Tomorrow is my son Clay's birthday. From the moment he was born 27 years ago, he tried to take charge. It seemed that we were always in a battle for control. Fortunately, that fierce determination has served to grow him into a fine young man and I am so proud of my son. I always say that he is the best son any mom could ever have. NOW he is.....But there were days during his younger years that I wanted to quit!!
We once battled over whether or not he was going to pick up his toys. He was determined that he was not and I was just as determined that he was!! Finally, I put my hands on his hand and pulled him over to the toy. I curled his fat little fingers around the toy, forcing him to grab it. I then dragged him over to the toy box where I "uncurled" his fingers and made him drop the toy in the box. I triumphantly said, "See I told you that you were going to pick up your toys." The problem was that I didn't feel very triumphant. In fact, I felt pretty defeated because I may have won that battle, but I didn't feel like I was doing so well in the war. I got what I wanted, but Clay's heart really hadn't changed when it came to being submissive to my authority.
After so many similar rounds, I found myself wishing that I could just crawl inside that boy and motivate him from the inside out. If I could have just changed his heart so that he would become submissive to my authority, things would have gone so much better for him. Both our lives would have been much less stressful.
Years later, God began to show me that He had that idea long before I did! He could have forced His children to obey Him because He is much stronger than us. He could have dragged us kicking and screaming into His will and forced us into submission. But instead He chose to come and live inside us and motivate us from the inside out. He wants to soften our hearts toward Him, to transform the way we think, and to lovingly draw us to submission to Him by teaching us that His will is always best for us. He places His Holy Spirit inside us to do all those things.
God has never attempted to change anyone by changing their actions. Instead He changed us on the inside and when we are truly changed on the inside, it will show in our outward actions. We can never "do" enough righteous things to "become righteous." But when we come to realize that God has made us righteous, we will be motivated and empowered to do righteous things.
We named our son Clay because our goal for him was that he would be moldable and submissive to God, just as clay is to the potter. Since Clay received Christ for salvation many years ago, God has been faithful to work in Clay's life. On his birthday I'll be praying that God will continue His work of shaping throughout Clay's life and that he will be the husband, father, and man that God has planned. Happy Birthday Clay-boy.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
Taking a plunge just for fun....
We drove over to Georgia this weekend to work on our house and try to make it more "sale-able". We scraped wallpaper for HOURS, painted, cleaned up the yard, cleaned the basement, and worked HARD for two days. At the end of the day today we were exhausted and HOT. My grandkids had spent all day in the pool while their parents helped us. My daughter Amy and I went out to watch them swim late this afternoon and commented on how inviting the water looked.
Amy looked at me and said, "I just want to jump in there right now, but I didn't bring a swimsuit." As we looked at each other it was almost like something came over us and we just couldn't help it. We both jumped up, ran toward the pool, and jumped in fully clothed!!!! The kids screamed and laughed and we thought it was hilarious. The water felt great and we had so much fun till Tim came into the pool area and informed us that my suitcase was on the bottom layer of all the stuff he had just loaded in the car. He also informed me that he had no intention of unloading the car to get to my clothes and he then informed me that he was not going to wait on me to "dry out" before we left because he had a wedding the next morning. So I was looking at a two hour drive in wet clothes. And I didn't even care.
There I was; a 53 year old woman, fully clothed in a swimming pool and the most important thing on my mind was that when I left to go back to Alabama in wet clothes my grandkids would remember it and laugh for days! I would do just about anything to make those kids smile. It does my heart good to see them giggle. I just love knowing that I have made them happy.
I can't even imagine how God must feel when He sees us rejoice over something wonderful He does in our lives. It's hard to grasp the fact that my love for my children and grandchildren, even as overwhelming as it seems to be in my life, does not even compare with the love that God has for me. He enjoys me even more than I enjoy my kids! I just know that it pleases Him when I laugh and it thrills Him when I smile. He must love knowing that He has made me happy and given me joy beyond measure.
Amy looked at me and said, "I just want to jump in there right now, but I didn't bring a swimsuit." As we looked at each other it was almost like something came over us and we just couldn't help it. We both jumped up, ran toward the pool, and jumped in fully clothed!!!! The kids screamed and laughed and we thought it was hilarious. The water felt great and we had so much fun till Tim came into the pool area and informed us that my suitcase was on the bottom layer of all the stuff he had just loaded in the car. He also informed me that he had no intention of unloading the car to get to my clothes and he then informed me that he was not going to wait on me to "dry out" before we left because he had a wedding the next morning. So I was looking at a two hour drive in wet clothes. And I didn't even care.
There I was; a 53 year old woman, fully clothed in a swimming pool and the most important thing on my mind was that when I left to go back to Alabama in wet clothes my grandkids would remember it and laugh for days! I would do just about anything to make those kids smile. It does my heart good to see them giggle. I just love knowing that I have made them happy.
I can't even imagine how God must feel when He sees us rejoice over something wonderful He does in our lives. It's hard to grasp the fact that my love for my children and grandchildren, even as overwhelming as it seems to be in my life, does not even compare with the love that God has for me. He enjoys me even more than I enjoy my kids! I just know that it pleases Him when I laugh and it thrills Him when I smile. He must love knowing that He has made me happy and given me joy beyond measure.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
What did Jesus write in the sand?
Sunday night Tim (my husband and also my pastor) was preaching about the woman caught in adultery in the New Testament from John 8:1-8. It's the account in which Jesus kneels and writes something in the sand. I remembered that a few years ago when I was studying that passage for a lesson I was writing, I wondered why the passage never reveals anything about what or why He wrote in the sand that day.
From studying a book about Jewish observances, I learned that there were several ceremonial practices that were celebrated as part of the annual Feast of Tabernacles. One of those traditions was The Celebration of Water Pouring. The priests would have been divided into three groups, with each group having a definite assignment. The third group of priests were assigned to go to the pool known as Siloam and drew out what was known as "mayim hayim," (living water) which was to be poured it into a golden vase. At the appropriate time during the feast, as the worshippers sang a song about the joy of drawing water from the well of salvation, the High Priest would pour the "mayim hayim" (living water) from the golden vase onto the altar.
God gave specific instructions in Leviticus for the observance of this Feast and each of the components of the Old Testament feasts had significant meaning pointing to its fulfillment in the Messiah. The annual celebration of these feasts began with the institution of the Old Testament temple practices in the days of Moses. But if we fast forward from the Old Testament celebrations of The Feast of Tabernacles and look at a New Testament observance of the same feast we can find an actual incident in which Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of the "mayim hayim" in declaring Himself to be the real Living Water.
In the second chapter of John, we learn that Jesus was in town during the Jewish annual observance of the Feast of Tabernacles. (John 7:2) The worshippers would have just sung, "With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation." The Hebrew word for salvation is "Yeshua," or Jesus. Remember that they called the water collected from the pool of Siloam "living water." So for years they had essentially been singing about drawing living water from Jesus, without even realizing it. But here's what happened on the final day of The Feast of Tabernacles celebration in the year in which John recorded the incident about the woman caught in adultery.
"37. On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." 39. But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified." John 7:37-39 (NKJV)
Jesus (Yeshua, Salvation) had the attention of everyone in the crowd when He declared that the true living water would come from Him. He was inviting them to drink of Him, taking in water that would satisfy all thirsts. They could truly do as they had just sung. They could "draw water from the wells of salvation." And when a person drank from Him, they would also become a well from which living water would flow. And just in case we didn't understand what Jesus was implying, John explained His meaning to us. The Holy Spirit was still a future promise at this point because Jesus had not yet been crucified, resurrected, and ascended to Heaven. But in the near future of the people hearing this message, the Holy Spirit would come to live within them and enable them to be vessels filled to overflowing with the living water of the Messiah.
In all the Biblical holy days, about which God gave specific instructions for observing, He painted a picture of salvation for all generations. Even in the Old Testament instructions for these celebrations, it is obvious that God's plan has always been to provide salvation through His Messiah, Jesus; that people would one day be able to draw living water from the well of salvation (Yeshua/Jesus). How could anyone miss the symbolism of His beautiful artwork in the pictures painted by the Feasts, especially this one? Yet some did, and some still do.
In John 8:1-8, a story that happened shortly following the celebration at which Jesus declared Himself to be Living Water is recorded. Early in the morning, after the Feast of Tabernacles seventh day celebration during which Jesus made His declaration about being the true Living Water, Jesus came back into the temple. A crowd gathered and he began to teach them. His lesson was interrupted by a group of scribes and Pharisees who brought him the woman who had been caught in adultery. They quoted the Law to Him, stating that she should be stoned for her sin. They hoped to force Jesus to openly speak and act in opposition to God's law.
But Jesus did something that may have seemed strange to the crowd and to the scribes and Pharisees. He knelt to the ground and began to write a message in the dust with His finger. He then rose and told the accusers that whichever one of them had no sin should be the first one to cast a stone at the woman. He then stooped to the ground again and resumed writing in the dust.
The Bible records that the scribes and Pharisees were convicted by their own conscience and that they all left, one by one. Jesus remained there, alone with the woman, and told her that there was no one left to condemn her. And then He spoke some of the most beautiful words ever spoken.
"11. And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more." John 8:11b (NKJV)
Obviously, the message from Jesus to the crowd that day was that He had come to bring salvation and not condemnation. That had always been God's message through Him, especially in the symbolism of the Feast of Tabernacles. But even though they had just spent seven days in celebration, as God's promise and plan unfolded before them in the pictures painted by their observance of The Feast of Tabernacles, they had missed the point again.
What did Jesus write on the ground that day? The passage in John 8 doesn't tell us. But we might be able to draw some clues from Jeremiah 17:13. In this entire passage, the prophet Jeremiah recorded a prophecy about the judgment of the Jewish nation. But in this verse, the prophet Jeremiah is very specific.
"13. O Lord, the hope of Israel, All who forsake You shall be ashamed. Those who depart from Me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters." Jeremiah 17:13 (NKJV)
Can you imagine the sadness that must have filled the heart of Jesus as He fulfilled the prophecy of the prophet Jeremiah and wrote in the dust that day? They had once again forsaken the message of the Feasts. They had just seen the promised Fountain of Living Waters standing before them, yet they were more interested in seeing that the law was kept to the letter. Surely it was the names of those who had forsaken the living water that Jesus wrote in the dust that day.
What a message that carries for us today. God offers us the most incredible gift of salvation. Once we receive it, we stand before Him holy and righteous, under no condemnation. We stand free from bondage to any law and filled with His Holy Spirit, by which we are empowered to be vessels through which Christ works. We must be aware of the danger of becoming so focused on keeping the law and operating according to traditions that we miss so great a salvation!!
From studying a book about Jewish observances, I learned that there were several ceremonial practices that were celebrated as part of the annual Feast of Tabernacles. One of those traditions was The Celebration of Water Pouring. The priests would have been divided into three groups, with each group having a definite assignment. The third group of priests were assigned to go to the pool known as Siloam and drew out what was known as "mayim hayim," (living water) which was to be poured it into a golden vase. At the appropriate time during the feast, as the worshippers sang a song about the joy of drawing water from the well of salvation, the High Priest would pour the "mayim hayim" (living water) from the golden vase onto the altar.
God gave specific instructions in Leviticus for the observance of this Feast and each of the components of the Old Testament feasts had significant meaning pointing to its fulfillment in the Messiah. The annual celebration of these feasts began with the institution of the Old Testament temple practices in the days of Moses. But if we fast forward from the Old Testament celebrations of The Feast of Tabernacles and look at a New Testament observance of the same feast we can find an actual incident in which Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of the "mayim hayim" in declaring Himself to be the real Living Water.
In the second chapter of John, we learn that Jesus was in town during the Jewish annual observance of the Feast of Tabernacles. (John 7:2) The worshippers would have just sung, "With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation." The Hebrew word for salvation is "Yeshua," or Jesus. Remember that they called the water collected from the pool of Siloam "living water." So for years they had essentially been singing about drawing living water from Jesus, without even realizing it. But here's what happened on the final day of The Feast of Tabernacles celebration in the year in which John recorded the incident about the woman caught in adultery.
"37. On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." 39. But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified." John 7:37-39 (NKJV)
Jesus (Yeshua, Salvation) had the attention of everyone in the crowd when He declared that the true living water would come from Him. He was inviting them to drink of Him, taking in water that would satisfy all thirsts. They could truly do as they had just sung. They could "draw water from the wells of salvation." And when a person drank from Him, they would also become a well from which living water would flow. And just in case we didn't understand what Jesus was implying, John explained His meaning to us. The Holy Spirit was still a future promise at this point because Jesus had not yet been crucified, resurrected, and ascended to Heaven. But in the near future of the people hearing this message, the Holy Spirit would come to live within them and enable them to be vessels filled to overflowing with the living water of the Messiah.
In all the Biblical holy days, about which God gave specific instructions for observing, He painted a picture of salvation for all generations. Even in the Old Testament instructions for these celebrations, it is obvious that God's plan has always been to provide salvation through His Messiah, Jesus; that people would one day be able to draw living water from the well of salvation (Yeshua/Jesus). How could anyone miss the symbolism of His beautiful artwork in the pictures painted by the Feasts, especially this one? Yet some did, and some still do.
In John 8:1-8, a story that happened shortly following the celebration at which Jesus declared Himself to be Living Water is recorded. Early in the morning, after the Feast of Tabernacles seventh day celebration during which Jesus made His declaration about being the true Living Water, Jesus came back into the temple. A crowd gathered and he began to teach them. His lesson was interrupted by a group of scribes and Pharisees who brought him the woman who had been caught in adultery. They quoted the Law to Him, stating that she should be stoned for her sin. They hoped to force Jesus to openly speak and act in opposition to God's law.
But Jesus did something that may have seemed strange to the crowd and to the scribes and Pharisees. He knelt to the ground and began to write a message in the dust with His finger. He then rose and told the accusers that whichever one of them had no sin should be the first one to cast a stone at the woman. He then stooped to the ground again and resumed writing in the dust.
The Bible records that the scribes and Pharisees were convicted by their own conscience and that they all left, one by one. Jesus remained there, alone with the woman, and told her that there was no one left to condemn her. And then He spoke some of the most beautiful words ever spoken.
"11. And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more." John 8:11b (NKJV)
Obviously, the message from Jesus to the crowd that day was that He had come to bring salvation and not condemnation. That had always been God's message through Him, especially in the symbolism of the Feast of Tabernacles. But even though they had just spent seven days in celebration, as God's promise and plan unfolded before them in the pictures painted by their observance of The Feast of Tabernacles, they had missed the point again.
What did Jesus write on the ground that day? The passage in John 8 doesn't tell us. But we might be able to draw some clues from Jeremiah 17:13. In this entire passage, the prophet Jeremiah recorded a prophecy about the judgment of the Jewish nation. But in this verse, the prophet Jeremiah is very specific.
"13. O Lord, the hope of Israel, All who forsake You shall be ashamed. Those who depart from Me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters." Jeremiah 17:13 (NKJV)
Can you imagine the sadness that must have filled the heart of Jesus as He fulfilled the prophecy of the prophet Jeremiah and wrote in the dust that day? They had once again forsaken the message of the Feasts. They had just seen the promised Fountain of Living Waters standing before them, yet they were more interested in seeing that the law was kept to the letter. Surely it was the names of those who had forsaken the living water that Jesus wrote in the dust that day.
What a message that carries for us today. God offers us the most incredible gift of salvation. Once we receive it, we stand before Him holy and righteous, under no condemnation. We stand free from bondage to any law and filled with His Holy Spirit, by which we are empowered to be vessels through which Christ works. We must be aware of the danger of becoming so focused on keeping the law and operating according to traditions that we miss so great a salvation!!
Monday, June 23, 2008
When God passes by....
Just a note...Toward the end of last week, I prepared several blog entries because I knew I had a busy weekend ahead. But I got busy and forgot to actually post them, so today I posted entries for three days. Be sure to read the entries for June 21st and 22nd, before reading today's entry.
In Exodus 33, there is a beautiful story of Moses praying for God’s mercy on behalf of the children of Israel who have rebelled and failed God miserably. God spared the Israelites from the destruction they deserved in response to Moses/ prayer and the intimate relationship that they share.
After this encounter with God, Moses had one more request. He said, “Now, show me Your glory.” And God responded in a way that’s hard for us to understand. He explained to Moses that if He had allowed Moses to see His face, Moses would die. But instead He placed Moses in the cleft of a rock – a rock near Himself – and covered Moses there with His own protecting hand. As His glory passed by, in an act of tremendous love, God whispered His name to Moses, a name so holy the Israelites couldn’t even voice it aloud. And then He allowed Moses to look and see His back.
Think of what this means to us. There are so many times I want to “see” God working in situations of my life. But that is not always possible because the manifested glory of God at work is more than our earthly bodies could stand. It would literally scare us to death if we saw the warfare raging. So even though we can’t see Him working, we know by faith that He is. And while He works, He places us in a safe place near Him; a place where nothing can destroy us because He protects us there with His own hand. And while He works, he keeps speaking His name to us; names like Jehovah Rophe, “I am your Healer”; or Jehovah Shalom, “I am your Peace”, or Jehovah Jireh, “I am your Provider.”
And then the most amazing thing of all happens. When His work is done we can come out of our “hiding” place and see where He has been!!! We may not always get to see His work in progress, but we always get to see the results. We can look back and see God’s fingerprints all over what He has accomplished.
In Exodus 33, there is a beautiful story of Moses praying for God’s mercy on behalf of the children of Israel who have rebelled and failed God miserably. God spared the Israelites from the destruction they deserved in response to Moses/ prayer and the intimate relationship that they share.
After this encounter with God, Moses had one more request. He said, “Now, show me Your glory.” And God responded in a way that’s hard for us to understand. He explained to Moses that if He had allowed Moses to see His face, Moses would die. But instead He placed Moses in the cleft of a rock – a rock near Himself – and covered Moses there with His own protecting hand. As His glory passed by, in an act of tremendous love, God whispered His name to Moses, a name so holy the Israelites couldn’t even voice it aloud. And then He allowed Moses to look and see His back.
Think of what this means to us. There are so many times I want to “see” God working in situations of my life. But that is not always possible because the manifested glory of God at work is more than our earthly bodies could stand. It would literally scare us to death if we saw the warfare raging. So even though we can’t see Him working, we know by faith that He is. And while He works, He places us in a safe place near Him; a place where nothing can destroy us because He protects us there with His own hand. And while He works, he keeps speaking His name to us; names like Jehovah Rophe, “I am your Healer”; or Jehovah Shalom, “I am your Peace”, or Jehovah Jireh, “I am your Provider.”
And then the most amazing thing of all happens. When His work is done we can come out of our “hiding” place and see where He has been!!! We may not always get to see His work in progress, but we always get to see the results. We can look back and see God’s fingerprints all over what He has accomplished.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
The Captivity of Activity
Today my grandaughter Mattie turned 12 years old. It seems like just yesterday that she was a little girl. I remembered something that happened when she was about three years old. She had heard her Papa preach and she was standing on the hearth pretending to preach like him. I heard her make several comments about Jesus, so I asked, “Mattie, who is Jesus?”
I could see her pondering that thought for a moment and then finally she answered, “I don’t know, but my Papa helps him.”
Isn’t that just like us? We think that we can help Jesus; as if He couldn’t do it without our help – as if we could do anything at all without Him? That is the area of my spiritual life where God has to work on me the most. I tend to be more concerned with what I’m doing to “help” Him that what He wants to do in me. I want to “change the world” more than I want Him to change me.
And so often I forget that I can’t do anything without Him. How would I even know what He is calling me to do if I haven’t spent time with Him – just allowing Him to speak to me and “grow” me into a person that is ready to serve Him. How could I ever expect Him to use me if I haven’t allowed Him to fill me?
Time spent “doing” – even doing good things for Him – is a sinful waste if the “doing” has become a priority over my fellowship with Him. I hope that as Mattie continues to grow up, she will learn from her Granna's mistakes. I hope that the greatest priority of her life will be to enjoy an intimate, exciting, and abundant relationship with Jesus Christ.
I could see her pondering that thought for a moment and then finally she answered, “I don’t know, but my Papa helps him.”
Isn’t that just like us? We think that we can help Jesus; as if He couldn’t do it without our help – as if we could do anything at all without Him? That is the area of my spiritual life where God has to work on me the most. I tend to be more concerned with what I’m doing to “help” Him that what He wants to do in me. I want to “change the world” more than I want Him to change me.
And so often I forget that I can’t do anything without Him. How would I even know what He is calling me to do if I haven’t spent time with Him – just allowing Him to speak to me and “grow” me into a person that is ready to serve Him. How could I ever expect Him to use me if I haven’t allowed Him to fill me?
Time spent “doing” – even doing good things for Him – is a sinful waste if the “doing” has become a priority over my fellowship with Him. I hope that as Mattie continues to grow up, she will learn from her Granna's mistakes. I hope that the greatest priority of her life will be to enjoy an intimate, exciting, and abundant relationship with Jesus Christ.
After that incredible life lesson God taught me so many years ago, I wrote this poem to express my struggles.
The Captivity of Activity
At times I feel I can really help you God, I just know I have it in me,
To be someone that You can use, and have a ministry others would envy,
Then you expose my wretched pride, my arrogance is revealed,
I’m convicted by my thoughts of self-sufficiency, my vanity’s no longer concealed.
I get so distracted by the busyness of serving, I forget what You are pursuing,
You’re much more interested in what I am becoming than You are in what I am doing.
I wrongly think that You are impressed by the talents of which I can boast,
When in reality it’s my relationship with You that to matters to You most.
Why am I so tempted to return to a life that’s marked by my activity,
When I know from my own experience that it’s just another form of captivity?
I’ll never know the fullness of Your presence if I never stop for rest,
The things I do in the flesh may be good, but what You want for me is Your best.
I get so tired of trying hard and sometimes I tell you, “I quit”,
And I hear You respond with relief from Heaven, “Finally! - I just want you to sit”.
You tell me instead of trying harder, you’d rather me trust You more,
Because apart from You I can do nothing, that’s what Your power is for!
Over and over I ask the same questions, “Where should I go?”, “What should I be?”,
And You say “Stay close, I am the way, you just need to follow me.”
Why do I always wonder where You want me, when You’ve told me it’s at Your feet?
You wait for me patiently time after time, You show up and save me a seat.
How could I neglect a time so precious, a conversation with God most high,
How can I get involved with things less important and let a priceless treasure pass me by?
Oh God, let me focus on You only, please distract me from my distractions,
And let my life be marked by Your holiness and not by my feeble actions.
The Captivity of Activity
At times I feel I can really help you God, I just know I have it in me,
To be someone that You can use, and have a ministry others would envy,
Then you expose my wretched pride, my arrogance is revealed,
I’m convicted by my thoughts of self-sufficiency, my vanity’s no longer concealed.
I get so distracted by the busyness of serving, I forget what You are pursuing,
You’re much more interested in what I am becoming than You are in what I am doing.
I wrongly think that You are impressed by the talents of which I can boast,
When in reality it’s my relationship with You that to matters to You most.
Why am I so tempted to return to a life that’s marked by my activity,
When I know from my own experience that it’s just another form of captivity?
I’ll never know the fullness of Your presence if I never stop for rest,
The things I do in the flesh may be good, but what You want for me is Your best.
I get so tired of trying hard and sometimes I tell you, “I quit”,
And I hear You respond with relief from Heaven, “Finally! - I just want you to sit”.
You tell me instead of trying harder, you’d rather me trust You more,
Because apart from You I can do nothing, that’s what Your power is for!
Over and over I ask the same questions, “Where should I go?”, “What should I be?”,
And You say “Stay close, I am the way, you just need to follow me.”
Why do I always wonder where You want me, when You’ve told me it’s at Your feet?
You wait for me patiently time after time, You show up and save me a seat.
How could I neglect a time so precious, a conversation with God most high,
How can I get involved with things less important and let a priceless treasure pass me by?
Oh God, let me focus on You only, please distract me from my distractions,
And let my life be marked by Your holiness and not by my feeble actions.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Does God change His mind?
This week I was studying the Book of Jonah in preparation to teach our Sunday School class. I remembered that when I studied Jonah when I was writing this particular lesson, there was a scripture that provoked some thought in my mind about whether or not God changes His mind.
“10. Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.” Jonah 3:10 (NKJV)
After the Ninevites turned away from their wickedness and turned to God, they were spared from the destruction Jonah had warned them God would certainly bring upon their city. But does that mean that God changed His plans. Does He ever change His mind? In this passage and many others, it sure seems that He does.
However, that seems to go against everything we believe about God. God is all-wise. If He changes His mind, doesn’t that mean that He didn’t know what was going to happen in advance? If He changes His direction, then does that mean that He was heading in a wrong direction in the beginning?
As with all theological debates, there is an answer that will not contradict a single verse of Scripture. First of all, let it be noted and always remembered that there will never be a need for God to change His mind. He knows the ending as well as He knows the beginning. He is, and always will be, operating according to His original plan.
So, what could this passage mean when it says that God relented or, as other versions say, God repented? God brought to my mind something that happened to me when I was a child. And I suddenly had a clear understanding of what the phrase "God relented..." means.
My younger brother was playing baseball at a local park one evening. An unexpected storm blew into the little valley in which that baseball field was located. I tried to climb the hill to get to our car, but I was climbing against the wind. I was quite small and the wind was like a wall in front of me. I couldn’t get up the hill because the wind stopped me still in my tracks. So I turned around and ran down the hill to a place of safety. It was almost as if the wind picked me up and placed me there. I felt like I was flying.
Now, did the wind relent from its original direction? No, the wind was blowing just as hard as ever in the same direction, but it was no longer blowing against me. I could move freely because I had changed my direction and the wind then blew in my favor. The wind didn’t change direction, but I changed in reference to it. It seemed like the wind changed, but I was the one that changed.
The winds of God’s judgment never change their direction. But like the Ninevites, we can change our direction in reference to it. God’s judgment is either for us or against us. We can either be destroyed by His judgment or we can be delivered to safety by it. God never changes, but at the point of our salvation He changes us and in so doing He protects us from His right and sure judgment.
“10. Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.” Jonah 3:10 (NKJV)
After the Ninevites turned away from their wickedness and turned to God, they were spared from the destruction Jonah had warned them God would certainly bring upon their city. But does that mean that God changed His plans. Does He ever change His mind? In this passage and many others, it sure seems that He does.
However, that seems to go against everything we believe about God. God is all-wise. If He changes His mind, doesn’t that mean that He didn’t know what was going to happen in advance? If He changes His direction, then does that mean that He was heading in a wrong direction in the beginning?
As with all theological debates, there is an answer that will not contradict a single verse of Scripture. First of all, let it be noted and always remembered that there will never be a need for God to change His mind. He knows the ending as well as He knows the beginning. He is, and always will be, operating according to His original plan.
So, what could this passage mean when it says that God relented or, as other versions say, God repented? God brought to my mind something that happened to me when I was a child. And I suddenly had a clear understanding of what the phrase "God relented..." means.
My younger brother was playing baseball at a local park one evening. An unexpected storm blew into the little valley in which that baseball field was located. I tried to climb the hill to get to our car, but I was climbing against the wind. I was quite small and the wind was like a wall in front of me. I couldn’t get up the hill because the wind stopped me still in my tracks. So I turned around and ran down the hill to a place of safety. It was almost as if the wind picked me up and placed me there. I felt like I was flying.
Now, did the wind relent from its original direction? No, the wind was blowing just as hard as ever in the same direction, but it was no longer blowing against me. I could move freely because I had changed my direction and the wind then blew in my favor. The wind didn’t change direction, but I changed in reference to it. It seemed like the wind changed, but I was the one that changed.
The winds of God’s judgment never change their direction. But like the Ninevites, we can change our direction in reference to it. God’s judgment is either for us or against us. We can either be destroyed by His judgment or we can be delivered to safety by it. God never changes, but at the point of our salvation He changes us and in so doing He protects us from His right and sure judgment.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Distracted by service?
38 Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” 41 And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. 42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42 (NKJV)
I tend to be a little like Martha sometimes - not in her hospitality and certainly not in her concern for housekeeping and cooking - but in her distraction from what was really important. The first time God ever pierced my heart with this verse was a day I'll never forget. I was one of those Christians that just loved "working" for the Lord. I just couldn't say no to the church. My head only shook up and down; it would not shake from side to side! I always said yes.
My reasoning was that if I served God more I'd grow closer to Him in the process. But after about 15 years of that process I found that I hadn't grown any closer to God. I'd just grown TIRED of ministry. That's when God shined a light on this verse about Martha. Like her, I had become distracted by serving. I had neglected what was really important in my relationship with Jesus to do what I thought He wanted. But like Martha, I was mistaken about what He really wanted from me.
Mary was the sister who understood what He wanted. In fact, Jesus told Martha that Mary had chosen the "only thing needed." What was Mary's choice? It was to sit at His feet. When I read those verses I suddenly realized that my "serving" was keeping me from my "sitting"!
Yes, God will always use His children in ministry, but His call is not to ministry. It's to a relationship with Him. And if we neglect the relationship for the sake of ministry we've missed the point. God has shown me that over and over! But when we prioritize the relationship we'll be amazed at how God uses us in ministry! And as we sit as His feet, we come to understand that He will be working "through" us instead of us working "for" Him. Therefore, we won't get weary and troubled in doing ministry as Martha did!
I tend to be a little like Martha sometimes - not in her hospitality and certainly not in her concern for housekeeping and cooking - but in her distraction from what was really important. The first time God ever pierced my heart with this verse was a day I'll never forget. I was one of those Christians that just loved "working" for the Lord. I just couldn't say no to the church. My head only shook up and down; it would not shake from side to side! I always said yes.
My reasoning was that if I served God more I'd grow closer to Him in the process. But after about 15 years of that process I found that I hadn't grown any closer to God. I'd just grown TIRED of ministry. That's when God shined a light on this verse about Martha. Like her, I had become distracted by serving. I had neglected what was really important in my relationship with Jesus to do what I thought He wanted. But like Martha, I was mistaken about what He really wanted from me.
Mary was the sister who understood what He wanted. In fact, Jesus told Martha that Mary had chosen the "only thing needed." What was Mary's choice? It was to sit at His feet. When I read those verses I suddenly realized that my "serving" was keeping me from my "sitting"!
Yes, God will always use His children in ministry, but His call is not to ministry. It's to a relationship with Him. And if we neglect the relationship for the sake of ministry we've missed the point. God has shown me that over and over! But when we prioritize the relationship we'll be amazed at how God uses us in ministry! And as we sit as His feet, we come to understand that He will be working "through" us instead of us working "for" Him. Therefore, we won't get weary and troubled in doing ministry as Martha did!
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