Glad I'm Not God

It's a good thing God doesn't say this to us about some of our "prayer requests", .... because I think I would.

Even to myself at times.

Why Wait?

You know what I look forward to most about heaven/new earth? OK, besides getting to see & worship God, hug Jesus, and have a good conversation with the Holy Spirit? The fellowship. (I know you thought I was going to say the food, didn't you? That's one thing Baptists do have right: Food is part of the definition.)

What I'm craving is more than the occasional potluck, or once a week gathering. It's living everyday together as a community. I want it so bad, that I numb myself from remembering the desire for it until I'm reminded again. Yesterday I had lunch with one of my closest friends who just came back from a whirlwind trip. She was talking about the beauty of the fellowship she saw in both Bolivia and the Dominican Republic. Here we were in Brentwood, TN - a very clean, affluent, high cost of living area - being waited on at a nice restaurant with a cold rain drizzling out of mind outside, yet we were longing for what they had in the poorest of areas. (If you get a chance, read her blog about one of them.) They, have community.

These people spend their days together. They don't plan to get together every other Friday. There is no hiring sitters to so the adults can have grownup time. None of that is bad, but none of that is a true community either. These are people who spend their lives together. They pray together, worship together, cook together, laugh together, console each other, tag-team the kids, and tick each other off every once in a while. Why is there so little of this here? I think we, as Americans, have outwitted ourselves. Yes, we have more - bigger, better, faster - but at what cost?

Before I get comments saying that we all have it here in America, I want you to ask yourself something: Do you work with, have your children attend school with, worship with, live next to, and depend on the same group of people? Not the same ones for each group, but it's the same people for every group. That's the type of comradery I'm talking about. I believe it would help us to encourage each other better. We could not hide our sins as easily because we would know each other. Talk about having accountability partners!

So what do we do about this? Is this something you even desire? Are we even able to in "civilization's" fast lane?

Now all the believers were together and had everything in common... And every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple complex, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all people. And every day the Lord added to them those who were being saved.
Acts 2: 44, 46-47

A Reminder To Live What We Know

Why do we, in essence, demand God explain to us what He is doing?
...and then get huffy when He doesn't?

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding. Think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6


Remember..., it says nothing about understanding the right paths either.

It's Impossible Not To Please

I've been talking to several people lately about what it is to please. You know what I mean: To give pleasure or satisfaction; be agreeable. -dictionary.com We get so frustrated when it seems we can't please anyone. However, I've found that pleasing no one is impossible, for there are one of three that you will please:

1 - Others

2 - Self

3 - God

"But," you might be thinking, "I'm not happy, those around me aren't happy, and I know I didn't make God happy! So who was pleased?"  Satan. (And by the way, I consider him victorious in the "other" and "self" category.)

"So," you might ask, "what about the verse in Isaiah 64:6? I was told that we can't please God with even our righteous acts." It's true. Our flesh makes it impossible, but check out Romans 8:8-10, 12-13:
"Those whose lives are in the flesh are unable to please God. You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God lives in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. Now if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness... So then, brothers, we are not obligated to the flesh to live according to the flesh, for if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live." (Emphasis mine)

"So how do I do this by the Spirit when I don't seem to have the strength?" You don't. Philippians 2:12-13 says, "... work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who is working in you, enabling you both to will and act for His good purpose." All we do is make the choice to allow Him to work in us or not.

Once we make the choice to please God and allow Him to work within us, we are told by Paul what to do next in Ephesians 5: 8-10, "...Walk as children of the light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord." (ESV)

So. Those are the options. You must choose one.

"For am I now trying to win the favor of people, or God? Or am I striving to please people? If I were still striving to please people, I would not be a slave of Christ." Galatians 1:10

To Do HOW Many Things?

Every child I know in Sunday School learns Philippians 4:13, "I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me." It's one of those verses we love to quote when we lack the strength to get through the day or accomplish a task. We know that we can do all things through the strength He gives us, but I've had another thought running through my mind I think we should all ask ourselves: Do I want to.

Really stop to think and ask yourself this: How many things am I willing to do for Christ? Now, if we truly believe this verse in Philippians, we must realize that God can do all things. By 'all things', this doesn't mean just the 'things' we like, can be comfortable with, or at least make sense to us. These 'things' means, ALL THINGS.

The phrase "all things" is translated from the Greek word, pas, and is defined by Strong's as, "Including all the forms of declension; apparently a primary word; all, any, every, the whole: - all (manner of, means) alway (-s), any (one), X daily, + ever, every (one, way), as many as, + no (-thing), X throughly, whatsoever, whole, whosoever."
The one I like best is "X throughly". You can't leave it more open than that.

Are you really willing to do all things for Christ who is able and waiting to strengthen you? It won't be easy. But it will be worth it!

Suffering

I hate to say this because I know it's going to come back to bite me - it always does - but, I don't think we tend to recognize the value of suffering. Most of us believe that if we are suffering it needs to be fixed and over with as quickly as possible, and if it isn't, then something is really wrong. What do I mean by that? Really wrong as in believing we are horrible people who have done a heinous and unforgivable sin, that God doesn't care/ listen to us, or that He doesn't really exist at all.

I was reading a Davidic Psalm the other day about the intense suffering of this man after God's own heart. (Acts 13:22) David does not have a quick hissy-fit one night nor does he question God's righteousness and love. He is in turmoil night after night, but trusts in God to take care of him.

I am weary from my groaning; 

with my tears I dampen my pillow and drench my bed every night.

My eyes are swollen from grief; 

they grow old because of all my enemies.

Depart from me, all evildoers, 

for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.

The Lord has heard my plea for help; 

the Lord accepts my prayer.

All my enemies will be ashamed and shake with terror; 

they will turn back and suddenly be disgraced.

Psalm 6:6-10

Good can be had from suffering.

Look at Job. He went through intense pain and suffering without ever knowing why. What was the point of it? To prove to those around him, including Satan, that Job was "...a man of perfect integrity, who fears God and turns away from evil." (Job 2:3)

Paul was shown to suffer with a presumably life-long physical pain. 2 Corinthians 12:7-8 "...Therefore, so that I would not exalt myself, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to torment me so that I would not exalt myself. Concerning this, I pleaded with the Lord three times to take it away from me."

So why did God allow a messenger of Satan to follow around and torment His outspoken evangelist? Continue on in verses 9-10 "But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.' Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may reside in me. So because of Christ, I am pleased in weaknesses, in insults, in catastrophes, in persecutions, and in pressures. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Jesus Christ also suffered greatly for us! Acts 17:2-3 tells us concerning the Jewish synagogue that, "As usual, Paul went with them, and on three Sabbath days reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and showing that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead, and saying: 'This is the Messiah, Jesus, whom I am proclaiming to you.'"

If our Savior considers suffering worthy, then how can we not? In fact, we are expected to suffer. "For it has been given to you on Christ's behalf not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him" Philippians 1:29

To be honest, none of this really makes sense to us. Yet, that's the point of faith: If it did make sense, we would be following our logic, but it doesn't- so we must follow God.

"For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out 'Abba, Father!' The Spirit Himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God's children, and if children, also heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ - seeing that we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. For we consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revelaed to us."  Romans 8:15-18

Amen and Amen!!

Sometimes In Life You Just Have To Bop-It

This year for Christmas we got the kids the game Bop-It. The goal is to quickly follow the directions that it gives concerning the different buttons and knobs that are sticking out of the hand held game. On the first level you are told to either bop it, twist it, pull it, or shout it. If you can keep up for 100 turns then you open up the next level: Master. Here, you still have the same commands as before, but they also add the sound effects from each task. So you might either be given the command, "Bop it" or hear a drum, and they both mean to do the same thing.

Now, if you can keep that up for another 100 turns, you open the final level: Expert. This level has the same commands as the previous two level, but adds the color for the button or knob. So you can be told to "Bop it", hear a drum, or be told "White", and they all mean to hit the same button. And yes, the goal is to get 100 on that level as well. Confusing, yet addicting.

Last night, after becoming overwhelmed with the challenges of  last week, I picked up the game to try a single round. I've never been able to get 100 on the expert level, but figured why not take another whack at it? Within the first 10 commands I could tell my brain and hands weren't connecting with each other, so in my frustration I said to God, "See? This is what everything has been feeling like. What am I suppose to do?"

A peace then came over me which seemed to say, "Trust Me that I can do anything. Even when you are getting it and don't seem to be working right. What you're suppose to do is just keep going."

Now, I wasn't throwing my fleece out, but jokingly said, "Well fine. If I make to 100 this time I know You were talking to me!"

I made it to 100.

Usually it takes all my concentration to score high. I even face away from any movement or music to place my full attention on the game. There was now way that I could do that while having a conversation with God at the same time. But I did. Because He did.

As soon as I put it down I thought, "Isn't that so like life?" Here we are getting all kinds of directions and information to accomplish the tasks set before us. We'll give our full attention to the task, but will so often slip up and fail. Don't beat yourself up for it- we're human! That's what it is to have a sinful nature.

What we are to do as Christians is rely on the power of the Spirit that is freely given to us. (Acts 1:8) We are never called to understand how we are doing what we are doing for Christ, we are just called to do it. We are to "...walk by faith, not by sight." (2 Corinthians 5:7)  For isn't it comforting to know that "...God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength." (1 Corinthians 1:25)