Asher has been practicing for 9 months his choir songs. Today was his big performance. Uriah was so excited to clap for him and say “Go Asher!” Asher was excited all week. The day arrives. I can’t wait to see my little boy up on stage on mother’s day singing about God using his hands and having so much in store for him. Asher is the farthest thing from shy. But today he was. He wouldn’t stay on the stage without Austin or I with him. He didn’t get to sing. He was sad, we all were. This is new territory. The next few hours I spent trying to figure out how to deal with a disappointed little boy who experienced failure in the face of fear. Just like Jesus does with us, I want to help him see the truth, the reality that he messed up, but also the reality that the cross is big enough for even his mistakes. With my wonderful yet handful boys I am often wondering, “Why my kids?” “Why are my kids the only ones that _____________?” God brings to mind, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction and faithful in prayer.” Rom. 12:12 Hope of what? That life will get easier? No, because that is not God’s goal for my life. He never promised life being easy. (But He did promise the opposite. “In this world you will have trouble…” Jn 16:33) “We boast in the hope of the glory of God.” Rom. 5:2 The only place for my hope is that God’s character will be revealed and seen. Marveled at even! “On the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed.” 2 Thes. 1:10 But that means that sometimes His character/heart might not been seen through some circumstances till then… when he comes again. But when He comes, He will “give relief to you who are troubled… This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.” 1:7 I can hope in the reality that relief is coming and God’s character and purpose will be revealed… marveled in through my circumstances. The hope of glory! But this hope is not for all. For others God says something else, “He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might on the day he comes to be glorified.” 2 Thes. 1:8-9 Obedience only comes as a result of trust. Who are you trusting to make you right before God? Are you trusting in your own effort to be good enough? Hoping that the good will outweigh the bad? Or is your hope in the fact that you (just like me) are guilty and nothing can erase that but Jesus lived the perfect life and died to make a way for your guilt to be forgiven. Are you putting your hope in the innocence of Christ on your behalf? If so. You can have hope! Christ in you, the hope of glory! (Col. 1:27) I am thankful for… Hope. The hope that Christ’s purposes and character will be seen through my strong-willed boys. The hope that the frustration, discouragement and exhaustion will prove to be worth it. God’s Word. His promises that He will never break. God’s Spirit. Who reminds me what’s true. Who teaches me and instructs me. Who enables me, giving me strength and ability to do what only He is capable of doing. My strong-willed boys and for God bringing them into my life. They are a joy and being used in the hand of God to develop in me perseverance and character. And giving me a longing for God’s heart to be revealed… hope. I'm linked up with...
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A few heads of our sprinkler system broke last summer which ended up killing parts of our grass. So as I am out in the grass with my rake trying to break up the hard ground the Lord reminds me of Mark 4. In Verses 1-20, Jesus tells the parable of the Sower. He says that the Lord is the Sower and His Word is the seed that is scattered. Each one of us has a different heart receptor condition to His Word; teachable, shallow, distracted or hard. As I was raking, if you can call it that, I was thrusting the rake at the ground with all my might to get it to break. It was hard, exhausting but filled with hope of having grass return. I wondered what the rake is in my life. What does God use to break me? In this parable, I am both the rake and the dirt. My kids (who are wonderful blessing from God, though it sure doesnt feel that way some days) are what God uses to rake me. To soften me, to break me to His purposes. Thier strong-willed hearts and what seems like a constant need for correction, training and discipline gets way too much for me to handle. I get to the end of myself. Worn. Exhausted. Somedays (especially within the last week or 2) I feel as though I am functioning solely on God's grace (His ability through me) and completely exhaust even that (though that is not possible, it sure feels like it). He steps in and provides grace upon grace. I am the dirt, my hard heart being held, molded. My boys, in the hands of my loving Father being used as tools to soften me. I am also the rake. The tool God is using to bring about change in my boys hearts. To soften them. That they would become teachable, moldable in the hands of the Father. Equipped, ready for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16-17). I am the tiller of the soil so they can recieve God's Word. It hurts, with sweat and tears involved. But God promises it will produce a fruit of righteousness later on (Heb. 12:11). What hope! There is pain involved with being both the rake and the hard ground, but there is hope. God is active in softening my heart (if I yield to Him and not get more stubborn in demanding life my way an on my terms) and softening my boys hearts which will produce eternal fruit and bring glory to God.
What about you? Are you the rake or the dirt? And if the dirt, are you receptive to what God is doing in your life, distracted, hard or shallow? How are you responding to the things He is allowing in your life? Yielding to Him and relying upon His grace or demanding life be different and on your terms? Why not break up the fallow ground (Jer. 4:3) Meaning, be no longer unproductive but repentant. Like John the Baptist said, "Repent! Bear fruits worthy of repentance." (Mt 3:1-12) "Where were you when I created the earth? Tell me, since you know so much! Who decided on its size? Certainly you'll know that! Who came up with the blueprints and measurements? How was its foundation poured, and who set the cornerstone. While the morning stars sang in chorus and all the angels shouted praise? And who took charge of the ocean when it gushed forth like a baby from the womb? That was me! I wrapped it in soft clouds, and tucked it in safely at night. Then I made a playpen for it, a strong playpen so it couldn't run loose, And said, 'Stay here, this is your place. Your wild tantrums are confined to this place.' "And have you ever ordered Morning, 'Get up!' told Dawn, 'Get to work!' So you could seize Earth like a blanket and shake out the wicked like cockroaches? As the sun brings everything to light, brings out all the colors and shapes, The cover of darkness is snatched from the wicked - they're caught in the very act! "Have you ever gotten to the true bottom of things, explored the labyrinthine caves of deep ocean? Do you know the first thing about death? Do you have one clue regarding death's dark mysteries? And do you have any idea how large this earth is? Speak up if you have even the beginning of an answer. "Do you know where Light comes from and where Darkness lives so you can take them by the hand and lead them home when they get lost?... "Have you ever traveled to where snow is made, seen the vault where hail is stockpiled, The arsenals of hail and snow that I keep in readiness for times of trouble and battle and war? Can you find your way to where lightning is launched, or to the place from which the wind blows? Who do you suppose carves canyons for the downpours of rain, and charts the route of thunderstorms that bring water to unvisited fields, deserts no one ever lays eyes on, Drenching the useless wastelands so they're carpeted with wildflowers and grass? And who do you think is the father of rain and dew, the mother of ice and frost? You don't for a minute imagine these marvels of weather just happen, do you? "Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades, or loose the cords of Orion? "Can you lead forth a constellation in its season, and guide the Bear with her satellites? "Do you know the ordinances of the heavens, Or fix their rule over the earth? "Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, So that an abundance of water will cover you? "Can you send forth lightnings that they may go And say to you, 'Here we are'? "Who has put wisdom in the innermost being or given understanding to the mind? "Who can count the clouds by wisdom, or tip the water jars of the heavens,wWhen the dust hardens into a mass And the clods stick together?... Job 38 A.W. Tozer says “The essence of idolatry is the entertainment of thoughts about God that are unworthy of Him. And the history of mankind will probably show that no people has ever risen above its religion and man’s spiritual history will positively demonstrate that no religion has ever been greater than its idea of God.” It seems today that the only part of God that we want to embrace and delight in is His love. (I wont address Rob Bell's book until it comes out and I buy it used on amazon.) There is a ton of teachings on this and it seems everyone clings to this attribute of God if they were asked by God “why should I let you into heaven.” But what about when God tells us Himself through His word that He is also full of wrath? That He is an avenging God. That He is Holy. That He is Just. This makes us feel uncomfortable and it doesn’t seem to fit into our worldview, so we throw it out, or people like Rob Bell try to explain it away (even though, no one seems to know what Rob is is ever talking about… I’m not sure he even knows.) But why is it important to see God as the Avenger? The Wrathful One? Because without a clear picture of God’s wrath, the cross of Christ can not be fully valued and delighted in. We end up worshipping a God created in our own minds, committing idolatry. Often people claim that in the Old Testament God was holy and showed His wrath but He is different and not like that in the New Testament. Well, lets see… Romans 1:18 “God's wrath is revealed from heaven against all the sin and evil of the people whose evil ways prevent the truth from being known” Romans 2:5 “But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed” Colossians 3:5-6 “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.” Revelation 6:16-17 “They called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?" Revelation 16:3-6 “The second angel poured his bowl over the sea. The sea turned into blood like the blood of a dead man, and every living thing in the sea died. 4 The third angel poured his bowl over the rivers and the springs. They turned into blood. 5 Then I heard the angel of the water say, "You are fair. You are the one who is and the one who was, the holy one, because you have judged these things. You have given them blood to drink because they have poured out the blood of God's people and prophets. This is what they deserve." Revelation 19:15 “And out of his mouth comes a sharp sword, with which he overcomes the nations: and he has rule over them with a rod of iron: and he is crushing with his feet the grapes of the strong wrath of God the Ruler of all.” Read Joshua 8:1-29 I can’t imagine anyone reading this from the Ai resident point of view and not having your heart at least somewhat moved to sadness. Chapter 7 tells us that Ai is a small town who defeated the 3,000 men that Joshua sent to attack the city. Imagine the jubilation of the Ai people. Imagine the feeling of beating the great army of Joshua not only once but actually sent them running twice! And this happened right after the walls of the huge city of Jericho came tumbling down. Surely the little town of Ai was scared spitless of Joshua’s great army until they defeated it two times. If I were an Ai resident I would feel pretty confident. All the men of the small town were most likely enthusiastically chasing out Joshua’s army sensing victory was theirs. And then the scene changes. The other part of Joshua’s army that was waiting in ambush sets the city on fire. The men of Ai look back and see the fire destroying their city. Oh, imagine the confusion and the worry about their families. And then the army they were chasing starts pursuing them and the ambushers of the city starts coming after them until they are surrounded. Other than the King of Ai, not one person is left living. If you are anything like me, this is likely very hard for you to read and not feel angry and sad about these seemingly innocent people dying. But what this attitude shows is that I, and perhaps you, don’t really have a grip on or deep understanding of God’s Holiness. If we were like Isaiah, who got a glimpse of God’s Holiness, rather than having an “I deserve or they don’t deserve” attitude, we would join him in falling to the ground saying, “I am ruined. For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips.” And I think we would have a very different perspective and response to what happened in Ai. When we see perfection, we are faced with the reality of how imperfect we really are. God is completely perfect and completely just, so He gives people what they deserve. Habakkuk 1:13 says “Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; You cannot tolerate wrong.” God’s holiness demands that there be consequences for sin. Because He is a perfect and just judge, He can not excuse or ignore sin”. Imagine if someone did something very terrible to you (get something in your mind), and they stood before the court and the judge decides to let what they did slide. Imagine if the judge said, “Well, that is ok, I will let it go today; just be nicer next time.” That would be a bad judge since his job is to uphold justice. Since God is perfect, He will never fail at being a perfect judge. And the consequence of sin is wrath. It seems that when God’s wrath is directed at the sin of our offenders it is a wonderful thing that we are grateful for. But when that same wrath is pointed at us it is so easy to throw up our defenses and plea innocent thinking we don’t deserve it. We were created for God’s glory. (Isa. 43:7) This means that we were created to display God’s heart, His character, His greatness in the way we act and live. But the reality is: For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23 We screwed up in doing and being what we were created to do and be. We fell short of displaying who God was and therefore we are under His judgment. It is kind of like being hired for a job. When you are hired to accomplish a certain thing and you don’t accomplish that for which you were hired. You fail and in all reality should be fired. Why pay someone for what they were supposed to, but didn’t do? This is sin. Not being perfect in reflecting who God is. Not fulfilling that to which we were made. Sinning and falling short of His glory can seem a bit abstract and unclear. But God in His grace didn’t leave this open for uncertainty. He provided the Ten Commandments to help us recognize that we truly have fallen short. Any of us can look at that list and say, Yup, I don’t measure up. There is no one righteous, not even one. Romans 3:10-11 This means that throughout the span of time, not one person could stand before God being totally blameless. Not one person could stand before Him and say they lived completely perfectly in reflecting who God is to those around them. Therefore, we deserve judgment. The wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23) Our wage or payment is death. We earned it. Our rightful consequence is separation from God and His goodness, here on earth and for all eternity. We rightfully deserve His wrath. We absolutely deserve what the small town of Ai received. Not one person living in that town was innocent before God. And since each and every one of them was guilty, they deserved to be punished under the wrath of God. Let’s take it to a personal level. You and I and even the nicest person you know all deserve the same exact judgment that those people received. Ouch! We are all guilty and deserve God’s wrath. Just like every person in Japan is also desering of God’s wrath. The only way to not be under God’s wrath, the only way to be swept out from underneath, to be rescued is by hoping in Jesus because God’s wrath has already been poured out on Him. The Father’s wrath, full, complete, unleashed wrath poured out on His perfect Son. The consequence for our failure has been taken, but only for those who receive it. Only for those who put their hope of rescue in Jesus, not in their own striving to do good enough to try to make up for their failure. 1 Thessalonians 1:10 “and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead--Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.” Romans 5:9 “The blood of Christ has made us right with God. So we are even more sure that Jesus will save us from God's wrath.” “I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him.” 2 Cor. 11:2
“We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfuly works in me.”Col. 1:28-29 Like Paul, our mission is to make disciples. To share the gospel (leaving the results up to God) and get the opportunity to present people to Christ. Isaac and Rebekah’s story is a clearly painted picture of this for us. The master (Abraham) sends the valuable servant to get a bride for his son. Our Master sends us, the valuable servants to share the gospel and get a bride for Jesus. How much do we relate with Abraham’s servant? · Genesis 24:5, “What if the woman is unwilling to come…?” I totally relate. When thinking about sharing the gospel, a lot of times I wonder, “what if they think I’m shoving it down their throat?” or, “What if I offend them and they turn away from Christ instead?” But… the servant didn’t let this stop him. Abraham reminds him that ultimatly God is going to be the one to get Isaac a bride and reminds him that all he is to do is share with her and if she says no, she says no. (V.8) · V. 17 “The servant hurried to meet her.” Wow. What motivated him to hurry? He had just taken a little step of faith and prayed for God to come through. Then he sees God answer his prayer and his confidence is built. Then he takes another little step. This whole deal is a step at a time and the result is that the servant gets to see God totally come through for Him. What an adventure he would have missed out on if he didn’t at least take a step at a time. The more we trust God, the more we trust God. · V. 26 “Praise be to the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness..” The servant is in awe of God and worships Him. When we get to see God come through in the face of our fear, worship is the response. Do you have an attitude of worship? If not could it be you need to take the next step in something He told you to do like share the gospel? Here are some easy ways to share your faith. So I posted the other day about how Abraham runs to serve the three men. He has lots of servants and it's the heat of the day yet he chose to do it himself, eagerly. Later he realizes that one of these men is Jesus. What a great thing to be caught doing. I can imagine how awful it would be to only give 50% to serve these guys and then find out one of them was the Lord. Or, get to heaven and wish that you gave more. Ugh.
Well, it got me wondering when he finally realized it was the Lord he had been serving. It seems his eyes were opened when God spoke of Himself as Judge of sin. "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me." This is a figurative way of stating that he as "Judge" does not act on the basis of mere complaints (or so says my commentary notes). Before that point Abraham spoke to the men as normal men who he submitted himself to serve. After this comment by God the other two men "turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord. Then Abraham approached him and said; 'Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?" So here's the scene, two of the men start walking away, the same men Abraham was running around to please and Abraham doesn't even say goodbye. He stands there starring at the Lord. Oh I would love to know what was going through his head at the moment. What would you be thinking? Whatever it was, he is pretty quick on his toes because right away he starts pleading for the people. What a big heart for someone who seems to think of himself a lot. I guess that shows me there is hope for me. Abraham, when he was 99 years old and was "sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day" he "saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried... and bowed low to the ground." He then basically begs them to let him serve them by washing thier feet and giving them something to eat. When they agree "Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah" to tell her to make them some bread. "Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant who hurried to prepare it." Genesis 18:1-7 This is just crazy. A 99 year old running around like a little kid to serve these guys. I looked pretty hard for a picture of a really old man running and there are very few. But of course there's not many, when was the last time you saw a 99 year old run? I bet it was cute though, I picture "hurried" as more like a scamper. This got me thinking about serving people and my attitude toward it. Sometime I feel reluctant or draggy. Like friday night when I was tired and not really wanting to engage. Every friday night we have around 20 college students over for dinner and discuss questions they have. By God's grace (and because I had nowhere else to go) instead of giving in to my fatigue I pushed through and the reward is sooo worth it! Hearing these students questions and hearing other students answer using scripture when they werent even walking with God a year ago is amazing. It is like having a front row seat in seeing God change lives. But when I'm tired, I am tempted to give up front row seats for the bathroom. I'm so glad God pushes us to cling to Him for strength and therefore get to reap the rewards of perseverance. I think this also applies to persevering in disciplining my boys. To keep at it when I am tired and it is the 30th time that day, because "later on it will produce a fruit of righteousness." (Heb. 12:11) No matter if I feel like a 99 year old or it's the heat (most exhausting part) of the day, may God enable me (and you too) to run to serve. "because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." (1 Cor. 15:58) Oh Lord, please help me be quick like Abraham to serve others. To surrender my rights and be willing to love sacrifically for the benefit of others. Help me give myself fully to your work, trusting that my labor wont be in vain. Will you consider linking up on Friday's stories of how God has shown up and shown off. It can be a story of what He has taught you, how He has revealed His character or heart or anything related. Basically it is just an opportunity to brag on God. I'm linked up with...
Hagar (Gen. 21 and previous) shows us that sometimes God's will involves pain and suffering. And it also shows us that God provides for us. God told Abraham to send Hagar and Ishmael away and Scripture mentions nothing Abraham sending them off with food or any of the abounding resources he had. I feel bad for Hagar. Hagar's water runs out and she is hopeless. She honestly thinks her and Ishmael are going to die. Then what really stood out to me, "Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water." Was the well always there and they just didn't see it? Then it reminds me of 2 Kings 6:16 when Elijah prayed for Elisha's eyes to be opened and "he saw the hill full of horses and chariots of fire all around." Could it be that God is providing for us in ways more than we realize but we just can't see? Like today when I feel the pressure of needing more time and energy. Could it it be that God is providing everything I need for life and godliness but I am just not seeing it sometime? Oh Lord, open our eyes to see Your provision. I am reading through Genesis right now in my quality time with the Lord. Four ladies stand out to me who I'm sure can relate to each other. They each had a God honoring desire and each of them ended up bending the rules and resorting to deceit and trickery to get what they desired. Tamar Tamar (Genesis 38) was married to Er who was "wicked in the Lord's sight". He died and Tamar became a widow with no children. The law (Deut. 25) says the brother of the deceased husband is suppose to marry her and get her pregnant. So Judah gives Tamar his second son, Onan. But he was a jerk. He married her to keep up the appearance of honoring God but wouldnt actually get her pregnant. The Lord put him to death and Tamar is a widow again. Judah had one last son but he was afraid he die too, so he didnt give him to her. (He said he would when the son got older, but that was not the case.) Judah preferred disobedience and disgrace because he was fearful of his last sone dying. Very ironic since that is exactly why his other sons died, because of disobedience and disgrace. Well, Tamar's desire for a child was good, a desire given by God. And her desire to have her husbands family provide that son was honoring to God. But the way she went about it... not good. She pretended to be a prostitute after Judah's wife died and got pregnant by him. Then when he threatened to stone her, she revealed she was pregnant by him. When she didnt get what she wanted she resorted to trickery and deceit rather than communicating with Judah and trusting God. Sarai (Later re-named by God Sarah) Sarai didnt even consider having kids in her old age. But in Genesis 16:2 we see her trying to make it happen by giving her maid-servant to her husband to sleep with. Sarai, like Tamar desired something good (In fact the desire wasnt even there until God told them she would have a child) but instead of trusting God, she bent the rules and went beyond and twisted what God had said to get what she wanted. Lot's Daughters (Whose names aer not even mentioned) Lot and his daughters were rescued from God's wrath poured out on Sodom, and lived in a cave with their father. They had a good desire, just like Sarai and Tamar to carry on their family line and have children. And thought this desire for children was not bad, the way they went about it was very destructive. They got thier dad drunk and slept with him. Then each of them gave birth to a son which resulted in Israels two greatest enemies and who were responsible for the most carnal seduction and human sacrifices. Ugh. God's way leads to life and fruitfulness without end. Our way independant from Him leads to death. * What desires has God given you? * Will you yield them to Him if He requests that you do so? (Are you holding them loosely?) * What woud it look like to resort to trickery, deciet or bending the rules in seeing your desire fulfilled? * Why in the world would you trust God with these desires? When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, 'I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.' Then Abram fell on his face..." Genesis 17:1-3
God appears to Abram 13 years after Ishmael was born. God begins to tell Abram about the fruitfulness and success of his descendents. All the while Abram thinks God is talking about the offspring through Ishmael, so Abram bows in reverance and God changes his name to Abraham. This part may seem familiar until… “And God said to Abraham, ‘As for Sarai your wife…I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of people shall come fom her.’” v.15-17 God basically says, No Abraham, not your son Ishmael, a son through your wife, Sarai. How does Abraham, the one who “believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness” 15:6, James 2:23 respond? “Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, 'Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?' And Abraham said to God, ‘Oh that Ishmael might live before you!’ v. 17-18 Abraham laughs. He actually laughs at the God of Israel, the God of the universe. Thinking that God would not be able to enable Sarai to get pregnant, then to top it off, he offers God advice. The infamous, faith-filled Abraham is so arrogant to not only not believe God, but to instruct Him. Yet, he is still spoken of as the one who believed God. This shows me our past failures do not have to define us. Rather, we are defined by Jesus’ blood, and Jesus' blood never fails. And “a righteous man falls seven times but rises again.” (Prov. 24:16) A life well spent is not hindered failing, but rather turns to Jesus asking Him for strength to keep walking. Confess and surrender is a life well spent and is a life of intimacy with God. * What specific areas are you responding like Abraham in his quickness to submit to God when things go how he expected but laugh and instruct God when they don’t? * In what circumstances are you letting failure define you? * What is keeping you from turning to Jesus and letting Him give you His strength to rise again? |
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