The Sovereign...and the Savior

       

        Our Lord is the Sovereign King:  "The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him." (Nah.1:7)  "Praise the Lord of hosts, for the Lord is good, for His mercy endures forever." (Jer.33:11)
        And our Lord is the Savior: "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." (Lk 19:10)  "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, making known to us the mystery of His will, according to His purpose, which He set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Him, things in heaven and things on earth." (Eph.1:7-10)
       Both our Sovereign and our Savior.  Oh my, how thankful I am, because that means He is in control of all, all, all things.  Nothing happens to our loved ones apart from His sovereign, wise, and perfect plans--even when we, with our limited vision, cannot see or understand what He's up to.  He knows.  He's in control.  And He's relentlessly good, wise, and powerful, so we can trust Him, His plans, and His ways.
        But at the very same time, Jesus is also our Savior--the Gentle, compassionate, ever-loving, ever-forgiving Good Shepherd who tirelessly and tenderly saves, guards, and cares for His beloved sheep.  The depths of His grace none can fathom.  His love has no limits.  Oh my, how thankful I am for my gracious, good, gentle--yet infinitely powerful--Savior.
       You know why I'm thinking about all this?  Well, we have a number of dear friends struggling with serious diseases and other facing debilitating difficulties.  I won't go into details, but suffice it to say, this world can be mighty full of sorrow and suffering.
         But we need not fear--no matter how frightening the diagnosis or impossible the dilemma.  Because we have both an almighty, all powerful, ever-present Sovereign who is in control of everything.  And we have a gracious, glorious, relentlessly good Savior who will never ever leave us nor forsake us...and who is working ALL things for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. (Rom.8:28)
       "As Sovereign, He rules over all the situations, locations, and relationships that may cause me fear, but as Savior, He is rescuing, empowering, and transforming me by grace.  Because God is my Sovereign, my life is never out of control, and because He is my Savior, He blesses me with everything I need to live in the middle of things that are beyond my control.  He is a Sovereign Savior, which I don't need to fear, because He is with me and He provides everything I need for the places where His plan leads me."  (Paul David Tripp)
       I don't know what you might be facing today or where fear might be assailing your heart, but can I remind you that not only do you have an all-powerful, ever-present Sovereign, but you also have an all-gracious, ever-providing Savior.  You tell me: if you have such a powerful, gracious, good, eternal, changeless Sovereign Savior with you, and for you, every moment of everyday, what do you need to fear?  Answer: nothing.  Nada.  Never.  
       He is here.  He is able.  He is great.  And He is oh so good.  Hand Him your fears...and trust.  Hand Him your problems...and believe.  He's got it...and He's got you.
        To God be the glory.

Memorial Day

        "Free will is the not the liberty to do whatever one likes, but the power of doing whatever one sees ought to be done, even in the very face of otherwise overwhelming impulses.  There lies freedom indeed." George MacDonald
        Thankful today for the extraordinarily courageous men and women who have defended our nation's freedom with their very lives.  We are the land of the free because we are the home of the brave.
        I cannot imagine what it must feel like to charge up hills in the face of enemy fire or storm beaches under withering attack or enter buildings not knowing what kind of horrors they contain.  How can they do it?
       Nelson Mandela says that "I learned that courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.  The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear."   It's not a matter of feeling fearful or brave.  It's simply choosing to act in spite of that fear.
       I suppose even those bravest of heroes experience fear of failure and fear of death just like the rest of us....but rather than give in to that fear, they take action despite their feelings.  And that is true freedom--the freedom that George MacDonald spoke of as "the power of doing whatever one sees ought to be done, even in the face of otherwise overwhelming impulses."
       In that is a lesson for all of us.  While many of us may never face such terrifying life or death combat situations (though the way this world is going, we very well might), we can all choose whether to give in to our feelings of fear or to act upon what we know to be right, true, and good, no matter how difficult. frightening, or overwhelming.
       As believers, we have the awesome, unfathomable power of Almighty God residing within us.  Wow--how often we discount the magnitude and mystery of this--but it is THE game-changer! He is the One who will enable and empower us to do whatever He's called us to do, no matter the obstacles facing us or the emotions assailing us.
        "We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us." (2 Cor.4:7)
       "'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.'  Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake.  For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Cor. 12:9-10)
       In our weakness, He is strong.  Oh how I praise Him and thank Him!  It's not us, but Him.  It's not our ability, but His.  It's not our courage, but His.  It's not our power, but His.  And it's not our glory, but His and His alone.
       So on this Memorial Day, thank You Lord for the priceless gift of those who serve our nation and secure our freedom.  Thank You for their example of courage, selflessness, and nobility.  Thank You, thank You for those who have paid the ultimate price in giving their lives.  Finally, thank You most of all for the greatest Hero of Heroes, the Lord Jesus, who rescued us from the dominion of sin and death and gave us the ultimate freedom of salvation and eternal life.
       Oh Father, keep us grateful and help us to walk worthy.
       To God be the glory.

Jettison comparison

                                    A little food for weekend thought--
        From Shauna Niequist: "One of the most important things I've learned from mothering was from my friend Nancy.  She told me that when you compare yourself to another person, you always lose, and at the same time the other person always loses, too.  Each of us has been created by the hands of a holy God, and our stories and the twists and turns of our lives, the things that are hard for us, and the things that come naturally, are as unique to us as our own fingerprints.  She told me that one way to ensure a miserable life is to constantly measure your own life by the lives of the people around you."
       Oh goodness, how true is that?  I heard it said years ago (no earthly idea where I heard it or who said it) that "All comparison is of the devil."
       And in so many ways, I truly believe that comparison destroys our peace, our joy, and our contentment.  In their stead, comparison tends to bring along it's sick little buddies of anxiety, pride, and discouragement.
       Nobody---and I mean nobody--wins when we compare.  Either we swell up with sinful pride or we shrink back in despair.  Either way, we lose...and so does the other person.
       When we're prideful, we're essentially boasting to ourselves, "Well, at least I'm doing better (or my children are behaving better or my house looks better or my morals are better or my grades are better...) than so and so."  Ugh--what an ugly picture.
       Pride is a deadly poison.  C.S.Lewis says "The essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride.  Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere fleabites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil. Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind."
       Just as deadly, however, is the opposite ugly result of comparison, and that's despair.  When we have our gaze fixed on others and find ourselves--or our family or our spouse or our possessions or our whatever--lacking in some way, then we'll quickly find ourselves hopelessly mired in the "pit of despond."  Not only does such comparison and discouragement rob us of peace, steal our joy and destroy our hope, it also blinds us.  Blinds us to God's extravagant goodness in our lives.  Blinds us to all the gifts for which we should be grateful. Blinds us to the needs of other people around us.
        Comparison creates selfish, anxious, unhappy, and unloving little people.
        And the antidote?  Look up rather than around!  Mother Teresa once said that "All our problems come from looking around rather than up."
        It's so simple but so profoundly life-changing, isn't it?
        Stop staring at others...stare at the Savior.        
        Stop complaining about what you lack...commit to recalling all you possess.
        Stop rehearsing the ways that either you, your family, or other people fall short...rehearse all the ways that God has faithfully shown up BIG in your life.
       When we feel comparison begin to leak it's poison into our thoughts, let's stop right then and there and say "NO!"  Let's ask the Lord to enable us to take every thought captive (2 Cor.10:5).  Let's choose to reject that ugly thought of comparison right at the beginning stage and immediately replace it with the Truth of God's Word.
       Paul puts it so perfectly: "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."   
       We are what we think.  How we think will determine how we speak, act, and feel.  And comparing is just a negative, dead-end, no good way of thinking!
        Comparison leads to pride or despair.  But contemplating God's character and His Word leads to supernatural peace, fullness of joy, and happy contentment.
       Time to jettison comparison!  Let's stop looking around and look up--let's look to Jesus and His Word and renew our thinking and revive our hearts.  
       To God be the glory.

Autocorrect...and the tongue!

        I'm still laughing over a dear friend's text this afternoon.  

        Apparently whenever she texts the word "sorry," her phone's autocorrect changes it to "dirty."  You can imagine that can create some rather puzzling and quite humorous texts.  Things like "I"m so dirty..."  Yeah, I'll leave it at that. 

       But what makes it even funnier is this friend is one of the sweetest, most gentle women I know.  And she's almost as clueless as I am about technology (notice I said almost--she's still miles ahead of yours truly). I'm wondering if one of her children has been messing around with her phone and playing a trick on her. hmm.    

       What really got me tickled is I've just been reading all about the deadly power of the tongue in the book of James.  What a vivid reminder that our words--every single one of them--make a tremendous difference.

        "But no human being can tame the tongue.  It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.  With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the image of God.  From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.  My brothers, these things ought not to be so.  Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water?  Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs?  Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water." (James 3:7-12)

        Here's what I couldn't stop asking myself--is my tongue a source of blessing to my family, friends, and acquaintances, and to my Lord...or is it sometimes a putrid source of cursing?  

       Or perhaps more aptly--does my tongue bless and build up others...or does it crush and tear them down?  There's such power in the tongue of a mama.  Or for that matter, a dad...or sibling...or friend.  

       Just the other day, we'd run to dinner and were caught in the midst of a downpour.  The rain fell in torrents, and we were stuck inside watching sheets of rain flood the street and sidewalks.  We finally ran to our car, getting soaked in the process.  But on the drive home--even while the rain still fell--we were stunned to see a magnificent double rainbow!  Wow.

        Are our words falling in torrents like a crushing rainstorm...or are they adorning the Gospel and gently encouraging like the rainbow?
       Oh my, how I want my words to be like those described in Prov.16:24 "Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones."  On the other hand, I never, ever want to be described "A perverse man [who]sows strife, and a whisperer separates the best of friends."(Prov.16:28)
       Father, we pray that our words would be springs of refreshment, hope, and joy to our families, our friends, and to all with whom we come into contact.  We join the Psalmist in praying: "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer." (Ps.19:14)
        God gave us a mouth to bless, encourage, comfort, thank, sing, and worship.  Yes, sometimes we need to confront or correct...but oh might we far, far, far more often use our tongues to build up and bless.  Might we seek to be the rainbow rather than the rain.
        Lord, we pray that the meditation of our hearts and the words of our mouth would bring You glory everyday and in every way.
        To God be the glory.

 

        

A simple lesson

                           Short and sweet food for weekend thought--

        One of the passages we discussed in Sunday school this morning--and it's is simple, short, and oh so sweet:
              "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (I Thess.5:17-18)
       Such incredible wisdom and supernatural power in those words.
       And the very next verse warns us: "Do not quench the Spirit." (I Thess.5:19)
       Why?  I think it's because a sure-fire way to quench the Spirit is through a lack of worship, prayerlessness, and ingratitude.  On the other hand, if we want to fan into flame the Spirit's power in our lives, then we need to choose to do those three simple things--rejoice in the Lord continually, pray unceasingly, and give thanks consistently, no matter the circumstances.
        How do we do this?  God's Word!  Daily input of His life-giving, strength -sustaining, joy-enhancing, gratitude-provoking Word.
       If I skip a meal, I get mighty grumpy, mighty quickly!   And I lose the energy and desire to get anything done.  Why on earth would we think it would be any different with the far more important consumption of our spiritual food each day?  His very words are life, we're told in the Scriptures (John 6:63).
        No Word--no wisdom.  No Word--no worship.  No Word--no willingness to obey.  No Word--no walking with the Spirit.
        It begins with the Word.  Which leads to worship...and prayer...and thanksgiving.  And the wonderful result is the mighty empowering of the Spirit in our lives.  
       "We are guilty.  The cross purchased our forgiveness.
        We are unable.  The Spirit gives us power.
        We are foolish.  God's Word provides wisdom." (Paul D. Tripp)
        Thank You Lord for Your powerful, glorious Word.  Thank You for Your powerful, glorious Spirit.  And thank You for Your simple but utterly life-transforming command to rejoice always, prayer without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances.  Help us to obey, Father, by the gift of your grace, through the power of Your Spirit, and for the glory of Your Son.
        To God be the glory.

Mr. Bingley--and bringing good out of bad

         You never know what a day will bring.  Today and yesterday I’ve had the pleasure of spending many hours in the waiting room at the NC State Vet Hospital.  Yes, Mr. Bingley surprised us by requiring an unexpected visit to one of the finest veterinarian schools in the nation.  

          Now first, let me say that this is a lovely waiting room.  

          I’m totally serious.  

          Open and airy, bright and clean, plenty of room and quite comfortable.  And the folks here are extremely nice and helpful.  It’s actually been peaceful, and I’ve enjoyed the time and space to catch up on emails, note-writing, and Bible study.  

          The only possible downside is the constant whine of the TV.  (And can I just add that I totally do not get why anybody would watch some of these shows-- like “The View.”  Who are these people?  Why does anyone care about their opinions on Tiger’s latest girlfriend escapades or the most recent movie star to enter rehab?  Really??  No wonder our country is going to pieces.  As usual, I digress.)

           Okay, there’s another possible downside--the bill.  But in honor of my husband who’s on the verge of a breakdown in contemplation of our final bill, let’s keep our minds fixed on what is good, lovely, noble, and excellent. 

          Here’s how this all began.  We had just returned home from the Broughton boys second place finish at the States--meaning, not everyone was in a fabulou mood--to find Bingley breathing strangely.  I don’t know how to describe it except as a bit labored with bursts of random panting.  Moreover, he seemed sad and dispirited (maybe he'd heard about the golf) and was not much interested in food.  Now that’s a sure sign of terrible and dire illness in our household--both for dog and humans.  Mr. B kept wanting to crawl into our laps while making really pitiful moaning sounds.  We were worried. 

           Maybe you think I’m going into too much detail describing our sweet dog’s condition...but then you’re not sitting in the vet room waiting room for the umpteenth hour, are you?  What else have I got to do?  

           But the point is--yes, eventually I will get to the point--Bingley was clearly not himself, and we were concerned.  When we called our regular vet early the next morning, they told us to get him to the vet school pronto because of his breathing problems. So poor old Mr. B has been out here since about 7:15 yesterday morning.  It’s now 3:30 p.m. on the following day.  And the poor guy has not been allowed to eat for the past two days.  That would qualify as positively disastrous in my book.  

           X-rays revealed Bingley had a big, bad swollen place in the back of his throat (hence the breathing problems), and the doctors were trying to schedule surgery to have it removed. But it’s an emergency clinic, so Mr. B’s surgery kept getting moved back.  So we’ve been waiting...and waiting. 

          But just a few minutes ago, great news!  By this afternoon, a cat scan (yes, Lord have mercy, a doggie cat scan--trying not to contemplate the cost of that oxymoron) revealed the swelling was starting to go down, so no surgery, at least for now.  They’re treating him with antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs and sending him today!  Yay! 

                     A day later--

        Clearly I had too much time on my hands in that waiting room.  I cannot believe the excruciating detail I just went into with our dog.  I’m cutting to the chase (do I hear the sound of applause?)--Mr. Bingley was one gloriously happy dog when we brought him home.  

        But here's what I’m wondering--what on earth must Bingley have been thinking when suddenly his Shangri-La life of walks, treats, hugs and kisses, and car-riding, shockingly vanished?  For no apparent reason--from his perspective--he was thrust into a foreign world of pain, strange people, IV’s, and an isolated cage for a bed.  

        If dogs can grieve--and I believe they can--he was surely grieving and feeling lonely and sorely confused.  He might've figured his family and his good old life were gone forever, and this was his sad new reality.  

       Okay, okay...I recognize that dogs don’t possess quite the level of introspection and intelligent thought which most humans are capable of, but still, it sure got me to thinking.  Because isn’t that often my bewildered response when God allows hardship or disappointment or seemingly pointless suffering into my life or the into the lives of those I love--  

        What on earth Father?  Why have You allowed this?  Don’t You see?  Don’t You care?  Why don’t You do something?  

         When we can't understand, we question or doubt rather than trust.  

         But we don’t know all the facts.  We don’t see the whole picture.  Only God sees and knows all.          We had no way to explain to Bingley that what we were doing was saving his life.  Had he not been at the Vet school, he might have died from the infection or from the swelling that was cutting off his air supply.  And so, because we love our dog, we allowed some short term pain...in order to produce far greater long term gain.  

         In those spaces of sorrow or confusion, we have to trust the perfectly good and relentlessly loving heart of God even when we don't necessarily understand what His hand is doing.  And we can see and know His heart in His Word--

        “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.  And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2-4)

        “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.” (Rom.8:28)

        “More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Rom.5:3-5)

        “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” (I Pet.5:10)

         I could go on and on with verses that remind us that God’s in control of every single thing that happens in our lives.  And His Word reveals over and over again that He's using the good, the bad, and the terribly ugly in our lives for far greater purposes and all springing out of His infinite love for us.  

        We may not see it right now--in fact, some sorrows and difficulties we may not understand until we reach heaven.  But we can know, know, know that if God loved us so much that He became a man, came to earth to die for our sins, and conquered death and rose again so that we might have eternal life, well then, His love and power will use and transform every pain, disappointment, and tragedy in our lives for our far greater good and His greater glory.  

        Even when we cannot see with our eyes, we can trust the One Who is the Light of the world.  

        Even when we cannot understand, we can look to the cross where God took the very worst and turned it into the very best.  As Paul Tripp says, "Be careful how you make sense of your life.  What looks like a disaster may in fact be grace.  What looks like the end may be the beginning.  What looks hopeless may be God's instrument to give you real and lasting hope.  Your Father is committed to taking what seems so bad and turning it into something that is very, very good."

         That's how He works...at the cross and in all our circumstances.  He's always making all things new...even if we, like Bingley, often can't see it at the time.  

         Thank You, Lord Jesus.  We trust You and love You.

         To God be the glory.

Small moments matter

       "For who has despised the day of small things?  But these seven will be glad when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel--these are the eyes of the Lord which range to and from throughout the earth." (Zech.4:10)
       Spurgeon says that "It is a very great folly to despise 'the day of small things,' for it is usually God's way to begin His great works with small things.
       Life's greatest, most lasting joys often reside in the smallest of moments.  We tend to dream about and applaud the big moments.  The last minute winning touchdown or basket or goal.  The huge accomplishment that earns the scholarship or garners the prize.  The dramatic rescue that saves the day.
       Our culture celebrates the giant, splashy moments...but our souls savor the small, quiet, even routine moments.  An exhausted mama who continues to love and serve.  An athlete who rises in the predawn darkness to run the lonely miles or practice the shot in the driveway...again and again.  A worker who faithfully does his or her job to the best of their ability...even when no one is watching.  A family relentlessly loving.  A friend continually giving.  A parent forgiving and refusing to give up.
       Luke put it this way: "One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much." (Lk16:10)  Little moments matter.  Obedience in little, hidden things matters.  Gratitude even for life's "smallest" of blessings matter (and are there really any "small" blessings?  They're all a gift...all by grace).
      God often starts with the small.  And He surely and consistently loves and uses the small and seemingly insignificant.  
        Shauna Niequist writes: "The big moment, unfortunately, is an urban myth.  Some people have them when, say, they win the Heisman.  But even  that football player is living a life of more than one moment.  Life is a collection of a million tiny little moments and choices, like a handful of luminous pearls.  Strung together, lined up through the days and the years, they make a life.  It takes so much time, and so much work, and those beads and moments are so small, and so much less fabulous and dramatic than the movies.  The Heisman Trophy winner knows this.  He knows that his big moment was not when they gave him the trophy.  It was the thousand times he went to practice instead of going back to bed.  It was the miles run on the rainy days, the healthy meals when a burger sounded like heaven.  That big moment represented and rested on a foundation of moments that had come before it."
       I share all this, because it was a bittersweet ending for our Broughton golf team at the States.  They came in second--which is nothing to sneeze about, I must say.  But our boys were mighty disappointed.  Especially for the seniors--who are all dear friends and have loved these past four years of playing together on such a special team.  Their sadness at coming up short was evident on their faces (but we parents appreciated them trying to smile for pictures!)--

      A number of beloved former players came to watch the last day.  A special bond--another reason for gratitude!

       And yes, it would have been one of those "big" storybook moments to win the States again and cap off a special four years with a dramatic come-from-behind win.  But you know, life simply isn't all about those big moments.  It's about all the small, seemingly insignificant moments along the way.        Because it's in those small moments that God builds character.  It's in those small moments that He teaches us about gratitude.  And it's in those small moments that God grows qualities in us like patience, perseverance, trustworthiness, kindness, compassion, and humility.
       Not in the big...but in the small.  Not in the sensational...but in the simple.  Not in the applause of the crowd...but in the appreciation for the team.  Not in the win...but in the worthiness of the effort.
       So no, they didn't win the States.  But oh the joy of friendships.  Of being part of a team.  Of putting forth daily, consistent, hard effort.  Of giving it your best shot...but then trusting that God's plans and ways are always best.
       And then there's the priceless gift of being a parent and watching all those small, beautiful, daily moments unfold.  That string of pearls--those moments, those days, one at a time...until suddenly those days have become years and your little, scruffy, sweet boy has become a young man ready to graduate and head out into the big, wide world.
        But no matter where they go or what they do, how I pray they will remember that Almighty God is with them for every one of their moments, big and small...and He is always moving and working.
        Today, we're grateful for the many small moments of these special seniors...and trusting that God is using every one of those moments to build them into mighty oaks of righteousness.  One small, hard, joyous, challenging, satisfying moment at a time.
        Thank You, Father,  for the big and the small...we praise You that You are the Lord of them all.   And I wonder if maybe, just maybe, one fine day we might discover that those moments we thought were so small, were actually in Your economy,  the biggest and greatest of them all.   Keep us grateful, Father.  And help us live every moment--every single moment You choose to give us--to Your glory.

        To God be the glory.