May the Name of the Lord be Praised!

Boy has it been a rough couple of weeks!  For those of you who don't know, we closed on our first home at the end of March and moved in April 1.  Let me preface all of this by saying we love our home.  The space inside, the beautiful yard, quiet neighborhood, and nice neighbors.  We prayed and prayed and prayed that God would lead us to the home He has for us in the area He desired us to be and we truly believe He did just that.  Then we moved in.  Within our first 2 weeks here I had three different plumbers out here trying to figure out why everything was backing up into our downstairs toilet.  They seemed to get it all straight and the next week we found a water spot on the ceiling just below the master bathroom . . . another plumber out to fix it.  Then we could breathe . . . for about 2 days before everything started backing up into the downstairs bathroom again.  Some more plumbers, digging up the yard, problem fixed.  In the meantime my computer died and took all of my files with it (sorry I don't have the Venezuelan Lasagna recipe for you - it was good), my car battery died in a parking garage after church one Sunday, and my phone got left of the back bumper of my car to be thrown out into the street in the middle of downtown to be returned later.  Phew!  It was a chaotic time around here and I was not reacting well.

We had a speaker a couple weeks ago at church that said something that stuck with me because I realized it's how I had been thinking.  He said some of us think God has forgotten our name and lost our address.  Just after hearing this my car battery died and my phone was lost.  I joked that I thought I had left a forwarding address for God when we moved, but it must have gotten lost.  It sounds funny, but at a deeper level that is what I was struggling with.  I started questioning if we had heard God correctly.  Had I done something wrong and was being punished?  Every day seemed to bring a new set up frustrations and I was not handling it well.  Finally I decided I needed some perspective so I turned to Job.  In the first chapter Job loses his livestock, servants, and all ten of his children.  Not only that but he is told back to back to back without a break between blows.  I experienced this on a very minuscule scale and my reaction was frustration, anger, and displacing those emotions on others.  So how did Job respond?

At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head.  Then he fell to the ground in worship and said:

'Naked I came from my mother's womb,

and naked I will depart.

The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;

may the name of the Lord be praised.'

In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

~Job 1:20-22

Rather than get angry, yell, and curse God, Job recognized God's immense power.  He didn't question why all of this happened, but trusted that God had a plan.  And he worshipped!  Later on in chapter 2 Job's own wife tells him to curse God and die (Job 2:9) and Job again refuses, choosing to trust God's plan and sovereignty. 

Reading this brought a lot of conviction.  I was not handling these situations well and certainly was not trusting God's plan.  I repented and asked God to help me react to each situation in a way that would glorify Him.  In that moment I realized how much He had already stepped in with each problem and I hadn't thanked him.  With all of the plumbing issues we only had to pay the initial plumber to come out because the company that sold us the house decided to fix all of the issues at no charge to us - that almost never happens!  They didn't have any obligation to help, but they did.  When my computer died we were able to find another one at a very reasonable price the same day.  When my car battery died my parents just happened to be in town to help and there just happened to be a guy in the parking garage with jumper cables who was willing to let us hold him up to borrow them.  And when my phone flew off into the street downtown, someone picked up it, answered it, and waited for us to come pick it up.  Every one of those situations could have turned out very differently, but God did not forget my name.  He never lost my address.  He knew exactly where I was the entire time and was working on my behalf through it all.  It was me who lost sight of Him.  My perspective and focus became too much on the problem in front of me and not the Problem-Solver.  May I remember this lesson the next time we face difficulty and trust that He is in complete control.

Tid Bits

As my life has changed much over the last several months I realize how fast-paced our society is.  We often claim we don't have time to sit over a devotion or quiet time for long and therefore miss out on what God is speaking.  In response to this I feel as though God has been leading me to change how I present these posts.  Rather than long stories or explanations that only a few truly have time to read I want to share the tid bits that God draws out of the Scriptures for me each morning as I get in a few minutes with Him before my days starts.

Today I was reading in Matthew 26 and God highlighted a few truths from this passage:

A woman came to Jesus with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment, and she poured it on His head as e sat at the table.  But when the disciples saw it, they were angry and said, "Why this waste?" . . . But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, "Why do you trouble the woman?  She has performed a good service for me.  ~ Matthew 26:7-8, 10

Too often we become focused on the opinions of others and it cripples our ability to serve God.  This woman did something incredible for Jesus, something He praised her for and promised that wherever the Good News would be proclaimed that her story would be told (Matt 26:13).  Praise God that her focus was upon serving Jesus and not upon the opinions of others.  For she obeyed what God called her to do regardless of what others might think.

Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, "What will you give me if I betray Him to you?"  ~ Matthew 26:14

Judas' betrayal of Jesus was done out of selfishness and a self-focused perspective.  He was more concerned about what would be given to him than what would happen to Jesus because of his actions.  Lord, let our focus be upon You rather than upon ourselves.  For we know that You are the giver of every good and perfect gift (James 1:17).  There is nothing this world can offer that would be greater than what You give.  Help me, Jesus, to be more focused on You, Your Name, and Your Glory than upon my own.  Amen.

Jesus said to Judas, "Friend, do what you are here to do."  Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and arrested Him.  ~  Matthew 26:50

Knowing what Judas has come to do and the pain Jesus will face because of that choice, Jesus calls him "friend."  What hope that gives us!  What love, that in spite of all the times we have hurt, denied, and turned our backs on Jesus, He calls us friend.

Then Peter began to curse, and he swore on oath, I do not know the man!"  At that moment the cock crowed.  Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said: "Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times."  And he went out and wept bitterly. ~ Matthew 26:74-75

How often I forget the truth of God's Word and need a reminder like Peter received.  God has spoken so much truth to us through Scripture - words of peace, strength, joy, power - that we quickly forget, especially when we are in difficult situations and need it most.  Lord, let us be accepting of the reminders of Your Truth.  Let our pride not get in the way of taking these words of power and wisdom to heart, letting them soak into us that they might effect change from the inside out.

The Annoying Kid Next Door

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! – 1 John 3:1a          

    
       As I wrote my last post on service and was thinking about God's mercy and the Church's response to Him I found myself sad on the Lord's behalf.  In my own experience I can remember how I've treated God at times, how I've pushed Him out of the way to make room for other things, how I've forgotten Him. 

    
        I think sometimes we forget what it means to have relationship with Christ.  We forget who He is in our lives.  Consider this:  you're at a big, fancy event and see this person that you really admire.  They're rich, world famous, powerful, influential.  You see them surrounded by a huge crowd and although you wish you could say hello you know there's no way you would get close enough to say anything, and even if you did, would they even notice you?  As you're standing in the corner contemplating this, that person sees you from a distance, calls out your name, and runs towards you!  They give you a giant hug, tell you how they've been waiting to meet you, and ask if you have any time coming up that you could hang out.  How do you respond?  Most of us would clear our calendars for as long as we could to hang out with that person!  I mean if this famous person wants to hang out with us, what could possibly get in the way of that, right?

     
       Now, imagine that person is Christ.  How do you respond?  It's sad to say many of us would respond completely different.  We'd pull out our calendars, hum and hull about some appointment we have, and end up asking if they could e-mail us later to find a date.  It's sad, but we think of Jesus more as the annoying kid next door that our mom makes us play with than this awesome, amazing God of the universe who desires to spend time with us. We spend time with Him because we feel like we're supposed to - after all, isn't it the "Christian thing to do?"   We pray and read our Bibles because we don't want to hurt God's feelings or because "mom said."  In truth, if you simply looked at the fact that we are but a vapor on this earth and He is the everlasting God, we should be so honored and amazed that He should want relationship with us, that He should even know our name, that we would clear our calendars for the rest of our lives to make room for whatever He wants to do!

        
    Are you treating Him as the amazing, merciful, and compassionate God that He is or has He become that annoying kid next door in your life?

Whoever has My commands and keeps them is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” – John 14:21

(Beautiful picture courtesy of my friend, Jessica Sepúlveda.  Thanks, Jess!)

Gifted

Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. ~ 1 Corinthians 12:14-15


I was struck recently about the importance of people using the gifts God has given them. There are so many different gifts that God gives and each is important. Just as the verse above explains, there are some people that although they are gifted, feel that their gifting is inadequate somehow or not good enough. Often these people choose to hide the gifts they have received instead of stepping out in what they have. When we choose to do this we are depriving the body of a crucial element.

When a person has eyes, but does not see we call them blind and say they are disabled. If a person has ears, but does not hear, we say they are deaf and are disabled. When a member of the body withholds their function, the body of Christ is disabled.

Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. ~ 1 Peter 4:10

Your gift should be used to glorify God. YOU are crucial to His body. When we hold back from using the gifts God has given us, we are not allowing His body to work as effectively as it should. Some people hide their gifts because they believe they aren’t good enough.

Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, “He did not make me?” Can the pot say of the potter, “He knows nothing?” ~ Isaiah 29:16b

God created you just as you are with a purpose in mind. The gifts He has given you are meant to praise His name and serve His people. Do not think that your gift is “not good enough.” In 1 Timothy 4, he is reminded not to neglect his gifts. 1 Corinthians 7:7 tells us that every many has his own gifts. 1 Corinthians 12 says several times that each of us is given different gifts. It says that if we were all given the same gift it would be like just having an eye. Although it could see, it wouldn’t be able to hear, speak, walk, touch, etc. Romans 11:29 tells us that His gift and His call are irrevocable. You have been given a gift and have been called to use that gift to serve Him. It cannot be changed or taken from you. It is yours. Use it to serve Him. Don’t hold back the body. We need you.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. ~ James 1:27

By Who's Strength?

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” ~ Mark 10:27


How do you react when you come up against a difficult situation? Is your automatic reaction to panic and stress or to pray and seek God’s wisdom? As I was looking back over the story of Samuel and Saul that I mentioned in my last posting, I started to focus on the Israelite army and their reaction to the battle they were facing.

When the men of Israel saw that their situation was critical and that their army was hard pressed, they hid in caves and thickets, among the rocks, and in pits and cisterns. Some Hebrews even crossed the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with fear. ~ 1 Samuel 13:6-7

Often our response in hard times is to run and hide, “quaking with fear.” We look at what we’re up against and think, “There’s no way I can do this. It’s too big. The battle is just too much for me. I might as well give up now.” I’ll be perfectly honest. If you approach this situation with your strength alone, you might be right. But you were never intended to face this on your own. That was never the plan!

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. ~ Joshua 1:9


If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. ~ Psalm 139:8-10

Your strength alone is not enough, but don’t worry! We serve a God with whom all things are possible! Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” (Mark 10:27) Look at David. You may think of David as the mighty king of Israel, but consider his life before he became king. I’m sure most of you have heard the story of David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17:32-58). The Israelite army is once again up against the Philistines. The Philistines have offered to handle this battle in a less devastating way by sending their best fighter, Goliath, to fight a representative from the Israelite army to the death. Whoever wins will take possession of the other nation. Only one problem – Goliath was huge! Scripture says Goliath was over seven feet tall, wore a bronze helmet and bronze armor, carried a bronze javelin, and a spear! Basically, he was a difficult problem, a seemingly “impossible” situation. Every day for forty days Goliath came out and challenged someone to fight him and every day the Israelites stood in fear. Then along comes this young shepherd boy, the younger brother of some of the warriors. At seeing the situation, he volunteers to stand before this giant and fight. Everything in us says this fight is ridiculous. Looking with human eyes on this situation it seemed pretty easy to decide who would turn out the victor, right? But David had something on his side that the Philistine didn’t:

David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.” ~ 1 Samuel 17:45

David knew he wasn’t stepping out in his own strength. He knew that this battle didn’t require what he had to offer, it required God working through him. He had faith that his King would bring him the victory! You don’t have to step up against this situation thinking you’re only working with the strength you can muster. You have untapped power in Christ! He is all the strength you will ever need! David’s faith and understanding of where his strength came from brought the Israelites victory and made him a mighty king.

Many people believe that when you become a Christian your life is supposed to be perfect. They think that all of your problems simply fade away. While it is true that God can take some of these struggles from you, it is far from becoming a perfect life. God didn’t promise the road would be smooth the whole way (John 10:10). But He did say He would never leave you, that you would never have to walk alone or fight a battle on your own strength. The next time you are facing an “impossible” situation, remember two things. First, NOTHING is impossible with God. And second, He has promised to NEVER leave you or forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6).

I lift up my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. ~ Psalm 121:1-2

All Authority

“For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” ~Luke 7:8


In this recount a centurion’s servant was “sick and about to die” so he sent some elders of the Jews to ask Jesus to come heal the man. These elders told Jesus the man “deserves to have you do this, because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.” So Jesus began to journey to this man’s home. When he was not far off, the centurion sent friends to tell Jesus that he did “not deserve” to have Jesus come into his house. He tells Jesus, “But say the word and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me.” After hearing this Jesus says, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.”

What did this man say to get that reaction? The first time I read this, and the second and third, I couldn’t figure out why he was mentioning his authority and what that had to do with Jesus’ reaction. During worship last night I began to ask God for wisdom. I was reminded of how Jesus often explained his parables to the disciples and was asking God to do this for me. I know there are many ways to interpret this passage. Many people can get something different out of the same word that is applicable to their lives. God responded to my pleas for understanding and presented me with this picture: the centurion’s authority was limited because he was “a man under authority.” He recognized, however, that Jesus, first of all, had authority to heal his servant, but also recognized that where his authority was limited, Jesus’ authority is not. He says, “I myself am a man under authority” where Jesus is not.

“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” ~Matthew 28:18 God didn’t stop there. He went on to remind me that I am a co-heir with Christ!

Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ . . .” ~Romans 8:17

Being co-heirs with Christ, we have been given authority as well. As children of God, we have been given power. Power that many of us do not utilize and do not recognize we even have. Look at these verses. Don’t read them in passing just because they’re here, but recognize that these verses are speaking to YOU.

He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. ~Matthew 10:1 We are His disciples!

And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well. ~Mark 16:17-18

“I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” ~ Luke 24:49 We will be “clothed in power!”

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” ~ Acts 1:8

You have been given power and authority as children of God. Don’t let the enemy tell you otherwise. Step into the fullness of what God has given you!