On the Irony of Faith

I was struck by a great irony today. I was talking to God about my tendency to not be a very trusting person. He's been asking me to trust Him lately, and while my spiritual desire is to do just that, my humanity leans toward worry and fear instead. I caught myself praying the words of the father in Mark 9:24 - "I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief!"

Do you see the irony there? In order to make that request, I have to trust God enough to believe that He will, in fact, help me to trust Him. That just blows my mind. The act of placing our faith in God requires an act of faith. And where does that faith come from? Well, from God, of course. In His great grace, He gives us just enough faith to take the step of putting our faith in Him. In his goodness, He helps us believe when every part of us is gripped in unbelief. In His love He draws us to Himself so that we cling to Him, our Help and our Protection. Over and over again, God makes the first move. It's not about us. It's about Him. And it's all for His glory!

On Sanctification

A few months ago, I felt God telling me that I had to get rid of something I had in my possession. It was something I enjoyed, something I thought was harmless. I kept thinking it was my imagination, or someone else's influence that was making me think I should get rid of it, so I kept ignoring the prodding. But it kept getting stronger, until I had no choice but to admit it really was God telling me to do it. So last week, I obeyed. To be completely honest, I thought that once I'd obeyed, all of my problems would instantly be fixed. Nope. They're still here. So I asked God a question I've just recently learned to ask in complete openness: "What else, Lord?"

Today, I felt it again - that urge to get rid of something that I didn't see as "bad" or "sinful" or "harmful". I'll admit, I argued with God about it. I told Him that there was nothing wrong with what I had. I told Him that I feel like He just keeps taking away things I enjoy, but that He's not replacing them with anything. (Where did I get the idea that that's how it's supposed to work?) But I knew very clearly that this time, it really was God telling me to obey. Just to be on the safe side, though, I thought I'd just take a minute or two to read the Bible. Yeah, that was a "good" thing to do. I guess I thought if I read the Bible, I might hear something else from God that would excuse me from what I was pretty sure He was telling me to do. Why on earth do we do that? Why, when we think God is telling us something good, do we just accept it, but when He's telling us something we don't want to hear do we look for a way out? And why, oh why, do we ever think that the Bible is going to show us a way out of obedience?!?! I'm laughing at myself right now...

Well, wouldn't you know, God really does bless the "Flip & Point" methodology... "The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire." (Matthew 3:10) I couldn't believe what I was reading! I had just gotten done arguing to God that the thing He was telling me to get rid of wasn't anything "bad", and I had felt Him saying, "but it doesn't bring Me glory". It wasn't that this thing was necessarily producing bad fruit, but it wasn't producing good fruit either. Busted! I have to admit, it really is getting easier to obey God, the more time I spend with Him. Yes, I still doubted and argued, but this time, it was a few minutes, not a few months before I surrendered and obeyed.

So here's what I'm realizing: 1) The more time we spend with God, the easier it is to hear His voice. 2) Just because something isn't necessarily "bad" doesn't automatically make it "good". And the big one: 3) God wants to sanctify every part of us - our thoughts, our words, our actions, our imaginations (just learned this one yesterday), our wills, everything.

I've been asking God what I'm supposed to be doing to serve Him, and slowly, I'm starting to get snippets of things. Nothing is really adding up to anything practical yet, but I'm starting to see a general direction. But I'm learning very quickly that if I'm going to really be used by God for His complete glory, I need to let him take away things that either are now, or may someday in the future be in the way. I may not completely understand why He's asking me to remove things from my life, and I may be hurt/disappointed/angry when I feel like he's not "replacing" them with anything, but if I really do want Him to use (and bless) me, I have to be willing, if not eager, to obey. Every day, He is sanctifying me. He's setting me apart and making me holy because He's got something for me to do. So while this may be a painful time right now, I know, without a doubt, that someday I'll look back and see why this was all necessary, and honestly be able to say "all for Your glory, Lord".

On Longing

Psalm 38:9 says, "All my longings lie open before You, O Lord; my sighing is not hidden from You." You know, sometimes it's just nice knowing that He knows. And He does. He created us. He knows everything about us, even things we don't yet know about ourselves.

I have a pretty specific longing right now, but I'm finding, as I explore it, that there are some underlying longings that go with it. It's these underlying longings, not the major one that has me thinking about who I am and what my motivations in life are. But the thing is, God already knows the answers to those questions. He knows how I would handle the various scenarios I'm imagining. He knows the true motivations behind the things I'm asking Him for, even if I don't. And He knows my longings.

We all have basic needs - to be fed, to be sheltered, to be clothed, to be loved. But outside of those are where our longings fall - to be successful, to be comfortable, to be happy, to be useful. And I don't think any of these longings are bad in and of themselves. I don't think these are things God doesn't want us to ask for and to pursue. We just need to be careful that they don't overshadow the pursuit of Him. The Bible tells us that God blesses those who love Him (check out Deuteronomy 6), but can we really expect to receive God's blessings if we're more interested in our own success and happiness than we are in developing our relationship with Him? As with all good things in life, moderation is key.

But let's not fall too far on the other side of the fence either. It really is ok to ask for good things to happen, but the temptation to fall into martyrdom is sometimes very strong. We don't want to appear greedy, so we don't ask for things. We don't want to seem self-centered, so we don't share our desires with God - and definitely not with other Christians. Romans 12:15 says that we're to "rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn". Sometimes I think we do a little too much of the latter and not enough of the former. But we're so much more inclined to share our struggles with each other than we are our hopes so that more people know when something bad happens to us than when something good happens. When we do that, do you realize that we're stealing an opportunity away from someone else to obey God's Word, not to mention the opportunity to share in someone else's happiness?

The point is, it really is ok to have longings and to want good things to happen. It's a good thing to lay these out before God - not for His benefit, but for ours. In laying them out, He may show us motivations, or even desires that need to change. Or, He may give us the peace we need to know that what we're asking for is in alignment with His will. And it really is good and allowable to lay them out to our Christian friends so that they have the opportunity to pray with us and then, with God's blessing, to rejoice with us. Life in Christ was not meant to be a life of just getting by with the basics. He came to give us a full life, and it is a privilege to share our hopes and dreams with our Father and with our brothers and sisters in the faith.

On Instinct, Intuition and Cravings

Men often marvel at how women just know things. Women like to refer to women's intuition and instinct, but I think that women are just more tuned into their thoughts and feelings than men are. I'm not saying anything against the guys, it's just a fact that women tend to feel more than men do. For the most part, women's thoughts and emotions bathe everything they do, from getting dressed in the morning, to what they decide they're "in the mood" to eat for lunch, to carefully chosen words in conversations. Men, on the other hand, tend to dress in whatever is clean, eat whatever is readily available, and say whatever they're thinking at the moment. Naturally, there are exceptions to every rule, but psychologists have worked long and hard at figuring out the differences between men and women, and after studying this stuff for a few years in college, (and my own personal observations) I think they've got it pretty well. There's one guy, however, who was actually rather good at tuning in to his feelings, and lucky for us, God allowed his beautiful poetry to be passed on to us for our enjoyment, encouragement, and at times, a little Spirit-lead conviction.

In Psalm 27:8, David expresses the truest of gut instincts: "My heart says of You, 'Seek His face!'" (I love that the NIV adds that commanding exclamation point.) Seek God's face - what greater instinct could we have? This natural instinct to seek out a relationship with our God is one of the greatest gifts He gave those He created in His image. God made us to know Him.

Reading further, we see that David's answer to his heart's command is the one we should also have: "Your face, Lord, I will seek". But so often, we seek other relationships instead. I'm guilty of desiring relationships with people so much more than I desire a relationship with my Heavenly Father. We are drawn so strongly to flesh and bone - we want to be hugged, we want to go out to lunch with friends, we want the give and take of a face-to-face conversation. It's natural to want these things. Yes, God did create us to be in relationship with other people as evidenced by His creation of Eve to keep Adam company and help him in his work (Genesis 2:18-22). Too often though, our seeking after human relationships takes precedence over our heart's command. But without a good relationship with the Creator of the concept, how can we expect that our human relationships will be fulfilling?

We need to listen to our hearts and follow that God-placed instinct to know Him. The often-abused promise in Psalm 37:4 tells us that if we first and foremost delight in knowing God, He will give us the desires of our hearts. (Imagine for a moment what that could mean if our heart's desire is to know Him!) We want to have relationships. In fact, we need to have relationships. But even if all our human relationships fail to fulfill us, there is a greater one that never will. It's the one that our hearts crave above all others. And the best part is that it is also the one God's own heart craves.

On Standing Firm

I watched The Chronicles of Narnia last night. Those of us who have put our faith in Christ can't help but see the connections between the characters of Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy in C.S. Lewis' epic novels and ourselves: We are royal as children of the King (1 Peter 2:9) , we will one day rule with Christ (Revelation 20:6), we have been given weapons and armor to help us in the battle of life (Ephesians 6:10-18), and at times, we still struggle with doing what we're told versus doing what will bring us immediate satisfaction (Romans 7:22-23). (What is Turkish Delight anyway?)

One of the most striking scenes in the movie is (naturally) the battle scene toward the end. The White Witch orders her army to charge Aslan's army. They take off across the valley, weapons drawn, shouting. But what struck me was what Peter ordered his army to do. Rather than running straight into the battle as soon as the enemy did, the army under Peter's command did exactly what today's verses talk about. They stood firm. They waited for instruction, and they trusted their commander.

At least three separate times, God, through Paul, tells us to "stand firm". 1 Thessalonians 2:15 simply says to stand firm in the teachings we receive from godly leaders. In I Corinthians 6:13 and Galatians 5:1 and we're told that standing firm in our faith will keep us on guard and will keep us from falling back into slavery to sin. The word used in all three of these verses is steko. The idea is to persevere, persist and to keep one's footing. It speaks of a determined effort to stay standing while being attacked. It also speaks of standing still, feet firmly planted, able to resist a force pushing against us. If you've ever played a game like King of the Hill, you know the concept - standing still allows much greater resistance than when running at (or away from) someone.

In these verses, it is not our own spiritual strength or power that keeps us standing firm. In fact, it's quite the opposite. It is only in surrendering our will, and our stubborn determination to help ourselves that we find the will and determination to stand up to attack. It is our faith in God, His power, and Christ's death and resurrection that gives us the ability to stand still, quietly and calmly until our Commander tells us to do otherwise. And if and when He does give the order to charge, it is that same faith that will give us the victory, and again, not anything we do or are on our own. I find a lot of comfort in that thought. Our faith in Christ absolutely assures us the victory over sin and, someday, death. Now if only we could remember that in the heat of the battle.

On True Brokenness

There are different kinds of brokenness. Some things that are broken are beyond repair, like a shattered windshield. Some things are repairable, but will always show signs of their brokenness, like a cracked vase. Still other things are broken to make them better the way a crooked limb can be made straight only if it is first broken. And then there is the thing that can fall into all three categories, sometimes almost simultaneously - our hearts. Events, circumstances and situations can break a heart beyond repair. Abuse can, and so often does, do just that. Perhaps the premature death of a loved one can leave visible scars, even after the grieving process is "complete". But the brokenness that leads to healing, I believe can only be brought about by the hand of God working in a person who is willing to allow Him to do what must be done. Psalm 34:18 says, "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."

There are verses in the Bible that we can sometimes read and try to use as proof that we are right and God is wrong. For me, Psalm 34:18 is one of those verses. So many times I've cried to God that He's supposed to be close to me because my spirit feels crushed. But often, that crushed feeling was being caused by rebelliousness, bitterness, or even self-centeredness. Far less often was my crushed spirit caused by the only thing we should ever allow to crush us: the weight of unconfessed sin. The KJV replaces "crushed" with "contrite", which, according to Merriam-Webster means "feeling or showing sorrow and remorse for a sin or shortcoming". Replacing the word "crushed" with "contrite" brings this truth to light: God is quick to forgive and comfort the one who is truly repentant of his or her sin. There have been many times I've felt crushed, but far fewer times have I been contrite, and have then wondered why God isn't "close". It's in those times of "crushedness", when I would have been best served by a contrite spirit, that I've lashed out at God for being unfair, for not caring, or for punishing me for some sin I can't figure out. Irony at it's best, I think. In my self-righteous rants at God, I've been sinking deeper and deeper into the quicksand of sin, while all the while, He's been there holding out His hand for me to grab if only I would shut up long enough to realize that my struggling was only making me sink deeper.

Satan, the father of lies, leads us to believe that we are always right. He tells us that God does not, in fact, have our best interests in mind. Maybe God is too busy with other people to be close to us. Maybe He has given up on us because we've fallen into the same sin one too many times. Or maybe, the Bible was only written for other people and that it doesn't count for us, for one reason or another. I think I've said this before, but Satan lives to discourage us. He wants our lives. Self-centeredness, bitterness, and doubt, or worse, depression, addiction, and suicide are tools he uses to try to take back the children of God. He knows he's defeated, but it doesn't stop him from fighting tooth and nail to try to take back those he can never have.

God is close to the truly brokenhearted, and saves those who repent of their sin, reach out, and accept his offer of help and salvation. We only need to do that once to be assured of our forever salvation. But there are those days when we need to turn from the sin that is once again trapping us in ourselves, take the hand of our Father and let him help us back onto the solid ground of His truth and love. We can not lose our eternal salvation, but an unwillingness to be contrite when we sin can make our lives on this earth absolutely miserable, as can dwelling on past hurts or tragedies. It is only when our eyes are focused on the face of our Father that we will know his closeness and be fully assured that we are safe in his arms both now, and for all of eternity. And in His arms is where we find our hope and our joy. Yes, brokenness hurts, but if it leads to healing, it is absolutely worth the present pain.

On God's Creativity

I've just flown across the lower half of the continuous 48 states for the first time: Kentucky, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, California. For a girl who's only been as far west as Dallas, this is a pretty big deal. (And nerd that I am, yes, I took pictures out of the plane window.) My flight today has lead me straight to Genesis chapter 1 and the account of God's handiwork. Not only did he create the earth, he created it to be incredibly diverse. Over my 6 hours in the air today, I saw "mountains", mountains and MOUNTAINS (there are, in fact, varying degrees of mountainous topography), I saw forests, plains and deserts (and I have to admit, the deserts held my attention more than just about anything else I saw). I can't even count the number of times the word "wow" fell out of my mouth today.

And then I landed, and the diversity and creativity of our Creator became even more obvious. Having spent my entire life on the east coast, I thought I knew every kind of tree out there. Boy was I wrong. There are trees out here that I've never seen before, and the ones I'm familiar with are missing. I knew I had a narrow view of the world, but I had no idea how narrow!

I'm in awe of the beauty of where I live and have thousands of pictures to prove it, but it's nothing compared with what else is out there. Life is like that, isn't it? From time to time, God will do something amazing for us that makes us whisper "wow". For a while, we bask in the beauty of that moment or that act and we think that it just can't get any better. But God is creative and loves to give us gifts, and His next amazing act brings us right back to that whispered "wow" all over again. Maybe it's an answer to prayer. Maybe it's the most beautiful sunset you've ever seen. Maybe it's the view from the top of the hill you've just climbed. Maybe it's a verse or a hymn that catches you completely off guard. Whatever your "wow" moment is, it is a gift to you and you alone from a God who loves you enough to take joy in your joy.

So open your eyes and look around. God is doing amazing things every day, and perhaps, today is your day for a wow moment. And if it's not, and you're having a hard time, think back to the last time you couldn't keep a smile off your face as you saw or experienced a gift from God, and let that sustain you and encourage you as you walk through the current darkness. When the sun comes up again, I bet you'll be in awe at what you see!

On Working and Playing Well With Others

I kind of miss the days of Kindergarten. Back then, we were graded on things like eye-hand coordination, our ability to sit and listen to a story, how high we could count, and how well we played with our classmates. Life was so simple then. Now we're graded on other things - how much money we make, how we look, how successful we are and how well we get along with others. Oh wait, that one hasn't gone away, has it? Figures it's the tough things we still have to do. Not too many people care if I use scissors correctly anymore, but everyone around me cares how well I relate to them.

Today's verses lay out the grading scale on that "playing well with others" thing: I Peter 3:8-12 tells us to live in harmony with those around us, to be sympathetic, compassionate, humble, to be a blessing to those around us instead of making their lives harder. Verse 11 says about the person who wants a long and happy life, "He must seek peace and pursue it". We aren't just to look for peace and hope it shows up. The Greek word for pursue, "dioko", means to run after, or to chase with the intent of catching someone or something. That's a pretty active verb right there. (On an interesting side note, that same word is also the word used for "persecute". Give that one some thought, huh?)

Now I don't know about you, but when I'm not getting along with someone as well as I should, I'm not at all interested in running after anything. More often than not, I'm intent on running away from that person and any contact I may have with him or her. Perhaps I feel guilty because I've done something to them that I shouldn't have. Perhaps I'm feeling put out about something he or she has done to me. Either way, my modus operandi is to just avoid the person and either wait out the storm, or stew for a while. But neither of those options qualifies as "living in harmony" (harmony is a synonym for peace, even in Greek).

Don't think for a moment though, that seeking out peace means that there will never be conflict, or that it means pretending everything's fine all of the time. True peace between individuals comes from a commitment and willingness to communicate honestly (Ephesians 4:15), and a humble, self-sacrificing attitude (Philippians 2:3). What better time to exhibit these qualities than when a conflict arises? Conflict is our opportunity to prove how much we've learned about being more Christ-like. Each experience with conflict, if we're really paying attention, could also teach us to see it coming and cut it off before it gets out of hand. Proactive peace is always better than reactive making up.

No, we may not always get our way. We may have to occasionally give up some comfort. But in the end, if we commit to being peace-pursuers, we may just find that the number of conflicts in which we find ourselves declines. And for that, our Teacher would give us an A. (It really is too bad that no one is grading us on how well we nap anymore, right?)

On Preventing Heartache

"See, O Lord, how distressed I am! I am in torment within, and in my heart I am disturbed, for I have been most rebellious." Lamentations 1:20

How often have I cried out to God that I am distressed, in torment and disturbed? I can't even count the times. But how many times have I claimed responsibility for my own distress? The speaker of these words from Lamentations got right to the heart of the issue - our rebellion against God will always lead to our own sorrow.

So often we blame our problems on other people, and perhaps, even more often, we blame our distress on our circumstances. Yes, sometimes, it really is someone else's fault that we're suffering, or it really is our circumstances that are leading us to feel sad, angry and hopeless. Jesus gives us advice on how to deal with people who we feel are just in our lives to make us miserable: Love them. Plain and simple, no arguments or excuses. Just love them the way He loves you. (Matthew 5:44) And when it's our circumstances that are getting us down? Admit that God is in control of them and cling to Him while you wait to see what He's up to (1 Peter 5:7). Perhaps He's got something to teach you. Perhaps He's got better circumstances waiting on the other side of this present struggle. We never know until we can look back, but our future is His present.

But what happens if we choose not to love our enemies? What happens if we take our circumstances into our own hands and refuse to trust the One who knows the beginning from the end? Well, then we are "most rebellious" and deserve the distress and torment that enters our hearts.

What's the alternative? The answer is simple: obedience through faith. Do what God tells you to do. Whether He tells you to act or to sit quietly while He acts, do it. It won't make all of your problems go away, but it will certainly eliminate the ones that are preventable. Life is hard enough. Do we really want to make it harder for ourselves? I know I don't!

On Doing Our Jobs

I had no idea when I started this blog that it would become so personal, so encompassing. I had no idea what a struggle it would become to be in the Word on a regular basis. I thought this was just going to be a fun adventure. I should have known...No true study of God's Word, no commitment to it, is just a fun adventure. But even more than that, no true study of God's Word goes unnoticed by our enemy. More to the point, no true commitment to obey goes unnoticed by our enemy. I remember being told when I was in high school that I would know I was doing what God wanted me to do if I found myself plagued by attacks from Satan. Intense insecurity in every facet of life, frustrating and overwhelming circumstances, temptation to go back to sins I thought I had left far behind, being constantly reminded of life's unfairnesses. These and more have been my situation lately.

Quite often, the God we serve asks things of us that we think are too big, too hard, and even sometimes too ridiculous. But He gives us what we need to do what He asks. And when we reach out and take the tools He hands us, we can be sure that Satan will do everything he can to bind our hands and keep us from using them. But the God we serve is greater and more powerful than all the evil in the world and all the evil that is thrown in our paths (1 John 4:4)! Familiar verses from Romans 8 come to mind as I think about this - verses 37-39: Nothing can separate us from our God; verse 26: The Spirit helps us in our weakness; verse 28: God works for the good of those whom He has called; and the kicker, verse 31: If God is for us, who can be against us?

Are you being asked to do something that is so far beyond you that you don't even know where to start? Are you in the middle of a task you know you've been given and find yourself frustrated, unsure of your abilities, tempted, or just scared to keep going? Take my word for it, God will help you finish the work He has given you to do. He wants to see us succeed. He wants to see us soar like the eagles we are. Trust Him. Renew your commitment to obey Him every chance you get. Know that you are safe and free to obey because you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13 -14) (think really strong ziplock bag). And finally, believe that "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6). Aren't you glad you don't have to do this on your own?

On Spring Cleaning

I don't know about where you are, but here, it's been such a warm, beautiful spring week and I couldn't be happier about it. All of my windows have been open and I've begun doing some cleaning. (I have done a little cleaning and have thought about doing a lot of cleaning, so I think that should count for something). Our verses today talk about someone who did some serious cleaning. I don't know if it was Spring or not, but it was definitely cleaning that lead to a new beginning.

2 Chronicles 34 tells the story of Josiah, king of Judah from 640-609 BC. At this point in history, God's people are divided into two kingdoms - Israel and Judah. The two kingdoms have had separate kings, and each has had its share of problems. In the case of Judah, the problems were mainly in the form of idolatry. Prior to Josiah becoming king (at the wise old age of 8, no less), Judah had had 15 kings in about 350 years. In those 350 years, the people of Judah had picked up some bad habits. In fact, they had gone so far from God that His temple had fallen into disrepair as the people (and their kings) worshipped other gods instead. Different kings throughout the years had tried to bring the people back to God, but had not made complete attempts - they all kept remnants and reminders of the idols in the kingdom in the form of "high places" and Asherah poles (sacred poles set up to honor the goddess Asherah - think "Mother Earth" and you've got the basic idea).

So Josiah comes along and when he was 16, he decided to obey God instead of continuing the legacy left by his relatives. Like his predecessors, he destroyed idols, got rid of corrupt priests and told the people to turn back to God. Unlike his predecessors, he did some serious cleaning and took down the high places and the Asherah poles. In fact, he did such a good job that God blessed him and allowed him to die before He punished His people for their many years of idolatry by sending them into exile in Babylon (see Daniel for that part of the story).

What's even more significant about the cleaning Josiah did was that while the high priest of the temple was cleaning, he found the Book of the Law. (Imagine how bad it must have been in the temple that the Book of the Law had even been lost in the first place!) The high priest brought the book to Josiah who then had it read out loud to the people before he rededicated them to their God. (Another pretty big thing Josiah did was reinstate the celebration of Passover.)

Like the people of Judah, we all have seasons of backsliding - it's human nature. But how do those seasons end? I'm pretty sure that if you're anything like me, they only end when we do some intense "spring cleaning". But how does that happen? Well, first, we have to realize that something is dirty in the first place. That is the work of the Holy Spirit - conviction of sin. Then we have to decide that our relationship with God is worth the effort. For me, sometimes I make that decision because of the amount of "dirt" that has built up and is bothering me. Other times, I make the decision knowing that it will be hard work, but also knowing that I'll feel so much better when it's done (who doesn't like a clean house?).

Once the choice is made, we then have to reach for our cleaning tool. Not the vacuum, not the toilet brush, not that cool thing Mr. Clean makes that helps you reach all the way around the tub and shower. Nope, our cleaning tool is (what, Kids?) the Bible! When we read the story of Josiah, we see that it wasn't until the Book of the Law had been read that he ordered the removal of the idols, high places and poles. As is always the case, the Word brought the change.

So the question today is simply, how clean is your "house"? Maybe you've been backsliding a bit, or just struggling with your faith or with obedience on some issue. It's time to start cleaning. Maybe you've been cleaning for a little while, and you feel like you've done a lot. Good job! Thank God for helping you to do that. But then, take a step that could be a little scary: ask Him "what's next?"

Until we reach our full completion and receive our glorified bodies (I Corinthians 15:42-44), I'm afraid there will always be something to "clean". Even though we're redeemed, as humans, we are still subject to temptation, and we all fall. A habitual sin always starts with just one act of surrender to temptation. Think of it this way (and this will probably frustrate you the way it frustrates me): as soon as you finish vacuuming under the bed, the dust starts to settle again. If left unattended, those little dust particles start clinging together and before you know it, you've got an entire colony of cute, cuddly dust bunnies living quite happily under there. Sin is the same way - if you let even just a little one go, it will soon cling to other "little" sins and before you know it, you're dealing with habitual sin, or even worse, deliberate sin.

The key is to reach for the only tool we have (which, fortunately is also the only tool we need!) - God's Word. Regular cleaning of our minds and hearts by thinking on things that are "true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy" (Philippians 4:8) will keep us from unconfessed, habitual and deliberate sin. The Bible is clear: "Do not give the devil a foothold" (Ephesians 4: 27). When it comes to avoiding habitual sin that can quickly build up if we do not heed this advice, the best thing we can do is claim the promise in 1 John 1:9 as soon as we realize we've sinned - "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just, and will forgive us our sins and purify [cleanse] us from all unrighteousness".

I challenge you today, as an act of faith and spiritual "spring cleaning" to take a look at your life and make any changes you feel you need to make in your attitudes and behaviors. Then ask God to take a look at your life and give you the strength and courage you need to change the things He points out that need to be changed. It's hard work, I know, but think of how much better you'll feel when it's done!

On Love (especially when we just don't want to)

I'm cheating a little today. I didn't find today's verse - it found me. I've been working on a Bible study for the past few months, and I'm just two days away from finishing it. I have to admit, I've honestly grown more since I started this study than I think I have at any other point in my life (thanks, Mom).

Some of you know that I've been having a really hard time dealing with a situation that has plagued me for the past year or so and has recently intensified. In the last week especially, I've run the gamut of emotions from sadness to disappointment to anger to hopelessness. It turns out that the heart of the issue (no pun intended) is this: I was not in a very loving mood. (For those of you who don't know what's been going on, don't worry, I'm sure you've had a similar experience at one point or another. Read on, my friends.)

The study I've been doing is about what it means to truly believe God, not just believe in Him. And this week, there were times when I was asking myself "What's the point? Just because I believe God doesn't mean life has gotten any better, and in fact, in some ways, it feels like it's gotten worse." And then I sat down to do today's part of the study and was smacked in the face (in a Godly, loving way of course) by the words of Galatians 5:6. "The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." I was then directed to read the description of love that has been read, I think, at every Christian wedding since it was written. I Corinthians 13:4-8 "Love is patient, kind, content, humble, not rude, not self-seeking, not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs...it protects, trusts, hopes and perseveres."

I've heard people talk about being grieved by their sin, but I'm not sure I ever really knew what they meant. Until today. Today, I read those words and tears came to my eyes. The only thing I could say to God was "not even close". I haven't been anywhere in the hemisphere of that definition of love this week. I'm not even completely sure I've been on the same planet with it. Can you relate at all? I'm sure if you're honest with yourself, you'll admit, I'm not alone here.

But you know what? God came up with that definition of love because that's what His love is like. He is patient and kind with us. He is not easily angered when we sin. And the best part? He keeps no record of wrongs. Good thing, huh? But it's way easier to like that definition of love when it's directed at us than when we're in a situation where we are supposed to be directing it at someone who, quite frankly, doesn't deserve it. But now, we're faced with the ugly reality that we don't deserve it either. And that leads to this, rather obvious, question: who are we to decide who deserves love and who doesn't? God doesn't pick and choose who to love, and we have no right to either. In fact, the person who we feel deserves it the least, probably needs it the most right now.

So how do we get to the point where we can love people the way God loves us? The answer is found in the verse I chose as my life's verse when I was in Junior High: Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." I can't love someone "unlovable" on my own. But if I submit my will to God's, and cling to Christ who loved me enough to die for me, I will be given the strength I need to do the right thing. On my own, I can do nothing. Through Christ, I can do anything, especially the very thing I feel is completely impossible. God does not ask us to do something unless He has given us the tools to get the job done. And for that, today, I praise Him!

On Hope

Today's point is very simple: "it is impossible for God to lie" (Hebrews 6:18b). I love the first verse of chapter 6. The writer of Hebrews says, "ok, we've covered the basics, lets get into some deeper stuff. You all know about saving faith, but let's talk about what kind of faith comes after that" (I'm paraphrasing, of course). He (or she, who knows?) then talks about the promise God made to Abraham that he would be the father of multitudes and that through him all generations would be blessed. Check back in Genesis 22 and you'll see that God really, really meant what He said when He made this promise. He meant it so much that He swore an oath. Now when we swear oaths, say, in court, we swear on the Bible, a.k.a. God's Word. When God swore an oath to Abraham, He swore on the only thing powerful enough to back up His word - Himself. Does that blow your mind a little?

So in a nutshell, what God says goes and the way we know that is 1) when He promised Christ to the world (the biggest, most important promise He made), He swore an oath in his own name, which the writer of Hebrews points out in the first part of verse 18, made the promise twice as secure, and 2) God can not lie.

But what does that mean for us? We know about Christ's saving atonement for our sins, so we know that God kept this particular promise. But what about other promises He made? He promised that we'll never be without Him (Hebrews 13:5). He promised to make a way for us to escape temptation (1 Corinthian 10:13). He promised that one day, we will reign with Him in a perfect world, free from all of the things that make us sad, angry, anxious, fearful, frustrated, and all those other negative emotions we experience day in and day out (2 Timothy 2:12). Will He keep those promises? 2 Corinthians 1:20 has the unbelievably amazing answer: "For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through Him, the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God." Amen!!!

On Victory

I'm laughing as I write today because my appreciation of God's grace and sense of humor is so strong right now. It's been a pretty rough week for me, and I've been struggling to keep my head above the waters of fear, guilt, anxiousness, and doubt. As I was summing up my day with God last night and again just now, I told Him that I don't feel particularly victorious. As God would have it, today's verse makes me shake my head in amazement - this is "Flip and Point" at its best, I think. "What's today's verse?" you ask. Well, it's Romans 8:37 "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." Seriously, God just cracks me up sometimes!

But wait, it gets better. I looked up this verse in Strong's Dictionary* and laughed again. Here's part of the definition of the Greek word for "conqueror" (which, by the way, in case you're curious is hupernikao): "To gain a surpassing victory". Not just a victory - a surpassing victory. Not just conquerors, more than conquerors.

And here's why we are more than conquerors and have surpassing victory: When Jesus rose from the dead, He conquered sin and death, and passed that victory on to us through His blood. We have Christ's victory! But we have something else too. Ephesians 1:18-20 tells us that we have great power at our disposal - we have the same power that God used to raise Christ from the dead. I'm pretty sure that much power is enough to overcome whatever comes our way. Don't you agree?

Because of all of this, we can know that no matter what happens or what kind of day we're having, it is in God's powerful hands and through Christ, we can indeed live victoriously through it. Kinda puts our troubles in perspective, doesn't it?

*I really would like to find the copyright information for this, but as far as I can tell, it's Public Domain. Hope I'm right...

On the Little Details

In Exodus 31, we see the account of the building of the Tabernacle, and are introduced to two men with special skills - Bezalel and Oholiab. In today's verses, we see the account of the building of the Temple and are introduced to a man with special skills. 2 Chronicles 2:13-14 talks about the qualifications of a man named Huram-Abi. Huram-Abi was a skilled craftsman who could work in wood, soft metals, hard metals, stone, yarn and fine linen, and engraving. He was sent to Solomon by the king of Tyre at Solomon's request. If you were to grab your Bible and read Exodus 31:1-6 you'd notice that Oholiab was also a skilled craftsman who could work in wood, soft metals, hard metals, stone, yarn and fine linen, and engraving. After some further research, I found another parallel - Oholiab and Huram-Abi were from the same tribe of Israel.

I've sat here pondering this one for a while now, and asked God what His point is. I think I've got it and it's really not too earth-shattering: There is no such thing as a coincidence. God has planned all of history and the future already and we're just sitting here watching it play out. In the case of the building of His two "dwellings", God ordained that two men, generations apart would come from the same tribe and be gifted with the same skills to create structures and furnishings for the ultimate churches. Long before either of these men were born, God chose them to be His workmen. He could have chosen any two people in those two generations, but He decided that they would come from the same tribe even. It may seem like a small thing, but it really does blow my mind. There is such intent and attention to detail in everything God does.

Before I started writing this, I was complaining to myself about some things in my life that just aren't working out the way I wanted them to. Silly me then asked God to settle me down and teach me something. I get it now - God didn't just choose these two guys so carefully, He chose me carefully too. Everything that has happened in my life (or hasn't happened), He chose. And guess what? The same goes for you. One of my favorite Psalms is 139 which says that before the creation of the world, God knew who each of us would be (v.16).

And what's even better than that, He sees the details we miss. It was one thing for Oholiab and Huram-Abi to have the same skill set. That was pretty important considering the job they were each given. But God added a little detail that would forever link them to each other. And I think that detail was put in for us who would read about them someday. Just a casual reading of Exodus and 2 Chronicles wouldn't bring up this seemingly insignificant parallel, but it's there.

What are we missing in the detail of our lives because we're just looking casually at them? What has God weaved into the fabric of our stories that someday will cause people to marvel at His attention to detail? I don't yet know what it is in my life, but I can now honestly say, I can't wait to see it someday. Our God is the Master Craftsman, and He does incredibly detailed work!

On Amazing Grace

About a week ago, many of us read today's verses (or similar verses in other Gospels). Matthew 27:57-61 tells about the acts of Joseph of Arimathea after Jesus' death. I'm sure as we've read this account over the years, we've always talked about the sacrifice Joseph made, or the irony of Jesus being buried in a rich man's tomb. The type of tomb Joseph had was very expensive, and criminals who were crucified were usually either left on the cross for the animals to eat (gross, I know - hope you're not eating breakfast right now), or taken down and thrown in a shallow grave in a field like the poor were. But I learned something new this week that I want to share with you.

Jewish law dictates that once a tomb was used, it could not be used again. However, that was only the case if the tomb was used for a non-family member. If, say, your mother was buried in the tomb and someone else in your family died, that person could also be put in that tomb and it would not be unclean. However, in the case of Joseph, since Jesus was not a member of his family, once He was laid in the tomb, it was considered unclean, and no one in Joseph's family would ever be able to use it. Joseph did make a rather significant sacrifice. He now had to go find some new after-life real estate, which was at a prime and would cost quite a bit of money.

What struck me when I learned all of this was the legalism of it all. Please note that I said this all was according to Jewish law, not God's law. Yes, as we read Exodus and Leviticus we see that God had some pretty strange and picky laws for the Jews to follow. But if that weren't enough, the Jewish leaders then decided to add a few thousand more (one version of the Talmud has almost 6,000 pages). To this day, there are Ultra Orthodox Jews who are living under not only the oppression of the blindness Satan is allowed to impose on them, but they are living under the oppression of thousands of man-made laws and the fear that if they break them their names will not be written the Book of Righteousness, and they will not go to Heaven. (An interesting study if you've got some time is of the Jewish holidays Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur - their sole purpose involves the confession of a year's worth of sins and hoping that one does it well enough to please God.)

I read yesterday about a man in Israel named Isaac who is an Ultra Orthodox Jew. According to the person he was talking to, he was searching for Truth. He talked about how he just wasn't sure his religion had it right and about how he was reading the writings of other religions - Hinduism, Buddhism, etc. He said he felt trapped in the ritual of his religion. The writer had the opportunity to share with Isaac about the truth of God's grace, and that is exactly what I take away from today's passage.

Because Jesus borrowed a tomb, we are free from the laws the Jews fear. Because Jesus didn't stay in Joseph's tomb, we can accept God's grace and mercy. We do not have to keep track of our sins and confess them once a year. We're free to do that the second we fall, and know, without a doubt, that because Jesus conquered sin and death "once, for all" (Heb. 7:27), we are bathed in His righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21) and we know our names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life (Rev. 21:22-27, 1 John 1:9). If you haven't thanked Jesus for dying for you today, stop and do it now, then pray for someone you know who is still hoping that they'll get into Heaven instead of living with the assurance that comes through Christ that we will one day see Him face-to-face.

On Volunteering

Our verse today is Leviticus 19:5, which says, "When you sacrifice a fellowship offering to the Lord, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf." The NKJV* says it another way: "And if you offer a sacrifice of a peace offering to the Lord, you shall offer it of your own free will."

The fellowship or peace offering the Israelites made was a voluntary offering, separate from offerings for sin or offerings to commemorate occasions. It was something they chose to do. The NIV and some other translations add a bit to the verse that isn't there in in the King James: if you're going to voluntarily do something for the Lord, do it in a way that He will accept. In the case of the offering, the verses following verse 5 talk about the proper way and time to eat the offering. (This offering, unlike some others, was meant to be eaten by the person who made it along with the priest in a communal meal. It had to be eaten within a certain time frame, otherwise, the person eating it would be unclean and would be banished, and the offering would be null.)

In our case, we aren't making animal sacrifices and don't have to be concerned about when they're eaten, but I think there's still a principle we can take away from this passage. When we do something voluntarily for the Lord, we need to be careful that we're doing it in a way that will be accepted by Him. In other words, when you decide to give of your time or other resources, be careful how you do it. Jesus talked about the way some people of His time were "volunteering" for God. In Matthew 6, He talks about giving to the poor, praying and fasting. He warned people to do these things as privately as possible - not to draw attention to themselves or to seek the approval of the people around them. He told them, basically, to check their motives.

The same holds true today. When we agree to do something for God, either in church, or even just before God, what is our motivation? Are we doing it so that someone here on earth will appreciate us and how hard we work for God? Are we doing it so that we'll "gain points" with God or get Him to do something for us? Or are we doing it out of gratitude for what He has done for us? Are we doing it as a pure act of worship? These are the sacrifices God accepts. These are the sweet fragrances that reach Him.

I had a conversation with a friend tonight that has me thinking a little further. Maybe it's time to take a look at the things you're doing to serve God. Service isn't necessarily easy, but sometimes, when something we're doing starts to feel like a burden, it may be God telling us to take a break, or even that He has something else for us to do instead. For years, I taught Sunday school, and for years, I enjoyed it. But one Sunday, I suddenly felt like I was hitting a wall when I tried to teach, and that continued for a few weeks. I first thought that maybe Satan was trying to keep me from teaching, but after a while, I realized that it was God telling me to take a break. For years I'd been teaching, but I wasn't being fed myself. I needed to stop giving and start taking in for a little while. It sounds selfish, but it was exactly what I needed to recharge and even redirect what I was doing.

So if you're feeling frustrated in a ministry, check your motives. If they're ok, check in with your Boss to make sure you're still doing what He wants you to be doing. And if you're considering either a new ministry or a vow to God, talk it over with Him first and make sure that when you voluntarily give, you do it "in such a way that it will be accepted."

* Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

On Living Like a Baby Christian

I think when most people first begin their walk with Christ (a.k.a. "get saved"), they are excited, eager, maybe a little nervous, and they want to drink up as much of God and His Word as they can. Yes, they're on an emotional high, but they're also on a spiritual high. How many of us who have been on this journey for a few years, emotions not withstanding, can say that we're still in that place?

Our verses today are found in Colossians 2:6-7, which says, "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him..." Just as. In other words, remember what you were like when you first recieved Christ? Be like that. Easier said than done? Probably. But here's a great thing about God: when He tells us to do something, He always gives us a little help.

How can we get back to wanting more and more of Him and living like we're excited that we know Him? Verse 7 very kindly gives us the answer: "[live] rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught..." Spend time in God's Word. Find a Bible Study (either a book or a group) and learn everything you can. Ask God to give you a hunger for Him and His Word. (Believe me when I tell you, of all the prayers I've prayed lately that have seemed to go unasnwered, that is definitely not one of them!!) Be like the Bereans Luke talks about in Acts 17:11. When you hear someone preach or teach from the Bible, go home and check out what he or she said for yourself. Dig a little deeper than you normally do. Check out the cross-references in your Bible when you read something. Ask God to show you something new, even in the old, familiar verses and stories. I truly believe that if you ask God for more of Him and for a better understanding of His Word, He will gladly comply.

Finally, add the last piece of verse 7: "[live] overflowing with thankfulness". I've found that there's no better way to fix a bad mood, or even a spiritual slump than to start thanking God for things. Try this: make a list every day of things you are thankful for, but use the date as a goal. For example, on the 7th of the month, list 7 things you're thankful for. It'll be an easy exercise at the beginning of the month, right?

We all go through highs and lows. We all have times when we feel so close to God and other times when we're not even sure we're saved. But if we make an effort to study the Bible, we will be "strengthened in the faith". (And by the way, on days when I'm feeling less than spiritual, I tell myself I'm studying it for "academic" purposes and it seems to eventually get me back in the right frame of mind.) We may not always have the same emotional high that comes from a new or renewed relationship with Christ, but with a little effort and by God's grace, we can still live our lives with the same hunger for Him. And if you need help getting started on today's list, thank God that He never asks us to do anything without also giving us what we need in order to obey.

On Waiting

Today’s verse is 2 Samuel 1:3, but let’s back up and get some context. 2 Samuel opens with David learning about the death of Saul and Jonathan. The Israelites were in a battle against the Philistines, and verse 9 tells us that Saul knew he was about to die. Rather than dying at the hands of the enemy, he asked one of his own to kill him. An Amalekite living among the Israelites came to David and told him that he was the man Saul asked to kill him. He said that he complied, took Saul’s crown and arm band and fled to where David was hiding out. After grieving briefly for Saul and Jonathan, David turned to the man and said, “Why were you not afraid to lift your hand to destroy the Lord's anointed?” (v.14). He then had his men kill the Amalekite.

David’s response seems cruel, doesn’t it? The Amalekite said that he was doing what Saul had told him to do. However, if we look back at 1 Samuel chapter 31, we find that the Amalekite wasn’t the one who killed Saul. Saul had killed himself. I’m not sure why the Amallekite lied to David, but in the end, he died for it. And whether God would have saved Saul’s life or not is anyone’s guess, but Saul’s act of manipulating the situation and taking his own life took away the opportunity for God to do something miraculous.

Regardless of who killed Saul, I think the “point” for today remains this: Let God be God. Is there something you’ve been praying about for a long time without an affirmative answer? Don’t try to force God’s hand. He has a plan and specific timing, and when we try to manipulate people or circumstances to get our way, we take away the opportunity for God to surprise us with what he as in store for us. Yes, we may get what we want, but what will we have missed? How do we know that what we want is what is best? Perhaps God had something we would have liked even better in mind. So even though it’s hard, continue to pray and wait on the Lord.

[But here’s possibly even a better idea (and a bonus “point”). I have a couple of things I’ve been praying for for years, and I’m still waiting to see what will happen. A few days ago, I decided to stop praying about those specific things. God knows what I want. I don’t have to keep telling him over and over again. (Yes, Jesus told us in Luke 18:1-8 to pray persistently, but I think I’ve reached the point where I’m just whining about things instead of simply being persistent.) So now, instead of praying for myself all the time, whenever I start thinking about these issues, I stop and pray for someone else instead. If you find yourself being consumed by something you’ve been talking to God about, maybe it’s time to take the focus off yourself, spend your prayer energy on someone else, and bless their life instead.]

On Turning the Everyday into Eternity

So I'm cheating a little bit today - I'm not "flipping & pointing". It's Easter, so let's do something that fits: Today's verse is Luke 22:20, which talks about "the cup" at the Last Supper. I've learned quite a bit about this part of the Last Supper story this week (with thanks to Beth Moore and my NIV Study Bible), so let me share my new-found knowledge with you.

During the Seder, four cups of wine are drunk, representing the four "I wills" of Exodus 6:6-7:
1) I will bring you out (the Cup of Sanctification), 2) I will free you from slavery (the Cup of Deliverance), 3) I will redeem you (the Cup of Redemption), and 4) I will take you as My own (the Cup of the In-Gathering).*

The first two cups are drunk before the main meal while the second two are drunk after the main meal. As Jesus ate the Passover meal with His disciples, Luke 22:20 says, "after the supper, He took the cup". Which cup did He take? It was third cup - the Cup of Redemption. It was this cup that Jesus, our Redeemer, turned into the cup of the New Covenant in His blood. (This, by the way, will count as today's "flip".)

The "point"? Everything that Jesus did He did with a specific purpose - to bring people to the Father. Nothing in His life was an accident or a coincidence. Jesus used the Passover meal, which had been celebrated for centuries and was familiar to the disciples, to forever change the meanings of the "I wills". Through Jesus' blood, God has brought us out of our sin, freed us from our slavery to it, redeemed us to Himself, and has taken us as His own.

Is there something familiar in your life that God will use to bring someone to Himself (or even to bring you closer to Him)? Maybe it's a talent you've just always had. Maybe it's something you learned as a child. Maybe it's an activity you do every day. Or maybe it's a bad experience in your past that God will "flip" into something good. Whatever it is, be on the lookout. Our God is a God of purpose, and His purpose is that no one should die without belonging to Him (2 Peter 3:9). You just never know when God will choose you to forever change the course of someone's eternity.

* Taken from Jesus the One and Only copyright 2000, Lifeway Press.