Do Not Be Anxious

This morning I awoke feeling a great deal of anxiety. I have been stepping forward into something new career wise - and doing so much more rapidly than I expected.  Instead of starting out as a "beginner", I started out with more advanced stuff.  This felt like a push, but felt doable - barely.  But last night, I was told that someone really wanted me to do even more - a lot more. It would mean stepping into a role I hadn't even envisioned for myself until quite a ways down the line. I didn't feel at all ready for that and told them I didn't think I'd be ready for that for a long time.  Then I came home and stewed about it overnight, producing the anxiety I woke up with.  There were so many questions on my mind:

• Did I just slam closed a door that God was opening for me?
• Would it be a good thing or a bad thing for me to step into such a role?  What would be the consequences either way?
• How could I possibly do it?
• Should I tell them I'd changed my mind and was more open to their idea than I had said?
• What should I do?

The questions just circled around in my brain and all I could do was cry out to God for guidance.  This verse came to mind:

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."   (Phil 4:6-7 NIV)

This verse reminds me not only to ask God for guidance and strength to do His will in this regard, but to present my request with thanksgiving.  Father, I AM grateful that I am doing well enough that they might consider me for such a step forward, (even if their request IS born out of their own desperation), and I know it is only because of you working in me that I've been able to do what I've done.  I know that though many things appear impossible from a human perspective, with you nothing is impossible. Please show me your will, Father!

I think of another verse - this one in First John:

"Where God's love is, there is no fear, because God's perfect love drives out fear. It is punishment that makes a person fear, so love is not made perfect in the person who fears." (1 John 4:18  NCV)

The King James version says perfect love drives out fear because fear has torment - and I've always agreed that fear feels like torment! But it really strikes me that NCV translates it "punishment".  When I look up the word in Strongs's concordance, I discover it actually means "penal infliction" - punishment for wrong doing.  This leads me to the question, "Is my fear really arising out of some concern about punishment for wrong doing?"  As I think about this, I realize I am indeed afraid of what people will say and do and think and what the results will be.  In essence, I'm concerned I might be "punished" for taking on responsibilities that others would consider "too soon" for me to take on.  Clearly, this is not demonstrating full confidence in God!  I am reminded of one of my favorite Bible promises:

"And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." (Rom 8:28-29 - Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.)

And another:

"I can do all things through Christ, because he gives me strength." (Phil 4:13 NCV)

Thinking of this and accepting that I can do all things through Christ, this verse comes to mind: 

"Everything is permissible"-but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"-but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others. (1 Cor 10:23-24  NIV)

This reminds me of another important factor to consider. This is not all about me, but about what is good for all concerned.

Father, thank you for your reassurances to me this morning.  I thank you for the blessings you have given and ask that YOUR will be done in this situation, that what transpires will be best for ALL.  If it is your will that I step into this role more quickly than I had anticipated, please show me that clearly!  If there is something I should say to amend last night's response, please make that clear to me. May I keep the good of all in mind, and may I clearly come to know your will for me in this matter. Father, I don't want to slam a door closed that you are opening for me - and I don't want to run ahead through a doorway that is not what you would have me do.  Thank you for your guidance, for your reassurances and for your love. Thank you for the peace you have promised. I love you, Father!

Grace

My husband and I have been asked to showcase a dance at a statewide dance festival in about a month and a half.  The dance will be a Foxtrot and is one of the harder rhythms to make look graceful.  We're practicing and working on issues of technique, but I sometimes wonder if we will ever be as graceful as we'd like to be.  Since we practiced last night before bed, it was on my mind as I went to sleep.  This morning I woke up with a verse on my mind that made me laugh at God's humor - and be filled with gratitude at the same time.

"Let us, then, feel very sure that we can come before God's throne where there is grace. There we can receive mercy and grace to help us when we need it."  (Heb 4:16 NCV, emphasis mine)

What a promise for me at this time!!!!  My first thought was, "I know that isn't what that word in the Bible is really referring to."  But then I realized I was in danger of tossing away God's gift of reassurance to me!  I decided to do a bit more looking at what the Bible says about grace.  

It's a word that is used A LOT, but one verse really jumped out at me. It's a verse from I Peter and says:

"GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE." (I Peter 5:5 - New American Standard, Updated)

Clearly I'm being given instruction here.  If I am in a space of pride, I can't expect the grace I want!  Immediately, I think of another verse that reinforces this idea:

"Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall." (Prov 16:18 - Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.)

I CERTAINLY don't want to fall as we dance the showcase!

Father,  as we dance this showcase, and in all of my life, I want to be an open channel for your love and grace to flow through.  Father, I want all bits of pride removed - and I don't want to fall!  May I be teachable with true humility of spirit, not thinking of myself more highly than I ought, but measuring my value by the amount of faith you have given me (Rom 12:3).  Father, I want to trust you in this showcase - and in all the rest of my life.  As the Biblical father said, "Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief." (Mark 9:24) Thank you, Father, for lifting my fear and anxiety about this showcase as I accept your promise of grace.  I love you, Lord. Amen.

 

With All My Might

Lately I've been working really long hours.  The current task on my plate is a big one and I feel an urgency to get it finished.  Each day I've worked from sun up (or earlier) to sun down (or later), often with few breaks.  Doing this has meant I've made rapid progress (though there is still a long way to go), but I've worried about being so focused on one basic task.  Yesterday as I awoke - and again this morning - a verse from Ecclesiastes was on my mind:

"Whatever presents itself for you to do, do it with all your might"  (Eccl 9:10 - from GOD'S WORD Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations Bible Society. All rights reserved.)

Though I continued to ask for guidance for my day, I hadn't even been fully aware that I had been worried about my nearly single focus, and whether it was God's will for me to be so concentrated on one main thing, until this verse kept coming to mind!  God is SO good!  I am so grateful for His gentle leading in my life and that before we call, He answers! (Isaiah 65:24) 

As I ponder this, another verse comes to mind that talks about using all my strength - "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength."  (Deut 6:5  NCV)  Jesus said this is the "first and greatest commandment". (Matt 22:38  NIV)  This is my most important task - loving God with all of me.  And this reminds me that as long as I am asking the question and seeking God's guidance, I can rest fully in Him, knowing He will re-direct me if or when needed.

Thank you, Father, for your reassurance and love! Thank you for that peace promised in Isaiah 26:3 - "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." Thank you for health and strength as I continue my work, and that as I see my tasks to completion, you are seeing your work in me to completion. (Phil 1:6)  I love you, Father!

Praise God!

Today I was drawn to this verse from Psalms: 

"Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!"  (Psalms 66:20 NIV)

I am SO imperfect in my walk with God.  Too many times I don't put Him first in my life. Too many times I forget to look to Him for my guidance and strength, and I take on myself those burdens which He intended to carry for me. Too many times I focus on myself instead of Him and those He puts in my path. Unfortunately, the list goes on and on.  Looking at such a list, it's easy to become discouraged and feel God can't possibly hear my prayers or care about answering them under such conditions! But verses like this one remind me that is just not true!  He is patiently waiting for me and loves me still.  I am SO grateful!

I think about my ups and downs in my relationship with my daughter, and they serve as such a powerful object lesson of God's love.  I can't imagine my daughter doing anything that could cause me to stop loving her!  There have been times when in her own path of rocky growth, she hasn't wanted to spend time with me or communicate with me, and times she's said and done things that have hurt me deeply.  That doesn't mean I'm not there for her or would withhold my love from her!  So how could I possibly think that God, whose love is so much deeper and wider than I can imagine, would do any less for me - His child? When she does hurtful things, I see how deeply she is hurting and I look for the day she'll make better choices because I know she'll be happier and this is what I long for her to experience.  How much more does my Heavenly Father understand me and wish this for me! 

I had the privilege this weekend of sharing deeply with a friend about spiritual things, and in the process of sharing some of my experiences with God, I was able to look back on my life and see how God has led.  Am I a perfect example of letting Him lead in my life? Certainly not.  But as I look back on my life, I can see such progress!  Certainly there are still times when I worry, for example, instead of fully trusting my loving heavenly Father, but I am nothing like I used to be in this regard!  By looking back on the miraculous way He has led me, I can see how much more trust has become a way of life for me.  I am SO grateful!  Remembering the fear and worry I used to carry, shows me how blessed I am in my walk with God today - despite my very imperfect journey along this path.

Father, I do indeed praise you for your love and care for me!  I am so grateful that you don't reject my prayer or withhold your love from me, no matter how rebellious I may be at times.  Thank you for your patience with me and your kind and gentle leading.  Thank you that your love extends to all, and that I know you have those I care about in your capable hands. You are such a patient and inspiring teacher! I am SO grateful that you don't give up on me when I seem to be such a slow learner some times!  Father, this morning, once again my prayer is that Your will be done, in earth as it is in heaven - including in my own heart and life.  Thank you that you hear and answer prayers.  May I be open enough to clearly see your will for me today, and may I be willing to let your will be done through me, I pray.  Thank you, Father! Amen. 

Cast Your Cares on the Lord

In my Bible software, I have a set of daily devotionals by famous preacher Charles Spurgeon and they can give me a lot of food for thought.  Yesterday's devotional was based on a verse from the Psalms - "Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you;" (Psalms 55:22, NIV)

Here are some excerpts from what Spurgeon had to say about it:

"The precept to avoid anxious care is earnestly inculcated by our Saviour, again and again; it is reiterated by the apostles; and it is one which cannot be neglected without involving transgression: for the very essence of anxious care is the imagining that we are wiser than God, and the thrusting ourselves into His place to do for Him that which He has undertaken to do for us. . . . He who cannot calmly leave his affairs in God's hand, but will carry his own burden, is very likely to be tempted to use wrong means to help himself. This sin leads to a forsaking of God as our counsellor, and resorting instead to human wisdom. . . . Anxiety makes us doubt God's lovingkindness . . . so that our prayers become hindered, our consistent example marred, and our life one of self-seeking. (from Spurgeon's Morning & Evening, PC Study Bible formatted electronic database Copyright © 1999, 2003, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Wow!  How foolish to imagine even for an instant that we are wiser than God!  I am so grateful that God is willing to take our burdens - and that His "yoke is easy" and His "burden is light"! (Matt 11:30) This morning I praise Him for relief of a very specific burden as I've been receiving healing of a physical challenge, as well as ability and courage to move forward into the tasks He has called me to undertake. 

Father, I am SO grateful to enter your courts with thanksgiving and praise this morning!  Thank you for healing, for strength, for courage, for talents, for friends and loved ones.  I am so grateful for your many blessings!  I think of a verse I learned in childhood - "You, Lord, give true peace to those who depend on you,because they trust you." (Isaiah 26:3)  Thank you, Father for that peace - a peace that passes beyond all understanding.  A peace we can experience no matter what challenges we face at any given moment.  May I indeed keep my eyes on you, trusting in you rather than leaning on my own understanding.  May I better understand how to acknowledge you in all my ways, Father, as I truly want you to direct my path. (Prov 3:6).  Amen.

God Will Fulfill His Purpose for Me!

When troubled or discouraged, I have often returned to a text found in Philippians: ". . . being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (Phil 1:6 NIV) This text reminds me that no matter how slow my progress may seem, or how far from God I might feel at any given time, He IS working in me both to will and to do of His good pleasure (Phil 2:13).  This morning, I came across a similar promise in one of the Psalms:

"The Lord will fulfill [his purpose] for me; your love, O Lord, endures forever — do not abandon the works of your hands." (Ps 138:8 NIV)

I love reading the Psalms - especially those written by David as this one was.  David's walk with God was so REAL. David clearly wasn't perfect, but God called him a man after his own heart! (I Sam 13:14, Acts 13:22)  David was sometimes afraid or discouraged, and sometimes fell far short of what he should in his actions and faith, but He continued to look to God - the "author and finisher" (Heb 12:2) of his faith.  I love the verses that say that God saw David as a man who kept His commandments and and followed God with all his heart (for example, I Kings 14:8) - despite David's human failings. This verse from Psalms 138 is a great reminder.  David's words suggest a fear of abandonment, but a steadfast faith in God combating that fear.  This morning, I choose to take David's words as my own - with gratitude.

Father, I am so grateful that your love endures forever and you will not abandon me but will instead fulfill your purpose for me!  I am so grateful that you will carry your work to completion in me, as I, too, look to you as both the author and finisher of my faith.  I am grateful that you continue to work in me both to WILL and to DO of your good pleasure.  You know the current challenges in my path.  I trust you to remove them if it is the best way to fulfill your plan in my life - and to give me the courage and strength to continue moving forward despite these challenges if that is what you see is best.  I am grateful for your continued guidance in my life, and the strength you give each day! I love you, Father.

Do Not Let Your Hearts Be Troubled

I've been reading what Jesus had to say toward the end of his journey here on earth.  As He tries to prepare his disciples for the hours ahead - his arrest, trial and crucifixion - I figure what He told them in his final hours at the Last Supper and later in the garden would be what He felt to be of paramount importance and thus particularly important to study. As I read, I was struck by the timing of these words from John:

"Simon Peter asked him, 'Lord, where are you going?' Jesus replied, 'Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.' Peter asked, 'Lord, why can't I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.' Then Jesus answered, 'Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times! Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.'" (John 13:36 to 14:4 NIV)

The first thing that struck me in this passage is that these words are all connected!  I've read these words many times, but somehow, because of the way the chapters are arranged, I've usually thought of the forecasting of Peter's betrayal at the end of chapter 13 and the "Don't let your hearts be troubled" passage at the beginning of chapter 14 as two completely separate things. But they follow each other with no break! What a blessing to realize that a part of what Jesus was saying as He called for the disciples to trust in God and in Himself was that He understood Peter's weakness and would not condemn Him for it!  This is such a comfort to me when I have fallen and done something I shouldn't have done or not done something I should have done!  There are many times my heart can be troubled and it is not just because of the sorts of fears that arise from persecution like Jesus was facing.  It can also be very troubled when I betray my Lord - as was Peter's.  How compassionate a God we serve to have comforted Peter before the fact!

The second thing that strikes me are the words "Do not let your hearts be troubled." This suggests that we have some control over our troubled hearts.  Surely we wouldn't be admonished to not let our hearts be troubled if there was nothing we could do!  And the prescription is right there.  "Trust in God; trust also in me."  So, whatever emotion is troubling my heart - fear, sorrow, guilt, anxiety - I need to ask myself the question, "Where am I not trusting in God?"  That answer points me to the part of my life I have not yet fully trusted to God so I can turn it over to Him.

Thank you, Father, for your incredible love!  Thank you for your compassion and your grace, and for the understanding that we can live life with untroubled hearts!  Forgive me for those places in my life where I have yet to trust you fully.  Father, I want to be ALL yours!  Thank you for the promise that you will take me to be with you! I am so grateful, Father, for all that you are in my life! Amen.

Stay Away From Those People - and Finish Your Work!

My reading this morning came from 2 Timothy 3:1-5 (NCV):

Remember this! In the last days there will be many troubles, because people will love themselves, love money, brag, and be proud. They will say evil things against others and will not obey their parents or be thankful or be the kind of people God wants. They will not love others, will refuse to forgive, will gossip, and will not control themselves. They will be cruel, will hate what is good, will turn against their friends, and will do foolish things without thinking. They will be conceited, will love pleasure instead of God, and will act as if they serve God but will not have his power. Stay away from those people.

Wow! So much food for thought in these few verses! It says there will be many troubles because of people doing these things. It's easy to see the truth of this. There are so many troubles I've seen and experienced because people are like what is listed in this passage. I can so easily point to times I've experienced pain because others have done these things!  But as always, instead of judging others, I need to look deep within my own heart.

How many times have my troubles stemmed from my own character defects?  And how am I to stay away from "those people" when some of these things are things I do myself!  I don't want to be found in this group of people! Yet, while some things in this list don't apply to me, too many do. Unfortunately, I've seen times when I wanted my own pleasure rather than doing something God was telling me to do. And I've certainly seen myself do foolish things without thinking. There have been times when I've been proud, and times when I have forgotten to be thankful. And there are times I do not experience God's power fully in my life. Is it because of these character defects?

Father, forgive me! You know me and you know my heart. Please cleanse me and make me COMPLETELY yours!  I am so grateful, Father for your power at work in my life, and that you have promised to see the work you have started to completion!  Thank you, Father!

Wow.  There's a lot of food for thought there, too:

". . . being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (Phil 1:6  NIV)

I am SO glad for the promise that God will complete the good work He's started in me.  It's so easy to get discouraged sometimes when I see how far short of God's ideal I fall, and these words are such a comfort at these times. 

And yet, as I think of this promise, it too begins to convict me. It's embarrassing to admit, but too often, I have a challenge with finishing what I start. I've come to realize how often I work on a task until it is 90% or 95% complete and then decide it's "good enough for now." For example, when cleaning the kitchen, I might get the dishes dealt with, but decide not to sweep the floor. Or I might clean in my office, and stop when I have a small stack of things that need to be gone through. Or maybe I'm cooking and do most of the clean up but leave that one dish that needs to be hand-washed. Whatever it is, too often I leave some little thing undone so the task is not truly finished. I'm so glad God won't do that with me!  I'm so glad I can be confident that He will see the work in me done to completion!

Perhaps I can use this knowledge to encourage me to complete my own tasks. Perhaps, instead of leaving one small piece undone, I can, as I finish that last little bit of whatever task I am working on, spend my time thanking God for the work He is doing in my life and that I can trust he will see it to completion. I LOVE that idea! Seen this way, completely finishing my tasks is like a prayer of gratitude!

Thank you, Father, for your gentleness with me.  Even when you convict me and point out something in me that needs attention, you do it in a loving way and with the full promise that I can depend upon YOUR strength and guidance to achieve the change that is needed - that it is YOU that works within me both to will and to do your good pleasure (Phil 2:13). Like a good parent, teaching me - your child, you even manage to make the work FUN! I am so grateful, Father!

Conquerors

Today I read several chapters in Romans, and saw them in a new light.  I'd been feeling discouraged about my battle with my weight and other physical issues in my body, and this morning the thought crossed my mind that maybe the meetings I've been attending where we bring a spiritual focus to issues with weight control weren't working to restore my health. I KNEW I needed to have fewer carbohydrates in my diet - the physical laws that govern my body seemed to say so - and yet I found myself eating a meal last night that had more carbohydrates than I would have liked. It was soooo discouraging. 

And then I stepped on the scales and saw that I was down two pounds!  It was like God was speaking to me saying, "Don't let discouragement get the better of you.  It IS working!"  So, I opened my Bible and found myself reading this:

Do you not know, brothers — for I am speaking to men who know the law — that the law has authority over a man only as long as he lives? For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage. So then, if she marries another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress, even though she marries another man. 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. For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death. But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code. . . . We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do — this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. . . . Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you. . . . We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.  Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. . . . in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom 7:1-6, Rom 7:14-20, Rom 8:5-11, Rom 8:22-29, Rom 8:37-39 NIV)

 As I was reading all about the law and the body, it occurred to me that this could apply far more than just to the ten commandment type of law - it could apply to laws of health as well!  Certainly I had seen the challenge of living in alignment with these physical laws at war in my own body where I found myself doing things I didn't want to do as Paul describes.  All of a sudden this passage becomes a beautiful promise of renewed health.  So, today my task is to keep my mind set on what the Spirit desires instead of what my physical body's cravings might desire. As The Message Bible puts it - "People with their minds set on you, you keep completely whole, Steady on their feet, because they keep at it and don't quit. Depend on God and keep at it because in the Lord God you have a sure thing." (Isa 26:3-4 from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)

Thank you, Father for your promises and the way you are fulfilling them in me now!  Thank you for the healing you are working in me.  I see you at work in the way my desires are changing to more healthful choices!  You are an amazing God, and I am so grateful I can call you my Father and look to you for guidance and strength each day!  I am grateful for the reminder and promise in Jude's words - "To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen." (Jude 24-25 NIV)

Bible Challenge

Sometimes, reading the Bible can really bring me peace in the midst of challenge.  At other times, the challenge is reading the Bible itself.  Some passages are really challenging to understand!  Such is the case with a passage I read yesterday.  Since it was Mother's Day, I started out looking up passages that spoke of mothers. This particular one stood out to me but was so challenging that I didn't really address it at the time.  I started reading before it to get the context and found myself focusing on what I shared yesterday instead.  

But the text has stayed with me and I've continued pondering it. It's found in Luke chapter 14 verses 25 - 27:

Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters — yes, even his own life — he cannot be my disciple. (NIV)

That sounds really harsh! I have to hate my family and myself in order to follow Jesus?  REALLY???  I thought God was a God of LOVE!!!  Over and over again we are told to LOVE!!!!  So, I look a little deeper.

What is the context? Jesus has just told the story of a man who prepared a feast, but when the time came, everyone who had been invited made excuses as to why they couldn't attend - one had just bought a field and wanted to go see it, one had just bought some oxen and wanted to try them out, one had just gotten married. It seems pretty clear that the message is that when it comes to eating of the spiritual feast God has prepared for us, we can't let anyone or anything stand in our way.  

And yet, the words are so strong: "If any one does not HATE . . ."  Surely He doesn't literally mean we must hate our parents.  In fact, later on he tells someone they must honor their parents: "You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.'" (Luke 18:20 NIV)  And yet the same word is used in many other passages where we fully understand it as meaning "hate".  Looking the original word up in the concordance gives a bit of a hint.  It says it is "from a primary misos (hatred)" and means "to detest (especially to persecute); by extension, to love less:" (Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)  To love less.  Okay, I can certainly understand that idea - I must not make idols of anyone or anything by loving them more that God - makes sense.  And perhaps, using a word that so often means something stronger may have been chosen for shock value to really make us stop and think about this passage.  If so, this must be important!

So, how am I doing?????  How well am I REALLY doing at this?  Do I truly put God first in my life, or do I make excuses like all those invited guests?  Honesty forces me to admit that I, too, sometimes make excuses and choose to put other people or other things first. I am not ALWAYS fully present to that still small voice within and to the people He places in my path!  My first thought is not ALWAYS "what is Your will, Father".  Too often I still get caught up with what I want to do - MY will instead of HIS.

Father, forgive me!  Only you can root out this selfishness in me and make me wholly yours! But I must let you do it!  I think of the young father saying, "Lord, I believe! Help thou mine unbelief." Similarly my heart cries out, "Lord, I want you first in my life. Help me with those places in me where this isn't yet true!"  Thank you, Father!  May your will be done in me this day, I pray. Amen.

Strangers

Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."  (Luke 14:12-14 NIV)

This morning, these verses reminded me of an experience I had this past Friday.  What happened? I was in line at the grocery store when someone came up to me just as I was about to slide my credit card to pay for my groceries and said, "Have you heard of pay it forward? I'd like to buy your groceries for you."  Now, I had just run out to pick up one thing, so it wasn't as though the expense was great, but the fact that a perfect stranger wanted to do that for me made a real impact. I didn't need the money.  It was no hardship to pay for the small item myself. But I had been having a bit of a rough day, and it was like God in human clothes reached down to me and said, "It's okay.  I love you and everything will be all right!"

Why has this never occurred to me before?  When I've looked to give someone groceries, for instance, I've looked for someone who "needs it".  But is it the financial status of the person or the inner being that has the more important need? "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." (1 Sam 16:7 NIV)  Surely it can be of value to give to someone who physically needs it, but I can't discount the value of those who don't "need it" in that way.  Some of the people I know that most need a loving touch are quite well-to-do financially, but are very "poor in spirit".

What a marvelous thing - to be the hands and voice of God in touching another person's life!  How might I better incorporate this into my life? What might I be able to do for a perfect stranger to lift their spirits and brighten their day and be the hand that shows God's love to them? Who are "the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind" in my life?  And how might I give them a "banquet"?  How might I bless those who cannot repay me?  The example someone gave me in the grocery store is one way.  What are some other possibilities?  I remember seeing a story on TV about someone who started writing "love letters" to strangers.  The story really impacted me and is told briefly here. Another source of ideas is the Random Acts of Kindness website.   

Father, what would you have ME do?  What can I do today to touch the life of a stranger?  "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." (Heb 13:2 KJV)  "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'" (Matt 25:40 NIV)

Father, my heart is so moved at the thought of what various people are doing for strangers throughout the world!  May I look for opportunities to be a channel of your love to those around me. May I listen to your nudge in my spirit and may that nudge be more important to me than anything else I may be doing!  Thank you, Father, for the opportunities you give to make a difference!

A Baby?

This morning I awakened with a vivid dream that felt like it was in direct response to a prayer request for guidance. In my dream, I suddenly realized I was pregnant.  A few minutes later I had given birth to a baby girl.  I hadn't even realized I was pregnant until just before giving birth!  What was this dream all about?   I wasn't entirely sure.  Thinking about the baby, I looked for where the Bible talked about them.  I was reminded of a passage I had read earlier this week:

"A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world." (John 16:21 NIV)

The thought comes.  Where in my life am I in the process of giving birth to something?  Am I experiencing pain and fear as I seek to move into something new in my life?  This is a promise to me that the process will be worth it! 

As I think more on this, I realize that the challenge in the birth process that I'm experiencing right now is not pain, but fear.  And I remember that in my dream there was no pain either.  But I was afraid - not of the birth process itself, but of what people were going to say about me and my baby. Another verse comes to mind - this time from Jeremiah:

But the Lord said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the Lord.  (Jer 1:7,8 NIV)

It is SO hard to step forward into something new where I know whatever happens will be very visible to others.  But God counsels me to not be afraid of them and to do what He calls me to do without pleading inexperience.  Scary - but remember, I've been promised that it will be worth it!

Father, thank you for understanding my fears and gently reassuring me.  May I continue to step forward as you would have me do.  I am grateful for your gentle guidance as I yoke with you.

To Do Lists

I was speaking to someone yesterday about how my to do list just seems to grow rather than getting shorter, so this morning as I was reading, the words in Matthew 11:28-30 stood out to me:

"Come to me, all of you who are tired and have heavy loads, and I will give you rest. Accept my teachings and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit, and you will find rest for your lives. The teaching that I ask you to accept is easy; the load I give you to carry is light."  (New Century Version)

For over a week, it seemed I was unable to get a good night's sleep. I'm sleeping again now, but still catching up on my sleep, so definitely qualify as tired! "Accept my teachings and learn from me" - Father, what is it that you want me to learn and accept? As I ponder these verses the word "because" jumps out at me. Is it possible that I will find rest for my life in part BECAUSE Jesus is gentle and humble in spirit and I should learn these attributes from Him. It strikes me that I need to cultivate gentleness and humility if I am to follow His example and that this is what will bring me rest.

Father, too often I speak before thinking and thus my words are not as gentle as they could be. And I can be pretty harsh with myself, too, - especially when it comes to accomplishing what is on my to do list! And too often pride rears it's ugly head in me. Father, I ask that these things be removed from me. May I be yoked with you and thus only go where you go - do and say what you put within me.  

How would an attitude of humility and teachability affect my burdens today? I hear the words of Paul to the Philipians, "Let this mind be in you that was also in Christ Jesus."(Phil 2:5)  As the New Century Version puts it: 

In your lives you must think and act like Christ Jesus. Christ himself was like God in everything. But he did not think that being equal with God was something to be used for his own benefit. But he gave up his place with God and made himself nothing. He was born to be a man and became like a servant. And when he was living as a man, he humbled himself and was fully obedient to God, even when that caused his death — death on a cross. Phil 2:5-8

Father, clearly if I am to follow Jesus example, I am not to use the strength you give me for my own benefit.  I am to be like a servant - fully obedient to you. What does this mean for me today, Father?  What does it mean for my to do list?  Are there tasks on there that You see do not belong there?  Please guide my thoughts and understanding as I seek to do your will this day.

As I continue reading in Matthew, I realize that the first passage I quoted, is immediately followed by stories about how Jesus and his disciples didn't conform to all the rules and regulations concerning Sabbath keeping that the spiritual leaders of the day had in place.  And the questions comes to me - Am I burdened down with too many expectations, rules, and regulations? Are there things I'm expecting of myself that are not God's guidance, but simply expectations based on things I've been taught or learned from others?  This could indeed be a source of increased burdens! For example, when I prepare food, are there guidelines I'm trying to follow that are man-made and make things more complicated than they need to be? Where else might I be following rules of men instead of the voice of God without even realizing it?

Father, thank you for this reminder that the burdens you intend for me to carry are not mine alone, but we will carry them together as I yoke with you!  Thank you for the assurance that the burdens you intend for me to carry are LIGHT!  Once again this morning I come to you asking you to be my teacher. Please show me the way!  You know the burdens on my mind and heart. As I yoke with you this morning, I look to you for guidance concerning them. What is mine to do? What is simply the expectations of others? What stems from pride rather than the simple willingness to be your servant? What would you have me do this day? Thank you, Father, for your yoke and guidance this day!  It strikes me that I don't need to THINK a lot about these things, but simply accept your yoke.  With the yoke in place, it will be very clear what direction you wish to go, and I simply follow!  May this be my experience today, Father. Thank you!

Gathering the Remnants

Sometimes it's so hard to be consistent in my life!  Whether it's fixing healthy meals, keeping my house clean and organized, exercising my body, or seeking spiritual nourishment, too often for me it's either "feast or famine."  Why is it so hard for me to be consistent?

I recently blogged about leftovers, including Jesus' instructions to "gather the remnants that nothing be lost" (John 6:12 paraphrased).  These words continue to stick with me.  As I've contemplated them more, I've begun to realize that this is part of the key to consistency. Using leftovers is part of what makes it easier for me to be consistent in life!

For example, when it comes to cooking healthy meals, it can take quite a bit of time.  If I cook a meal from scratch every time I need to eat, I don't get a lot else done (and thus can't be consistent in the other areas in my life)!  But, if I make good use of leftovers, I can just re-heat them and eat them later in the week, saving myself a lot of time in the kitchen.   I can even put some of the leftovers in the freezer and have a quick meal to pull out when unexpected circumstances mean I have no time to cook.

In my previous blog about leftovers, I was mostly focused on the physical realm of "things".  But as usual I'm finding application beyond the material.  Where else do I need to gather the remnants?

One place I've realized I need to be doing this is with my spiritual feasts. Some days I am fed such a spiritual feast that it is not possible to blog about it all - I'd be at it all day.  At times like this, I don't always fully digest the whole of what I've been given.  It's just too much to "eat" in one sitting. Yesterday, as I was thinking about this, I realized I could "gather the remnants" into a file on my computer where I just listed the verses that I didn't blog about and the thoughts that flitted through my head.  Then, I could continue to feed from these spiritual leftovers on other days when nothing else was put in my mind. Perhaps like day-old soup that tastes even better than the first time it was served (as the flavors have had a chance to blend more thoroughly), I might find these spiritual leftovers to be the base of a meal that is both nourishing and very delicious!

Where else might I need to be "gathering the remnants"?  Earlier this week I spent HOURS of very hard work preparing my home for a visitor.  I got a lot done, but found myself so frustrated for having let things get to the place that it was so much work to get things back in shape.  Why can't I be more consistent about keeping my house clean and organized?  As I thought about this, I realized much of the problem is a tendency I've developed to do enough to get by but not fully complete my tasks.  Too often I'll do a job till it's 90% or even 95% done, but I won't finish it. I need to gather these 5% leftovers!  For example, after friends and family leave my home after an evening visit, if I take the extra two (or even 10) minutes needed to straighten things up and put things away (instead of heading straight to bed), I would be more energized in the morning as I faced a clean house (and those few things wouldn't be sitting out drawing more clutter to them!)

Perhaps there are also remnants of time that I could gather that too often go to waste.  As I'm waiting for something to heat in the microwave, for example, I could do some exercises, I could empty the dishwasher, or I could start a load of laundry.  Where might I need to gather leftover time?  What other leftovers might I need to gather?

As I continue thinking more about these ideas - feast or famine - using leftovers - consistency.  I'm realizing that part of the challenge with consistency is my expectation. I've been a glutton! I've expected a feast every time and have too often been discontent with leftovers and just tossed them aside - not just with physical food, but in many areas of my life - including spiritual food!  Instead of treating the leftovers as the nourishing bits that they are, gathering them with care and letting my creativity flow as I seek to use them, I've too often seen them as valueless and "stale". 

Heavenly Father, thank you for your guidance in my life!  Please forgive my gluttony and the way I've too often treated leftovers with such disdain. There is so much for me to learn about making better use of leftovers - such a wealth of value in that one object lesson Jesus set for us as you fed the 5000!  Father, may I be willing to gather and use the leftovers in my life and be more consistent in living the life you would have me live.  Please open my eyes to the many other examples of "leftovers" that can be gathered to make my life flow more smoothly. And may I honor the gifts you have given - from food to time to spiritual ideas - and treat the remnants with the respect they deserve!  Thank you once again for my daily bread, Father!

It's Not Fair!

IT'S NOT FAIR!!!!  How many times have we thought this to ourselves or heard our children say it.  What about the common response, "Life isn't fair"?  Most of us have lived long enough to see that this is true, but it seems so WRONG!  Why does someone hate me when all I've done is be as caring a person as I know how to be?  Why does someone pick on me when I've done nothing to deserve it? Why does someone make up vicious rumors about me and talk behind my back? Why do greedy people get away with stealing from the less fortunate?  Why? Why? Why?  Why isn't life fair?????

This morning, I was struck by a passage in John:

"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.  If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own.  As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.  That is why the world hates you."  (John 15: 18-20, NIV)

And another passage about "the world" says,

"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.  If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." (I John 2:15-17 KJV)

 I start to get a picture.  If I am abiding in God and doing His will, the "lust of the flesh" and the "lust of the eyes" and the "pride of life" is not a part of my experience.  But this is all "the world" knows, and all of life's "unfairness" comes from this. 

A worldly person does not understand how I can love someone that doesn't love me, so assumes I must have some "angle" like he would.  A worldly person doesn't understand that I want those around me to prosper as much as I want to prosper myself, so assumes motivations for my actions that are far from the truth. A worldly person doesn't CARE about me but only about himself! The reason life is not fair is that I am an ALIEN in a foreign land!  My culture of loving God and loving others as myself is so foreign to the culture of this world that I am frequently misunderstood and mistreated.  I should not be surprised at this.  It is to be expected!  Understanding this allows me to better "love my neighbor as myself" as I realize they really don't know any better.  They are warped by the culture in which they live.

Consider someone from a country with laws to protect human rights traveling to a foreign country where human rights are regularly trampled on and are not honored in law or custom.  This person may very well find some people who respect and honor him or her, but certainly should not be surprised when their rights are trampled on by some.  The best he or she could do would be to simply do his best not to offend while remaining true to his or her own beliefs.  

This is my task.  To do my best not to offend, while living within God's will.  Sometimes, this indeed means that life is not fair (and sometimes I can't help but offend as I live in a way that is foreign to others). 

Father, sometimes traveling in a foreign land is scary to me! I want to live in that land "flowing with milk and honey" - not the one that has "wars and rumors of wars"! I ask for your promised peace and the presence of the Comforter as I continue my journey in this world. Thank you that you understand what it is like!  I am so grateful for Jesus journey here on this earth to show me the way! And I am so grateful for your love!  I hear your words to me, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you . . .  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. (John 14:27)"  Thank you, Father!  May I continue to abide in You and may Your will be done in my life.  Thank you, Father!

Leftovers

I'm intrigued by the differences in two stories about handling leftovers.  The first is the story of the Israelites as they journeyed from Egypt to Canaan (Exodus 16) and the second is when Jesus fed the 5000 (John 6: 5-14).

When God sent the Israelites manna to eat, He gave them very specific instructions.  They were told to each gather what they needed in the morning - about two quarts for each person in their family.  

The first unusual thing is mentioned in verse 18.  When they gathered their manna and went to measure it - no matter how much they had gathered - whether a lot or a little - it measured the same amount for each person!  Wouldn't that be helpful for those of us who tend to take larger portion sizes than would be good for us?  Or for those of us who don't choose enough of the healthy foods to eat?  What would it be like if every time we served ourselves something, it was the exact right amount?  Do you suppose God could or would perform that sort of miracle for us today if we asked Him?

The second unusual thing is discussed in verses 19 and 20.  They were told not to save any of it for the next morning.  They were to eat all of it that day.  Those that didn't follow this guideline found that it had worms in it the next day!  So many thoughts cross my mind as I think about this.  I was always taught that this was to help them learn to trust God for their daily food, and I'm sure that's one of the things it did.  But other thoughts flit through my mind as well.  I know God knew enough about food preservation that He could have made food that lasted longer - but perhaps it was a testament to the undesirability of preservatives or the value of eating fresh foods.  One of the things we've been told has contributed to obesity in this country has been the way parents used to teach their children that they must finish up what was on their plates rather than letting it go to waste.  We've thought that was a bad idea, but it sure sounds like God's telling them to do it here!  Of course, if we start out with the right amount of food, this wouldn't be an issue, would it?  

At any rate, this is quite different from the story of the feeding of the 5000 where they were TOLD to gather the leftovers so nothing was wasted! What was different? It seems to me that in both cases, you could say God was demonstrating that we can trust God to feed us, so that wouldn't be the difference. Certainly as they gathered 12 baskets of leftovers from the small bit they started with, it helps us to understand something of the scope of the miracle, but just feeding 5000 people would have amply demonstrated that.  What was the difference?  Why were leftovers to be kept in one situation and not in the other?  

This question actually came up for me in response to a non-food issue. As I've tried to understand how to better live my life without clutter, I find myself struggling with the question of when it is prudent to save things, and when it is best to dispose of them.  And yet, the more I think about this, I realize that the Israelites were not told to dispose of food as they traveled the desert - they were to use it all instead of saving it for later.  And surely the baskets of food that were gathered after feeding the 5000 were used rather than just wasted. After all, the expressed purpose of gathering them in the first place was to prevent waste!

It's so easy to point the finger at the Israelites for not learning to trust God, but I realize that I do the same thing.  As I think about these things, my lesson for today becomes clear.  What if I lived my life in such a way that I had less things I would need to dispose of?  I need to learn to use things up!  Too often, when I see I'm getting low on something, I run out and get some more so that I won't run out (another way of saying "so I don't use it up"). This "more" that I've gotten, (with the best of intentions - it was so useful and is being discontinued, for example), often just sits and doesn't get used! In fact, I've been known to buy two of something for the express purpose of using one and still having one when I want one at some future time (that often doesn't arrive)! Or, I might see something and want to use it "someday" but someday doesn't come. Can I learn to gather only what I need for this day or this current project, and to work to use it up, making use even of the leftovers?  I find this to be a great way to stimulate creativity - to try to find a way to use the leftovers!  

While I'm sure it is sometimes appropriate to gather things in preparation for the winter or some other upcoming situation, my lesson for today is clear.  I need to learn to be comfortable with using things up!  I KNOW I can trust God to supply my needs.  I need to act like it!

Father, thank you once again for your guidance in my life.  I am so grateful for your wisdom and that you care enough to help me learn!  May I live in accordance with your will this day.  May I look to you to tell me how much of any given thing is needed as I move through my day that I may not make or buy too much.  May I learn to use things up, trusting you to supply any future needs.  Thank you, Father!