I grew up in the Air Force. We actually lived on a SAC base where there were often practice “alerts” and drills to prepare for a possible attack from whatever enemy might be lurking about. During these drills, the one thing I remember having to do was to lower the blinds and turn out all the lights until the room was a dark as it could be. We had to sit in this darkness until the drill was over and while we were not in any real danger, to a small child it felt real. The only thing that made me feel safe was my daddy who constantly told me this would not last for long…it was just for a time. Through this I learned, however, that darkness was not always a bad thing…darkness could be protection from whatever might be out to hurt me.
While we as Christians are to live in the Light, that doesn’t mean that there will not be times of darkness in our lives. We live in a fallen world and to think that we alone will escape is to not live in reality. Jesus Himself said, “In this world you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world!” John 16:33…at least that is the part we usually quote…let’s look at the whole verse: I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world. Jesus had just told his disciples about some of the terrible things they would be experiencing after he left but He left them with hope. His disciples all suffered greatly…As the church was established many suffered. The thought that we should be immune from trouble is not to be found in the word of God. Darkness will come.
I was reading Job the other day and found myself glibly reacting to all Job was going through. It bothered me until I realized that I could read this matter-of-factly because I had read the ending…it ended better than it started. But Job didn’t know the ending…he lived through death, financial disaster, illness and loss of friendship not understanding why. Although, he questioned God, he never turned from God. His statement was, “I know my Redeemer lives!!!” (Job 19:25) His faith unwavering even though he didn’t know.
During the drills when I was a child, I didn’t really know what was going on, but I felt safe for I was with one who did…He knew when it was going to end and that I would be okay. That in itself was comfort.
Many of my friend’s lives are in great darkness right now…. some have been laid off from jobs they have had for years...others are facing diseases and they are not sure of what tomorrow will bring. Perhaps that describes you, as well. May I just tell you that in your darkest times you might just be in the clef of a rock with God’s hand placed over you in protection. He knows how it all ends! May I encourage you to sit closely to Him in this darkness and listen to His still small voice saying, “My child, this is not going to last long. It is just for a time and it will be ok. Trust me!” This life is just a drill; our real home is where darkness does not dwell for Christ is the light. Until then, place your eyes on the Prince of Peace.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Lessons from Sunscreen!
I have just returned from a week on the coast and came home without sunburn, which is monumental. As a teen, we lived walking distance from the beach so nearly every summer day would include a trip to the white sands upon which I would plaster myself with baby oil laced with iodine so I would appear tanner. The fact is, what I called “laying out” was really basting my body in the oven of the sun. True, I was tanned to perfection, but now that I am “slightly” older, I wonder about the sanity of those days.
Ah, youth! This observation goes well beyond tanning. The things we do in life all have consequences. Being tanned as a youth increases wrinkles (at the least) or skin cancer (at the worse.) My mother, who never went into the sun and at age 68 didn’t have a wrinkle on her face, would tell me to use sunscreen!!! I didn’t listen!
I got to thinking about this sitting under my umbrella on Ship Island, which is a good place to ponder life! I thought about how as children we were warned by our elders about all kind of things we should avoid because of the life-long consequences. Most of us didn’t listen because we knew more than they did…hey, we knew more than anyone! We were the enlightened ones…that is until the consequences fell down all around us. We cried, “Why didn’t someone warn us??” Fact is, they did, we just didn’t listen.
This is not new…it started in the Garden of Eden when Eve had her encounter with the “snake!” God had set up very specific guidelines but neither Adam nor Eve listened and there were life-ending consequences. In the book of John, Jesus often repeats two phrases: “I tell you the truth”; and “He who has ears let him hear.” God is for us not just wanting to ruin our good time! He has rules for our good but only if we listen and obey! The Word is God is full of instructions that the world calls a list of “cannots.” I have lived long enough to know, however, it is spiritual sunscreen from a loving Father who doesn’t want His children to get burned in life.
King David knew this first hand… only after breaking some commandments did he realized God’s ways were for his good. Psalm 25:10 All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of his covenant. God wants us to live a thriving life and sets forth boundaries but when those boundaries are breached there will be consequences. For David, his sin of adultery and murder resulted in the death of his child but even more in his loss of fellowship with the God of his youth. He was a wreck. Read about the guilt and pain of sin in Psalm 32.
My mama told me, I told my daughter, and she has told her daughter how to avoid the pitfalls in life but I didn’t listen, nor did my daughter and I bet there will be some stretching of the envelope from my grand. I am listening now…perhaps you are too. So, do we just give up thinking it does no good to urge others to follow God’s law? No! Listen to the last words David spoke to his son, Solomon, “I am about to go the way of all the earth….So, be strong, show yourself a man, and observe what the LORD your God requires: Walk in his ways, and deep His decrees and commands , his laws, and requirements, as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go. (I Kings 2: 2-3a) David had learned the hard way what rebellion can do. He wanted it to be easier for his son…we want it to be better for those we love so we continue to tell! It is not our responsibility to make them obey but it is our responsibility to tell them the truth of God…He who has ears, let him hear.
I am afflicted with brown spots and wrinkles because I didn’t listen back then so this past week when my granddaughter and I went to the very same beach I once basted upon, there was one big difference…SPF 50! I am not tanned but then neither am I burned. Maybe she will learn the sunscreen lesson maybe not… But the lesson of following God is much more important. Let it be my desire to teach her, to tell her the truth, and to pray for her to have ears to hear.
Ah, youth! This observation goes well beyond tanning. The things we do in life all have consequences. Being tanned as a youth increases wrinkles (at the least) or skin cancer (at the worse.) My mother, who never went into the sun and at age 68 didn’t have a wrinkle on her face, would tell me to use sunscreen!!! I didn’t listen!
I got to thinking about this sitting under my umbrella on Ship Island, which is a good place to ponder life! I thought about how as children we were warned by our elders about all kind of things we should avoid because of the life-long consequences. Most of us didn’t listen because we knew more than they did…hey, we knew more than anyone! We were the enlightened ones…that is until the consequences fell down all around us. We cried, “Why didn’t someone warn us??” Fact is, they did, we just didn’t listen.
This is not new…it started in the Garden of Eden when Eve had her encounter with the “snake!” God had set up very specific guidelines but neither Adam nor Eve listened and there were life-ending consequences. In the book of John, Jesus often repeats two phrases: “I tell you the truth”; and “He who has ears let him hear.” God is for us not just wanting to ruin our good time! He has rules for our good but only if we listen and obey! The Word is God is full of instructions that the world calls a list of “cannots.” I have lived long enough to know, however, it is spiritual sunscreen from a loving Father who doesn’t want His children to get burned in life.
King David knew this first hand… only after breaking some commandments did he realized God’s ways were for his good. Psalm 25:10 All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of his covenant. God wants us to live a thriving life and sets forth boundaries but when those boundaries are breached there will be consequences. For David, his sin of adultery and murder resulted in the death of his child but even more in his loss of fellowship with the God of his youth. He was a wreck. Read about the guilt and pain of sin in Psalm 32.
My mama told me, I told my daughter, and she has told her daughter how to avoid the pitfalls in life but I didn’t listen, nor did my daughter and I bet there will be some stretching of the envelope from my grand. I am listening now…perhaps you are too. So, do we just give up thinking it does no good to urge others to follow God’s law? No! Listen to the last words David spoke to his son, Solomon, “I am about to go the way of all the earth….So, be strong, show yourself a man, and observe what the LORD your God requires: Walk in his ways, and deep His decrees and commands , his laws, and requirements, as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go. (I Kings 2: 2-3a) David had learned the hard way what rebellion can do. He wanted it to be easier for his son…we want it to be better for those we love so we continue to tell! It is not our responsibility to make them obey but it is our responsibility to tell them the truth of God…He who has ears, let him hear.
I am afflicted with brown spots and wrinkles because I didn’t listen back then so this past week when my granddaughter and I went to the very same beach I once basted upon, there was one big difference…SPF 50! I am not tanned but then neither am I burned. Maybe she will learn the sunscreen lesson maybe not… But the lesson of following God is much more important. Let it be my desire to teach her, to tell her the truth, and to pray for her to have ears to hear.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Roots
When you hear the word “roots” of what do you think? About every 6 weeks I think of something that needs to be taken care of (and quickly) before people figure out that I am actually older than 29!!! (denial is a good thing!) In the spring, when we lived in the country, roots were the things we had to cut through before we could plant our beautiful annuals. When I taught English, Roots, was the title of a novel that needed to be read for AR credit!! Today, I am contemplating other roots…those I cannot seem to cover, dig up or read about. These roots are deeply ingrained in me and as much as I would like to forget some of them, I can’t. You know what I am talking about!!! These roots are our growing up times…the people, the places, the sights and smells of our youth!
I did not have the privilege of growing up in one place, so my roots have traveled from the Pacific to the Gulf of Mexico. Having grown up as an Air Force brat, I learned early not to dig too deeply into a place for I would not be there long…that is until my daddy retired and we settled on the Mississippi Gulf Coast…more specifically, Long Beach. It was here I experienced my first encounter with roots! I was in Junior High and had moved in on people who had known each other since birth…plus I was from……(said in whispered tones) California!!! Parents were afraid to let their children hang with me because I was from……California. Roots are hard to establish when you are not a native plant…hard but not impossible.
I was determined to become rooted in this environment….I even tried to say, “ya’ll” like the rest of them, but they knew! This was hard ground but after a couple of months, parents relaxed and I began to be a part of this place but more than that, this place became a part of me!! I was active in the First Baptist Church of Long Beach and my spiritual roots grew for there were adults who invested time and energy into this tall gangly kid from…..California!! My friendship roots grew deep for these are friends I still have today! It was a place I began to call ‘Home” because it was where my parents were. Before I knew it, I had become a Mississippian and finally had earthly roots.
It is because of these roots that I became a little depressed after Katrina…devastation nearly washed away all the things I had grown accustom to seeing on this beach. I almost thought everything was gone, but that is the funny thing about “roots!” They run deep…below the devastation, below the storms. They are safe and secure and cannot be destroyed!
This next week, I will be going back to this place I have called home. I will take my granddaughter and we will walk in the sand. She will not remember what had been there…because she never saw it. She will enjoy what is built new and fresh since the devastation. We will eat in new restaurants and shop in new stores. There will be one thing that we will do, however, that I did with my mother and my daughter…we will go the Friendship Oak! We will walk under its massive branches and wonder in the fact that it has endured Camille, Katrina, and countless other storms since the 1400’s. Why? Because of its roots. They are deeply and firmly planted within the soil that will not move. I will look at this tree as a symbol of my life in Christ. He is my true and eternal home. As we become rooted in Him we will be able to withstand all that life throws at us. John 15:1-8. The promise is, “As long as we remain in Him…rooted and established.”
So, today, I am thinking about roots! I am rejoicing that next week I not only can share some earthly roots with my grand, but I will, while standing under that tree, be able to share some spiritual roots, too!
What do you think about when you hear the word, Roots? Please, share!
I did not have the privilege of growing up in one place, so my roots have traveled from the Pacific to the Gulf of Mexico. Having grown up as an Air Force brat, I learned early not to dig too deeply into a place for I would not be there long…that is until my daddy retired and we settled on the Mississippi Gulf Coast…more specifically, Long Beach. It was here I experienced my first encounter with roots! I was in Junior High and had moved in on people who had known each other since birth…plus I was from……(said in whispered tones) California!!! Parents were afraid to let their children hang with me because I was from……California. Roots are hard to establish when you are not a native plant…hard but not impossible.
I was determined to become rooted in this environment….I even tried to say, “ya’ll” like the rest of them, but they knew! This was hard ground but after a couple of months, parents relaxed and I began to be a part of this place but more than that, this place became a part of me!! I was active in the First Baptist Church of Long Beach and my spiritual roots grew for there were adults who invested time and energy into this tall gangly kid from…..California!! My friendship roots grew deep for these are friends I still have today! It was a place I began to call ‘Home” because it was where my parents were. Before I knew it, I had become a Mississippian and finally had earthly roots.
It is because of these roots that I became a little depressed after Katrina…devastation nearly washed away all the things I had grown accustom to seeing on this beach. I almost thought everything was gone, but that is the funny thing about “roots!” They run deep…below the devastation, below the storms. They are safe and secure and cannot be destroyed!
This next week, I will be going back to this place I have called home. I will take my granddaughter and we will walk in the sand. She will not remember what had been there…because she never saw it. She will enjoy what is built new and fresh since the devastation. We will eat in new restaurants and shop in new stores. There will be one thing that we will do, however, that I did with my mother and my daughter…we will go the Friendship Oak! We will walk under its massive branches and wonder in the fact that it has endured Camille, Katrina, and countless other storms since the 1400’s. Why? Because of its roots. They are deeply and firmly planted within the soil that will not move. I will look at this tree as a symbol of my life in Christ. He is my true and eternal home. As we become rooted in Him we will be able to withstand all that life throws at us. John 15:1-8. The promise is, “As long as we remain in Him…rooted and established.”
So, today, I am thinking about roots! I am rejoicing that next week I not only can share some earthly roots with my grand, but I will, while standing under that tree, be able to share some spiritual roots, too!
What do you think about when you hear the word, Roots? Please, share!
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Perhaps It Is Not Just Semantics
I overheard a conversation the other day that went something like this…”Oh, you need to come to OUR church…we are doing such wonderful things. We had about 1,200 in VBS.” The response was like this…”Well, I go to ________ and we are doing________.” It turned into a one-up conversation about each other’s churches and which church was better with the measuring line being how many activities were being done and how many people were involved….
It might just be me…and probably is…but I have noticed there is more talk about what our various churches are doing rather than what Jesus is doing in our lives and in our congregations. Some might think it is just semantics but is it? Do we really mean “Jesus” when we say “our church”? I would hope so but I am afraid at times we are more concerned about the reputation of our congregations than the glory of God.
Maybe I am just being overly sensitive but I know that God alone is to be glorified in this kingdom work. It is with that thought that I want to have your input. What do you think? Maybe you haven’t considered this before but now you are! This is your time so let me know your thoughts. I look forward to hearing from you!
It might just be me…and probably is…but I have noticed there is more talk about what our various churches are doing rather than what Jesus is doing in our lives and in our congregations. Some might think it is just semantics but is it? Do we really mean “Jesus” when we say “our church”? I would hope so but I am afraid at times we are more concerned about the reputation of our congregations than the glory of God.
Maybe I am just being overly sensitive but I know that God alone is to be glorified in this kingdom work. It is with that thought that I want to have your input. What do you think? Maybe you haven’t considered this before but now you are! This is your time so let me know your thoughts. I look forward to hearing from you!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
AAA of Life
After I got my first car…my senior year of college…my daddy insisted that I enroll in AAA. I was aghast that he thought I would drink and drive until he sat me down and s-l-o-w-l-y explained to me the difference between AA and AAA! He told me that although I had been taught how to change a tire, it would be nice to have someone come and help me if I were on the road alone and if I broke down, he wanted to know that I could get a tow-truck to take me to a place where my car could be repaired. Then he said, “Cyndi, I won’t be able to come and help you out every time you need it, so I am telling you how you can find help on your own!” My daddy never even got through the 8th grade but he was the wisest man I ever knew.
My renewal for AAA came in the mail this week and I remembered his statement. These years later I see he could have been talking about life and what Christians should be to the world. AAA doesn’t fix our cars…it takes us to places where they can be fixed! Many of us hesitate to minister to others because we think we are to “fix” things. Being surrounded by great hurt can be overwhelming if we believe we are to make everything better. Admittedly, there are things we can “fix” for the moment…a meal, money to pay a bill, a hug, kissing a skinned knee… things we can do for minor hurts and pains but in major things, like great grief, we are helpless so we make trite statements because we must “say or do something” to make it better. We become overwhelmed, discouraged, and often give up and often become depressed ourselves because we thought we could make things better. I have been there…many times; delusional enough to think I actually had any control over terrible situations...thinking if I just said the right thing…if I helped them in another way…if I just stopped them somehow then things would be better.
God never called us to fix…but to take the brokenness to the Great Physician. Knowing this can free us to minister in His power. We are the conduits to the One who can fix…who can bring peace…who is freedom from sinful behaviors. Jesus said, “Come unto me all you who are weary and heavy laden for my yoke is easy and my burden light.” (Matt. 11:29) He didn’t say, cyndi, take on the world…but He said, bring the world to me.
How do we do that? First of all know Him and realize He has been the comforter, restorer, and redeemer on your own journey! Paul said in Philippians 3:10 “I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings becoming like Him in His death.” Spend time with Him; learn to trust Him yourself. Secondly, you cannot lead people where you haven’t been so don’t try! You have, however, been on journeys others have yet to go and own an already-plotted map. Share that “map” when you see others on similar roads for that is ‘sharing in His sufferings’…Jesus understood every trial of mankind and showed the way to the Father to all who would follow. Thirdly, stop to help if you can or at least call a tow truck. We must minister…we can’t just speed by those in need because we don’t know what to do! Stop and offer His peace. When there is a breakdown, be there to take them to the repair shop of God’s presence. On occasion, we can help fix “a flat,” but that flat will eventually need to get fixed or replaced and that needs to be done by Someone who knows what He is doing! Let others know of the flat fixer…and let them know it isn’t you. So, friend, minister to others in the mighty name of Jesus! That is all we are called to do.
Daddy, you haven’t been here to help me out of some pretty bad situations…but you taught me about how to get help…and that has made all the difference. Thanks!
My renewal for AAA came in the mail this week and I remembered his statement. These years later I see he could have been talking about life and what Christians should be to the world. AAA doesn’t fix our cars…it takes us to places where they can be fixed! Many of us hesitate to minister to others because we think we are to “fix” things. Being surrounded by great hurt can be overwhelming if we believe we are to make everything better. Admittedly, there are things we can “fix” for the moment…a meal, money to pay a bill, a hug, kissing a skinned knee… things we can do for minor hurts and pains but in major things, like great grief, we are helpless so we make trite statements because we must “say or do something” to make it better. We become overwhelmed, discouraged, and often give up and often become depressed ourselves because we thought we could make things better. I have been there…many times; delusional enough to think I actually had any control over terrible situations...thinking if I just said the right thing…if I helped them in another way…if I just stopped them somehow then things would be better.
God never called us to fix…but to take the brokenness to the Great Physician. Knowing this can free us to minister in His power. We are the conduits to the One who can fix…who can bring peace…who is freedom from sinful behaviors. Jesus said, “Come unto me all you who are weary and heavy laden for my yoke is easy and my burden light.” (Matt. 11:29) He didn’t say, cyndi, take on the world…but He said, bring the world to me.
How do we do that? First of all know Him and realize He has been the comforter, restorer, and redeemer on your own journey! Paul said in Philippians 3:10 “I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings becoming like Him in His death.” Spend time with Him; learn to trust Him yourself. Secondly, you cannot lead people where you haven’t been so don’t try! You have, however, been on journeys others have yet to go and own an already-plotted map. Share that “map” when you see others on similar roads for that is ‘sharing in His sufferings’…Jesus understood every trial of mankind and showed the way to the Father to all who would follow. Thirdly, stop to help if you can or at least call a tow truck. We must minister…we can’t just speed by those in need because we don’t know what to do! Stop and offer His peace. When there is a breakdown, be there to take them to the repair shop of God’s presence. On occasion, we can help fix “a flat,” but that flat will eventually need to get fixed or replaced and that needs to be done by Someone who knows what He is doing! Let others know of the flat fixer…and let them know it isn’t you. So, friend, minister to others in the mighty name of Jesus! That is all we are called to do.
Daddy, you haven’t been here to help me out of some pretty bad situations…but you taught me about how to get help…and that has made all the difference. Thanks!
Sunday, July 12, 2009
The Blessing Might Be Hidden!!
This year, for my birthday my very sweet husband told me we were going to go to PF Changs and to get a Big Mac. I am not a culinary genius, but I did know that PF Changs did not serve Big Macs! I was a bit confused but after we ate, we shopped a little. I had wanted two things for my birthday: a MacBook or a CD Changer for my car that would play more than one CD. We ate a wonderful meal then stopped to shop some great sales! I opened my trunk to put in the packages we purchased and noticed that a side panel had fallen down. I have had this car for over 2 years and had never noticed the side panel much less the latch on it…both my husband and I noticed a strange box-like thing within the panel---it was a 10-disc CD changer!! For over two years I had struggled with changing CD’s on busy Interstate Highways with the single CD player inside the car when all along I could have just let the additional changer in the trunk do what it does best…change CD’s! What I had longed for had been there all along but a single latched panel kept up apart.
At times we desire something from God but soon give up when it is not in plain sight. We often settle for something less or give up completely and turn away thinking God had not been faithful. What I wanted was there all along if only I had examined my car more closely and turned a simple latch. Likewise, all we need when looking for God’s presence is found in Jeremiah 29. We love to quote the part where it says, “I know the plans I have for you”…but my favorite part comes in verse 13: “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” The word “seek” implies much more than a cursory glance…it requires a deep search. It requires time and effort on our part and it requires our heart. When our whole heart is in something we take it more seriously and seldom give up until we find what we look for.
Admittedly, when I had turned on my CD player, the dashboard would state, “CD Changer empty.” The car had tried many times to inform me of the presence of the CD player but since I couldn’t see it I thought perhaps it was only included on another model but not mine. We do that too. The Bible tells us that God is “for” us not “against” us; that He loves us with an everlasting love and has provided all we need in life through the Holy Spirit but we say that “others” have great blessings or abilities from God but not us! The fact is that God is available to everyone equally! The difference is that some seek Him with their hearts while others look for Him like some look for mayonnaise in the refrigerator…if it is not in the front and center it is not there!
God wants to be found…He wants to bless us with the things we need for abundant life and with the power to overcome great obstacles. He through Jesus Christ has removed all the barriers---Luke 23: 45: “And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.” The one-time barrier for everyone to approach God was gone! Jesus made it possible to go directly to the throne of God to make our requests…so why don’t we? Perhaps a lack of faith? Perhaps a sense that we don’t deserve it? Maybe we are just lazy and would rather complain. Giving up hope often takes less effort than seeking Him but seek Him we must if we are to experience all He wants for us. He is and has been here all the time…don’t wait for a wall (trunk panel) to fall in on your life to see Him. Whatever you need today the answer is, “Seek God!” He is there and when your heart gets hungry enough He will be found.
Oh, and that Big Mac? They had lots of them at the Apple store next to PF Changs! I got the MacBook Pro Combo!!! What a great birthday!
At times we desire something from God but soon give up when it is not in plain sight. We often settle for something less or give up completely and turn away thinking God had not been faithful. What I wanted was there all along if only I had examined my car more closely and turned a simple latch. Likewise, all we need when looking for God’s presence is found in Jeremiah 29. We love to quote the part where it says, “I know the plans I have for you”…but my favorite part comes in verse 13: “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” The word “seek” implies much more than a cursory glance…it requires a deep search. It requires time and effort on our part and it requires our heart. When our whole heart is in something we take it more seriously and seldom give up until we find what we look for.
Admittedly, when I had turned on my CD player, the dashboard would state, “CD Changer empty.” The car had tried many times to inform me of the presence of the CD player but since I couldn’t see it I thought perhaps it was only included on another model but not mine. We do that too. The Bible tells us that God is “for” us not “against” us; that He loves us with an everlasting love and has provided all we need in life through the Holy Spirit but we say that “others” have great blessings or abilities from God but not us! The fact is that God is available to everyone equally! The difference is that some seek Him with their hearts while others look for Him like some look for mayonnaise in the refrigerator…if it is not in the front and center it is not there!
God wants to be found…He wants to bless us with the things we need for abundant life and with the power to overcome great obstacles. He through Jesus Christ has removed all the barriers---Luke 23: 45: “And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.” The one-time barrier for everyone to approach God was gone! Jesus made it possible to go directly to the throne of God to make our requests…so why don’t we? Perhaps a lack of faith? Perhaps a sense that we don’t deserve it? Maybe we are just lazy and would rather complain. Giving up hope often takes less effort than seeking Him but seek Him we must if we are to experience all He wants for us. He is and has been here all the time…don’t wait for a wall (trunk panel) to fall in on your life to see Him. Whatever you need today the answer is, “Seek God!” He is there and when your heart gets hungry enough He will be found.
Oh, and that Big Mac? They had lots of them at the Apple store next to PF Changs! I got the MacBook Pro Combo!!! What a great birthday!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Pictures Don't Show Everything!
Last week we discussed complaining about our situations even though God is blessing us greatly with all we need. The Children of Israel did that on the way to the Promised Land by wanting more than the daily bread God provided. Today they are in another situation…their journey is almost done…the Promised Land is in reach…yet, they hesitate.
One of my very favorite songs is Sara Groves’ “Painting Pictures of Egypt” on her Conversations album. I love it because it is so much like me. Let me give you some of the lyrics:
The past is so tangible I know it by heart
Familiar things are never easy To discard
I was dying for some freedom
But now I hesitate to go
I am caught between the Promise
And the things I know
I've been painting pictures of Egypt,
Leaving out what it lacks
The future feels so hard,
And I wanna go back!
It’s not about losing faith
It’s not about trust
It’s all about comfortable
When you move so much
And the place I was wasn’t perfect
But I had found a way to live
And it wasn’t milk or honey
But then neither is this
I have experienced this feeling many times. I have known that God had something for me to experience…something better and amazing and yet I was scared and played it safe…stayed comfortable. God had something better, but in my little mind I could not imagine “better” and so I hesitated. Sometimes I might have even gone forward a bit but the road became difficult so I returned to what was familiar even though it was not a great place to be. Yeah, It was not great but it was something I knew…it was comfortable.
A funny thing happens when looking backwards…memories seem to be better than the reality of what was! Remember how big things were when you were a child? I think often of the story of an adult bemoaning about how when he was a little boy the snow would come to his knees…then he looked down at his son…who had trouble walking because the snow was so high! Memories lie! Things are not always better “then.”
The Children of Israel were at the Promised Land but they got scared. What they saw ahead were “giants” and they began to listen to the babblings of men while forgetting the miracles of an awesome God. They didn’t listen to Moses, Caleb, or Joshua. They began to sing, “We will, we will not be moved!” and once again God gave them what they wanted…they got to stay in… the desert…wandering until they died.
Read Numbers 32: 6-13. Folks, God doesn’t joke around when He says He will do something. He had told the Israelites that He would give them a land…but they didn’t believe Him and there were consequences. The same goes for us today…God has a plan for us and when we trust Him in that plan He takes care of all the details…when we don’t trust Him, we wander in the desert and eventually die without receiving His promise. I don’t want that, and I know neither do you. Note verse 12 in our scripture that state two men, Caleb and Joshua, were the exception. Why? It was because they followed the LORD wholeheartedly. They received God’s blessing…not because they were special…not because they were better…no, they entered because they followed God wholeheartedly. What a lesson for me in trust. It might sound trite, but when God sends us forward, He gives all we need to defeat whatever is before us. When we refuse, we are saying is God cannot do what He said He will do. That is unbelief and unbelief is a sin.
The great thing about living under grace, is that our sins can be taken care of by confessing them and allowing God to renew us…we are not doomed to wander forever…but we are doomed to wander until we confess…
God wants to give us His best because we are His children. Do you believe that? If you do, then what is holding you back from your Promised Land? 40 years later in our story, Joshua says these words to the next generation: “Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you.” Joshua 3:5 These trusted God and passed into the Promised Land and discovered God was faithful. Let us be that next generation…the ones known by following…not wandering.
Have a Happy 4th of July!
One of my very favorite songs is Sara Groves’ “Painting Pictures of Egypt” on her Conversations album. I love it because it is so much like me. Let me give you some of the lyrics:
The past is so tangible I know it by heart
Familiar things are never easy To discard
I was dying for some freedom
But now I hesitate to go
I am caught between the Promise
And the things I know
I've been painting pictures of Egypt,
Leaving out what it lacks
The future feels so hard,
And I wanna go back!
It’s not about losing faith
It’s not about trust
It’s all about comfortable
When you move so much
And the place I was wasn’t perfect
But I had found a way to live
And it wasn’t milk or honey
But then neither is this
I have experienced this feeling many times. I have known that God had something for me to experience…something better and amazing and yet I was scared and played it safe…stayed comfortable. God had something better, but in my little mind I could not imagine “better” and so I hesitated. Sometimes I might have even gone forward a bit but the road became difficult so I returned to what was familiar even though it was not a great place to be. Yeah, It was not great but it was something I knew…it was comfortable.
A funny thing happens when looking backwards…memories seem to be better than the reality of what was! Remember how big things were when you were a child? I think often of the story of an adult bemoaning about how when he was a little boy the snow would come to his knees…then he looked down at his son…who had trouble walking because the snow was so high! Memories lie! Things are not always better “then.”
The Children of Israel were at the Promised Land but they got scared. What they saw ahead were “giants” and they began to listen to the babblings of men while forgetting the miracles of an awesome God. They didn’t listen to Moses, Caleb, or Joshua. They began to sing, “We will, we will not be moved!” and once again God gave them what they wanted…they got to stay in… the desert…wandering until they died.
Read Numbers 32: 6-13. Folks, God doesn’t joke around when He says He will do something. He had told the Israelites that He would give them a land…but they didn’t believe Him and there were consequences. The same goes for us today…God has a plan for us and when we trust Him in that plan He takes care of all the details…when we don’t trust Him, we wander in the desert and eventually die without receiving His promise. I don’t want that, and I know neither do you. Note verse 12 in our scripture that state two men, Caleb and Joshua, were the exception. Why? It was because they followed the LORD wholeheartedly. They received God’s blessing…not because they were special…not because they were better…no, they entered because they followed God wholeheartedly. What a lesson for me in trust. It might sound trite, but when God sends us forward, He gives all we need to defeat whatever is before us. When we refuse, we are saying is God cannot do what He said He will do. That is unbelief and unbelief is a sin.
The great thing about living under grace, is that our sins can be taken care of by confessing them and allowing God to renew us…we are not doomed to wander forever…but we are doomed to wander until we confess…
God wants to give us His best because we are His children. Do you believe that? If you do, then what is holding you back from your Promised Land? 40 years later in our story, Joshua says these words to the next generation: “Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you.” Joshua 3:5 These trusted God and passed into the Promised Land and discovered God was faithful. Let us be that next generation…the ones known by following…not wandering.
Have a Happy 4th of July!
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