This past Sunday, Easter Sunday, my pastor asked me to give a testimony about how God's resurrection power had changed my life. I was saved at the age of 30, when, after falling to the bottom of a pit of hopelessness, I was rescued by the love and grace of Jesus. Perhaps at some point, I'll put my testimony here, but that's not the point of this post.
I absolutely love to talk about Christ has changed my life, and so agreeing to give my testimony in church, in front of the Easter crowd, wasn't difficult for me. The difficult part was that I was supposed to keep it between 3-5 minutes! Those who know me know I can't even start to tell a story in less than 5 minutes...my pastor knows it too, but he says that, hoping I'll at least try to be succinct....it doesn't really work.
Anyway, I prayed that God would use my testimony to touch someone else's heart, maybe someone who was in that sort of despair I used to feel, who needed to feel the love of Christ. What I didn't realize was how God would use my testimony to speak to me!
I've had a lot of struggles lately, and have felt like satan, while he'll never win the war, has been pretty dominant on the battlefield of my life recently. Health struggles, INSURANCE struggles (the devil came up with America's health insurance plan, you know...mostly kidding, please don't send me angry emails if you work for a health insurance company!!), the rebellion of a teenager, enormous medical bills, house repair issues, braces for another teenager, broken arms, a drunk driver totaling my son's car and causing him medical problems for months, and just the daily life a single mom trying to keep all the balls in the air...and that's just over the last 8 months or so!!
As I spoke on Sunday, I was reminded of how powerful God really IS, and how much He really has changed me--how faithful He has been to see me through every single struggle I've faced...and if He has already seen me through all these years, and brought me through them stronger in my faith than ever, then I have to trust that He is also faithful to see me through anything I face now, or anything in my future. A rebellious son? God knew that was gonna happen way, way before I did...He's not surprised, and He's not worried. My health? God knows what's wrong with me, and He's allowing everything for a reason. And since His plans for me are for my good, I can trust Him.
We will always have problems in this life, but how we manage to get through these struggles really comes down to two things, and they are dependent on one another:
Where your focus is
Where your trust is
I can focus on my problems--and I've got plenty of them to look at! But when I do that, they become bigger and bigger, and it seems like that's all there is...just problems everywhere! And as I dwell on them, I become very negative in my thinking, and much more vulnerable to the attacks of satan on my emotions.
But when I choose instead to focus on God--well, the problems become secondary...they're still there, but they don't have the hold on me they did before.
One of the best ways for me to focus on God is to focus on His Word...when I start to worry or think negatively, I purposely replace those thoughts with Scripture that reminds me of the Truth...
Worried about the rebellion of a child? "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it." (Prov 22:6)
Worried about how to make ends meet? "But my God shall supply ALL your needs, according to HIS riches in glory." (Phil 4:19)
Facing a seemingly impossible situaton? I love this one..."unto Him who is able to do IMMEASURABLY more than all we can think or imagine, according to the power that worketh in us,..."(Eph 3:20) or simply "Is anything too hard for the Lord?" (Gen 18:14)
I could go on and on (and I usually do...) but you get the point. Rick Warren says the only difference between worrying and meditating is what you are focusing on!
I think I'll make the issue of where our trust is a whole separate post, so look for it tomorrow. Today, though, I issue a challenge:
Commit whatever problems you are facing to God...even if you don't see HOW He's gonna handle them, He will.
Then--try to "catch" yourself thinking negatively, focusing on a problem...and when it happens, purposely choose to replace that thought with a Scripture, a promise to God that reminds you that the truth is that God's got it under control.
My guess is that by the end of the day, you'll begin to see a difference in your outlook!
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6
Showing posts with label God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God. Show all posts
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Monday, March 17, 2008
A Little Leverage
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Wow, I can't believe it's been so long since I posted an entry. Much has happened in my life since the last time I blogged, and most of it I may never post about...suffice it to say, God evidently has an interesting year planned for me, a plan for pushing me out of any last comfort zone I still had, and for stretching my faith beyond what I thought would be the snapping point.
But, I can honestly say, as Paul did, that I am "perplexed, but not in despair...cast down, but not destroyed." I have encountered some struggles recently I hoped I would never, ever have, but I have also encountered the mighty hand of God, the incredible support of a loving church family, and of course, my wonderful friends who hold me up when I collapse!
One day recently, when I was praying about a particularly distressing problem that I felt incapable of handling, I read this passage (Ephesians 1:17-20):
"I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms."
There are so, so many incredible things about this passage, but what particularly struck me that day was this last little bit. His incomparably great power is available for us who believe--okay, that's great, but I gotta admit. I often have trouble wrapping my little pea-sized brain around what that really implies, just how much power that really is that's available.
The next sentence just blows me away: "That power"--that is, that "incomparably great power" that we can know by experience when we believe--is the very same power He exerted when He RAISED Christ from the DEAD!! Now, THAT'S Power!
And suddenly, there was an image in my head: I was standing there, looking at a giant rock, a gi-normous rock...it probably weighed several TONS. And it was in a place that I needed to get to...so it HAD to be moved...BY ME. And there I was, staring at this gargantuan rock, preparing to use a lever to move it out of the way. Only my "lever" was a stick...a fine stick, to be sure, but a stick nonetheless...a piece of wood, weighing probably a few ounces at best.
Now, I remember my science well enough to know that a lever is a simple machine that helps us do work. A lever can help you move a rock out of the way MUCH more easily than you could do by sheer muscle.
But a lever has its limits. And a small stick is simply no match for a giant boulder. So there I am, trying to wedge this little stick between the enormous rock and the ground, and then Puuuuussssshhhh it up...and, of course, it broke...
So now, I had a gi-normous rock and NO lever. And I started to look about for another stick, when I saw it...it had been right behind me all along, and I have no idea how I could have missed it, but I had. It was an absolutely humongous piece of power equipment...like a lever on steroids, and then some. And I looked at the equipment operator, and at my giant rock, and I said..."no, it's okay, really, I've got this one...I can move it myself, I just need to find a bit bigger stick."
Now, remember this was all just an image in my head (don't you feel sorry for my head just about now?). But as I "came to," I realized how absolutely foolish I must have seemed to that equipment operator, trying to move that enormous rock with a completely useless stick when he was RIGHT THERE with a tool that could have made that rock move like IT was the little stick!
And I realized, THAT'S the kind of power we're talking about here...the power that could toss a multi-ton rock like a twig.
The rock was, of course, all the problems I grapple with and try to "move" out of the way, all on my own. The power equipment is right there waiting, but I gotta be willing to get out of the way and quit trying to do it myself.
Another bit of this analogy that I just really began to see as I typed it up is this: the power equipment was there all along, ready and waiting to take care of the need...BUT using it would require not only giving up my own futile efforts, but giving control of the situation over to the equipment operator. See, there's no way I could have climbed up into that equipment and figured out how to correctly USE it...but I was welcome to climb aboard and join him as he easily moved my rock.
So, quit trying to handle life with nothing but your own power; give your problems and crises over to the One who has the best power equipment there ever was..stuff so powerful, it defeated death itself!!
One caveat, by the way...sometimes the problems don't just go away...in fact, to be honest, my big rock is still sitting right where it was, it hasn't been moved an inch. But my perspective on it is changing...because when I gave it over to the equipment operator, the expert, He said, "oh, you don't want to move that rock right now, because it would do more harm than good. Let's leave it right where it is until it's really TIME to move it, and then I'll just pick it up and get out of the way for you..." So, even though it's still there, I'm not worried over it anymore, because I know the Master Planner has it all worked out.
Well, as I reread this post, I can only hope that you have gotten a sense of the message God gave me, and not just a sense that I may be a deeply disturbed individual...it all made sense to ME, really it did!!
"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!" Ephesians 3:20
Wow, I can't believe it's been so long since I posted an entry. Much has happened in my life since the last time I blogged, and most of it I may never post about...suffice it to say, God evidently has an interesting year planned for me, a plan for pushing me out of any last comfort zone I still had, and for stretching my faith beyond what I thought would be the snapping point.
But, I can honestly say, as Paul did, that I am "perplexed, but not in despair...cast down, but not destroyed." I have encountered some struggles recently I hoped I would never, ever have, but I have also encountered the mighty hand of God, the incredible support of a loving church family, and of course, my wonderful friends who hold me up when I collapse!
One day recently, when I was praying about a particularly distressing problem that I felt incapable of handling, I read this passage (Ephesians 1:17-20):
"I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms."
There are so, so many incredible things about this passage, but what particularly struck me that day was this last little bit. His incomparably great power is available for us who believe--okay, that's great, but I gotta admit. I often have trouble wrapping my little pea-sized brain around what that really implies, just how much power that really is that's available.
The next sentence just blows me away: "That power"--that is, that "incomparably great power" that we can know by experience when we believe--is the very same power He exerted when He RAISED Christ from the DEAD!! Now, THAT'S Power!
And suddenly, there was an image in my head: I was standing there, looking at a giant rock, a gi-normous rock...it probably weighed several TONS. And it was in a place that I needed to get to...so it HAD to be moved...BY ME. And there I was, staring at this gargantuan rock, preparing to use a lever to move it out of the way. Only my "lever" was a stick...a fine stick, to be sure, but a stick nonetheless...a piece of wood, weighing probably a few ounces at best.
Now, I remember my science well enough to know that a lever is a simple machine that helps us do work. A lever can help you move a rock out of the way MUCH more easily than you could do by sheer muscle.
But a lever has its limits. And a small stick is simply no match for a giant boulder. So there I am, trying to wedge this little stick between the enormous rock and the ground, and then Puuuuussssshhhh it up...and, of course, it broke...
So now, I had a gi-normous rock and NO lever. And I started to look about for another stick, when I saw it...it had been right behind me all along, and I have no idea how I could have missed it, but I had. It was an absolutely humongous piece of power equipment...like a lever on steroids, and then some. And I looked at the equipment operator, and at my giant rock, and I said..."no, it's okay, really, I've got this one...I can move it myself, I just need to find a bit bigger stick."
Now, remember this was all just an image in my head (don't you feel sorry for my head just about now?). But as I "came to," I realized how absolutely foolish I must have seemed to that equipment operator, trying to move that enormous rock with a completely useless stick when he was RIGHT THERE with a tool that could have made that rock move like IT was the little stick!
And I realized, THAT'S the kind of power we're talking about here...the power that could toss a multi-ton rock like a twig.
The rock was, of course, all the problems I grapple with and try to "move" out of the way, all on my own. The power equipment is right there waiting, but I gotta be willing to get out of the way and quit trying to do it myself.
Another bit of this analogy that I just really began to see as I typed it up is this: the power equipment was there all along, ready and waiting to take care of the need...BUT using it would require not only giving up my own futile efforts, but giving control of the situation over to the equipment operator. See, there's no way I could have climbed up into that equipment and figured out how to correctly USE it...but I was welcome to climb aboard and join him as he easily moved my rock.
So, quit trying to handle life with nothing but your own power; give your problems and crises over to the One who has the best power equipment there ever was..stuff so powerful, it defeated death itself!!
One caveat, by the way...sometimes the problems don't just go away...in fact, to be honest, my big rock is still sitting right where it was, it hasn't been moved an inch. But my perspective on it is changing...because when I gave it over to the equipment operator, the expert, He said, "oh, you don't want to move that rock right now, because it would do more harm than good. Let's leave it right where it is until it's really TIME to move it, and then I'll just pick it up and get out of the way for you..." So, even though it's still there, I'm not worried over it anymore, because I know the Master Planner has it all worked out.
Well, as I reread this post, I can only hope that you have gotten a sense of the message God gave me, and not just a sense that I may be a deeply disturbed individual...it all made sense to ME, really it did!!
"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!" Ephesians 3:20
Monday, January 14, 2008
Finding Joy, Part 2
In the last post, I talked about finding joy...or rather, about choosing joy--we can't really find joy, it finds us in the very person of Christ, when we come to Him in faith. But every day, we can decide whether we are going to take hold of the joy He offers, or whether we are going to continue to cling to our problems, our negative attitudes, our fears and our insecurities.
I began to list some practical steps to choosing joy, the first of which was abiding in the Word.
Once we are spending regular, daily time in the Word, reading it, hearing it, letting it seep into our beings, we need to take it a step further:
2. Think about what you think. In my "former" life, I was absolutely the Queen of Negative Thinking...nothing was so wonderful that I couldn't see the negative in it! I was slowly, painfully, and often unwillingly, convinced of the need to break this pattern of thinking...and the only way to do that is to REPLACE one thought with another. Rick Warren talks about this in the Purpose Driven Life. He says that we ALL meditate, it's a matter of what we choose to meditate ON...our problems, or God's Word. I began to purposely, consciously, try to catch myself each day when I became negative or starting dwelling on a problem, and instead, I replaced that thought with something from God's word. I was shocked by how much of my time was being spent on negative thinking!! But, as I began to replace that negative thinking with dwelling on the Word of God, it began to change me, literally...supernaturally..beyond anything I could ever have achieved on my own.
One of my very favorite verses is this from 2 Corinthians 10:4-5:
"The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."
For me, negative thinking was a real stronghold--and I was trying to fight it the way we tend to fight so many of our strongholds, through the power of the flesh. But my flesh wasn't very powerful--it was weak...and it fell for satan's lies every time. I had to realize that I was fighting my battles with the wrong weapon! What I needed was every Christian's sole offensive weapon: the sword of the spirit...the Word of God. When I began to fight the lies of the devil with the Truth of God's Word, the battle turned!
I began to see that my negative thinking, and the lies of the devil, were really just arguments against what God said was true...in essence, every time I became negative, I was calling God a liar. Every time I didn't believe He could work through me in a circumstance, or the awful circumstance I was in was never going to change, I was setting up my OWN thoughts against the knowledge of God. So instead, I began to take every thought captive, and make it obedient to what Christ says. When I thought, "My life is just never going to be any better," I replaced it with God's truth..." I know the plans I have for you and they are plans to prosper you...to give you hope and a future." When I thought, "It's no use. I'm a failure," I replaced it by remembering that "he who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it," and I was reminded that God himself thought He'd started something pretty good when He made me!
When you replace your thoughts with promises of God, it becomes difficult to stay negative for very long! You begin to look for what God has to say about a situation or thought instead of how you "feel" about it. And you begin to bear the fruit of joy, not because your circumstances are better, but because you begin to take hold of another step:
3) Believe God. Really, it all boils down to this, because if I really don't believe that what God tells me is true, then reading it and repeating it aren't going to help that much. I have to ask myself, who do you believe, yourself, the devil or God? Because we may say we believe God, but our lives will show whether we really do or not. The person who has joy is the person who has decided to believe God no matter what their circumstances are...they have decided toSee, when I look at my circumstances, when I review my past failures, when I focus on my fears, I am really trusting more in what I see than in what God says is true.
For me, a large part of the process of choosing to believe God was deciding to quit letting my emotions rule my faith, and instead live the other way around, letting my faith rule my emotions. Because sometimes my emotions lie--sometimes I don't feel like God could even love me, and it would be easy (trust me, I know, because I've done it!) to start to actually believe that...but the truth is that God loves me with a passion I can't even begin to understand, that makes my love for my kids seem like nothing. Sometimes, when my emotions take hold and feel unloved, I have to take a stand and choose to believe what God says...and when I make that choice, the emotions never rule for long...
There's a great song by Casting Crowns, called "The Voice of Truth"--it says,
Oh, what I would do
to have the kind of strength it takes
To stand before a giant
with just a sling and a stone
Surrounded by the sound
of a thousand warriors
shaking in their armor
Wishing they'd have had the strength to stand
But the giant's calling out
my name and he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times
I've tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me
time and time again
"Boy you'll never win,
you'll never win."
But the voice of truth tells me a different story
the voice of truth says "do not be afraid!"
and the voice of truth says "this is for my glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth
The choice is yours--joy or misery, fear or love, trust or doubt--choose well.
"Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4
I began to list some practical steps to choosing joy, the first of which was abiding in the Word.
Once we are spending regular, daily time in the Word, reading it, hearing it, letting it seep into our beings, we need to take it a step further:
2. Think about what you think. In my "former" life, I was absolutely the Queen of Negative Thinking...nothing was so wonderful that I couldn't see the negative in it! I was slowly, painfully, and often unwillingly, convinced of the need to break this pattern of thinking...and the only way to do that is to REPLACE one thought with another. Rick Warren talks about this in the Purpose Driven Life. He says that we ALL meditate, it's a matter of what we choose to meditate ON...our problems, or God's Word. I began to purposely, consciously, try to catch myself each day when I became negative or starting dwelling on a problem, and instead, I replaced that thought with something from God's word. I was shocked by how much of my time was being spent on negative thinking!! But, as I began to replace that negative thinking with dwelling on the Word of God, it began to change me, literally...supernaturally..beyond anything I could ever have achieved on my own.
One of my very favorite verses is this from 2 Corinthians 10:4-5:
"The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."
For me, negative thinking was a real stronghold--and I was trying to fight it the way we tend to fight so many of our strongholds, through the power of the flesh. But my flesh wasn't very powerful--it was weak...and it fell for satan's lies every time. I had to realize that I was fighting my battles with the wrong weapon! What I needed was every Christian's sole offensive weapon: the sword of the spirit...the Word of God. When I began to fight the lies of the devil with the Truth of God's Word, the battle turned!
I began to see that my negative thinking, and the lies of the devil, were really just arguments against what God said was true...in essence, every time I became negative, I was calling God a liar. Every time I didn't believe He could work through me in a circumstance, or the awful circumstance I was in was never going to change, I was setting up my OWN thoughts against the knowledge of God. So instead, I began to take every thought captive, and make it obedient to what Christ says. When I thought, "My life is just never going to be any better," I replaced it with God's truth..." I know the plans I have for you and they are plans to prosper you...to give you hope and a future." When I thought, "It's no use. I'm a failure," I replaced it by remembering that "he who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it," and I was reminded that God himself thought He'd started something pretty good when He made me!
When you replace your thoughts with promises of God, it becomes difficult to stay negative for very long! You begin to look for what God has to say about a situation or thought instead of how you "feel" about it. And you begin to bear the fruit of joy, not because your circumstances are better, but because you begin to take hold of another step:
3) Believe God. Really, it all boils down to this, because if I really don't believe that what God tells me is true, then reading it and repeating it aren't going to help that much. I have to ask myself, who do you believe, yourself, the devil or God? Because we may say we believe God, but our lives will show whether we really do or not. The person who has joy is the person who has decided to believe God no matter what their circumstances are...they have decided toSee, when I look at my circumstances, when I review my past failures, when I focus on my fears, I am really trusting more in what I see than in what God says is true.
For me, a large part of the process of choosing to believe God was deciding to quit letting my emotions rule my faith, and instead live the other way around, letting my faith rule my emotions. Because sometimes my emotions lie--sometimes I don't feel like God could even love me, and it would be easy (trust me, I know, because I've done it!) to start to actually believe that...but the truth is that God loves me with a passion I can't even begin to understand, that makes my love for my kids seem like nothing. Sometimes, when my emotions take hold and feel unloved, I have to take a stand and choose to believe what God says...and when I make that choice, the emotions never rule for long...
There's a great song by Casting Crowns, called "The Voice of Truth"--it says,
Oh, what I would do
to have the kind of strength it takes
To stand before a giant
with just a sling and a stone
Surrounded by the sound
of a thousand warriors
shaking in their armor
Wishing they'd have had the strength to stand
But the giant's calling out
my name and he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times
I've tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me
time and time again
"Boy you'll never win,
you'll never win."
But the voice of truth tells me a different story
the voice of truth says "do not be afraid!"
and the voice of truth says "this is for my glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth
The choice is yours--joy or misery, fear or love, trust or doubt--choose well.
"Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4
Finding Joy
A friend recently requested prayer that she would find joy in what is, for her, a very joyless work situation. Well, my first response was that she wasn't looking for joy, but happiness. Happiness comes with our circumstances; when things are going good, we are happy, but when things turn difficult and unpleasant, happiness flees, only to return when the trouble has passed. But Joy...ahh, joy can abide within us in the midst of the most difficult, unhappy circumstances...
So, my friend wanted to know, how do we find joy? And I, being older (barely), more experienced, and full of wisdom, said..."Good question." And I realized I wasn't really sure exactly how we find it. I mean, I know the stock scriptural answer, "Joy comes from the Lord," but if it is missing from our lives, how do we find it? Because, honestly? I could use more of it myself...there is a reason Eeyore is my profile picture! And while God has truly made me a new creation and removed the Eeyore from this heart, still, there are days....well, let's just say that if every cloud has a silver lining, there are days when I can find the tarnish on the silver lining...
So, I thought I'd look at how to find joy, and what I discovered anew is this: We don't find joy. We choose joy. If we are a Christian, God has already given us joy:
"The fruit of the spirit is love, JOY, peace..." 1 Cor 5:2
"Behold, I bring you good news of great JOY which shall be for all people..." Luke 2:10
Jesus is our joy, and through the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit, we have that joy placed within us.
But wait...if that's true, why don't I feel joyful? Because sometimes, I choose misery instead of joy, As ridiculous as that sounds, it's true--I choose focusing on my circumstances instead of on the promises of my Jesus.
Every morning when I wake up, I think, "no way. I am not getting up this morning...I hate getting up. I don't feel good. I'm still tired. Just forget it." And then I get up...
Why do I get up? Because I have two teenagers who depend on me, who won't get to school on time if Mom doesn't get them up and going. Because I have a job, and I like my job, and I especially like what my job affords me, like living in a house with a roof over my head.
So, even though I don't really want to leave the comfort and warmth of my bed, I choose to get up, because I know, deep down, that in the end, it's for the best.
Well, I need to remember that joy is a choice too...and sometimes, it is simply easier, more convenient, more "comfortable" to choose to focus on what I'm unhappy about. It's HARD sometimes to choose to look beyond the circumstances, but if we want what God has planned for us, we need to make that choice.
So, how do we CHOOSE joy? Because saying we need to, and being able to do it are very different things. Well, God has shown me over these past several days some very practical things we can do to help us learn to choose joy. Of course, there are many others, but these have proven to work for me. I'll break them into several blog entries, so this doesn't go on forever.
1. Spend time in the Word. It's my answer for almost everything, because it's God's answer for absolutely everything! We treat our reading of God's Word like it's optional, but if we want to live joyfully, passionately, abundantly, as God desires, this is NOT an option. The Word has the power to change our lives...literally! Jesus said, "If you remain in me, and my words remain in you, you shall ask what you will, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." Now remember, JOY is one of the fruits...so, by letting his word remain in us, we become more capable of bearing, showing forth, that fruit!
You'll have to wait for the next posting for #2 and #3!
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" Philippians 4:4
So, my friend wanted to know, how do we find joy? And I, being older (barely), more experienced, and full of wisdom, said..."Good question." And I realized I wasn't really sure exactly how we find it. I mean, I know the stock scriptural answer, "Joy comes from the Lord," but if it is missing from our lives, how do we find it? Because, honestly? I could use more of it myself...there is a reason Eeyore is my profile picture! And while God has truly made me a new creation and removed the Eeyore from this heart, still, there are days....well, let's just say that if every cloud has a silver lining, there are days when I can find the tarnish on the silver lining...
So, I thought I'd look at how to find joy, and what I discovered anew is this: We don't find joy. We choose joy. If we are a Christian, God has already given us joy:
"The fruit of the spirit is love, JOY, peace..." 1 Cor 5:2
"Behold, I bring you good news of great JOY which shall be for all people..." Luke 2:10
Jesus is our joy, and through the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit, we have that joy placed within us.
But wait...if that's true, why don't I feel joyful? Because sometimes, I choose misery instead of joy, As ridiculous as that sounds, it's true--I choose focusing on my circumstances instead of on the promises of my Jesus.
Every morning when I wake up, I think, "no way. I am not getting up this morning...I hate getting up. I don't feel good. I'm still tired. Just forget it." And then I get up...
Why do I get up? Because I have two teenagers who depend on me, who won't get to school on time if Mom doesn't get them up and going. Because I have a job, and I like my job, and I especially like what my job affords me, like living in a house with a roof over my head.
So, even though I don't really want to leave the comfort and warmth of my bed, I choose to get up, because I know, deep down, that in the end, it's for the best.
Well, I need to remember that joy is a choice too...and sometimes, it is simply easier, more convenient, more "comfortable" to choose to focus on what I'm unhappy about. It's HARD sometimes to choose to look beyond the circumstances, but if we want what God has planned for us, we need to make that choice.
So, how do we CHOOSE joy? Because saying we need to, and being able to do it are very different things. Well, God has shown me over these past several days some very practical things we can do to help us learn to choose joy. Of course, there are many others, but these have proven to work for me. I'll break them into several blog entries, so this doesn't go on forever.
1. Spend time in the Word. It's my answer for almost everything, because it's God's answer for absolutely everything! We treat our reading of God's Word like it's optional, but if we want to live joyfully, passionately, abundantly, as God desires, this is NOT an option. The Word has the power to change our lives...literally! Jesus said, "If you remain in me, and my words remain in you, you shall ask what you will, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." Now remember, JOY is one of the fruits...so, by letting his word remain in us, we become more capable of bearing, showing forth, that fruit!
You'll have to wait for the next posting for #2 and #3!
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" Philippians 4:4
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
A Precious Child
Don't you just love to look at pictures of children? Even when they're messy and dirty and causing mischief, they're just so cute! I have a picture of my youngest when he was about 2 years old, sitting on the floor, with his face almost entirely covered by ketchup from the hot dog he'd just eaten!
Of course, not every picture of a child is "cute." Pictures of starving children, homeless children, abused children...these are heart-wrenching images, but, for me at least, there is still just something so precious and endearing about the child, the innocence in their eyes, and you just want to clean them up, feed them, hug them and make everything better.
Now, pictures of ME? That's another story! I love taking pictures, and I HATE being in them...because when I see a picture of myself, I see all that's "wrong" with me...I'm too tall, too skinny, my teeth are not a Crest commercial waiting to happen, I always have the whole "red eye" thing going on, and somehow, every picture was shot on a bad hair day. Oh, and I often seem to have my mouth open in pictures (which is really quite realistic, since about the only time I'm not talking is when I'm eating). Trust me--there is a REASON I use Eeyore for my profile pic; he's more photogenic!
The other day, I came across a picture of one of my nieces that I just love...it's one that I played with in Photoshop, cropping it down to focus in on the eyes, which were particularly striking, and then posterizing it:
As I looked at this picture the other day, I thought about how a picture of a child just makes you want to hug them, and it struck me--THIS is how our Father sees us. He never, ever looks at us and thinks, "wow, she could stand to lose a few pounds," or "lose the beard, seriously, man." No, he just looks at us and sees something so precious He longs to hold us. He looks in our eyes and LOVE overwhelms Him (not that God can be overwhelmed the way WE think of it, but you get the idea).
Now, I could go a lot deeper with this (and probably WILL at some point), but for now, I just want to stop right here, because if we can truly GET this one point, that God LOVES us and we are absolutely precious to Him, no matter WHAT we look like on the outside (in fact, He MADE that outside, and He's pretty proud of it!), if we truly GET how we make Him feel...when we really get a hold of that truth, it will indeed set us free. Free from our self-critical natures, free from our fears, free from the baggage we carry around, from our concerns about how others see us. Free to just Love Him. And there IS nothing greater in this life.
Go right now and find a picture of yourself--or better yet, look at yourself in a mirror. Not at your faults, not at your physical features...look at YOURSELF, the you that God sees. See the child there that He loves so much He just wants to pick you up and hold you...even when we've messed up, He still looks at us as a precious child and just wants to clean us up, feed us (spiritually), hug us and make everything better. Now, if THAT doesn't make you feel pretty good about yourself, nothing will!!
He loves you, as if you were still a little child...because, to Him, you are.
Be a child, and love Him back, freely, openly, without reservation!
"What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31
"Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." " Matthew 19:14
Of course, not every picture of a child is "cute." Pictures of starving children, homeless children, abused children...these are heart-wrenching images, but, for me at least, there is still just something so precious and endearing about the child, the innocence in their eyes, and you just want to clean them up, feed them, hug them and make everything better.
Now, pictures of ME? That's another story! I love taking pictures, and I HATE being in them...because when I see a picture of myself, I see all that's "wrong" with me...I'm too tall, too skinny, my teeth are not a Crest commercial waiting to happen, I always have the whole "red eye" thing going on, and somehow, every picture was shot on a bad hair day. Oh, and I often seem to have my mouth open in pictures (which is really quite realistic, since about the only time I'm not talking is when I'm eating). Trust me--there is a REASON I use Eeyore for my profile pic; he's more photogenic!
The other day, I came across a picture of one of my nieces that I just love...it's one that I played with in Photoshop, cropping it down to focus in on the eyes, which were particularly striking, and then posterizing it:
As I looked at this picture the other day, I thought about how a picture of a child just makes you want to hug them, and it struck me--THIS is how our Father sees us. He never, ever looks at us and thinks, "wow, she could stand to lose a few pounds," or "lose the beard, seriously, man." No, he just looks at us and sees something so precious He longs to hold us. He looks in our eyes and LOVE overwhelms Him (not that God can be overwhelmed the way WE think of it, but you get the idea).Now, I could go a lot deeper with this (and probably WILL at some point), but for now, I just want to stop right here, because if we can truly GET this one point, that God LOVES us and we are absolutely precious to Him, no matter WHAT we look like on the outside (in fact, He MADE that outside, and He's pretty proud of it!), if we truly GET how we make Him feel...when we really get a hold of that truth, it will indeed set us free. Free from our self-critical natures, free from our fears, free from the baggage we carry around, from our concerns about how others see us. Free to just Love Him. And there IS nothing greater in this life.
Go right now and find a picture of yourself--or better yet, look at yourself in a mirror. Not at your faults, not at your physical features...look at YOURSELF, the you that God sees. See the child there that He loves so much He just wants to pick you up and hold you...even when we've messed up, He still looks at us as a precious child and just wants to clean us up, feed us (spiritually), hug us and make everything better. Now, if THAT doesn't make you feel pretty good about yourself, nothing will!!
He loves you, as if you were still a little child...because, to Him, you are.
Be a child, and love Him back, freely, openly, without reservation!
"What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31
"Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." " Matthew 19:14
Friday, September 7, 2007
Here I Stand, Too
Well, yesterday's post was so long, even I almost didn't read it all!! When I really get going, it's hard to stop me! That's why I blog, so my friends don't have to listen to it all the time...
Anyway, today's post is something different. A friend sent me this video and I thought it was worth sharing. Now, let me first state, this is NOT a political endorsement!! I do not yet know who I plan to vote for, but I know that I DO NOT plan to make this, or any of my blogs, a forum for politics.
No, I'm not showing this because of its political nature, but because of its Spiritual message. Here is a man who is willing to take a stand, even though he KNOWS it may cost him some votes. Clearly this is a person who cares more about pleasing his Savior than about pleasing man.
My point in posting this video is this--if HE can do it, knowing he may lose votes, knowing that he is going to get attacked in the media for it...well, then, what about YOU?
WHAT do you believe? Are you so firm in your faith that you are willing to proclaim it, no matter the response you get? Are you living to please God, or man?
Finally, I leave you with this quote, which Huckabee mentioned...it's one of my favorites. It's from Martin Luther when asked to defend or reject his 95 theses that inspired the Protestant Reformation, including the idea that Scripture says we are saved by faith in God alone and by His grace. Luther's response was this:
"Unless I am convinced by proofs from Scriptures or by plain and clear reasons and arguments, I can and will not retract, for it is neither safe nor wise to do anything against conscience. Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen."
Anyway, today's post is something different. A friend sent me this video and I thought it was worth sharing. Now, let me first state, this is NOT a political endorsement!! I do not yet know who I plan to vote for, but I know that I DO NOT plan to make this, or any of my blogs, a forum for politics.
No, I'm not showing this because of its political nature, but because of its Spiritual message. Here is a man who is willing to take a stand, even though he KNOWS it may cost him some votes. Clearly this is a person who cares more about pleasing his Savior than about pleasing man.
My point in posting this video is this--if HE can do it, knowing he may lose votes, knowing that he is going to get attacked in the media for it...well, then, what about YOU?
WHAT do you believe? Are you so firm in your faith that you are willing to proclaim it, no matter the response you get? Are you living to please God, or man?
Finally, I leave you with this quote, which Huckabee mentioned...it's one of my favorites. It's from Martin Luther when asked to defend or reject his 95 theses that inspired the Protestant Reformation, including the idea that Scripture says we are saved by faith in God alone and by His grace. Luther's response was this:
"Unless I am convinced by proofs from Scriptures or by plain and clear reasons and arguments, I can and will not retract, for it is neither safe nor wise to do anything against conscience. Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen."
Monday, September 3, 2007
Warning, Warning!!
This past weekend I went to a family gathering in my cousin's Expedition. As she was backing up to park, there was a beeping noise--turns out, her vehicle tells her that she's about to hit something...and the closer you get to the object, the faster it beeps.
You can choose to ignore the beeping sound, and just hit the object (realistically, you might just do this, because it will beep whether you're about to hit a truck or a wispy little branch shooting off from a bush). Or, you can abort and try a different direction.
Well, I thought that was pretty cool, but didn't think much more about it until the next day, Sunday. During the service, a particular verse our pastor mentioned just really struck me--well, the first thing that struck me was that this was probably the 3rd time that week I had heard that verse.
And that was when I heard the beeping. Not literal beeping, mind you, which was good, because that would probably be the sound of my cell phone ringing during church. No, this beeping was happening entirely in my head, and behind it was the voice of God, saying, "You know, when you hear My Word, the SAME verse, that many times in one short period, you might want to stop and ask yourself, 'what am I about to hit that God is trying to warn me about?'"
See, God wants us to stay on the right path, and He sees it so clearly when we are heading off the wrong way. And, contrary to what some seem to believe, God is NOT looking just to make us stick to a bunch of rules, and to "punish" us when we do wrong. No, God wants us to stay on His path, because He knows that's where we will stay safe, that's where we will find all the blessings He has in store for us, that's where we will be able to use best the gifts He has given us and find the "life more abundantly" that Jesus promises.
Sometimes, we just begin to angle off that path--we don't even realize it. Maybe it's something "little" to our eyes--we lied about something and have refused to admit it, we are angry with someone and refuse to confront it and find reconciliation, we're confused and trying to find our own way out of a problem instead of waiting for God's answer. And slowly, if we'll listen, the beeping starts.
We are continually reminded of the lie we told...different people keep bringing up a subject that reminds us of the person we're angry with...even newspaper articles and TV shows "coincidentally" bring up the very thing we are either struggling with, or maybe struggling to ignore. And, of course, often the beeping takes the form of God's Word. "In your anger, sin not." "Do not be anxious about anything..." "He who knows the good he should do, and doesn't do it, that is sin for him." Beep, beep, beep!! Warning! Get back on the path before you hit something!!
The beeping gets louder, and faster. "Warning, warning" is ringing out, if we will hear it.
God will continue to warn us as long as He can, but if we choose to ignore the warnings, we WILL eventually run smack into our own sins, and then we will have a much bigger mess for God to clean up.
But we can also listen to the beeps, HEED the warning, and change our direction. It's called "repentance" which just means "change your mind AND change your direction."
See, the car beeped because the sensor KNOWS there IS something there and if you ignore you WILL hit it, whether you even realize it's there or not. Well, God knows that when we sin and ignore it, we ARE going to run right off His path and straight into trouble, whether we can see the trouble coming or not.
I have no idea what else the pastor said that morning, because I was busy backing up and getting myself back on the right path...it was a little thing I was about to hit, and I'm glad of that. But it was still off His path, and that's just not where I want to be.
Is God's warning system "beeping" at you about something? Pay attention, and move back where He wants you to be!!
You can choose to ignore the beeping sound, and just hit the object (realistically, you might just do this, because it will beep whether you're about to hit a truck or a wispy little branch shooting off from a bush). Or, you can abort and try a different direction.
Well, I thought that was pretty cool, but didn't think much more about it until the next day, Sunday. During the service, a particular verse our pastor mentioned just really struck me--well, the first thing that struck me was that this was probably the 3rd time that week I had heard that verse.
And that was when I heard the beeping. Not literal beeping, mind you, which was good, because that would probably be the sound of my cell phone ringing during church. No, this beeping was happening entirely in my head, and behind it was the voice of God, saying, "You know, when you hear My Word, the SAME verse, that many times in one short period, you might want to stop and ask yourself, 'what am I about to hit that God is trying to warn me about?'"
See, God wants us to stay on the right path, and He sees it so clearly when we are heading off the wrong way. And, contrary to what some seem to believe, God is NOT looking just to make us stick to a bunch of rules, and to "punish" us when we do wrong. No, God wants us to stay on His path, because He knows that's where we will stay safe, that's where we will find all the blessings He has in store for us, that's where we will be able to use best the gifts He has given us and find the "life more abundantly" that Jesus promises.
Sometimes, we just begin to angle off that path--we don't even realize it. Maybe it's something "little" to our eyes--we lied about something and have refused to admit it, we are angry with someone and refuse to confront it and find reconciliation, we're confused and trying to find our own way out of a problem instead of waiting for God's answer. And slowly, if we'll listen, the beeping starts.
We are continually reminded of the lie we told...different people keep bringing up a subject that reminds us of the person we're angry with...even newspaper articles and TV shows "coincidentally" bring up the very thing we are either struggling with, or maybe struggling to ignore. And, of course, often the beeping takes the form of God's Word. "In your anger, sin not." "Do not be anxious about anything..." "He who knows the good he should do, and doesn't do it, that is sin for him." Beep, beep, beep!! Warning! Get back on the path before you hit something!!
The beeping gets louder, and faster. "Warning, warning" is ringing out, if we will hear it.
God will continue to warn us as long as He can, but if we choose to ignore the warnings, we WILL eventually run smack into our own sins, and then we will have a much bigger mess for God to clean up.
But we can also listen to the beeps, HEED the warning, and change our direction. It's called "repentance" which just means "change your mind AND change your direction."
See, the car beeped because the sensor KNOWS there IS something there and if you ignore you WILL hit it, whether you even realize it's there or not. Well, God knows that when we sin and ignore it, we ARE going to run right off His path and straight into trouble, whether we can see the trouble coming or not.
I have no idea what else the pastor said that morning, because I was busy backing up and getting myself back on the right path...it was a little thing I was about to hit, and I'm glad of that. But it was still off His path, and that's just not where I want to be.
Is God's warning system "beeping" at you about something? Pay attention, and move back where He wants you to be!!
Friday, August 31, 2007
Bite Your Tongue!
This is a picture of one of the stained-glass windows at my church, which I've played with and posterized.I admire those who are organized enough to post to their blog every single day...I am NOT one of those people.
Today's thoughts are based on Matthew 12:34b, 36-37:
"For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks....But I tell you that mean will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted and by your words you will be condemned."
These are, to me, some of the most convicting words in Scripture--because I have uttered MORE than a fair amount of "careless words," words that I really do not want to ever have to talk to Jesus about.
Now, I already know that my eternal destination is secure--I have placed my faith in Christ and in the power of His Blood. So my careless words aren't gonna keep me out of heaven; that's my home and I KNOW that I'm going there when my earthly journey is done.
BUT--I may just have some " 'splainin" to do when I get there. The way I think about it is this: I have two boys, both teenagers. They go out and do things; the oldest one is driving now, so he's out on his own more and more. But they KNOW, without doubt, that they have a home to come back to. It doesn't matter what they do, or what they say--this is still their home, and their mother still loves them. HOWEVER...when their mother finds out that they have said something that they shouldn't have, then they may have a little "Come to Jesus" meeting when they get home. They still have a home, they still have my love, but they are also going to have to explain why they said what they did.
Why did Jesus apparently feel so strongly about these "careless words" we speak? Because what we say, and especially what we say without thinking, reflects what our hearts are full of. That's what He says in verse 34, that the mouth is simply uttering what the heart contains...
What's in your heart? One way to tell is to pay attention to what comes out of you. I must admit, I can sometimes be very careless about what I say--I have a dry wit, a very sarcastic sense of humor, and enjoy making fun of things...but sometimes that borders on making fun of people, not things, of tearing others down instead of building them up, of simply being careless about what I say.
So, if I don't want to have to explain to Jesus why I said what I said, maybe it'd be good to start thinking a little more BEFORE I say it.
A good rule of thumb for whether to say what you're thinking is, not surprisingly, also found in Scripture. It's Philippians 4:8, and I'll end with it:
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Shining Star
"For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. Philippians 2:13-16, NIV
When we're young, I think most of us daydream of someday being a "star." Maybe a Rock Star, or a Football Star, or a Scientist Star who develops the cure for all cancers...I was a reasonably decent soccer goalie, even played on a team that won the state under-18 title one year and came in second the year before that. But I daydreamed sometimes, of being a STAR, making incredible saves to the roar of crowds. Even IF they'd HAD women's professional soccer back then, I would never have made it, except maybe as a second alternate to the 9th string goalie!
At the root of these dreams is our desire to be noticed, to have others pay attention to us and LIKE what they see. We want to "shine like stars in the universe."
Well, God says we CAN--but we can't do it by our own efforts or clever thinking. And the more I try, the more I end up just looking like the rest of the world, my light safely hidden under its bushel.
When you look up in the sky on a dark, clear night, what do you see? (Granted, these days, it's harder and harder to see anything, since we have used electricity to illuminate pretty much the entire planet 24/7) But, you see the brightest stars, or the one that seems to almost be twinkling.
How can we be those bright, twinkling stars? Well, we can start with what God tells us here:
- Do everything without complaining or arguing. Ouch. Don't know about you, but I'm definitely already in trouble! I must have never noticed the "out" after the "with," because sometimes I think I've made a fine art of complaining. Have you ever thought about how often you complain and grumble and argue and just generally demonstrate a not-very-cheery attitude? . Oh, and "anything" means "anyBODY" too! But God doesn't say here, "save your complaining and arguing for the stuff that really matters to you" or "don't complain or argue unless..." He says don't do it! Make it your goal to get through one entire day without complaining about ANYTHING...nothing, nada, zilch, zero. Well, if there are no more posts to this blog, it'll be because I imploded from trying to keep from complaining!
- Hold out the Word of Life. Now first of all, before you can hold anything out, you gotta HAVE it in the first place! Put God's Word in your life--which to me means two things: first you have to make sure that The Word is in your life...Christ. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God....in Him was life and that life was the light of men...and the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:1, 4, 14 If you have not asked Christ into your life, then His light is not in you, and you don't HAVE the Word of Life, in order to hold it out to anyone else. But for those who have his light, are you taking hold of His Word and keeping it in your heart, so that you can hold it out to others? How much of Scripture have you memorized? Here's an idea--each day, take one or two Scripture verses and write them down. Pray that God would show you meaning in those verses, and then look for how many times and how many different ways you can apply those verses during the course of the day. When you see how God used those verses in your life, write them down. You'll be amazed at how the Word of God can truly, supernaturally, change your life! And as you begin to take IN His Word and apply it to your life, something remarkable happens...you begin to shine! And people take notice.
Acts 4:13
Monday, July 30, 2007
Unchained Melody
I'm a middle-age, conservative Southern Baptist and I don't dance--not because of my religion, but because of my rhythm, or my lack thereof. I'll sing, I'll sway, I might even tap my foot a bit, but I don't dance. But that night...I danced. Oh, I looked goofy all right--God didn't choose that moment to suddenly make me light on my feet, I was not suddenly endowed with a supernatural sense of rhythm...but I WAS freed from the chains that sometimes keep me from dancing, both literally and figuratively. Self-image, fear of failure and ridicule, depressive tendencies are just a few of the things that have shackled me, but God wants us to be FREE from those things.
Jesus said, "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
David danced before the ark of the covenant, because he was free to love God. David danced, practically "nekkid" in the middle of the streets with all the little servant girls around. His wife, Abigail, was shackled by pride and fear of what others would think, and she was absolutely dismayed to see her husband, the King, carrying on in such an undignified manner. She tried to talk some "sense" into him and enlightened him about what a complete fool he had made of himself...David's response was to tell her that he would become "even more undignified than this" if that's what worshipping God led him to do.
That conference was months ago, but I'm still learning to dance, and I'm discovering that as I learn to, as Paul put it in Heb 12:1-2, "lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily entangles us..." I find it easier and easier to worship Jesus my Lord and live my life "unshackled."
I could say LOTS more about this topic, but am developing it as a topic for my speaking ministry, so I'm not going to give it all away here....
What keeps your heart from dancing before the Lord? What weighs you down and shackles you to this world, instead of feeling the freedom God gave us through Christ? Give your burdens to Jesus!! He asked you to, you know: "Come unto me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest (Mat. 11:28)." Then put on some music, and dance!!
Shackles(Praise You) by Mary Mary:
Take the shackles off my feet so I can dance
I just wanna praise you
(What'cha wanna do?)
I just wanna praise you
(Yeah, yeah)
You broke the chains now I can lift my hands
(Uh feel me?)
And I'm gonna praise you
(What'cha gon do?)
I'm gonna praise you
In the corners of mind
I just can't seem to find a reason to believe
That I can break free
Cause you see I have been down for so long
Feel like the hope is gone
But as I lift my hands, I understand
That I should praise you through my circumstance
Take the shackles off my feet so I can dance
I just wanna praise you
I just wanna praise you
You broke the chains now I can lift my hands
And I'm gonna praise you
I'm gonna praise you
Everything that could go wrong
All went wrong at one time
So much pressure fell on me
I thought I was gon lose my mind
But I know you wanna see
If I will hold on through these trials
But I need you to lift this load
Cause I can't take it anymore
Take the shackles off my feet so I can dance
I just wanna praise you
I just wanna praise you
You broke the chains now I can lift my hands
And I'm gonna praise you
I'm gonna praise you
Been through the fire and the rain
Bound in every kind of way
But God has broken every chain
So let me go right now
Take the shackles off my feet so I can dance
I just wanna praise you
I just wanna praise you
You broke the chains now I can lift my hands
And I'm gonna praise you
I'm gonna praise you
[repeat x3]
Take them off
What'cha gonna do, yeah
Take the shackles off my feet so I can dance
I just wanna praise you
I just wanna praise you
You broke the chains now I can lift my hands
And I'm gonna praise you
I'm gonna praise you
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Rainbow reminders
My first blog entry! My main purpose is really just to check this out and see if it is a good fit for a work-related project, but the byproduct of that is that I get to post all those random happenings and the thoughts that ramble around in my head for all to read, instead of just subjecting a few close friends to my delightful insights.I try to live daily at the foot of the cross, and I try to look for what God is doing all around me, every day. So, I hope to share here some of the things that remind me of God's love for His whole creation.
So, I'll start with the double rainbow my sister and I saw a couple of nights ago. We were taking my brand-new car (okay, so it's 12 years old...but it's still brand-new to me!) to have some work done, and as we pulled into the mechanic's parking lot, I looked over and saw this stunningly beautiful double rainbow--it would have been beautiful anyway, but the really cool part was that it was coming over the top of a church, and the church's steeple rose toward the sky right inbetween the two rainbows. I could just hear the words God spoke to Noah, that when the rainbow appeared, "I will remember my covenant which is between you and me..."
Now, God never forgot His covenant, so He doesn't need to remember. But He knew that sometimes Noah would need to be reminded that God hadn't forgotten.
We need to be reminded too, sometimes. We forget how good our God is, we forget how much He loves us.
Have you forgotten how much God loves you? how good He is? Don't wait for a rainbow to recall His promises; go straight to His Word and read and remember and believe...and then choose to live at the foot of the cross.
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