He Gives the Ability

To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days. Luke 1:74,75 (New American Standard Bible)

When God led the children of Israel out of Egypt it was so they could live out the truths of this passage of Scripture. It was an incredible rescue that demonstrated God’s power and protection for His people. The whole battle really was the Lord’s as they did not have to do any of the fighting themselves. After seeing the plagues, walking through the Red Sea on a dry path, and watching their enemies perish, what could possibly cause them fear in the future? How could they look at anything else they would come up against as “too hard for God?”

But Scripture is not meant to read as mere interesting historical facts. It is meant to come alive to me in applicable ways. Every time I open my Bible, God wants me to see that the stories are meant to fuel my own faith and affect change in my internal world which will result in change in my external world.

I must realize that I too have been rescued from the hand of my enemies. My biggest enemy being Satan of course. But there are other enemies I have been rescued from….habits, addictions, generational bents, insecurities, past woundings, etc….. Now while my mind knows this to be true am I living out the truth of it? Do my actions match up with my knowledge? Or do I metaphorically still abide in the hands of my enemies?

I am encouraged by the little word “grant” in this verse. It means to enable or allow the fulfillment of something. When I trusted Christ as my Savior, God not only gave me His Spirit but He gave me everything I would need to live the Christian life. That means that as His child I possess the capability of serving Him without fear and in holiness and righteousness. It is not a matter of mustering up the courage, holiness, and righteousness on my own.

So this morning I once again start with the premise that I am God’s daughter with all the kingdom rights, responsibilities, and privileges that come with that position. May the truth of that make a radical change in the way I walk through this day!

Father, doing all things through Christ literally means doing all things through Christ. Let me see You as my Enabler. Amen.

The Basis of Truth

Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. John 17:17 (New King James Version)

My 19 year old son, Andy, went to his first college class at IUPUI yesterday. It was an English class and he observed something immediately. What he was told in the classroom is opposite of what he was taught by us as Christian parents and what he was taught in the classrooms of a Christian school from kindergarten through high school! His first homework assignment had to do with a chapter from a book that touted evolution as a “fact” and the Bible and creationism as mere opinion. His eyes are quickly being opened to the realization that he is going to be made to think and to hold on to what he knows to be the truth.

As we talked last night, I was so proud of him and excited for the opportunity he will have to become very thorough in his faith. Day one, and he is seeing the necessity to derive truth from God’s Word instead of from classrooms, books, and professor’s opinions. My prayer is that during the next four years he is strengthened in his faith, increases in his knowledge of Scripture, and faithfully stands as a voice of truth in each college setting. May he follow in the steps of our Bible ancestors who knew what it meant to stand solitary in their particular situations. His name, Andrew Earl, means “strong, manly” and that is what I want to see as the qualities of his Christian life.

It is times like this that I am reminded of the preciousness of God’s Word and the privilege I have to know it is His Word. His Word is truth, God inspired, unchanging, reliable, and living. It remains our foundation and plumb line for life. As my son is quickly learning, we start with God’s Word as the premise for truth and all other opinions, thoughts, and words must either align with it or be viewed and renounced as lies. Each time he is told something that attempts to chip away at that truth will be a time to go back to the Word of God and stand on what it says. I look forward to the times I am a part of that redirection and the times I experience the joy of seeing him do the searching himself. My prayers will go with him and my daughter, Stephanie, as they attend classes, that God would continually bring Scripture to their minds and they would walk in His truth! How I praise God that the ground work was laid early in their lives and that they are being called upon to evidence that.

Father, I entrust my children to You! I ask that Your Spirit hovers over them in each class and during each assignment. Help them to discern between truth and lies. Help them to faithfully contend for the faith. Strengthen them to walk in truth….Your truth! Amen.

Finding Treasure and Wealth

I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden wealth of secret places, so that you may know that it is I, the LORD, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name. Isaiah 45:3

I love it when I am reading a portion of Scripture and suddenly see a truth I never saw before. For me, that is the treasure and hidden wealth of God's Word. Each morning as I open the Bible, I anticipate the gold nuggets He has planned for me to find. I will admit, it has not always been like this.

Not too long ago, a friend of mine expressed what so many people feel when approaching God's Word. She said when she reads it she gets nothing out of it. Her quiet time becomes a chore she simply crosses off her list when finished. I remember the feeling! I remember having those very thoughts.

There was no joy at the thought of opening Scripture. If my goal was to read a certain number of chapters I did so and closed my Bible an unchanged person. I tried study guides....they bored me. I tried schedules...they left me feeling like a failure when I fell behind. New Years’ resolutions to read through the Bile would last all of a couple weeks and I'd just give up. Then it would be months before I'd attempt to pick up my Bible again.

I lacked hunger, appreciation, and desire to read Scripture. I knew it was something I should do but didn't see any good that came of it. Something was wrong and I couldn't figure out what it was. But it all changed in the spring of 2004 when I sat in my kitchen with my Bible and simply asked God to show me His heart in Scripture. I wanted to really get to know Him and to see what He was really like in His Word.

Not sure what would happen, I began reading and within a few verses the "light" was coming on for me. Right before my eyes, Scripture was coming alive to me. I believe it was that very day I took a notebook and began to journal the truths that were making their way from His Word into my heart. My life has not been the same since. I am not the same person I was two years ago. I now have a half dozen notebooks full of my treasure hunts.

Father, You enjoy revealing Yourself in Scripture and I enjoy being the recipient. Thank you for helping me to finally experience this aspect of the Christian life. Amen.

God's Invitation to Me

He said, “Take it up for yourself.” So he put out his hand and took it. 2 Kings 6:7

2 Kings is full of short but powerful miracle stories. The one I read this morning is just 7 verses long. In condensed form it goes like this. A man was chopping a tree down when the axe head fell off the handle and went into a lake. He panicked because it was borrowed and took the situation to Elisha. He showed Elisha where it had gone into the water. Elisha cut a stick, threw it into the water, and the iron axe head floated! He then told the man to take it up for himself and the man did so. What a precious reminder to me that if it matters to me, if it concerns me, if it weighs heavy on my heart, it matters to my heavenly Father. What a personally involved God we love and serve!

This morning, 2 Kings 6:7 speaks volumes to me in another way. It becomes the words whispered to me from the Lover of my soul each morning when I open His Word and drink in His truth. I have many books I enjoy reading that feed my soul in incredible ways. I feel blessed to metaphorically sit at so many people’s feet and take in their words of wisdom. I also enjoy going to ladies’ events. As they share from their hearts the messages God has integrated into their lives I am encouraged and enlightened as well. Many songs have reached my heart. Some bring me to tears and others fill me with indescribable praise! People come and go in my life that never fail to leave impressions on me as I see God’s fingerprints in their own life. But none of these experiences surpass the first one.

When I open the Bible for myself I am responding to God’s invitation to “Take it up for myself.” I am reaching forth the hands of my soul. While it is good to learn from others, I must make sure I am daily spending time with God in His Word. It comes alive to me in practical, applicable ways. The words that were penned thousands of years ago are just as fresh and alive today for each person who dares to read them for themselves. Not only do I find myself relating with the feelings and emotions of the people I am reading about but many times God shows me another “twist” to the story. One that is relevant for me. When that happens, my spirit takes a leap and I am filled with wonder!

Father, Your Word is so inter-active! As I take it up once again for myself I am learning and changing. How gracious of You! Amen.