"But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep." (I Thess.4:13-14)
This morning, on the way to church, our youngest son and I prayed for a young man who was badly injured in an accident. While we don't know this young man personally, nor does he or his family know us, I feel like we've come to know him and love him simply through the privilege of prayer. And I cannot help but think of--and thank the Lord again for--all the folks who prayed for Janie and the girls in the accident a year and a half ago. Many of them people we'll never meet or know this side of heaven. Oh what a priceless gift to be a part of the body of Christ!
Peter and I been praying together for this young man, morning and evening, ever since we learned of his accident. And we prayed once again this morning for his healing and for strength for his family.
But at church, we learned that God had taken him home--truly Home. Oh what unimaginable joy for him...but what terrible sorrow for his family and friends left behind. And I was reminded both of this verse from I Thessalonians and of something I recently heard by a pastor named Jim Garlow--
"We are not as those who grieve with no hope, nor are we as those who hope with no grief. We have unshakably strong hope. We have indescribably deep grief."
Amen. That is how Christians face death--both with indescribably deep grief because we will miss our loved one so much and with unshakably strong hope because we know our loved ones in Christ are enjoying the unfathomable wonders of heaven. It's grief...and hope. As I've shared so many times, death has taught me that we can have both deep pain in our hearts yet also a song in our soul. A song of resurrection. A song of hope.
As we walked out of church, Peter said to me, "Well, God answered our prayers. He healed him." And He has. Completely, fully, perfectly.
Father, for all those grieving such losses this day, please give them a clear vision of Your hope. Not hope so, but know so. Hope that's based upon a rugged cross, an empty tomb, and a risen Savior. Even as they grieve, Father, give them unshakable hope. For You have promised, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25-26) Yes, Lord we believe. Thank You for the promise that death is not the end...but the beginning of real Life-with a capital L. Thank You for the hope and joy of heaven. And thank You for those who are, right now, experiencing the infinite joys of that hope fully and finally fulfilled. We rejoice for them and weep for those left behind. Oh Father, we pray, give them Your unshakably strong hope.
To God--Who is the Resurrection and the Life--be all the glory.
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Friday, March 28, 2014
Friendship Truth
Bingley had a good visit today with two of his good buddies. Sweet little Dixie--
And big--but also very sweet--Mack--
Boy, there's nothing like a friend!
Thank You, Lord, for the treasure of friendship. And for the ways friendship allows us to speak Truth to one another. "Friendship truth"--I've decided that God's Truth packaged in the winsome, welcoming shape of phileo love. And that friendship truth/love strengthens us when we're weak, corrects us when we're misguided, encourages us when we're defeated, laughs with us when we need to smile, speaks truth when the enemy's lies have stolen our hope in Christ, and loves us even in all our stubborn imperfections! Friendship halves our sorrows and multiplies our joys.
Might we never, ever take for granted the irreplaceable gift of our friends and their friendship truth!
Just today I had the privilege of eating lunch with two dear friends. And we shared friendship truth about things we all knew--but had forgotten. Things like not giving in to negative thoughts and emotions and choosing to speak true and positive words to our family and friends. What we say matters! Don't even let those negative words exit our mouths. (Philippians 4, baby! God's dynamite for negative, destructive thinking!)
Or choosing gratitude--moment by moment. That's a lesson that never fails...though we sometimes fail to remember it and dwell upon the little we lack rather than the astounding surfeit of blessings in our lives. As Mark Buchanan writes: "The heart of wickedness and godlessness is that: a refusal to glorify God. It's the refusal to thank Him." Amen.
Yep, we need friends to remind us of what we already know...but tend to forget in the muck and mire of daily life.
So thank You, ever-faithful and patient, Abba, for friends, for friendship truth, and for never giving up on us quick-forgetters! Might we be friends today who lighten someone else's load and speak Your life-giving truth--friendship truth--into their lives so that their hearts are encouraged. and their perspective restored.
To God be the glory.
Thank You, Lord, for the treasure of friendship. And for the ways friendship allows us to speak Truth to one another. "Friendship truth"--I've decided that God's Truth packaged in the winsome, welcoming shape of phileo love. And that friendship truth/love strengthens us when we're weak, corrects us when we're misguided, encourages us when we're defeated, laughs with us when we need to smile, speaks truth when the enemy's lies have stolen our hope in Christ, and loves us even in all our stubborn imperfections! Friendship halves our sorrows and multiplies our joys.
Might we never, ever take for granted the irreplaceable gift of our friends and their friendship truth!
Just today I had the privilege of eating lunch with two dear friends. And we shared friendship truth about things we all knew--but had forgotten. Things like not giving in to negative thoughts and emotions and choosing to speak true and positive words to our family and friends. What we say matters! Don't even let those negative words exit our mouths. (Philippians 4, baby! God's dynamite for negative, destructive thinking!)
Or choosing gratitude--moment by moment. That's a lesson that never fails...though we sometimes fail to remember it and dwell upon the little we lack rather than the astounding surfeit of blessings in our lives. As Mark Buchanan writes: "The heart of wickedness and godlessness is that: a refusal to glorify God. It's the refusal to thank Him." Amen.
Yep, we need friends to remind us of what we already know...but tend to forget in the muck and mire of daily life.
So thank You, ever-faithful and patient, Abba, for friends, for friendship truth, and for never giving up on us quick-forgetters! Might we be friends today who lighten someone else's load and speak Your life-giving truth--friendship truth--into their lives so that their hearts are encouraged. and their perspective restored.
To God be the glory.
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Hope for the rough patches
It's been a grueling, sorrowful week for several families who are dealing with children injured in tragic accidents. And we've been doing the only--but most powerful--thing we can do: pray. Pray earnestly and constantly. We know that we serve a God of all goodness, all power, all wisdom. We know He can heal. And sometimes He does so in miraculous, glorious ways.
But sometimes He doesn't. And in those moments we're left to wonder...and weep...but ultimately, finally, to trust the sovereign, severe mercy and ways of the Lord. He is God. We are not. And some things will have to await our understanding in heaven.
Yet in all this I've been reminded of a moment years ago as I sat right here in this very living room where I'm now sitting. It was late March, nearly 13 years ago exactly from this day. Our family was eating dinner around our big, round kitchen table when the phone rang. It was my dear sister, Jane, giving us the news we'd been dreading...we'd been praying fervently against. Our wonderful Daddy's cancer had spread from his lungs to his brain and was now unstoppable, untreatable. The end was at hand.
We'd just lost our remarkable Mama less than a year and a half earlier of a shockingly sudden ruptured aorta. Then less than two months later we learned Daddy had cancer. As Daddy said at the time, "We're going through a rough patch." And it got rougher--another family member diagnosed with cancer; dearly beloved cousin, uncle and aunt going home to be the Lord; Daddy's brave, hard battle against not only his cancer, but also terrible sadness over losing Mama. It was, indeed, a rough patch.
But time and again, the Lord brought us through. When you're going through a rough patch, you eventually come out on the other side. It's a patch--not an infinite abyss. And God does bring you through to the other side--scarred, yes...but wiser, stronger, deeper, richer in gratitude and grace.
Yet this phone call, this moment, simply seemed too much for me. I hung up from my sister, walked into the living room and wept. "It's too much, Lord. Too much. To lose another deeply loved pillar of my life? I can't do it. Can't go through another visitation with all those tears. Can't go through another funeral. Can't even begin to think about bearing it all. No way."
As I wept, it was one of those raw and remarkable moments when you seem to hear the very voice of God. As I sit here, I can still hear it. These were not my thoughts. No, this was from the throne of grace. And He seemed to say, "You don't have to bear it right now. Trust Me. When the time comes, I will give you the strength that you need to get through it. And you will even know My peace and joy in the midst of it all. But I'm not giving you that grace now. You have to trust that just like that manna in the wilderness, I will give you what you need when you need it. One day at a time. One moment at a time. And it will always be more than enough."
And He did. And He was. And He always will be.
The Lord carried our whole family through those hard, bittersweet last days with our Daddy in the hospital. And just as faithfully in the aftermath of the visiting with dear friends and family. And the funeral too. Our Heavenly Father quite simply carried us through all that loss and sorrow, and impossibly His manna seemed to meet our every desperate need for strength and peace and, yes, even joy.
It truly was "strength for today...and bright hope for tomorrow" as that great old hymn says. "Strength for today" meant strength for that day, that hour, that moment. And hope that He who so faithfully provided and carried us through that day, would be just as faithful, loving, kind, gracious, and good tomorrow as well.
And so we had hope. Great hope for our tomorrows.
The prophet, Jeremiah, wrote the book of Lamentations in what was surely one of the darkest and most desperate times in Israel's history. Israel defeated and decimated by the ruthless Babylonians. The nation destroyed, and her people either killed or taken prisoner into exile far from their promised land.
Yet in the midst of all that despair, the prophet's words rang out, a beacon of truth and stubborn hope: "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, says my soul, therefore I will hope in Him." (Lam.3:22-24)
Yes, it's true!...though sometimes, you don't fully realize it, until you've come to that kind of a desperate, dark "rough patch." His love never ceases. His mercies never end...they are new--Every. Single. Morning. His faithfulness is great beyond measuring.
And therefore, we will hope in Him. Not hope in our circumstances. Not hope in the answers we want to our prayers. Not hope in getting what we want. Not hope in hope.
No, we hope in our faithful, perfect, all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving, all-good, all-kind, all-merciful Father. Our Heavenly Daddy. Our Abba.
And since He's got it--and He's got us--we've got hope, no matter our circumstances. Because great is His faithfulness--through every one of our rough patches and beyond. Faithful--today, tomorrow, and on into the forever future.
So thank You, Father, for Your daily manna that sustains and strengthens us in all of life's rough--and smooth--patches. Might all who are mired this day in sorrow or fear, place their hope in You, the ever-faithful Father. Give us eyes of faith and hearts of stubborn, gospel hope.
To God be the glory.
But sometimes He doesn't. And in those moments we're left to wonder...and weep...but ultimately, finally, to trust the sovereign, severe mercy and ways of the Lord. He is God. We are not. And some things will have to await our understanding in heaven.
Yet in all this I've been reminded of a moment years ago as I sat right here in this very living room where I'm now sitting. It was late March, nearly 13 years ago exactly from this day. Our family was eating dinner around our big, round kitchen table when the phone rang. It was my dear sister, Jane, giving us the news we'd been dreading...we'd been praying fervently against. Our wonderful Daddy's cancer had spread from his lungs to his brain and was now unstoppable, untreatable. The end was at hand.
We'd just lost our remarkable Mama less than a year and a half earlier of a shockingly sudden ruptured aorta. Then less than two months later we learned Daddy had cancer. As Daddy said at the time, "We're going through a rough patch." And it got rougher--another family member diagnosed with cancer; dearly beloved cousin, uncle and aunt going home to be the Lord; Daddy's brave, hard battle against not only his cancer, but also terrible sadness over losing Mama. It was, indeed, a rough patch.
But time and again, the Lord brought us through. When you're going through a rough patch, you eventually come out on the other side. It's a patch--not an infinite abyss. And God does bring you through to the other side--scarred, yes...but wiser, stronger, deeper, richer in gratitude and grace.
Yet this phone call, this moment, simply seemed too much for me. I hung up from my sister, walked into the living room and wept. "It's too much, Lord. Too much. To lose another deeply loved pillar of my life? I can't do it. Can't go through another visitation with all those tears. Can't go through another funeral. Can't even begin to think about bearing it all. No way."
As I wept, it was one of those raw and remarkable moments when you seem to hear the very voice of God. As I sit here, I can still hear it. These were not my thoughts. No, this was from the throne of grace. And He seemed to say, "You don't have to bear it right now. Trust Me. When the time comes, I will give you the strength that you need to get through it. And you will even know My peace and joy in the midst of it all. But I'm not giving you that grace now. You have to trust that just like that manna in the wilderness, I will give you what you need when you need it. One day at a time. One moment at a time. And it will always be more than enough."
And He did. And He was. And He always will be.
The Lord carried our whole family through those hard, bittersweet last days with our Daddy in the hospital. And just as faithfully in the aftermath of the visiting with dear friends and family. And the funeral too. Our Heavenly Father quite simply carried us through all that loss and sorrow, and impossibly His manna seemed to meet our every desperate need for strength and peace and, yes, even joy.
It truly was "strength for today...and bright hope for tomorrow" as that great old hymn says. "Strength for today" meant strength for that day, that hour, that moment. And hope that He who so faithfully provided and carried us through that day, would be just as faithful, loving, kind, gracious, and good tomorrow as well.
And so we had hope. Great hope for our tomorrows.
The prophet, Jeremiah, wrote the book of Lamentations in what was surely one of the darkest and most desperate times in Israel's history. Israel defeated and decimated by the ruthless Babylonians. The nation destroyed, and her people either killed or taken prisoner into exile far from their promised land.
Yet in the midst of all that despair, the prophet's words rang out, a beacon of truth and stubborn hope: "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, says my soul, therefore I will hope in Him." (Lam.3:22-24)
Yes, it's true!...though sometimes, you don't fully realize it, until you've come to that kind of a desperate, dark "rough patch." His love never ceases. His mercies never end...they are new--Every. Single. Morning. His faithfulness is great beyond measuring.
And therefore, we will hope in Him. Not hope in our circumstances. Not hope in the answers we want to our prayers. Not hope in getting what we want. Not hope in hope.
No, we hope in our faithful, perfect, all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving, all-good, all-kind, all-merciful Father. Our Heavenly Daddy. Our Abba.
And since He's got it--and He's got us--we've got hope, no matter our circumstances. Because great is His faithfulness--through every one of our rough patches and beyond. Faithful--today, tomorrow, and on into the forever future.
So thank You, Father, for Your daily manna that sustains and strengthens us in all of life's rough--and smooth--patches. Might all who are mired this day in sorrow or fear, place their hope in You, the ever-faithful Father. Give us eyes of faith and hearts of stubborn, gospel hope.
To God be the glory.
Monday, March 24, 2014
Blooming grace
I love to imagine a "Southern Living" yard outside our doors that merely involves hopeful thinking, waving the magazine over it, and watching God and mother nature miraculously do the rest. Alas, this has proved to be an ineffective strategy for successful gardening. How I wish I were more like my friends Nancy or Creecy, whose yards make you want to take off your shoes and luxuriate in the thick grass while holding a tall glass of lemonade and gazing at the profusion of flowers all about you.
This would not be the case in our yard...unless you want to sit on various piles of sticks thoughtfully retrieved by Bingley...or step into something that would definitely not remind you of fragrant, fresh cut grass (I'll leave that to your imagination....but think "gagging" and you get the idea).
So try to envision my astonishment and delight over the profusion of Camellia blooms on the bush right outside our kitchen door. We planted this bush years ago--a gift from my wonderful sister when our youngest child was born. It was just a little old thing when we got it--only about a foot high. When we planted it, did we dig around and do whatever it is you're supposed to do with the soil before putting in a new plant? I'm guessing you know the answer to that hypothetical question. Did we fertilize it properly? Ha! Have we faithfully watered it during the searing months of summer drought? Right. Have we pruned it or sprayed it for aphids or done anything to aid it's growth or beauty? You're kidding, right?
Despite our persistent neglect (I admit this to my shame), this bush has grown exponentially and blossomed to beat the band (to quote my mama). Seriously, we must be the most undeserving recipients on the face of the earth of such spectacularly beautiful and effusive bounty--but it's true! Blooms and more blooms that give us nothing but unmitigated wonder and joy every time we go in or out of the kitchen door.
And here's all I can think: grace. Grace upon grace upon grace. Truly amazing grace.
Isn't that a picture of what our Lord has done for us? You tell me--who on earth could deserve the forgiveness and grace poured out upon us by the Lord Jesus? Certainly not me. Oh no. To think that He "saved a wretch like me" never ceases to astound and fill me with inexpressible joy and gratitude.
I love how Tim Keller put it: "We are more flawed and sinful than we ever dared believe, yet we are more loved and accepted than we ever dared hope at the same time."
Seriously, if you've been a believer for a while, don't you sometimes wonder why on earth you still struggle with your same old selfishness, competitiveness, envy, ingratitude, or pride? Wouldn't you think you could get over all that mess by now and be a paragon of virtue and holiness?
But as long as we're on this planet, we will continue to have to fight the good fight against our sin, selfishness and pride. I loved John Newton's words on this. When he was a very old man, he admitted, "By this point I thought I'd be different. Always love to pray. Not jealous. Not controlled by money. Love for God never cold."
But Newton goes on, "The reason God allows us to continue to struggle all of our life with indwelling sin is He wants us to grow even more amazed at His grace." AMEN!
Yes, Lord, I stand amazed, astonished, and oh, so very, very grateful for Your goodness and grace that is infinitely beyond anything we ever dare hope for or dream. You take the dirty rags of all our sins and replace them with Your regal, glorious robes of righteousness.
And You do it again...and again...and again. Daily, hourly...like those Camellia blooms. Undeserved, unmerited...but profuse and abundant crimson packages of grace. The color of His blood that washed away all our sins.
"In love, He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace, with which He has blessed us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which he lavished upon us in all wisdom and insight." (Eph.1:5-8)
Who can comprehend it? None can ever earn it. We simply stand amazed at the wonder and riches of His grace poured out upon us in Christ Jesus.
So thank You Father for being the Heavenly Gardener in our lives--sowing what we do not deserve, reaping what we could never, ever merit. Bountiful, beautiful, amazing, glorious grace. Day after day. Bloom after bloom.
Thank You, thank You, thank You. To God be the glory.
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Pascal's Fire
A little food for weekend thought--
From A.W. Tozer:
"Blaise Pascal, the famed 17th century French scientist and philosopher, experienced in his lifetime a personal, overwhelming encounter with God that changed his life. Those who attended him at his death found a worn, creased paper in his clothing, close to his heart--apparently a reminder of what he had felt and sensed in God's very presence. In Pascal's own hand it read:
'From about half past ten at night, to about half after midnight--fire! O God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob--not the God of philosophers or the wise. The God of Jesus Christ who can be known only in the ways of the Gospel. Security. Feeling. Peace. Joy. Tears of joy--Amen!'
Were these the expressions of a fanatic, an extremist? No; it was the ecstatic utterance of a yielded man during two awesome hours in the presence of God. The astonished Pascal could only describe the visitation in one word--'Fire!'"
When my daddy was in the navy on the destroyer, Preston (and then on the Summers) for four years during World War II, he apparently read most or all of the words of the brilliant Pascal. In one of Daddy's letters to his parents, he talked about how much Pascal's writings had meant to him. I try to imagine what that must have been like...fighting horrific battles at places like Iwo Jima or Okinawa and then reading such deep treasures from the pen of Pascal...and then right back to the life and death struggles they faced every day, every hour. Wow. That's real world, isn't it? I wish I could ask Daddy what he especially liked about Pascal. Or maybe he just explain him to me! Oh well, we have all of eternity to talk about it...and maybe then, I'll understand Pascal myself!
But I loved these thoughts from Tozer about Pascal. We think of Pascal as such a brilliant thinker--a scientist, mathematician, inventor, philosopher. But this powerful and emotional moment between Pascal and His Lord, well, it profoundly changed and affected him for the rest of his life.
An encounter with our Lord leaves us never, ever the same. Whether He meets us in the ICU by the bedside of a loved one or in the quietness of our home with a Bible on our laps or in the joy of savoring a glorious piece of music or even on a destroyer in enemy-infested waters far, far from home...our Savior's powerful presence is truly "security, feeling, peace, joy...[and] fire!" Once we meet Him, we are never the same...we are never alone...and we are never without hope. For He is Fire! The fire that burns away the dross of our sin and selfishness. The fire that warms our hearts with His presence. The fire that provides His Light in our darkness. The fire that empowers us to live for Him in a hard world.
Oh might His fire burn brightly in our hearts and in our lives this day and everyday...because we know Him and love Him. Come, Lord Jesus, come.
To God be the glory.
From A.W. Tozer:
"Blaise Pascal, the famed 17th century French scientist and philosopher, experienced in his lifetime a personal, overwhelming encounter with God that changed his life. Those who attended him at his death found a worn, creased paper in his clothing, close to his heart--apparently a reminder of what he had felt and sensed in God's very presence. In Pascal's own hand it read:
'From about half past ten at night, to about half after midnight--fire! O God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob--not the God of philosophers or the wise. The God of Jesus Christ who can be known only in the ways of the Gospel. Security. Feeling. Peace. Joy. Tears of joy--Amen!'
Were these the expressions of a fanatic, an extremist? No; it was the ecstatic utterance of a yielded man during two awesome hours in the presence of God. The astonished Pascal could only describe the visitation in one word--'Fire!'"
But I loved these thoughts from Tozer about Pascal. We think of Pascal as such a brilliant thinker--a scientist, mathematician, inventor, philosopher. But this powerful and emotional moment between Pascal and His Lord, well, it profoundly changed and affected him for the rest of his life.
An encounter with our Lord leaves us never, ever the same. Whether He meets us in the ICU by the bedside of a loved one or in the quietness of our home with a Bible on our laps or in the joy of savoring a glorious piece of music or even on a destroyer in enemy-infested waters far, far from home...our Savior's powerful presence is truly "security, feeling, peace, joy...[and] fire!" Once we meet Him, we are never the same...we are never alone...and we are never without hope. For He is Fire! The fire that burns away the dross of our sin and selfishness. The fire that warms our hearts with His presence. The fire that provides His Light in our darkness. The fire that empowers us to live for Him in a hard world.
Oh might His fire burn brightly in our hearts and in our lives this day and everyday...because we know Him and love Him. Come, Lord Jesus, come.
To God be the glory.
Friday, March 21, 2014
Making a point...or a difference?
"Jesus didn't come to make a point. He came to make a difference." Andy Stanley
Ever since I heard that sentence, it's been rolling around in my brain. Stanley's point--this is a terribly broad and brief paraphrase!--is that as believers we are not here to score points...we are here to serve and love our Lord and other people.
Yes, we know that truth, but isn't it something how quickly we forget? Given time and opportunity, we all tend to drift to defaulting to rules rather than relationships. It's so much simpler to judge other people rather than love them. It's so much more manageable to text them rather than spend time listening to them. And it's surely much easier to ignore them rather than invest emotional energy in them. Serving, forgiving, encouraging, helping those that are sometimes unlovely or difficult can be so messy, so time-consuming, so exhausting.
Ah, but it's those very places of messiness and challenge and weakness that God calls us to come and follow Him. Jesus didn't come to this earth just to make a point about Who God is. No, He came to make an eternal, destiny-altering difference by taking all our messiness--all our failure, dirt, and chaos--and dying for us so that we might know Him and gain eternal life.
And so we follow Him into the trenches filled with broken, weak, doubting, hurting humanity. We aren't here to make a point. We're here to make a difference...like our Savior...and for our Savior.
We do that by the way that we reflect our Savior in our daily lives. We do that by the way that we love, the way that we care, the way that we forgive. "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other, as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony." (Col.3:12-14)
I surely can't do this...but He can. And so I pray that He will do it through me.
Father, help us this day to put on love, compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience and forgiveness. We don't need to be clothed with designer duds. We don't need to be "right" and score points. We don't need to have lovely homes or perfectly behaved children or ideal, enviable families and relationships.
No, it's not our beautiful lives that will impact the world for Christ...it's our bountiful love. It's His love, His forgiveness, His patience, His kindness as poured out through us--weak, leaky vessels that we are--that will make an eternal difference.
Thank You, Jesus, for coming not to make a point, but to make an eternal difference for us--undeserving, unlovely, ungrateful though we are. Help us to love as You love, that others might see how good and great You are. Thank You for loving us...help us to love. To God be the glory.
Ever since I heard that sentence, it's been rolling around in my brain. Stanley's point--this is a terribly broad and brief paraphrase!--is that as believers we are not here to score points...we are here to serve and love our Lord and other people.
Yes, we know that truth, but isn't it something how quickly we forget? Given time and opportunity, we all tend to drift to defaulting to rules rather than relationships. It's so much simpler to judge other people rather than love them. It's so much more manageable to text them rather than spend time listening to them. And it's surely much easier to ignore them rather than invest emotional energy in them. Serving, forgiving, encouraging, helping those that are sometimes unlovely or difficult can be so messy, so time-consuming, so exhausting.
Ah, but it's those very places of messiness and challenge and weakness that God calls us to come and follow Him. Jesus didn't come to this earth just to make a point about Who God is. No, He came to make an eternal, destiny-altering difference by taking all our messiness--all our failure, dirt, and chaos--and dying for us so that we might know Him and gain eternal life.
And so we follow Him into the trenches filled with broken, weak, doubting, hurting humanity. We aren't here to make a point. We're here to make a difference...like our Savior...and for our Savior.
We do that by the way that we reflect our Savior in our daily lives. We do that by the way that we love, the way that we care, the way that we forgive. "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other, as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony." (Col.3:12-14)
I surely can't do this...but He can. And so I pray that He will do it through me.
Father, help us this day to put on love, compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience and forgiveness. We don't need to be clothed with designer duds. We don't need to be "right" and score points. We don't need to have lovely homes or perfectly behaved children or ideal, enviable families and relationships.
No, it's not our beautiful lives that will impact the world for Christ...it's our bountiful love. It's His love, His forgiveness, His patience, His kindness as poured out through us--weak, leaky vessels that we are--that will make an eternal difference.
Thank You, Jesus, for coming not to make a point, but to make an eternal difference for us--undeserving, unlovely, ungrateful though we are. Help us to love as You love, that others might see how good and great You are. Thank You for loving us...help us to love. To God be the glory.
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Our Burden-Bearer
Just read this morning from Psalm 55:22 "Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved." I've always loved that wonderful promise, for our Savior is our Burden-Bearer.
And then, when Peter decided to go outside and sit in the sun for a few minutes of fresh air to see if it revived him a bit (it didn't, unfortunately), Bingley figured this would be a good opportunity to jump up on the bench as well and offer a little more moral support to his ailing buddy.
But I began thinking about that--what does that mean exactly? Here's what Oswald Chambers says, "We must recognize the difference between burdens that are right for us to bear and burdens that are wrong. We should never bear the burdens of sin or doubt [because Jesus bore and removed those for us at the cross!], but there are some burdens placed on us by God which He does not intend to lift off. God wants us to roll them back on Him--to literally 'cast your burden,' which He has given you, 'on the Lord...' If we set out to serve God and do His work but get out of touch with Him, the sense of responsibility we feel will be overwhelming and defeating. But if we will only roll back on God the burdens He has placed on us, He will take away that immense feeling of responsibility, replacing it with an awareness and understanding of Himself and His presence."
As long as we live on this planet, we will bear burdens. The burdens of parenting, of work, of sickness, of ministry, of loving and serving other people. Not to mention the burdens of dying to our selfishness or of relinquishing our desire to be in control or have things our way! And sometimes it's simply the burden of having a lot to do and limited time and energy--burdens occasioned by people we love or ministry we enjoy or work we just have to do.
But isn't it good to remember that our Sovereign God has given us these burdens. They are allowed by Him and surely are used by Him to cause us to depend upon Him and to grow in our likeness to Christ. Thank goodness for work--for it means there are people in our life that count on us to provide for their needs or to bring light and joy into their world. The people in our lives bring burdens--but, oh, the incalculable joy they bring as well!
No burdens...no blessings.
Moreover, if we had no burdens, we'd be spiritual pygmies...and horrifically selfish and shallow ones at that!
No, God gives those burdens that we might continually cast them upon Him. Hand Him the full bulk of that burden so that it's discouraging and exhausting weight are all upon His omnipotent shoulders. He can easily bear it..and you can fully trust Him, knowing that while you still bear the shadow of that burden, He carries it's actual weight for you. "You have been bearing it all," Oswald Chambers writes, "but you need to deliberately place one end on God's shoulder...[for]'the government will be upon His shoulder.'" If He can carry the weight of all the governance of the entire universe, He can surely bear your burdens as well!
So this morning, Peter and I had a little lesson in burden-bearing from Mr. B. Peter's home sick today...feeling achy and crummy. He plopped down on the kitchen floor, and who should immediately crawl into his lap to offer his comfort and consolation? You probably guessed--
So thank You, Father, for Your promise that if we will cast our burdens upon You, You'll not only bear them, but You will sustain us in the midst of whatever we are enduring...and enable us to stand strong and immovable. Not my word...but Yours.
And thank You, also, that You call and enable us to help one another bear those burdens. What a privilege to comfort and encourage others who are struggling with life's burdens. And what a gift to be the one who is strengthened by other's coming alongside us to help us carry our load.
And thank You, also, that You call and enable us to help one another bear those burdens. What a privilege to comfort and encourage others who are struggling with life's burdens. And what a gift to be the one who is strengthened by other's coming alongside us to help us carry our load.
Bingley was doing his best to be a burden-bearer...but You are our perfect, never-failing Burden-Bearer. Thank You, Lord Jesus. Might we continually cast our burdens upon You...and be ready and available to encourage and strengthen others with their loads as well. You will never fail us, Father.
To God be the glory.
To God be the glory.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Sit still, listen and be loved
I've been gone a lot today...here, there and yon, running errands, attending a birthday party for a dear friend, picking up lunch for another friend...
But I have another little furry friend who was simply in need of time. Sure, there's lots of laundry to fold, dinner to fix, drawers to clean out, groceries to buy, phone calls to return. But you know what? It needed to wait for a few minutes, so that I could spend time with my friend... Well, actually two friends.
Mr. Bingley was anxious, whining and looking at me with restless, disappointed eyes. It was tempting to get annoyed with him..."What is it now?" I wanted to fuss. That to-do list isn't getting any shorter, you know Bingley, and I've places to go, people to see, and things to accomplish. I really don't have time for you right now.
And that still, small voice whispered in my heart..."Is that what you do with Me?"
Is that how I view spending time with my Maker and Redeemer? Is He just another something in my busy life, another item on the agenda, another--dare I even say it--interruption in my day.
Oh, Lord Jesus, never, never, never. Forgive me for ever putting You somewhere down the list--You are the List! You are the One in Whom we live and move and have our being. Without You there is no list, no life, no love.
And when I fail to spend time in the light of His presence, eating of His Word, simply being still and drinking deeply of His love, I become just like Bingley--discontented, restless, irritable, complaining.
So I knew it was time to plop down on the floor...with the Word and with Mr. B. Our puppy needed a few minutes of uninterrupted time with his "mom"...and I surely needed a few minutes with my Heavenly Father.
(that's my knee poking out from under the Word and smashed right up next to Bingley!)
At first Bingley tried to crawl into my lap and snuggle up. This worked well when he weighed 10 pounds. Now that he's well over 50 pounds--not so much. But he did his best, and I tolerated it for a few minutes till he decided it would be more comfortable nestled right next to me.
Bingley quickly relaxed and nodded off to sleep...snoring, in fact! He's a happy camper, because he knows he's loved.
And for the first time this day, I'm feeling a deep down settled peace, soul joy, and sure contentment, simply because I'm sitting in the presence of my King.
What a privilege! What a wonder! To simply sit quietly with the King of the Universe. To be loved by Him; to be filled by Him; to be taught by Him; to be empowered by Him. What on earth did I think I had to do that could compare to that? How can I possibly be the kind of wife and mama God calls me to be if I don't spend time being refueled and restored by my Maker?
And I've just been thinking--I know Bingley's happy to be here with me...but miraculously, wondrously, could God be happy to be here too? Just sitting with His child on a rainy, quiet Wednesday afternoon? The Creator of the ends of the earth...the Sustainer of the spinning planets and the most distant galaxies...the Author of salvation...could it be that He actually finds joy in being with His often silly, thoughtless, clueless child?
Sure, commonsense would say, absolutely not! Who on earth do you think you are? You're just a little peon. Just a little nameless, faceless, insignificant "dust person (in the words of Jill Briscoe).
But commonsense would be dead wrong.
For His Word--the forever Truth--says, yes! You are His beloved, redeemed child whom He knew and called and loved before He fashioned even the first white-hot star. "See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me." (Isa.49:16) "As the Father has loved Me [Jesus], so have I loved you." (John15:9) "Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee." (Jer.31:3)
"I am the Good Shepherd; and I know My sheep." (John 10:14) He is my Good Shepherd, and I belong to Him. Oh the wonder of being one of His beloved sheep...and the joy of simply being with Good Shepherd, knowing He'll lead me to green pastures and still waters and restore my soul.
Yours too. He's promised.
If you've been restless or discontented or fretful this day, maybe it's time to stop. Seriously, for a few minutes, cut off all the technology distractions. Put away the to-do list. Set aside your agenda. Sit down...and simply enjoy being in His presence. Listen to His voice of love speak to you in His Word. Soak in His grace and mercy. For you, all for you.
Incredible as it sounds, it's true--the God of the Universe wants to spend time with you. For you are His beloved, irreplaceable child. So loved, in fact, that He died for you...just for you.
Thank You, Abba, Father. Might we simply come, listen, be loved...and worship.
To God be the glory.
But I have another little furry friend who was simply in need of time. Sure, there's lots of laundry to fold, dinner to fix, drawers to clean out, groceries to buy, phone calls to return. But you know what? It needed to wait for a few minutes, so that I could spend time with my friend... Well, actually two friends.
Mr. Bingley was anxious, whining and looking at me with restless, disappointed eyes. It was tempting to get annoyed with him..."What is it now?" I wanted to fuss. That to-do list isn't getting any shorter, you know Bingley, and I've places to go, people to see, and things to accomplish. I really don't have time for you right now.
And that still, small voice whispered in my heart..."Is that what you do with Me?"
Is that how I view spending time with my Maker and Redeemer? Is He just another something in my busy life, another item on the agenda, another--dare I even say it--interruption in my day.
Oh, Lord Jesus, never, never, never. Forgive me for ever putting You somewhere down the list--You are the List! You are the One in Whom we live and move and have our being. Without You there is no list, no life, no love.
And when I fail to spend time in the light of His presence, eating of His Word, simply being still and drinking deeply of His love, I become just like Bingley--discontented, restless, irritable, complaining.
So I knew it was time to plop down on the floor...with the Word and with Mr. B. Our puppy needed a few minutes of uninterrupted time with his "mom"...and I surely needed a few minutes with my Heavenly Father.
At first Bingley tried to crawl into my lap and snuggle up. This worked well when he weighed 10 pounds. Now that he's well over 50 pounds--not so much. But he did his best, and I tolerated it for a few minutes till he decided it would be more comfortable nestled right next to me.
Bingley quickly relaxed and nodded off to sleep...snoring, in fact! He's a happy camper, because he knows he's loved.
And for the first time this day, I'm feeling a deep down settled peace, soul joy, and sure contentment, simply because I'm sitting in the presence of my King.
What a privilege! What a wonder! To simply sit quietly with the King of the Universe. To be loved by Him; to be filled by Him; to be taught by Him; to be empowered by Him. What on earth did I think I had to do that could compare to that? How can I possibly be the kind of wife and mama God calls me to be if I don't spend time being refueled and restored by my Maker?
And I've just been thinking--I know Bingley's happy to be here with me...but miraculously, wondrously, could God be happy to be here too? Just sitting with His child on a rainy, quiet Wednesday afternoon? The Creator of the ends of the earth...the Sustainer of the spinning planets and the most distant galaxies...the Author of salvation...could it be that He actually finds joy in being with His often silly, thoughtless, clueless child?
Sure, commonsense would say, absolutely not! Who on earth do you think you are? You're just a little peon. Just a little nameless, faceless, insignificant "dust person (in the words of Jill Briscoe).
But commonsense would be dead wrong.
For His Word--the forever Truth--says, yes! You are His beloved, redeemed child whom He knew and called and loved before He fashioned even the first white-hot star. "See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me." (Isa.49:16) "As the Father has loved Me [Jesus], so have I loved you." (John15:9) "Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee." (Jer.31:3)
"I am the Good Shepherd; and I know My sheep." (John 10:14) He is my Good Shepherd, and I belong to Him. Oh the wonder of being one of His beloved sheep...and the joy of simply being with Good Shepherd, knowing He'll lead me to green pastures and still waters and restore my soul.
Yours too. He's promised.
If you've been restless or discontented or fretful this day, maybe it's time to stop. Seriously, for a few minutes, cut off all the technology distractions. Put away the to-do list. Set aside your agenda. Sit down...and simply enjoy being in His presence. Listen to His voice of love speak to you in His Word. Soak in His grace and mercy. For you, all for you.
Incredible as it sounds, it's true--the God of the Universe wants to spend time with you. For you are His beloved, irreplaceable child. So loved, in fact, that He died for you...just for you.
Thank You, Abba, Father. Might we simply come, listen, be loved...and worship.
To God be the glory.
Monday, March 17, 2014
Welcome Home!
This was yesterday morning...yep, take warning, alright, because the weather turned, well, let's just call it "unwelcome." Rain, cold, dreary, and now sleet. Geez.
It's funny, because at the same time I enjoyed the brilliant red sunrise, I also noticed the first daffodils of the season. Yay! Take heart--spring's going to get here...eventually. We live on a spectacularly beautiful but imperfect planet, don't we? If this earth could be so breathtaking, can you imagine heaven?
Ever since we heard the news late saturday of a wonderful man, Lacy, in our church who suddenly went home--truly home--to be with the Lord, heaven's been on my mind. But shouldn't it always be?
I just read these words by Charles Spurgeon: "...hold your friends lovingly but be ready to yield them to Jesus. Don't hold them back from the One to whom they belong. When they are sick, fast and pray. But when they are departed, do much as King David did, who washed his face and ate and drank. You will go to them; they cannot return to you. Comfort yourselves with the double thought of their joy in Christ and Christ's joy in them. Add the triple thought of the Father's joy in Christ and in them....Let no doubt intervene; let no gloom encompass us. Dying is but going home."
Thank You, Father, for the hope we have in Jesus. Not hope so...but know so! Because of what Jesus did for us on the cross...because that tomb is empty...we know that we know that we know that we will one day see our loved ones in Christ. What a reunion!
Only imagine what wonders they are seeing and experiencing right now. Right at this very moment. Yesterday in church, as we joyfully sang our worship music (and it truly was heavenly!), I kept thinking of all those loved ones who have gone on Home and are really worshipping right now. They now know the inexpressible joy that our songs merely hint at...they now know what it is to bask in the glow of His glory. They understand fully what it means to rejoice in the presence of the Lamb...and the heavenly hosts...and Spurgeon, Calvin, Luther, Paul, Peter...and beloved parents and siblings and children and friends.
Wow. There simply are no words. Only wonder. And overwhelming gratitude and thanksgiving.
So Father, thank You for the hope for glory. Thank You for the treasure of friends and family that have gone before us and are already Home. And thank You for the whiffs of heaven's glory that we sense on this earth. Oh my, the best is yet to come.
"Well done, good and faithful, Lacy. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your Master." (Mt.25:21) Oh to hear such words!
Welcome home, Lacy. Welcome home to all those who've gone before us and are rejoicing and laughing and seeing and experiencing the glorious Truth as never before.
To God be the glory.
Friday, March 14, 2014
Homeward Bound
One of our daughters just got back from a wonderful spring break trip with several girlfriends in Kiawah Island, SC. Wow, some of the pictures she sent back made me dream of long, hot afternoons and salty ocean breezes. There's something about the peacefulness of those waters--
When I see such beauty, such serenity, it also awakens in me a longing for our true and wondrous home...heaven. If this imperfect planet could be so breathtaking in it's splendor, imagine what our perfect, glorious Home must be like. "...No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined that God has prepared for those who love Him." (I Cor.2:9)
O thank You, Father, for all we have to anticipate and for the hope and joy that gives us now in our present circumstances, whether good or bad.
I guess I'm especially thinking about this right now as a good friend of mine just lost her daddy. Death is just plain heartbreaking, no way around it. But I loved these words from Randy Alcorn:
"Grasping what the Bible teaches about Heaven shifts our center of gravity and radically alters our perspective on life. This is why we should always seek to keep Heaven in our line of sight.
In 1952, Florence Chadwick stepped off Catalina Island, Ca, into the waters of the Pacific Ocean, determined to swim to the mainland. An experienced swimmer, she had already made history as the first woman to swim the English Channel both ways.
The weather that day was foggy and chilly; Florence could hardly see the boats accompanying her. Still, she swam steadily for 15 hours. When she begged to be taken out of the water, her mother, in a boat alongside her, told her that she was close and that she could make it. But Florence, physically and emotionally exhausted, stopped swimming and was pulled into the boat. It wasn't until she was on board that she discovered the shore was less than half a mile away. At a news conference the next day, she said, 'All I could see was the fog...I think if I could have seen the shore, I would have made it.'
When you face discouragement, difficulty or fatigue, or when you feel surrounded by the fog of uncertain circumstances, are you thinking, If only I could see the shore, I could make it?
Set your sights on Jesus Christ, the Rock of salvation. He is the One who has promised to prepare a place for those who put their hope in Him, a place where they can live with Him forever. If we can learn to fix our eyes on Jesus, to see through the fog and picture our eternal home in our mind's eye, it will comfort and energize us, giving us a clear look at the finish line."
Now that's a good word. It may be foggy now, but Heaven's glorious shore is just ahead...and by the grace and mercy of God, we can make it. Not somehow, but triumphantly.
And you know what? It's going to far exceed our wildest imaginings...He's promised. So in the meantime, I want to be found faithful right where He has placed me. My gaze set firmly on Jesus, the Finisher and Perfecter of my faith, my hope in heaven, and my joy in following Him all the way Home. There's nothing like being Homeward bound.
To God be the glory.
O thank You, Father, for all we have to anticipate and for the hope and joy that gives us now in our present circumstances, whether good or bad.
I guess I'm especially thinking about this right now as a good friend of mine just lost her daddy. Death is just plain heartbreaking, no way around it. But I loved these words from Randy Alcorn:
"Grasping what the Bible teaches about Heaven shifts our center of gravity and radically alters our perspective on life. This is why we should always seek to keep Heaven in our line of sight.
In 1952, Florence Chadwick stepped off Catalina Island, Ca, into the waters of the Pacific Ocean, determined to swim to the mainland. An experienced swimmer, she had already made history as the first woman to swim the English Channel both ways.
The weather that day was foggy and chilly; Florence could hardly see the boats accompanying her. Still, she swam steadily for 15 hours. When she begged to be taken out of the water, her mother, in a boat alongside her, told her that she was close and that she could make it. But Florence, physically and emotionally exhausted, stopped swimming and was pulled into the boat. It wasn't until she was on board that she discovered the shore was less than half a mile away. At a news conference the next day, she said, 'All I could see was the fog...I think if I could have seen the shore, I would have made it.'
When you face discouragement, difficulty or fatigue, or when you feel surrounded by the fog of uncertain circumstances, are you thinking, If only I could see the shore, I could make it?
Set your sights on Jesus Christ, the Rock of salvation. He is the One who has promised to prepare a place for those who put their hope in Him, a place where they can live with Him forever. If we can learn to fix our eyes on Jesus, to see through the fog and picture our eternal home in our mind's eye, it will comfort and energize us, giving us a clear look at the finish line."
Now that's a good word. It may be foggy now, but Heaven's glorious shore is just ahead...and by the grace and mercy of God, we can make it. Not somehow, but triumphantly.
And you know what? It's going to far exceed our wildest imaginings...He's promised. So in the meantime, I want to be found faithful right where He has placed me. My gaze set firmly on Jesus, the Finisher and Perfecter of my faith, my hope in heaven, and my joy in following Him all the way Home. There's nothing like being Homeward bound.
To God be the glory.
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Give 'em the Bingley blessing!
Wish you could've heard him--quiet, pitiful little whimpers--so impatient to get out there to see and be seen. And oh, the joy, when I grabbed his leash and out we ventured into the pre-dawn darkness.
Now the first half of our walk was pretty uneventful from Bingley's vantage point. The hardest part was selecting just the right stick to carry. First he tried for a huge branch. "Nope," Mama scolded. "We're not hauling a tree trunk down Lassiter Mill Road."
Then it was too little. I think he figured no self-respecting dog would be seen carrying that little stump of a stick down a major thoroughfare.
Finally Bingley located the perfect one--hefty, impressive, but not neck-wrenching or gait-impeding.
With that arduous selection process completed, we were free to trot along and look for...
OTHER DOGS!
Because, I have learned, that is the whole purpose of walking for Mr. B. The purpose is certainly not, well...um...to take care of your morning constitutional. It's not to witness the beautiful dawn of a brand new day (a fresh start, once again--thank You, Father!). It's not to get enough exhausting exercise so he won't chew our house down to the nub. It's not to chase after birds or squirrels or rabbits--though they always prove pretty entertaining. It's not even--shock of shocks--to hunt and gather an ever-increasing collection of sticks for our yard.
No siree. THE purpose, the glorious and happy purpose of our walks is, apparently, to meet and greet another dog...or if we're really lucky, numerous dogs.
Now here's the thing. I don't really enjoy running into other dogs...basically because it's a huge pain in the neck...or should I say arm and shoulder. When Bingley spots another dog, it's "Katie bar the door" (to quote my Mom). Bingley's basically a very, very, very good little fellow most of the time...until he spots a fellow canine. And then he will pull my arm out of the socket, run me down the road or greenway like a crazy person, or generally do whatever it takes in order to get to that dog ASAP.
Meanwhile I'm yelling all the things the Beautiful Boyettes (my name for the fabulous, wonderful girls who are helping us train Bingley) have told me to tell him. "LEAVE IT!! LEAVE IT!! LEEEEEAAAAVVVVEEE IT!!!!" This works wonderfully when it comes to sticks or squirrels or almost anything you can think of except...you guessed it. Nope, I yell. Bingley listens...and completely ignores me because--
It's ANOTHER DOG!! JOY! HAPPINESS! RAPTURE! A DOG! A DOG! A DOG! Time to greet and sniff and bark and jump around with glee.
Meanwhile, I'm apologizing and saying things like, "I'm so sorry--but he's really friendly." Really? You think?
It happened just yesterday with the Brown's sweet old brown lab. And then again this morning with the Marlowe's wonderful black lab. And I might add, both of these dogs seemed happy enough to see Mr.B but they were far more dignified and restrained in their response. I'm chalking that up to Bingley's youth and inexperience.
But can I tell you what I thought? My dog has a better grip on what we've been placed on this earth to do than yours truly. Oh Father, please forgive me. Because, after all, we're here to love and glorify our glorious Lord...AND to love our fellow earth-dwellers that He died to save. We're not here to serve ourselves...but to serve others. We're not here to make much of ourselves...but to make much of our Savior and of others. We're not here to focus upon ourselves...but, you guessed it, to place our gaze firmly upon our Lord and upon others.
Maybe we need to stop worrying so much about how we feel and instead wonder about the feelings of others and how we might help them.
We need to slooooow down and notice the clerk at Target. We need to smile and offer a word of encouragement to that hard-working grocery store bagger. We need to ask that nice fellow at Starbacks how he's doing. Do we even know his name?
If Jesus loved them enough to die for them, how can we not care?
How can I not be willing to put aside my busy, selfish little agenda long enough to give them a Bingley greeting?
Or pick up the phone and call our children or our parents or our friends to encourage them and remind them how much we love them? If Bingley could talk, he'd had already racked up 10,000,000 minutes on his cell phone. How about us? Or are we too busy to call or text a word of love and encouragement.
And while we're on the subject, I've often heard that the word encourage means "to pour courage into." Oh man, who couldn't use a little courage being poured into their life? Yes sir--a little courage-infusion to get us through the hard, tight places in life sure sounds good to me. And I promise you, there's not a person on this planet who isn't fighting some kind of tough battle somewhere in their lives...and your courage-infusion might be just the thing they need today to pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and start again.
Okay, I know, I know. I'm going on and on, but goodness gracious, how important this is and how easily we tend to lose sight of it! And you know why? Because we're so stinking preoccupied with ourselves and to-do lists and our challenges that we miss the people--the eternal souls made by their Creator and loved infinitely by Him--that God has placed in our paths and in our lives.
And He made it so clear. So, so clear: "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:34-35)
Any questions?
So today, God's given us all another chance. If we don't fold the five loads of laundry. If we don't get a home-cooked meal on the table. If we don't write our Bible study lecture. If we don't finish our errands. That's okay--as long as we LOVE. Love God...and love one another.
People, that's why we here. That's why He came--love. "We love, because He first loved us." (I John 4:19) Love that willingly relinquished the infinite joys of heaven to come to earth to love and love and love...and die on a cross so that those He loved could be with Him forever. It's all about love. Seriously.
Time to get loving, folks. Time to give 'em the Bingley blessing...
Oh boy...ANOTHER PERSON!!
To God be the glory.
Sunday, March 9, 2014
Daylight saving...and feelings vs. faith!
A little food for weekend thought--
Thank You Lord for this spectacular day! Oh my, to feel the warmth of the sun after being frozen stiff for so long. Our youngest even said this afternoon he saw--and was stung by--his first bee of the season! Oh well, we have to take the good with the bad. We'll take the bees and even the mosquitos over the ice and frigid rain and dampness that seems to seep down into your very bones. So thank You, thank You, thank You, Father, for a tiny taste of spring!
We're also thankful for daylight saving time beginning today...sort of. Okay, well in the interest of full disclosure, we WILL be glad of it. Today we're still sort of stumbling around, tired from an hour less sleep last night. And for some reason this changing clock thing has also left me ravenous all day long. What's up with that? But a few days from now when we've adjusted to the time change, we'll rejoice in that extra hour of daylight in the evening. Some things we have to take on faith...rather than based upon our feelings at the moment.
So, maybe tired today...but thankful tomorrow. Repeat after me: faith, not feelings.
In light of that, from C.S.Lewis--
"Nobody can always have devout feelings: and even if we could, feelings are not what God principally cares about. Christian love, either towards God or towards man, is an affair of the will. If we are trying to do His will we are obeying the commandment, 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God.' He will give us feelings of love if He pleases. We cannot create them for ourselves, and we must not demand them as a right. But the great thing to remember is that, though our feelings come and go, His love for us does not. [Hallelujah!! That's grace for you!] It is not wearied by our sins, or our indifference; and therefore, it is quite relentless in its determination that we shall be cured of those sins, at whatever cost to us, at whatever cost to Him."
What wonderful news to be reminded of once again--it's not about us, but it's all about Him. Not about our performance, but about His perfection. Not about our feelings, but about His faithfulness. Not about our adequacy, but about His unending abundance.
Not ours...but His forgiveness. His grace. His power. His enabling. His love. His strength. Goodness, aren't you thankful when you have a day like today, maybe...when you're weary or weak or just feeling a bit threadbare, that it's His love, grace, and power that sustains and strengthens and undergirds you?
Oh what a burden lifted! Thank You, Father.
Angie Smith says it this way: "We don't follow Him because we are sufficiently moved to do so or because we think we're sufficiently prepared. We don't wait for a moment of emotional revelation. We simply fix our eyes, steady ourselves with His promises, and put one foot resolutely in front of the other out of obedience. And when the feelings of unbelief come like clouds on the path, we form these words alone with out lips, and we step forward anyway. Lord...I believe."
Yes, Father. We believe. To God be the glory.
Thank You Lord for this spectacular day! Oh my, to feel the warmth of the sun after being frozen stiff for so long. Our youngest even said this afternoon he saw--and was stung by--his first bee of the season! Oh well, we have to take the good with the bad. We'll take the bees and even the mosquitos over the ice and frigid rain and dampness that seems to seep down into your very bones. So thank You, thank You, thank You, Father, for a tiny taste of spring!
We're also thankful for daylight saving time beginning today...sort of. Okay, well in the interest of full disclosure, we WILL be glad of it. Today we're still sort of stumbling around, tired from an hour less sleep last night. And for some reason this changing clock thing has also left me ravenous all day long. What's up with that? But a few days from now when we've adjusted to the time change, we'll rejoice in that extra hour of daylight in the evening. Some things we have to take on faith...rather than based upon our feelings at the moment.
So, maybe tired today...but thankful tomorrow. Repeat after me: faith, not feelings.
In light of that, from C.S.Lewis--
"Nobody can always have devout feelings: and even if we could, feelings are not what God principally cares about. Christian love, either towards God or towards man, is an affair of the will. If we are trying to do His will we are obeying the commandment, 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God.' He will give us feelings of love if He pleases. We cannot create them for ourselves, and we must not demand them as a right. But the great thing to remember is that, though our feelings come and go, His love for us does not. [Hallelujah!! That's grace for you!] It is not wearied by our sins, or our indifference; and therefore, it is quite relentless in its determination that we shall be cured of those sins, at whatever cost to us, at whatever cost to Him."
What wonderful news to be reminded of once again--it's not about us, but it's all about Him. Not about our performance, but about His perfection. Not about our feelings, but about His faithfulness. Not about our adequacy, but about His unending abundance.
Not ours...but His forgiveness. His grace. His power. His enabling. His love. His strength. Goodness, aren't you thankful when you have a day like today, maybe...when you're weary or weak or just feeling a bit threadbare, that it's His love, grace, and power that sustains and strengthens and undergirds you?
Oh what a burden lifted! Thank You, Father.
Angie Smith says it this way: "We don't follow Him because we are sufficiently moved to do so or because we think we're sufficiently prepared. We don't wait for a moment of emotional revelation. We simply fix our eyes, steady ourselves with His promises, and put one foot resolutely in front of the other out of obedience. And when the feelings of unbelief come like clouds on the path, we form these words alone with out lips, and we step forward anyway. Lord...I believe."
Yes, Father. We believe. To God be the glory.
Friday, March 7, 2014
Muddy puddle...or flowing stream?
Early this morning, Bingley and I braved the sodden greenway together. Nothing like a refreshing morning walk when it's 34 degrees, raining to beat the band, and windy. Yes, let me go ahead and answer your question: I am crazy.
But truth be told, it wasn't really my choice. Bingley has to be walked. I'm the mom. Voila. Need I say more?
I'm living for the day when one of our children walks downstairs--after making their bed and bringing down their laundry--and says with a smile, "Ah, Mama, let me do it today! You sit down on the couch and read the paper. I'll go fetch you some hot tea before I head out into the howling, Arctic winds with Mr.B. And by the way, have I told you lately how much I love you?"
That so could happen.
Yeah, right...I'm humming the tune of "To Dream the Impossible Dream" from Man of La Mancha. A great musical, by the way.
But I digress. How unusual. As Bingley and I walked along the water-inundated greenway, I was startled at how high little Crabtree Creek had risen. What is normally a lazy, low and sluggish creek had become a veritable raging torrent of water. Water poured past the bridges and threatened to overflow the banks. It was stunning, really, to see the dramatic transformation from yesterday when the creek was...well, an innocent little creek and not a throbbing, rushing river.
Bingley, thankfully, seemed pretty uninterested in the whole thing. Had he decided to give her a try and jump in, I might be writing a mighty sad blog right now. Now see...there's another benefit to obeying the city's leash laws--not only do you miss the joy of visiting with the nice animal control officers as they give you a ticket, but you also don't have to worry about your sweet puppy jumping into the water and flying down the stream as you stand there stunned. So we're all good with the leash laws. And, by the way, Bingley always wears his rabies tag. Anyway...
My point? Who knows. No, no seriously, I do have one. Just this morning I read these words: "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for You, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. Where can I can go and meet with God?" (Ps.42:1-2)
Wow, this really hit me today, for what a reminder that this is to be our attitude towards meeting with and knowing our Lord. Like a desperately thirsty deer panting for the water that will quench it's thirst and save it's life.
Is that how I prepare to meet my God? With that kind of expectancy, that kind of determined and relentless desire to be in the presence of the Almighty? How thirsty am I really for my Lord or do I quench my thirst with so many lesser, inferior substitutes?
Gosh, how often we rush to satisfy our thirst by lapping from shallow little mud puddles by the side of the road when God is offering us a rushing, raging torrent of His stream of living water. Mud puddles of possessions...or pleasures...or perfection (perfect house, perfect children, perfect appearance...). They'll never satisfy. Never. Only His stream of living water will fully and finally quench our thirst. "Whoever believes in Me," said the Lord Jesus, "streams of living water will flow from within them." (John 7:38)
So Lord, forgive us. Forgive us for settling for little drops here and there of the world's tepid water when You offer us so infinitely much more--those streams of living water ready to fill us, flow from within us, and splash over those around us with the joy of Your presence.
Keep us thirsty for you, Father, and allow our thirst to be satisfied by nothing less than Your streams of joyful, abundant, living water. To God be the glory.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
A prayer to begin this Lent
Today is Ash Wednesday. The first day of Lent. When I mentioned this to my husband, he asked me (with an ever so slight smug expression, I might add): "Well, what exactly does the word 'Lent' mean?"
I stumbled around...basically winging it...which actually means I made up something out of whole cloth. Funny, I really didn't know even though all these years we've talked about Lent, read (somewhat irregularly) Lenten devotions, and tried to give up something for Lent--usually quite unsuccessfully since the thing I typically gave up tended to involve the renunciation of chocolate in some form or another. Always a huge, nearly impossible challenge in the case of yours truly who has zero will power when it comes to sweets. Sigh.
But after a bit of research, here's what I've learned: the word "Lent" means "the lengthening of days"--because during the weeks before Easter, in the northern hemisphere, the short, frigid days of winter should be lengthening into the longer, warmer days of spring. At least that would be the case if the Polar Vortex would take a hike and never, ever, under penalty of death, show it's wretched face around here again. Not that I'm resentful at all about the FREEZING weather that seems doggedly determined to hang on. Oh no. Don't we all love cold, damp, dreary days?
But here's the good news...on several fronts. First of all, the days are getting longer--praise God! Thank You, Lord Jesus, for longer days of glorious daylight--and praise You that You are our Light, the Light of the World. (John 8:12) Secondly, winter will eventually--no matter how grudgingly--give way to spring. "For behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land." (Song of Sol.2:11-12) And third, Easter is coming! No matter what it looks like right now, no matter what it feels like right now, Easter is coming.
Just as surely as Good Friday looked like the end of all of Jesus' followers' hopes and dreams, just as surely as it must have felt like the end of the world...it wasn't. Not by a long shot! No, it wasn't the end of life...but the beginning. Yeah, it was the end of plenty of things--like the end of the penalty of sin and death and despair. The end of man's futile attempts to earn God's favor. The end of trying and doing, trying and doing...and failing over and over again.
And instead, it was the beginning of salvation by grace. The beginning of righteousness by faith and faith alone. The beginning of Jesus saying "No more doing and doing...it's done." The beginning of God being with us and in us through the Holy Spirit and never, ever leaving us alone or forsaken. The beginning of power--real power--and unconquerable hope and joy and peace through the indwelling presence of our Lord and King, Jesus.
So, yep, today is the first day of Lent--the lengthening of days to remind us and prepare us for Easter. I love how Barbara Rainey explained the purpose of these next 40 days: "Lent is the season of preparation for the pinnacle of the Christian faith, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The purpose of observing Lent is to remember our need for a Savior and to anticipate the greatest miracle of all time. Jesus willingly gave His life to free us from slavery to sin. Many of us know that, but here in the Shadowlands (C.S.Lewis' description of earth), the wonder becomes clouded by daily disappointments and difficulties."
Amen to that.
Lord, would You remind us in these next 40 or so days of Lent? Would You, in Your mercy and grace, restore to us the joy of our salvation? "Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and make me willing to obey You." (Ps.51:12)
Forgive us, Father, that we silly, sometimes superficial creatures, forget so easily. Would You show us again, Lord? Would You give us a glimpse this Lenten season of Your glory and revive in us a sense of undiluted awe and wonder in Your Son, our Savior? We join with Moses on this Ash Wednesday and ask "Please show me Your glory." (Ex.33:18) For if we glimpse Your glory, we will be awestruck...and changed forever.
We know You will, for You are the forever faithful Almighty One. We anticipate with eager excitement all that You will show us, Lord, for You've promised "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you." (Mt.7:7)
We're knocking, Lord. Might we be astounded and awed this Lenten season by Your infinite love, Your unlimited power, Your matchless beauty, Your amazing grace, and Your magnificent glory.
To God be the glory.
I stumbled around...basically winging it...which actually means I made up something out of whole cloth. Funny, I really didn't know even though all these years we've talked about Lent, read (somewhat irregularly) Lenten devotions, and tried to give up something for Lent--usually quite unsuccessfully since the thing I typically gave up tended to involve the renunciation of chocolate in some form or another. Always a huge, nearly impossible challenge in the case of yours truly who has zero will power when it comes to sweets. Sigh.
But after a bit of research, here's what I've learned: the word "Lent" means "the lengthening of days"--because during the weeks before Easter, in the northern hemisphere, the short, frigid days of winter should be lengthening into the longer, warmer days of spring. At least that would be the case if the Polar Vortex would take a hike and never, ever, under penalty of death, show it's wretched face around here again. Not that I'm resentful at all about the FREEZING weather that seems doggedly determined to hang on. Oh no. Don't we all love cold, damp, dreary days?
But here's the good news...on several fronts. First of all, the days are getting longer--praise God! Thank You, Lord Jesus, for longer days of glorious daylight--and praise You that You are our Light, the Light of the World. (John 8:12) Secondly, winter will eventually--no matter how grudgingly--give way to spring. "For behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land." (Song of Sol.2:11-12) And third, Easter is coming! No matter what it looks like right now, no matter what it feels like right now, Easter is coming.
Just as surely as Good Friday looked like the end of all of Jesus' followers' hopes and dreams, just as surely as it must have felt like the end of the world...it wasn't. Not by a long shot! No, it wasn't the end of life...but the beginning. Yeah, it was the end of plenty of things--like the end of the penalty of sin and death and despair. The end of man's futile attempts to earn God's favor. The end of trying and doing, trying and doing...and failing over and over again.
And instead, it was the beginning of salvation by grace. The beginning of righteousness by faith and faith alone. The beginning of Jesus saying "No more doing and doing...it's done." The beginning of God being with us and in us through the Holy Spirit and never, ever leaving us alone or forsaken. The beginning of power--real power--and unconquerable hope and joy and peace through the indwelling presence of our Lord and King, Jesus.
So, yep, today is the first day of Lent--the lengthening of days to remind us and prepare us for Easter. I love how Barbara Rainey explained the purpose of these next 40 days: "Lent is the season of preparation for the pinnacle of the Christian faith, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The purpose of observing Lent is to remember our need for a Savior and to anticipate the greatest miracle of all time. Jesus willingly gave His life to free us from slavery to sin. Many of us know that, but here in the Shadowlands (C.S.Lewis' description of earth), the wonder becomes clouded by daily disappointments and difficulties."
Amen to that.
Lord, would You remind us in these next 40 or so days of Lent? Would You, in Your mercy and grace, restore to us the joy of our salvation? "Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and make me willing to obey You." (Ps.51:12)
Forgive us, Father, that we silly, sometimes superficial creatures, forget so easily. Would You show us again, Lord? Would You give us a glimpse this Lenten season of Your glory and revive in us a sense of undiluted awe and wonder in Your Son, our Savior? We join with Moses on this Ash Wednesday and ask "Please show me Your glory." (Ex.33:18) For if we glimpse Your glory, we will be awestruck...and changed forever.
We know You will, for You are the forever faithful Almighty One. We anticipate with eager excitement all that You will show us, Lord, for You've promised "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you." (Mt.7:7)
We're knocking, Lord. Might we be astounded and awed this Lenten season by Your infinite love, Your unlimited power, Your matchless beauty, Your amazing grace, and Your magnificent glory.
To God be the glory.
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Cold, college, and God's faithfulness
Brrrrr. It's cold in these here parts.
We're in Davidson watching a golf tournament in what can only be described as Polar Vortex heaven. Seriously, I cannot for the life of me figure out how these young men can possibly swing a golf club, much less manage to get a tiny ball into a teensy hole in such frigid, windy, and yesterday wet, weather. Thank the Lord it's dry today--and a balmy 30 degrees...wind chill listed at 12 degrees. Don't you wish you were here? Of course, how can I complain? People actually live in places like Canada and Alaska and Maine, though I cannot imagine why. I'd never leave the house from november thru april if I lived in Chicago or Buffalo.
Okay, done with complaining. Forgive me, Lord.
"Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, Rejoice!" (Phil.4:4). And "Do ALL things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and corrupt generation among whom you shine as lights in the world." (Phil.2:14-15) I am so busted. Thank You, Lord, for repentance, for grace, and for fresh starts. Boy, do I need the Gospel every single hour of every single day.
Back to the subject at hand. Here's Richard "warming up" (sort of an ironic term when it's 30 degrees and windy!) this morning--
And here's what I'm thinking--other than thank you, Father, that I'm inside right now: Our son's four years at Davidson have flown by. It sounds so cliche, but it's so true--the days may sometimes feel mighty long, but the years are far too short. It seems like yesterday that we arrived on the campus for Richard's orientation with a bit of fear and trepidation in our hearts. Yet the Lord knew this was the very perfect place for our son--a place where he would grow and learn and flourish. A place where he would develop incredible friendships. A place where God would begin shaping him into the man He's called him to be. So a simple, thank You, Lord.
And while I'm at it--thank You, Lord, for the beauty of this campus. I walked around this morning and despite the bitterly cold temperatures, I marveled at the peaceful, gracious beauty of this place.
We're in Davidson watching a golf tournament in what can only be described as Polar Vortex heaven. Seriously, I cannot for the life of me figure out how these young men can possibly swing a golf club, much less manage to get a tiny ball into a teensy hole in such frigid, windy, and yesterday wet, weather. Thank the Lord it's dry today--and a balmy 30 degrees...wind chill listed at 12 degrees. Don't you wish you were here? Of course, how can I complain? People actually live in places like Canada and Alaska and Maine, though I cannot imagine why. I'd never leave the house from november thru april if I lived in Chicago or Buffalo.
Okay, done with complaining. Forgive me, Lord.
"Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, Rejoice!" (Phil.4:4). And "Do ALL things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and corrupt generation among whom you shine as lights in the world." (Phil.2:14-15) I am so busted. Thank You, Lord, for repentance, for grace, and for fresh starts. Boy, do I need the Gospel every single hour of every single day.
Back to the subject at hand. Here's Richard "warming up" (sort of an ironic term when it's 30 degrees and windy!) this morning--
And while I'm at it--thank You, Lord, for the beauty of this campus. I walked around this morning and despite the bitterly cold temperatures, I marveled at the peaceful, gracious beauty of this place.
Like all of life with our children, it's all gone by far too quickly. So I'm trying to savor these simple moments with our children. Like dinner with our newlyweds and Richard the other night here in Davidson--
Hard to believe they've been married for nearly two months--but thank You, thank You, Father! I want to hold onto my children tightly and keep them close...but in Your grace and goodness, You've given them wings that they might fly. Teach us to rejoice as they soar rather than whine and worry that they are flying away.
Over the past few days, it seems as if the Lord has repeatedly stilled time for just a millisecond. Tiny, invisible pauses here and there, as if to say: Right now. This moment. Treasure this moment with the people you love. Taste the saltiness of the pizza and rejoice in the One who made the tomato and the wheat! Gaze at these precious, irreplaceable faces that sit around the table with you and rejoice in their loving Creator and His incredible grace in putting them in your life. Feel the stinging cold and breathe deeply of the fresh winter's air and rejoice in the Maker of heaven and earth...and weather! Stand amazed at the gifts God pours out upon you in people, places, laughter, love, health, home. Too many to count...but try. Try to notice and number them.
Grasp the supernatural Word in your hands and wonder with amazement and joy that the Redeemer, Sustainer, and Creator speaks to you, to all of us. His Word--warm from the breath of the Almighty--fresh for you, for this day, for this hour...to equip, encourage, strengthen and sustain.
And so Lord, we press on...relying upon Your provision for us this day, trusting in Your sustaining presence and power for us for the future, and remembering, too, Your forever faithfulness to us in the past.
Lord, children may be growing up, life may always be "a-changing"--but You are eternally changeless, good, and faithful.
We thank You, and we trust You. To God be the glory.
Saturday, March 1, 2014
A mindset reminder!
A little food for weekend thought--
Time for a quick reboot.
Anybody else out there need that right about now? Maybe not, but yours truly does....because for a short month, February sure is a mighty looooong month. Somehow, these 28 days always seem to be the doldrums of the calendar year.
I know, I know, totally wrong attitude. Totally wrong mindset. As our youngest son so often reminds me--"Mom, February is the greatest month of the whole year--it's got Valentine's Day and my birthday!!" And I do need that reminder--thank You, Lord Jesus, for the priceless gift of our dear Peter who has brought so much joy and laughter and love into our lives. And thank You for the Valentine's Day--after all, not only is it a day that rejoices in the irreplaceable gift of love in our lives, but also it celebrates the treasure of chocolate! Geez, in light of all that, I clearly need a reboot if I've misplaced my joy!
But here's what C.S.Lewis says: "As Dr. Johnson said, 'People need to be reminded more often than they need to be instructed.' The real job of every moral teacher is to keep on bringing us back, time after time, to the old simple principles which we are all so anxious not to see; like bringing a horse back and back to the fence it has refused to jump or bringing a child back and back to the bit in it's lesson that it wants to shirk."
So here's the "old simple principle"--"Set your minds on things above not on things on the earth." (Col.3:2) So simple...but so true and so powerfully life-changing.
What's our mindset? Where is our mind set?
And are we responding to life based upon our moods or our mindset?
Because here's the thing--if our minds are set above--upon the risen Savior whose grace saved us, whose love surrounds us, whose power sustains us, and who even now sits at the Father's right hand interceding for us--well then our moods will not, not, not control us. Nor will our circumstances...nor our challenges...nor our hardships...nor our heartaches.
And people, we have heaven just ahead! Good night, sometimes we forget all the glory and wonder and celebrating and perfection and joy that's just around the corner!
No, it's not a matter of mood. It's a mindset--a mind set upon Christ and His glory.
February's behind us. Those 28 days are done and gone. But now God has given us a new month. A fresh new start and a new opportunity to live with the right mindset. With our minds set on things above and not below. With a heart controlled by our mindset and not our moods.
Oh how many countless times have I quoted it, but I need to be reminded again and again: "All our problems come from looking around rather than up." (Mother Teresa).
This new day, this new month, "The joy of the Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise Him." (Ps.28:7)
Go forth this day in the sweet words of Nehemiah: "For the joy of the Lord is your strength." (Neh.8:10) Just in case you needed reminding...and don't we all?
To God be the glory.
Time for a quick reboot.
Anybody else out there need that right about now? Maybe not, but yours truly does....because for a short month, February sure is a mighty looooong month. Somehow, these 28 days always seem to be the doldrums of the calendar year.
I know, I know, totally wrong attitude. Totally wrong mindset. As our youngest son so often reminds me--"Mom, February is the greatest month of the whole year--it's got Valentine's Day and my birthday!!" And I do need that reminder--thank You, Lord Jesus, for the priceless gift of our dear Peter who has brought so much joy and laughter and love into our lives. And thank You for the Valentine's Day--after all, not only is it a day that rejoices in the irreplaceable gift of love in our lives, but also it celebrates the treasure of chocolate! Geez, in light of all that, I clearly need a reboot if I've misplaced my joy!
But here's what C.S.Lewis says: "As Dr. Johnson said, 'People need to be reminded more often than they need to be instructed.' The real job of every moral teacher is to keep on bringing us back, time after time, to the old simple principles which we are all so anxious not to see; like bringing a horse back and back to the fence it has refused to jump or bringing a child back and back to the bit in it's lesson that it wants to shirk."
So here's the "old simple principle"--"Set your minds on things above not on things on the earth." (Col.3:2) So simple...but so true and so powerfully life-changing.
What's our mindset? Where is our mind set?
And are we responding to life based upon our moods or our mindset?
Because here's the thing--if our minds are set above--upon the risen Savior whose grace saved us, whose love surrounds us, whose power sustains us, and who even now sits at the Father's right hand interceding for us--well then our moods will not, not, not control us. Nor will our circumstances...nor our challenges...nor our hardships...nor our heartaches.
And people, we have heaven just ahead! Good night, sometimes we forget all the glory and wonder and celebrating and perfection and joy that's just around the corner!
No, it's not a matter of mood. It's a mindset--a mind set upon Christ and His glory.
February's behind us. Those 28 days are done and gone. But now God has given us a new month. A fresh new start and a new opportunity to live with the right mindset. With our minds set on things above and not below. With a heart controlled by our mindset and not our moods.
Oh how many countless times have I quoted it, but I need to be reminded again and again: "All our problems come from looking around rather than up." (Mother Teresa).
This new day, this new month, "The joy of the Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise Him." (Ps.28:7)
Go forth this day in the sweet words of Nehemiah: "For the joy of the Lord is your strength." (Neh.8:10) Just in case you needed reminding...and don't we all?
To God be the glory.
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