 'If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. [32] And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.'"
What these words of the Lord say to me is that all we need to do is keep following Jesus, and it will be clear what we need to do. He will light our paths. I still don't know where He'd like me to go to college, or what career path to take, or even who to talk to and what to say when I'm at school. But He will show me what to do in His wonderful timing. If we continue to actively seek Him in prayer and in the Word I know that we'll be able to hear when He calls. And if we serve Him by obedience and praise and show His love continually, He will guide our hands and feet and help us as we try to stay safe within His will.
I think that by these words the Lord wanted to remind me that I don't need to be frustrated. I think that's something I struggle with. I want to do His will and I'm afraid to miss it, so I tend to get frustrated while I wait to know something that maybe I'm not supposed to know until later. It's good to pray to be within His will, and for His will to be done. But it's not good to get frustrated when it seems there are things I just don't know.
After all, I'm not walking a road with no street lights here. He guides all of His people, and He lights our paths. He makes us free with His truth so that we do not have to struggle and stumble, chained in bondage to sin. He stays with us and shows us what He wants us to do. And I'm thankful for that. I'm thankful that we are justified by His grace, and by nothing else. Not by works and not by traditions. We are justified by the blood of God Himself, God-in-Man, Jesus, God's gift of Himself to us. And He will not now proceed to forget us. He is our light and our life, forever. That is something to be truly thankful for.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
As God's Children
THIS WEEK I had a bonfire with my Youth Group, where we sang worship songs and listened to powerful testamonies. The fire slowly melted the blackening wood, and little motes of red ember were carried weightless into the night air with our songs of praise. It was a beautiful evening, and it made me want to listen more carefully to what God is really saying. Since that evening there has been one particular passage on my mind. The beginning verses of John chapter 1 has been appearing all over the place. First, when I returned home from the bonfire there was a fun new idea for my next art piece buzzing around in my head. I don't really know why - maybe somebody referenced this passage at the meeting. The piece is based on verses 1-5.
The funny thing is that the very next morning Reverend Dan Elkins, who visited my school to speak at the FISH meeting, referenced the very same place. And today when I attended a church service at the USF campus where I was visiting, the pastor referenced John chapter 1, a few verses after the place I've been looking. So I'll write them out for you really quickly and then tell you what I've been learning from these things. It helps me to write out the verses because I start to notice things I didn't see before.
John 1:1-5
"[1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] He was in the beginning with God. [3] All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. [4] In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. [5] And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it."
And John 1:9-14
"[9] That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. [10] He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. [11] He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. [12] But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in Him name: [13] who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. [14] And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."
This always reminds me of the very beginning of the Bible, when God commands things to come into existence, beginning with light. What I think it means is that Jesus, as the embodiment of God in the flesh as the Son of God, existed even before He was born into the world. Of course He did - I mean, He's God. He is the Word of God by means of which He commanded the universe to exist.
And now God comes to the world in the form of a Man, to people who refuse to hear Him. Can you imagine what that must be like? Like if you made a little clay figurine and it came to life, and it suddenly started asking "Who are you?" and denying your authority and kicking you in the shins. That was what the Jews were like to whom God first came in the form of the Man Jesus. He died, having done nothing wrong, in the place of us humans who are without exception covered in sins, so that we could be with Him. And then HE rose again to demonstrate the validity of our faith. He covers us with His blood. He made it so that anyone who believes in Him could be His own. His own!
What I'm learning this week is that it really is something quite amazing to be God's adopted child. It means He listens when we talk to Him, and that He wants us to listen to Him. It means there is nothing that will stop Him from loving us, like the father in Luke 15 who showers welcome on his repentant son. It means He would die for us, and He did, and now He lives. It means He disiplines us expects us to obey, just because He loves us so much and knows what's good for us. Hebrews 12:5-6 says "[5] And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as sons: 'My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; [6] For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.'"
As children of God, who are we supposed to be? My understanding is that we are supposed to imitate Christ and keep His commandments. John 13:34-35 "[34] A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. [35] By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."
Could somebody please explain to me the cause for a disturbing sight I saw on Saturday? I was just leaving the historic district of Tampa called Ybor, when on a street corner I observed a man and a woman armed with a bullhorn and a red-lettered sign. The man was making announcements of anger and condemnation, something about "getting the hell you deserve." As I passed by these people my mom said to me, "And that's why people think Christians are crazy." It really impacted me.
Where's the love? Didn't Jesus command love? A Christian is a child of God, a child of love, not a proclaimer of doom. Fear does not make converts. We're drawn to God by His astounding love and grace, by His willingness to save us from "the hell we deserve." People with bullhorns and hate aren't making it any easier for those of us who'd like to reach the world with love.
God invites us to be His children! The beauty of such a thought is too much to wrap our minds around. His own children, to be loved and protected and disciplined and taught. To be rescued from certain destruction and led in the ways of righteousness.
As I kept walking down the street, I saw a homeless man whom I had seen several hours before in exactly the same place. He's a man who needs some love, whatever his problems may be, exactly like the rest of us do. But he's not getting it from any man with a bullhorn.
I thank God that I can be His, and that the Body of Christ, which reaches over much of the world, can celebrate together the fact that He Himself will love us forever. It's something to stay amazed about all the time. And I'm hoping and praying that we never get used to this: that the same God who created everything by means of His Word, and who came to the world to fish us out of our own self-destruction, has poured out His grace over the whole face of the earth. He has poured it over anyone at all who will receive Him, and who will give himself to Him who gave Himself for us.
The funny thing is that the very next morning Reverend Dan Elkins, who visited my school to speak at the FISH meeting, referenced the very same place. And today when I attended a church service at the USF campus where I was visiting, the pastor referenced John chapter 1, a few verses after the place I've been looking. So I'll write them out for you really quickly and then tell you what I've been learning from these things. It helps me to write out the verses because I start to notice things I didn't see before.
John 1:1-5
"[1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] He was in the beginning with God. [3] All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. [4] In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. [5] And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it."
And John 1:9-14
"[9] That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. [10] He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. [11] He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. [12] But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in Him name: [13] who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. [14] And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."
This always reminds me of the very beginning of the Bible, when God commands things to come into existence, beginning with light. What I think it means is that Jesus, as the embodiment of God in the flesh as the Son of God, existed even before He was born into the world. Of course He did - I mean, He's God. He is the Word of God by means of which He commanded the universe to exist.
And now God comes to the world in the form of a Man, to people who refuse to hear Him. Can you imagine what that must be like? Like if you made a little clay figurine and it came to life, and it suddenly started asking "Who are you?" and denying your authority and kicking you in the shins. That was what the Jews were like to whom God first came in the form of the Man Jesus. He died, having done nothing wrong, in the place of us humans who are without exception covered in sins, so that we could be with Him. And then HE rose again to demonstrate the validity of our faith. He covers us with His blood. He made it so that anyone who believes in Him could be His own. His own!
What I'm learning this week is that it really is something quite amazing to be God's adopted child. It means He listens when we talk to Him, and that He wants us to listen to Him. It means there is nothing that will stop Him from loving us, like the father in Luke 15 who showers welcome on his repentant son. It means He would die for us, and He did, and now He lives. It means He disiplines us expects us to obey, just because He loves us so much and knows what's good for us. Hebrews 12:5-6 says "[5] And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as sons: 'My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; [6] For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.'"
As children of God, who are we supposed to be? My understanding is that we are supposed to imitate Christ and keep His commandments. John 13:34-35 "[34] A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. [35] By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."
Could somebody please explain to me the cause for a disturbing sight I saw on Saturday? I was just leaving the historic district of Tampa called Ybor, when on a street corner I observed a man and a woman armed with a bullhorn and a red-lettered sign. The man was making announcements of anger and condemnation, something about "getting the hell you deserve." As I passed by these people my mom said to me, "And that's why people think Christians are crazy." It really impacted me.
Where's the love? Didn't Jesus command love? A Christian is a child of God, a child of love, not a proclaimer of doom. Fear does not make converts. We're drawn to God by His astounding love and grace, by His willingness to save us from "the hell we deserve." People with bullhorns and hate aren't making it any easier for those of us who'd like to reach the world with love.
God invites us to be His children! The beauty of such a thought is too much to wrap our minds around. His own children, to be loved and protected and disciplined and taught. To be rescued from certain destruction and led in the ways of righteousness.
As I kept walking down the street, I saw a homeless man whom I had seen several hours before in exactly the same place. He's a man who needs some love, whatever his problems may be, exactly like the rest of us do. But he's not getting it from any man with a bullhorn.
I thank God that I can be His, and that the Body of Christ, which reaches over much of the world, can celebrate together the fact that He Himself will love us forever. It's something to stay amazed about all the time. And I'm hoping and praying that we never get used to this: that the same God who created everything by means of His Word, and who came to the world to fish us out of our own self-destruction, has poured out His grace over the whole face of the earth. He has poured it over anyone at all who will receive Him, and who will give himself to Him who gave Himself for us.
Friday, November 19, 2010
A Special Story
THIS WEEK I'm posting a Bonus Post like I said I would, because I just didn't have time on Sunday to tell you this amazing story I heard last week. Today is Friday, and I'm going to blog again this Sunday of course. But I just couldn't neglect to tell you what I heard from my friend Arun (uh - ROON) at Bible Study. It's a story that won't take long to tell, but which will likely stay with you for a while. It's a testimony of the amazing way the Holy Spirit can work.
Arun heard this story from a pastor who had come from India to visit his church. It occurred in India. It was about 1:00 AM, and suddenly the pastor heard the Holy Spirit tell him to wake up. Because it was very late and he was very sleepy, he was hesitant to obey. but the Spirit insisted. When the pastor had sat up in bed he heard Him say to go look out his window. So he did.
When he looked out his window he saw someone practicing witchcraft there, trying to curse him. So upon the command of the Holy Spirit the pastor proceeded to pray for four hours, from 1:00 AM to 5:00 AM.
Not long after this occurred, the Holy Spirit did something that truly amazed me. He gave the pastor the address of the man who had been outside his window! When the pastor went to this address, he found out that the evil man had died. I don't know how he died, or when exactly, but he died.
What amazed me about this story was how present the Holy Spirit is in the life of that pastor, how clearly he hears Him. He is not shy about guiding His followers and telling us where He wants us to go and what He wants us to do. I think the reason some people, like the pastor, hear Him more clearly than others do is not because they have "more Jesus" than others people, but because of the degree to which they have committed themselves to serving Him, and the extent of their submission to His will.
This story reminds me of the Bible, especially the book of Acts, when we see the Holy Spirit doing so many unexpected things and guiding the servants of God. It's the same amazing Spirit of God working in the lives of Christians. He is present both in big events and small tasks, no matter who we are, because we are His people whom He chose.
I'm just so glad God gave us Christians His Spirit to keep Him close to our lives and to keep us within His will. I pray that we will all hear Him and that our hearts will be willing to obey, not insisting on our own agendas and 'putting words in His mouth,' so to speak, but obeying what He really says. I hope and pray that our hearts' greater desire would be for His kingdom and His righteousness. Astounding things can happen when we obey.
John 14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you." -Jesus Christ.
Arun heard this story from a pastor who had come from India to visit his church. It occurred in India. It was about 1:00 AM, and suddenly the pastor heard the Holy Spirit tell him to wake up. Because it was very late and he was very sleepy, he was hesitant to obey. but the Spirit insisted. When the pastor had sat up in bed he heard Him say to go look out his window. So he did.
When he looked out his window he saw someone practicing witchcraft there, trying to curse him. So upon the command of the Holy Spirit the pastor proceeded to pray for four hours, from 1:00 AM to 5:00 AM.
Not long after this occurred, the Holy Spirit did something that truly amazed me. He gave the pastor the address of the man who had been outside his window! When the pastor went to this address, he found out that the evil man had died. I don't know how he died, or when exactly, but he died.
What amazed me about this story was how present the Holy Spirit is in the life of that pastor, how clearly he hears Him. He is not shy about guiding His followers and telling us where He wants us to go and what He wants us to do. I think the reason some people, like the pastor, hear Him more clearly than others do is not because they have "more Jesus" than others people, but because of the degree to which they have committed themselves to serving Him, and the extent of their submission to His will.
This story reminds me of the Bible, especially the book of Acts, when we see the Holy Spirit doing so many unexpected things and guiding the servants of God. It's the same amazing Spirit of God working in the lives of Christians. He is present both in big events and small tasks, no matter who we are, because we are His people whom He chose.
I'm just so glad God gave us Christians His Spirit to keep Him close to our lives and to keep us within His will. I pray that we will all hear Him and that our hearts will be willing to obey, not insisting on our own agendas and 'putting words in His mouth,' so to speak, but obeying what He really says. I hope and pray that our hearts' greater desire would be for His kingdom and His righteousness. Astounding things can happen when we obey.
John 14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you." -Jesus Christ.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
I Want to Tell You All About It
THIS WEEK I'm posting really late at night because I just got back home from Universal Studios. I had a lot of fun with my family and the Champagnes, and now I'm blessed to be safe back at my house in my blue jacket. I just have so much to share this week that it's going to be hard to cover it all so late at night, but here I go.
You remember last week I was praying SO hard that I would see somebody saved, or at least that I would have the chance to share the gospel with somebody. All that prayer my heart in the right place for something delightfully unexpected that happened on Monday. I was at Calculus tutoring sitting at my desk, singing a song that I love to sing at church, while I waited for my instructor to come in. I began to feel an urging to introduce myself to a group of people around me: a girl in front of me and two guys to my left. I don't think they were used to strangers introducing themselves just because. But then, I'm not accustomed to doing that kind of thing myself. So they were under the impression that I'm some kind of nice person, and what happened next went much better than it could have if I had not already introduced myself to them.
I heard the name 'Jesus' come up in their conversation a few minutes after, and I was immediately interested. I asked what they were talking about, and I learned that they were trying to figure out whether Jesus works like a measure of volume: can one person have 'more' of Him than another person does? I told them what I understand - that Jesus is either there or He's not and that what makes the difference is how much a person is submitted to His will. The more I talked to them, the more I realized that there were a lot of things that the fellow right next to me didn't really get about God. It's true, God is marvelously complex and far above our heads, and at the same time He makes many things clear to us because He wants us to be near Him. I was very interested in talking to that fellow some more, so I invited him to come to Bible study the next morning because there were so many things I wanted to tell him. I reiterated my invitation right before I left the tutoring session a while later, because I wanted him to know that I wanted him to come.
So I prayed many times that afternoon and the next morning that he would come. And he did. When I got to sit with him he let me tell him many things, and he didn't fight with me. That was nice. But the questions he asked carried me to such a wide range of subjects that I fear I didn't answer them all satisfactorily. I learned that my new friend is an atheist. If you've been reading for long you know how I feel about that topic - I really love to talk about all the reasons I just know there is a God, and I told him a lot of those reasons.
When the bell rang for everybody to go to class, my new friend seemed really eager to get away from me. I don't think I was unpleasant. It is a really profound topic. I mean, think about what a difference it makes to perceive the universe as a grand coincidence as opposed to a Creation. I found that the hardest thing was trying to explain what I knew to be true from the Bible to someone who is not familiar with it and doesn't really consider it reliable. It was also hard to talk about spiritual things when I believe that the spiritual and the material both exist, and he believes that only the material exists. I'm praying I can learn to more effectively share the truths that I have learned. I'm also praying I can talk to my new friend again, because my heart aches more than ever lately for others to know about God's life-saving grace and His true love.
I have been praying God would give me a greater love for my neighbors, a greater desire to share His love with others. I've also been praying for chances to pour out love on the people around me. And God has been answering my prayers.
One of the biggest questions that my friend asked me that morning was "How do you know Jesus?" I think about it, and I don't even remember what I said. I think I remember pausing with a smile and a happy breathe, because the reasons are so many that it was actually hard for me to think of how I should answer. Whatever my answer was then, I have so many more now. So many more. My heart longs to tell him everything.
I want to tell him how Jesus touches my spirit with His Holy Spirit and gives me strength, and how He moves to make things possible for me. I want to say how He turns my mountains into mole hills when I hold His hand and breathes peace into my soul when I call on His name.
I want to tell him how Jesus remains constant at all times when nothing else will, and how He actually comes and comforts me when He sees that my heart is broken or that I'm confused and feeling hopeless. He reminds me that I'm safe in His hands and that if I trust in Him He will light my way no matter how dark it gets.
I want to show him the amazing peace and joy I feel when I'm worshipping God, how I love to dance when I sing to Him, how He makes the world go round in every literal and figurative way. I want to bring him into the way all the believers feel at Engage the Spirit, when there is holy fear and godly peace all at once, astonishment at God's greatness and joy over His nearness.
I want to tell him about the times God has answered my prayers and moved in my life and in other people's lives.
I want to tell him about how the Holy Spirit makes it so He lives in me, how the Son fills the gap between us and the Father, and how God can play all His roles at once and still be one God - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I pray it's easy to see that all this could never be in my head. That assumes way too much on the part of humanity. We could never invent somebody like God. In fact, He invented us!
I want to tell my intelligent and reasonable friend all these things. And I pray for another chance to talk to him, and anyone else. I just want people to feel the security I feel in my soul when I think about what Jesus Christ means to me, and I keep praying for the chance.
There's so much more that I want to tell you about that I just might have to post again in the middle of the week. I heard an amazing story and I planned to write about it, but it's 11:03 and I have no more time. I anticipate another very exciting week, full of wonderful things, because God is so amazing, just so amazing. I want to tell you all about it.
You remember last week I was praying SO hard that I would see somebody saved, or at least that I would have the chance to share the gospel with somebody. All that prayer my heart in the right place for something delightfully unexpected that happened on Monday. I was at Calculus tutoring sitting at my desk, singing a song that I love to sing at church, while I waited for my instructor to come in. I began to feel an urging to introduce myself to a group of people around me: a girl in front of me and two guys to my left. I don't think they were used to strangers introducing themselves just because. But then, I'm not accustomed to doing that kind of thing myself. So they were under the impression that I'm some kind of nice person, and what happened next went much better than it could have if I had not already introduced myself to them.
I heard the name 'Jesus' come up in their conversation a few minutes after, and I was immediately interested. I asked what they were talking about, and I learned that they were trying to figure out whether Jesus works like a measure of volume: can one person have 'more' of Him than another person does? I told them what I understand - that Jesus is either there or He's not and that what makes the difference is how much a person is submitted to His will. The more I talked to them, the more I realized that there were a lot of things that the fellow right next to me didn't really get about God. It's true, God is marvelously complex and far above our heads, and at the same time He makes many things clear to us because He wants us to be near Him. I was very interested in talking to that fellow some more, so I invited him to come to Bible study the next morning because there were so many things I wanted to tell him. I reiterated my invitation right before I left the tutoring session a while later, because I wanted him to know that I wanted him to come.
So I prayed many times that afternoon and the next morning that he would come. And he did. When I got to sit with him he let me tell him many things, and he didn't fight with me. That was nice. But the questions he asked carried me to such a wide range of subjects that I fear I didn't answer them all satisfactorily. I learned that my new friend is an atheist. If you've been reading for long you know how I feel about that topic - I really love to talk about all the reasons I just know there is a God, and I told him a lot of those reasons.
When the bell rang for everybody to go to class, my new friend seemed really eager to get away from me. I don't think I was unpleasant. It is a really profound topic. I mean, think about what a difference it makes to perceive the universe as a grand coincidence as opposed to a Creation. I found that the hardest thing was trying to explain what I knew to be true from the Bible to someone who is not familiar with it and doesn't really consider it reliable. It was also hard to talk about spiritual things when I believe that the spiritual and the material both exist, and he believes that only the material exists. I'm praying I can learn to more effectively share the truths that I have learned. I'm also praying I can talk to my new friend again, because my heart aches more than ever lately for others to know about God's life-saving grace and His true love.
I have been praying God would give me a greater love for my neighbors, a greater desire to share His love with others. I've also been praying for chances to pour out love on the people around me. And God has been answering my prayers.
One of the biggest questions that my friend asked me that morning was "How do you know Jesus?" I think about it, and I don't even remember what I said. I think I remember pausing with a smile and a happy breathe, because the reasons are so many that it was actually hard for me to think of how I should answer. Whatever my answer was then, I have so many more now. So many more. My heart longs to tell him everything.
I want to tell him how Jesus touches my spirit with His Holy Spirit and gives me strength, and how He moves to make things possible for me. I want to say how He turns my mountains into mole hills when I hold His hand and breathes peace into my soul when I call on His name.
I want to tell him how Jesus remains constant at all times when nothing else will, and how He actually comes and comforts me when He sees that my heart is broken or that I'm confused and feeling hopeless. He reminds me that I'm safe in His hands and that if I trust in Him He will light my way no matter how dark it gets.
I want to show him the amazing peace and joy I feel when I'm worshipping God, how I love to dance when I sing to Him, how He makes the world go round in every literal and figurative way. I want to bring him into the way all the believers feel at Engage the Spirit, when there is holy fear and godly peace all at once, astonishment at God's greatness and joy over His nearness.
I want to tell him about the times God has answered my prayers and moved in my life and in other people's lives.
I want to tell him about how the Holy Spirit makes it so He lives in me, how the Son fills the gap between us and the Father, and how God can play all His roles at once and still be one God - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I pray it's easy to see that all this could never be in my head. That assumes way too much on the part of humanity. We could never invent somebody like God. In fact, He invented us!
I want to tell my intelligent and reasonable friend all these things. And I pray for another chance to talk to him, and anyone else. I just want people to feel the security I feel in my soul when I think about what Jesus Christ means to me, and I keep praying for the chance.
There's so much more that I want to tell you about that I just might have to post again in the middle of the week. I heard an amazing story and I planned to write about it, but it's 11:03 and I have no more time. I anticipate another very exciting week, full of wonderful things, because God is so amazing, just so amazing. I want to tell you all about it.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Hoping in God
THIS WEEK I have been going to Southpoint Community Church for one year! I can tell because last year I first came the week when Youth Quake Live was held at Southpoint, and this week it was held there again. I had a wonderful time at Youth Quake with Rina, Kenny, Margaret, Joey, Izzy, and Billy. The theme involved international missions and the struggles that Christians face in other countries. I have decided to pray for Christians who are suffering more than I am, and about whether I belong in a mission trip of any kind.
This week has been really unusual and exciting because something has changed in my heart. On Monday I began to pray really hard that I would see someone saved this week. I prayed every day with seriousness and hope. This is because there is a new, big desire in my heart to start seeing people saved and show this life-changing love to other people. I'm praying this desire only increases. I haven't done much witnessing at all (whether or not this blog counts, I don't know) but this week more than ever I just want to do what Jesus said to do right before He went up into heaven(Matthew 28:19-20): "[19] 'Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, [20] teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.' Amen."
Christianity is by nature evangelical, because Jesus Christ is evangelical.
As it turns out, despite my hard prayer and determination, I did not see anyone saved this week. But God did show me that He heard my prayer. I can tell because some strange and beautiful things started happening, and working. Although I didn't see anyone saved this week, I will continue to pray that I will. And even though it hasn't happened yet, who knows, the things that happened this week might lead to it happening in a little while. That would be awesome. I have faith that God does answer prayer, and He also has a plan that's way above our heads. That's enough for me.
A few different really cool things happened this week. First, someone I've been praying for left a message on my phone asking out of curiosity about a Biblical allusion she had read. She had decided to ask me to see if I knew anything about a man who had sat in chains cutting himself with stones, and when I talked to her I was able to tell her about the man whose many demons Jesus cast into a herd of swine, which immediately ran off the edge of a cliff. What I loved was that she used the word "curious" when she explained why she wanted to know. I had been praying for exactly that, that she would be curious about Jesus, and I continue to pray it. That was amazing. I'm still happy whenever I think about it.
That same day I felt a pull to call another friend of mine to ask if she would like to come to my Youth Group with me. I am not accustomed to calling people very often, especially if they are not expecting it. When I called it turned out she couldn't go, but she said she would like to come with me Sunday! I was astounded. So she went with me today, and we had fun. I love the things God does. I just want to be part of what He is doing.
The Bible encourages me to keep hoping in God, even though I didn't get to see anybody saved this week. At Bible study one morning this week, my friend Arun (ah-ROON) arrived wanting to share Romans 5:5. "Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us."
I got so excited when I read this because it was exactly what I needed to hear. It tells me that because the Holy Spirit has poured the love of God, which never fails, into my heart, I can be sure that if I hope in Him I will not be disappointed. I find that He is the only thing we can ever be totally sure of. Anything else could fail, or disappear, or fall out from under us. But He stands strong forever, more constant than gravity and more powerful than all the suns in the universe He created.
I saw another wonderful thing while I was just flipping through the pages of my Bible to somewhere else, and it stayed with me so well that I went back on another day to look at the whole chapter. Acts 8:26-40 tells the story of an evangelist named Philip who heard the Holy Spirit tell him to stop a certain chariot. So he did, and he found the man inside reading a passage from Isaiah, a prophesy about Jesus. He was having trouble understanding it, so Philip explained it and preached the gospel to him, and the man was saved. He was baptized in water right then and there.
What struck me was that the Holy Spirit gave Philip those clear instructions: (v.29) "Then the Spirit said to Philip, 'Go near and overtake this chariot.'" Philip was an evangelist, so undoubtedly he was living in a state of readiness to share the gospel, having a good understanding of the necessity and urgency of the task. So when the Spirit gave this command he did not waste any time. Philip must have been really amazed at God when he saw the result of his obedience to God's command: here was this man in the perfect position to hear the gospel! God made it come together so beautifully - Philip and the chariot were at the same place at the same time, and that fellow earnestly wanted to understand what he was reading.
What this story told me was that God already knows when and where the chance will come for me to share the gospel, and when that time comes His Spirit will command me what to do. I say this for all of us. If we continue to hope in Him and strive to obey His will, of course He will show us what to do and when. So I'm going to keep praying for the chance to see people saved, having hope in God that I won't be disappointed, and trusting that He has a plan for what He's going to do with me, as He has for you and for each one of us. I'm also going to keep praying that my desire to see others saved increases. Nobody is going to stop Him from doing exactly as He has determined to do, just as nobody can stop the ocean behind a dam or pin the sky down to the earth. What's required of you and me is faith, and a willingness to trust and obey God regardless of the circumstances. He loves us unconditionally, and we should serve Him unconditionally in return.
This week has been really unusual and exciting because something has changed in my heart. On Monday I began to pray really hard that I would see someone saved this week. I prayed every day with seriousness and hope. This is because there is a new, big desire in my heart to start seeing people saved and show this life-changing love to other people. I'm praying this desire only increases. I haven't done much witnessing at all (whether or not this blog counts, I don't know) but this week more than ever I just want to do what Jesus said to do right before He went up into heaven(Matthew 28:19-20): "[19] 'Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, [20] teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.' Amen."
Christianity is by nature evangelical, because Jesus Christ is evangelical.
As it turns out, despite my hard prayer and determination, I did not see anyone saved this week. But God did show me that He heard my prayer. I can tell because some strange and beautiful things started happening, and working. Although I didn't see anyone saved this week, I will continue to pray that I will. And even though it hasn't happened yet, who knows, the things that happened this week might lead to it happening in a little while. That would be awesome. I have faith that God does answer prayer, and He also has a plan that's way above our heads. That's enough for me.
A few different really cool things happened this week. First, someone I've been praying for left a message on my phone asking out of curiosity about a Biblical allusion she had read. She had decided to ask me to see if I knew anything about a man who had sat in chains cutting himself with stones, and when I talked to her I was able to tell her about the man whose many demons Jesus cast into a herd of swine, which immediately ran off the edge of a cliff. What I loved was that she used the word "curious" when she explained why she wanted to know. I had been praying for exactly that, that she would be curious about Jesus, and I continue to pray it. That was amazing. I'm still happy whenever I think about it.
That same day I felt a pull to call another friend of mine to ask if she would like to come to my Youth Group with me. I am not accustomed to calling people very often, especially if they are not expecting it. When I called it turned out she couldn't go, but she said she would like to come with me Sunday! I was astounded. So she went with me today, and we had fun. I love the things God does. I just want to be part of what He is doing.
The Bible encourages me to keep hoping in God, even though I didn't get to see anybody saved this week. At Bible study one morning this week, my friend Arun (ah-ROON) arrived wanting to share Romans 5:5. "Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us."
I got so excited when I read this because it was exactly what I needed to hear. It tells me that because the Holy Spirit has poured the love of God, which never fails, into my heart, I can be sure that if I hope in Him I will not be disappointed. I find that He is the only thing we can ever be totally sure of. Anything else could fail, or disappear, or fall out from under us. But He stands strong forever, more constant than gravity and more powerful than all the suns in the universe He created.
I saw another wonderful thing while I was just flipping through the pages of my Bible to somewhere else, and it stayed with me so well that I went back on another day to look at the whole chapter. Acts 8:26-40 tells the story of an evangelist named Philip who heard the Holy Spirit tell him to stop a certain chariot. So he did, and he found the man inside reading a passage from Isaiah, a prophesy about Jesus. He was having trouble understanding it, so Philip explained it and preached the gospel to him, and the man was saved. He was baptized in water right then and there.
What struck me was that the Holy Spirit gave Philip those clear instructions: (v.29) "Then the Spirit said to Philip, 'Go near and overtake this chariot.'" Philip was an evangelist, so undoubtedly he was living in a state of readiness to share the gospel, having a good understanding of the necessity and urgency of the task. So when the Spirit gave this command he did not waste any time. Philip must have been really amazed at God when he saw the result of his obedience to God's command: here was this man in the perfect position to hear the gospel! God made it come together so beautifully - Philip and the chariot were at the same place at the same time, and that fellow earnestly wanted to understand what he was reading.
What this story told me was that God already knows when and where the chance will come for me to share the gospel, and when that time comes His Spirit will command me what to do. I say this for all of us. If we continue to hope in Him and strive to obey His will, of course He will show us what to do and when. So I'm going to keep praying for the chance to see people saved, having hope in God that I won't be disappointed, and trusting that He has a plan for what He's going to do with me, as He has for you and for each one of us. I'm also going to keep praying that my desire to see others saved increases. Nobody is going to stop Him from doing exactly as He has determined to do, just as nobody can stop the ocean behind a dam or pin the sky down to the earth. What's required of you and me is faith, and a willingness to trust and obey God regardless of the circumstances. He loves us unconditionally, and we should serve Him unconditionally in return.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Blessings and Answered Prayers
THIS WEEK a series of good things happened that reminded me of God's goodness and His presence in my life, and I want to share several stories with you. They're all very different and probably small, but they are all really good and I had a fun time being there when they happened.
On Monday I was still in Alabama. A few hours before I was to tour Auburn University I visited a stained glass studio called GlassDesigns in Opelika. I love stained glass and I am considering it as a career, so it was exciting to visit Alice Chamblee and her son Douglas Chamblee, who make and replace stained glass windows of many shapes and sizes. But it was what happened after the visit that was very amazing.
When my mom tried to start the car to leave the studio, the engine would not start. The battery was quite dead. Five hours away from home and with a busy day of driving ahead, we had a big problem. But thanks to God we had gotten stuck in what was probably the most convenient place in Alabama to have a dead car battery. We were still in the driveway next to the studio, so Douglas Chamblee came to help us. When he tried to give our car a jump he discovered that the terminals were corroded. That meant he couldn't give the car a jump until they were cleaned off. So he went right across the street to the Advanced Auto Repair Store to get some terminal cleaner (he said he needed some anyway, but come on - that was too nice). While he was gone my mom recalled how her uncle used to say you could clean the corrosion with Coke.
We watched Mr. Chamblee's white truck move from the auto repair store to the gas station next to it. A few minutes later he returned with Coke to clean the terminals! The store was out of terminal cleaner. Amazingly, the soda worked. He gave the car a jump and it was ready to go. He wouldn't accept any money we tried to give him. It was refreshing to see that act of Christlikeness, of a person going out of his way to help someone unselfishly. I am reminded of the good Samaritan who spent his time and money to rescue someone who had been robbed and beaten on the street, after two others had just passed him by (Luke 10:30-37). That's how Jesus told us to be. If you're reading this, Mr. Chamblee, thank you again. We won't forget that.
Do you see what God did there? He made it so that when the battery died we were in the driveway of a very kind pair of people who own jumper cables, across the street from an auto repair store and a gas station with Coke. We could have been in the middle of nowhere, or somewhere dangerous. He answered my prayer as He had done so often before and as He continues to do. He also allowe my family and me to have a safe trip back to Jacksonville.
On Thursday I had a big presentation in history class about the American Home Front during World War Two. My partner, Cat White, and I were supposed to give this presentation for about an hour, and I was scared. I had never given a presentation like that before. So I kept praying that God would expand our words so that we could fill our time and have enough to say. And guess what? Our presentation was still going on when the bell rang for the end of class. We had spoken for over 45 minutes (taking turns) and were in the middle of playing a propaganda video that the class was really enjoying (they asked to see the end of it the next day). I thanked God and entered the next class celebrating with a big "YEAH!" that made my TOK instructor wonder why I was so excited.
Do you see how God helped us here? I didn't think I knew enough to speak about the Home Front for a long time. I had been praying and studying, a combination which I believe to be the best approach to difficult schoolwork. And now I can celebrate how God helped me and Cat by giving us enough to say and helping us not to be too nervous.
On Friday at the end of the school day I realized I was supposed to have turned in my NAHS dues to a Mrs. Heggood before the start of school. I was deeply troubled because I thought my dues were surely late and that I would probably be dismissed from the NAHS. My mom wrote a check for the dues when I got to the car, and I went back into the school to see if I could still pay.
I was praying that Mrs. Heggood would still be there and that it might not be too late. I thought about how small my problem was, since it was not life-threatening to me nor to anyone else. Still I asked God for His help, and immediately I felt a little better. I wasn't so scared anymore. Immediately when I entered the school building, who did I see? None other than Mrs. Heggodd herself. She did not have what she needed to collect the check at that time but she said to come give it to her on Monday morning. And so I will.
Do you see what God did here? He calmed my heart and made everything work out, as He has done so maany times. I can still turn in my dues on Monday. Now, it wouldn't have killed me or ruined my life if I were too late. I could survive without the NAHS. But God made this into an opportunity for me to see how He can answer prayers.
There are so many instances of God's guiding and blessing me and my family that I could tell you about. I saw a butterfly who had emerged from a cacoon that I had seen it make. There was a baby shower at my house for my aunt Tresha and her future baby Marco, due in mid-December. The cool October air blows on our faces every day lately, and there is a lovely tray of roasted pumkin seeds and rock salt in the kitchen at my house. Today I heard the story of a preacher from another country who has a rare, often fatal disease that causes paralysis. Pastor Russ interviewed him today at church, and although he was weak and his movements were not easy, he was moving and speaking. He has steadily started moving more and getting stronger. He has a big family that gets to have him around, where they could easily have lost him. God answered their prayers.
But what about the seemingly unanswered prayers? What about calamities, tragedies, and horrors? What about the times when it doesn't turn out like we prayed it would? On Sunday night, one week ago, my sister Isabelle was feeling really sick and I prayed for her to get better by morning. In the morning, she was not better. But now she is. That morning, when she was still sick, I read John 11 where Jesus allows Lazarus to be sick, even to die, before He comes so that He could demonstrate the greatness of God. Sometimes frustrations have to happen, whether to test our faith or to increase it, or both.
Indeed Jesus said (John 14:14) "If you ask anything in My name, I will do it." But we must keep in mind that God knows what we don't know. He fills our lives with joy and simultaneously allows unpleasant things to happen to teach us to hang on to Him for dear life. He "sees over the fence," in the words of Laura Toney, my friend's mom. So let's thank Him for the amazing miracles He puts in our lives, and rest in the shelter He provides during the harder parts. He does answer prayer, as I have personally seen many times. Sometimes He will answer in ways we don't expect, like with a bottle of Coke and a kind stranger.
Philippians 4:6-7 "[6]Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; [7] and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
On Monday I was still in Alabama. A few hours before I was to tour Auburn University I visited a stained glass studio called GlassDesigns in Opelika. I love stained glass and I am considering it as a career, so it was exciting to visit Alice Chamblee and her son Douglas Chamblee, who make and replace stained glass windows of many shapes and sizes. But it was what happened after the visit that was very amazing.
When my mom tried to start the car to leave the studio, the engine would not start. The battery was quite dead. Five hours away from home and with a busy day of driving ahead, we had a big problem. But thanks to God we had gotten stuck in what was probably the most convenient place in Alabama to have a dead car battery. We were still in the driveway next to the studio, so Douglas Chamblee came to help us. When he tried to give our car a jump he discovered that the terminals were corroded. That meant he couldn't give the car a jump until they were cleaned off. So he went right across the street to the Advanced Auto Repair Store to get some terminal cleaner (he said he needed some anyway, but come on - that was too nice). While he was gone my mom recalled how her uncle used to say you could clean the corrosion with Coke.
We watched Mr. Chamblee's white truck move from the auto repair store to the gas station next to it. A few minutes later he returned with Coke to clean the terminals! The store was out of terminal cleaner. Amazingly, the soda worked. He gave the car a jump and it was ready to go. He wouldn't accept any money we tried to give him. It was refreshing to see that act of Christlikeness, of a person going out of his way to help someone unselfishly. I am reminded of the good Samaritan who spent his time and money to rescue someone who had been robbed and beaten on the street, after two others had just passed him by (Luke 10:30-37). That's how Jesus told us to be. If you're reading this, Mr. Chamblee, thank you again. We won't forget that.
Do you see what God did there? He made it so that when the battery died we were in the driveway of a very kind pair of people who own jumper cables, across the street from an auto repair store and a gas station with Coke. We could have been in the middle of nowhere, or somewhere dangerous. He answered my prayer as He had done so often before and as He continues to do. He also allowe my family and me to have a safe trip back to Jacksonville.
On Thursday I had a big presentation in history class about the American Home Front during World War Two. My partner, Cat White, and I were supposed to give this presentation for about an hour, and I was scared. I had never given a presentation like that before. So I kept praying that God would expand our words so that we could fill our time and have enough to say. And guess what? Our presentation was still going on when the bell rang for the end of class. We had spoken for over 45 minutes (taking turns) and were in the middle of playing a propaganda video that the class was really enjoying (they asked to see the end of it the next day). I thanked God and entered the next class celebrating with a big "YEAH!" that made my TOK instructor wonder why I was so excited.
Do you see how God helped us here? I didn't think I knew enough to speak about the Home Front for a long time. I had been praying and studying, a combination which I believe to be the best approach to difficult schoolwork. And now I can celebrate how God helped me and Cat by giving us enough to say and helping us not to be too nervous.
On Friday at the end of the school day I realized I was supposed to have turned in my NAHS dues to a Mrs. Heggood before the start of school. I was deeply troubled because I thought my dues were surely late and that I would probably be dismissed from the NAHS. My mom wrote a check for the dues when I got to the car, and I went back into the school to see if I could still pay.
I was praying that Mrs. Heggood would still be there and that it might not be too late. I thought about how small my problem was, since it was not life-threatening to me nor to anyone else. Still I asked God for His help, and immediately I felt a little better. I wasn't so scared anymore. Immediately when I entered the school building, who did I see? None other than Mrs. Heggodd herself. She did not have what she needed to collect the check at that time but she said to come give it to her on Monday morning. And so I will.
Do you see what God did here? He calmed my heart and made everything work out, as He has done so maany times. I can still turn in my dues on Monday. Now, it wouldn't have killed me or ruined my life if I were too late. I could survive without the NAHS. But God made this into an opportunity for me to see how He can answer prayers.
There are so many instances of God's guiding and blessing me and my family that I could tell you about. I saw a butterfly who had emerged from a cacoon that I had seen it make. There was a baby shower at my house for my aunt Tresha and her future baby Marco, due in mid-December. The cool October air blows on our faces every day lately, and there is a lovely tray of roasted pumkin seeds and rock salt in the kitchen at my house. Today I heard the story of a preacher from another country who has a rare, often fatal disease that causes paralysis. Pastor Russ interviewed him today at church, and although he was weak and his movements were not easy, he was moving and speaking. He has steadily started moving more and getting stronger. He has a big family that gets to have him around, where they could easily have lost him. God answered their prayers.
But what about the seemingly unanswered prayers? What about calamities, tragedies, and horrors? What about the times when it doesn't turn out like we prayed it would? On Sunday night, one week ago, my sister Isabelle was feeling really sick and I prayed for her to get better by morning. In the morning, she was not better. But now she is. That morning, when she was still sick, I read John 11 where Jesus allows Lazarus to be sick, even to die, before He comes so that He could demonstrate the greatness of God. Sometimes frustrations have to happen, whether to test our faith or to increase it, or both.
Indeed Jesus said (John 14:14) "If you ask anything in My name, I will do it." But we must keep in mind that God knows what we don't know. He fills our lives with joy and simultaneously allows unpleasant things to happen to teach us to hang on to Him for dear life. He "sees over the fence," in the words of Laura Toney, my friend's mom. So let's thank Him for the amazing miracles He puts in our lives, and rest in the shelter He provides during the harder parts. He does answer prayer, as I have personally seen many times. Sometimes He will answer in ways we don't expect, like with a bottle of Coke and a kind stranger.
Philippians 4:6-7 "[6]Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; [7] and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
Sunday, October 24, 2010
True Bread
THIS WEEK I’m writing to you from Opelika, Alabama, a little town next door to Auburn. I plan to visit Auburn University tomorrow. A few hours ago I visited a church associated with the college, and after the service a woman named Mary, the Activities Coordinator for the Auburn Christian Students Center, greeted me. When she learned that I had come to visit the college she offered to show me and my parents around the Student Center. We accepted her offer and when we visited the Student Center building she told us all about the interesting student group. As it turns out – and you know I don’t believe in coincidences – Mary doesn’t usually come to the service I attended today, and I am grateful that I got to meet her and to get information about that interesting group.
On the long car ride to Alabama I spent part of the time working on my art journal. I’m planning a revised version of da Vinci’s “The Last Supper,” and my attention has been drawn to that beautiful scene. It is the Passover meal that Jesus eats with His twelve disciples in the Upper Room, during which He declares that one of them – one of His closest companions and dearest followers, the twelve – would betray Him. He knew it had to happen because the Scriptures predicted He would be betrayed, and He was not surprised. And since He knows everything, He knew that it was Judas Iscariot who would betray Him. So while the disciples were filled with sorrow and surprise, He did not raise His voice or declare the name of the man responsible. He said that it was the man who dipped with Him, the man whose hand was on the table with Him, the man to whom He would give bread after He had dipped it, but He did not name Judas. I think it is because He did not plan to cause a scene or to incite the other eleven to kill him. He knew Judas had it coming to him, and He did not want anybody to defend Him because He knew this had to happen as part of His suffering and death for mankind.
But what did He do instead? He passed bread and wine around the table, calling it His body and His blood which are given for the sin of the world. He did this before Judas left, not after. Luke 22:19 “And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is My body which is given for you; do this is remembrance of Me.’” Today we repeat this scene in Communion with tiny crackers and cups of wine or grape juice, in remembrance of Jesus.
Think about a time when you have been hungry. There is nothing for satisfying to the hungry stomach than for the mouth to be full of bread. When I have a piece of bread in my hand, and when I stop and notice it before I have eaten it, I have the grateful feeling that everything is alright, that God has given me what I need, because there are in fact people who don’t have any bread.
In John 6 Jesus explains to the people that He is the bread from heaven which gives eternal life to anyone who eats it. He had very recently turned only a few loaves of bread into way more than enough to feed about 5,000 people, so they were interested in what He was saying about bread. V. 32-33 “[32] Then Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. [33] For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” The people tended to think that the ‘bread from heaven’ was the manna that gathered like dew on the grass in the time when the Moses and the Jews wandered in the wilderness for forty years. This event was not only to feed the people but to foreshadow how God would give Jesus as ‘bread’ from heaven to nourish His people. Jesus was explaining that He is the “true bread.”
The Jews started to complain because they did not approve of what He was saying. V. 51 “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.” They did not understand that He was not speaking literally. Because they were not spiritually-minded and because they did not believe in Him, their eyes were closed so that they did not understand. V. 52 “The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, ‘How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?’” What He meant was that if we believe in Him and abide in Him we shall have eternal life because, as bread is wonderful nourishment for the body, He would be eternal nourishment for our souls. He will fill us so that we do not hunger for something else. If we seek him and find the nourishment we need in Him rather than trying to earn peace, joy, or salvation by our own efforts, we will find that we are filled with peace, joy and salvation. Our hearts have longing needs that are like bottomless pits. Only something endless can permanently fill an endless space. Only He can satisfy our needs.
V. 27 “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.”
This amazes me. It speaks to me. How great God is, that He has come to assure us that He will never abandon us and that He is enough for us. The most important thing in my life, the one thing I simply could not live without, is the one thing I cannot lose. I believe this is the happiest way to live. I see myself and others being envious because somebody has what we do not.
This one has an amazing house. How about the mansion Jesus promised is surely waiting for each one of us in God’s kingdom? That one has the love of a faithful husband or wife. What about a life with God, an unending embrace of perfect true love? This one has a mouth full of food and a glass full of water. How about the living bread which came down from heaven? All of these things are good to have and perfectly fine to want. It’s definitely not wrong to want things. But when the desire of the heart is for that which cannot be lost, that which truly satisfies and never fails, we find our needs met completely.
Isaiah 55:2, “Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance.”
On the long car ride to Alabama I spent part of the time working on my art journal. I’m planning a revised version of da Vinci’s “The Last Supper,” and my attention has been drawn to that beautiful scene. It is the Passover meal that Jesus eats with His twelve disciples in the Upper Room, during which He declares that one of them – one of His closest companions and dearest followers, the twelve – would betray Him. He knew it had to happen because the Scriptures predicted He would be betrayed, and He was not surprised. And since He knows everything, He knew that it was Judas Iscariot who would betray Him. So while the disciples were filled with sorrow and surprise, He did not raise His voice or declare the name of the man responsible. He said that it was the man who dipped with Him, the man whose hand was on the table with Him, the man to whom He would give bread after He had dipped it, but He did not name Judas. I think it is because He did not plan to cause a scene or to incite the other eleven to kill him. He knew Judas had it coming to him, and He did not want anybody to defend Him because He knew this had to happen as part of His suffering and death for mankind.
But what did He do instead? He passed bread and wine around the table, calling it His body and His blood which are given for the sin of the world. He did this before Judas left, not after. Luke 22:19 “And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is My body which is given for you; do this is remembrance of Me.’” Today we repeat this scene in Communion with tiny crackers and cups of wine or grape juice, in remembrance of Jesus.
Think about a time when you have been hungry. There is nothing for satisfying to the hungry stomach than for the mouth to be full of bread. When I have a piece of bread in my hand, and when I stop and notice it before I have eaten it, I have the grateful feeling that everything is alright, that God has given me what I need, because there are in fact people who don’t have any bread.
In John 6 Jesus explains to the people that He is the bread from heaven which gives eternal life to anyone who eats it. He had very recently turned only a few loaves of bread into way more than enough to feed about 5,000 people, so they were interested in what He was saying about bread. V. 32-33 “[32] Then Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. [33] For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” The people tended to think that the ‘bread from heaven’ was the manna that gathered like dew on the grass in the time when the Moses and the Jews wandered in the wilderness for forty years. This event was not only to feed the people but to foreshadow how God would give Jesus as ‘bread’ from heaven to nourish His people. Jesus was explaining that He is the “true bread.”
The Jews started to complain because they did not approve of what He was saying. V. 51 “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.” They did not understand that He was not speaking literally. Because they were not spiritually-minded and because they did not believe in Him, their eyes were closed so that they did not understand. V. 52 “The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, ‘How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?’” What He meant was that if we believe in Him and abide in Him we shall have eternal life because, as bread is wonderful nourishment for the body, He would be eternal nourishment for our souls. He will fill us so that we do not hunger for something else. If we seek him and find the nourishment we need in Him rather than trying to earn peace, joy, or salvation by our own efforts, we will find that we are filled with peace, joy and salvation. Our hearts have longing needs that are like bottomless pits. Only something endless can permanently fill an endless space. Only He can satisfy our needs.
V. 27 “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.”
This amazes me. It speaks to me. How great God is, that He has come to assure us that He will never abandon us and that He is enough for us. The most important thing in my life, the one thing I simply could not live without, is the one thing I cannot lose. I believe this is the happiest way to live. I see myself and others being envious because somebody has what we do not.
This one has an amazing house. How about the mansion Jesus promised is surely waiting for each one of us in God’s kingdom? That one has the love of a faithful husband or wife. What about a life with God, an unending embrace of perfect true love? This one has a mouth full of food and a glass full of water. How about the living bread which came down from heaven? All of these things are good to have and perfectly fine to want. It’s definitely not wrong to want things. But when the desire of the heart is for that which cannot be lost, that which truly satisfies and never fails, we find our needs met completely.
Isaiah 55:2, “Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance.”
Sunday, October 17, 2010
All Kinds of Amazing
THIS WEEK a miracle happened that you probably heard about on the news. In Chile a group of 33 miners were rescued from a mine after having been trapped for about 69 days. For over two months they were locked in a very hot, very dark place deep beneath the surface of the earth, with only a small opening to the outside world through which they received important supplies. One by one they were finally brought up in a "caspule" contraption, all alive. Praise God for that miracle.
There are a lot of things I could say about God. He's amazing in many ways. Like how He sees and knows everything at once, and how He loves us consistently and without fail, like nobody else can love us. How He refuses to share a place in our hearts with anything else, and demands that we worship Him sincerely and exclusively. How He is willing to bear our pain and sin on our behalf, at His ouwn expense. How He takes our burdens upon Himself and through His Holy Spirit allows us to exchange anger for healing, sorrow for joy, filth for redemption, weakness for strength. Somehow writing about it helps me learn more about what I'm writing about.
This week I read the last chapter of Luke (chapter 24) which gives the details of Christ's Resurrection. The same day I read Isaiah 53, which is an amazing prophecy about Christ's life, death, and victory. Looking at chapters 23 and 24 of Luke next to Isaiah 53, I am again reminded of God's greatness.
I love the Old Testament prophecies about Christ because they were written about Him hundreds of years before He was in the world, and they could not describe anyone else. I'm going to compare some details of Isaiah 53 with what the New Testament says about Jesus.
Isaiah 53:3 "He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him." There are a lot of examples of Jesus being rejected and afflicted. Think about when He was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. Luke 22:44 "And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground." I've read that people's sweat starts to have blood in it when they are under extreme stress. That was what was happening to Jesus.
His pain was enormous, more than we can imagine. More than we will ever have to imagine, thanks to God.
Isaiah 53:7 "He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth." Now look at Luke 23:8-10 "[8] Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad; for he had desired for a long time to see Him, because he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him. [9] Then He questioned Him with many words, but He answered him nothing. [10] And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused Him." Jesus did not say a single word in His defense, because He knew that this was how it had to be for our good. It was why He had been born. He submitted to the will of God completely. He went through with the pain not because He couldn't escape from it but because He knew we needed Him to and because it was what would glorify God.
Isaiah 53:9 "And they made His grave with the wicked - but with the rich at His death, because He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth." I keep noticing great things about this chapter. I just recently noticed how this detail compares to Jesus' death and burial. Luke 23:33 "And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left." Now look at Luke 23:53 "Then he [Joseph] took it [Jesus' body] down, wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a tomb that was hewn out of the rock, where no one had ever lain before." and v. 56 "Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils. And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment." He was crucified like a criminal, in the place of criminals. We are people covered in crimes, and He, being completely without sin, suffers in our place. That is a great God. He was killed like a sinner and buried like a king, just like Isaiah predicts.
Isaiah 53:12 "Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the strong, because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." This means that because He laid down His own life to save us sinners He shall be glorifed. Jesus spoke to His disciples about the gospel in Luke 24:46-47, "[46] Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, [47] and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem." Everything the prophets ever said about Him was true, and everything Jesus ever said is true. God wants us to live by faith, so He makes sure we have reasons to believe.
Think about His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, and how Judas betrayed Him, and how His disciples fled during His arrest. Think about how the Pharisees hated Him, how they mocked Him on the cross, and even how people run from Him today. Jesus suffered in every way, to make a bridge between little us and a great God we can never deserve. And look at Him now: He is glorified for who He is, seated with the Father in heaven. I hope and pray that one day I can see Him smile and say I've served Him well. He is all kinds of amazing, all the time. I pray we can all live with the Lord's Table in our hearts, constantly remembering Him and glorifying Him in our lives as the Holy Spirit lives in us and through us.
There are a lot of things I could say about God. He's amazing in many ways. Like how He sees and knows everything at once, and how He loves us consistently and without fail, like nobody else can love us. How He refuses to share a place in our hearts with anything else, and demands that we worship Him sincerely and exclusively. How He is willing to bear our pain and sin on our behalf, at His ouwn expense. How He takes our burdens upon Himself and through His Holy Spirit allows us to exchange anger for healing, sorrow for joy, filth for redemption, weakness for strength. Somehow writing about it helps me learn more about what I'm writing about.
This week I read the last chapter of Luke (chapter 24) which gives the details of Christ's Resurrection. The same day I read Isaiah 53, which is an amazing prophecy about Christ's life, death, and victory. Looking at chapters 23 and 24 of Luke next to Isaiah 53, I am again reminded of God's greatness.
I love the Old Testament prophecies about Christ because they were written about Him hundreds of years before He was in the world, and they could not describe anyone else. I'm going to compare some details of Isaiah 53 with what the New Testament says about Jesus.
Isaiah 53:3 "He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him." There are a lot of examples of Jesus being rejected and afflicted. Think about when He was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. Luke 22:44 "And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground." I've read that people's sweat starts to have blood in it when they are under extreme stress. That was what was happening to Jesus.
His pain was enormous, more than we can imagine. More than we will ever have to imagine, thanks to God.
Isaiah 53:7 "He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth." Now look at Luke 23:8-10 "[8] Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad; for he had desired for a long time to see Him, because he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him. [9] Then He questioned Him with many words, but He answered him nothing. [10] And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused Him." Jesus did not say a single word in His defense, because He knew that this was how it had to be for our good. It was why He had been born. He submitted to the will of God completely. He went through with the pain not because He couldn't escape from it but because He knew we needed Him to and because it was what would glorify God.
Isaiah 53:9 "And they made His grave with the wicked - but with the rich at His death, because He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth." I keep noticing great things about this chapter. I just recently noticed how this detail compares to Jesus' death and burial. Luke 23:33 "And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left." Now look at Luke 23:53 "Then he [Joseph] took it [Jesus' body] down, wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a tomb that was hewn out of the rock, where no one had ever lain before." and v. 56 "Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils. And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment." He was crucified like a criminal, in the place of criminals. We are people covered in crimes, and He, being completely without sin, suffers in our place. That is a great God. He was killed like a sinner and buried like a king, just like Isaiah predicts.
Isaiah 53:12 "Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the strong, because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." This means that because He laid down His own life to save us sinners He shall be glorifed. Jesus spoke to His disciples about the gospel in Luke 24:46-47, "[46] Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, [47] and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem." Everything the prophets ever said about Him was true, and everything Jesus ever said is true. God wants us to live by faith, so He makes sure we have reasons to believe.
Think about His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, and how Judas betrayed Him, and how His disciples fled during His arrest. Think about how the Pharisees hated Him, how they mocked Him on the cross, and even how people run from Him today. Jesus suffered in every way, to make a bridge between little us and a great God we can never deserve. And look at Him now: He is glorified for who He is, seated with the Father in heaven. I hope and pray that one day I can see Him smile and say I've served Him well. He is all kinds of amazing, all the time. I pray we can all live with the Lord's Table in our hearts, constantly remembering Him and glorifying Him in our lives as the Holy Spirit lives in us and through us.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
About Psalm 40
THIS WEEK has been a good week. I'm enjoying the cool fall weather and the orange butterflies around my house. The butterflies love the big passion flower vine which climbs on the side of the house. There are fantastic purple passion flowers, and little black-and-red caterpillars that eat lacy holes into the green leaves. The butterflies and the flowers remind me of God. Why else would they be so beautiful other than to make us happy?
God makes me very happy. Yesterday I had a very happy moment with Him when I was looking at Psalms 38-40. I was happier than I've been in a while. That page caught my eye while I was flipping to an entirely different place in the Bible - I was headed for Luke, where I went a little later instead - and I felt what can only be described as thirstiness to read it.
I read Psalm 38. The speaker laments because he is so full of sin and so threatened by his enemies that his entire body seems to be falling apart. He suffers in every way. He calls out to God to help him and not to forsake him. So I kept reading, to see when God comes to the rescue. I love when the saddest, most desperate Psalms are turned around when God answers the prayer.
Then I read Psalm 39. The speaker still waits for God, and he confesses his own monumental weakness. He recognizes that a man's life is very short, and he continues to beg for deliverance and mercy. God's wrath is a very fearsome thing, and His mercy is mindblowing. I continued to read.
Finally, I read Psalm 40. God came to the rescue, like He always does. This one is mostly about the fact that God cares enough to listen and to guard those who trust in Him. The speaker has faith that He will deliever him from his enemies and help him.
Now, I don't know how closely together these Psalms were written, or whether they were written in this order. But they were written by the same man, about the same life, and it brings me joy to see over and over how God sees our needs and provides for us. He pours out mercy like a waterfall when we don't deserve a drop, and that's called grace. Psalm 40 was my favorite out of the three because it says a lot about what God is like.
Verses 1 and 2: "[1] I waited patiently for the Lord, and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. [2] He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps." I can think of many times when I felt like I was in a pit, or stuck in some clay. Can't you? A time when we just can't seem to get out of a horrible situation or break a bad habit. If you read the Psalms you see that this man, David, was often begging for mercy and demonstrating a desperate desire for holiness. Just as often he was celebrating God's faithfulness and glory. God heard this man, and He hears us all.
Yesterday I also read Luke 18 (just a while after I red Psalm 40, actually) where Jesus tells a parable about a woman who begged an unjust judge to help her to get justice from her enemy. Because she was persistent he helped her. Jesus' point was that if even an unjust person responds to persistent pleading, then God, who loves us, will certainly answer us quickly. He won't leave us hanging. I love the fact that at the end of this same chapter He gives sight to a blind man who called on Him persistently despite the discouragement of the crowd.
Psalm 40 also discusses how to please God. This part is really great. Verses 6-8: "[6] Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; my ears you have opened. Burnt sacrifice and sin offering You did not require. [7] Then I said, 'Behold, I come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me. [8] I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart."
We could give Him all the presents in the world and it would not show whether or not we love Him. He has the whole universe anyway. What He wants is our love, honor and obedience. It's like marriage. He wants us to be willing to conform our will to His and to trust in Him in all circumstances.
In Mark 12 Jesus says that the most important commandment is that which tells us to love God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, and with all our strength. He says the second most important is that we love our neighbors as ourselves. Verse 32 - 34: "[32] So the scribe said to Him, 'Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He. [33] And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. [34] ow when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, 'You are not far from the kingdom of God.' But after that no one dared question Him."
Psalm 40 ends with verses 16 and 17: "[16] Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; Let such as love Your salvation say continually, 'The Lord be magnified!' [17] But I am poor and needy; Yet the Lord thinks upon me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God."
Do you know how big the universe is? It's too big to even understand. It has more stars than we can count. It's full of things exploding and being born and spinning and stretching outside the range of our tiny vision. And God holds it all in His hands. He also has the number of our hairs counted. He carved our fingerprints into our hands so that we are all unique. He holds the whole universe. Yet when you whisper a prayer into the empty air in a room with closed doors, even while there are things exploding in the iniverse and oceans crashing all over the world and cars racing over the land, He hears you. That is a glorious God. That's the God we worship.
God makes me very happy. Yesterday I had a very happy moment with Him when I was looking at Psalms 38-40. I was happier than I've been in a while. That page caught my eye while I was flipping to an entirely different place in the Bible - I was headed for Luke, where I went a little later instead - and I felt what can only be described as thirstiness to read it.
I read Psalm 38. The speaker laments because he is so full of sin and so threatened by his enemies that his entire body seems to be falling apart. He suffers in every way. He calls out to God to help him and not to forsake him. So I kept reading, to see when God comes to the rescue. I love when the saddest, most desperate Psalms are turned around when God answers the prayer.
Then I read Psalm 39. The speaker still waits for God, and he confesses his own monumental weakness. He recognizes that a man's life is very short, and he continues to beg for deliverance and mercy. God's wrath is a very fearsome thing, and His mercy is mindblowing. I continued to read.
Finally, I read Psalm 40. God came to the rescue, like He always does. This one is mostly about the fact that God cares enough to listen and to guard those who trust in Him. The speaker has faith that He will deliever him from his enemies and help him.
Now, I don't know how closely together these Psalms were written, or whether they were written in this order. But they were written by the same man, about the same life, and it brings me joy to see over and over how God sees our needs and provides for us. He pours out mercy like a waterfall when we don't deserve a drop, and that's called grace. Psalm 40 was my favorite out of the three because it says a lot about what God is like.
Verses 1 and 2: "[1] I waited patiently for the Lord, and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. [2] He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps." I can think of many times when I felt like I was in a pit, or stuck in some clay. Can't you? A time when we just can't seem to get out of a horrible situation or break a bad habit. If you read the Psalms you see that this man, David, was often begging for mercy and demonstrating a desperate desire for holiness. Just as often he was celebrating God's faithfulness and glory. God heard this man, and He hears us all.
Yesterday I also read Luke 18 (just a while after I red Psalm 40, actually) where Jesus tells a parable about a woman who begged an unjust judge to help her to get justice from her enemy. Because she was persistent he helped her. Jesus' point was that if even an unjust person responds to persistent pleading, then God, who loves us, will certainly answer us quickly. He won't leave us hanging. I love the fact that at the end of this same chapter He gives sight to a blind man who called on Him persistently despite the discouragement of the crowd.
Psalm 40 also discusses how to please God. This part is really great. Verses 6-8: "[6] Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; my ears you have opened. Burnt sacrifice and sin offering You did not require. [7] Then I said, 'Behold, I come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me. [8] I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart."
We could give Him all the presents in the world and it would not show whether or not we love Him. He has the whole universe anyway. What He wants is our love, honor and obedience. It's like marriage. He wants us to be willing to conform our will to His and to trust in Him in all circumstances.
In Mark 12 Jesus says that the most important commandment is that which tells us to love God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, and with all our strength. He says the second most important is that we love our neighbors as ourselves. Verse 32 - 34: "[32] So the scribe said to Him, 'Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He. [33] And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. [34] ow when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, 'You are not far from the kingdom of God.' But after that no one dared question Him."
Psalm 40 ends with verses 16 and 17: "[16] Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; Let such as love Your salvation say continually, 'The Lord be magnified!' [17] But I am poor and needy; Yet the Lord thinks upon me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God."
Do you know how big the universe is? It's too big to even understand. It has more stars than we can count. It's full of things exploding and being born and spinning and stretching outside the range of our tiny vision. And God holds it all in His hands. He also has the number of our hairs counted. He carved our fingerprints into our hands so that we are all unique. He holds the whole universe. Yet when you whisper a prayer into the empty air in a room with closed doors, even while there are things exploding in the iniverse and oceans crashing all over the world and cars racing over the land, He hears you. That is a glorious God. That's the God we worship.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Maintaining our Relationship with God
THIS WEEK on Wednesday I read John 15 again, the chapter in which Jesus describes Himself as the True Vine on which all branches depend for life, and in which He commands us to love one another and promises that His Holy Spirit will bear witness of Him. He also tells us about the relationship we could have with God.
Pastor Ryan used John 15 that night in his sermon. It really gets my attention when God teaches me out of the same place in His word twice in a day or a week, because I don't believe in coincidences. Anyway, Pastor Ryan emphasized the necessity of our maintaining our relationship with God. Real ones, not just nominal ones. Our relationship with Him is to be full of communication and growth, not complacency and inconsistent behavior.
This is what Jesus says in John 15 about a relationship with God:
v. 4 "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me."
v. 6 "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire,and they are burned."
v. 8 "By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples."
v. 15 "No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you."
I know I already blogged about John 15, but this is different. This is not about the meaning of the chapter alone. This is about maintaining the most important relationship we will ever have. Something that really spoke to me while I listened to Pastor Ryan was that we should not approach our quiet time like homework. I try to be pretty regular about my quiet time. I read one chapter of the New Testament before or during school, write in my journal and pray, read the reference in my devotional book when I get home, write in my journal and pray, and sometimes I read a chapter of the Old Testament at night.
Sometimes, especially in the morning, it is very hard to find time to just sit alone with God and listen to Him speaking to me in His word. I want to meet Him every morning and become more personally familiar with Him. But lately the best I can do is in the car on the way to school or in the courtyard surrounded by other people. It's better than nothing, but I'd rather pray privately and that is not easy to do around other people. I'm trying and praying to be better at separating myself from others for a few minutes while I do this, because I want to hear God.
I think it's good to be regular about quiet time, but I'm afraid that if I start doing it just to get it finished I'll forget the amazing things I just read when I go to do my history homework.
I'm thinking about Mary and Martha, the famous sisters whose actions tend to reflect the attitudes of many Christians.
Luke 10:38-39, "[38] Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. [39] And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word."
Mary sat and listened to Jesus. Martha was (from v. 40) "distracted with much serving." Martha got angry because Mary was not helping her serve Jesus in the kitchen, but Jesus told her that she doesn't need to be so troubled and that Mary was doing the right thing. Quiet time is the time to do exactly what Mary was doing. Sometimes we need to take a moment and just listen. Relationships absolutely cannot survive without healthy communication. We must pray as well as hear Him speaking. His words are full of wisdom, truth, healing, and promises that will be kept, like "I love you."
But what about the serving? Though Martha was wrong to put the serving before the Master, she was not wrong to want to serve. A relationship with Jesus suffers not only from a dull, inattentive quiet time life but also from an inactive, disobedient lifestlye.
It's not enough to just say we believe in Jesus and to associate with Christian people. Christianity is discipleship, not a hobby. It's Jesus as Lord, not Jesus as a buddy. This is something we all need to remember. In Luke 6:46 Jesus asks "But why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do the things which I say?" What kind of message does it send non-Christians when even those whose lives He has utterly transformed, or who claim He has changed them, do not obey Him? A bad one.
The FISH club has been praying for revival at Stanton. We pray for boldness to share Christ with our friends and for a revolution to occur on our campus. What I learned from Pastor Ryan's message on Wednesday is that we need to actually go about obeying Him, whatever it takes, and then we will actually grow in our relationship with Christ because of it. If He is our Lord, we will act like it. And if we act like He is our Lord, He is going to be so present and so real in our lives that we begin to know Him more personally and to serve Him more faithfully.
This week I invited someone to church, and although she found out she could not come she was sincerely glad that I had invited her. I am encouraged by this because a lot of the time I am nervous to ask anyone to go anywhere, What will she say? What will he think? But no - many people actually want to come.
And shouldn't we want them to come? People aren't going to make it without Jesus. The branches that are apart from Him with wither away and be burned up. Any of us would be. But instead we can be attached to this True Vine who promises that if we stay with Him we will bear much fruit, and that He will come and stay with us and never leave. We will be with Him forever.
John 14:22-23 "[22] Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, 'Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?' [23] Jesus answered and said to him, 'If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.'"
Romans 8:38-39 "[38] For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor thigns to come, [39] nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
He wants a relationship with us that will last forever. We are the bride of Christ. This is a relationship worth maintaining, a relationship worth letting it take over our very lives. And it will be worth it to know God.
Pastor Ryan used John 15 that night in his sermon. It really gets my attention when God teaches me out of the same place in His word twice in a day or a week, because I don't believe in coincidences. Anyway, Pastor Ryan emphasized the necessity of our maintaining our relationship with God. Real ones, not just nominal ones. Our relationship with Him is to be full of communication and growth, not complacency and inconsistent behavior.
This is what Jesus says in John 15 about a relationship with God:
v. 4 "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me."
v. 6 "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire,and they are burned."
v. 8 "By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples."
v. 15 "No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you."
I know I already blogged about John 15, but this is different. This is not about the meaning of the chapter alone. This is about maintaining the most important relationship we will ever have. Something that really spoke to me while I listened to Pastor Ryan was that we should not approach our quiet time like homework. I try to be pretty regular about my quiet time. I read one chapter of the New Testament before or during school, write in my journal and pray, read the reference in my devotional book when I get home, write in my journal and pray, and sometimes I read a chapter of the Old Testament at night.
Sometimes, especially in the morning, it is very hard to find time to just sit alone with God and listen to Him speaking to me in His word. I want to meet Him every morning and become more personally familiar with Him. But lately the best I can do is in the car on the way to school or in the courtyard surrounded by other people. It's better than nothing, but I'd rather pray privately and that is not easy to do around other people. I'm trying and praying to be better at separating myself from others for a few minutes while I do this, because I want to hear God.
I think it's good to be regular about quiet time, but I'm afraid that if I start doing it just to get it finished I'll forget the amazing things I just read when I go to do my history homework.
I'm thinking about Mary and Martha, the famous sisters whose actions tend to reflect the attitudes of many Christians.
Luke 10:38-39, "[38] Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. [39] And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word."
Mary sat and listened to Jesus. Martha was (from v. 40) "distracted with much serving." Martha got angry because Mary was not helping her serve Jesus in the kitchen, but Jesus told her that she doesn't need to be so troubled and that Mary was doing the right thing. Quiet time is the time to do exactly what Mary was doing. Sometimes we need to take a moment and just listen. Relationships absolutely cannot survive without healthy communication. We must pray as well as hear Him speaking. His words are full of wisdom, truth, healing, and promises that will be kept, like "I love you."
But what about the serving? Though Martha was wrong to put the serving before the Master, she was not wrong to want to serve. A relationship with Jesus suffers not only from a dull, inattentive quiet time life but also from an inactive, disobedient lifestlye.
It's not enough to just say we believe in Jesus and to associate with Christian people. Christianity is discipleship, not a hobby. It's Jesus as Lord, not Jesus as a buddy. This is something we all need to remember. In Luke 6:46 Jesus asks "But why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do the things which I say?" What kind of message does it send non-Christians when even those whose lives He has utterly transformed, or who claim He has changed them, do not obey Him? A bad one.
The FISH club has been praying for revival at Stanton. We pray for boldness to share Christ with our friends and for a revolution to occur on our campus. What I learned from Pastor Ryan's message on Wednesday is that we need to actually go about obeying Him, whatever it takes, and then we will actually grow in our relationship with Christ because of it. If He is our Lord, we will act like it. And if we act like He is our Lord, He is going to be so present and so real in our lives that we begin to know Him more personally and to serve Him more faithfully.
This week I invited someone to church, and although she found out she could not come she was sincerely glad that I had invited her. I am encouraged by this because a lot of the time I am nervous to ask anyone to go anywhere, What will she say? What will he think? But no - many people actually want to come.
And shouldn't we want them to come? People aren't going to make it without Jesus. The branches that are apart from Him with wither away and be burned up. Any of us would be. But instead we can be attached to this True Vine who promises that if we stay with Him we will bear much fruit, and that He will come and stay with us and never leave. We will be with Him forever.
John 14:22-23 "[22] Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, 'Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?' [23] Jesus answered and said to him, 'If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.'"
Romans 8:38-39 "[38] For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor thigns to come, [39] nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
He wants a relationship with us that will last forever. We are the bride of Christ. This is a relationship worth maintaining, a relationship worth letting it take over our very lives. And it will be worth it to know God.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
A Revelation
THIS WEEK my theme song was "Revelation" by Third Day. I had heard it on the radio (88.1 "The Promise") recently and it really stayed with me. The chorus goes "Give me a revelation, show me what to do. I've been trying and trying to find my way. I haven't got a clue. Show me should I stay here, or do I need to move? Give me a revelation. I've got nothing without You."
I was singing this on my way up the stairs to Youth Group on Wednesday night. I got the revelation I was asking for. Pastor Ryan discussed the necessity of shining Jesus brightly and letting Him be our identity instead of letting ourselves and our actions be shaped by the dying world around us. The part that REALLY got my attention was when he referenced Ephesians 2:10 and explained it. "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God has prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." We are God's creation, and He has a special purpose for us. But that means, as Pastor Ryan explained, that we should not be asking "What is my purpose?" but "What is Your purpose?" This hit me because I realized that I had indeed been asking all the wrong questions. I want to serve, but I had what I should be doing, not what He is doing. We should not try to fit Him into what we are already doing, but arrange our lives around what He is doing.
This is like something Pastor Russ said last week. If you have a bucket of water, a bucket of sand, a bucket of pebbles, and a bucket of big rocks and you try to put them all together, the order makes a difference. If you put the water in first, then the sand, then the pebbles, and the big rocks last, it doesn't all fit. But if you put the big rocks in first, it does! We need to let God be who He is and not try to diminish or limit Him in our minds. And we need to let Jesus be the Lord of our lives so that we are ready to go whenever He calls, instead of asking Him to fit into the things we are already doing.
It's no use trying to reach out to people out of our own abilities and cleverness. That just shows them human wisdom, not the power of God. 1 Corinthians 2:3-5 got my attention this week. "[3] I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. [4] And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, [5] that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God." Let God do the moving. We are His tools, and we depend on Him while we serve Him, like hammers or spatulas. When we share the gospel it is not to show people or even to show God what we can do. It's to show people what God does and what He has done in us.
Look at verse 3 - Paul was trembling! It wasn't any easier for him to share the gospel than it is for us today. It's often a nerve-wracking task. I admit that I practically never sit down and share the gospel with anybody. But despite the trembling, God's Spirit works and moves and great things happen when someone shares like Paul was doing.
In John 15:16 Jesus says "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you." He is the One who is powerful. Our lives are to show His power, and He will bless our lives and our efforts.
This does not mean at all that it's wrong to ask Him to help with this or that and to move in this group or that place. It only means that our relationships with God are not about us or what we are doing, but about Him and what He is doing. We need to ask Him for open doors and open hearts and to take us where He wants us, not to hide away until we want His help with something or to come help out with what we are doing. He doesn't need us, but He wants us and He wants to work in us and through us. He sees potential in us that only He can make real by moving in our lives. Our job is not to try to find things to do for Him, but to do what He wants us to do, when He says to do it.
That begs the question, what does He want us to do? The way to find that out is to seek Him in prayer and in the word, to learn from Him and about Him, and to ask Him to speak and to direct our steps. It's going to be different for each person at different times.
Something that God is really pointing out to me is the necessity of witnessing to others. Matthew 5:13-16 is probably one of the more famous passages that instruct Christians on how to live. Pastor Ryan referenced it in his sermon on Wednesday, and it was referenced in my devotional book the next day. So I really began to pay careful attention to it.
"[13] You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men." During the time when Jesus spoke, the salt that was used was a kind that became less flavorful over time. He urges us that when we season the earth we should do it with 'flavor' or with liveliness, urgency, and attentiveness to our task. The world would be very bland without Jesus living in us.
"[14] You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. [15] Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house." He is telling us that the best way to shine His light is to hold it up high where everyone can see it. Can you think of a single light source in your house that is not on a table or near the ceiling? It would be useless to keep a bright light like ours hidden where nobody can see it. He illuminates the darkness in a very dark world.
"[16]Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." That is one of those verses which, in a sense, summarizes Christian living. Jesus is our light, and we let Him shine by doing God's will, showing love and compassion, and telling others about Him so that their lives may be illuminated also. It's like using a candle to light another, and the original fire has come from the sun.
We are to be like to moon, shining the brilliant light of a greater source while the world is dark and while the source itself is not visible.
Romans 10:13-15 says "[13] For 'whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.' [14] How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? [15] And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: 'How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!'" Pastor Russ referenced verse 15 today, and it was referenced in my devotional book today also! Right now I feel that God wants me not only to reflect Christ in my ways and actions but to begin reaching out to others with the gospel.
The world needs Jesus. We couldn't live without Him, and neither can anyone else. Pastor Russ describes the way God makes him see people by explaining that he is full of love that "bubbles up" inside of him. He feels the Lord using him to reach out to a person, and just loves him so much that he simply must reach out to him. This is what it is like to have the love of God inside of us. Right now I'm praying that I, and we all, would be full of an inexplicable love for the lost, whether they are friends, enemies, or strangers. I'm praying that we will have a sense of urgency to help the people around us to feel His life-changing love. And I'm praying for God to turn my school upside-down in a revolution of gospel-sharing, and to open up doors and hearts.
I was singing this on my way up the stairs to Youth Group on Wednesday night. I got the revelation I was asking for. Pastor Ryan discussed the necessity of shining Jesus brightly and letting Him be our identity instead of letting ourselves and our actions be shaped by the dying world around us. The part that REALLY got my attention was when he referenced Ephesians 2:10 and explained it. "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God has prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." We are God's creation, and He has a special purpose for us. But that means, as Pastor Ryan explained, that we should not be asking "What is my purpose?" but "What is Your purpose?" This hit me because I realized that I had indeed been asking all the wrong questions. I want to serve, but I had what I should be doing, not what He is doing. We should not try to fit Him into what we are already doing, but arrange our lives around what He is doing.
This is like something Pastor Russ said last week. If you have a bucket of water, a bucket of sand, a bucket of pebbles, and a bucket of big rocks and you try to put them all together, the order makes a difference. If you put the water in first, then the sand, then the pebbles, and the big rocks last, it doesn't all fit. But if you put the big rocks in first, it does! We need to let God be who He is and not try to diminish or limit Him in our minds. And we need to let Jesus be the Lord of our lives so that we are ready to go whenever He calls, instead of asking Him to fit into the things we are already doing.
It's no use trying to reach out to people out of our own abilities and cleverness. That just shows them human wisdom, not the power of God. 1 Corinthians 2:3-5 got my attention this week. "[3] I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. [4] And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, [5] that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God." Let God do the moving. We are His tools, and we depend on Him while we serve Him, like hammers or spatulas. When we share the gospel it is not to show people or even to show God what we can do. It's to show people what God does and what He has done in us.
Look at verse 3 - Paul was trembling! It wasn't any easier for him to share the gospel than it is for us today. It's often a nerve-wracking task. I admit that I practically never sit down and share the gospel with anybody. But despite the trembling, God's Spirit works and moves and great things happen when someone shares like Paul was doing.
In John 15:16 Jesus says "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you." He is the One who is powerful. Our lives are to show His power, and He will bless our lives and our efforts.
This does not mean at all that it's wrong to ask Him to help with this or that and to move in this group or that place. It only means that our relationships with God are not about us or what we are doing, but about Him and what He is doing. We need to ask Him for open doors and open hearts and to take us where He wants us, not to hide away until we want His help with something or to come help out with what we are doing. He doesn't need us, but He wants us and He wants to work in us and through us. He sees potential in us that only He can make real by moving in our lives. Our job is not to try to find things to do for Him, but to do what He wants us to do, when He says to do it.
That begs the question, what does He want us to do? The way to find that out is to seek Him in prayer and in the word, to learn from Him and about Him, and to ask Him to speak and to direct our steps. It's going to be different for each person at different times.
Something that God is really pointing out to me is the necessity of witnessing to others. Matthew 5:13-16 is probably one of the more famous passages that instruct Christians on how to live. Pastor Ryan referenced it in his sermon on Wednesday, and it was referenced in my devotional book the next day. So I really began to pay careful attention to it.
"[13] You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men." During the time when Jesus spoke, the salt that was used was a kind that became less flavorful over time. He urges us that when we season the earth we should do it with 'flavor' or with liveliness, urgency, and attentiveness to our task. The world would be very bland without Jesus living in us.
"[14] You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. [15] Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house." He is telling us that the best way to shine His light is to hold it up high where everyone can see it. Can you think of a single light source in your house that is not on a table or near the ceiling? It would be useless to keep a bright light like ours hidden where nobody can see it. He illuminates the darkness in a very dark world.
"[16]Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." That is one of those verses which, in a sense, summarizes Christian living. Jesus is our light, and we let Him shine by doing God's will, showing love and compassion, and telling others about Him so that their lives may be illuminated also. It's like using a candle to light another, and the original fire has come from the sun.
We are to be like to moon, shining the brilliant light of a greater source while the world is dark and while the source itself is not visible.
Romans 10:13-15 says "[13] For 'whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.' [14] How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? [15] And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: 'How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!'" Pastor Russ referenced verse 15 today, and it was referenced in my devotional book today also! Right now I feel that God wants me not only to reflect Christ in my ways and actions but to begin reaching out to others with the gospel.
The world needs Jesus. We couldn't live without Him, and neither can anyone else. Pastor Russ describes the way God makes him see people by explaining that he is full of love that "bubbles up" inside of him. He feels the Lord using him to reach out to a person, and just loves him so much that he simply must reach out to him. This is what it is like to have the love of God inside of us. Right now I'm praying that I, and we all, would be full of an inexplicable love for the lost, whether they are friends, enemies, or strangers. I'm praying that we will have a sense of urgency to help the people around us to feel His life-changing love. And I'm praying for God to turn my school upside-down in a revolution of gospel-sharing, and to open up doors and hearts.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Comfort
THIS WEEK was different. God did something special on Wednesday, and has continued to do things, which are turning me around from how things were last week.
You remember last week's post - loss and anger. Well, on Wednesday I went into church feeling pretty much the same way as I had been feeling for the past few days. This week there was a service called "Engage the Spirit" where people come to just worship, loud and open, singing and dancing and kneeling if they need to. I was coming for two reasons: I needed a place to shout, and I needed a place to be with God and ask for healing. Engage the Spirit was amazing. I went in tearful and I left joyful. Let me explain exactly what happened in there.
God is a God who answers prayer. He listens when those in need call to Him and beg for His help. This week I read Psalm 72. Verse 12 says "For He will deliver the needy when he cries, the poor also, and him who has no helper." There is nobody in the world who lives his entire life without ever having been needy in any way. Whether we have plenty or little, we are all needy for comfort, for strength, for spiritual revival, for something at some point. I had been calling on God and asking for help, and here was His answer, telling me to keep calling on Him and assuring me that He is listening.
We can find peace in God's presence. As the congregation worshipped on Wednesday, the unhappiness I had entered with was just eclipsed. It felt good to worship God, to give Him everything that was on my heart, and to pray for big things to happen at my school. His presence filled the place, and my view was broadened. I realized that He has ideas for us which are way bigger than anything we are dealing with. We ask Him for healing and He just might answer with a call to something greater. By the time I left I was convinced that I was about to be less unhappy. I had also received a greater interest in doing things to serve God, when before I had been feeling like doing nothing at all. Now, every problem didn't fly away at once, but God gave me strength so that I am not overwhelmed, and so that I can keep moving closer to Him.
Isaiah 40:31 says "But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."
Isaiah 41:10 also, "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."
I'm in a different place now than I was on Wednesday morning because He is giving me better things to think about than the things which make me sad. I want to do things. I want to show Christ's love to other people. I want to invite people to events and talk to people. And I definitely don't want to stop right where I am and not come closer to Jesus. I'm able to enjoy the amazing weather and the brilliant sunshine.
Yesterday I opened my blinds and saw that the world was more beautiful than it usually already appears to be. There was intense sunlight on the little blue flowers. I had to go outside and walk around. Lately there have been more butterflies than usual. Little orange ones and big blackand-yellow ones. Butterflies remind me of God because they often show up when I'm praying while I'm outside or looking out of a window. Somehow they remind me that He is listening. Because of the bright sunlight I see their shadows from above and I look up. A butterfly does a loop above my head, and I see the big smooth blue sky and the dancing shiny green leaves. The air is cool and the light is bright. I feel like God is still close, and I know that He is about to do some amazing things in my life, and with my life.
Psalm 32:8-9 "[8] I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. [9] Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they will not come near you."
God has a very good plan. Our job is to seek His kingdom and His righteousness; to love, honor and obey Him. He has our whole lives figured out. Let's not fight Him.
You remember last week's post - loss and anger. Well, on Wednesday I went into church feeling pretty much the same way as I had been feeling for the past few days. This week there was a service called "Engage the Spirit" where people come to just worship, loud and open, singing and dancing and kneeling if they need to. I was coming for two reasons: I needed a place to shout, and I needed a place to be with God and ask for healing. Engage the Spirit was amazing. I went in tearful and I left joyful. Let me explain exactly what happened in there.
God is a God who answers prayer. He listens when those in need call to Him and beg for His help. This week I read Psalm 72. Verse 12 says "For He will deliver the needy when he cries, the poor also, and him who has no helper." There is nobody in the world who lives his entire life without ever having been needy in any way. Whether we have plenty or little, we are all needy for comfort, for strength, for spiritual revival, for something at some point. I had been calling on God and asking for help, and here was His answer, telling me to keep calling on Him and assuring me that He is listening.
We can find peace in God's presence. As the congregation worshipped on Wednesday, the unhappiness I had entered with was just eclipsed. It felt good to worship God, to give Him everything that was on my heart, and to pray for big things to happen at my school. His presence filled the place, and my view was broadened. I realized that He has ideas for us which are way bigger than anything we are dealing with. We ask Him for healing and He just might answer with a call to something greater. By the time I left I was convinced that I was about to be less unhappy. I had also received a greater interest in doing things to serve God, when before I had been feeling like doing nothing at all. Now, every problem didn't fly away at once, but God gave me strength so that I am not overwhelmed, and so that I can keep moving closer to Him.
Isaiah 40:31 says "But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."
Isaiah 41:10 also, "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."
I'm in a different place now than I was on Wednesday morning because He is giving me better things to think about than the things which make me sad. I want to do things. I want to show Christ's love to other people. I want to invite people to events and talk to people. And I definitely don't want to stop right where I am and not come closer to Jesus. I'm able to enjoy the amazing weather and the brilliant sunshine.
Yesterday I opened my blinds and saw that the world was more beautiful than it usually already appears to be. There was intense sunlight on the little blue flowers. I had to go outside and walk around. Lately there have been more butterflies than usual. Little orange ones and big blackand-yellow ones. Butterflies remind me of God because they often show up when I'm praying while I'm outside or looking out of a window. Somehow they remind me that He is listening. Because of the bright sunlight I see their shadows from above and I look up. A butterfly does a loop above my head, and I see the big smooth blue sky and the dancing shiny green leaves. The air is cool and the light is bright. I feel like God is still close, and I know that He is about to do some amazing things in my life, and with my life.
Psalm 32:8-9 "[8] I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. [9] Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they will not come near you."
God has a very good plan. Our job is to seek His kingdom and His righteousness; to love, honor and obey Him. He has our whole lives figured out. Let's not fight Him.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
About Loss and Anger
THIS WEEK I'm learning about loss.
On Tuesday, Willy and I broke up after five and a half happy months. This week really has been something to endure. I'm angry and I'm sad and I'm disappointed all at once, but, as you know, this blog is not about me or my life. It's about the amazing things God is doing in me and my life. So let me tell you how He has responded to my situation, and how He is showing me we ought to deal with this kind of thing.
In the human heart loss often leads to sadness. This is to be expected. But the sadness can turn into anger, and then we must be careful what we do. Right now, I am angry. I'm not angry at anybody in particular. I'm just mad, because I'm sad. It's like when you slam your car door on your finger: it hurts so badly that you want to cry, and then you want to scream, and then you might start yelling at anybody who is nearby just because you are in pain. But anger, when it is maintained, often turns into bitterness. That is how many lives are ruined. Bitterness hurts the bitter person as well as those around him.
God sees that I am angry. I was looking in my devotional book this week, and I read Ephesians 4:26 and 27. "[26] 'Be angry, and do not sin': do not let the sun go down on your wrath, [27] nor give place to the devil." I think this is a way that God is warning me that it is perfectly fine to be angry about something, but it's not okay to stay angry. It's one thing to have a reaction to an event, and it's another to let that reaction spread and poison the soul. Anger can often give us a temptation to sin and to hurt others, whether for revenge (which belongs to God) or just to make somebody else hurt with you.
When the word says "do not let the sun go down on your wrath" it means that we should not end the day by staying angry. If we feed our anger by letting it come with us into the new day and rule us then we "give place to the devil." This means that by choosing to give our ears to our pain we give the devil something to work with, a button to push, a way into our hearts. And when he has got a way in, it's often hard to get him out. Then we become bitter.
Ephesians 4:31 and 32 also relate to this idea. "[31] Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. [32] And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you." Once again, this does not mean that it is wrong to respond to sonething with a feeling of anger. It's part of the way we are created to become angry. It just means that our way of life, Christlikeness, entails love, not hatred; forgiveness, not bitterness. Another beautiful verse I saw this week which really spoke to my heart was Romans 12:9. "Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good." If we claim to love people, we need to live love by showing mercy, patience, and kindness. We need to run far away from what would cause us to sin, like the temptation to spread the pain you feel, and to hold on tightly to Christ and all of His goodness.
I keep thinking of the one time Jesus got REALLY angry. In Matthew 21 we see that when He saw people buying and selling in the temple, treating God's house as a place to make some money, He drove all of the buyers and sellers out and started overturning things. This was righteous indignation. He had every reason to be angry. His actions were based on a desire for righteousness. So it's good to be angry about things that are worth being angry about, and it's good if we care enough about righteousness and holiness that our anger leads us to serve God more. But we cannot let unhappiness eat us and make us want to take away other people's joy.
I've had moments in my life that were so happy that I wished it didn't have to end. But then I realized that God surely must be an awesome God, more awesome than we can guess, if the most wonderful moments on earth, which have to pass, are nothing compared to what He had planned for us in heaven, where there are no more endings.
I've had moments in my life that were so difficult that I got angry, and stayed angry for a while. But then I realized that God knows why these things have to happen, and He wouldn't let it happen if it weren't for the best. He does, after all, make a point of turning horrible grief into overwhelming joy. Take, for example, Jesus' death. All of the people who loved Him were devastated and disappointed, but on the third day their pain was turned into amazing joy and awe. The sinners of the world can now be redeemed! Only a God like ours can do something like that.
I also realize that loss just makes a space in our hearts for more of God. That's what I'm depending on right now. I'm getting a good feeling that He's about to turn my present unhappiness into a great blessing. He's about to do amazing things in my life, and with my life, that only He can do. Only later will I be able to see why this must be such a good thing. As for right now, I'm going to ask Him to help me not to stay angry, but to shine more brightly than ever, and I'm going to trust Him.
He is just and righteous whether He gives or takes away, and it is an indicator of faith whether a person is willing to praise Him as He deserves in all seasons of his life, whether in joy or pain.
On Tuesday, Willy and I broke up after five and a half happy months. This week really has been something to endure. I'm angry and I'm sad and I'm disappointed all at once, but, as you know, this blog is not about me or my life. It's about the amazing things God is doing in me and my life. So let me tell you how He has responded to my situation, and how He is showing me we ought to deal with this kind of thing.
In the human heart loss often leads to sadness. This is to be expected. But the sadness can turn into anger, and then we must be careful what we do. Right now, I am angry. I'm not angry at anybody in particular. I'm just mad, because I'm sad. It's like when you slam your car door on your finger: it hurts so badly that you want to cry, and then you want to scream, and then you might start yelling at anybody who is nearby just because you are in pain. But anger, when it is maintained, often turns into bitterness. That is how many lives are ruined. Bitterness hurts the bitter person as well as those around him.
God sees that I am angry. I was looking in my devotional book this week, and I read Ephesians 4:26 and 27. "[26] 'Be angry, and do not sin': do not let the sun go down on your wrath, [27] nor give place to the devil." I think this is a way that God is warning me that it is perfectly fine to be angry about something, but it's not okay to stay angry. It's one thing to have a reaction to an event, and it's another to let that reaction spread and poison the soul. Anger can often give us a temptation to sin and to hurt others, whether for revenge (which belongs to God) or just to make somebody else hurt with you.
When the word says "do not let the sun go down on your wrath" it means that we should not end the day by staying angry. If we feed our anger by letting it come with us into the new day and rule us then we "give place to the devil." This means that by choosing to give our ears to our pain we give the devil something to work with, a button to push, a way into our hearts. And when he has got a way in, it's often hard to get him out. Then we become bitter.
Ephesians 4:31 and 32 also relate to this idea. "[31] Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. [32] And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you." Once again, this does not mean that it is wrong to respond to sonething with a feeling of anger. It's part of the way we are created to become angry. It just means that our way of life, Christlikeness, entails love, not hatred; forgiveness, not bitterness. Another beautiful verse I saw this week which really spoke to my heart was Romans 12:9. "Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good." If we claim to love people, we need to live love by showing mercy, patience, and kindness. We need to run far away from what would cause us to sin, like the temptation to spread the pain you feel, and to hold on tightly to Christ and all of His goodness.
I keep thinking of the one time Jesus got REALLY angry. In Matthew 21 we see that when He saw people buying and selling in the temple, treating God's house as a place to make some money, He drove all of the buyers and sellers out and started overturning things. This was righteous indignation. He had every reason to be angry. His actions were based on a desire for righteousness. So it's good to be angry about things that are worth being angry about, and it's good if we care enough about righteousness and holiness that our anger leads us to serve God more. But we cannot let unhappiness eat us and make us want to take away other people's joy.
I've had moments in my life that were so happy that I wished it didn't have to end. But then I realized that God surely must be an awesome God, more awesome than we can guess, if the most wonderful moments on earth, which have to pass, are nothing compared to what He had planned for us in heaven, where there are no more endings.
I've had moments in my life that were so difficult that I got angry, and stayed angry for a while. But then I realized that God knows why these things have to happen, and He wouldn't let it happen if it weren't for the best. He does, after all, make a point of turning horrible grief into overwhelming joy. Take, for example, Jesus' death. All of the people who loved Him were devastated and disappointed, but on the third day their pain was turned into amazing joy and awe. The sinners of the world can now be redeemed! Only a God like ours can do something like that.
I also realize that loss just makes a space in our hearts for more of God. That's what I'm depending on right now. I'm getting a good feeling that He's about to turn my present unhappiness into a great blessing. He's about to do amazing things in my life, and with my life, that only He can do. Only later will I be able to see why this must be such a good thing. As for right now, I'm going to ask Him to help me not to stay angry, but to shine more brightly than ever, and I'm going to trust Him.
He is just and righteous whether He gives or takes away, and it is an indicator of faith whether a person is willing to praise Him as He deserves in all seasons of his life, whether in joy or pain.
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