Just recently I was having a phone conversation with one of my dearest friends. She lives in another state and it has been over a decade since we have lived everyday life together but our friendship is very close! We talk about everything and lately our conversations have found their way to a subject that unfortunately is alive and well even in our most "spiritual" of circles. Exclusivity.
She told me about a bible study that a young teenage girl, new to her area tried to attend. My friend explained that this young girl didn't really know many people and heard about this bible study and thought it would be a great way to get to know other girls who were Christians. This young girl's mother called the mother where the group would be hosted to introduce herself and try to get to know her before approaching the subject of her daughter coming to their group. This Hostess was sticky sweet and in her best southern accent explained that her daughter's group had already been discussing this new girl and had VOTED and decided that she wouldn't fit with them and wouldn't be able to be a part of this group.
As I listened to the details of this unbelievable scenario my stomach turned, my pulse quickened and I am pretty sure my face was red. I responded, "VOTED? They VOTED on who was welcome to a prayer group or bible study? And the mother supported this? Are you serious? Are we really still in this kind of a place in Christian Circles? Have we really learned anything at all from knowing Jesus? Or is knowing Him more about a social status and exclusivity clubs?
Unfortunately, this spirit is not as rare as you may be thinking it was. But it doesn't have to be this way. We don't have to passively allow what has nothing to do with Jesus Christ to be the norm in our world. We actually cannot expect people who don't know Jesus to want to know Him at all as long as this is the way we roll. Whenever I see such situations like the one I just spoke of, situations involving Christians who really should know better, it is very alarming. In moments like this it is good to take a moment and go to the Word of God and see again where the true STANDARD for life must always remain.
Luke 14:12-14 in the Message Bible says, "Then He (Jesus) turned to the Host. 'The next time you put on a dinner, don't just invite your friends and family and rich neighbors, the kind of people who will return the favor. Invite some people who never get invited out, the misfits from the wrong side of the tracks. You'll be- and experience- a blessing. They won't be able to return the favor, but the favor will be returned-, Oh how it will be returned! At the resurrection of God's people.'"
Jesus always cuts right to the heart of the matter in any situation, He goes right for the MOTIVE. He is challenging the Pharisees in this passage on WHY they would only invite certain people to a gathering. He is basically saying that they only wanted to be around people who could "do" something for them or people that would keep up the "attractiveness level" of their gathering. Their eyes were on all of the wrong things! I think one of the things Jesus hated the most about the Pharisee spirit is that they would often do things "in God's name" that had absolutely NOTHING to do with God at all!
So where does this leave us? It leaves us in a place of truly examining our gatherings and meetings and asking ourselves some honest questions. When was the last time I looked for anyone who was new to get to know? Do I even pay attention to who might be on the "sidelines" of life? Do I ever invite someone in to a meeting I am having in the name of Jesus who, in my opinion may not naturally "fit" there? Or, God forbid, would I consider inviting someone from another church or even worse, doesn't go to church at all, to my home to get to know? And if I do try to look for someone like this, do I make them my project or charity, or do I truly bring them in as my FRIEND? ( For the record, don't bother if you you have a project or charity mentality towards someone. They can feel it!)
My friends, we have work to do if we really want to represent Jesus Christ in all of His beauty in the worlds that we live in. It is so great to go to conferences and be in church 80 times a week, but if we don't have the SPIRIT that Jesus walked the earth in towards people, we have gained nothing.
I will sign off with one final question. Looking honestly, what are your circles like? Who is honestly welcome? Thanksgiving is coming up soon, shouldn't someone new be welcomed at your table this year? Be the change this week in Jesus' Name.
Monday, November 10, 2014
Monday, September 29, 2014
"SET FOR ETERNITY!"
1 John 1:15-17 Message Bible
"Don't love the world's ways. Don't love the world's goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practically everything that goes on in the world-wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important--has NOTHING to do with the Father. It just isolates you from Him. The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out...but whoever does what God wants is SET FOR ETERNITY!"
The word "satisfied" is not something that we are ever really encouraged to be in our society! We are encouraged to actually be dissatisfied enough with our lives to constantly keep us wanting the next best amazing thing out there. It doesn't matter what it is, if we have a brand new car we are made to feel it is already "old news" by the next year when the new model comes out. You may have a perfectly good iPhone 5 but now, that is TRASH and you feel you better rush right out to get the 6 and wait in a 24 hour line to do it!
Maybe you just got into college, everyone will want to know what your major will be and what you want to do with the REST of your life. If you are graduating college, everyone wants to know when you will be getting married. If you just got married everyone wants to know when you are having a baby. Once you have the baby, everyone asks you what pre-school you will send them to!! You might have just come home from a vacation, but you are already dreaming of the next one. By the end of the school year you can't wait for summer and one month in everyone says, "I can't wait for fall!" What is the deal here? Why do we struggle being actually present in the day and season we are in? Why does it seem we struggle so much for genuine satisfaction and contentment in our lives?
I am so glad you asked! Satisfaction is defined as the fulfillment of one's wishes, expectations or needs, or the pleasure derived from this. Okay, now we are beginning to see where we may be getting it all wrong. Words like, fulfillment of one's wishes, expectations, needs and pleasure all have to do with ME what I want, what I think and what I feel! The passage above in 1 John lays it out in a strong way when it basically says to do the opposite of what I want, what I think and what I feel...that things things are on the way OUT.
Loving the world and what it has and tells us we need will constantly leave us in a continual place of restlessness in our lives! Ultimately, everything that is marketed to us by our society that promises peace, fulfillment and pleasure is a short lived illusion. Yet we tend to keep falling for the idea that if we just get that one job, or get that perfect house, or find that perfect guy or girl all would be right with the world. Living our lives this way will always set us up for disillusionment and emptiness!
1 John says, "Do not love the world's ways. Do not love the world's goods. Love of the world squeezes out the love of the Father." The more we fill our lives with the things we think will fill up what is empty on the inside, the less room we have for Jesus to really step in and do the real work of giving us what we need most of all, His never ending, all consuming LOVE. We long to feel loved and have a sense of belonging so we start filling up our lives with things that squeeze out the only One who really offers this kind of love! This is really what it all comes down to isn't it?
When we find ourselves wanting our own way all the time and wanting to appear important... (Selfie Society) we have to stop for a minute and ask God to reveal what is really going on, "God, what is this about in me right now?" "What is it that I am trying to fill? " "Why do I feel like I need to do 'this' all the time to feel good at all in my life?" Chances are, when we are running down a road of wanting all the time, we aren't feeling especially close to Jesus. 1 John says that these things actually isolate us from Him. Why is this? Because there is way too much self-focus and not enough God focus!
Here's the amazing thing, when you begin to make the shift and turn your eyes upon Jesus there is a peace that comes over your heart and mind that cannot happen through any other means! In that moment the cycle comes to a screeching halt and we can get off that exhausting wheel. When life becomes all about amassing wealth and keeping up with having all of the best things and being the most important person in the room, we actually miss out on knowing THE most important person, Jesus Christ.
One of the best revelations you can ever have happens when you realize that the ONLY thing that lasts forever is Jesus! The world with all it's wanting, wanting, wanting is on it's way out. But, if we can lock into what Hebrews 13:8 says we will have a life of true fulfillment no matter what season we are in. Hebrews 13:8 says, "Jesus Christ is the SAME, YESTERDAY, TODAY AND FOREVER!" True satisfaction comes when we find out what pleases the Lord and then build our whole life around that. (Eph. 5:10) The bible tells us that when we do this, we are living in a way that will never leave us high and dry, irrelevant and pushed to the curb! Instead we realize in this moment that we actually hold within our hands the PEARL of GREAT PRICE and that we are set for eternity! If we have Jesus? We have everything.
"Don't love the world's ways. Don't love the world's goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practically everything that goes on in the world-wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important--has NOTHING to do with the Father. It just isolates you from Him. The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out...but whoever does what God wants is SET FOR ETERNITY!"
The word "satisfied" is not something that we are ever really encouraged to be in our society! We are encouraged to actually be dissatisfied enough with our lives to constantly keep us wanting the next best amazing thing out there. It doesn't matter what it is, if we have a brand new car we are made to feel it is already "old news" by the next year when the new model comes out. You may have a perfectly good iPhone 5 but now, that is TRASH and you feel you better rush right out to get the 6 and wait in a 24 hour line to do it!
Maybe you just got into college, everyone will want to know what your major will be and what you want to do with the REST of your life. If you are graduating college, everyone wants to know when you will be getting married. If you just got married everyone wants to know when you are having a baby. Once you have the baby, everyone asks you what pre-school you will send them to!! You might have just come home from a vacation, but you are already dreaming of the next one. By the end of the school year you can't wait for summer and one month in everyone says, "I can't wait for fall!" What is the deal here? Why do we struggle being actually present in the day and season we are in? Why does it seem we struggle so much for genuine satisfaction and contentment in our lives?
I am so glad you asked! Satisfaction is defined as the fulfillment of one's wishes, expectations or needs, or the pleasure derived from this. Okay, now we are beginning to see where we may be getting it all wrong. Words like, fulfillment of one's wishes, expectations, needs and pleasure all have to do with ME what I want, what I think and what I feel! The passage above in 1 John lays it out in a strong way when it basically says to do the opposite of what I want, what I think and what I feel...that things things are on the way OUT.
Loving the world and what it has and tells us we need will constantly leave us in a continual place of restlessness in our lives! Ultimately, everything that is marketed to us by our society that promises peace, fulfillment and pleasure is a short lived illusion. Yet we tend to keep falling for the idea that if we just get that one job, or get that perfect house, or find that perfect guy or girl all would be right with the world. Living our lives this way will always set us up for disillusionment and emptiness!
1 John says, "Do not love the world's ways. Do not love the world's goods. Love of the world squeezes out the love of the Father." The more we fill our lives with the things we think will fill up what is empty on the inside, the less room we have for Jesus to really step in and do the real work of giving us what we need most of all, His never ending, all consuming LOVE. We long to feel loved and have a sense of belonging so we start filling up our lives with things that squeeze out the only One who really offers this kind of love! This is really what it all comes down to isn't it?
When we find ourselves wanting our own way all the time and wanting to appear important... (Selfie Society) we have to stop for a minute and ask God to reveal what is really going on, "God, what is this about in me right now?" "What is it that I am trying to fill? " "Why do I feel like I need to do 'this' all the time to feel good at all in my life?" Chances are, when we are running down a road of wanting all the time, we aren't feeling especially close to Jesus. 1 John says that these things actually isolate us from Him. Why is this? Because there is way too much self-focus and not enough God focus!
Here's the amazing thing, when you begin to make the shift and turn your eyes upon Jesus there is a peace that comes over your heart and mind that cannot happen through any other means! In that moment the cycle comes to a screeching halt and we can get off that exhausting wheel. When life becomes all about amassing wealth and keeping up with having all of the best things and being the most important person in the room, we actually miss out on knowing THE most important person, Jesus Christ.
One of the best revelations you can ever have happens when you realize that the ONLY thing that lasts forever is Jesus! The world with all it's wanting, wanting, wanting is on it's way out. But, if we can lock into what Hebrews 13:8 says we will have a life of true fulfillment no matter what season we are in. Hebrews 13:8 says, "Jesus Christ is the SAME, YESTERDAY, TODAY AND FOREVER!" True satisfaction comes when we find out what pleases the Lord and then build our whole life around that. (Eph. 5:10) The bible tells us that when we do this, we are living in a way that will never leave us high and dry, irrelevant and pushed to the curb! Instead we realize in this moment that we actually hold within our hands the PEARL of GREAT PRICE and that we are set for eternity! If we have Jesus? We have everything.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
"NONE OF THESE THINGS MOVE ME!"
ACTS 20:19-24 Amplified bible
"Serving the Lord with all humility in tears and in the midst of adversity (affliction and trials) which befell me, due to the plots of the Jews against me. How I did not shrink from telling you anything that was for your benefit and teaching you in public meetings and from house to house....and now, you see I am going to Jerusalem, bound by the Holy Spirit and obligated and compelled by my OWN spirit, not knowing what will befall me there...
BUT none of these things move me; neither do I esteem my life dear to myself, if only I finish my course WITH JOY..."
The Apostle Paul was a man who lived what he preached and preached what he lived. To be able to face all that came against him with victory in his spirit and surrender in his heart is something that deserves a second look! How could he stay on mission and full of vision for the task set out for him by Jesus when there just seemed to be a gauntlet of never ending obstacles to endure along the way?
Have you ever felt that way? Felt that if the road would just clear for even one day, you would be able to catch your breath, feel more encouraged and focus more on serving God? I know I have. I'm pretty positive I've actually prayed that prayer word for word! Just asked for a little shift in the winds and a small parting of the waters and then, I could really take some ground. I have learned as I look back over my 35 years of knowing and serving Jesus, that rarely will God clear the way and then use our lives. He more often teaches us to walk with Him AND make progress through the fire!
Paul makes a very profound and declarative statement when he lists off many of the most recent things he has been through only to say, "But NONE of these things MOVE ME!" He was announcing to the Ephesian elders that he was about to go to Jerusalem and most likely would never see them again. He was leading even in the face of his own unknown! Paul would have had every right to be fearful or concerned to say the least about what awaited him on the other side, (imprisonments and sufferings) yet he chose instead to lift the faith of his leaders and of his own spirit in that moment! He said, "Wait, I am not moved!" (I have not changed or been caused to change what I believe or what my opinion of God is, or the fact that I WILL serve him completely!!)
What is important to say here is that Paul never said, "None of these things hurt me!" He was simply not moved! Hurt or not hurt, in imprisonments, shipwrecks, abandonment, sleeplessness, persecutions...NOT moved. We often mistake times where we are "feeling it"(feeling the pain of the journey) for being moved or changed in some way that is not part of the course in God. It is good to remember this distinction as we travel our own roads with God. It will keep us along the way from succumbing underneath the weight of the things we don't understand that are part of our journey.
In my own life, I have had health challenges, financial and job obstacles, friends leave, family struggles and starting over. Maybe as you read this, you have had some of these battles to conquer or maybe today you find yourself in one. Whatever the situation there is an announcement that needs to be made before we can truly see the victory that IS on the way and that it, "None of these things move me!" The devil loses power and we make him pay for every hard place he has caused us when we make this our declaration. It is quite a place to be, immovable. And today, you can be through Jesus Christ. Anchored to Him, our Rock, fortress and our deliverer we can be unmoved!
The final part of the Acts 20 passage above, says "neither do I esteem my life dear to myself, if only I finish my race with JOY." This is where the secret lies, not in just gritting our teeth through the more perilous places on the path, but to actually be so unmoved that the weight of what I should feel, given the circumstances is completely released from my shoulders! Again, this doesn't mean that I haven't felt the pain of something that has happened or that there is an immediate change in my circumstances. It means very simply that there has been a change in me, in my spirit while I wait for the circumstances to match up! This is what releases joy into our lives. That moment of realization when what used to flatten us, no longer has that kind of power in our lives.
This kind of Joy is never based on what is happening around us and whether or not we have something fun to look forward to! It is based on the fact that "Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday today and forever.." It fills our hearts in such a way that we really can face a gauntlet of circumstances in the natural and still experience the peace and the joy of knowing that it is Jesus (who doesn't change) that holds our world. This is the secret to life. If you have never experienced or tapped into this kind of joy and stability in your spirit before, you can ask Jesus to help you in this area even today and He will! His desire for his people in the days that lie ahead is that our lives would be marked by stability and joy no matter what is happening around us. We learn this lesson IN the fire, but the fire doesn't last forever! So stay strong, let nothing move you! xx
"Serving the Lord with all humility in tears and in the midst of adversity (affliction and trials) which befell me, due to the plots of the Jews against me. How I did not shrink from telling you anything that was for your benefit and teaching you in public meetings and from house to house....and now, you see I am going to Jerusalem, bound by the Holy Spirit and obligated and compelled by my OWN spirit, not knowing what will befall me there...
BUT none of these things move me; neither do I esteem my life dear to myself, if only I finish my course WITH JOY..."
The Apostle Paul was a man who lived what he preached and preached what he lived. To be able to face all that came against him with victory in his spirit and surrender in his heart is something that deserves a second look! How could he stay on mission and full of vision for the task set out for him by Jesus when there just seemed to be a gauntlet of never ending obstacles to endure along the way?
Have you ever felt that way? Felt that if the road would just clear for even one day, you would be able to catch your breath, feel more encouraged and focus more on serving God? I know I have. I'm pretty positive I've actually prayed that prayer word for word! Just asked for a little shift in the winds and a small parting of the waters and then, I could really take some ground. I have learned as I look back over my 35 years of knowing and serving Jesus, that rarely will God clear the way and then use our lives. He more often teaches us to walk with Him AND make progress through the fire!
Paul makes a very profound and declarative statement when he lists off many of the most recent things he has been through only to say, "But NONE of these things MOVE ME!" He was announcing to the Ephesian elders that he was about to go to Jerusalem and most likely would never see them again. He was leading even in the face of his own unknown! Paul would have had every right to be fearful or concerned to say the least about what awaited him on the other side, (imprisonments and sufferings) yet he chose instead to lift the faith of his leaders and of his own spirit in that moment! He said, "Wait, I am not moved!" (I have not changed or been caused to change what I believe or what my opinion of God is, or the fact that I WILL serve him completely!!)
What is important to say here is that Paul never said, "None of these things hurt me!" He was simply not moved! Hurt or not hurt, in imprisonments, shipwrecks, abandonment, sleeplessness, persecutions...NOT moved. We often mistake times where we are "feeling it"(feeling the pain of the journey) for being moved or changed in some way that is not part of the course in God. It is good to remember this distinction as we travel our own roads with God. It will keep us along the way from succumbing underneath the weight of the things we don't understand that are part of our journey.
In my own life, I have had health challenges, financial and job obstacles, friends leave, family struggles and starting over. Maybe as you read this, you have had some of these battles to conquer or maybe today you find yourself in one. Whatever the situation there is an announcement that needs to be made before we can truly see the victory that IS on the way and that it, "None of these things move me!" The devil loses power and we make him pay for every hard place he has caused us when we make this our declaration. It is quite a place to be, immovable. And today, you can be through Jesus Christ. Anchored to Him, our Rock, fortress and our deliverer we can be unmoved!
The final part of the Acts 20 passage above, says "neither do I esteem my life dear to myself, if only I finish my race with JOY." This is where the secret lies, not in just gritting our teeth through the more perilous places on the path, but to actually be so unmoved that the weight of what I should feel, given the circumstances is completely released from my shoulders! Again, this doesn't mean that I haven't felt the pain of something that has happened or that there is an immediate change in my circumstances. It means very simply that there has been a change in me, in my spirit while I wait for the circumstances to match up! This is what releases joy into our lives. That moment of realization when what used to flatten us, no longer has that kind of power in our lives.
This kind of Joy is never based on what is happening around us and whether or not we have something fun to look forward to! It is based on the fact that "Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday today and forever.." It fills our hearts in such a way that we really can face a gauntlet of circumstances in the natural and still experience the peace and the joy of knowing that it is Jesus (who doesn't change) that holds our world. This is the secret to life. If you have never experienced or tapped into this kind of joy and stability in your spirit before, you can ask Jesus to help you in this area even today and He will! His desire for his people in the days that lie ahead is that our lives would be marked by stability and joy no matter what is happening around us. We learn this lesson IN the fire, but the fire doesn't last forever! So stay strong, let nothing move you! xx
Saturday, January 4, 2014
What Do You See?
"So Keep up your courage, men, I have faith and believe God that it will happen just as He told me" Acts 27:25).
Believing God. Sounds pretty simple, right? Sounds like you just believe and move on with your day! Actually, believing God IS something that should be just that simple, but unfortunately many of us find ourselves believing for maybe an hour and then by lunch we believe everything BUT God! Or what if you have been believing God and holding on to His Word about something you are certain He has promised you,and days have turned into weeks and weeks have turned into months and years. Maybe you are fighting the urge to let go and give up in a specific situation and fear is mounting in your heart. Is it finances? Is it a child who is suffering in your home? Is there someone you love who is away from God? is there a medical report that paralyzes you with fear? I want to write just to YOU and say, BELIEVE God and don't stop!
This beautiful scripture in Acts 27 has an amazing context. The Apostle Paul had been held prisoner for quite some time and was being transferred by ship to Italy. The problem was that He had tried to speak reason to his captors and convince them that it was too dangerous to make such a voyage during the winter and that they were headed for a certain disaster! Of course, no one listened to him! And of course, they faced a great storm.
Everyone on the ship began to realize that shipwreck was imminent and there was great panic! The best part of the story so far is that an angel appears to Paul and tells him what they are about to face. BUT promises not one man would be lost!! Not one!
What is it about circumstances that cause us to stop believing God's promises to us? It is so easy to look at natural things and not see past them. But the more we know and BELIEVE God's word, the more we train our eyes how to see. 2 Corinthians 5:7 says, "For we walk by faith and NOT by sight!" As people who know Jesus for ourselves, we have to train our eyes to see through faith!!!! It doesn't come naturally.
I remember years ago when my brother Carl was away from God and doing his own thing. He was in a place where there really wasn't anything I could do to change His mind! He was determined to do the opposite of everything he had ever been taught was right! We didn't know what to do and much like that ship wreck moment for the Apostle Paul, there was a choice of what to believe in that moment! Do I give up on him? Or do I dare to believe in the promise of God? Well, in that season God gave me such comfort as I read Numbers 23:23, which says, "God is NOT a man that He should lie. Nor the son of man that He would change His mind! Does he speak and then not act? Does He promise and not perform?"
When I first read that scripture, something inside of me broke. I held it up to the ceiling and looked up. I said, "God? THIS is your Word! THESE are YOUR promises! I believe you are prepared to KEEP this word to me. I choose to SEE you... Not what IS right now. I believe!"
It didn't happen overnight. But it DID happen. Carl, as many of you know, is serving God with everything now, living out the promise God spoke to me so many years ago. On a foggy day in the Spirit. Do you want to know something? God IS working on YOUR behalf today. You might not be able to see when, or how, or what. But God IS working.
I want to leave you with a compelling story from a great devotional that, if you don't have you should get called, "Streams in the Desert".
"I went to America some years ago with the captain of a steamer, who was a very devoted Christian. When off the coast of Newfoundland he said to me, “The last time I crossed here, five weeks ago, something happened which revolutionized the whole of my Christian life. We had George Mueller of Bristol on board. I had been on the bridge twenty-four hours and never left it. George Mueller came to me, and said, “Captain, I have come to tell you that I must be in Quebec Saturday afternoon.” “It is impossible,” I said. “Very well, if your ship cannot take me, God will find some other way. I have never broken an engagement for fifty-seven years. Let us go down into the chartroom and pray.”
I looked at that man of God, and thought to myself, what lunatic asylum can that man have come from? I never heard of such a thing as this. “Mr. Mueller,” I said, “do you know how dense this fog is?” “No,” he replied, “my eye is not on the density of the fog, but on the living God, who controls every circumstance of my life.”
Excerpt From: Mrs. Charles E. Cowman. “Contemporary Classic/Streams in the Desert®.”
God IS working, but will you believe Him today? Jesus wants to give you more than you think He does. Keep your eyes lifted. Keep looking at Jesus. Stop praying for the victory, pray to see Jesus and all of His power because when you see HIM, you will see that He holds your victory in His mighty Hands!
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