Sunday, March 25, 2012
Obey and Trust
When I take notes during the sermon at church, sometimes the Holy Spirit may press a point with me a little differently than how the preacher approached it. Such was the case today. This message wasn't stated outright in the sermon, but it is related to what the pastor was saying. He was talking about when Jesus prayed in Matthew 26:39: "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will." So often we make decisions based on the expected outcomes. But as people of faith, as children of the Most High God Whose ways are far higher than our ways, and Whose thoughts are far higher than our thoughts, it is up to us to obey His will and trust Him for the outcome. When Jesus looked ahead and saw the suffering and shame and death He would experience, he could have just said no. But I am so thankful that He didn't because it was His suffering and death and resurrection that purchased our salvation. He blazed a trail through death for all of us to follow. With Jesus as our example, let us strive to more closely live our lives according to God's will and not worry about what will happen as a result.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
He's Present
When I was in elementary school, the teachers would call roll. When a name was called, that student would normally respond by saying, "Here." Sometimes instead of saying "Here" a student would say, "Present!" The meaning is the same. I am present. I am here.
Some of those same teachers taught us English, including the three tenses: past, present and future. Of course in that context, present means now.
Now think about Psalm 46:1: "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." I haven't researched to see exactly what the Psalmist meant, but whenever I think about this verse, both of the definitions above come to mind.
Some of those same teachers taught us English, including the three tenses: past, present and future. Of course in that context, present means now.
Now think about Psalm 46:1: "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." I haven't researched to see exactly what the Psalmist meant, but whenever I think about this verse, both of the definitions above come to mind.
God is our present help. He is here with us.
God is our present help. He is our help now.
No matter our situation, God is here with us now...and always. Amen!
Friday, February 3, 2012
Going forward
One of the reasons I don't post any more often than I do is because I am so worried about getting everything just right. It takes me forever to write even the shortest post. But God is indeed speaking all the time and often gives me things I want to share here, so with His help, I will overcome my perfectionist tendencies and post more often. As such, posts will likely be in a more rambling style, not well-organized or even well thought-out. Please let me know of any errors and account them to me, for there is no fault in the One who inspires me. "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." (Matthew 5:48 NKJV) But I'm not there yet. He's still working on me - and I'm glad He is! "...He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." (Philippians 1:6 NKJV)
I hope this makes things legal: "New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Bible text from the New King James Version® is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000."
"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer." (Psalm 19:14 NKJV)
I pray that all who read these pages will be blessed.
I hope this makes things legal: "New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Bible text from the New King James Version® is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000."
"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer." (Psalm 19:14 NKJV)
I pray that all who read these pages will be blessed.
Friday, October 28, 2011
New Messages from the "Old" Word
I remember in Sunday school a few years ago someone commented that it was difficult to teach the Christmas story because it's been taught so many times and everyone knows it so well. I responded that the Holy Spirit often gives me new insight from a passage I thought I knew inside out. It's not always something I never knew, but it's often something I need right then - what is sometimes called a rhema word. It's the Holy Spirit reminding me of what God said (cf. John 14:26), bringing God's word alive in my life. I got such a word tonight at revival. Many times, tonight included, the lessons seems so obvious that I wonder how I missed them before. I think it's because the Word speaks to whatever we're facing, so our needs change as our lives change. I love how we can each get what we need from God's word, which might be something different for each of us from the same scripture, sermon, or lesson. Tonight's revelation was from Daniel 3, the passage popularly known by its setting, the fiery furnace. Pretty familiar story, right?
Once upon a time a king threw three men into a fiery furnace. When the king looked in the fire, he saw that the men weren't burning up, so he told them to come out of the fire. The three men came out and they were not hurt and they didn't even smell like smoke. The king praised the one true God that the men worshipped, promoted the men to better positions in his kingdom, and the men lived happily ever after.
Of course it's not that elementary, but sometimes we look at "the big picture" this way and miss important details. Think about how the story changes if you stop reading at verse 25, which says:
“Look!” [King Nebuchadnezzar] answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” (NKJV)
What the preacher said tonight is that God delivered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego not from the fire, but in the fire. He didn't bring them out of their predicament, but He was in it with them. In verse 23 we learn that they were bound when they were thrown into the fire, but in verse 25 they are free. They were in a situation that had killed others and should have killed them, but they were unharmed.
God is able to deliver us out of the trials we face and sometimes He will do so, but He is also able to liberate us while we're still in the midst of trying circumstances. So whatever your fiery furnace might be, remember Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego and know that God is with you and that He gives you the power to live . . . unbound and unharmed, even as the fire continues to rage around you. Glory to God!
Once upon a time a king threw three men into a fiery furnace. When the king looked in the fire, he saw that the men weren't burning up, so he told them to come out of the fire. The three men came out and they were not hurt and they didn't even smell like smoke. The king praised the one true God that the men worshipped, promoted the men to better positions in his kingdom, and the men lived happily ever after.
Of course it's not that elementary, but sometimes we look at "the big picture" this way and miss important details. Think about how the story changes if you stop reading at verse 25, which says:
“Look!” [King Nebuchadnezzar] answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” (NKJV)
What the preacher said tonight is that God delivered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego not from the fire, but in the fire. He didn't bring them out of their predicament, but He was in it with them. In verse 23 we learn that they were bound when they were thrown into the fire, but in verse 25 they are free. They were in a situation that had killed others and should have killed them, but they were unharmed.
God is able to deliver us out of the trials we face and sometimes He will do so, but He is also able to liberate us while we're still in the midst of trying circumstances. So whatever your fiery furnace might be, remember Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego and know that God is with you and that He gives you the power to live . . . unbound and unharmed, even as the fire continues to rage around you. Glory to God!
Monday, June 13, 2011
Matthew 10:30
But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
What a great verse! Talk about attention to detail. It doesn't say our hairs are counted. It says they're numbered. If you see a few hairs in the brush, God knows exactly which ones they are. "There go hairs 27,950, 52,694, 84,103, and 90,293." (A quick Internet search says that most of us have around 100,000 hairs on our head.) God has numbered each hair on my head and your head. That tells us there's nothing He's not concerned about. So let your hair be a reminder of God's love for you!
What a great verse! Talk about attention to detail. It doesn't say our hairs are counted. It says they're numbered. If you see a few hairs in the brush, God knows exactly which ones they are. "There go hairs 27,950, 52,694, 84,103, and 90,293." (A quick Internet search says that most of us have around 100,000 hairs on our head.) God has numbered each hair on my head and your head. That tells us there's nothing He's not concerned about. So let your hair be a reminder of God's love for you!
Sunday, November 28, 2010
5 months?!
Almost 5 months since I've posted - augh! What kind of blogger am I? God is certainly speaking - I've even made notes about things I wanted to write - but my follow-through is lacking. Rather than lamenting, I will celebrate that I'm posting today. Yay for me!
I heard a sermon today based on Mark 4:35-5:1. It was a great sermon but what struck me the most isn't something the preacher said. It's something God showed me Himself. In verse 35 Jesus says, "Let us cross over to the other side." Then in verse 38 the disciples ask, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" That's how it appeared to them. Caught up in the storm, they forgot that Jesus had already told them that they would make it to the other side.
The first lesson for me in this is the freshness of God's Word. I've read these verses and heard this passage preached many times, but don't recall noticing this before. Though they didn't say it in quite these words, I've heard people complain about how they know all there is to know about certain familiar Bible events and get bored studying them again and again. Really? When we feel that way, all we have to do is ask God to speak to us and He will. Or could it be that He's speaking but because we think we know it all, we're not listening?
The other lesson I find is directly from the scripture. We may be tempted to condemn the people in the Bible. In this instance we might think, "They were the disciples. They spent every day with Jesus! Why were they so afraid? If I had been there, I wouldn't have been worried." I ask again, Really? I can't speak for you, but I find that I am more like the people in the Bible than I might care to admit. I may be knowledgeable about many Bible people and events. Perhaps I can recite a variety of Bible passages. But does my life reflect the things I claim to believe? Or like the disciples, do I allow myself to be overtaken by my circumstances and forget what Jesus has promised? How often do I respond to problems in my life with fear, worry, perhaps even panic? Certainly such responses are human nature, yet we are called to "walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit" (Romans 8:1). "Grow(ing) in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18) does not just happen. Isaiah 26:3 comes to mind: if we would have perfect peace, we must keep our minds stayed on God. We must choose to focus on Him rather than on our problems. "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." (Philippians 4:8) My problems don't fit those categories. Do yours?
I have a list of promises to share, but this post has gotten long and I've gotten hungry. :-) So I will end with only one and post the others later. Romans 8:28 tells us that all things work together for our good, so in midst of our problems, we should look with anticipation to see what good God will bring forth.
In high school, we sometimes wrote stream of consciousness essays. Rather than being concerned with an outline, an opening, a conclusion, and other aspects of a "proper" essay, we were to write down whatever came to mind. As much as I try to make these posts make sense, I feel like the stream of consciousness style sometimes takes over. I enjoy thinking about and writing about God and how He speaks and works in my life. My prayer is that something in my musings is a blessing to those who read them. Thanks for reading!
I heard a sermon today based on Mark 4:35-5:1. It was a great sermon but what struck me the most isn't something the preacher said. It's something God showed me Himself. In verse 35 Jesus says, "Let us cross over to the other side." Then in verse 38 the disciples ask, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" That's how it appeared to them. Caught up in the storm, they forgot that Jesus had already told them that they would make it to the other side.
The first lesson for me in this is the freshness of God's Word. I've read these verses and heard this passage preached many times, but don't recall noticing this before. Though they didn't say it in quite these words, I've heard people complain about how they know all there is to know about certain familiar Bible events and get bored studying them again and again. Really? When we feel that way, all we have to do is ask God to speak to us and He will. Or could it be that He's speaking but because we think we know it all, we're not listening?
The other lesson I find is directly from the scripture. We may be tempted to condemn the people in the Bible. In this instance we might think, "They were the disciples. They spent every day with Jesus! Why were they so afraid? If I had been there, I wouldn't have been worried." I ask again, Really? I can't speak for you, but I find that I am more like the people in the Bible than I might care to admit. I may be knowledgeable about many Bible people and events. Perhaps I can recite a variety of Bible passages. But does my life reflect the things I claim to believe? Or like the disciples, do I allow myself to be overtaken by my circumstances and forget what Jesus has promised? How often do I respond to problems in my life with fear, worry, perhaps even panic? Certainly such responses are human nature, yet we are called to "walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit" (Romans 8:1). "Grow(ing) in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18) does not just happen. Isaiah 26:3 comes to mind: if we would have perfect peace, we must keep our minds stayed on God. We must choose to focus on Him rather than on our problems. "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." (Philippians 4:8) My problems don't fit those categories. Do yours?
I have a list of promises to share, but this post has gotten long and I've gotten hungry. :-) So I will end with only one and post the others later. Romans 8:28 tells us that all things work together for our good, so in midst of our problems, we should look with anticipation to see what good God will bring forth.
In high school, we sometimes wrote stream of consciousness essays. Rather than being concerned with an outline, an opening, a conclusion, and other aspects of a "proper" essay, we were to write down whatever came to mind. As much as I try to make these posts make sense, I feel like the stream of consciousness style sometimes takes over. I enjoy thinking about and writing about God and how He speaks and works in my life. My prayer is that something in my musings is a blessing to those who read them. Thanks for reading!
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Every One Matters
What is the price of two sparrows--one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. Matthew 10:29 NLT
Yes, I know "everyone" is a normally a compound word, but I separated it on purpose just this once. Every one of us, each person matters to God. Because we are striving to be like Him, people should matter to us too. Certainly our friends and family matter to us. Probably so do the people at church and maybe our co-workers. But what about the cashier in the fast food drive thru or the person who delivers our mail? What about the person who asked for our spare change or the one who cut in front of us in traffic? What about that person who gets on our last nerve, the one we go out of our way to avoid? What about that person whose skin is a different color, the one who speaks a different language - whether down the block or on a differeng continent? Every one matters.
I've run across a couple of interesting efforts in this vein that I want to share. The first one is The Homicide Report, a blog on the Los Angeles Times web site. Check out the story that was broadcast on NPR's All Things Considered to learn more. Secondly, I know someone who gets the Department of Defense news releases via email. When a soldier's death is reported, she searches online, hoping to find a photo of the soldier or an article about him or her. Also, she says a prayer for those the soldier left behind.
Each effort is making note that these lost lives matter. One seeks to make people aware while the other is more personal. I was touched by both. And while I appreciate what is being done, I can't help but think that we must find ways to let people know that they matter while they're still alive. But how do we do that? First, we can pray. This is how we can impact people near and far, individually and collectively. Next, we can be attentive to the leading of the Holy Spirit and willing to follow His lead. While you may be destined for an audience the size of the L. A. Times readership, it may be that the smile you offer someone is just what they need, the first bright spot in their day.
One last thing: be kind to yourself. You matter too. Love others as you love yourself, remember?
Yes, I know "everyone" is a normally a compound word, but I separated it on purpose just this once. Every one of us, each person matters to God. Because we are striving to be like Him, people should matter to us too. Certainly our friends and family matter to us. Probably so do the people at church and maybe our co-workers. But what about the cashier in the fast food drive thru or the person who delivers our mail? What about the person who asked for our spare change or the one who cut in front of us in traffic? What about that person who gets on our last nerve, the one we go out of our way to avoid? What about that person whose skin is a different color, the one who speaks a different language - whether down the block or on a differeng continent? Every one matters.
I've run across a couple of interesting efforts in this vein that I want to share. The first one is The Homicide Report, a blog on the Los Angeles Times web site. Check out the story that was broadcast on NPR's All Things Considered to learn more. Secondly, I know someone who gets the Department of Defense news releases via email. When a soldier's death is reported, she searches online, hoping to find a photo of the soldier or an article about him or her. Also, she says a prayer for those the soldier left behind.
Each effort is making note that these lost lives matter. One seeks to make people aware while the other is more personal. I was touched by both. And while I appreciate what is being done, I can't help but think that we must find ways to let people know that they matter while they're still alive. But how do we do that? First, we can pray. This is how we can impact people near and far, individually and collectively. Next, we can be attentive to the leading of the Holy Spirit and willing to follow His lead. While you may be destined for an audience the size of the L. A. Times readership, it may be that the smile you offer someone is just what they need, the first bright spot in their day.
One last thing: be kind to yourself. You matter too. Love others as you love yourself, remember?
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