Ann's Challenge of the Day

Emotions

2011-09-11T08:19:00.001-05:00

David became angry because of the LORD’S outburst against Uzzah, and that place is called Perez-uzzah to this day. So David was afraid of the LORD that day; and he said, “How can the ark of the LORD come to me?” 2 Samuel 6:8-9

Emotional responses are very telling. What I get emotional about – or don’t get emotional about, for that matter – can reveal a great deal about the spiritual condition of my heart. Am I walking in intimacy with my Savior? Am I abiding? Am I seeking His wisdom and guidance? Am I walking in unrepentance? Have I distanced myself from my Lord in some way? Am I acting out of disobedience and sin?

David wanted to do something good by bringing the ark to Jerusalem. But, he was not careful to do it in the right way. He and the Levites both should have known better, but they proceeded to follow the example of the Philistines in transporting the ark rather than following the commands of God. And, as tends to happen when we are walking in disobedience, things went badly and Uzzah suffered the consequences.

David’s anger, fear, and abandoning of the ark are all emotional responses resulting from not walking in the fear of the Lord. He was trying to do a good thing his way instead of God’s. And when God disciplined, David grew angry. Only three months later did David straighten all of this out and decide to do it God’s way instead.

Reading this story again, and observing the tenth anniversary of a horrific event in my own lifetime, I am struck by the realization of just how telling my emotional responses are. God gave them to me to reveal much about my heart. I know that I cannot trust in my emotions, but I can frequently discern much if I truly stop to consider my emotions.

So, my challenge? To listen. My God-given emotions tell a story. They tell me many things about how I stand before God. I am challenged to consider them, evaluate them, and bring them humbly before my Creator. I am challenged to freely allow Him to use them to teach and grow me, making me more into who He created me to be.

He Sees

2011-09-06T05:57:00.001-05:00

Then He said to me, “Son of man, do you see what the elders of the house of Israel are committing in the dark, each man in the room of his carved images? For they say, ‘The LORD does not see us; the LORD has forsaken the land.’” Ezekiel 8:12

For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to please people. My biggest stress when doing something wrong as a child was not the wrong I had done, but the fear of being found out. It wasn’t the punishment I dreaded nearly as much as the reality of disappointing someone. What would they think of me? Would they still trust me? Would they still even like me?

That mentality sticks with me today. What if they really knew what I was like and the things I have done and still do?

I do know that God sees. Truly I do. But, one of my biggest struggles is the fight against caring more about what people see.

The priests and leaders of Judah were hiding their sin in hopes that people wouldn’t see. But people weren’t who they needed to be worrying about. God was. And they didn’t care about God.

I do care about God. Immensely. I hunger to please Him. I long to bring delight to His heart. And yet my worry about what people think still plagues me. I still struggle with it, even though I’ve fought against it for years.

My challenge today is to take one more step away from people-pleasing and toward God-pleasing. I must keep in the forefront of my mind that God always sees. I can’t just know this as a fact. I must know it as an experience. I must live it in every moment of every day. He sees! Not only does He see, but He still forgives and He still hungers for intimacy with me! What joy! If the Almighty God, Creator of all things sees me and still desires my presence, then what does it matter what others see or think?

The Unseen

2011-08-31T08:11:00.001-05:00

The men of David said to him, “Behold, this is the day of which the LORD said to you, ‘Behold; I am about to give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it seems good to you.’” Then David arose and cut off the edge of Saul’s robe secretly. 1 Samuel 24:4

The trick to living a godly life is to see the unseen. To remember that we don’t know all of the details. Just because something looks obvious doesn’t always mean it is. This is where David found himself. In his sensitivity to the Holy Spirit’s nudges, David realized that not all was as it seemed. It was not within his authority to take Saul’s life into his own hands. That was God’s business. So, instead of taking logical advantage of the moment, he submitted to the wisdom and direction of his God and persuaded his men to let Saul live.

Scripture is replete with stories of people who made logical decisions based on appearances without stopping to seek the Lord first. And typically they suffered negative consequences for their choices. I fall into that same trap so many times. I sacrifice wisdom on the altar of my assumptions. I jump to conclusions based on the obvious without seeking God’s face for direction and wisdom.

I am challenged to remember that, no matter how many logical facts I see before me, I do not have the whole picture! Only God does. If I am continually abiding in His presence, the Spirit will convict me as He did David. But, if I am not, I can so easily miss His plan in favor of my logical conclusions. No matter how obvious the next step is, may I always pause – even if for the briefest moment – to prayerfully seek the Lord’s wisdom.

Examined

2011-08-30T07:34:00.001-05:00

But to me it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you, or by any human court; in fact, I do not even examine myself. For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord. 1 Corinthians 3:3-4

I realized something as I read these verse this morning. I realized that I frequently examine myself when I am supposed to be coming before the Lord in confession. I evaluate my thoughts and actions based on my conscience. That is a great place to start, because my conscience can come up with quite a few things to confess on a daily basis. But, is that truly fulfilling the depths of confession and a right relationship with God?

Because of the imputed righteousness of Christ, I am clean. Of that there is no doubt. But, I still cling to the flesh and this world in so many ways, some of which I am not yet even aware! Only the deeper revelation of the Holy Spirit can make these things known to me.

I am challenged to go deeper. I am challenged to not come in confession without asking God to truly search me and reveal what I don’t see. That has always been an intimidating concept to me, and many times I have backed away from it because of that intimidation. So, I am now challenged to boldly stand before God regularly and daily rather than in the occasional manner that has been my habit. I can do this in full assurance, knowing that I am covered by the righteous blood of Jesus Christ, and assured that the resulting cleansing – painful though it may be – will only be for my good and will result in a deeper abiding.

Being a Jonathan

2011-08-28T06:56:00.001-05:00

Today I was reading 1 Samuel 20, the beautiful and sad story of the friendship between David and Jonathan and all they both sacrificed in and for that friendship.

This morning my thoughts were on Jonathan. As I read, I began to ponder all of the things he surrendered in favor of this friendship. The list might not be long in words, but in the weight of sacrifice, it is enormous.

A smooth relationship with his father. Saul was insane, but Jonathan could have kept things as smooth as possible by not siding with David.
The throne. God intended that David have the throne. Period. There is nothing Jonathan could have done to stop that. But, he could have clung to it in his own heart and mind. Instead, he willingly surrendered it long before it was widely known that it would belong to David.
His life. This, to me, is the most heartbreaking part of the story. Jonathan died young and beside his deranged father. I sometimes wonder why he could not have lived and stood beside David, but God knew why. He knew Israel was to be united behind David, and it would not be had Jonathan lived. Jonathan seemed to know that, too, for he asked David to be kind to his family. He willingly surrendered his life.

Jonathan challenges so much in me. I see how selfish I am when I look at my heart, desires, and willingness (or lack thereof) to surrender and compare it all to Jonathan’s heart and actions. He clung to nothing, but actively surrendered himself to the will of God in what seemed to be a practically impossible situation.

Jonathan’s sacrifice worked for God’s glory in and through David. I am challenged to be a Jonathan. I am challenged to put aside what I see as right, fair, successful, and beneficial and surrender to God’s plan. It is perfect – even if it doesn’t always seem so for me.

Weary and Heavy-Laden

2011-08-25T09:53:00.001-05:00

Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

This morning I awoke to the realization of four major things I was supposed to have done earlier this week but hadn’t. The weariness just pounded down over me before I even got out of bed. I was tired. Tired of getting up at 5:15 every morning, being diligent to exercise, trying to balance eating well and sticking to our grocery budget, keeping up with household chores, staying on top of reminding kids to do the things that should be second nature to them. Tired of resisting temptation. Tired of heat, humidity, mosquitoes, and the cats. Tired of all of the constant battles that come with being a people pleaser – being reminded that God is the only One I need to please while still struggling with the guilt, frustration, and pain of knowing that I have to trust God with any way people are displeased or hurt because of my obedience to Him. Or because of my failure to do so. Tired of a schedule. Tired of putting aside the things I’d like to do in favor of what I’m supposed to do. Tired of being diligent even when there are no visible results.

You get the picture. Probably a whole lot more than you wanted.

When I am tired, Matthew 11:28 naturally pops into my mind. But, to be honest, I’m still light-years away from learning to receive the rest my Lord offers. It seems so much easier to wallow in my weariness. Herein lies my challenge: to take a step toward improvement today! Every time one of these things I’m tired of comes to mind today, I am challenged to take it to the Lord. Not to think about it, mull over it, and be further discouraged about it. No, instead I must pray about it. Surrender it to Him. I’m not to the point yet where I can just lay the whole bundle at His feet and move on. I have to do it thought by thought, moment by moment.

Today I need to go to Him. In that and that alone, I will find rest.

Who I am, Where I am

2011-08-24T15:28:00.001-05:00

Then one of the young men said, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is a skillful musician, a mighty man of valor, a warrior, one prudent in speech, and a handsome man; and the LORD is with him.” So Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me your son David who is with the flock.” 1 Samuel 16:18-19

These verses just blow my mind. It is recommended to Saul that a skillful musician be found for him to calm him during his times of torment because of the evil spirit (1 Samuel 16:14-16). So, one of his servants recommends David. See how he describes David to Saul: not just as a skillful musician (which fits the bill of what Saul was seeking), but also as a mighty man of valor, a warrior, prudent in speech, and handsome.

Now, the more we learn about David, the more we see all of these character traits revealed in him. But, at this point we’ve barely been introduced to him. And, that’s the real kicker here. David is in the fields! He’s not getting to live out the life of a valiant warrior. He’s not given the chance to wow people with his speaking abilities. He’s not even in a place where his good looks do him much good. He’s out herding sheep.

There are times I chafe against the limitations of where I am. I have dreams. I have desires. I have talents. I feel like I am stuck in a field herding sheep rather than finding fulfillment in what I really think I was made to do. But that doesn’t change who I am. Just because David wasn’t yet on the battlefield or on a throne did not change who he was. He already was all of these things this servant described him to be. And, because he was walking with God, other people saw these things in him, even without the battlefields and throne.

I already am who God intends for me to be. And, if I’m walking in obedience to Him, it shows. I might not be fulfilling every aspect of who I am yet. Some of that might not come for years – decades even. I might be on my deathbed before I fulfill the final detail of who I am here on earth. But, that doesn’t change who I am. My challenge is to stop mourning the fact that I don’t have some of my “battlefields” yet and to live in obedience like David did. Right here. Right now. In these circumstances. God will handle the rest.

Cleansing

2011-08-21T07:08:00.001-05:00

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

When I read through the Old Testament and see the Israelites’ addiction to idols, I am filled with disgust. It seems so horrible. Appalling. Disgusting. Illogical. Insane. Downright stupid!

And yet, this morning I came face to face with all of my own idols. As I was praying and reading, God brought to my attention how insanely I cling to some of them. Ouch!

As I pondered through each one, I realized that these idols are not inherently bad. They are good things that God has given me to enjoy. Things through which I can easily glorify Him. But, I have taken them beyond that point. I have elevated them. I have given them a place they were not meant to hold. I have insisted that they fill me with pleasure and satisfy my desires. In truth, they have left me empty and longing, but I still try to wring that delight from them.

God desires that these gifts He gives me be the fulfillment of my delight in Him, not the source of my delight.

So, here I am today in a place where I must surrender my idols. I must lay them on His altar. It might mean He takes them away permanently. In my selfishness, I don’t want to surrender! But, in my desperation for fulfillment, I know I must.

Today my challenge is to offer the sacrifice. To know the cleansing that only God can bring to my heart. And to be renewed in His sight, seeking all of my pleasure and fulfillment in Him. I can already feel the tinges of delightful freedom as His cleansing begins to work in me!

Context

2011-08-18T07:51:00.001-05:00

Today’s challenge is more of a general thought from reading Romans again. So many individual verses in Romans are very familiar. And that’s a good thing, sometimes. The problem lies in the word “individual.” Oftentimes I pick up on a verse here and there – or am taught a verse here and there – and explore it individually. But, as I read through Romans again, I am reminded of the contextual significance of some of these verses and the fact that their meaning might not be quite what I’ve always claimed looking at them individually.

This challenges me not simply in Romans, but throughout Scripture. It is critical for me to memorize Scripture. And sometimes that means memorizing one verse here and another there. But, it does not limit my ability to study and learn the context around those individual verses.

This is not a new thought – the critical nature of context has been hammered into my head for years. But, somehow I still miss it in the familiar. Whether the familiar be my own interpretation of familiar verses or the way they’ve been taught to me all my life. The challenge before me is to remember to challenge my familiarity. To not just look at a familiar verse or passage and assume there is nothing more I can learn from it. Sometimes it might simply be that I’ve not explored the full depths of the passage. But, other times I might just find I’ve looked at it wrongly the whole time. Truly growing in Scriptural study means challenging my preconceptions. Without that, growth cannot happen.

The Delay

2011-08-14T06:56:00.004-05:00

Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with the whole message with which the LORD your God will send you to us. Whether it is pleasant or unpleasant, we will listen to the voice of the LORD our God to whom we are sending you, so that it may go well with us when we listen to the voice of the LORD our God.” Now at the end of ten days the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah. Jeremiah 42:5-7

The people were scared. Jerusalem had been sacked, and they had been left. Then their newly appointed governor had been assassinated and multiple murders and assassinations followed. Terrified, they wanted to run. But, just to make sure their plan was blessed, they asked Jeremiah to seek the Lord.

And, if they weren’t scared enough, God waited ten days to respond. In those ten days, their hearts were revealed – they were going to Egypt no matter what God said.

Looking back over my own life, I see so very many times when God has delayed. Sometimes he has delayed an answer – a granting of wisdom. Other times His action has been delayed. Whatever the case, when God delays, the true condition of my heart is revealed. I might be gung-ho in my faith and determination to do everything His way on day one. But, then my mind kicks into high gear. I process. I plan. I make determinations. I come to conclusions. And, ultimately, I seem to always end up deciding just how I know God is going to work or answer.

Often what I know is flat wrong.

God’s delays reveal my heart. My preferences. My lack of faith. My determination to maintain control.

I am challenged to be faithful in the delays. I am challenged to be the child who proves as devoted to her Father on day ten as on day one. I hunger to take thoughts captive and let planning, scheming, and processing rest. I hunger to crave His will, even when I don’t know what it is. Oh, may I be found faithful in the delay.

God is My Witness

2011-08-11T07:47:00.001-05:00

For God, whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you Romans 1:9

For God…is my witness…

As I read this today I had to stop and wonder: Do I really live as if God is my witness? I think the honest answer is no. There is so much that I choose to do based on whether or not people are watching or expecting something of me. Whether it be my family or others, people seem to be my primary motivation.

When God is truly my witness, everything I say, do, think, or feel comes back to how He would receive it. Does it line up with obedience to Him? Does it glorify Him? Does it do these things whether I have a human audience or not?

It is so natural to be motivated by a human audience. In fact, it’s even natural to be conditioned to believe that God cannot be glorified without that human audience. But, God was glorified long before humans were created. He was glorified when Adam was the only human being on the planet. I think He can handle being glorified through me regardless of who is or is not watching.

So, my challenge is to retrain my mind. Starting today, I will begin choosing to make decisions based on God being my witness.

Be Encouraged

2011-08-09T06:37:00.001-05:00

And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after one in whose sight I may find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.” So she departed and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers; and she happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech. Ruth 2:2-3

I love the way Scripture records several things as having just “happened.” Here, Ruth just happens to pick Boaz’s field out of all of the fields around Bethlehem.

Often I am challenged from Scripture to step forward in a new strength, obeying more readily or acting more boldly. But, today I am challenged to simply be encouraged.

Sometimes it’s hard for me to receive encouragement. That seems crazy, but sometimes it is easier to remain in my discouragement or uncertainty than to reach out, receive encouragement, and walk in it confidently.

But then I read passages in Scripture where God’s people just happen into the perfect circumstance. Ruth didn’t happen to do anything. She was guided there by the hand of the amazing God who already knew His Son would directly descend from this woman. Every step was guided by Him, even that of Boaz so strongly noticing this young widow.

Nothing – absolutely nothing – just happens. God is in every detail. And today I will choose not only to remember that, but also to allow myself to be perfectly encouraged by it. His plan is perfect, and its unfolding is as beautiful as a love story between a farmer and a widow.

Blessings of God

2011-08-05T08:53:00.001-05:00

Then Micah said, “Now I know that the LORD will prosper me, seeing I have a Levite as priest.” Judges 17:13

This story in Judges launches one of my least favorite segments of Scripture. It is one tragic example of life in rebellion against God after another. It makes me sick to read it all.

Each time I read this story of Micah and his Levite, I am highly inclined to be critical of both Micah and the young Levite. And, I want to rail against this boast in verse 13. How could he possibly think that God would prosper him simply because a Levite was serving as priest for his idols?

But am I any better?

Sometimes I catch myself thinking that if I pray just right or act just right or volunteer for just the right things, God will surely bless me. He will be unable to keep from drawing near to me.

No!

I belong to God whether I do everything right or not. He has called me, drawn my heart to Him, and granted me the blessing of salvation. Period. Nothing I do, for good or for ill, will change that.
He is already near to me. Having the right prayer formula doesn’t draw me closer to Him. Having a heart that hungers for Him awakens me to the fact that He is right there. Ready. Waiting. Present.
God’s blessings are not for my benefit. They are for His glory. I do benefit from them, but only as my heart is surrendered to Him and hungry for His glory. If I ever do things out of a desire to be blessed because of them, I miss the point…and the blessing.

I am challenged in two ways. First, I am challenged to let go of my pride in ever thinking I’m better than anyone else, living or not. I’m not. I usually battle with the very thing I criticize in others. Second, I am challenged to do all that I do for God’s glory, not for my own blessing. Then and only then will I walk in the beauty of His glory and never lack for anything.

Giving

2011-08-02T14:19:00.001-05:00

You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my own needs and to the men who were with me. In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:34-35

It doesn’t take much for me to be reminded just how absolutely self-centered I am. This morning’s reading was no exception.

As I pondered Paul’s words, it occurred to me how little of a giver I am. I give little of my time, energy, and resources. It isn’t that I don’t want to give – I just don’t always think about it. I am so frequently caught up in my own little world.

The thing that struck me so greatly this morning, though, was that the reason I give so little to other people is because I give so little to God. Instead, I ask. I want, want, want. And there are times when the wanting consumers me.

Paul gave every ounce of Himself to God, and it was that surrender that allowed him to give everything to the people to whom he ministered. It was that surrender that kept him from expecting anything in return.

I am challenged to grow more as a giver, and I am challenged to start with giving to God the things that I still tend to hold back. Only then can He give to others through me just as He did through Paul.

Encouraged by His Glory

2011-07-28T09:50:00.001-05:00

Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31

I am discouraged today. Not I woke up discouraged today. Not I was discouraged, but now I feel better. I am discouraged. I’ve been working hard getting back into a great routine of exercise and drastically improving my eating habits for several weeks now. I lost three pounds. Such great encouragement! But, stepping on the scales today, I discovered I gained all three back. Still eating well. Still exercising. But gaining. Being diligent has been very, very hard this week, and I can tell you without a doubt that gaining back my initial progress is not helping. I want to just give it all up and stop putting the effort into it.

But I can’t.

As the first wave of discouragement hit me this morning, 1 Corinthians 10:31 was the first verse to hit my mind. (Isn’t it awesome how the Holy Spirit fights for us immediately upon every attack? Now that thought encourages me!) As I pondered the very familiar verse, I realized that I was falling into the trap of letting the scale be my idol. Losing those pounds was becoming the goal.

Now it is true, if I don’t lose the pounds, I’m not succeeding in the overall goal. But, seeing specific numbers on the scale is not why I’m supposed to be doing this. No, I’m supposed to be doing this for God’s glory.

I bring Him glory in my finances when I keep myself able to wear the clothes in my closet instead of having to spend money for new, bigger clothing.
I bring Him glory with my energy when I, well, actually have the energy to give for His glory!
I bring Him glory with my future by ensuring that I do everything in my power to keep myself healthy for His work. That does not mean that I am not bringing glory to Him if I have to battle cancer or some other disease in my future. But, if I chip away at my health by not exercising or eating well, then I am not honoring Him.

Those are just the surface ways I glorify Him with this diligence and discipline. So many other things lie not only just below the surface, but also deep down in the depths of obedience.

All of these truths do not make me more encouraged about what I saw on the scales. But, they do keep determined. I will not give up. And they do offer me a challenge. My encouragement should not come from those scales. It should instead come from the knowledge that I am being obedient and disciplining myself that I may bring glory to God.

Requests

2011-07-27T11:20:00.001-05:00

And one of the crowd answered Him, “Teacher, I brought You my son, possessed with a spirit which makes him mute; and whenever it seizes him, it slams him to the ground and he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth and stiffens out. I told Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not do it.” Mark 9:17-18 (emphasis mine)

There’s a lot in this whole narrative, but something specific has bugged me about this story lately, both when I read it in Matthew recently and now here in Mark. The father told the disciples to cast out this demon. I asked Doug to look up the Greek for me this morning, and he said the word means that something was either stated or instructed. Either way, the father didn’t ask that his son be healed. He simply stated that it must happen.

I think that grated on me because it sounded so cocky. Who was this man to think he could just go around and demand that Jesus and his disciples bend to his every wish?

But, as usual, I was pretty quickly convicted as I began to put myself in this man’s shoes. He was desperate. He’d heard that Jesus was the Healer. He was ready for that healing! He was tired of asking. He was tired of trying. His endurance was at its end.

My heart was crushed as I realize how frequently I also make demands of God. And, like this father, my demands are often made from heart that is running very low of real faith.

I am challenged to re-evaluate how I present my requests to God. Do I follow the example of this desperate and demanding father, or do I heed Paul’s instructions in Philippians 4:6? The latter is where I not only want to be but must be. There is no other way to present requests to God.

My Pride vs. His Power

2011-07-24T07:05:00.001-05:00

The Lord said to Gideon, “ The people who are with you are too many for Me to give Midian into their hands, for Israel would become boastful, saying, "’My own power has delivered me.’” Judges 7:2

A few days ago a bloggy friend wrote this post that really gave me the spiritual “spanking” I needed. I had also recently worked through a chapter on humility in our book study group, and now today I read this verse in Judges. I think there might be something I need to work on…

As I read this verse today, I had to stop and wonder: How many times does God stay His hand in my deliverance because He knows the pride of my heart? Would I give Him credit were He to work subtly and quickly? Or would I just pass on by without even acknowledging His mighty hand?

If my personal history is any example, I am quick to give Him credit when the solution is completely out of my league. But, when I am just moving through normal life and issues are solved quickly and painlessly, I don’t do a great job of acknowledging that God was still the power behind each and every little success.

As I look at my life, I am realizing more and more that there is truly very little I am capable of doing in my own power. I can’t even maintain my home and keep up with housework. Then add to that being a wife and mother, homeschooling, serving as a pastor’s wife, cooking meals, and so on and so forth. No, I’m not really capable of handling any of it successfully on my own. But, I forget that. And because I forget it, I neglect to give God the glory for each and every little daily success.

I am challenged to change that mentality. I am weak. He is strong. And He wants to flex those muscles through me to a weak world desperately in need of His power. I am challenged to let His power shine, whether the situation is “simple” or dire.

Ready

2011-07-22T08:34:00.001-05:00

Now for several days he was with the disciples who were at Damascus, and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” Acts 9:19b-20

What kind of teaching can you get in “several days.” I know Paul had enthusiasm and passion, and he wanted to get right to work showing his newfound belief. But, could he really have been ready to dig in his heels and start preaching immediately, not only in Damascus but later in Jerusalem, confounding the Jews?

This whole idea just serves to remind me that God really is sovereign. Nothing takes Him by surprise. With Paul, I can imagine that when the scales fell off his physical eyes, they also fell off the eyes of all of his Pharisaic training in the law. Puzzles pieces started coming together in his mind as he fit Jesus into the Scripture he’d studied since childhood. God had prepared Paul in advance. Far in advance. And he was ready.

Often when a task is put before me, I argue that I’m not ready. I need to prepare. I need to learn. I need to get myself together. In all of my protests, I am denying that God knows what He’s doing. I am denying His sovereignty. I am proclaiming that He didn’t know what to expect and therefore wasn’t able to prepare me. I am disregarding basic foundational truths about God.

I am challenged to change that way of thinking. If I say I believe in God’s sovereignty, I must act like it! Jeremiah 18 talks about the potty molding the clay. If I am truly clay in the Potter’s hand, then I can trust Him to mold me for each task He sets me to do. And when He puts the task before me, I can trust that He in His sovereignty has fully equipped me.

Don’t Lose Heart

2011-07-21T09:21:00.001-05:00

Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. Galatians 6:9

This verse started running through my mind first thing this morning, and for good reason. I started the morning swamped in discouragement. My mind was overly processing the areas where I am working hard but not seeing visible progress. There are even things that seem to be moving backwards instead of forward, no matter what I do. These are the days when the temporal pleasures I give up in favor of eternal reward seem much more alluring than delayed gratification.

The comfort is that God knows my struggle. He spoke the words of Galatians 6:9 to my heart almost before the negative thoughts even began to flow. He was right there, ready to strengthen me.

I can’t say that this verse sent any waves of enthusiasm surging through me. I still don’t feel that. But these words have given me a measure of comfort and a renewed sense of determination. I might not feel like doing good today, but I’m going to do it. I’m not going to give up. I’m not going to lose heart.

Today my challenge is to find delight in the doing of good – the following of Christ – regardless of the presence or absence of physical results. I’m making the choice to claim the promise that one day I will reap. And oh how amazing that harvest will be!

Compassion

2011-07-19T08:56:00.001-05:00

And a leper came to Jesus, beseeching Him and falling on his knees before Him, and saying, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Mark 1:40-41

I am a problem-solver. Unfortunately, that means I so frequently see the problem and miss the person. Miss the heart behind the problem.

This morning I have read in Judges where God’s compassion upon sinful Israel causes Him to give them chance after chance after chance. I have read in Jeremiah where God’s compassion for Israel has found an end, but He still comforts faithful Jeremiah who is bearing the brunt of isolation because of his obedience and service to God. I have read the first chapter of Mark where Jesus’ compassion opened the floodgates of healing. And I have read in Acts where compassion for needy widows led to the kick-start of the brief, but powerful, ministry of deacon and first martyr Stephen. Meanwhile, one of our book study chapters for this week is on compassion. I have seen compassion exemplified in places I never would have seen it before. And I am convicted.

I do not have a heart naturally bent toward compassion. But, I have the Holy Spirit Himself living within me. The same One who worked compassion in all of the above examples still works today – but today He considers me to be one of His vessels! Hard-hearted, uncompassionate me!

I cannot live out compassion on my own because I am incapable. But, I must live out His compassion! I hunger to be a vessel who cannot help but get out of the way and let His compassion flow. That is my desire and my challenge. I am ready to be a usable vessel of His compassion.

Constant

2011-07-17T09:17:00.001-05:00

This morning I awoke with a slightly atypical “song” of praise floating through my head. Every morning when I wake up, I desire to start the day praying and praising. But, my foggy brain frequently doesn’t cooperate, and I find my mind running through some pretty strange things. This morning, though, the thoughts were clear and distinct.

The praise was for God’s consistency, constancy, and steadfastness. I remember the thought, “You are not fickle like we are or like our man-made idols are.”

Now, there’s nothing unusual about this line of praise – it’s just that my early morning thoughts don’t typically run in this direction. Maybe later in the more coherent moments of my day, but not in those groggy first thoughts. Because of this, I immediately knew that these were not Ann-conjured thoughts of praise. These were from my Creator, God, Savior, Lord, and Master. These were thoughts given me by the only One who knows what I’m going to experience and face today. He is the One who knows my personality, reactions, needs, and thoughts better that even I know them myself.

As my groggy mind cleared and those realizations sank in, I was both comforted and challenged. Comforted because I knew my Lord was speaking to me even before I was coherent enough to process the conversation. I love that realization. And, I was challenged because I know that even though my God is not fickle, I am! I can go from basking in His constancy to wallowing in the mud of self-centered uncertainty in less than the blink of an eye. Even in the shortness of the day so far, I have already fluctuated, fallen, and failed more than once.

So, my challenge is to hang on to His constancy. He put that beautiful praise in my heart and mind this morning for a reason. May I know that truth intimately today and cling to it, knowing that as I cling to it I am also clinging to Him. For unlike anything else in my life, He alone is perfectly constant.

Boasting

2011-07-13T09:22:00.001-05:00

Thus says the LORD, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD. Jeremiah 9:23-24

Just last night in our book study, one of the topics was pride. As I read these verses this morning, I had to look at pride even more deeply than we did last night. What do I boast in?

If I were to pinpoint the biggest point of pride for me, it would probably be my family. I love to brag on my brilliant and amazing husband and my three gorgeous, intelligent children. Our family blog is full of their antics, accomplishments, and precious faces.

I do not believe that there is a problem with pride in my family. But, what am I teaching my children by how I boast in them and in their daddy? Am I teaching them to boast in intelligence and accomplishments, or am I teaching the to boast in the Lord who is behind all they know and do?

I am challenged to carefully evaluate what I teach them, what I exemplify before them, and the patterns I am establishing in their hearts. I want to encourage them and build them up. I want to show that I am proud of them and proud of their accomplishments. But, I want it to be based on the foundation of what God does through them, and I want them to learn to boast in the beauty of the fact that they are His vessels. Because in the end, that’s all that really matters.

God’s Counsel

2011-07-07T07:49:00.001-05:00

So the men of Israel took some of their provisions, and did not ask for the counsel of the LORD. Joshua 9:14

This verse falls in the middle of the story about the infamous treaty with the Gibeonites. Scared out of their wits that the Israelites would come and annihilate them, the Gibeonites pretended to come from a far country to make a peace treaty with Israel.

And Israel bought it.

I want to look at this passage and fuss at the Israelites. How could they have been so foolish? But, intentional deception is intended to pull the wool over people’s eyes. If deception didn’t work, it wouldn’t be a successful tool. But it does work, and it is a very successful tool.

When something seems logical and black and white to me, I often neglect to search deeper. I just take it at face value. But, face value isn’t always true value. It takes wisdom to see truth, and the wisdom that reveals truth only comes from God.

This story challenges me to never take anything at face value. In doing so I admittedly also have to fight against cynicism, which naturally seems to rear its head when I seek to be careful about whom or what I trust. So, where is the balance? What fine line must I walk on to avoid blind trusting and close-minded cynicism?

The line is God’s truth. I must consult Him in all matters, whether they seem clouded or black and white. As I make a practice to do so, I will find that it’s not such a fine line after all, but rather a solid rock of truth upon which I can firmly stand without being swayed by persuasive arguments or stubbornly rooted against all ideas.

Abiding

2011-07-05T10:04:00.001-05:00

The thoughts swirling through my mind this morning based on all I’ve read are tremendous. Some of them I’ve shared before and just needed the reminder myself. Things like the reminder in Joshua 7 that our sin does affect other people and the reminder in Jeremiah 1 that God doesn’t ask when He calls – He commands. I was also reminded by the census that sent Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem for Jesus’ birth that God does work through secular (and even antagonistic) government. I have to pray for my government! I often get slack in that responsibility.

But, I think everything I’m pondering this morning is wrapped up in a thought that came from Joshua 7:2-5. The Israelites, not knowing that sin was among them, went up to fight battle number two of their promised land conquest, assuming that God would rout their enemies just like He did at Jericho. But He didn’t because of the sin – even the sin they didn’t know about.

Why were they held responsible for something they didn’t know about? The reason is simple: if they had been in communication with Him every step of the way, He would have made them aware of the sin before they headed out into battle.

I cause trouble for myself and others not only because of my sin but because of my lack of abiding. First of all, just because I was right with Him in the morning does not mean that that there isn’t something interfering with our communication in the afternoon. Secondly, just because He worked one way two weeks ago does not mean He’s ready to work the same way today. I won’t know the truth in either situation if I’m not abiding.

He wants me to faithfully, continually, steadily abide in Him. He wants me to be in constant communication with Him. I am in a life-long battle and He is the only One who sees all aspects of the fight. My radio line has to be open all the time if I’m going to see success in this battle.

Abiding is critical, but I confess I am not very good at continual and constant abiding. My challenge is, simply put, to get better at it.

Delight, not Checklists

2011-07-04T07:50:00.001-05:00

But he who kills an ox is like one who slays a man;
He who sacrifices a lamb is like the one who breaks a dog’s neck; he who offers a grain offering is like one who offers swine’s blood; he who burns incense is like the one who blesses an idol. As they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delights in their abominations, so I will choose their punishments and will bring on them what they dread. Because I called, but no one answered; I spoke, but they did not listen.
And they did evil in My sight and chose that in which I did not delight. Isaiah 66:3-4

I have mentioned before that I like checklists. Tell me what to do, and I’ll try my best to do it. I’ll check each thing off the list until I’m done, and then all will be well.

But, when it comes to honoring God, it’s not about a checklist. It’s about my heart.

Reading verses like these from Isaiah reminds me of that. I truly do desire to please and honor God. I desire to find my deepest, purest delight in abiding in Him. But, there are times when I get distracted by that checklist. I need the reminder that although my actions are critical, the heart behind them is essential.

I am challenged in a couple of ways by the reminder in these verses. First, I am challenged to be restored in my delight of the Lord so that my actions will flow from that delight rather than a sense of checklist obligation. Secondly, I am challenged to take a look at my heart. Often when I fall back on trusting in that checklist, it’s because there is something I don’t want to confess or some new depth I don’t want to dive into. When I wake up and realize I’m back on that checklist, it just might be time to go a little deeper in my time of honest and open confession before the Lord.

May my obedience spring from delight and growth today!

Habit of Rejoicing

2011-07-01T07:49:00.001-05:00

Then our mouth was filled with laughter and our tongue with joyful shouting; then they said among the nations, the LORD has done great things for them. The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad. Psalm 126:2-3

Evangelism is a struggle. Fewer and fewer of us are truly effective in sharing the gospel in this ever-darkening world. Meanwhile, more and more of us are getting caught up in a life characterized by stress, depression, and discouragement. I know I do.

But, I have so much rejoicing to do! There is no way I could ever exhaust my rejoicing over the salvation that has been bestowed upon me. And yet, the Lord has given me so much more even than that! He has granted me blessings and miracles galore in this earthly life, and He has allowed me to have a relationship with Him. Let that sink in a minute. I have a relationship with the King of kings. Not just any little ole celebrity or royalty or world leader. But, the One who is above all world leaders. The One who makes every celebrity look like a piece of dust. Yes, that is the One who saved me, blesses me continually, and initiated an intimate relationship with me!

My rejoicing should never end!

Evangelism is a struggle partly because we do not set ourselves apart from the world. If we were to build a foundation of rejoicing, we would stand out so amazingly that others could not help but want what we have. I am challenged to truly begin to live a life of rejoicing. No matter how bad the earthly circumstances, there is always abundant cause to rejoice. May I make that my habit!

Trusting a Creative God

2011-06-30T09:38:00.001-05:00

The story of Joshua 2 is fascinating to me. First of all, things did not go well the last time Israelite spies were sent into the land to scope it out. But here Joshua is sending spies out again. Secondly, God’s plan for conquering Jericho had nothing to do with military strategy, so spying out the land was really unnecessary.

And yet, this time spying out the land goes very well. Not for military purposes, but for God’s plan. The immediate result is Joshua’s encouragement. I love how God does want to encourage us if we will listen! Joshua heard that the people of the land had melted in fear of the Israelites. What better encouragement could there be!

But, then there was a more long-term plan that none of the characters in the story would ever know during their lifetime. Spying out the land preserved the family of Rahab. Rahab is found again in Matthew 1’s genealogy of the Messiah as one of His direct ancestors.

God’s instructions often seem to fall into two categories. 1) Instructions that make sense logically but don’t always seem to have logical consequences. 2) Instructions that make absolutely no sense logically but simply require faithful obedience.

Spying out the land seemed logical to Joshua, but the results of the spying were, from an earthly perspective, irrelevant for the immediate task of conquering Jericho. But, God did work through it.

I often think that my actions are pointless if they do not produce the results I expect. I am challenged to change that view point. I am challenged to trust in God’s creativity and to remember that things don’t have to fall into a predictable pattern to be useful. My eyes may never even see exactly what it is that God is doing, but that is irrelevant in the grand scheme of His amazingly detailed and perfect plan.

Blessings

2011-06-29T08:47:00.001-05:00

¹ I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;
From where shall my help come?
² My help comes from the LORD,
Who made heaven and earth.
³ He will not allow your foot to slip;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
⁴ Behold, He who keeps Israel
Will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ The LORD is your keeper;
The LORD is your shade on your right hand.
⁶ The sun will not smite you by day,
Nor the moon by night.
⁷ The LORD will protect you from all evil;
He will keep your soul.
⁸ The LORD will guard your going out and your coming in
From this time forth and forever. Psalm 121

Typically when the day’s challenge is based on more than just a few verses, I just include the reference here instead of the whole passage. But, I couldn’t help it with this Psalm. I absolutely love this one! Not long ago the kids and I memorized it as part of our school memorization, and it was so exciting to hear my sweet children proclaim these verse together.

Last night in our book study one of our topics of discussion touched on praying blessings over others. Last night I thought, “Yeah, I do that!” But as I read this Psalm this morning and felt the strength the words poured into me, I realized how little I truly do pray blessings over others. Why? Because the most beautiful words of blessing are found in Scripture, and I have declined in my faithfulness to pray Scripture over others.

So, my challenge today is to return to something I used to do faithfully: pray Scripture over others. And Psalm 121 is definitely a beautiful place to start.

Proclaim It!

2011-06-27T08:59:00.001-05:00

Give ear, O heavens, and let me speak; and let the earth hear the words of my mouth. Let my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew, as the droplets on the fresh grass and as the showers on the herb. For I proclaim the name of the LORD; ascribe greatness to our God! Deut 32:1-3

I don’t know about you, but this makes me want to shout! It makes me want to get up and tell the world that I love Almighty God! I want to tell how great and how wonderful He is!

But do I do it?

As I started reading this song of Moses, I came face to face with the question of my own willingness to proclaim the greatness of God. What keeps me from it?

A couple of things tend to derail me. First, neglect. I simply get so caught up in my own selfish little world that I don’t even think about making sure my every public word and deed proclaims God’s greatness. Second, my failings. It’s that old tendency to complain when the drivers with the Christian fish on their cars tend to be the worst and rudest drivers. I don’t want to be the one whose life does not back up her words. So, I say nothing.

In response to the first derailment, I am challenged to get over myself. If my life is just about me, then it is one pitiful life. But, if it’s about the eternal God, Creator of everything, then there is nothing worthless about it! I have to live and speak for Him!

In response to the second, I am challenged to let God be God. Nothing I do can lessen His greatness. None of my failings can blemish His perfection and purity. On the contrary, my worship of Him out of my inadequacies is the most beautiful worship because it highlights the incredible power of the blood of Jesus Christ.

Today I will proclaim the Name of the Lord and ascribe greatness to Him!

Unselfish Growth

2011-06-26T08:52:00.001-05:00

Today as I read Isaiah 58:2-12, I was struck by the realization that the Israelites did observe some semblance of appropriate religious practice. It is easy to assume from the depth of their fall that they totally gave themselves over to paganistic worship without ever thinking again of the one true God. But, in reading the prophets it appears that they did still recognize themselves as God’s chosen people. As such, they still acted as if they called on His Name and worshipped Him, even though their worship of Him was so intermingled with that of idols that they didn’t know where one ended and the other started.

But, the thing that really grabbed me was the contrast between their perception of their own worship and God’s true vision. Look at verse two:

Yet they seek Me day by day and delight to know My ways,
As a nation that has done righteousness
And has not forsaken the ordinance of their God.
They ask Me for just decisions,
They delight in the nearness of God. Isaiah 58:2

But the following verses show that though they claimed to seek God and delight in His ways, their actions proved otherwise. Even in the midst of their so-called worship, their self-centeredness proved that they were out for personal blessing and benefit, not for intimacy with God.

I had to stop and evaluate my own quest for spiritual growth. What is my motivation? What is the true condition of my heart? Do I really want to grow and become more focused on His glory? Or do I seek my own edification?

Too often it’s the latter. I want to be well considered. I want to receive blessings. I want to overflow with joy and peace and be remembered for my confidence in the Lord. None of those are inherently bad, but my motivation in attaining them is me, me, me. It’s selfishness. True growth comes when my motivation is the glorification of God and the edification of others. It comes when I am more concerned that someone else see the hand of God than that I grow another ounce or inch spiritually.

That’s a hard concept to consider. I know I will always battle selfishness and will always hunger for my own relationship with Christ to grow, as well it should. But, I am also challenged to see an increased hunger to grow beyond myself. To make God’s glory my true motivation. As a result, the growth I crave will come in ways more amazing than I could ever imagine!

My Portion

2011-06-24T09:00:00.001-05:00

The Lord is my portion; I have promised to keep Your words. Psalm 119:57

This verse begins a new segment of the acrostic poem that is Psalm 119, but it fits so beautifully with some of the thoughts expressed in the previous eight verses. Psalm 119:49-56 is such an emotional passage. It discusses the hope and comfort brought from the Word. It also discusses the disgust over those who reject and neglect the Word. And then this new section begins with the statement, “The Lord is my portion.” Is that not beautiful?

But, is it reality for me? If the Lord is my portion, then wouldn’t He be the source of greatest satisfaction in my life? Wouldn’t I be okay even if everything else were stripped from me? Would I turn to food for stress relief? Would I grow angry over petty things? Would I lack for hope in times of despair?

I want to say that the Lord is my portion. That truly is my desire. And, that is my challenge. May my life grow more and more to the point of the Lord being my portion and may everything else steadily fade in comparison.

Always Before Me

2011-06-23T08:47:00.001-05:00

I have chosen the faithful way; I have placed Your ordinances before me. I cling to Your testimonies; Ps 119:30-31a

Oh how I love Psalm 119! I can’t read any part of it without feeling the same passion for the Word of God. The whole Psalm is an acrostic poem (in the original Hebrew) devoted to the beauty of God’s Word.

As I read Psalm 119:25-40 today, I noticed something. There are multiple steps to truly falling in love with Scripture. It takes a combination of God’s movement and our own response. First, He provides it to us, obviously. Even the most basic study of how the Bible as we know it came to be reveals a beautifully orchestrated story of the formation and preservation of God’s Word. It excites me to no end to know that He loves us so immensely that He would go to such great lengths to make sure we could hear from Him!

But, the second step is up to us. That’s where Ps 119:30-31a comes in. We have to determine that we are going to keep His Word before us at all times! I was recently discussing Bible reading and retention with some friends, and one friend commented that she has been convicted strongly of the need to not just read but memorize Scripture. And she’s so right! It’s not enough to just daily peruse God’s Word – we have to know it! It has to be in our minds and hearts. It has to be in our faces throughout the house. It has to be on our lips as we speak to our children. It has to be active within us, through us, and around us!

But, keeping the Word in front of us is not the end. The final step is once again God’s – He is the only One who truly brings Scripture to life in us!

That’s where my challenge comes in. I read the Word daily, but I don’t always actively and hungrily pursue its life within me. I am challenged to not be content with simply reading. I am challenged to instead be driven with a passion to pursuit of God through His Word. I am challenged to plead with Him to bring the Bible alive, teaching me how to keep it before me at all times.

I have the deep love for God’s Word. But it’s not enough if it’s not always before me, actively at work in my life.

Bold Bragging

2011-06-22T09:31:00.001-05:00

Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from Him a safe journey for us, our little ones, and all our possessions. For I was ashamed to request from the king troops and horsemen to protect us from the enemy on the way, because we had said to the king, “The hand of our God is favorably disposed to all those who seek Him, but His power and His anger are against all those who forsake Him.” So we fasted and sought our God concerning this matter, and He listened to our entreaty. Ezra 8:21-23

Several times in Scripture there is an interesting order of events. First, someone brags about what God is going to do, then he prays and asks God to do it. Ezra is one of those someones, but the thing that sets Ezra apart from the other examples is his honesty about how he feels after bragging about God. He is afraid and ashamed. But, he is also desperate. Now that he’s bragged about God, there’s only one thing he can do: pray to God.

Now, keep in mind, there is a huge difference between bragging about God in a worldly sense and bragging in a Biblical sense. Ezra’s bragging was based on the truth of God’s nature. If I were to brag that tomorrow God was going to drop a brand new Saturn Outlook in my driveway, that would not be Biblically-based bragging.

But, what it comes down to is this: I don’t brag about God in any sense before His hand moves. I take the cautious route. I wait until He’s done something cool and then I brag about Him.

What does that say about my faith? It’s easy to be critical of Ezra because he’s bragged about God and then he’s turned around and become afraid and ashamed because he now has to put his money where his mouth is. He now has to trust that God is going to be “favorably disposed” to this traveling entourage. But, at least he had the faith to make those statements in advance! His faith only wavered after he was stuck standing on it! I don’t let my faith get that far. I stay “safely” noncommittal, accepting that God can choose whether or not He’s going to work.

I am challenged to stop playing it “safe.” After all, it’s not really safe. It’s weak. Even worse, it’s lacking in faith. I am challenged to boldly brag about my God, in a Biblically sound manner, of course! I am challenged to get myself stuck in situations where no matter how much my faith wavers, I still have to stand on it.

Live Like I’m Loved!

2011-06-21T08:54:00.001-05:00

This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Ps 118:24

I absolutely love how beloved and well-known verses of encouragement like this come right in the middle of passages that talk about oppression, persecution, illness, and suffering of all kinds. Psalm 118 begins and ends with the goodness and lovingkindness of God surrounding a center of suffering.

So often I begin with my suffering and complaints. Then they take the middle portion as well. At the end, I try to close with praise, but I find it difficult because all I have done is pour out my complaints and sufferings. But my sufferings are not the reality. The reality is the goodness and love of God! The sufferings are just a temporary condition. God’s “lovingkindness is everlasting” (Ps 118:1, 2, 3, and 29)! How can my difficulties even hold a candle to that?

I’m reading the book The Fitting Room by Kelly Minter for a group Bible study I’m participating in. One of this week’s chapters talks about truly believing in and viewing our lives in light of the love of God. Not some ooey-gooey, ushy-gushy temporal perspective of love, but the Ps 118 form of love – eternal, powerful, solid. The kind that makes us stand up and rejoice in the day no matter what it brings, simply because God made it and He loves us!

Even just thinking about the challenge this brings to my heart makes me smile without restraint. God loves me! I am challenged to live like it! To realize that this day was created by a heart of incomprehensible love! To realize that I am the object of that love! How can I help but rejoice in this day?

Too Small

2011-06-17T07:53:00.001-05:00

He says, “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations so that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” Isaiah 49:6

My first reaction to this verse was almost giddiness. I love it that my salvation emanates from the fact that God couldn’t do something so “small” as to just bring salvation to His chosen people. He had to bring it to the whole world!

But, then I stopped to think about how the Israelites might have responded to this. Probably the same way I tend to respond when my personal relief seems to be delayed…I don’t care about the “big picture”! I’m miserable now and need Your hand to relieve me!

I am challenged to break free of that self-centered attitude when my misery is not immediately relieved. God doesn’t find my little issues too small to contemplate. On the contrary, He loves to show Himself even in the smallest of details. But, His glory is too great to limit His work to one little issue. When He works, He works grandly. I might never see the full scope of His grand plan, but He still works grandly nonetheless.

May I have the patience in my little, temporary, minor issues to wait for God’s grand plan. May I be more delighted with the prospect of His glory than with my own relief. After all, my intimate and personal relationship with Him is all the result of His refusal to limit His work to “too small a thing.”

Remember the Praise

2011-06-16T10:24:00.001-05:00

As I read Psalm 108 this morning, I felt such a joy and delight in the words and the praise that flowed from David’s pen. But then I read D.A. Carson’s commentary on the psalm, and I discovered that it is actually a combination of two others penned by David, Psalm 57 and Psalm 60. The second half of each one was cut out and then they were combined to form Psalm 108.

So, what was cut out? Well, mainly the complaints – the part that told of the pressure David was under in each situation. What was left? The praise. David frequently went from expression of extreme frustration and pain to heights of beautiful praise in his songs. Psalm 108 is the remembrance of the praise.

It was that remembrance that really struck me this morning. When I look back over my life, what do I see? What do I remember? Is it the pain? The frustration? The hurt? The anger? Or is it the praise? The work of God, no matter what the situation?

When I look back at times of past frustration, it can be so easy to feel that pain and anger rise inside me again. It sometimes seems almost inescapable. But, with Christ, it is escapable. David, the man after God’s own heart, discovered the secret. When he was in each situation, his heart inevitably turned to praise. When he looked back on each situation, it was the praise he chose to remember.

I am challenged in two ways: 1) to turn my heart to praise, even in the midst of pressure and 2) to remember the praise above the pain. The work of God’s hand is always, always, always beautiful, no matter how ugly the circumstances. That is what I long to remember. Always.

Perspective

2011-06-15T09:21:00.001-05:00

When you go out to battle against your enemies and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt, is with you. Deut. 20:1

This seems to be a logical verse. God is with us. He fights our battles. Stay in line with Him, and we’re good, right?

But then the next few verses come along. In Deut 20:5-7, the officers are instructed to go through the soldiers and dismiss those who might miss out on enjoying a new house, vineyard, or bride if they die in battle. So, God is with us and we shouldn’t be afraid, but some of us still might die? Is that not the point of being afraid in battle – being afraid of death?

First of all, I love that God wants us to enjoy life on this earth. He wants these men to enjoy at least a little time in their new homes, some of the fruit of their vineyards, and the pleasure of their wives. In fact, a new husband was not supposed to go to war until he had spent a year making his bride happy first.

But secondly, I see here that there are worse things than death. Even in the Old Testament, before Christ, there was the indication that death was not to be feared. Defeat, maybe. But not death. And defeat was only possible when the people were not in line with the will of God.

All of this challenged me in a couple of ways. First of all, it challenged me to remember to enjoy what God has placed before me. It is His gift, and He meant for my joy to be full with the combination of Him and what He’s given me. Secondly, though, I’m challenged to keep my attitudes in line with an eternal perspective. My fears, my joys, my successes, and my failures are not going to look the same from an earthly perspective as from an eternal one. May I see them with God’s eyes and remember that He is always victorious!

Persevere

2011-06-14T08:54:00.001-05:00

Today I am challenged to persevere.

As you can see, there’s no verse starting off today’s challenge. I could probably go hunt one down, but that’s not really the point today. The point today is that I’m dry. I’m tired. I’m reading God’s Word every morning and I’m journaling and praying. But, I’m going through one of those “I’ve read this before” phases. There is no exciting newness right now. l feel a bit stagnant and useless, and I can’t seem to truly connect with the truth of Scripture.

As I prayed about it all this morning, I was reminded to persevere. To take this time to review what I’ve already learned, to be reminded that God hasn’t changed, and to trust His hand in my life. He’s taught me so much. If He were to never teach me another thing in my earthly life, I could still spend a hundred years and more digesting the wealth He has already taught me!

Just typing this out helps me see all that God has done in my life. I am challenged to remember that, to persevere through it, and to continue to learn from it. If I can do that, I will continue to grow and be useful, even in the dry times.

No More Neglect

2011-06-11T10:02:00.001-05:00

Yet you have not called on Me, O Jacob; but you have become weary of Me, O Israel. Isaiah 43:22

I’m not even sure I want to type this challenge, but this verse literally reached out and burned my heart as I read it.

There are times when I just do not call upon the Lord.

Ouch! I don’t think it’s a conscious decision that states, “No, I’m not going to pray about this.” I think it’s more of a neglect. I’m not sure which is worse, to be honest: consciously stating that I’m just not going to pray about something or living in such a way as to allow me to lapse into a habit of spiritual neglect. I think the latter is more harmful to me. Why? Because with the former it is a continual, conscious battle ever before me. And, the battle always leads me back to my knees. I can’t avoid it! But, the gradual growth of neglect is easier to ignore.

I am challenged to put this tendency behind me.
I am challenged to never neglect to call upon the Lord! I want to call on Him for every little thing, even if it means being mocked for being so extreme in my dependency. I want to create such a habit of calling on Him that becoming neglectful takes intentional work – work that is never worth the effort. That’s where I want to be. That’s where I am challenged to be. It won’t happen overnight, I’m sure, but I hunger to begin work today. May I become a child who never neglects to call on my God.

The Delight of Sacrifice

2011-06-09T08:06:00.001-05:00

You may spend the money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen, or sheep, or wine, or strong drink, or whatever your heart desires; and there you shall eat in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice, you and your household. Deut 14:26

The money in this verse comes from the sale of the person’s tithe. When someone lived too far from the tabernacle/temple to transport his tithe, he could sell it, carry the money with him, and purchase a suitable replacement once he got there.

What struck me the most was the pure delight that was to surround the offering of the tithe. It wasn’t just the fulfillment of an obligation, it was literally party time! The tithe was taken to the central location of worship, others were invited (a trip to Jerusalem wouldn’t have been done alone), the Levites were included, and everyone celebrated. Yes, the tithe was given for the purpose of providing for the Levites, but the tither was not excluded. He wasn’t just supposed to hand over his sacrifice and be done. He was supposed to delight in it as well. He was supposed to rejoice. He got to be a part of the party!

I have this grand notion of sacrifice for God. But, how much do I truly participate in it? How much do I truly rejoice in my sacrifices with communal celebration? I don’t. I don’t even have a concept of this!

God is not a God of heartless demands. He is a God who wants our hearts to be full of pleasure and delight in our service to Him. I am challenged to set aside the notion of sacrifice as a somber thing. That doesn’t mean if will become natural or easy. Sacrifice is sacrifice, and it takes intentional effort. It is, by nature, hard. But, it can and should also be a thing of great rejoicing. And that is how I want it to be in my life.

Completed Joy

2011-06-08T08:33:00.001-05:00

These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete 1 John 1:4

As I read 1 John 1:1-4 this morning, I began to ponder my own pursuit of joy. I do chase after joy. I do hunger for it. But, just as there is a difference between the pursuit of happiness and the pursuit of joy, I think there is also a difference between the pursuit of joy and the completion thereof.

I’m trying to wrap my head around what it would me to have my joy be made complete. What does completed joy look like? How does it differ from the level of joy I pursue?

To be honest, many of my pursuits are still very temporal. At the very least, they are a mixture of the eternal and the temporal. But, the bottom line is that they are bound up in the things of this earth – the things that will pass away. If my joy is even partially bound to the perishable, then what will happen to that joy when the perishable perishes? It will be incomplete. In fact, it frequently is incomplete because the perishable is continually in the process of perishing.

Completed joy, at least according to my understanding, is joy that is not affixed even partially to the temporal and perishable things of this world. There is nothing in it that will ever pass away. Therefore, there is nothing that can rob even a morsel of that joy from my heart and soul.

That’s what I am challenged to chase after. I want the things that I do to be done in the pursuit of a completed joy. I honestly don’t understand with clarity what that means or how I need to change my behavior to get to that point. But, I am challenged to seek the Lord intentionally for those answers. The very thought that I could have my joy made complete just delights my very soul!

Straight to God

2011-06-06T09:26:00.001-05:00

In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die, and not live.’ ” Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord. Isaiah 38:1-2

I realized something as I read this story again today. I wouldn’t have turned straight to the Lord. Instead, I would have argued with Isaiah a little bit. I would have complained and cried and asked him if he was sure about all of this. I would have talked it out a bit and gotten a few things off my chest. Then I would have prayed.

Not Hezekiah. I honestly don’t know what he said to Isaiah at this point, but the Bible indicates that he turned his back on Isaiah and responded directly to God. God didn’t speak directly to Hezekiah – He sent His messages through Isaiah. But, that didn’t stop Hezekiah from speaking directly to God. It didn’t stop him from taking his plea straight to the only One who could really do anything about it. Isaiah was just a messenger, and Hezekiah realized that. So, he went to God.

I have something more than Hezekiah did. Not only can I talk to God directly, but I can listen to Him, too. But I still talk the ears off of my husband or my friends, letting out my frustrations before I take my case before the only One who can truly do anything about it.

I am challenged to learn from Hezekiah and go straight to God. Hezekiah’s right choice gave him fifteen more years of life. My choice to go straight to God will give me the phenomenal blessing of an intimate relationship with Almighty God. I think it’s worth it!

His Work

2011-06-05T07:26:00.001-05:00

Hear, O Israel! You are crossing over the Jordan today to go in to dispossess nations great and mightier than you, great cities fortified to heaven, a people great and tall, the sons of the Anakim, whom you know and of whom you have heard it said, “Who can stand before the sons of Anak?” Deut 9:1-2

Encouraging, right? The Israelites are already nervous, and here Moses is adding to it by reminding them just how impossible it is to defeat the sons of Anak. This would be a horrible motivating speech were it not for the next verse.

Know therefore today that it is the Lord your God who is crossing over before you as a consuming fire. He will destroy them and He will subdue them before you, so that you may drive them out and destroy them quickly, just as the Lord has spoken to you. Deut 9:3

There are a couple of ways to face very challenging situations. 1) Downplay the challenge such that it seems like it’s a piece of cake. 2) Stress and worry to no end, determined that failure is inevitable and hoping that such a truth will somehow get us out of the challenge before we have to truly face it. I’ve done both. Neither one has worked very well for me.

There is only one right way to face a challenge, and that is to stand on the truth of verses like Deut. 9:1-3. The challenges are too great for us. We cannot succeed. But God is powerful, and He will succeed.

Then, of course, there’s the rest of the chapter where Moses reminds the people to also not get the big head after the defeat of their enemies. They have to remember that it was God’s doing, not theirs.

My challenge is to step up to difficult and fearful situations with these truths in mind: 1) I can’t do it. 2) God can do it. 3) He did it for His glory. No downplaying the situation. No fretting because it’s overwhelming. And no taking credit where credit is not due. Just rejoicing in the fact that I’m His child and therefore I’m on the winning side of every battle.

His Hand

2011-06-04T07:25:00.001-05:00

He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord. Dt. 8:3

Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments and His ordinances and His statutes which I am commanding you today, otherwise…your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. Dt 8:11 & 14

There seems to be no middle ground. Either things are bad and I am whining or things are great and I grow spiritually lax, succumbing to the idolatry of relying on earthly things instead of God.

My immediate response to Deuteronomy 8 has always been to state that there are two things I need to practice: 1) quick learning so I can speed through each trial and 2) steadfastness in my dependence on God in the good times. But, as I ponder these verses more today, I think there is actually only one thing I need to practice: a hunger to learn and grow through every circumstance, embracing it as the evidence of God’s hand in my life.

The hunger told of in verse three is because of God’s loving hand. The abundance promised in later verses is also because of God’s loving hand. Discipline and provision. Teaching and supply. Whether it’s want or plenty, it is God’s lavish hand granting just what He knows we need.

So, my challenge is to start seeing God’s lavish hand behind every moment of my life, whether easy or hard. In turn, the more I see His hand, the more I must respond not with complaint or laxity, but with rejoicing in the knowledge that He loves me so much that His hand will always be upon me.

He Will

2011-06-03T08:01:00.001-05:00

There are days when I read Biblical descriptions of the wicked and feel so very convicted. It isn’t so much that I reject God and His ways in the same way they do, but I can’t help but see some of my behaviors and attitudes mirrored in their blatant rebellion.

Take 2 Peter 3:3-9, for example. This passage talks about mockers who insist that because Christ has not yet returned, and really nothing in the world has changed to show that He will, that it’s all just a fairy tale. Why should they worry about His return when all the signs, at least according to their perspective, say it’s a farce?

Now, I do not doubt the return of Jesus Christ. It will happen, and I hunger to be ready…at least, that’s what I say. But, two thoughts emerge.

If I believe that Jesus Christ will return and that it can be at any moment, do I live out that belief? Does it affect my daily life, or do I in reality live more like the mockers who don’t see evidence and therefore don’t worry about Christ’s return?
If I truly believe the overall promise that the unseen is reliable, no matter how long it is delayed, do I show the same trust in smaller matters? If I can trust that Christ is returning as He said He will, then I can trust that in today’s problem He will be faithful as well.

2 Peter 3:9 sums it all up: God has a reason for every delay. I can trust Him. My challenge is to show that trust in my every thought, action, and response. My challenge is to not see myself reflected in the behavior of the mockers but to instead stand firm as a trusting believer. His promises are true, whether related to my little daily challenges or to the grander difficulty of awaiting His return. Yes, His promises are true.

Living in Grace

2011-06-02T07:42:00.001-05:00

Cheap grace is preaching forgiveness without repentance; it is baptism without the discipline of community; it is the Lord’s Supper without confession of sin; it is absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without the living, incarnate Jesus Christ. ~Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Discipleship

I usually like to base my challenges on what I read in Scripture alone, but this quote has been mulling around in my head since yesterday. As I read Bonhoeffer’s distinction between cheap grace and costly grace, I realized just how much I fall into the habit of embracing cheap grace. Later in the discussion, Bonhoeffer offers his ideas about exactly what ways grace is both costly and free, but never cheap.

I am challenged to adjust my way of thinking. I am challenged to live out the amazing reality of costly grace. The cost to me is my life, wholly and completely. I hold so much back from God, but the more I hold the more I truly lose to death. When I live in His grace, I give my life, but I receive real and eternal life in return. That is how I want to learn to live. That is how I must learn to live. I must live a life in full obedience and abandonment to the costly grace of God. Only then will I truly live life.

Covenant with Me

2011-06-01T09:06:00.001-05:00

The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. The Lord did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, with all those of us alive here today. Dt. 5:2-3

The fascinating thing about these verses is that Moses is speaking to the generation that will enter the promised land. These are the children of those who were at Horeb forty years before. They were not physically there, yet Moses is stating here that they are actually the recipients of the covenant. In fact, as the chapter continues, Moses talks like they were the ones standing at Horeb! It all seems contradictory, as if Moses is lying or even trying to brainwash the people into believing they were there when God made the covenant at Horeb. But, if we truly contemplate what is being said here, I think Moses’ point is a very relevant one to us – to me.

God’s covenant transcends time and physical presence. It was presented through a mediator: in this case through Moses, and then fulfilled through Jesus Christ. As presented through the mediator, it is mine, whether I was physically standing in a temporally bound moment in time or not. It is made with me.

It’s easy sometimes for me to read the books of Moses and think, “Wow, God did wonderful things back then.” It’s easy to read through the Psalms and envy David’s God-given comfort. I read the prophets and think that we are free from such dire consequences even though our world is eerily similar to the Old Testament world. I look at God’s powerful hand in the New Testament church and relegate such acts to the fact that He was building His church from scratch.

In all of it, I neglect the reality that His Word is alive and it is spoken to me. I hold this book in my hands today because God’s communication and covenant is with me.

I am challenged to receive His Word in light of God’s covenant with me. It is not simply a history of the Israelites and the early church. It is not just a book. It is His interaction with me. It is personal. It is alive. And it is for me.

Reminder

2011-05-29T07:26:00.001-05:00

Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you. I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder… 2 Peter 1:12-13

I have a negative view of having to be reminded of something. If I’ve told my children something, I don’t want to have to repeat it. If I’ve been told something I want to remember it.

Unfortunately, neither I nor my children have great memories. I am forever forgetting the most obvious of information. And, it seems a common question with my children is, “How many times have you been told…?”

We just don’t have great memories.

More often than not, I buck against being reminded of spiritual truths. But, Peter had the opinion that there was no shame in reminders. In fact, he thought pretty highly of them and seemed to indicate that they could never be overdone.

I am challenged in two ways here. First, I am challenged to never be scornful of reminders God sends my way. His reminders, coming from a plethora of sources, are not exasperation on His part because of my forgetfulness. Instead, they are indications of His desire to keep His truth ever before me; fresh, encouraging, and convicting. If I am ever reminded, I am never allowed to grow stale in my obedience.

Secondly, I am challenged to never withhold reminders. Not in a nagging manner, but in an encouraging one. In this way, I am offering grace and mercy to others in the same way God offers it to me. I am being a vessel of His fresh, encouraging, and even convicting reminders to others, just as so many are that vessel to me.

Knowledge vs. Action

2011-05-27T07:09:00.001-05:00

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 2 Peter 1:2-3

When I am struggling and feeling as if I am lacking in grace and peace, I want experience. I want God to swoop down and be active in my life. Do something miraculous. Show His hand fantastically. I just want to see powerful evidence of Him and His presence in my life. And, if I am really honest about it all, I want whatever He does to be beneficial to me. That will bring peace, right?

Wrong. And in His infinite wisdom, He knows it!

That doesn’t mean God never works in my life. He does. All the time. But, He does it in a way that produces growth, not selfishness. He acts for His glory rather than for me to become a spoiled child.

What I need for grace and peace is not miraculous intervention. Instead, I need growth in knowledge and understanding of who He is. He has already proven Himself time and again throughout history. I need to know that. He has already sent His Son to give me everything I could ever need. I need to truly understand that. I need to live it.

The more I grow in an intimate knowledge of God and Jesus Christ my Lord, the more I grow in grace and peace, regardless of the nature of my circumstances. I am challenged to trust more in His nature than in His actions. May I trust in His profound love for me and His promises of eternal perfection. And in the process, may I truly know the peace that comes from such trust.

Passing the Test

2011-05-25T14:33:00.001-05:00

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation. 1 Peter 4:12-13

It always grieves my heart when I come across a verse and it leaps out at me, convicting me of something I know I’ve dealt with before. That has been the case with several things I read just this morning, and these two verses were no exception.

The context of these verses hints that the ordeal is persecution, but it does not require it. I have experienced many ordeals in my life that have not been persecution, but I am convinced they were intended for my testing. And, thanks to my whining, I know I have failed many of those tests.

I so incredibly hunger to pass the tests. Does passing the tests mean that no more ordeals will come? No, I don’t think so. Not this side of heaven. But, oh how much more of God’s glory I would see were I to walk through each ordeal rejoicing instead of whining. And oh how much greater would my rejoicing be when I do reach heaven, knowing I had rejoiced in the midst of each trial!

When the next ordeal comes around, whether big or small, I hunger to remember these verses. I hunger to rejoice. I won’t want to remember or rejoice when the time comes, but I suppose that’s why it is called a challenge.

His Praise Alone

2011-05-24T07:29:00.001-05:00

For not from the east, nor from the west, nor from the desert comes exaltation; but God is the Judge; He puts down one and exalts another. Ps 75:6-7

The verses prior to these admonish the wicked and boastful against their prideful ways. Knowing that the righteousness of Christ is what creates all goodness that is in me, I realize that I have nothing of my own to boast in. But, I still want to be pleasing. I want to behave in such a way as to commend myself. I want recognition and honor for the things I do.

My problem is that I seek the praise from the east and the west rather than from above. I seek it from men rather than from God. When I seek exaltation from man, I might as well be seeking it “from the desert” for all the good it’s going to do me. Exaltation comes only from God, and only when it works together for His glory.

Refusing to seek exaltation and praise from man is a hard challenge for me. I am a people-pleaser. God has been long shaping and molding me away from that tendency, but it is still there in many ways. I am challenged to continually to actively surrender myself to His molding , turning to Him when I desire praise from man. I hunger for the day when His praise is all that matters!

Sanctuary Minded

2011-05-23T07:01:00.001-05:00

When I pondered to understand this, it was troublesome in my sight until I came into the sanctuary of God; then I perceived their end. Ps 73:16-17

The “this” that the psalmist is pondering is the success of the wicked. Asaph begins the Psalm by indicating that he can’t help but believe that God is good to the pure in heart (Ps 73:1), but he’s seeing the wicked and also can’t help but feel envious of their success (Ps 73:3). His envy was isso great that it almost causes him to stumble in his own walk of obedience and faith (Ps 73:2). But then something profound happens. Asaph enters the presence of the Lord and sees things from God’s eternal perspective. That alone is the cure for his envy, for that alone shows him the truth.

It is so easy for me to be sick over the news of this world. Natural disasters seem to abound. War is everywhere. Our nation is literally coming apart at the seams. And through it all, those who blatantly display their hatred for God and His people seem to be flourishing even while some of God’s children suffer unspeakable horrors. The view is bleak indeed.

Meanwhile, there’s my own selfish perspective. I don’t feel well today and yet have so much to do. I could easily wallow in all of my own frustrations and face this day overwhelmed.

But, oh, what a change is wrought when I simply step into the presence of God! When I do like Asaph and enter “the sanctuary of God,” everything changes. I begin to see God’s perspective. I don’t grieve less for the suffering around me, but I see it in light of His kingdom. And I definitely don’t complain about my minor, momentary issues when I am filled with the awareness of eternity.

I am challenged to be “sanctuary minded.” I don’t have a physical temple into which I can walk these days. Instead He dwells in me, and His presence is with me continually. I am challenged to remember that every moment of the day, that I may perceive every aspect of this world through the eyes of eternity.

Commands, Not Advice

2011-05-21T09:34:00.001-05:00

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure. 1 Pet 1:1-2 (emphasis mine)

We put a lot of emphasis on coming into a relationship with Christ and being chosen for salvation. But the obedience thing is a little more uncomfortable for us. We might not admit it openly and publicly, but when we turn our teaching and preaching into relaying of suggestions from Scripture rather than commands, we are diminishing the importance of being called to obedience.

It’s comfortable to interpret what the Bible says as good, solid advice to me for living well. Then, I can simply say that I am willing to suffer the consequences of a slightly diminished quality of life in exchange for enjoying some of the things that the Bible says I should avoid. After all, it’s just advice, right?

But, if I view the Bible correctly – as God’s command to me in following Him – then choosing to act contrary to those commands is disobedience. Sin.

I am not called to have the option to live better if I will follow good advice. I am called to obedience. Period. No negotiation. No compromise. Pure obedience.

Verbally I claim to believe that God’s Word is my command for life. But, my daily actions do not live that out. I live like I’m following advice that some days I heed and other days I do not. I am called to obedience, not to heed advice. I am challenged to evaluate my life daily that I may live up to that calling and truly be a child of obedience.

This Wretched Place

2011-05-11T11:01:00.001-05:00

Why have you made us come up from Egypt, to bring us in to this wretched place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, nor is there water to drink. Numbers 20:5

I’m running a little late on the challenge post today – I had a hard time deciding what to write about. There were several things that really grabbed me this morning, but I think this one is the easiest to articulate.

This verse is very similar to many others that record the complaints of the Israelites in their journey through the desert. But, this complaint is even more unfounded than previous ones. Why? Because this is after the rebellion that condemned the Israelites to forty years of desert wandering. They were on the outskirts of the Promised Land, but instead of jumping in and grabbing the promise, they ran in fear. Their punishment? Forty years in “this wretched place.”

It wasn’t Moses’ fault they were here. It wasn’t Aaron’s fault. It wasn’t God’s fault. It was their own. Their sin. Their rebellion. They made themselves live in “this wretched place.” But, they aren’t about to take credit for it. Instead they’re just going to keep on blaming Moses, Aaron, and even God.

I complain much more than I’d care to admit. How often do I complain against God, asking Him why He has brought me to such a wretched place when, in reality, my own rebellion and sin actually carried me here?

I am challenged to be much more attentive to my complaints. God doesn’t require me to always silence the cries of my heart. But, complaining is rarely based on an accurate interpretation of my situation. I am challenged to stop, confess, and praise. Those steps just might open my eyes to His hand of forgiveness or guidance in my so-called “wretched place.”

Reckless Abandon

2011-05-09T10:00:00.001-05:00

Something new struck me in the call of Isaiah today. In Isaiah 6:8-11 we find Isaiah answering the call that God puts out and then God explaining what would happen: Isaiah would speak, but the people would not listen.

Isaiah might have said, “Whoa, wait a minute! I was caught up in the magnificence of this moment, and I didn’t double-check first to see what you were asking me to do! I think I’ll pass after all.” But he didn’t. Even if he thought it, he didn’t do it. He didn’t go back on his commitment.

I like to know what I’m getting into before I say yes to something. I like to weight the pros and cons and evaluate all the aspects. That’s all well and good when it comes to earthly commitments. I need time to make sure they are what I should involve myself in. But I too often apply that to God’s commands and calls as well.

When God calls, I need to jump in with both feet. I don’t need to know what’s coming. I don’t need to evaluate the commitment. I just need to do. To follow. To obey. I need to be like Isaiah.

I am challenged to have a willing heart, one that jumps immediately in response without having to evaluate all the pros and cons. I want to follow in reckless abandon.

Profitable Prayer

2011-05-08T07:44:00.001-05:00

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you. Hebrews 13:17

Warning: I’m going to take this a little bit out of context in sharing with you the thought that came to me when I read this. I think it is an appropriate thought process for the passage, but it definitely wouldn’t “preach.” Having said that…

There are times when I delight to pray for and pour into people and situations. Those are the times of ministry that fuel me. Excite me. Strengthen me. It happens with my family, people in my church, friends, acquaintances, and even strangers in the body of Christ for whom I get the chance to pray. I love those times.

Then there are times that are struggles in prayer and ministry. Those are the situations where stubbornness and a clinging to sin make my efforts seem like I am pressing against a brick wall that will not give no matter how much I pour into it.

I confess that there are many times with the latter group that my heart says, “Fine. You don’t want my prayers? You don’t want me to pour over you in ministry? Have it your way!” But, oh how wrong I am!!

What I do for others in prayer and action has nothing to do with how they respond. It has everything to do with how I am personally walking in obedience to my God. I am challenged to not give up. I am challenged to persevere. I am challenged to continue regardless of the outcome. Even if their hearts never turn, it will still be profitable for me in the presence of God. The only lack of profit for me is if I abandon the course.

Repentance & Sacrifice

2011-05-06T11:43:00.001-05:00

Through Him, then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. Heb 13:15

I’ve been mulling over several things over the past few days. I still don’t know if I can tie it all together in a coherent train of thought, but I’m going to try.

As I started into Isaiah a few days ago, Isaiah 1:15-20 stood out to me. God’s interaction with His people almost seems to be in two extremes. First, He tells them that He will not heed them, their prayers, or their sacrifices. Then, He calls them to abide with Him. How can that happen if He won’t hear their prayers in the first place?

Two things:

Repentance is key. The sacrifices were not received and the prayers were not heard because there was no repentance.
The verse from Hebrews comes in – once the repentance has been shown, the second key is making it all about God, not all about me. Thanksgiving and praise are due to Him.

So, how does this fit with me? First of all, I am going to be honest in a way I don’t really want to – I have not been diligent about repentance lately. I’ve caught myself just going through the motions of it and not really allowing my heart to be searched by the all-knowing, perfect God. So, I need to come back to repentance.

Secondly, I have to remember that thanksgiving and praise are not going to come naturally. Naturally I am selfish. Yes, I am made new by the blood of Christ, but I am still working out that salvation. That includes offering the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. A sacrifice is intentional. A sacrifice goes beyond what is easy and natural. A sacrifice takes an act of my will.

I have grown lax in both areas, and my immediate challenge is to shape up. Get those muscles firm again. Oh how sweet is the communion with my God when I come to Him in those ways!

Cease Striving

2011-05-03T09:06:00.001-05:00

Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. Ps 46:10

Just a few months ago I typed out a post about striving that involved this verse. I thought what I saw that day was pretty neat, but then I read the verse again this morning and saw even more.

The whole psalm is about the power that belongs to God to accomplish His will. He is able to be our refuge and help, no matter what happens around us. He is able to build up and destroy. He is able to make our hearts glad and to make the rebellious melt in fear. He is able.

After all of this description come the famous words…Cease striving (or, even more familiarly, Be still) and know that I am God…

It takes a lot of effort, energy, and strength for me to accomplish life. I work, I strive, I struggle. I try to persevere. I try to be diligent. But, at some point I wear out. I’m done. I just can’t keep up the pace. So, I falter. I fail. I lose my discipline.

The problem is that I am the one doing the striving. I’m trying to create my own refuge. I’m trying to find true abiding gladness. I’m trying to fight the mess of this world. And in doing so, I forget that He is God, and He can do it all with a thought or word.

Once again, God has to pull me back to this verse. Once again He has to remind me that He has it all under control. Why do I forget? Why do I doubt?

Today I am challenged to cease striving. Then again tomorrow. Then the next day. One day at a time until it becomes my habit. Until I don’t need to be reminded anymore because I always keep the thought before me.

Forget

2011-05-02T07:22:00.001-05:00

Listen, O daughter; give attention and incline your ear; forget your people and your father’s house. Ps 45:10

Reading this from a human standpoint, it seems a bit sad, especially in light of history. Forget your home? Forget your people? Forget your family? How is that possible? Very few stories are like Ruth’s – a passionate and willful choice to forget one’s home and totally embrace a new one.

But, when taken in context, it is revealed that this verse is, in fact, a beautiful one. Look at the next verse…

Then the King will desire your beauty, because He is your Lord, bow down to Him. Ps 45:11

This psalm is not discussing an earthly bride forgetting her family. It is about a people embracing their God. And, when we forsake what we have known and embrace our God, what awaits our total surrender is perfection! Beauty! Wonder! No deprivation, only fulfillment. No lack of love, only perfect and complete love. No robbing of a past, but provision of a perfect future. This is what we are called to when we are called to forget and wholeheartedly give.

And yet…

I don’t know about you, but I struggle with forgetting my people. Who are my people? This world. The nature of it. The things of it. The possessions that don’t satisfy. The relationships that are incomplete. Perfection awaits me, but I cling to the imperfect.

When I see it in black and white before me, I am confounded by my own stupidity in clinging to “my people.” I am challenged to incline my ear and give my full attention to my King. To truly be found beautiful in His sight as I surrender the ugliness of my home and embrace the beauty of His Son’s sacrifice for me. Oh, may I truly become His bride.

Heard it from Me

2011-05-01T07:24:00.001-05:00

O God, we have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us the work that You did in their days, in the days of old. Ps 44:1

I love it when a passage of Scripture both challenges me and thrills my heart. Much of Psalm 44 is a plea to God, begging Him to reveal Himself again and to no longer forsake His people. But, the first eight verses have a different ring – the ring of praise for what God has done and the realization that they, as God people, know what He has done because the stories have been passed down to them from generation to generation.

While my absolute favorite stories to share are the examples of how God has worked in my own life and immediate family, the stories my parents have lived are a close second. I am proud to be a part of the heritage of what God has done in their lives. It is a delight to me to know that I can pass that same heritage down to my own children, thus seeing their faith strengthened as they begin to walk their own journeys of faith.

But, in all of this lies a challenge as well. There are so many times in Scripture when it seems that God works so amazingly in one generation, but then the next generation literally falls apart as if they don’t know God at all. I firmly believe it is because the Israelites failed to talk to their children. They just proceeded on the assumption that their children would know, and they failed to actively teach. So, instead of following the amazing, almighty, wonderful God of their fathers, they turned dramatically and completely away from Him.

I am challenged to be sure that my children hear of the works of God from my lips. That they learn of His wonders from my teaching. That my story becomes their own, one which they can stand proudly on because they know that the same God is active in their lives as well. May my children one day be able to claim the words of Ps 44:1 as their own – that they heard of His wonders from me.

Re-evaluate

2011-04-29T07:39:00.001-05:00

“How, then, shall members of the new covenant, in their call to be holy, dedicate themselves wholly to God, avoid all that belongs to the realm of death, and be slaves to no one and nothing save Jesus?” D.A. Carson – thoughts on Numbers 6

In Carson’s discussion on the Nazirite vow, he took the three abstinences of the Nazirite and pointed out three reasons for those abstinences.

1) The uncut hair during the period of the vow was a physical symbol of being wholly dedicated to God.

2) The need to avoid all interaction with anyone who had died signified full focus on service to the living God.

3) The abstinence from anything related to grapes, from fruit stage to wine stage, showed a refusal to be controlled in thought or action by anything other than the Spirit of God.

Then Carson closed with the above question, one which really made me stop and think: how do I set myself apart?

I’m not asking how I can be a Christian Nazirite, and I don’t think that’s what Carson was alluding to either. But, I am to be set apart. To be different. How am I living that out right now?

Every now and then this question comes up for me: am I living as one who is set apart from this world? How can I do so even more? I think maybe it accompanies times when I am caught up in restlessness that I try to satisfy in temporal ways. Or, it comes when I’m settling comfortably into a life of spiritual complacency. Or it might also simply arise when it’s time to take another step in my spiritual growth.

Whatever the season, I’m rechallenged today to contemplate where I am in relation to being set apart. Where have I faltered? Where have I relaxed? And where do I need to take a new step forward to be set apart even more?

Right View of Sin

2011-04-28T07:49:00.001-05:00

For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin. Hebrews 12:3-4

Ouch.

First of all, my tendency toward discouragement and lack of perseverance takes on much more significance when I read verse three. Why don’t I fully grasp what Jesus’ death on the cross means? It is salvation to the fullest. Salvation from the full significance of sin. I think sometimes I fail to realize just how much effect sin has on me. Growing weary, losing heart, and failing in perseverance are effects of sin. Anything that keeps me from the fullness of perfection is sin. Anything. And Jesus suffered and died so that I could be free from that. So that I could persevere. Oh how I must remember!

Then there’s verse four. Double ouch. When I see this statement I realize just how little I fight against sin. I don’t often even fight to the point of discomfort, much less to the point of shedding blood.

My awareness of sin is so dulled. I rarely truly stop and perceive it from God’s perspective. I say I do. I say I want to. But then I fall right back into a worldly view of my sin.

I am challenged to wake up. I am challenged to truly fight it, no matter what the cost. I am challenged to not mock the beautiful, perfect, and exceedingly costly sacrifice of Christ by losing heart and growing weary. I am challenged to instead walk in the amazing victory He has provided through that gruesome death. Oh, may I not grow weary!

Perseverance

2011-04-27T08:46:00.001-05:00

(Just a note – the tornadic activity from last night’s storm system was much less of an event than was expected. Praise the Lord! We even got a good night’s sleep without only a few brief interruptions – none of which required taking cover. )

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Hebrews 12:1

Now that I’m at the end of the faith chapter, I read this verse and have to stop to truly ask myself:

What is it that keeps me from being like these people?

What are my encumbrances? What sin do I let get in the way? There is much that I struggle with, but one of the first things that comes to mind is my lack of perseverance. Hebrews 11:32-38 provides a horrifying list of the things some of these heroes endured. We can read their stories and know they had rough times – days when they wanted to give up, quit, and even die to avoid any more of the challenge of their ministry, ranging anywhere from unheeding listeners to physical torture. But, they didn’t give up. They persevered.

I, on the other hand, have a tendency to be strong to a point and then just fall apart. I lack in perseverance. I start off relying on God’s strength. Then I pull back and try to rely on my own. But when mine fails me, I don’t lean on God’s again – I just falter. I don’t persevere.

If I want to be like these heroes, I have to learn to persevere in God’s strength. That is my active challenge. That is the first step to heed the instructions of Hebrews 12:1.

Let Go

2011-04-25T09:09:00.001-05:00

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; it was he to whom it was said, “In Isaac your descendants shall be called.” He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type. Hebrews 11:17-19

Oh how much I need to learn about faith. When I reread passages like Hebrews 11, I am reminded just how much I still have to learn.

As I read these verses about Abraham today, I was confronted with the reminder that I don’t let go of things well. Several years ago I first heard Rebecca St. James sing the song “I Can Trust You.” The lyrics resonated so deeply in me, reminding me that I fight that exact same battle of trust on a daily basis.

Reading Abraham’s story in Genesis reminds me that Abraham struggled with those same trust issues himself. But, in the end he always came out faithful. And because of that, we find these verses about him in Hebrews.

I am challenged to take a daily analysis of what I am refusing to surrender. And, it has to be daily. In fact, it probably needs to be hourly. I cling to so much. If I cling to the littlest and most insignificant things, how hard would I cling were I to be placed in Abraham’s situation?

Not only do I need to analyze what I cling to, but then I need to take active steps to let go. Daily. To make it a habit that stays with me for the rest of my earthly life.

I can trust Him. Period. Even if it means letting go of that which seems to hold the key to all I’ve been promised. I can trust Him.

Challenge: Eternal Faith

2011-04-23T06:57:00.001-05:00

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1

Oh how many things have been preached, taught, and emphasized about faith, many based on this very verse! I’ve frequently struggled with faith as I’ve encountered people who have approached faith on any level of extreme from “if I believe it, it will happen” to “if I ask outside of God’s will, it’s not faith, so I won’t even ask” and everything in between. Where is truth?

As I have slowly poured through Hebrews 10 and 11, I have realized one of my issues with faith. I try to connect faith to the temporal. I’m not through Hebrews 11 yet, but based on both my memory of previous studying and on what I’ve read so far this time, I think it’s safe to say that the author of Hebrews is connecting each of these examples of faith to eternal things, not temporal.

There are things I’d love to have. But, where are my desires rooted? Are they rooted in what God has promised, or are they rooted in my own temporal desires? Do I desire stuff, events, or orchestrations of life simply because they would make things easier and more pleasurable for me, or because God has placed those desires in my life so as to more greatly fulfill His ultimate plan?

The latter is what I see in Hebrews 11. Now, were the motives of each of these heroes of the faith always pure? No! We can see that clearly with a read through the Old Testament. But, the desires mentioned were from God, and perfect hope in them was available.

It’s so hard sometimes to see how to apply this, but I think I know where I need to start. I think I need to start with a daily evaluation of what I hope for. Is what I hope for based on an eternal home or this temporal one? Is it based on furthering God’s kingdom or making my own more comfortable and pleasurable? I desire to begin hoping for a country of my own (Heb 11:14). I hunger to truly learn what it means to live by this faith.

Already Among Them

2011-04-20T08:18:00.001-05:00

But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul. Heb 10:39

It’s amazing to me how some verses can almost seem to disappear around well-known and popular passages of Scripture. Like Hebrews 10:39. This is the verse that leads into the famous faith chapter, a chapter which I have long known and been familiar with. But somehow I’ve never paid much attention to Heb 10:39.

My perspective on Hebrews 11 has always been one of, “These are the heroes of the faith. Be like them. Imitate them. Learn from them. In doing so, you will learn to be full of faith as they were.” And, I believe that perspective is Scripturally valid. But, this lead-in verse indicates something more.

It indicates that we are already an active part of the heritage of faith. It says that “we are…of those who have faith.” If we are walking with Christ, we are already in this company! The difference is that we already have the promise that they looked forward to in their walks of faith. We have the salvation. We have the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We have the written Word of God.

That challenges my way of thinking. It is one thing to strive to be like these heroes of the faith. It is another to be considered among them. Like the recipients of Hebrews, I am of the community of faith. I simply need to act like it. To walk in confidence and with endurance (Heb 10:35-36). I can’t truly put into words how that mentality changes my perspective, but I know it does.

I am challenged to walk in that perspective. To realize that life is more than just striving to imitate these people, but it is learning to walk alongside them, co-heirs of the inheritance of the promise.

Faithfulness & Contentment

2011-04-19T08:38:00.001-05:00

A lot in my reading for this morning pointed to faithfulness. First, I was reading Hebrews 10. The author of this book is reminding his readers of their faithfulness during persecution, admonishing them to continue in that same faithfulness.

Then I flipped back to Isaiah. As I started chapter two, I noticed the references to the wealth of the Israelites. How they put faith in their plentiful provision and ease of life rather than in the God who had given it all to them.

I have a pretty easy life. Sure, we’ve struggled in the past. Sure, there are areas where we continue to struggle. But, all in all, my life is pretty secure and, in truth, has been for pretty much my entire life.

I confess I really like life to be easy. But, as I read Hebrews 10 and Isaiah 2, I see how an easy life can be hazardous to my spiritual health.

When Paul talks of learning the secret to contentment in Phil 4:12, I think it is important to realize that it’s as much of a challenge to be faithfully content in want as in need. In both times, there is much temptation to stray from God’s hand of provision. From doing things His way.

I don’t want to ask for persecution. But, I want to learn the contentment secret. I want to be faithful in both the easy life and in whatever persecution or suffering I may face on this earth. I don’t want any aspect of my life to rely on how comfortable my circumstances are. That is my challenge: faithfulness and contentment, no matter what.

Preparation & Prayer

2011-04-18T07:23:00.001-05:00

I love the story of Hezekiah, king of Judah. Today as I read of the seige of Jerusalem by Assyria during Hezekiah’s reign, two things stood out to me.

1. Hezekiah prepared. Years before the siege, he began his rule with a renewed focused on trust in and obedience to God and God alone (2 Kings 18:1-7). He became a trustworthy and reliable king to the people. So, in 2 Kings 18:36, we find that when the king anticipated the verbal attacks from the Assyrian commander and commanded the people to not say a word in response, they trusted and obeyed.

2. Hezekiah prayed. Before the siege ever began, he had tried to appease the Assyrians with silver and gold (2 Kings 18:14-16), and he saw that accomplished nothing. So, he didn’t try to go reason with them more. He also didn’t try to go bolster the people again. He knew that now was the time for prayer (2 Kings 19:1, 14). And God, pleased with the fact that Hezekiah had come to Him, answered.

Two things I am challenged with:

1. I know tough times, challenges, and attacks are coming. But, do I prepare? Do I prepare myself? Do I prepare my children? Do I prepare jointly with my husband? Am I prepared in such a way that, whatever may happen, we are immediately able to fall back on the Lord?

2. What is my first response in a time like this? Usually it is to fret and worry verbally at least a little bit, letting off a little steam before I lay it all before the Lord. What if I were to turn to the Lord first? How much quicker would I find His peace and wisdom to deal with every challenge?

I am challenged to, like Hezekiah, be both prepared and prayerful, no matter what the attack may be.

Futility vs. Fulfillment

2011-04-17T07:02:00.001-05:00

As I continue through Hebrews, it’s hard to really formulate much in my journal writing. But, as I process through Hebrews 10, a few things are coming together in my mind.

For several chapters, the author of Hebrews has been discussing things that really are foundational to our faith – things that are almost second nature to me. The priesthood of Christ. No need for blood sacrifice anymore. The abolition of the division between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place, therefore creating an open and direct channel between us and God. While these things were new to Jewish believers and went against the grain of all they had believed for generations, they are actually the concepts that our understanding is built upon.

The first thing that came to mind was that these concepts would not be our foundation were it not for teachings such as Hebrews. It’s easy to take the familiar for granted, but I am reminded to be continually thankful for the provision of God’s Word, no matter how familiar it may be. The fact that it is familiar is based upon great sacrifice in and of itself! Many people gave their lives that I may have this Bible.

But then I finally managed to press deeper – something my brain has not been greatly willing to do this week, thanks to a lovely head cold. When I pressed deeper, I saw so many similarities between the Jewish Christians of the early church and our own church. We claim to believe in the once-and-for-all sacrifice of Christ Jesus, but we live as if we still cling to the old sacrificial system; maybe not in blood sacrifice, but in sacrifice of deeds. We still feel the need to do something for our own salvation, something to compensate for our sin – something more than the sacrifice of Jesus.

I know I do. If I snuggle enough with my kids, I can atone for yelling at them. If I am diligent to get up early every morning this week, I can use that to balance out any time I waste during the day. If I pray diligently for an hour, that will make up for the fact that I didn’t control my thoughts enough yesterday. If I work hard enough at this, I can overcome that shortcoming. If I do enough good in this area, I can make up for the bad I did in that area.

I am reminded through this week’s reading in Hebrews that my obedience is not about making an acceptable sacrifice. My obedience is about pouring out my love to my Savior. He was my sacrifice. There is nothing I can do to enhance that – it was perfect to begin with. My diligence will in no way make up for my failures. But, when done out of a heart of love, my diligence will draw me closer to my Savior in a beautiful relationship – the one for which I was created.

My challenge is “simple”: to change the motivation behind any good thing I do. To act out of love for the pleasure of my Savior, not as an attempt to continue offering sacrifices. The latter is futility. The former is fulfillment.

Act

2011-04-14T07:54:00.001-05:00

In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them. 2 Chron 29:3

I absolutely love 2 Chron 29-30. Every time I read these chapters, I am filled with excitement. But, even my great excitement is only a miniscule portion of the excitement that must have been felt by the participants of this fantastic Passover celebration.

And it was all because one man was obedient to go ahead and do what he knew was right without hesitation.

Hezekiah didn’t waste any time when his reign started. He jumped right in and reopened the temple because he knew that was the right path. He didn’t wait for all of the priests and advisors to come on board with his plan. In fact, the priests had to rush to consecrate themselves just to catch up with the plan! Hezekiah knew what he needed to do and did it. He acted. He moved. And the results were phenomenal.

True, he was a king with a lot of influence, but I still have to wonder: what would happen if I would move with such determination? There are a lot of iffy scenarios before me that leave me wondering what path is right. But, there are many more things of which I am certain. And yet, I don’t act on those things.

I am challenged to change that. There are enough things I know I can do – there’s no reason to be stymied by those things I don’t know. I can still act. There were a lot of things Hezekiah still had to figure out, but he started where he knew he had to start. May I be determined enough to do the same.

Set Apart

2011-04-10T07:18:00.001-05:00

Reading Isaiah is unsettling. So much of the attitudes and chaos of Isaiah’s world are reflected in our own today. Thanks to passage after passage of interaction between God and Isaiah, we know how God feels about many things that are reflected in today’s society. And we know that judgment will not be withheld forever.

But I love Isaiah 8:9-22. It pulls me in. It calls to my heart. It gives me a hunger to be set apart. In these verses, God tells Isaiah how to handle the chaos of his society. How to handle the fact that everything is falling apart. He tells Isaiah to be different. To fear God, not circumstances. To wait for the Lord, even when He and His hand are not visible. To teach his children and lead his entire household to be set apart. To trust the Word of God above all else.

To be set apart.

So often I get caught up in the fear of what is going on in this day. I struggle with wanting everything to be right and good. But thanks to sin, it isn’t. So, how do I walk through this life without being paralyzed by fear? I do so by not allowing myself to be caught up in the world’s responses, but by instead living according to the truth of God’s Word.

I am challenged to be set apart.

I am challenged to fear God, not circumstances. To wait for the Lord, even when I cannot see Him or the work of His hand. To be different along with my entire household. And to trust God’s Word above all else. Armed with this attitude, I can joyfully walk through the most heartbreaking of circumstances, knowing that my God is in control in perfection and holiness, and His will will be accomplished.

Imitating

2011-04-09T09:49:00.001-05:00

And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Hebrews 6:11-12

I love reading about heroes of the faith. Beyond the heroes in Scripture, there are several more modern heroes about whom I have read and learned. Oh how I’d like to be like them! Oh how I like to follow in their footsteps of passion and servitude to God.

As I pondered these verses in Hebrews this morning, especially in the context of what I’ve been learning as I work through chapter six, I realized that I have long had an incorrect approach in my attempts to imitate these heroes of mine.

You see, I have this misunderstanding that if I can be just like them then the diligence and discipline that they had is sure to follow. According to these two verses, however, that’s backwards. The crazy thing is that my approach was not at all rational, but it’s the way I’ve been trying to do things for years.

I am challenged to turn that around. Remembering the lives of those heroes, their first steps were simple obedience. Nothing fancy. Nothing near perfection of attitude or action. Just knowing what God was telling them to do and doing it. But, the key with them was that they didn’t just obey in one or two aspects of their lives. They put everything they were into that obedience. Everything. Rather than taking a step of obedience and then continuing on with their day, their day became all about that obedience.

May I be obedient in that way. May I take what I have learned and act on it, pressing on toward maturity (Heb 6:1). May I make my life about obedience rather than obedience simply being one aspect of my life. And in doing so, may I become like my heroes – fully surrendered to God in every second of my earthly life.

Perseverance in Prayer

2011-04-08T07:49:00.001-05:00

But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way. Hebrew 6:9

On March 1, 1997, an F5 tornado ripped through the town of Arkadelphia, AR, where I was a college student. Two days later as I stood in what remained of a family’s house and attempted to help clean up the mess, I felt overwhelmed. Claustrophobic in wide open spaces. Completely lost in the middle of friends and familiar places.Physically sick though I was healthy. The massive weight of uncertainty and problems that had no immediate end pressed down on my shoulders with an almost unbearable impact. I had lost nothing, experienced no damage. Yet, I might as well have lost as much as that family did.

Over the years, I’ve struggled with interceding for others for the same reason. Although I passionately love to be part of prayer that girds others up in a struggle, I frequently struggle just as I did after the tornado when I don’t know how or when the mess is going to be cleared away. I know it will happen, but the mess itself is such a weight on my soul that leaves it hard for me to persevere.

Just this morning the overwhelmed feeling hit me as I looked at my prayer list. Houses that won’t sell. Marriages that are struggling. Unending sickness stealing life away. Sin and selfishness destroying lives and families. The weight can be crushing. And, to be honest, the temptation can be to just lay a blanket prayer across the list so that I don’t have to interact too deeply with the pain. Instead, I cried out to the Lord to give me a persevering heart in prayer.

Then I read Hebrews 6. The first half of the chapter just weighed me down more. Such discouragement! But then comes the pivotal verse 9. We are convinced of better things. The chapter ends with a discussion of the hope that we have for those who belong to Him.

So often my prayers are caught up in the despair of current circumstances. Perseverance in prayer comes when I am caught up instead in the joy of hope. The hope that comes from the peace of God. The hope that comes when I keep my eyes on Him instead of the circumstances. That is my challenge – to remember to focus on His hope rather than the circumstances. Only then can I find perseverance in prayer.

Thoughts

2011-04-06T08:33:00.001-05:00

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Phil 4:8

I’m greatly struggling with my thoughts this week. Not necessarily bad thoughts. Just busy thoughts. Writing stories and blog posts in my head. Imagining conversations. Flitting from this to that. Very little grounding. It’s amazing how we can be sucked in by busyness in our heads as much as in our physical activity.

The thing about Phil 4:8 is that it is not a laundry list of what I should not think about. Never once does it tell me to avoid allowing my thoughts to go where they’ve recently been going. But, it does tell me where my thoughts should go. It’s easy for my thoughts to not be technically bad but still miss the target. To excessively ponder things that distract me from keeping my heart and mind focused on my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and His glory.

There are too many prayer needs, too many disciplinary needs with my children, too many things that need to be studied, heard, and done to be caught up in my selfish thought world. So, I am challenged to regain the discipline of running my every thought through Phil 4:8. I’ve been here before. I’ll be here again. It’s a constant battle and striving to make sure that my thoughts are controlled. But my prayer is that today’s challenge to regain the discipline will make me that much stronger to resist the next bout of temptation to loosen the grip of control on my thoughts. May I truly grow.

Maturity

2011-04-05T09:11:00.001-05:00

Concerning Him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. Hebrews 5:11

Ouch. No one wants to be told, “I can’t really explain this to you because you just won’t get it!” Over and over we tell our children not to say the “s” word to other people, calling them stupid or dumb. But, that’s essentially what the writers of Hebrews is doing. He’s telling is audience that they’ve let themselves grow too dumb to learn. Too dull to truly hear the truth about Jesus Christ. The verses that follow this one aren’t any more pleasant in their accusations of immaturity.

What is interesting to me is that is seems that the recipients of Hebrews haven’t always been at this place in their learning and growing. They started as babes, but apparently they grew past that point and then fell back. Verse 11 states that they have “become dull of hearing.” In verse 12 we see that they “have need again” for basic teaching and “have come to need milk and not solid food.” (all emphasis mine)

While we cannot lose our salvation, we can lose our growth. We can revert and fall from where we have been and should be. In what areas have I slid? Are there things in my life where I show less maturity than I did a year ago? Five years ago?

Read Heb 5:14: But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil. Maturity doesn’t just come to us. We have to work for it. We have to train in it. I have to work for it.

I am challenged to examine my life and make any changes necessary to be able to fit the description of verse 14, not verse 11. May I be spiritually discerning, not dull of hearing.

Interact

2011-04-04T08:51:00.001-05:00

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

I’ve long known the truth of Psalm 84:10 (scroll over the reference to read the verse), but more on the level of knowing for a fact that the presence of God is better than anywhere else. But, there’s a difference between knowing that fact and truly experiencing the reality.

I’m learning more and more that the one day in His courts seems most real to me when reading the Bible seems to stir something in me I cannot explain. I can honestly say that one moment of interaction last night with a single phrase in John was fuller than a thousand other moments combined. There was an amazing combination of conviction, stirring, joy, and peace that I cannot put into words. It was not an emotional response. It was not a physical response. It was a spiritual treasure as I knew the word of God was truly piercing my very soul.

The thing is, those moments can be frightening. When we really interact with God, we cannot help but know the fear of Him – the only fear that Scripture acknowledges as truly legitimate. It is no coincidence or accident that the writer of Hebrews follows up Heb 4:12 with the discussion of our personal High Priest Jesus Christ, His amazing interaction with us, and our ability to draw near to the throne of God with confidence – all thoughts that remind us that the fear of God should not ever separate us from Him.

I’m not sure exactly how to express this challenge. I suppose it comes down to this: I am challenged to more fully interact with the Word of God. To not shy away from the sword as it pierces my very soul. To remember that with the fear and pain of the piercing also comes the perfect peace and joy of that moment, that “one day” in His courts.

Challenge: Community

2011-03-31T07:24:00.001-05:00

But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Heb 3:13

This verse comes in the middle of an exegesis of sorts of Ps 95:7-11. The passage from Psalms discusses the rebellion of the Israelites that caused an entire generation to die in the wilderness instead of entering the Promised Land. An entire community destroyed because of the way they rallied together. They agreed with one another. Supported one another. Incited one another to disobedience.

And yet, even in the middle of this discussion, the author of Hebrews insists that community is beyond important – it is essential to the avoidance of sin.

As I read this, I see a couple of challenges. First, I am reminded of the obvious: the most ideal place for me to be is within a community of believers who will encourage and challenge me. There are times when we are called to walk this journey alone, and we must be able to have what we need to rely on Him in those times. But, we were created for communion and fellowship. I am challenged to diligently open myself up to communion and accountability.

Secondly, however, I am reminded of the extreme importance of quality in my community. The Israelites as a whole chose to side with the ten spies rather than with Joshua and Caleb. They chose community that was founded on fear, not on the promises of God. My encouragement must come from and be given to those who are hungry to receive and live in the promises of God. If they are not, I will be sped toward sin’s deceitfulness rather than be deterred from it.

Community is beautiful. Right and godly community is essential. That is what I seek.

Pay Attention!

2011-03-29T09:05:00.001-05:00

For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do no drift away from it. Heb 2:1

I backtracked a little today. I felt like I was just flying through the first couple of chapters of Hebrews and not really taking it in, so I went back and reread the first part of chapter 2. I think maybe those thoughts are part of why Hebrews 2:1 stood out to me so distinctly.

I have a tendency to learn something new, be wowed by it, and then move on with my life, practically forgetting the wonderful new lesson. It’s not enough for me to be initially wowed. I must be changed! It must become a part of who I am. Otherwise, what is the point of the learning?

So, today’s challenge is a simple one: pay attention. Remember. Practice. Make what I learn a part of my life that I may not drift away from the things I have been taught. It’s not enough to think it’s a great lesson, type out a few words about it, and then move on with my life. It’s only sufficient when I truly let it make a difference in my life.

All Things

2011-03-28T06:51:00.001-05:00

“You have put all things in subjection under His feet.” For in subjecting all things to Him, He left nothing that is not subject to Him. But now we do not yet see all things subjected to Him. Hebrews 2:8

How would I approach life differently if I truly believed that all things were subject to Christ Jesus, even when I can’t see that truth? All things. Every last little incident. Every person. Everything. The effects of that truth are tremendous.

It is hard to even begin to organize the thoughts rolling around in my head right now. There are several things we’ve dealt with lately that have either seemed too frustrating or too trivial to have been subject to His authority. Looking back on them now, I see the absurdity of even thinking that! Yet that is how I handled them - on my own with the influence of my own attitude. How could He have been more greatly glorified in me had I approached those things as being subject to Him?

I can’t go back and fix the attitude I’ve had in the past. I can’t change how I have approached life so far. But, I can change where I go from here. I am challenged to remember on a minute by minute basis that, whether I can see it or not, all things are subject to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. There is no exception. I cannot even begin to imagine the change that will be wrought in my life if I remember to live in that understanding.

Tested

2011-03-26T06:57:00.001-05:00

I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints. Philemon 1:4-5

The book of Philemon seems to be full of flattery and manipulation as Paul attempts to speak for the slave Onesimus. It makes me want to study the traditions and practices in the first century Roman world to get a little more background on why Paul’s letter was written this way.

But, regardless of Paul’s foundation for such flattery, verses four and five made me wonder how I would respond in Philemon’s situation.

Paul indicates that he has heard of Philemon’s love toward his fellow believers. Onesimus left Philemon as a thieving pagan slave. He is desiring to return as a repentant Christian brother. Will Philemon’s love for fellow believers extend even in this situation? It comes down to a test of character. Is Philemon’s love really genuine? Will he still show it when the situation hits very close to home?

It is easy for me to hold up certain standards and be known for certain qualities. But, there will always come a time when those standards are challenged. When those qualities are questioned. How will I respond? Will I be consistent and true, or will I falter because it hits too close to home?

I am challenged to be the type of person who is not only willing to stand firm in purity of character when it is easy, but also when it requires personal sacrifice and risk. I am challenged to live in such a way that when I am tested like Philemon was, there can be confidence that I will respond with full godliness.

Trust & Confidence

2011-03-24T06:17:00.001-05:00

This is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and profitable for me. Titus 3:8

Yesterday I received a spiritual knock upside the head with this verse. Paul uses the phrase “this is a trustworthy statement” in multiple places in Scripture, typically referring to a segment of what he has said. But, as I read the phrase yesterday I was reminded that all of Scripture is trustworthy.

My typical response to such a reminder would be, “Well, of course all of Scripture is trustworthy.” What I believe is rooted in my acceptance of the infallibility of the Bible as the Word of God. But, as I think a little deeper I am reminded that there is, in fact, a difference between believing that the Bible is 100% true and inerrant and personally living out the trustworthiness of God’s Word in my own life. I can even believe and teach wholeheartedly the trustworthiness of God’s Word for other people without truly living it out for myself.

In the specific context of Titus 3:8, the trustworthiness of this “statement” is what allows God’s children to speak boldly and with confidence. I don’t speak confidently and teach with boldness because I don’t trust the Word of God. Ouch.

Two things challenge me here. First, I can trust God’s Word. It is true for others, and it is true for me. Period. And I have to live out that trust. Secondly, my authority is found is God’s Word. I am often not confident to speak boldly because I get caught up in one thought: Who am I really to tell other people how they should live? I don’t have that kind of authority! True, I don’t. But God does. And if I am speaking the truth of His Word then I am not speaking on my authority. I’m speaking on His. That means I have to be very careful to only speak the truth of His Word, but it also means I can speak with full confidence.

Bondservant

2011-03-22T07:45:00.001-05:00

I’m not sure that a distinct verse stands out to me today as much as a thought. I could possibly trace the idea back to Titus 2:9-10 where Paul is giving Titus instructions regarding the teaching of slaves. But, really, my thoughts go beyond that.

Doug and I watched Spartacus last week, spread out over the course of about three days. The character that seemed to have the most depth was Varinia, the fictional wife of Spartacus. Regardless of her personal feelings or desires, regardless of her joy or pain, Varinia served. Diligently. Patiently. Fully. Whether she was slave or free, she served.

It is easy to compartmentalize my life into being slave to sin versus free in Christ. But, when I think of life that way, how often do I throw off any attitude of complete servitude? How often do I determine that, because I am “free” I can do it all my own way?

When I have that attitude toward my daily life, I grow selfish. And, to be honest, everything begins to slide. I can no longer be the wife I am supposed to be. I do not excel as a mother or teacher. My house is not kept and my schedule falls apart. As I look back at Titus 2:9-10, I can clearly see that were I to truly consider myself as a bond-servant to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I would be much more useful to Him both in attitude and deed. And, in all honesty, usefulness to Christ is the only true usefulness in this life.

I am challenged to have the daily attitude of a slave of Christ, to truly be His in every aspect of life.

Bold Authority

2011-03-21T06:53:00.001-05:00

These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you. Titus 2:15

It’s hard for me to think of myself as having any authority – any reason why others should listen to me and have any regard for what I say. Although I know my spiritual gifts practically insist that I be in positions of spiritual training and leadership, I struggle with having the boldness that is required to exude authority. I am growing in certain arenas, but I still struggle overall.

There is evidence to support the idea that Titus, like Timothy, was considered young at this time. What authority could he have as the leader of the church?

The same I have: the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ and Almighty God.

As long as I teach sound doctrine (Titus 2:1), I am teaching with the authority of Christ and His Word. It is not my own, but it is more than sufficient to be bold and to make a definite claim that what I speak should not be disregarded.

I am challenged to walk in that bold authority. While it is important to make sure that I do not become cocky or proud, trying to claim the authority as my own, it is essential that I stand in the authority of Christ if I am to effectively minister with the gifts He has granted me.

But as for you…

2011-03-20T07:20:00.001-05:00

But as for you, speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine. Titus 2:1

But as for you…

When I hear those words, I know the humbling is coming. When I hear those words, I know that I have been comparing myself to other people. I know that I have either looked at other people for my standards or I have become proud. While there is nothing wrong with admiring human heroes, Christ alone is my standard. When I move my eyes from that, I hear the words, “But as for you…”

Set in context, I can almost see the wide range of Paul’s meaning when he tells Titus to “speak the things that are fitting for sound doctrine.” The words are set between discussion of unsound doctrine and practical instruction for the church. The “sound doctrine” isn’t simply a part of preaching the gospel, but a part of living everyday life with Christ as standard. It seems to be about everything we do.

I am hearing “but as for you” this morning and seeing some adjustments I need to make. I am challenged to remember to hold Christ alone as my standard and to make everything I say and do about sound doctrine.

The Faith of Others

2011-03-16T07:21:00.000-05:00

Paul, a bond-servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness. Titus 1:1 (emphasis mine)

What would happen if I were to stop traveling this journey called life for my own edification? For my own growth? What would happen if I were to stop seeing everything I face, whether joy or struggle, as a lesson or preparation for me?

As I both memorize Philippians and continue through the Pauline letters, I see very frequently how Paul’s life is poured out for others. His heart is for ministry to them. Their growth. Their edification. And he endured much in the process. On his own, Paul would have preferred to simply be done with this life and be with Christ (Phil 1:21). But, he continued to persevere for the sake of others (Phil 1:24-25).

So often as I walk through life, the question I ask is, “What am I going to learn from this?” Or maybe, “How can I respond to this so that God is glorified through me?” Or even, “What is God preparing me for through this situation?”

I wonder what would happen if I would change my focus? If I were to think about the salvation, growth, and edification of others instead of simply contemplating myself?

I know that my growth is essential. But, I am challenged to make my own growth and edification less prominent and to be reminded that God is using me to grow the faith of others as well. As I consider pouring myself out for the faith of someone else, perseverance begins to take on a whole new meaning.

My Responsibility

2011-03-14T08:05:00.001-05:00

For a time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelists, fulfill your ministry. 2 Tim 4:3-5

It breaks my heart when I think of the reality of 2 Tim 4:3-4 in our churches today. There are so many people who just don’t want to listen to truth. What a sad testimony!

Two of my strongest spiritual gifts are teaching and exhortation. Helping to instruct and guide others in their faith is what fuels me. The fact that people don’t want to listen or learn absolutely breaks my heart. I cannot fathom it. And, it often deflates me. I don’t want to continue teaching if they don’t want to learn.

Other people’s lack of desire to learn truth, however, does not excuse me from exercising the gifts God has placed upon me. I cannot lay aside my ministry simply because what I say is not what some people want to hear. I can’t help but think of Isaiah. As God calls Isaiah, He explicitly informs him that the people will not listen to him. They will have hard hearts and will reject truth. (Is 6:9-10) That was at the beginning of Isaiah’s call.

Timothy was not instructed to make people listen. He was instructed to fulfill the ministry God had placed on Him. I am challenged in the same way. Whether people listen or not, I am to exercise the gifts God has placed upon me. That is my responsibility. He will take care of the rest.

Continuing

2011-03-13T07:29:00.001-05:00

For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. 2 Tim 4:6

As I read 2 Tim 4:6 and the immediately surrounding verses, I was struck by the comfort Paul must have had in being able to confidently depart and know that the ministry would still be continued.

But then I finished 2 Tim 4 and saw something else. Paul might have felt that his death was imminent, but he also didn’t simply hand over the reigns and be done. 2 Tim 4:9-22 reads like a work memo.

Here’s where everyone is and what they are doing. We need to make sure to keep tabs on them so we know what gaps need to be filled.
I need these papers, documents, books, etc., to continue in what I’m doing since I’m stuck here.
Oh, and Mark “is useful to me for service,” so make sure to bring him.

We know from Phil 1:21-26 that Paul wanted very much to “depart and be with Christ.” Previously he knew he was going to remain, but this time he believes he’s going to die. Yet, he doesn’t stop and say, “Okay, my turn is over! Y’all take over while I spend my last days on earth just hanging out. I’ll see you on the other side!” Instead, he determines to devote himself to work and service to the very end.

I’ve never come to the end of my life, but I’ve come to the end of many other assignments, tasks, responsibilities, and phases of life. I must confess that I tend to quit early. I don’t keep working. I don’t keep striving. I step aside, using the argument that someone else needs to learn how to do the job I’m vacating.

It is true, they need to learn. But, that doesn’t excuse me from service. Even if my service has to change a little bit, I don’t get to stop. God works through me to the very last second, and I must be of service until that same last second. So, I am challenged to learn to continue always, not letting up in my service – even up to the very last moment.

Continuing

2011-03-12T08:13:00.001-06:00

You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 2 Tim 3:14-15

These verses are found within Paul’s discussion with Timothy regarding the difficult times that come with the last days (2 Tim 3:1). When taken all together in context (not a bad thing to do!), verses 14 and 15 are a clear reminder that God gives us what we need to face the difficult times that come our way.

There are times when I walk smack dab into struggles and feel so ill-equipped for the circumstances. But, the problem is not a lack of resources. Instead, it is a lack of proper utilization of those resources.

Paul reminds Timothy that he must continue to walk faithfully in the things he already knows. He must be diligent to remain true to what he learned from both the teaching and the example of Paul. He can’t simply maintain a knowledge bank that he then checks out information from when it’s time to deal with a struggle. He has to daily walk in the truths, keeping them fresh and alive within him.

It is so easy for me to simply hang on to knowledge and wisdom, cataloging it away for a useful day. I take in information, and commit to come back to it when I need it. Unfortunately, with that approach, I can’t seem to find it when I need it. Why? Because it hasn’t become a part of me. I haven’t continued in it daily, assimilating it into my continual walk with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I am challenged to continue in the things I have learned, yes, even from childhood. I am challenged to make them a part of me. In doing so, I truly will have all I need to walk through the difficult days that come my way.

Godliness & Persecution

2011-03-11T07:16:00.001-06:00

Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. 2 Tim 3:12

What a lovely call to godliness. Great recruitment line, isn’t it? If you live a godly life according to the standards of Christ, you will be persecuted. So, come on! It’ll be fun!

If I am truly honest with myself, I am not ready for the persecution. I just plain don’t want it. I read about persecuted believers from history. I read about what persecuted believers are dealing with today. Meanwhile, my imagination can come up with some pretty crazy scenarios some days, knowing what things can possible face my own family in the near future.

Yesterday I was having a conversation with Olivia about being diligent to do even the things that we don’t want to do. The question just popped out of my mouth:

“If you were told that you had to say you didn’t love Jesus or face going to jail, would you want to make the right choice?”

Her eyes grew big and her protests grew silent. We started talking about the beauty of being able to practice with the “easy” things.

I don’t know specifically what my challenge is today. All I know is that I have to acknowledge that if I continue to pursue a life of godliness, the persecution will come. In all honesty, I have no choice – I can’t walk away from the pursuit of godliness. There is no other way to live. But, I can choose to pursue it timidly, trying to stave off persecution as long as possible, or I can pursue it boldly, knowing that even though the persecution will follow, it is still the most perfect and beautiful path I could ever imagine.

Eyes to See

2011-03-08T09:11:00.001-06:00

I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Ps 27:13

This morning I was reminded of Psalm 27. I love this Psalm. It is such an intimate cry of a hopeful heart. But, what is so beautiful about it is the fact that it is not a cry in a hopeful time. Instead, it is in the middle of a time when hope has to be intentionally sought. (Ps 27:9, 14) David is waiting. David is hoping. He is not seeing physical relief right now. But, he is feeling the spiritual comfort and peace of knowing that God’s hope is perfect.

I am challenged to always remember that the Lord’s goodness exists here and now. I just need the eyes to see it. When I am caught up in my own misery, I don’t have those eyes. But when I have the vision David had in this Psalm, I can often see God’s goodness even in the midst of the worst of circumstances. I can know without a doubt that His hand is upon me and His presence is near. That is the vision I hunger to have.

Challenge: True Godliness

2011-03-07T07:49:00.001-06:00

…holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; avoid such men as these. 2 Tim 3:5

As I read 2 Tim 3:1-4, I see a glimpse into my own heart. That’s a terrifying and ugly glimpse, to be sure. The beautiful thing is that even while I’m staring into my own disgusting darkness, I see clearly the blood of Christ covering every ounce of it. I know that all of this has been buried with Christ and I have been resurrected to a beautiful, new, pure life.

At the same time, however, there is a reason the New Testament is so full of specific instructions regarding the process of living up to the standards to which we have been saved. We cannot earn our way into God’s favor, but once we have God’s favor we should passionately hunger to put full energy into putting aside the filth that keeps us from purity.

In that process, it’s so easy to fall into the legalism of a checklist. “If I can just do this, this, this, and that, I can keep myself clean.” That is where I see verse five come into play in my own life. My actions, day in and day out, come down to a list-checking form of godliness that has no resemblance to the power of the Holy Spirit in my life to produce godliness in keeping with the salvation of Christ in me.

I am challenged to make sure that I am a living, growing believer in Christ, fully allowing the power of true godliness to flow through me. I hunger to be a true and vibrant example of the amazing presence and love of God in the hearts of mankind.

Thunderstorms

2011-03-05T06:23:00.001-06:00

I read Psalm 37 this morning. I must confess it was with a rather groggy mind. I was up later than usual last night, and then rather loud and continuous thunderstorms hit us around 3:30 this morning and have been going pretty faithfully, with only shot breaks, in the two and a half hours since then. I’m just plain sleepy!

Despite the sleepiness, as I was reading and listening to the storm, a mental picture came to mind.

My little Steven has always been very overwhelmed by loud noises. Thunderstorms are not fun for him. He has matured so much for a four-year-old – he no longer screams out in terror. But, it’s still rough for him. This morning when I went to check on him, he had surrounded himself with a fortress of pillows, stuffies, and blankets and was burrowed beneath them. But, after I snuggled with him for a few minutes, he bravely told me that it was okay for me to leave him. He trusted that what I said was true and that, loud though it may be, it wasn’t going to hurt him. Just disrupt his sleep a little bit.

I can see God reminding us of the same thing in Psalm 37. It’s going to get a little loud. It’s going to seem terrifying. It’s going to feel like that thunder of life will get us, even in our beds. But, we’re safe. We might even trip and fall in the storm and find ourselves with bruises or skinned knees, especially if it knocks out the power and we just can’t see. But, He’s going to keep a tight hold on us the whole time, and no permanent injury will befall us.

I am challenged to see the storms of this life more like a loud, but harmless, thunderstorm. In the scheme of eternity and the salvation of my soul, even the worst of earthly suffering is just a bruise or skinned knee compared to an eternity of perfection with God. Oh that I may learn to receive His whispered assurances in the middle of each of my thunderstorms!

Words

2011-03-02T08:07:00.001-06:00

Remind them of these things and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers. Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness… 2 Tim 2:14-16

I love to give my two cents worth. I like for people to know my opinion, and when I think someone else is wrong, I want to correct them. I tend to make up for my lack of boldness by being opinionated.

But, being opinionated so frequently results in my being ashamed. Maybe not ashamed of my opinion, but ashamed of my presentation. I’m more concerned about getting my opinion out there than about “accurately handling the word of truth.”

There is a strong temptation for me to be a wrangler of words. To hash things out with people. On the one hand, it’s not bad for me to try to be persuasive. On the other hand, however, it is crucial that I am very attentive to the subject matter of my persuasive arguments. Am I presenting the Word of God for the edification of others? Or am I presenting Ann’s opinion because I want to make sure everyone knows what I think – and convince them to agree?

I am challenged to be purposeful in all of my words, whether spoken or written. That’s not to say I can only open my mouth or work my keyboard to specifically discuss the Bible. But, I can share life in general and still do it in a way that edifies others and keeps me from being ashamed. Will I still stick my foot in my mouth? Undoubtedly. Will I still have moments of shame over my words? Inevitably. But, I pray those moments will decrease steadily that my glorification of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ may increase continually.

Endure

2011-03-01T14:42:00.001-06:00

For this reason, I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory. 2 Tim 2:10

I honestly did not intend to write a challenge today. I didn’t get it done this morning, I had a ton of other writing I wanted to do this afternoon, and I started the afternoon behind. But, sometimes I am compelled to do what I didn’t intend. Today is just such an occasion.

This verse from 2 Timothy really grabbed me when I read it first thing this morning. What would I really endure for the sake of the chosen? First, I had to contemplate who the chosen are. Some of them are already believers, but there are others who seem to be about as far from chosen as can be imagined. Would I endure everything for them? Then I had to consider what the phrase “all things” means. I had to contemplate what Paul endured. What persecuted believers around the world endure today. My breath catches in my throat as I think about what little I have endured and what more could await me.

Those thoughts alone were not enough to compel me to sit down and write about it, though. Maybe I was trying to just set it all aside – think about it later. But then as I sat down to write other things this afternoon, I made a quick first stop at my friend Julie’s blog. Every day this month, Julie is posting a theme and some Scripture to pray over our children, and I wanted to be sure to read the verses for today.

Check out the second verse on today’s post.

For some reason, this morning I had all different types of people in my mind as I thought of enduring all things for the chosen – but my children didn’t even come to mind. Julie’s post forced me to ask myself what I would endure for my precious babies?

Obviously as their mother, I would give my life for them. But, as I pondered this verse, all that would come to mind was the thought of being in a position to choose Christ over the immediate well-being of my children. Would I endure the pain of their physical and emotional discomfort to remain true to the gospel of Christ?

There is only one possible answer. I would have to. To not stand firm, even at the risk of their pain, would be to sacrifice their salvation. If they could not see me stand firm, what could they hang on to in the midst of their own suffering and anguish?

This thought is so intense, and I pray that I never, ever have to walk with my children through this sort of endurance. But, there are people around the world in this day and age who are faced with this very dilemma. I am challenged today to pray for them, both parents and children. To lift them up to the Father, knowing that what they face is more intense than anything I can even begin to imagine. And, I am challenged to raise my children in the understanding that we must always, always, always choose to stand firm in Christ, no matter what we are called to endure.

Believe the Truth

2011-02-28T06:48:00.001-06:00

…for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word of God is not imprisoned. 2 Tim 2:9

Sometimes when truth about myself slaps me in the face, it can be pretty hard to swallow. It is usually combined with a truth about God, maybe even one I have known all my life. But, when I truly envision myself in relation to that truth about God, I am overwhelmed once again with awe of Him and shame in myself.

Today I am confronted with the realization that I don’t live out the belief that the gospel message of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is unhindered by my circumstances. Instead, I buy into the lie that if my circumstances don’t work out perfectly, His message is compromised. Just typing it out is embarrassing because it’s so obviously ridiculous – heretical even - to think that way! But, if I am honest, I will admit that my actions reflect a belief that my unresolved sufferings reveal a chink in the infallibility of the gospel.

Fortunately for myself and everyone else on this earth, my erroneous beliefs do not affect the truth. The gospel is still infallible. God will always be glorified and His purposes will be accomplished. Not only can my beliefs not hinder Him, neither can my sufferings. If my beliefs aren’t in line with the truth, I will suffer more, and I will not have the amazing privilege of being a vessel through which He is glorified. But His purposes and will are not affected.

So obviously my challenge is to live the truth. The Word of God is always free, and it will always accomplish God’s will. Period.

Combatting Doubt

2011-02-27T06:54:00.001-06:00

I’m mulling over a lot this morning, very little of which actually has much cohesion to it. But, I was reading something this morning that made me stop to contemplate two things.

When doubt rolls in to the hearts of my friends, do I recognize it in their eyes, speech, and heart and speak against it with the truth of God’s Word? Or do I try to comfort with the world’s empty comfort? Or, worse, do I miss it completely?
When doubt rolls in to the hearts of my own family, do we have friends who truly pounce on that doubt with the Word? Or do we receive that worldly comfort that offers nothing? Or is our doubt totally missed?

When doubts assail us, we need the truth of God’s Word to fill our hearts and minds. And, we are responsible to put that Word into our own hearts and minds. We cannot neglect to read it, think about it, recall it, and surround ourselves with it. But, the world yells pretty loudly, compounding our doubts. Sometimes we need at least one human voice outside of ourselves that is speaking pure Biblical truth so that we are not standing alone combatting the both our own doubts and the yelling of the world.

In response to my two contemplations, I am sensing a two-fold challenge. First, I am challenged to be a friend who boldly combats doubt with the Word of God. Secondly, I am challenged to pray for intimate friends who will persistently do the same for me. There is a reason God doesn’t want us to try to walk through this life apart from encouragement, partnership, and interaction with our fellow believers. I want to be a part of that fellowship that makes a difference, that we may truly be turned from doubt.

I Need Wisdom

2011-02-25T07:50:00.000-06:00

Proverbs 9 compares the homes of wisdom and folly as they prepare them for guests. It shows the steps each takes to build her house and explains how they go about drawing in their guests.

As I was contemplating this chapter, a thought popped into my mind:

It’s so sad that the people who most need wisdom end up with folly instead.

I was immediately ashamed of my thought as I realized its implications. Essentially, my thought implied that I need wisdom less than someone else simply because at some point in my life I have sought wisdom. That I can walk through the streets of life and pass over wisdom’s house while still maintaining the fortitude necessary to avoid folly’s house.

Just for the record, it’s not possible. Wisdom’s house is not for occasional visiting. It’s for residence. And furthermore, I am not in any less need of residence there than anyone else. Without wisdom, I cannot progress through this life.

I am challenged to remember that no one needs wisdom’s refuge more than I. And, as I remember that, may my hunger to see wisdom’s house full drive me to boldly seek out others who will be brought in as well.

In Him

2011-02-24T07:21:00.000-06:00

You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 Tim 2:1

One of the things that grieves me the most in my friendships is seeing people I once prayed with, studied the Word with, and grew with slip away from a hunger for the Lord. They get distracted by the world, pulled away by other arguments, or disheartened by struggles. It is heartbreaking, partially because I know they will endure a deep ache until they return to the path. But, I have to confess that the greatest pain is my own grief in knowing that we have lost much of our common ground.

This is not to say that I never struggle or waver – not at all. Simply that as I finished 2 Timothy 1 and began chapter two, these are the thoughts that flowed through my mind.

It is hard sometimes to keep pushing on when I’ve lost friends this way. I can almost sense that Paul is seeing the same thing in Timothy. Paul has just mentioned three people – two who turned away from Paul and one who went out of his way to meet Paul’s needs. Then Paul tells Timothy to be strong in what he knows. I can almost sense here a statement of, “Don’t let what anyone else is doing be your discouragement or encouragement. Just be strong in His grace alone.”

I need the support and encouragement of godly friends, but I cannot let them be what holds me steady. They will change. I will change. We will have good days and bad, good years and bad. But, when it all comes down to it, we are not each other’s foundation. That has to be Christ Himself. I am challenged to make sure that my strength is found Him and His grace alone, not being swayed by the path of anyone else.

Challenge: Unashamed

2011-02-23T16:35:00.001-06:00

For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day. 2 Tim 1:12

Every time I have read or heard one of Paul’s verses about not being ashamed, I have approached it with a single preconception: I must not be ashamed to share the gospel of Christ.

That concept is definitely not false. I must be a bold witness. But, I think being tied to that preconception has caused me to previously miss another truth.

In this particular passage, Paul is not talking about being unashamed to preach the gospel. He’s talking about not being ashamed to suffer. In our day and age, it seems as if we are embarrassed of and for God if circumstances don’t work out. If our prayers aren’t answered exactly as we hoped, we begin to dig for ways to justify God’s actions, or lack thereof.

This morning I realized that has been my perspective on the situation with our house in Mississippi. It didn’t sell immediately. It hasn’t sold miraculously. And now we are looking at the possibility of it selling in a way that actually seems rather negative. As much as I hate to confess this, I now know that I have been ashamed of the fact that God has not come to our rescue. How can He be glorified if He doesn’t do it all in a way that is glorious in human eyes?

I am challenged to not be ashamed. First of all, my sufferings are nothing compared to the real sufferings of Paul and of many modern-day persecuted believers throughout the world. Secondly, my God will be glorified. Period. If it doesn’t look like it to me, it’s because I am not trusting in Him and in that truth.

Chasing Wisdom

2011-02-21T06:34:00.001-06:00

For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. Prov 2:6

Proverbs 2 is all about chasing wisdom. Seeking it. Hungering for it. Desiring it above all else. The chapter begins with an instruction to chase after wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. But, verse 6 indicates that it might not be the wisdom itself we are chasing after; it might just be that we must chase after God Himself, for He is the holder of wisdom.

It is that distinction that often catches me and causes me to trip. I do hunger for wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. I want to grow in those things continually. But, sometimes I seek after them directly.

There is so much confusion in this world, including among Christians, as to what is the right wisdom. We have so many different doctrines, theologies, and statements of belief that sometimes even two people actively involved in the same body of believers cannot discuss certain issues without strong disagreement. My response is to frequently shut down, greatly limiting where I even listen for wisdom. It’s all too confusing, and I don’t want to run the risk of buying into the wrong thing. Better to just be cynical and suspicious of it all.

The reason I get to this point of frustration is because I am trying to chase after wisdom and knowledge directly instead of chasing after God, letting Him guard my heart from wrong, and finding His wisdom flowing through my heart because of my openness to Him (Prov 2:10).

Instead of being caught up in a doctrine, I am challenged to be caught up in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Himself. The result may be that I don’t perfectly line up with any doctrine, but I will be filled with the wisdom that comes directly from God. And that is far better.