Tuesday

"...For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail.  But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” Acts 5:38-39

One of the Pastors at my church shared this with us at a meeting last week, and it has been with me since (as it has with many others, I think)...reminding me that I can go ahead and make my plans if I want to, but if I am not consulting my God on whether or not my plan has come from Him or if He approves, my plans will fail...and miserably so.  And, even in the failing, God allows me to learn a lesson so deep and profuond that it changes my life!

Typically, I don't blog in the middle of the week.  But, I felt I needed to share this, and it couldn't wait until Saturday.  Much of my week is filled with plans for this and that...lesson planning, social planning, quiet time planning, etc... I wonder how many of you are like me in this...?  We are planning people...manytimes, without "our" plans, we feel lost and chaotic and purposeless and frazzled.  Plans help us to make sense of our moments in life, help us to put the moments together and fashion a day which then gives into a week...so on and so on...until we are stopped dead in our tracks because our plans are of men.  Ever been there?  There is a passage in James (James 4:13-17) that, I think, echos this passage from Acts:

James 4:13-17                                                                                                                                                            Come now, you who say. "Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit."  You don’t even know what tomorrow will bring-what your life will be!  For you are like smoke that appears for a little while, then vanishes.  Instead, you should say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”  But as it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.  So it is a sin for the person who knows to do what is good and doesn’t do it.

If God is FOR us, who can be AGAINST us?  No matter what our plans, if it does not accomplish God's purposes, it. will. fail.  But, if our plan DOES accomplish God's will, NOTHING can stop us!!!  I love these verses!  The context in Acts 5 provides the rich backdrop to this wonderfully encouraging truth.  We are more than conquerors as Christ's followers and there is nothing that can stop us.

His Best

Happy Saturday!

God is SO good!  I am thankful, today, for the many people He has brought into my life who encourage and inspire me to be the best me I can be!  Spending time with these people not only brightens my mood and reminds me of God's grace and bountiful goodness, but also causes me to recognize my best qualities because they bring out the best in me!

Conversely, there are people in our lives who tend to bring us down and bring out the worst in us.  These types of "friends" can cause us to feel like we need to change who we are, become a "better person," fix ourselves, or simply cause us to feel inadequate.  These are not God-given friends!  Granted, every person brought into our lives is there for a season and a reason, HOWEVER, the whole goal of fellowship and community is to be encouraged, feel and spread the Glory of God, and to bear one-another's burdens and triumphs in LOVE!  Our culture tends to send a different message:

"You are never enough, so surround yourself with these people (who are better than you) and fake it til you make it."  -Love, the world.

Now, why, in our right minds, would we want to listen to that?  My point exactly!  There is a much better lesson brought to you by the One who TRUELY loves you: you are enough.  And, in true fellowship and TRUE friendship, your friends will echo the voice of the Lord!  After all, by this, everyone will know that we are Christ's disciples, by how we love each other!

I love that God has created us to be people of community, and that He created community to spurr us on to further His kingdom!  There's nothing better than the realization that God has brought you out of unhealthy relationships and gifted you with true friendship  to last a lifetime!  What a blessing it is to have each other! 

All that Glitters

I love that God allows us to have an intimate relationship with Him...to learn more and more about Him and to be in awe at every new discovery! I feel like that's the best part of this Christianity thing, don't you?  So why do we find ourselves turning from Him in search of all that glitters in the world?  If God's fellowship and friendship is really that much better in our eyes...why do we find ourselves get so deep into the pull of the world?

It's different every time...sometimes I notice the change immediately, in one simple choice I pick the world for my team over my God.  In these moments, it's not so difficult to say "no" and turn back - not losing too much of my relationship with Him along the way.  Other times it's days, weeks, even months before I realize I have been consistently saying "yes" (or "OK" or "just one more time") to the world and "no" to God and before I know it, I look just like the world.  In these cases the realization that I have turned away comes as a much harder truth, it hurts more, it's harder to say "no" to whatever thing has been luring me into the world, and my relationship with God has now suffered.  I am no longer as close to Him as I once was.  I no longer have the same influence for Him among my friends and family.  And Satan has gotten exactly what he wanted.  This is not good.

Praise God for the power of the cross and the mercy of our maker!  We have already won the victory through Christ!  Yes, turning back into the light hurts our eyes at first after following the darkness for some time, but I believe that Light (The Light that is Jesus Christ) is more welcoming and more warming and more healing every time we choose Him!  He rejoices anew to have us back in His arms every time...because each time, it gets harder.

There is so much glitter and glitz in the world that it can sometimes feel like the light, but God gives us the power to see the world for what it is.  And, through consistently choosing God, we are saved from falling head over heels into the world.

Our God pursues us every day...He is always wooing us to His side...He COMPLETES US!  So, even though it may sometimes be harder to choose Him, the pay off is ALWAYS so much better!  Ask Him in the morning to help you make the choices that bring you closer to Him, and He will!  And your whole day will be better for it!

You Dance Over Me!

Today is one of those days when nothing comes to mind...no inspiration...no word from God...no great revelation to bring forth...no dark corners to liberate into light...just calm, peaceful, silence.  From morning's light I have reached for that encouraging bit of wisdom to share.  Even now, fingers pressed to the keys, eyes intent on the screen, ears tuned to heaven - quiet.  There was a time in my life when I would do anything in my power to fill this quiet with as much noise as possible.  Music, TV, the bathroom fan...have you ever had those days?  So fearful of what you might hear in the silence.  Horrified by what might find you.  So focused on covering up that still. small. voice.  Yeah, I've been there.

Not today though (praise God for His saving grace!!!).  No, today I am overjoyed to be immersed in this quiet!  And not because life has gotten overly-hectic or because I am surrounded by noise every day (which may be true), but simply to sit in the presence of my Lord and Savior with nothing but thankfulness to offer Him.  It brings me more joy and contentment that I could ever ask for!

Only God can fill this space.  Only His presence is full enough, bright enough, big enough, loud enough, and comforting enough to make all those fears of failures revisited fade away.  What's more, He's pleased to be that fullness for us!  How cool is that?  The one and only God, Creator of the heavens and the earth, Orbiter of planets, Mover of tides, Grower and Giver of life, Almighty, King of kings is PLEASED to sit in the quiet with you and with me.  It overjoys Him!  Just take the time to simply sit at His feet and worship Him in humbleness and thankfulness!

"Yahweh your God is among you,
a warrior who saves.
He will rejoice over you with gladness.
He will bring you quietness with His love.
He will delight in you with shouts of joy"

(Zephaniah 3:17)

I've stumbled upon this verse in my musings today...the song "Amazed" by Lincoln Brewster follows the same thought....that God can rejoice in us, in our obedience!  He becomes so joyful and proud over what He has created in us that it causes Him to DANCE OVER US!!!

You dance over me, while I am unaware.

You sing all around, but I never hear a sound.

Lord I'm amazed by You

And how you love me!

(Lincoln Brewster: "Amazed")

WOW.  Don't you just love those "wow" moments?  Warms my heart.

If we sit long enough and quiet enough in these moments of 'nothing' we might feel his rejoicing!  We might hear sound of His voice in song!  We might see a glimpse of His dancing over us!  And, brothers and sisters, We might just be amazed by HOW He loves us!

How Great the Father's Love for Us!

I am amazed today by the sheer awesomeness of God.  His sovereignty is more than our meer minds can comprehend...and yet, He allows us to see a glimps of this wonder through the cleft of the rock - He has set erternity in our hearts - we know ALL things about the Father through His Word - it's enough to bring this girl to her knees! 

 

I was thinking this morning, over my dark Starbucks blend, "Why do I write to you?" "What is the purpose?" God reminds me everytime I sit at this computer how much I love each of you - though I may not know all of you on the other side of this screen and though I can't pray for you by name (which somehow makes me love you more) - that is the main reason I write.  Out of love.  So that you may feel my love for you and our Father's love for you.  He loves us so much that He knit us together in our mother's wombs...He took the time and effort to make us just the way He wanted us to be!  So, weather the content of these messages are just what you needed to hear, or just what I needed to hear, they are written solely out of love so that our joy may be complete in knowing the Father's love for us!  More than anything, this love amazes me the most...  The fact that He made me wake up this morning because He was PLEASED to spend the day with me (and does the same for you!)...that His purposes for my life are still in process brings me SUCH joy and awe that I can't help but praise Him!

 

Do these truths do the same for you?

 

Psalm 139 speaks to this love best...Please take the time to read it...ponder it...feel God's love through His word...kneel in awe and praise!

Psalm 139

 ¹ LORD, You have searched me and known me.
² You know when I sit down and when I stand up;
You understand my thoughts from far away.
³ You observe my travels and my rest;
You are aware of all my ways.
⁴ Before a word is on my tongue,
You know all about it, LORD.
⁵ You have encircled me;
You have placed Your hand on me.
⁶ This extraordinary knowledge is beyond me.
It is lofty; I am unable to reach it.
 ⁷ Where can I go to escape Your Spirit?
Where can I flee from Your presence?
⁸ If I go up to heaven, You are there;
if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there.
⁹ If I live at the eastern horizon
or settle at the western limits,
¹⁰ even there Your hand will lead me;
Your right hand will hold on to me.
¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me,
and the light around me will be night”—
¹² even the darkness is not dark to You.
The night shines like the day;
darkness and light are alike to You.
 ¹³ For it was You who created my inward parts;
You knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I will praise You
because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made.
Your works are wonderful,
and I know this very well.
¹⁵ My bones were not hidden from You
when I was made in secret,
when I was formed in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw me when I was formless;
all my days were written in Your book and planned
before a single one of them began.
 ¹⁷ God, how difficult Your thoughts are
for me to comprehend;
how vast their sum is!
¹⁸ If I counted them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand;
when I wake up, I am still with You.
 ¹⁹ God, if only You would kill the wicked—
you bloodthirsty men, stay away from me—
²⁰ who invoke You deceitfully.
Your enemies swear by You falsely.
²¹ LORD, don’t I hate those who hate You,
and detest those who rebel against You?
²² I hate them with extreme hatred;
I consider them my enemies.

 ²³ Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my concerns.
²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me;
lead me in the everlasting way.

Selfish Ambition

About a month ago, I began a study in the book of James with some ladies from church.  Since then, the book of James has been a wellspring of truth, conviction, and insight into my own life (not to mention Beth Moore's ability to speak it in a way that drives a nail right through my heart).  Every verse I read I find I can apply to my daily walk...or lack of...  This passage was particularly convicting to me: 

"Who is wise and has understanding among you? He should show his works by good conduct with wisdom’s gentleness. But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your heart, don’t brag and deny the truth. Such wisdom does not come from above but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where envy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every kind of evil. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without favoritism and hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who cultivate peace." James 3:13-18

God opened my eyes in my quiet time this week to a fact that I am somewhat reluctant and a little embarrassed to admit...but though confession and repentance comes true healing and freedom!  This week, I was confronted by my own selfish ambition.  I have never really thought of myself as a selfish person...though my life was very different before Christ, and now I see how selfish I was...I thought I was past that.  I was dead wrong!  James walked strait in through the doors of my heart and pointed my selfish ambition right in my face.  And what happens when selfish ambition are present?  "There is disorder and every kind of evil..."!  WOW!.

^"What is the source of the wars and the fights among you? Don't the come from the cravings that are at war within you? You desire and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and don't receive because you ask wrongly, so that you may spend it on your desires for pleasure." James 4:1-3

Don't you love hearing something old in a new way?  I've 'known' this passage for as long as I can remember, but it has hit me like a brand new shiny box of bricks this week.  I ask wrongly.  I ask out of my own selfish ambition.  I ask out of my desires for pleasure...  Oh, Lord, forgive me for my selfish ambition.  Help me to walk always in your ways.  Fill me so fill of your Spirit that everything else is forced out!  Help me also to remember that I am your child!  You are called the 'Father of Lights,' which makes me Light as your child through Christ, and even the smallest light is brighter than darkness.  Please take these verses, Lord, and plant them in my heart.  Cause the light in me to grow and overflow all the corners of darkness in my heart!  Amen!  I think I am still a little dizzy from that blow...but praise God from whom all blessings flow!  That He has forgiven me and has already begun the processes of healing!  He can heal your heart too!
It can be so tempting to pray with selfish ambition and wrong motives...but the Bible clearly tells us that those (selfish) prayers will not be heard...those desires will not be fulfilled for you or for the person you are praying for.  The biggest 'take away' is this, check your motives before you think, speak, pray...My relationships are not for me, they are first for God...they are not about what benefit I will glean, they are about what blessing I can give to another created in the image of God.  My prayers for others should not be about how I will be affected, they should be about the other person's blessed life!  Could your prayers be keeping blessing from the ones you pray for because you're really praying for yourself?

    Have you prayed for someone's heart to change or soften so they will treat you better or so they will come to know Christ?  Have you prayed for provision so you can have the next best thing, or so you can better serve?  Have you asked God for something so you can be more like the world, or so you can meet someone else's need?  These are the questions rattling around in my brain, and I am pained to say I don't like some of my answers.  I'm not saying we shouldn't pray for ourselves or for others (We certantly should)...but it's in the WAY we ask...the reasons we ask...the motives...the end goal.  I thank God that confession and repentance brings healing and freedom!  It's almost instant that I feel a weight lifted and let the healing begin!

The Body of Christ

I just couldn't wait until tomorrow to share this one!  I had an epiphany this week! ...One I am so sure is so true, it has made my week and my relationships better!  I can't wait for you to see this with me!

"So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God." Romans 7:4

Growing up in the Midwest, I have learned to "do life" in a certain way.  It was good and it worked and it seemed that the people around me "did" life in a similar way.  Then I moved to North Carolina.  In three years I have not connected with people the way I used to...in fact, I feel almost rejected for the way I "do life" because it's different than the North Carolina norm.

Then, in a beautiful and fruitful conversation with my mom the other day, God revealed a truth.  Now, I think I know "why."  We are not made to be the same...we are not even made to be similar other than in the facts that we are all creation of God and a part of the BODY of Christ (The Church).  We were created to be different, have different gifts and strengths, and a different way of showing our work so that we can all work together so God can fulfill His work through us and we can bring Glory to His name.

"Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body." 1 Corinthians 12:15-20

So, here's the point...We were created as many parts to the one body of Christ.  A mouth may be the sharer of His Word.  An ear may be the one who listens without judgement to a friend in need.  A hand may be the one who works to provide and comfort.  A foot may be the one who brings His Word to foreign lands.  We all have a place in the body and therefore a part to play.  Following that illustration, I realized that maybe I'm an elbow or a leg for the body of Christ, and no one has ever seen one before, so they don't know what one looks like (or acts like)...  Does that make sense?  People search for conformity...round pegs to fit round holes...but Christ was not conformity.  Christ was a square peg in a round hole.  He did not match the pattern...therefore, logically, we should not fit the round hole either.  When we realize this, not only will we be happier and get along easier, but we will accomplish MORE for the body of Christ.

If we stop asking every Christian (every member of the Body of Christ) to conform to the pattern of  his mouth or hands or feet, we may begin to see (in the big picture) what an ear or shoulder or knee looks like, and therefore make a complete body.  I'm not sure exactly where I fit into the body or what my role is, but I do know that because I am in Christ, I am a part of His body!  So, consider this week, what part does God want you to play in His body?  When He reveals it to you, be INTENTIONAL in showing the rest of the Body and the WORLD what you look like.