In Their Absence

So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will, and to work for His good pleasure. Philippians 2:12-13 (New American Standard Bible)

If given a choice I would always opt to live under the watchful eye of a nurturing, strong Christian. To receive their constant encouragement, wisdom, and companionship. I have known such bliss and long for it on a regular basis, as I am sure people in Paul’s day did as well. Can you imagine having the Apostle Paul as your personal mentor? I am sure he saw the possibility and danger of individuals wanting to find their safety net in him. How they must have flourished when he was with them. But often that was not the case. For most of the time, he was absent from them. Their faith would either deteriorate or abound depending on where they would turn their eyes. If they followed Paul’s advice they would flourish!

He had three points to share with them. First, continue your journey of obedience even without my being with you. Second, realize the necessity of taking responsibility for your individual growth. Third, and most importantly, know that God is the One actually doing the work in you. While human sources are a blessing, they are not meant to be the foundation, filler, or main stay of your life in Christ. For if that is the case, growth is stunted, intimacy with God is limited or non-existent, and you embrace a handicapped life style.

I actually admire the early Christians. They did not have all the instant access so available to us today….books, conferences, modern technology, etc… Theirs truly had to be a solitary walk with God. Heaven will abound with their stories. While I certainly have an abundance of aids, God is reminding me that depth in Him comes by way of the solitary walk. It really begins as I bring my longings to Him, seek one on one time with Him, listen for His voice, learn to discern His promptings, and allow Him to nurture me.

He knows my tendency to want to surround myself with significant people that put me on an emotional high. He knows how easily I can be satisfied within friendships. He knows the persistent ache I live with. And with this knowledge He continues to invite me to go deeper with Him. To satisfy myself with Him. To take Him at His word and thrive!

Father, may I see You as the One I need above and beyond all others. Amen.

Power of Your Love
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eA4narr2wyE&feature=related

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.

They're Just like Me

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours. James 5:17

We are also men of the same nature as you. Acts 14:15 (Barnabas and Paul)

But Peter raised him up, saying, "Stand up; I too am just a man." Acts 10:26 (New American Standard Bible)

Oh, the dangers and pitfalls of becoming enamored with people! Elijah, Barnabas, Paul, and Peter are just a handful among many who would remind me that people are people. I need the reminder because so often I can take a person’s sterling moments and believe THAT is the way they are 24/7. In my mind, they no long struggle, make wrong choices, live out of their flesh, fall to temptation, think wrong thoughts, feel negative emotions, disappoint God, themselves or others, or sin in any number of other ways. Not only is that kind of thinking far from the truth, but it sets me up with false hope. The false hope of, “If they can do it, so can I.” Then when I fail to live that way, confusion and discouragement sets in.

A few years ago I joined a study entitled “Woman of Significance” based on the book The Search for Significance by Robert McGee. As I listened to some of the women I began to think they were assuming if they went through this book they would eventually be free of fear, approval seeking, guilt, performance-based living, and any other malady in their life. It took me back to the time when I learned that God’s love was not dependent on what I was doing. As I listened to speakers and read books, I began to think the mature Christian life means “no struggles, no failures, just victory!” I actually thought I could reach that point this side of Heaven. What followed was a few years of continual reality checks!

What I learned and what I shared with the women in the study group was that living the victorious Christian life did not mean I would no longer struggle with my mind, will, and emotions. It meant I knew Who to go to each time I struggled. It meant I felt safe to confide in and cry with God. It meant I could walk and talk with authenticity and transparency instead of continual masking and hiding. Simply put, it meant I was human but helped and held by an incredible God!

There are still times I find myself being enamored with individuals, but God is faithful to remind me that they too have feet of clay and must continue to practice daily the truths He is showing them. Balance has come with the removal of my rose-colored glasses.

Father, seeing others as people like myself encourages me. Help me to not look down on or up to individuals but to simple look across at them. Help me to keep my eyes on You. Amen.

Only You
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgmezEn-zvE

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.

The Blended Life

We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose. Romans 8:28 (Amplified Bible)

If left up to me, I would dissect my life (even my days) removing that which was painful, uncomfortable, or troublesome and live out of only the things that brought me pleasure, satisfaction, and joy. While I think that would be a good thing, it would actually be a disaster. It would stunt my growth physically, emotionally, and spiritually. What God wants me to understand and embrace with enthusiasm is that it takes ALL the elements to grow me up in Him. That is the idea behind the phrase “work together.” I like to think of it in terms of mixing together…much like a baker mixes the ingredients for a cake. If he were to use only the sweet ingredients or only the bitter ingredients there would be no edible result. No good would come of it. He must use it all!

When I take a bath or a shower, I use both hot and cold water in an effort to get a comfortable temperature. God uses both the hot and cold situations of my life to bring about His plans and purposes for me. I see that so clearly. My difficulty comes when I forget that He also uses a blend of my strengths and weakness, the availability and unavailability of friends, the tears and the laughter in a day, my moments of rest and moments of activity, books as well as music, and so forth. He will do that whether I am aware of it or not. My part is to trust Him in the process and to not worry that I am some how going to mess things up for Him.

Because I am a visual person, God often uses tangible things to make the pictures clearer to me. Hence, He shows Himself in Scripture as a Potter and a Vinedresser. He is a ‘hands on’ God who is involved in every area of my life. He knows when to mold and when to prune. He knows when to work my spiritual muscles and when to massage them. He knows when to call me aside and when to send me out.

I have often cringed at mistakes I made in past relationships. God says, “I used it all and will continue to do so.” He wants me to stop looking at them as pass/fail tests and just see them as life that has been lived and His faithfulness to do the blending of experiences. Who I am today has been built upon the blending of all my yesterdays. Every decision, every step, every moment, every success, every failure, every triumph, and every trial. All means all!

Father, I take it all because I know that You use it all. I trust You to continue to gift me with a well blended life. Amen.

Your Grace Still Amazes Me - Phillips, Craig & Dean
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNClAJO2tnQ

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.

What He Has Done

Only fear the LORD, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you. 1 Samuel 12:24 (New King James Version)

When I truly consider what God has done for me, fearing Him and serving Him in truth will be my experience. What is it He has done for me? He created me, chose me, forgave me, redeemed me, sanctified me, loved me, carried me, corrected me, comforted me, delighted in me, rejoiced over me, strengthened me, filled me with His Spirit, taught me, spoke to me, reassured me, supplied my needs, healed my hurts, used me, redirected my steps, knew me, accepted me, gave me an identity, defined me, refined me, and told me I am His. That was just a partial list but enough to evoke praise and worship from my heart. Spoken in the past tense did not minimize their present existence. While His creation of me and redemption were one time events the others are done on a continual basis. Who better to fear (trust and admire)? Who better to serve in truth?

This morning I sit in amazement and wonder at God’s involvement in my life. I am not an easy lump of clay to work with but I am also not a surprise or disappointment to my Potter. He created me and then saved me with full awareness of what my life would entail. It has been nearly 37 years since I trusted Christ as my Savior and He does not now look at me as if I were more than He bargained for. He does not say to Himself, “If I had known THIS I would have never chosen you in the first place!” Far from that, He speaks the words of 1 Samuel 12:23 over me, “It has pleased the LORD to make you His people.”

With that in mind I am free to live my life as a recipient of His mercy, love, grace, compassion, and delight. I am free to allow Him to meet the deepest needs of my heart. As one who has tried for decades to have my needs met through people, I see more fully the truth that He alone is able do what others are unable to do. Serving Him then becomes a result of His work rather than a means to have my needs met through the very ones I reach out to.

Many have been the times God has offered me His hands as well as human hands for support and encouragement. Many were the times my grip on the human hands was tighter than my grip on His. I could see what they were doing and failed to consider what He was doing. May that change.

Father, in a way that only You can work, turn my eyes, ears, heart, and mind toward You. Amen.

Worship Song - Maranatha Singers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMpbm2p-1mo

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.

He Gives Power and Strength

He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power. Isaiah 40:29 (New American Standard Bible)

Scripture is my source of remembering. Today’s verse reminds me in a precious way that when I am in need God will supply the strength and power I lack. In those times when the fight is not in me, He supplies. When I retreat, recoil, and resign, He supplies. When I am giving up and giving in to the very things I most want victory over, He supplies. When my need is great, His supply is abundant. I cling to His promises this morning. They shine upon my recent moments of failure and frustration.

How easy it is to recite and review Scriptural principles when I am feeling on top of it all. Everything at that point makes sense leaving me with an air of a confident conqueror. I play out in my mind how the next testing will be handled. I know the words I will speak, the feelings I will subdue, and the victory I will walk in. It is like a well scripted movie playing out in my mind. I have the lines down pat, all the scenes perfected, and the ending set. It all works well in my mind as I simply wait for the curtain call. Then life happens.

I can tell the moment my pre-planned program begins to unravel. I can tell when the internal shift takes place and the resolve I had determined ahead of time makes a quick exit. As I run into a wall of emotions the fight in me turns to flight and I am left in a heap. Physically I feel as if I am moving in slow motion. Emotionally I feel trapped. Spiritually I feel like a failure. When it is over I look back in disbelief at my decision to give up and not implement the very tools that would be successful ….prayer and scripture.

This morning it makes sense, but this morning the battle is not raging and the emotions are not spiraling. This morning I confess the failures of last night’s battle and determine once again to do better “next time.” With that determination I voice the words, “He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power.” In my weariness and lack of might I qualify for His strength and power as promised.

Father, You promise to give me strength and power. I choose to believe You. I choose to receive! Amen.

What Faith Can Do - Kutless
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwDu0IWjoN0

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.

Finding My Way Back

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life]. Proverbs 18:21 (Amplified Bible)

If the power of life and death are in the tongue, surely the engine for that power is our mind. The words we choose to use and indulge in are cooked in the kitchen of our thoughts. What we speak and what we think on are vital and result in life or death to our spirit, our circumstances, our outlook, and our internal world.

I’ve seen first hand the killing effect of wrong thoughts and wrong words. My mind gets clouded with negative, hopeless thoughts and the longer I indulge those thoughts the more powerful their grip is. Afterwards I find it hard to believe how dark it gets. I cannot see any positive aspect of my walk with God and that sends me into a place of fear. Fear that all is lost. Fear that the journey I have been on is leading to a dead end. Fear that connection with God is not a reality for me. Fear that I am no better off than I was in the throws of legalism. Fear that I will never get it right or keep it right.

When it passes and I prepare for a new day, I look back on the darkness and I pick out the valuable jewels of truth that are available to me. One truth is that what I choose to think on and accept as believable is what will dim the light in me and cause all to seem dark and lost. I cannot afford to think on what will bring about death to my feelings, emotions, and spirit. When I do I pay a price and the price is enormous. Another truth is that even in my darkness God still has His eye and hand on me. He does not step away during my times of struggle. He does not roll His eyes and say, “Here we go again!” Instead, He begins to woo me back to Himself with full confidence that I will once again find Him. Another truth is that returning to a place of safety with Him is always possible. He does not force me to stay any longer in the darkness than I am willing to stay. It always astounds me that while entering a dark time can be gradual, coming out of it can be so instantaneous.

I cannot get back the time I’ve lost when I lived without the peace and joy God always desires for me. I am, though, the richer for it because of the lessons I have learned. Today I choose to live under the canopy of His love and grace rather than the cloud of regret over past choices.

Father, sometimes it gets dark but You lead me back into the light of Your presence. You calm my fears and settle my heart. I feel the hold You have on me and within that hold I am safe. Amen.

The Protector of My Soul - Maranatha Singers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRyPKdHmwB0

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.

What God Declares

For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 (New American Standard Bible)

In the ordinary days can you hear God whisper these words to you? Plans for welfare, a future, and a hope. He wants you to know they weren’t just meant for the Israelites. They aren’t just meant for people in ministry. They are meant for each of us as His child. I hold on to that truth. My life is ordinary but my God is extraordinary. His thoughts and ways go beyond anything I can think of on my own.

Ministry for Him is not just limited to arenas and events. It is not just public speaking or published writings. If we don’t understand that, we will look at “ministry” people as the only recipients of God’s words through Jeremiah. We will view our own life as somewhat insignificant and unnecessary. We will feel as if our only lot in life is to be over looked and unused.

One of the things I love about the Bible are the many examples of God working through ordinary people living ordinary lives. They had common jobs such as fishing, farming, shepherding, sewing, tent making, and carpentry. Seldom was God’s call on their life even apparent until it unfolded. More often than not, their shining moments were sandwiched between years of faithfulness day in and day out. I keep that in mind as I approach each day. It is my desire to live each day to its fullest and sense God’s delight of me. To do whatever I do with passion and pride for what God allows me to do. To hear His “well done” at the end of each day. To spend each day finding the simple pleasures He has for me. Even on my worst days when I feel like a basket case I can rejoice that at least He has the handle in His hand.

While I don’t know what His plans for my life are, I can spend my life knowing Him better. Just over six years ago I began a journey that changed every aspect of my life and today I can say with confidence that I know Him better than I have ever known Him. I can tell Him things I use to try to hide from Him. I can cry with Him and laugh with Him. I can sing to Him and stand in silent awe of Him. So as He whispers the words of today’s verse to me I am accepting them without reservation.

Father, You know and that is all that matters. Amen.

What the Lord Has Done in Me - Hillsong
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4H6Uv7BI7I&feature=related

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.