Archive for April, 2010
April 29th, 2010
“If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.
“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. Matthew 6:32-34 (The Message)
Bible Study – Week 3
This week the first thing we’re going to do is look at Matthew 6:33 a little more closely. You’ll remember this verse was quoted from Jesus’ teaching. It lays out Christ’s first priority for the life of His followers. In the Amplified translation we see: “But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.”
This tells me I need to spend some time searching out what His way of doing and being right is all about. I’ve been working on this for about three decades now and here’s what I’ve come up with:
The first thing to do when seeking God’s way of doing and being right is to dump all of our pre-conceived notions on the subject of righteousness!
Dear heart, righteousness is a word foreign to our modern way of life. It is an old-fashioned word, often associated with religion! And, what we are doing here is NOT about studying religion. What we are working toward in these studies is a personal relationship with God – as Father, Jesus – as savior, and the Holy Spirit – as comforter, counselor and friend.
Religion, just as it did in Jesus’ day, will cause your God-image to drop like a rock. Religion kills Christians!
It is impossible for true followers of Christ to live up to all of religion’s demands. We can’t continually be righteous, live our lives God’s way, while trying to live up to all the “thou shalt” and “thou shalt nots” imposed upon us by the world’s legalist view of who or what we should be. It won’t work! At all. Period. When we try, we fall short. When we fall short we feel guilty. When we start feeling guilty, we receive the condemnation that has been feeding our negative thinking all along. When we start thinking in negatives again – we’re right back to the defeated mindset we’re trying to change. And so…like some dizzying amusement park ride, around and around we go.
So… this week we’re going to plant God’s Word in our hearts that will show us what His way of doing and being “right” is really all about.
Jesus’ life on earth was the perfect example for us. He was human and so He can sympathize with us because He was tempted in every way, as we are. Hebrews 4:15 Yet, we know he lived His life God’s way, doing right and pleasing the Father in all things.
The Assignment:
During the coming week, your goal is to read through John’s Gospel twice. The book contains twenty-one chapters, so that works out to reading six chapters each day for seven days. I know. That sounds like a lot. But really it isn’t. And I know…you’ve read it before. You may even have verses from John committed to memory. The thing is…I want you to approach it a little differently this week.
We’ve already talked about being God’s kids; heirs to God’s Kingdom. We’ve talked about being set free from the things in our past, our old ideas and attitudes, and our “poor-me” way of thinking.
This week, reading the Gospel of John, we’re looking for some new ideas. Remember, you are God’s child. The things Jesus did – He did for you. The things He taught are to benefit you, personally. His victory over death, hell and the grave are YOUR victory.
In chapter 8, verses 31-32, John quotes Jesus telling His followers, “If you abide in my Word (hold fast to my teachings and live according to them), you are truly my disciples. And you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” And in chapter 10, verse 10 He said, “I came so that you may have life and have it more abundantly.”
As you read through this week’s study the first time please keep in mind that the Lord was not always speaking to believers. Many times He was talking to His enemies. Watch closely for those verses where He spoke love, comfort and encouragement to His followers. Those verses are your promises! Also, watch for and make note of the verses that are commands He wanted His followers to incorporate into their daily lives.
By seeking out the promises and the commands in the Lord’s teachings we can begin to understand how much we have been offered, and how little God expects in return. God’s LOVE is patient and kind. God’s love is not demanding. God’s love never fails! God’s love will never fail YOU. God loved you enough to send His one and only Son to purchase your salvation; purchase it by dying on a Roman cross. Last week, as we studied First John, we learned God IS love.
The second time you read John’s Gospel, take it chapter by chapter, or section by section, and ask yourself these questions at the end of every one:
1. Is anything here speaking to ME, right now?
2. Is there anything here that will help me do things differently…
do things God’s way?
3. What is being said here about MY personal relationship with Christ?
At the end of the week you will have completed an outline of the promises, the commands and your personal insights into Christ’s example for your life. I suggest you review this outline carefully, and often. You will gain amazing strength and power from your findings. You might want to read it out loud, listening to every promise to internalize it further – then, if you’re comfortable with the idea, share what you’ve learned with someone else.
Don’t forget to keep praying “your” prayer from Ephesians every day, too.
See you next week.
April 28th, 2010
…what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.
Legalism [religion] is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified.
Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original.
Galatians 5:22-25 (The Message)
Bible Study – Week 2
I love the way The Message Bible translates this portion of Paul’s letter to the Galatians. He’s telling them how their actions and words will change if they belong to Christ and are lead by the Holy Spirit, and it’s an amazing transformation.
In the Amplified Bible translation of this same passage we find what I like to think of as God’s “ingredient” label for His kids.
“But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Galatians 5:22-23 AB
If you pick up a jar of fruit preserves in any market you’ll always find a list of ingredients on the label: fruit, sugar, pectin, and usually a bunch of stuff no one can pronounce, listed in order of the quantity used. The ingredient used in the largest quantity is always listed first. If you follow that analogy, it would seem God intended His kids to be filled, first and foremost, with LOVE. That falls right in line with your Bible study for the past week.
I pray that you have been spending a “quiet time” with Jesus every day. I pray that through reading and hearing the Word [as you spoke it out loud] your heart has been touched and expanded. And, I continue to ask God to renew your heart, that you may be rooted deep in God’s love for you.
We’ve talked about establishing where you are with accepting God’s love for you. And about accepting yourself. We have to love ourselves before we can honestly love anyone else. Remember Jesus taught: “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37-40
LOVE! It is the most critical ingredient when it comes to making changes in the negative attitudes and self-images that keep us from experiencing the very best God wants for each and every one of us.
Life changing LOVE has to be established in small steps.
First – Recognize God’s love for you…personally.
Second – Develop Your love for yourself…because He loves you.
And as a result – Give away your love to others…as you love yourself.
We can learn a lot about LOVE from John in his first recorded letter to the Christians he loved and served. He calls them “my little children” and “beloved.” His tone is warm and intimate as he shares his concerns for them. He fears they are being led astray by false teaching so he calmly and deliberately recalls the fundamentals of the Christian faith for them. This letter is a love letter! A letter written by John, yes but, a letter dictated by the Holy Spirit, which means it is as alive and as relevant today as it was in the first century AD.
Most of you will be able to pick out some highlights from the letter as memory verses you’ve always heard quoted, or quoted yourself. This week please read First John again, this time looking at it a little differently than ever before.
Assignment:
For the coming week we’re going to pretend First John is the only book in your Bible. Not the Gospel of John which is toward the front of the New Testament grouped together with Matthew, Mark and Luke…the first of the three letters of John, back toward Revelation at the end of the New Testament.
Read it every day…like a love letter.
Have you ever received a love letter? I know. I know! Snail mail is an old fashioned idea. But let’s just pretend you’re an old fashioned girl, and you’ve received a very special love letter in the mail. As an old fashioned girl, you’ve carried the letter around in the pocket of your apron, like a character out of a sappy old-time movie; taking it out and re-reading it every time you got the chance. You’ve read it so often because in your heart you’re fitting the words into your dreams and plans for the future.
This week, try to remember as you read this letter; the first letter of John, it was written to you by the Holy Spirit and he said, “I am writing this so that your joy may be compete.”
Read the letter through today for the first time, as if you just received it. As with any love letter, savor every word. It is wonderfully exciting and full of promise.
On day two, when you read the letter again, ask God to reveal His love to you personally in every verse. In Chapter 2, verse 20 He says, “you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you know all the truth.” Search out the truth. Make a list of verses that say “God loves ME.”
The third day ask God to give you His suggestions for ways to love yourself more. Place a picture of yourself in the verses throughout the letter. Paraphrase verses like 4:19-21, inserting personal pronouns. In place of “his brother” or “he” say “me, myself or I.” As followers of Christ, we are commanded to LOVE. We are commanded to love ourselves and take that love to others.
On day four of this week read the letter again and look for ways you can show God how much you love Him. Ask him to show you those things that are pleasing to Him…not more things you can DO to stay busy; but quiet, gentle, loving things that will make your personal relationship with Him more intimate.
Read the letter again on day five with an eye toward ways you can LOVE others as you learn to love yourself more.
On the sixth day, read your Love Letter again. By now it will be creased and wrinkled from your lovingly opening and handling it. Eventually you will have a beautiful packet of love letters, tied with a ribbon and kept where you can enjoy them often. By now the love of God will be growing toward perfection in your heart and mind, and your relationship with God the Father, his Son Jesus, and his Holy Spirit will be a sweet assurance for your future.
Don’t hesitate to read different translations – every day if you chose. Look up cross-references and read footnotes as you feel led. Read the entire letter out loud at least once, so that more than one of your senses gets involved. If there are phrases you don’t understand, use a Bible Dictionary and look up the underlying meanings.
During this coming week you are going to get this “love letter” so deeply ingrained in your spirit you’ll never again have to wonder “if” God loves you. This letter was written “so your joy could be complete.”
Knowing, without a doubt, God loves ME, brings peace and amazing joy.
Oh…don’t forget to continue praying “your” prayer from Ephesians every day, too.
See you next week.
April 27th, 2010
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
Matthew 6:24 KJV
“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
“And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?
“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”
Matthew 6:25-34 NLT
Bible Study – Week One
In the above verses the Apostle Matthew is quoting Jesus. Here Christ is telling His followers exactly what their first priority needs to be. “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else.” As a follower of Christ I believe whole-heartedly this must be my first priority today, exactly as it was when Jesus spoke these words in 33 AD. If you have decided to follow Jesus, you must follow His instructions to seek the Kingdom of God above all else…FIRST…before everything else. We are told once we get this priority in order He will give us everything else we need.
Figuring out how to follow these instructions often becomes a sticking point for busy Christian women. How can they do it? Where will they find the time? Where is the Kingdom of God, anyway?
Here’s what Jesus told the religious leaders of His time about it…”The kingdom of God does not come with signs to be observed or with visible display, nor will people say, Look! Here [it is]! or, See, [it is] there! For behold, the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]. Luke 17:21 AB
Christ was clarifying for these religious zealots that the Kingdom of God, which is a spiritual Kingdom, is already a spiritual reality within the hearts of every human being. He was trying to open their understanding, making them see that any external evidence of God’s Kingdom flows from the actions of those who have received Christ within themselves.
So…if the Kingdom of God we are to seek first is in our spiritual being, within our hearts, and surrounding us; and if any external evidence of God’s Kingdom is revealed through the actions of God’s kids…doesn’t it sort of follow that our actions must be hugely important?
Every one of us knows what the actions and words associated with a negative self image are. There’s no point in taking time to re-hash those negatives here. Instead were going to move quickly to the really important stuff. How do we change our negative self-image into a positive God-image? How is it possible to get out of the fast lane, racing through a negative world, and change the direction it has been taking us? How can we move toward a life that will give external evidence we are God’s own children to those who know and love us?
I firmly believe the answer is found “within.”
Let’s look at a couple of scriptures and you’ll see what I mean. In Matthew chapter 12 Jesus says,
30 “Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me.
31 “So I tell you, every sin and blasphemy can be forgiven—except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which will never be forgiven. 32 Anyone who speaks against the Son of Man can be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, either in this world or in the world to come.
33 “A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad. 34 You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. 35 A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. 36 And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. 37 The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.”
The critical thing I want you to get from this quote would be found in verse 34 - “whatever is in your heart determines what you say.” The old King James translation puts it this way. “O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.”
Dear ones, if our hearts are abundantly filled with negatives; self-pity, self-loathing, fear, bitterness and anger…our mouths speak those things. If, on the other hand, our hearts are filled with the things of God; love, joy, peace, forgiveness, grace and abundance, our mouths will speak those things. And, by the words we speak, our lives are either blessed or cursed – acquitted or condemned.
Paul wrote to his beloved children in the church at Ephesus, saying:
21”Assuming that you have really heard Him and been taught by Him, as [all] Truth is in Jesus [embodied and personified in Him],
22Strip yourselves of your former nature [put off and discard your old un-renewed self] which characterized your previous manner of life and becomes corrupt through lusts and desires that spring from delusion;
23And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude],
24And put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God’s image, in true righteousness and holiness.” Ephesians 4:21-24 AB
The human mind is much like a computer. Back in the day the catch phrase was “Garbage in / Garbage out.” In today’s world we are bombarded with garbage! Everywhere I look I see opportunities to fill my mind, my heart and soul with trash.
Paul told the church in Rome “Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect in His sight for you.” Romans 12:2 AB
It just makes sense to me that in order for my actions to reflect having God adopt me as one of His Kingdom Kids I’m going to need to get some new thoughts, ideals and attitudes going on in my life. Does that make sense to you, too?
Christ’s instructions are to seek FIRST His kingdom. Let me ask you…where do you think most of the information available to us about God and His Kingdom can be found?
In God’s Word. Right?
So…it follows…in order to seek first His Kingdom and His way of doing and being right I am going to have to go to the Word. I am going to have to find a Bible, dust it off, open it up and find out what God has to say about the stuff that going on in my life.
Assignment:
For the next week, let’s work on God’s first priority.
I strongly suggest you start a journal. A journal will allow you to see the progress you are making; record the changes God is making in you.
(Years ago when I started to get acquainted with God I used a notebook, but as you can see here my journal is now an e-journal. I have a whole stack of Bibles, but now I use many of the extraordinary online resources to study and compare scriptures.) No matter how you choose to study, here is the assignment for this week’s Bible Study.
Set aside a quite time with Jesus every day. Make it a time when your mind is alert, your heart is open to the Lord, and you won’t be distracted every two seconds. It’s called quiet time for a reason. Turn off the cell phone and the email. Nothing is as important as these few minutes alone with the Lord. Even if it IS important, it will keep for 30 minutes. I promise! Thirty minutes with God will smooth out any crisis you may be experiencing!
Before you begin read Psalm 119:18 as a prayer.
“Open my eyes to see
the wonderful truths in your instructions.”
Look up – write down – and read out loud these scriptures. You can spread them out over the week or read them all each day. The important thing is to plant them (like seeds) firmly in your heart.
2 Corinthians 5:17
Galatians 3:26
Galatians 4:7
Galatians 5:1
Galatians 5:16-17
Galatians 5:22-24
Galatians 2:20-21
Also, personalize the prayer from Ephesians 1:16-23 and 3:14-21. Word these verses as a single prayer and work it out so you are asking God to accomplish these things in your own life. Speak this prayer aloud to the Lord every day during your quiet time.
Next, start thanking God for what He’s going to do in your life through His Word, keeping in mind the Word always accomplishes God’s purpose. It never returns to Him empty. Isaiah 55:11
By the time you’ve spent a week working with these scriptures every day, allowing the Lord to show you the enormity of their meaning for you personally, a growth process will have begun. You will start to recognize who you are in Christ. You will start to develop a positive God-image of yourself to replace the negative world-image or self-image that has been holding you back; keeping you down.
I also recommend you take a few minutes as you end each day to examine the small wonders God has blessed you with during the day. Every day holds many tiny miracles and great moments of beauty. Learn to see them. Learn to thank God for them. Then before you close your eyes to sleep pray the prayer Jesus taught His followers:
“Our Father Who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us daily our bread. And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us [who has offended us or done us wrong]. And bring us not into temptation but rescue us from evil. For yours is the power and the glory forever and ever. AMEN
See you next week!
April 25th, 2010
…it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. Hebrews 11:6 NLT
Before the break we were talking about God’s adopted children…that would be us…you and me. We read a beautiful story illustrating God’s willingness to give us the good gifts of His Kingdom, including the deepest desires of our hearts.
To be perfectly honest with you, I have to tell you there is a qualification to this story, just in case you didn’t pick up on it earlier. In order for your heavenly Father to give you the good gifts of His Kingdom YOU MUST BELIEVE. First, you must believe that God exists, and second you must believe that God rewards us when we seek him with a sincere heart and a certain amount of diligence.
Many of the modern Bible translations don’t bother with the word diligently in Hebrews 11:6, but in the Greek text the word Etymology that the King James Bible translates diligently is used. The word implies we must seek God out for ourselves; learn about God, investigate God. Crave God!
If you have not believed so far in your life I must ask: are you willing, really willing, to change?
In the fourth chapter of Mark’s Gospel and in the thirteenth chapter of Matthew, Jesus teaches His followers that the Word of God is like a seed. And He says, “the whole Kingdom of God works as if a seed is planted.”
Now I’m guessing most of you have grown flowers or something else from seeds at one time or another in your life so you won’t have any trouble with this concept. If you plant seeds and then a day or so later start digging around where they’re planted to see if they’ve sprouted yet, you’ve pretty much killed any chance for getting a crop.
Do you also understand that throughout this time we’ve been spending together every positive, up-lifting thing you’ve heard has been like a seed, planted in your soul? Do you get that what we’ve been planting here are seeds of encouragement, renewal and restoration from God’s Word? And I’ve got to caution you…the seeds are going to germinate slowly, over time. You may not see even the tiniest shoots of green right away. And, if you get discouraged and start digging around where they’re planted to see if they’re growing yet, you’re in danger of damaging your crop. Also, watering the seeds with the same old negatives, doubts and fears won’t do them any good either.
Please understand…NOTHING you’ve heard [read / seen] in these sessions is intended to add more “shoulds” to your life. The goal is, and always has been, to set you free, completely free, from those things that hold you captive and limit your life in Christ.
Remember the old jokes from back in the day…”Well, I’ve got some good news, and I’ve got some bad news. Which do you want first?”
Today, I have some good news and some bad news for you.
You get the bad news first. It is this – if you choose to go on living in anything less than the very best your heavenly Father has to offer you after today, it will not only be extremely painful for you, it will be a shame. And, it may very well be a sin.
How thrilled were your earthly parents when you simply refused, through rebellion or um…stupidity…?, to accept the counsel and opportunities they offered you? We only hold a child responsible for their actions in areas where they’ve been taught to know better. No parent expects to tell a child “NO” once and never have to say it again. But sooner or later we expect that kid to learn the lessons and act on the knowledge.
God told the children of Israel, “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! Deuteronomy 30:19 God is still giving His children the same choice every day!
The good news is Christ has purchased freedom for us. His death on the cross completely liberated us from our old way of life with all of the mess that it involved. Freedom is a gift…a gift of God’s grace. You can’t earn it. You can’t buy it. But you CAN choose to accept it.
Freedom begins with being free from ourselves. If you’ve been walking around in the tattered, dirty rags of the woman you used to be…you really need to consider a change of clothes!
I’ve met Christian women who were walking through life wearing some of the ugliest outfits! Sometimes it’s the too small hand-me-downs from the family they grew up in. Sometimes it’s the ratty sweats left over from a relationship with an abusive non-believer. Sometimes it’s the miss-matched, faded bathrobe and bunny slippers worn on Sunday’s when they chose to veg on the couch rather than dragging themselves to listen to another sermon holding the form of religion but denying God’s power. None of these outfits are suitable for the daughters of the King!
God, through His Son, has made provision for us to be free from ourselves. This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun – the old moral and spiritual condition has passed away. Thank God, the fresh and new has come!
Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “Strip yourselves of your former nature, put off and discard your old un-renewed self, which characterized your previous manner of life and becomes corrupt through lusts and desires that spring from delusion; and be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude], and put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God’s image, [Godlike] in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:22-24 AB
Dear Hearts, your freedom from yourself is a result of salvation by grace and it is secured to all believers in and through Christ. To be free is to operate in the Spirit of God with an assurance and a knowledge of His power and His principles. To be truly free is to know he is able to provide and protect you. To be truly free is to trust His Spirit and His Word in all things – to look to Him in all things, to seek His way in all things. Freedom comes from knowing and understanding who you serve, who your source is, and who you are in Christ. The result of being truly free is a peace which passes all human understanding.
Thanks be to God, I have that peace in my life. For this reason the goal of my life today is to share with as many women as God will allow, at every opportunity, this truth. “There is nothing in the world or in any firmly established world doctrine or tradition which will come anywhere near the wonderful, and totally fulfilling peace of placing Christ at the PERSONAL CENTER of your life.”
“How do I get that peace?” some may ask. I’ve told you already. You must believe that God is alive; that He is willing and able to give you the good gifts of His Kingdom. Then you must begin to establish new ways of looking at yourself and those around you. You must accept responsibility for where you are allowing your life to go. The whole flow of the world we live in today is negative. To gain the peace of Christ, you must begin to swim against that negative current. Remember the widow who borrowed enough containers that God could change her life and her circumstances? To gain the peace of Christ in your life you must change the way you think, the way you talk and the way you act, but you can’t do it alone, and God doesn’t expect you to do it alone.
If you want God to change your life establish some priorities… plant some seeds…borrow some vessels for oil and expect God to fill them.
As you go, I leave you with a follow-up Bible Study, and ask you to prayerfully consider spending the next six weeks strengthening your relationship with Christ through these pages. I know it will work toward changing your life. I know because it worked for me. God’s Word promises it will work for “who-so-ever.” And God is faithful. He will never leave you, nor forsake you. He holds your life in the palm of His hand.
As we part I pray that the Spirit of the Living God will convince you to place Him at the center of your lives. I pray that He will work the miracle of faith in His Word in your hearts, and that by putting Christ and His Word first in your lives you will be filled with His perfect peace. Don’t settle for less.
It is finished!
April 24th, 2010
God, teach me lessons for living
so I can stay the course.
Give me insight so I can do what you tell me—
my whole life one long, obedient response.
Psalm 119:34 (The Message Bible)
Give me understanding and I will obey your instructions;
I will put them into practice with all my heart.
Psalm 119:34 (The New Living Translation)
Welcome back! I hope you are well rested and looking forward to our final session together in this series. I pray that the eyes of your heart have been enlightened in these meetings, and that you are beginning to see exactly how wide, how high, and how deep God’s love is for you. For YOU personally.
I thank God that He has given me the wonderful privilege of telling you about His plans for you, and that He has given me the desire and the ability to do it well. I thank God that He was willing to make a home in His courts for me, a simple sparrow! And that He wants to do the same, exactly the same, for you. Dear hearts, it does not matter to your heavenly Father whether you are a sparrow, a dove, a swallow or a crow. He has a perfect plan and a perfect place for you.
When I invited you to spend this time together the greatest desire of my heart was to share what real LOVE [the Love of Christ] has done in my life. And what His Love can do in your life. We’ve talked about the way we see ourselves – not our self-image, but our God-image. We’ve looked at where we’re going and at how we’ll be getting there. But the primary reason for all of this weekend [series / seminar] is to expedite the way we travel through life every day.
I love that word – expedite. It is a verb meaning to “Speed up the progress of; facilitate” or to “Process fast and efficiently.” In today’s world we want to speed up everything! We are all about multi-tasking and efficient processing. We all GO as fast as possible in order to DO as much as possible. But, as we’ve discovered this weekend we aren’t all enjoying the process as much as we’d really like to. Look at it like this; which mode of travel would you prefer, an Economy-class flight from New York to London, with one carry-on bag, or a First-class suite aboard a luxury liner?
Let’s look at it another way; take it to another realm so to speak.
Once upon a time, in an ancient city, far, far away; there ruled a generous, wise and loving king. His days were spent watching over an extraordinarily vast and powerful kingdom. The magnitude of his kingdom went beyond the imagination of most common men.
The beauty of his realm was unsurpassed. Cool green forests dotted with crystal lakes and rushing rivers; deep sheer canyons, warm deserts, snow capped mountains and lush fertile plains gave untold pleasure to all who resided within the kingdom.
The king encouraged his subjects to come to him with their problems and cares. He always answered their petitions, no matter how small, with wisdom, grace and mercy. Never, in all of history had there been, nor has there been since, a more wondrous kingdom or a more loving king.
Privately the king’s peace and joy were marred with a great sadness. He had no children of his own, though children were his constant and greatest desire. One day, the king struck upon a plan. He would dispatch heralds throughout the realm, in search of homeless children. Any child found in his vast kingdom to be living without love or a proper home would be invited to live in his palace and given a new life. The king’s palace was great, with many, many rooms – rooms enough for every lonely, hungry, homeless child in the kingdom. At last the king would have his own children!
The heralds searched far and wide, and soon children began arriving at the palace. It was easy to see that each child was in great need. They came from vastly different backgrounds; although not one of them knew their real name. They were of all ages, and all personalities. In fact, the only thing these children had in common was absolute poverty, their lack of possessions and their need of love.
The children’s lives were dramatically changed upon arrival at the palace. Each one was adopted as a son or a daughter of the King and given access to all the wealth of the kingdom. Each was immediately given the King’s own name; bathed, and dressed in fine soft robes of snow white. The children only need mention their needs and desires and the king, in his love and wisdom, would attend to their wishes. Every child carried a signed letter making the limitless wealth of the kingdom available to its bearer.
Thousands of children excitedly accepted all that their new father bestowed upon them. They enjoyed the new life to its fullest, often using their position to help others in the towns and villages they came from.
The king, in his wisdom, knew how each child was responding to a new name, wealth and love. It pleased the good king that so many of his children were compassionate and loving toward others. As the children gave away the king’s gifts, more was added to their rations each day.
A few children, despite accepting the king’s invitation to live in his palace, continued to wear the tattered, dirty rags of their former life. In spite of the bountiful table the king provided, they ate only crusts of bread and leftover bits from the plates of others. Instead of sleeping in the soft, clean beds in their rooms; these children slept outside on beds of leaves or straw. They too carried the letter of authorization from the king, granting them access to the entire kingdom’s wealth, but they continued to live as though homeless, helping neither themselves nor others. Some of these unfortunate children simply did not believe the words of the king, or the tales of his goodwill told by the other adopted children. Some refused to believe in their own worth as children of the king. Others were fearful of making mistakes with the wealth of the kingdom, so they preferred to do nothing.
A few of the children had been told what to think, what to say, what to decide and believe all of their lives. Older homeless children had made every daily decision for these little ones – so they kept asking the king what to do, what to say, what to think. They were afraid to believe! When they asked, his answer was always loving and gentle.
“Now that you are my child, you have all of the answers you need for your life within. Trust my spirit!” But they could not.
Though the good king loved each child equally, it grieved him to see so many unable or unwilling to accept their new life as his sons and daughters. True, they lived at the palace, but it always seemed they were not really a part of the life within. The wise and gentle king made no effort to force these sad children to receive his gifts. Freedom, acceptance and unconditional love reigned in the king’s house, no matter what a child received or refused from his offerings.
Some children remained outside the palace, camping beyond the gates, because they thought a great deal would be demanded by the king if they entered. These children believed they would be given responsibilities beyond their abilities. Afraid to risk leaving their familiar poverty, despite its limitations, they refused to acknowledge the king’s promises. They were too comfortable in their misery to step into the home the king offered them.
So the years sped by. The children grew and new children were often adopted. But throughout all of the years, there was always room in the palace for more.
Some of the king’s adopted children lived richly rewarding lives and freely helped many, many others. Some lived lives of doubt and fear. They rationed out the kingdom’s wealth carefully, always fearful it might run short, yet they were a blessing to a few others.
To the king’s great sadness, there are always a few children who choose to reject what is rightfully theirs, and live as they did before he found them. When these sad children venture outside the palace grounds, you will know them. For while they’ll tell you they belong to the household of a king, no one recognizes them as one of the King’s own children.
Are you are still wearing the tattered dirty rags of your old lifestyle? Is there some reason you have been unwilling to accept your new position as the child of a King? Are you claiming to live in the palace but in reality only camp out in the courtyard? A life filled with constant strife, pain and struggles with one problem after another says you haven’t accepted your place as His adopted child.
Do you spend your time comparing yourself unfavorably with others; judging others unfavorably because they respond to the King differently than you do? Do you go about thinking this one or that one is closer to the King than I could ever be? Believe me when I tell you ‘even the sparrow finds a home’ in the courts of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
You are uniquely and wonderfully made, exactly as God planned. Psalm 139 tells me:
I could ask the darkness to hide me
and the light around me to become night—
but even in darkness I cannot hide from you [God].
To you the night shines as bright as day.
Darkness and light are the same to you.
You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed.
How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.
They cannot be numbered!
I can’t even count them;
they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up,
you are still with me!
Psalm 139:11-18 The New Living Translation
“So don’t you see that we don’t owe this old do-it-yourself life one red cent. There’s nothing in it for us, nothing at all. The best thing to do is give it a decent burial and get on with your new life. God’s Spirit beckons. There are things to do and places to go!
“This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?” God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what’s coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we’re certainly going to go through the good times with him!” Romans 8:14-17 The Message Bible
And so, just as a loving earthly parent would not give one of their children beautiful gifts and every desire of the heart; and leave another child in the family without life’s necessities, so your heavenly Father will not give one of His children wonderful gifts of peace, love and beauty, while leaving another in suffering and strife.
Think about these things as you go for a break. God is so rich in mercy, he loved us so much, that even though we were spiritually dead and doomed by our old lifestyle, he gave us back our lives again when he raised Christ from the dead – only by his undeserved favor have we ever been saved – and lifted us up from death into glory along with Christ – all because of what Christ did.
Don’t settle for less!
April 23rd, 2010
The Word Became Flesh…
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. John 1:1-5 NIV
Earlier I asked you to answer ten simple questions. And to be brutally honest with your answers. Unless experience is a faulty teacher, I’m going to hazard a guess that your answers surprised you a little. It’s not so surprising, really.
If we’re honest everyone of us is weak and fearful in certain areas. I was. I am, still. Does that mean we are unsuccessful at being Christian? No! What it means is we are human…our perfect, Christ-like spirits are still encumbered by our earth suits.
Do you ever watch NASA Television? Around my house we watch every launch and EVA (that’s space walk for the un-initiated or the un-interested). The astronauts put on a cumbersome space suit and exit the controlled environment of the space station to make repairs or construct a new module while free-floating in space. Oh, they’re tethered to the station alright, but it’s still a clumsy business out there. Put on a pair of heavy gloves and try threading together a small bolt with a nut if you have any doubts.
That is the best analogy I can think of for us. We are spirit beings, fumbling around wearing a body (our earth suits), trying to accomplish tasks specifically laid out in our flight manual (the Bible), while tethered to our home (Heaven) by a life-line (Christ).
For the astronauts, every motion is monitored. Their lives depend on it! Believe me when I tell you it can get pretty boring listening to those guys as they place 45 bolts in a module, counting every turn of the wrench. One…two…three…. Well, you get the picture. But their life depends on doing the job exactly as the manual lays it out.
Somewhere, back when I was a believer in training, things were not going as I had been lead to believe things would go after I turned my life over to Jesus. My job was going through one of those miserable, “take this job and…” phases. My brand new marriage had hit a rough patch, too. In fact, my new husband, who I adored, had just finished telling me, “You are the MOST self-centered woman I’ve ever met!” Not at all what I expected. So…I took myself up the hill to commiserate with one of my new Christian friends.
“I’m not happy,” I wailed. “I should be happy! I have everything to be happy about, but I’m just not happy. Not really!”
To be perfectly honest with you, I don’t recall exactly what she said. What she did was send me home with her Bible and a tape entitled “Putting God’s Word FIRST.” Right now I can’t even say for sure who the speaker was. But I went home, locked myself in my office and listened to the tape. Twice! Then twice again!
That tape changed my life! From it I learned:
The Bible is God breathed, Holy Spirit inspired and infallible.
God’s Word is alive!
God’s Word is a sword!
God’s Word is a lamp and a light.
God’s Word always accomplishes the thing He meant for it to do.
God’s Words are TRUE. Always!
God’s Words are my owner’s manual…just like NASA’s manual for every EVA…it will tell me precisely what to do in every situation. It will tell me how many times to turn each and every bolt, where to put my feet, where to rest my hands, when to lean in and when to lean out. I can absolutely depend on God’s Word for every detail of my life. You can too!
If your answers to my questions left you with more questions; or if you just plain are not happy, may I joyfully offer you the same things I was offered. First a bit of advice…”Put God’s Word FIRST in your life.” Next, find out what He has to say about the things that are troubling you.
Back in the dark ages, before absolutely everything was available online, I used a borrowed Bible with an abbreviated concordance and a [gasp] notebook. Today I just go to Bible Gateway, click on the Keyword Look Up Link, select a modern translation of the Word [The New International Version or The New Living Translation will do, although I personally love the Amplified Bible] and type in words related to my questions.
For example, if your biggest fear for yourself or your loved ones is illness, type in heals or healed and see what God’s Word has to say about it. It does not matter what questions you have…your answers are in the Word.
I promise your life will be changed:
2 Timothy 3:16 (New Living Translation)
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right
Proverbs 3:13 (Amplified Bible)
Happy (blessed, fortunate, enviable) is the man who finds skillful and godly Wisdom, and the man who gets understanding [drawing it forth from God's Word and life's experiences],
April 23rd, 2010
Before we take our break, there are ten questions I want to ask you.
The rules are: if your first impulse is to answer “most of the time,” “sometimes,” “once in awhile,” – anything except absolutely, “YES” – you are to answer NO.
On the other hand, any answer except absolutely “NO” means you are to answer “YES.”
These are the questions:
1. Are you a Christian?
2. Are you afraid of death?
3. Do you believe the Bible is the Word of God and therefore absolutely true?
4. Are you afraid of illness?
5. Are you afraid of accidents?
6. Are you afraid of financial reversals?
7. Are you afraid of failure?
8. Is there an area of major disappointment or betrayal in your life
that you can’t get beyond?
9. Are you willing…really willing…to change?
10. Do you believe God really cares about your fears,
disappointments and hurts?
Asked and answered…the above questions have been a part of my seminars over the years, seminars that have always been conducted in a “Christian” venue. Here’s the big surprise.
Where 100% of the camp goers or seminar participants answered “YES” to question number one…on average
20% were afraid of death,
10% did not believe the Bible to be true,
54% were afraid of illness
60% were afraid of accidents
48% were afraid of financial reversals
58% were afraid of failure
65% admitted to having been disappointed or betrayed,
and they felt it was unforgivable
13% admitted they were not really willing to work toward change
AND only 96% of those in attendance believed God truly cared for their fears, disappointments and betrayals. That leave a whopping 4% of the Christian women polled who claim to be followers of Christ, yet aren’t ready, or willing to accept His love!
A wise woman once told me…”Discover where your mind goes in the quiet moments. That will tell you who you love.”
Answer the questions yourself. Be brutally honest. Where do your answers put YOU? You say you ARE a Christian, but are you a BELIEVER?
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