Miscellaneous thoughts

PEACE “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7, NKJV). The moments that I do not feel anxiety are precious and few. If there’s nothing else to worry about, I worry that I’m missing out on doing God’s will (no matter what I’m doing). If I would just talk to the Lord and tell Him what I need, remembering His goodness through thanking Him, He would take me to a place of experiencing His peace. As the old hymn goes, “take it to the Lord in prayer.” GOD IS WELL-PLEASED When Jesus was baptized, a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased” (Matthew 3:17 NKJV). All who belong to the Lord are partakers of Christ (Hebrews 3:14); we are Jesus’s spiritual brothers and sisters (Hebrews 2:11). And He is well-pleased with all of us! “Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!” (I John 3:1 NKJV). DOUBTING THOMAS AND REMORSEFUL PETER Thomas didn’t believe that Jesus had come back to life after He died and was buried, even though some of the other disciples had seen the resurrected Christ and had talked to Him. So Jesus showed up and let Thomas touch the scars in His hands and side; then Thomas believed. Jesus was willing to help Thomas with his weak faith: I believe He will do the same for anyone who will then respond, “My Lord and My God! (John 20:28 NKJV). After Peter denied that he knew Jesus, he felt terrible. I’m sure he was sorely disappointed in himself, and that his confidence was severely shaken. Then Jesus asked him three times, “Do you love Me?” (see John 21:15-19). Peter was grieved. I would be too. But Jesus also told Peter, “Feed My sheep,” thereby entrusting him with the care of His people. And Jesus prophesied about Peter’s death: he would be martyred. How reassuring it was for Peter to know that the Lord wanted to use him to help others, and that he’d have the courage to die for His Lord! It was exactly the encouragement that he needed.

GOD'S GLORY

God is not like heartless tyrants on earth who seek to glorify themselves at the expense of others. God’s glory is seen in the ways that He blesses us: God gets glory from showing us mercy. “Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but to Your name give glory, because of Your mercy, because of Your truth” (Psalm 115:1, NKJV). God is glorified when He shows us His love. “…to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask of think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3:19-21 NKJV). God’s glory is seen when He leads us into rest. “As a beast goes down into the valley, and the Spirit of the Lord causes him to rest, so You lead Your people, to make for Yourself a glorious name” (Isaiah 63:14 NKJV). God is glorified when He answers our prayers. “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son” (John 14:13 NKJV).

BEYOND

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3:20-21 NKJV). I am capable of thinking high and lofty thoughts! I can imagine myself preaching to a whole city and everyone repenting and worshiping God, like when Jonah preached in Nineveh. I can entertain thoughts (actually more like wishes) of glorious revelations from God and His love that would move my heart and change me forever. God is able to do greater things than that. What is your wildest, most glorious dream? Go ahead and dream, and know that God is beyond all of it. If our dreams don’t come true, it’s because God has something even better planned.

DELIVERED FROM SUFFERING

When I read in Luke 8:26-39 about Jesus driving a legion of demons out of a man, I noticed that afterward the man begged to stay with Jesus; he had a great love for the one who had delivered him from so much torment. I think that if I had been rescued from that much suffering, I’d love Jesus a lot too. (So far I haven’t become insane enough to live in a graveyard.) But all of us as Christians have been delivered from many forms of suffering, even if our lives have been relatively easy. Here are some troubles that the Lord has delivered me from: -hating myself. Who can hate someone who’s been given the gift of righteousness (Romans 5:17)? -meaninglessness. I know God and can walk with Him. That’s a reason to get out of bed in the morning. -boredom. His lovingkindnesses and compassion are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23). There’s always more of His beauty to behold. -feeling unimportant and unvaluable. Jesus valued us enough to die for our salvation, so He could be our bridegroom and live with us forever. -loneliness. He is with us always; not just present, but lovingly and attentively present (Psalm 40:5). -unfulfilled desires. Jesus is the deepest desire of our hearts, and if we find delight in Him, our desires are fulfilled (Psalm 37:4). -deception. Jesus is the truth who sets us free from the lies that make us miserable. Praise be to the Lord!

DESIRE

“Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4 NKJV). What do you desire? I believe that our [good] desires are clues to what God has given us. Here are my desires: I want to be loved. God loves us so much that He sent His Son to die so that we could become His. I want to be valued. God paid an infinite price for our redemption. We are priceless. All of us. I want someone to understand my troubles and struggles. Jesus has been through all of the temptations we face, and His understanding is infinite (Hebrews 2:18, Psalm 147:5). I want to make a positive difference in the lives of others. Jesus said, “You are the light of the world….Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14, 16). I want joy. In God’s presence is fullness of joy, and His people are continually in His presence (Psalm 16:11, Matthew 28:20). Note that God doesn’t just give us what we want; He does so infinitely, abundantly, fully. He ABOUNDS in riches to all who call upon Him (Romans 10:12). Thank You Lord!!!

Remember Me

"And He took bread, and gave thanks, and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, 'This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me.' Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you'" (Luke 22:19-20 NKJV). In the book The Power of the Blood Covenant, Malcolm Smith asks the question: How do we remember something that happened before we were born? He then explains that this remembering is not about bringing The past to mind. He defines remembering as "an active participation in the historical reality of the past by reenacting it, and in so doing realizing the powers released in that past in such a way as to shape the present moment." Smith goes on to say, "This definition of 'remember' means that at the celebration of the holy meal we do not look back to the cross and empty tomb. In this remembrance His finished work is brought forward into the present moment, even as He in His glory is uniquely here, present with us in the rite. We receive in the present moment all the effects of the covenant; in this now moment we rejoice in our redemption achieved, that the burden of sin and guilt has been sent away from us, and we are now declared righteous in Christ. We glory in our deliverance from the domain of darkness and in the eternal life that we partake of. All the terms, promises, and blessings of the covenant are here now in this present moment and released to us by the Spirit in the meal of remembering." Smith says, "...the Holy Spirit will achieve the 'remembering'; we set the table with bread and wine, but it is He who brings the past into our now time and brings about our being immediately present to the Lord Jesus, the guarantor of the new covenant." "It should also be noted that the subject of our remembering is not only His sufferings and death. He said "...in remembrance of Me"--the oceans of glory wrapped up in "Me" from the Incarnation to His exaltation to the right hand of the Father, which of course includes His sufferings and death but from the perspective of the glory that followed. Smith continues, "I believe that Luke deliberately recorded two meals, the one in the Upper Room the night of His sufferings and death that Matthew and Mark and Luke record, and then the Emmaus meal that is unique to Luke's gospel." "In both cases, Jesus took, gave thanks or blessed, broke, and gave the bread to them. The night of the institution of the meal was overshadowed by the enormous cost of ratifying the new covenant: sufferings, bloodshed, and death. The meal in Emmaus was the celebration of the triumphant Jesus, who had achieved the covenant; He was made known to them in the breaking of bread, and the disciples were filled with unspeakable joy and burning hearts." In other words, when we take the bread and cup, we join Jesus in celebrating in the present all of the wonderful gifts that were given to us because of what He did in the past.

HIS COMMANDMENTS ARE NOT BURDENSOME

“For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 John 5:3-5) His commandments are not burdensome because God has put a heart in His people that loves Him, and loves to love unselfishly, as He does (Romans 5:5, Galatians 5:22).

CHOOSE LIFE

“CHOOSE life” (Deuteronomy 30:19 NKJV). Trying to push people into making the right choices is sin, a sin that I’ve been guilty of many times. Gentle persuasion isn’t bad, but God refuses to violate people’s free will, and if we want to be like Him, we must allow people the freedom to choose good or evil. When I try to control others, it’s partly noble: I want them to have a good life. I also want to avoid the pain of watching them crash and burn. God, however, seems willing to endure this pain. He insists that people come to Him in love and trust, and these cannot be forced; they must be chosen. He fully understands how painful it is to watch people choose sin; He feels it right along with us.

REST “Today, if you will hear His voice: do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, as in the day of trial in the wilderness, when your fathers tested Me; they tried Me, though they saw My work. For forty years I was grieved [disgusted] with that generation, and said, ‘It is a people who go astray in their hearts, and they do not know My ways.’ So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest’” (Psalm 95:7-11). “Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience” (Hebrews 4:11 NKJV). “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11: 28 NKJV). The Israelites were in the wilderness, had no water to drink, and were afraid they were going to die (See Exodus 17:1-7). They tested God by saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?” Their souls had no rest because they didn’t believe that the Lord was with them and that He’d take care of them. He did give them water for their physical thirst, but until they saw the miracle, their unbelief kept their souls in turmoil. Lack of trust in God’s provision can also lead to discontentment. It’s interesting to note that in Hebrews 13:5, God doesn’t just command us to be content and not covet. He, aware of our tendency to fear that our needs will be left unmet, adds, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” He understands that faith and trust are hard, and He gently reassures us that though He’s invisible, He’s a very present help in trouble (see Psalm 46:1). Life brings tests of faith, and it’s easy to think that God has abandoned us and won’t meet our needs. We must be diligent to seek His loving face, and believe the truth that the One who delivered His Son to death for our salvation will also freely give us all things (Romans 8:32).

PRAYER

CHILDLIKE PRAYER “Now, O Lord my God, You have made your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in……Therefore give to your servant an understanding [literally, hearing] heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil” (1 Kings 3:7,9). God was pleased when Solomon prayed this prayer, and I think there were two things that impressed Him. The obvious one is that Solomon asked unselfishly for wisdom and discernment to judge the people well. God likes it when we ask for wisdom to help others well, and He will always say yes to that prayer. Not only did Solomon want to be able to make right decisions, but he also acknowledged that God was the only one who could give him good judgment. Solomon knew that he’d need to continually be listening to the Lord. He called himself a little child. We also need to see ourselves as little children, with Jesus holding our hand and guiding us as we pray and as we walk through life. And if we’re not good at connecting with Jesus and receiving His guidance, no worries: the Spirit intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words (Romans 8:26-27). Sometimes we children get weary, overwhelmed, angry, or discouraged, and we can’t even bring ourselves to pray. At those times, Jesus prays for us (Romans 8:34). It’s a no-lose situation! Lord, we are little children who don’t know how to pray. We don’t see the needs clearly, nor the right decisions, but You do. Thank You that You take us by the hand and help us pray. ASK WHATEVER YOU WISH “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you” (John 15:7 NKJV). Ask what you DESIRE??!!?? Really? Is God going to give me a million dollars? I could surely use that. When we are connecting with Jesus and experiencing His love, how many things will we ask for that are not His will? We’ll soak in His love and love Him wholeheartedly in return. We’ll love others as we have been loved. That is His will.

FEAR

“Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Hebrews 2:14-15 NKJV). Jesus sets us free from fear of physical death and eternity in hell, for which we are eternally grateful. But He sets us free from all other fear as well: fear that we aren’t going to be able to make life work, fear of our unholiness being exposed, fear of being worthless, fear of loneliness, fear of not having the perfect love that we desperately need, fear of meaninglessness and insignificance and all other fears that come from being separated from God. We need not worry about trying to make life work; that’s not our job. All we need to do is listen to the voice of our Shepherd and follow Him. Jesus took away our unholiness when He died and took away our sins. We just need to believe it. I like to think of Jesus putting a white robe on me; and on the robe are these words: “Christ my righteousness.” We need not fear that we are worthless, because no person created by God is worthless. We are made in His image, and no matter how much that image has been twisted, we are still infinitely valuable. Those who belong to Jesus are never alone or unloved. God is love, and He will never leave us. We are significant and our lives have meaning because those who trust in Christ bring praise to His glory (Ephesians 1:12). Thank You, Lord, for delivering us from all our fears.

THE GREATEST GIFT

…”according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior” (Titus 3:5-6 NKJV). God doesn’t just give us a bunch of nice blessings, He gives us the gift of His Spirit, which is Himself. And this gift is given in abundance! What greater gift could He possibly give? And He gave Himself to us in every way imaginable. Here are a few of them: He died to save us. He lets us see His works and ways. He speaks to us (John 10:3, 16). He openly declares His eternal love (Psalm 136). He meets all of our needs (Philippians 4:19, Romans 8:32). He fulfills the desires of our hearts (Psalm 37:4). He’s always thinking about us (Psalm 40:5). He’s always with us. He humbly serves us. He tells us how glorious we are in Christ (John 17:22-23). And someday He will run and fall on our neck and kiss us, because we are His beloved children.

NEW LIFE IN CHRIST

When we share the gospel with people, some will respond negatively, but those whom God has chosen (and we may be surprised at which ones they are) will receive the gift of salvation in Jesus. We can rejoice in their new life, and our own, for SO many reasons: God has given us forgiveness of all sin, and eternity in heaven with Him! Sin is no longer our master. As we follow the leading of God’s Spirit and depend on Him, we receive the power to be godly. Christ lives in our hearts and changes our desires and behaviors (Phil. 2:13). He puts His laws in our minds and hearts (Heb. 8:10). We are one spirit with the Lord and have His mind and heart ((1 Cor. 6:17, 1 Cor. 2:16, Ez. 36:26-28). We receive every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (Eph. 1:3). The Spirit reveals to us what God has freely given us (1 Cor. 2:12). The list is endless. Knowing God Himself is our greatest blessing. His lovingkindnesses are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23). How many mornings will there be in eternity? We will never fully explore the dimensions of His love. When we become God’s children, God’s people and His angels will praise Him for the glory of His grace (Eph. 1:6). We have become the light of the world and the fragrance of Christ, so His glory is revealed through us. Jesus gives believers His glory, so we may be one as He and the Father are one. It’s amazing how people who love Jesus become such close friends so quickly. Through this, God reveals Himself and His love to the world (John 17:22-23). And much much more!

FIXING OUR EYES ON JESUS

Our pastor was telling of a time when his children were acting childish and he became impatient with them. Then he asked the Lord for help, and the Lord did help him to be more loving. I have been impatient with many people on many occasions. I find it helpful to picture Jesus in my mind, and to see His attitude and what He’s doing as He’s in the situation with me. It never fails that when I find people irritating, Jesus is steadfast in His love for them. Then I just remember that my life is in Him, and He is in me; and I can let His love flow through me to the people in my life. I believe that this is the “exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe” which is spoken of in Ephesians 1:19. It’s the power to love.

RIGHTEOUSNESS

“I…count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith” (Philippians 3:8-9 NKJV). “But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6:14 NKJV). I usually think of righteousness as faith expressing itself through love (see Galatians 5:6). And it’s discouraging to think how small my faith is and how poorly I love. But there is error in this thinking, because righteousness is a gift from our Savior, purchased by His death on the cross. The wording of Philippians 3:8 seems to indicate that when we stop grading ourselves on our good works and simply receive the gift of righteousness in Christ, this is how we get to know Him. So if you, like me, ever feel bad about your lack of faith and love, you need only to remember that Jesus, not your performance, is your righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6, 1 Corinthians 1:30), and then you can begin to see Him as such.

THOUGHTS FROM EPHESIANS

“…with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:2-3 NKJV). Lowliness, gentleness, longsuffering, and forbearance do not come easily for me. But it helps to see that these verses include the motivation: love, and a desire for peace and unity. My husband is a peacemaker, and he displays great forbearance and gentleness because he’s motivated to preserve relationships. He points out that maintaining peace and unity includes not insisting on one’s own way, but working with people where they’re at. I’ve been through rough times with some of my daughters when there was strife and animosity between us. I don’t want things to be like that anymore, and this motivates me to imitate, by God’s grace, the gentleness and patience of Christ who laid down His life for those He loves. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. “’Be angry and do not sin’: do not let the sun go down on your wrath” (Eph. 4:30 NKJV). God gives us all day to get over our anger! That’s a lot more time than I’ve been giving to the people in my life, or to myself. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Eph. 4:30 NKJV). Thank You, Lord, for letting us feel Your grief when we’re walking in an unloving manner. Then we can turn around and get back on the path of love.

INHERITANCE

“In Him…we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:11-12, NKJV). It seems that a Christian’s inheritance is the privilege of being “to the praise of His glory”. Not what you were hoping for? Oh, we’ll get mansions and streets of gold too, but that’s not the best part. When we see God’s glory, His love that is better than life, and His beautiful character, the only thing we’ll want is to praise Him. But it’ll be better than that: we will BE to the praise of His glory, meaning that we’ll be like Him and our lives will shine forth His glory; we’ll be participants in it. We will experience oneness with our beautiful, holy, glorious, loving Jesus! We can begin to experience this the day we are born again. First Corinthians 6:17 says, “…he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.” Present tense.

Quotes from Desiring God

I have been enjoying the book Desiring God by John Piper, and I wanted to share some quotes from it: "We do not believe Jesus when He says there is more blessedness, more joy, more lasting pleasure in a life devoted to helping others than there is in a life devoted to our material comfort. And therefore the very longing for contentment which ought to drive us to simplicity of life and labors of love contents itself instead with the broken cisterns of prosperity and comfort." Commenting on Hebrews 12:1-2: "The greatest labor of love that ever happened was possible because Jesus pursued the greatest imaginable joy, namely, the joy of being exalted to God's right hand in the assembly of a redeemed people. 'For the joy set before him, he endured the cross!'" "Love is the overflow of joy in God that meets the needs of others. The overflow is experienced consciously as the pursuit of our joy in the joy of another." What I get out of this is that pursuit of joy is a good thing. God does it. It makes Him happy when He blesses others. And it will make us happy when we bless others.

THE CANAANITE WOMAN'S FAITH

“And Jesus…withdrew into the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman came out from that region, and began to cry out, saying, ‘Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed.’ But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came to Him and kept asking Him, saying, ‘Send her away, for she is shouting out after us.’ But He answered and said, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’” “But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, ‘Lord, help me!’ And He answered and said, ‘It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.’” “But she said, ‘Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their master’s table.’” “Then Jesus answered and said to her, ‘O woman, your faith is great; be it done for you as you wish.’ And her daughter was healed at once” (Matthew 15:21-28 NASB). When I read this Scripture passage in the past, I got very distracted wondering why Jesus called the woman and her daughter dogs. I looked in a commentary and discovered that in Jewish society in New Testament times, Gentiles were scorned by Jews. So Jesus was just voicing the prevailing point of view. I don’t think it was His point of view. I think He liked this woman very much from the outset, and He was setting her up to be greatly honored. The desperate mommy displayed unwavering faith in Jesus’s power and received a huge compliment from Jesus. Lord Jesus, thank You that we don’t have to make it into a certain social group to receive Your kindness and healing. It thrills our hearts to know that if we persevere in believing in Your power and mercy, You greatly appreciate it, and You will praise us for it.

ABIDING IN HIS LOVE AND OTHER THOUGHTS

ABIDE IN MY LOVE “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:9-12 NKJV). Jesus loves us as much as God loves Him! Wow! There’s a thought that will put joy in our day. And as we experience His love, we will be able to love others in the same way. There are zillions of ways to experience the Lord’s love. I experience His love when I close my eyes and see Jesus’s smiling face. Or when I read about the prodigal son and imagine Father God running to me and giving me a bear hug. My daughter experiences love when she’s with her friends, because they could dump her but they don’t. She’s receiving God’s love through people. God also shows His love through what He has made (Psalm 33:5), through His faithfulness (Psalm 36:5), His comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3-4), His answers to prayer (Psalm 65:2), His guidance day by day (Psalm 23:1)……the list is endless. I pray that God will guide each of us into a greater experience of His love. PRAYERS AND PRAISES “O Lord God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You?......we will stand…in Your presence…and cry out to You in our affliction, and You will hear and save…..we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You” (2 Chronicles 20:6, 9, 12 NKJV). This prayer of King Jehoshaphat’s is a great prayer because it acknowledges who God is: our powerful, attentive Savior. This is the kind of prayer that strengthens faith. This is also a humble prayer of dependence: “nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.” The whole point of prayer is to turn our attention to God; and we need to remain focused on Him until His Spirit communicates a response. In 2 Chronicles 20:14, the Spirit of the Lord spoke through Jahaziel in response to Jehoshaphat’s prayer. God may direct us to hear from Him through another person, or He may speak to us directly (see Acts 13:2). But He always answers (Jeremiah 33:3). I often can relate to Jehoshaphat’s statement, “nor do we know what to do.” There is so much hopelessness in that unless I do what Jehoshaphat and his people did: focus on the Lord. This opens up the opportunity for some very sweet fellowship with our loving Shepherd. The Lord wants us to come to Him as children, in humility, to receive His gentle, loving care. “He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom” (Isaiah 40:11 NKJV). Later in 2 Chronicles 20, we see that on the day of battle, singers were appointed to sing to the Lord, praising the beauty of holiness and saying, “Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever” (verse 21). Again, praise honors God and also ministers to the hearts of the ones praising. It’s very comforting to remember God’s mercy when facing a powerful enemy, or a challenging day. DISCOURAGEMENT Some days the deceiver attacks me with these lies: You don’t matter. The Lord Jesus is asleep on the job and he’s not leading you. Or maybe he just doesn’t care, because you’re not important. When I start thinking this way, I like to picture the loving face of Jesus as I remember these Scriptures: “The Lord is my Shepherd….He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake” (Psalm 23:1a, 3b). “But Zion said, ‘The Lord has forsaken me, and my Lord has forgotten me.’ ‘Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands’….says the Lord” (Isaiah 49:15-16a, 18 NKJV). HELP IN TROUBLE When I was a small child, I worried about lightning striking my house. This actually happened once, but since we had a lightning rod, there was only some blackening of the siding, and no fire. I also worried about robbers breaking in. But I could set aside my worries because I believed that if disaster struck, my father would take care of us. As an adult, I know that my husband will protect his family with every ounce of his strength. I’ve seen him climb out of bed at night to check on noises outside our house. I also know that some disasters can’t be stopped by a mere mortal. That’s when I need to trust that our heavenly Father is mighty and will be there for us. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea” (Psalm 46:1-2 NKJV). IMMANUEL ….”they shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated, ‘God with us’” (Matthew 1:23 NKJV). “The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth” (Psalm 145:18 NKJV). Why did Jesus come to earth as a baby? It was because the desire of His heart is to be near us. His death and resurrection were so that He could reconcile us to Himself and be near us. This is what He wants.

CHRISTMAS EVERY DAY

At that time Jesus answered and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.” ---Matthew 11:25-26 NKJV Being a Christian is like having Christmas every day. Every day God has gifts for us. But we have to be like children to receive from God. My biggest struggle with unchildlikeness is that I go to God’s word or church or a small group meeting thinking that there’s not going to be anything there for me, nothing to meet my need, encourage or inspire me. Or I think that since I’m already familiar with a particular truth, it’s not going to help me grow. The truth is that God’s word, from His book or from His people, is encouraging and inspiring, and meets needs. We just need to have the attitude of children on Christmas morning. God has wondrous things for us, not only in His promises, but also in His commands, which are given for our benefit (Psalm 119:18). Look for those blessings. Open up those gifts!

TRUTH VS. LIE

I have always thought I wasn’t good at relationships. Recently a friend and I were praying about this. I came to realize that I had been believing lies. One of the lies was that I’m not valuable, therefore no one would want to know me. Of course the Lord shot this lie to pieces. He reminded me that He loves all people enough to sacrifice His Son’s life for us. He paid an infinitely high price to redeem us, because He considers us infinitely valuable. He delights in His people, and He loves it when we talk to Him (Isaiah 62:4, Proverbs 15:8). We are precious to Him (Isaiah 43:4).

DELIGHT

I often think that I must be an annoying thorn in people’s sides and that they must get tired of being around me. I so want to be a delight to someone and not an irritation. I asked the Lord if He likes me enough to be patient with me. He showed me that He chose me before He created the world (Ephesians 1:4-5). He also led me to Zephaniah 3:17, which says, “The Lord your God in your midst….will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing” (NKJV).

MARY AND MARTHA

Jesus’s friends Martha and Mary are fascinating. Martha was a legalist with judgmental tendencies (Luke 10:40), totally devoted to doing her duty. Jesus reproved her for choosing chores over Him. When her brother Lazarus died, Martha and Jesus had a chat about resurrection. Her mouth stated that Jesus could raise the dead (John 11:22), but her heart doubted that He’d do it (John 11:39). Martha’s sister Mary was very much in touch with her heart. She sat and listened to Jesus (Luke 10:39) because her heart was drawn to Him. She spent a fortune on spikenard and poured it on Jesus’s feet, wiping His feet with her hair (John 12:3). Mary was a wholehearted worshiper, surely one of Jesus’s closest friends. When Lazarus died, she was lost in her grief. If Jesus had discussed resurrection with Mary, I believe she would have spoken out of the pain that was in her heart, and she would have asked Him if He was going to revive her dead brother. Martha the legalist probably didn’t think she deserved such a favor, and therefore didn’t ask for it. The poor woman just didn’t understand grace. But Jesus did bring Lazarus back to life, a wonderful blessing that neither Martha nor Mary had earned. I really relate to Martha. I can be driven by duty, devastated by my imperfection, doubting the grace of God. Hebrews 4:15 (NKJV) says, “Let us…come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” If there is ever any kind of need, Jesus is willing to meet it, and not because we’ve earned it, but because He is merciful and gracious.

LONG-TERM TRIALS

In chapter five of the book of John, we read about the time when Jesus encountered a man who had suffered from an infirmity for 38 years. There was a pool called Bethesda, and occasionally an angel would stir up the water, and the next person who got into the pool would be healed. Jesus knew that this guy had suffered a long time, so He approached him and asked him if he wanted to be healed. The man poured out his frustration: “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me” (John 5:7 NKJV). Then Jesus healed him. We have here some great encouragement for those of us who have endured difficulties for a long time. Not only does Jesus care about the discouraging, no-win situations, He also has compassion when we are left alone with no one to help us. If life is tough and there’s no light at the end of the tunnel, be assured that the Lord truly does care and is always there for us.

FRIENDSHIP

As a child, I was very shy and quiet. This made kindergarten very difficult for me, because I didn’t know my classmates very well, and I didn’t really have friends. I remember being all alone at playtime, feeling very left out. Things were pretty much like this for six and a half years. I developed a deep belief that I didn’t belong anywhere among my peers, that I wasn’t likable, that I had to be entertaining to have friends. I’ve spent my life believing all this, but none of it is true. I asked the Lord about this, and the first thing that came to mind was these song lyrics: “I don’t want clever conversation; I never want to work that hard. I just want someone that I can talk to—I want you just the way you are” (“Just the Way You Are”, Billy Joel). Then He told me: “I made you one of a kind. I made you just the way I wanted you to be. You don’t have to fit someone else’s idea of what a good friend is like. Love builds up others (1 Corinthians 8:1). Let My love flow through you to others, and you will be great in My eyes, because love is the greatest attribute of all.” Dear Christians, these things are true of all of us. GOD lives in us, and He leads us in the way of love. That makes us very good at friendship.

ONE WITH GOD

I just watched the movie Pacific Rim. It was a lot like Godzilla vs. the Transformers, except that the Transformers were called Jaegers. Here’s the interesting part: inside each Jaeger were two people whose brains were somehow connected so that they could fight monsters better. These two people knew each other’s thoughts and memories, which of course led to a romantic interest between Raleigh and Mako, the hero and heroine. The thought of being understood by someone is very appealing, and in the real world, God is better at this than anyone else. He makes the effort to search us and know our hearts and our ways (Psalm 139:1-3). To those who believe in Him he gives His mind (1 Corinthians 2:16). But God unites with us in a much deeper way than this. When we give ourselves to Him, He puts His Spirit (i.e. Himself) in us, and we become one spirit with Him (1 Cor. 6:17). His love is poured into our hearts (Romans 5:5), making it possible to be one with Him who is love. God creates in the human heart a desire for belonging, acceptance, and permanent, faithful, intimate love. We have these desires because we are made in His image, and He has these desires. Life is about following the desires of our hearts to where they take us: straight to God. The Lord Himself is the fulfillment of our deepest desires, and we are the fulfillment of His.

THE PRODIGAL'S FATHER

The father heart of God is seen so well in the parable of the prodigal. When the wayward son comes home, his compassionate father embraces him and throws a big party. What can I say? It’s beautiful. But that’s not the whole story. The older son gets upset because his father killed the fatted calf for his errant brother, whereas there hadn’t been any parties for him. Notice how the father responds to this complaint: “Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours” (Luke 15:31 NKJV). He shared all of his possessions and all of himself with his son. There is literally nothing more that he could possibly give. This is the heart of our God.

JUDGING OTHERS I can be forgiving to judgmental people as long as I’m sure they’re not judging me. When I think that I’m being judged, my thought is: this hurts, and I can live without you judgmental people. So I avoid them. At a deeper level, when someone is judging me, I feel like I’m not good enough. It makes me feel that I have to lie up to expectations to earn acceptance. And I’m not sure I’ll be able to pull that off. That produces anxiety, and loneliness isn’t as intensely painful as anxiety, so I pull away from people. Clearly Jesus wants us to love those who have ungracious attitudes. How does one do that without getting emotionally devastated? Here’s what Jesus said to me about this: You don’t earn acceptance. I love sinners. And: You are good enough. I took away your sin and made you holy (John 1:29, Col. 3:12, Rom. 5:17). Jesus, please help us believe these truths in our hearts and not just in our heads.

WORKS VS. FAITH The other night I had more family members at my dinner table than I had planned for, and consequently everyone was going to get small portions of the entrée. This upset me quite a bit, and in my stressed-out state I said some unkind things. Somewhere deep inside me is the belief that I have to do everything right to be successful and to be a good person. Then when things don’t go smoothly, I come unglued. I knew that the Lord was not seeing the situation as I was. In His sweet and gentle way, He reminded me that He is in favor of serving others in love, not serving others in order to feel good about oneself. Since love is His highest priority, I decided to read about godly love in First Corinthians 13. There was good news and bad news. The bad news: If we have not love, we are nothing. The good news: God is love, and His Spirit lives in His people. So all the qualities of love that are listed in 1 Corinthians 13 are qualities that every Christian has been given. Now there’s a reason to feel good about oneself! Just because I don’t always behave in a loving way doesn’t mean I am an unloving person, though Satan would surely want me to think that. As I looked at 1 Corinthians 13, I realized that over the years the Lord has been helping me to grow in love, as He does with all of His children. Thank You, Lord!