Three years ago, after having prayed for weeks about what to do with my eldest son, I felt certain that God’s direction was for him to be in a co-op setting, one day a week. I didn’t want to send him to school, but schooling totally from home was no longer the best option for us. After visiting two homeschool co-ops, it was clear which one would work for our family. What won my heart there was the Literature Discussion teacher. "That class," I thought, " is just what my child needs!"
So I carefully read the instructions on the website, filled out the forms, and took my place in a long line in a dim church hallway on registration day.
I was told he was number four on the waiting list.
Hearing this, I quickly pushed past the line, hit the door running and sprinted to the car, my children scurrying after me. Once in the safety of my vehicle, I burst into tears. Not accustomed to seeing me cry like that, the boys said "Mom! What’s wrong?!"
What was wrong was clear to me: I was so sure that God’s desire was for him to be here, in this class, with this literature teacher. And yet, how likely was it that four children would drop out before the fall semester? Either God was going to surprise me — or I had somehow gotten Him all wrong. I suspected the latter.
I was shaken. God guides His children as we trust Him, walk with Him, grow closer to Him. But I had missed something. I was totally confused! How could I school my children, when I didn’t even know how God wanted me to do it?
As I lamented over the phone to my mom, she made a wise and gentle suggestion: "Heidi, you could lead a literature discussion group. And certainly, your homeschooling friends could, too."
And so, after talking with Connie and Lisa and Tricia, we organized our own Literature Discussion groups. They were a bit small with just our families (two doesn’t really make a group!), so we invited other Explorers families to bring their children.
Now, we have nearly 50 children participating in four Literature Discussion groups each month in Connie’s home (the hospitality queen!). When my son finally was accepted into that co-op, I didn’t register him for Literature Discussion. What he and his brother were gaining in Tricia’s group each month was far better.
As for me, my love for children’s literature has multiplied, as other teaching moms have shared their enthusiasm for good books. And what a joy it is to get to know all these young children and encourage a love of reading!
In short, when God closed that co-op door in April 2008, it felt like He slammed it in the face of my vision as a homeschooling mom, and in my confidence and ability to sense His direction. And yet, in the midst of my doubts and confusion, God knew exactly what He was doing. By firmly closing that co-op door, God opened a marvelous opportunity that has multiplied and blessed our family and others as well.
I wouldn’t want it any other way.
Not to us, LORD, not to us, but to your name be the glory,
because of your love and faithfulness. — Psalm 115:1
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Repentance & Remorse: Three Stories
Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. — 2 Corinthians 8:10
Peter’s Story: Repentance
He had declared his intention, of never denying Jesus. His character was bold; his resolve strong. Even if all the other disciples abandoned Him, as Jesus predicted they would, Peter would remain faithful to his Lord (see Matthew 26:31-35).
He followed Jesus as far as the outer courtyard of the High Priest, where the Messiah faced a sham trial before Sanhedrin. When several servants girls recognized Peter as a friend of the infamous Rabbi, Peter disowned Jesus — not once, but three times. Then the rooster crowed, as Jesus had said it would. Remembering Jesus’ words, Peter crumbled. Broken and weeping, he staggered away into the night (Matthew 26:69-75).
Peter’s repentance is an eye-opening lesson for every believer. He wept beneath the back-breaking burden of his sin and pride, finally admitting that Jesus’ words were undeniably true. He was convicted in his spirit of his sin, and the ugliness of it seemed too much to bear.
It is an easy temptation, when we feel the weight and shame of our sin, to want to hide ourselves from God, as Adam vainly attempted to do in the garden by covering himself and physically hiding from God’s presence. We can’t imagine looking into the sinless eyes of the One we have betrayed; shame tempts us to shut our eyes against the only One who can rescue us from our guilt: Christ!
Peter, thankfully, didn’t fall prey to this temptation. Instead, he ran to Christ. When he realized Jesus was on the shore, he leapt overboard into the water and started swimming toward him! He could not reach the Lord quickly enough. Peter ate the breakfast that Jesus’ hands had prepared for him and his brothers, and then answered Jesus’ painful questions about his love for his Saviour (see John 21:7-17).
Peter’s repentance was complete: he had been convicted of his sin, had grieved over it with a godly sorrow, and was then eager to turn to Christ for restoration. His repentance was visible: he was a changed man! He followed Christ with renewed boldness and a new gentleness "feeding the sheep" as Jesus had commanded. He was humbled and empowered by a better understanding of his sin, and a more certain knowledge of the One who died to save him from it.
Judas’ Story: Remorse
In the very next chapter of Matthew, we read about Judas. After selling out Christ to the chief priests for 30 pieces of silver, he realized their intent was execution. He "was remorseful" and tried to return the blood money to them. When they refused, he threw the coins at their feet and ran out, stricken.
Was this repentance, akin to Peter’s? No, for although Judas’ heart was heavy with guilt, he took it upon himself to remedy his burden by trying to turn back the clock. His grief over his sin did not lead him to Christ, but to his own devices and — ultimately — to his death (Matthew 27:3-5).
Our Story . . .
No matter what our sin may be, no matter how much we try to hide it from the Lord, or try to fix it ourselves, God knows our hearts fully. And He waits with welcoming arms for us to finally look to Him with our sorrow and our sin. His forgiveness is extravagant and powerful; through Christ, His forgiveness covers our every sin, as we come to Him with our honest confession, in a spirit of repentance. He pours out His mercy on us to wash it away, and He grants us His strength to truly repent and walk in newness of life, as Peter did.
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace,
that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
— Hebrews 4:16
Peter’s Story: Repentance
He had declared his intention, of never denying Jesus. His character was bold; his resolve strong. Even if all the other disciples abandoned Him, as Jesus predicted they would, Peter would remain faithful to his Lord (see Matthew 26:31-35).
He followed Jesus as far as the outer courtyard of the High Priest, where the Messiah faced a sham trial before Sanhedrin. When several servants girls recognized Peter as a friend of the infamous Rabbi, Peter disowned Jesus — not once, but three times. Then the rooster crowed, as Jesus had said it would. Remembering Jesus’ words, Peter crumbled. Broken and weeping, he staggered away into the night (Matthew 26:69-75).
Peter’s repentance is an eye-opening lesson for every believer. He wept beneath the back-breaking burden of his sin and pride, finally admitting that Jesus’ words were undeniably true. He was convicted in his spirit of his sin, and the ugliness of it seemed too much to bear.
It is an easy temptation, when we feel the weight and shame of our sin, to want to hide ourselves from God, as Adam vainly attempted to do in the garden by covering himself and physically hiding from God’s presence. We can’t imagine looking into the sinless eyes of the One we have betrayed; shame tempts us to shut our eyes against the only One who can rescue us from our guilt: Christ!
Peter, thankfully, didn’t fall prey to this temptation. Instead, he ran to Christ. When he realized Jesus was on the shore, he leapt overboard into the water and started swimming toward him! He could not reach the Lord quickly enough. Peter ate the breakfast that Jesus’ hands had prepared for him and his brothers, and then answered Jesus’ painful questions about his love for his Saviour (see John 21:7-17).
Peter’s repentance was complete: he had been convicted of his sin, had grieved over it with a godly sorrow, and was then eager to turn to Christ for restoration. His repentance was visible: he was a changed man! He followed Christ with renewed boldness and a new gentleness "feeding the sheep" as Jesus had commanded. He was humbled and empowered by a better understanding of his sin, and a more certain knowledge of the One who died to save him from it.
Judas’ Story: Remorse
In the very next chapter of Matthew, we read about Judas. After selling out Christ to the chief priests for 30 pieces of silver, he realized their intent was execution. He "was remorseful" and tried to return the blood money to them. When they refused, he threw the coins at their feet and ran out, stricken.
Was this repentance, akin to Peter’s? No, for although Judas’ heart was heavy with guilt, he took it upon himself to remedy his burden by trying to turn back the clock. His grief over his sin did not lead him to Christ, but to his own devices and — ultimately — to his death (Matthew 27:3-5).
Our Story . . .
No matter what our sin may be, no matter how much we try to hide it from the Lord, or try to fix it ourselves, God knows our hearts fully. And He waits with welcoming arms for us to finally look to Him with our sorrow and our sin. His forgiveness is extravagant and powerful; through Christ, His forgiveness covers our every sin, as we come to Him with our honest confession, in a spirit of repentance. He pours out His mercy on us to wash it away, and He grants us His strength to truly repent and walk in newness of life, as Peter did.
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace,
that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
— Hebrews 4:16
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Loving like Jesus
Love moves toward people. It does not leave people alone in their suffering or in their selfishness. (Paul E. Miller, Love Walked Among Us: Learning to Love Like Jesus)
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (Jesus to His disciples, in John 13:34-35) Could he have made it any more plain? Loving the way Jesus loves is what shows we belong to Him most clearly.
Love is such a broad term in our lexicon. It covers everything from erotic passion to the "tough love" desperate parents show rebellious teenagers. We use the same word to describe our preference for chocolate and our devotion to our children. Love feels a little hard to pin down.
But God pins it down for us in two very tangible ways: His Word and His Son. In His Word, God describes Himself to us, so that we have a full picture of His love. And Jesus, His Son, was love personified, living among men. Jesus literally fleshed out love for us.
A couple years ago, as I was studying John’s gospel, I noticed that Jesus’ love was so very appealing, yet so very different from mine. So I started asking God to help me love others the way Jesus loves. Well, you can imagine how He started answering: I began to see even more evidence of my Lilliputian-sized love, in contrast to Jesus’ limitless love. Then conflict started bubbling up in a couple of relationships, turning up the heat by making love even harder for me! That’s God’s way, isn’t it? Not to wave some divine wand and instantly give me a bigger dose of love to share, but to challenge and stretch my heart, revealing selfish motives in my relationships, offering His power and grace to me to truly love others as I trust Him. Oh, how I want to love His way: with more sincerity, less self-interest, more courage, less comfort-seeking.
Below is an entry from my journal last year, sort of a "Love is" meditation, as I pondered what Jesus’ love looks like in my life. (Of course, 1 Corinthians 13 is a far better meditation on the subject; this is that chapter personalized for me.)
Love is stubborn: it perseveres through rejection and conflict, refusing to let go.
Love believes that God redeems the impossible and transforms beyond anyone’s imagining.
Love hopes when it seems crazy to hope.
Love is willing to suffer long for the good of another.
Love is gentle, yet mightier than anything we possess.
Love sees the truth, no matter how hard it is, and refuses to look away.
Love takes risks without protecting itself.
Love doesn’t draw lines or back away when it hurts.
Love gives according to another’s need.
Love seeks to understand, not to be understood.
Love does not need anyone’s approval, because it already has God’s approval.
Love is not self-conscious; it is discerning yet not critical.
Love does not need to know all the answers.
Love carries the burdens of others that cannot be carried alone.
Love listens to and feels another’s pain.
Love speaks with honesty, without manipulation or hidden agendas.
Love is blind to status and reputation.
Love sees the image of God in each and every person.
Love never fears the worst but always hopes and trusts for the best,
because love trusts Jesus.
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (Jesus to His disciples, in John 13:34-35) Could he have made it any more plain? Loving the way Jesus loves is what shows we belong to Him most clearly.
Love is such a broad term in our lexicon. It covers everything from erotic passion to the "tough love" desperate parents show rebellious teenagers. We use the same word to describe our preference for chocolate and our devotion to our children. Love feels a little hard to pin down.
But God pins it down for us in two very tangible ways: His Word and His Son. In His Word, God describes Himself to us, so that we have a full picture of His love. And Jesus, His Son, was love personified, living among men. Jesus literally fleshed out love for us.
A couple years ago, as I was studying John’s gospel, I noticed that Jesus’ love was so very appealing, yet so very different from mine. So I started asking God to help me love others the way Jesus loves. Well, you can imagine how He started answering: I began to see even more evidence of my Lilliputian-sized love, in contrast to Jesus’ limitless love. Then conflict started bubbling up in a couple of relationships, turning up the heat by making love even harder for me! That’s God’s way, isn’t it? Not to wave some divine wand and instantly give me a bigger dose of love to share, but to challenge and stretch my heart, revealing selfish motives in my relationships, offering His power and grace to me to truly love others as I trust Him. Oh, how I want to love His way: with more sincerity, less self-interest, more courage, less comfort-seeking.
Below is an entry from my journal last year, sort of a "Love is" meditation, as I pondered what Jesus’ love looks like in my life. (Of course, 1 Corinthians 13 is a far better meditation on the subject; this is that chapter personalized for me.)
Love is stubborn: it perseveres through rejection and conflict, refusing to let go.
Love believes that God redeems the impossible and transforms beyond anyone’s imagining.
Love hopes when it seems crazy to hope.
Love is willing to suffer long for the good of another.
Love is gentle, yet mightier than anything we possess.
Love sees the truth, no matter how hard it is, and refuses to look away.
Love takes risks without protecting itself.
Love doesn’t draw lines or back away when it hurts.
Love gives according to another’s need.
Love seeks to understand, not to be understood.
Love does not need anyone’s approval, because it already has God’s approval.
Love is not self-conscious; it is discerning yet not critical.
Love does not need to know all the answers.
Love carries the burdens of others that cannot be carried alone.
Love listens to and feels another’s pain.
Love speaks with honesty, without manipulation or hidden agendas.
Love is blind to status and reputation.
Love sees the image of God in each and every person.
Love never fears the worst but always hopes and trusts for the best,
because love trusts Jesus.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Overwhelmed . . . by God
Do not fret . . .
Trust in the LORD, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
Delight yourself also in the LORD,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
. . . (Psalm 37: 1-4, excerpts)
There are days (sometimes weeks) in my life where it all seems overwhelming. Whether I blame a lack of time with Jesus, or ever-shifting hormones, or not enough sleep the night before, that overwhelmed feeling is a weight I carry through the day, burdensome, sapping my strength and my joy.
This morning, recognizing that I’d had several days in a row where life felt like more than I could handle, I cried out to God about it. What came to mind were these words "Do not fret." Admittedly, I had been fretting about something, turning it over and over in my mind, instead of turning it over to my Lord. And I knew that those three words came straight from God’s own Word. I was preparing to run out for the morning, so I opened my Bible on the table to Psalm 37. I figured that when I cam home, I could listen more to what God was saying to me.
After I dropped off my sons and ran my errands, I returned home. Instead of heading straight for my Bible, I switched on the computer, hoping to "quickly" take care of some emails and announcements that had to go out. But the internet wasn’t working (and neither was the tech support’s advice) and before I knew it, I'd wasted an hour. I gave up, overwhelmed yet again! And then I remembered my open Bible on the sunroom table.
Reminding God of how much I needed His help (like He needed reminding!), I went to the table, sat down and began reading.
"Do not fret . . ." it began. And, as I read on: "Trust in the Lord and do good . . ."
I think I'm trusting you, God, but it’s the "do good" part, I prayed. I am weary; I feel overwhelmed with my responsibilities and the challenges in my life right now. You know all too well how weak I am! How can I find the strength to persevere in doing the good You’ve given me to do? (Ephesians 2:10)
I continued reading, and in the next line, God answered my question: "Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness."
There it is: Feeding on Your faithfulness is what gives me the strength I need to do good! Then I asked, What exactly is your faithfulness, God, so I can chew on it awhile? And I knew this answer from years of listening to His Word: He is faithful in loving His children perfectly always, without turning away or holding back (1 John 3:1). He is faithful to fulfill every promise He's made in Jesus (2 Corinthians 1:20). He is faithful to do good in my life, making me more like Jesus step by step (Romans 8:28-29). Even when that process feels painful or overwhelming or sad.
Then in the next verse, God made it crystal clear: "Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart."
Delighting in You means finding my joy in You, giving my heart and mind fully into Your hands -- not giving my thoughts to worrying! You ARE my joy, Lord; don't let me ever forget it! With Your loving, ageless hands, You are shaping my heart so that what You desire for me becomes what I desire for myself.
As I look to God for all I need, my heart becomes more like Jesus’ heart, and I can gladly do what He's given me to do, by His strength!
And suddenly, instead of being overwhelmed by my life, I am overwhelmed by my glorious God.
Trust in the LORD, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
Delight yourself also in the LORD,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
. . . (Psalm 37: 1-4, excerpts)
There are days (sometimes weeks) in my life where it all seems overwhelming. Whether I blame a lack of time with Jesus, or ever-shifting hormones, or not enough sleep the night before, that overwhelmed feeling is a weight I carry through the day, burdensome, sapping my strength and my joy.
This morning, recognizing that I’d had several days in a row where life felt like more than I could handle, I cried out to God about it. What came to mind were these words "Do not fret." Admittedly, I had been fretting about something, turning it over and over in my mind, instead of turning it over to my Lord. And I knew that those three words came straight from God’s own Word. I was preparing to run out for the morning, so I opened my Bible on the table to Psalm 37. I figured that when I cam home, I could listen more to what God was saying to me.
After I dropped off my sons and ran my errands, I returned home. Instead of heading straight for my Bible, I switched on the computer, hoping to "quickly" take care of some emails and announcements that had to go out. But the internet wasn’t working (and neither was the tech support’s advice) and before I knew it, I'd wasted an hour. I gave up, overwhelmed yet again! And then I remembered my open Bible on the sunroom table.
Reminding God of how much I needed His help (like He needed reminding!), I went to the table, sat down and began reading.
"Do not fret . . ." it began. And, as I read on: "Trust in the Lord and do good . . ."
I think I'm trusting you, God, but it’s the "do good" part, I prayed. I am weary; I feel overwhelmed with my responsibilities and the challenges in my life right now. You know all too well how weak I am! How can I find the strength to persevere in doing the good You’ve given me to do? (Ephesians 2:10)
I continued reading, and in the next line, God answered my question: "Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness."
There it is: Feeding on Your faithfulness is what gives me the strength I need to do good! Then I asked, What exactly is your faithfulness, God, so I can chew on it awhile? And I knew this answer from years of listening to His Word: He is faithful in loving His children perfectly always, without turning away or holding back (1 John 3:1). He is faithful to fulfill every promise He's made in Jesus (2 Corinthians 1:20). He is faithful to do good in my life, making me more like Jesus step by step (Romans 8:28-29). Even when that process feels painful or overwhelming or sad.
Then in the next verse, God made it crystal clear: "Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart."
Delighting in You means finding my joy in You, giving my heart and mind fully into Your hands -- not giving my thoughts to worrying! You ARE my joy, Lord; don't let me ever forget it! With Your loving, ageless hands, You are shaping my heart so that what You desire for me becomes what I desire for myself.
As I look to God for all I need, my heart becomes more like Jesus’ heart, and I can gladly do what He's given me to do, by His strength!
And suddenly, instead of being overwhelmed by my life, I am overwhelmed by my glorious God.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Mountain Mover
Repentance is not a turning from one category of works to another (ie, from evil to righteous); rather, it is a turning from human works entirely to God.
Repentance is not so much a doing as a depending.
......Bryan Chapell, Holiness by Grace
Have you ever tried to move a mountain?
Last year, God unearthed something ugly in me, a seemingly immoveable mountain that cast a shadow of idolatry across my heart. (Idolatry: a love and/or holy fear directed to something or someone other than the Lord.) Knowing Jesus to be the Light Who pushes away every darkness, I repented quickly, then grasped Him and held on, determined not to let go until He blessed me (Genesis 32:26).
Every time I talked with God, I told Him about this menacing mountain, and rejected it as best I knew how. To me, it looked virtually insurmountable, even though I knew God to be bigger and stronger. But in the end, I could not pry its tangled roots from the labyrinth of my own heart. I did not know how to repent of this wrong affection! All I could do was keep pleading with God to put it to death, and wait until He worked.
And on a Thursday morning in mid-December, He did.
As if to leave no doubt that He was the one responsible for my heart’s repentance (this wasn’t my own self-improvement plan at work), He answered clearly and dramatically. He toppled that stubborn idol in a way that felt almost tangible. What a release to be rid of it, to experience light chase away shadow! By His persistent grace, I’ve been free since that day and His light in me is nurturing a stronger faith.
If you’ve tried repenting from deep passions and emotions in your heart, you get me: the deepest convictions, the firmest resolutions, simply cannot transform your heart. You choose to bite your tongue instead of speak in anger, or take your jealous thoughts captive to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5), or meditate on Scriptures to deal with your anxiety. Yet, while these choices are a necessary aspect of repentance, they do not accomplish repentance. As much as God tells us to do those very things, we also recognize that, in and of themselves, they lack power to alter our innermost desires. God alone changes our hearts.
The One who rescued us from the prison of sin and judgment when we were first saved, is the same One who continues to rescue our hearts as we walk with Him! By our faith in His sacrifice, Jesus has declared us holy — and He also declares He will continue to make us holy, by His life within us (Hebrew 10:14, Philippians 1:6, 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).
Just last week Ben came to me, confused about Jesus’ words on mustard seed-sized faith (Matthew 17:20-21). He was writing a paper on the passage, and could not fathom this faith that could move the mountains we watch from our window. "Mom, how can anyone do that?"
We don’t measure faith in tablespoons, I pointed out, like we would with the actual seeds in my spice drawer. It’s a spiritual reality, a confidence in Someone we cannot see (Hebrews 11:1). Jesus was talking about something far grander than global shifting of peaks and valleys: His Spirit’s power, which moves spiritual mountains that loom large and look unconquerable. God Himself is the mountain mover.
I think Ben got it, because his paper’s conclusion was this: "Things in life and in people’s spirits happen that are bigger than moving mountains. And God has enough power for that."
"Nothing will be impossible for you."
Jesus, in Matthew 17:21
Repentance is not so much a doing as a depending.
......Bryan Chapell, Holiness by Grace
Have you ever tried to move a mountain?
Last year, God unearthed something ugly in me, a seemingly immoveable mountain that cast a shadow of idolatry across my heart. (Idolatry: a love and/or holy fear directed to something or someone other than the Lord.) Knowing Jesus to be the Light Who pushes away every darkness, I repented quickly, then grasped Him and held on, determined not to let go until He blessed me (Genesis 32:26).
Every time I talked with God, I told Him about this menacing mountain, and rejected it as best I knew how. To me, it looked virtually insurmountable, even though I knew God to be bigger and stronger. But in the end, I could not pry its tangled roots from the labyrinth of my own heart. I did not know how to repent of this wrong affection! All I could do was keep pleading with God to put it to death, and wait until He worked.
And on a Thursday morning in mid-December, He did.
As if to leave no doubt that He was the one responsible for my heart’s repentance (this wasn’t my own self-improvement plan at work), He answered clearly and dramatically. He toppled that stubborn idol in a way that felt almost tangible. What a release to be rid of it, to experience light chase away shadow! By His persistent grace, I’ve been free since that day and His light in me is nurturing a stronger faith.
If you’ve tried repenting from deep passions and emotions in your heart, you get me: the deepest convictions, the firmest resolutions, simply cannot transform your heart. You choose to bite your tongue instead of speak in anger, or take your jealous thoughts captive to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5), or meditate on Scriptures to deal with your anxiety. Yet, while these choices are a necessary aspect of repentance, they do not accomplish repentance. As much as God tells us to do those very things, we also recognize that, in and of themselves, they lack power to alter our innermost desires. God alone changes our hearts.
The One who rescued us from the prison of sin and judgment when we were first saved, is the same One who continues to rescue our hearts as we walk with Him! By our faith in His sacrifice, Jesus has declared us holy — and He also declares He will continue to make us holy, by His life within us (Hebrew 10:14, Philippians 1:6, 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).
Just last week Ben came to me, confused about Jesus’ words on mustard seed-sized faith (Matthew 17:20-21). He was writing a paper on the passage, and could not fathom this faith that could move the mountains we watch from our window. "Mom, how can anyone do that?"
We don’t measure faith in tablespoons, I pointed out, like we would with the actual seeds in my spice drawer. It’s a spiritual reality, a confidence in Someone we cannot see (Hebrews 11:1). Jesus was talking about something far grander than global shifting of peaks and valleys: His Spirit’s power, which moves spiritual mountains that loom large and look unconquerable. God Himself is the mountain mover.
I think Ben got it, because his paper’s conclusion was this: "Things in life and in people’s spirits happen that are bigger than moving mountains. And God has enough power for that."
"Nothing will be impossible for you."
Jesus, in Matthew 17:21
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Truly Free!
When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness.
What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God,
the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.
(Romans 6:20-22)
Ask a person on the street today what freedom is, and what would the answer be? Most likely, it would be related to choosing one’s own way, casting off restraints in order to do as one wishes.
But think about it: is an alcoholic free if he can drink whenever he wants, whatever he wants, however often he wants? Is a growing bondage to alcohol the true definition of freedom? Clearly, authentic freedom is not the same thing as license to do as we please; what we please is not always good for us and can, in fact, imprison us.
What is God’s definition of freedom? In Luke 4:16-21, Jesus preached Himself as the fulfillment of this passage in Isaiah: "The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news . . . to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners . . ."
In John 8:31-32, Jesus declares, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." Later, in verse 36, He adds that if He makes you free, you are truly free. True freedom is not found in independence from others or from societal restraints; true freedom is found in dependence upon God.
"Abide in My word." To abide means to live, to dwell. This is more than opening your Bible on Sundays when the preacher teaches, or doing your morning devotional before starting your day. Abiding in God’s Word means counting it your home: so saturating your mind and heart in it that, as you face the day’s tasks and challenges, God’s voice is the primary influence on your thoughts, emotions and choices. By living in His Word, you are His disciples, knowing His truth, knowing Him! And you are made free.
But made free from what? In John 8, Jesus’ listeners didn’t get it: they stated defensively that they had always been free and had never been in bondage. But so might the man with a sharp temper who has consequently lost the respect and affection of his wife. Or the self-described honest woman who habitually overspends and then hides all evidence from her husband. Or the teen who can’t seem to turn off her electronic gadgets, even though her grades and relationships are suffering as a result. We do not easily recognize our own bondage to sin, yet our fallen hearts rush easily toward it, like moths to a flame. Without Jesus’ truth living in us, we are not free to experience deep joy, love with abandon, or disentangle ourselves from nagging sin patterns.
Jesus makes us free by saving us from God’s judgment on our sin. His death on the cross paid for our freedom from condemnation! We are free from the fear of guilt and shame and rejection, because we know that our repentance before God brings His full forgiveness. We come close to God and call Him Father. We are free to live as privileged, unconditionally loved children of God.
When we live in Jesus, and His Holy Spirit lives in us, we are freed from the control of sinful passions, from the behaviors and thought patterns that previously imprisoned us. This does not mean they will instantly disappear, but that God’s power is stronger than theirs. As we depend upon Him, we are empowered to say no to what once ruled us. This freedom is what we were made for! We are free to be who God designed us to be.
Do you know this freedom? Do you know the precious lightness of having sin’s condemnation lifted from you? Is your life about Jesus and seeking Him in God’s Word? Are you His disciple, making your home with Him, free to serve the Lord with joy?
What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God,
the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.
(Romans 6:20-22)
Ask a person on the street today what freedom is, and what would the answer be? Most likely, it would be related to choosing one’s own way, casting off restraints in order to do as one wishes.
But think about it: is an alcoholic free if he can drink whenever he wants, whatever he wants, however often he wants? Is a growing bondage to alcohol the true definition of freedom? Clearly, authentic freedom is not the same thing as license to do as we please; what we please is not always good for us and can, in fact, imprison us.
What is God’s definition of freedom? In Luke 4:16-21, Jesus preached Himself as the fulfillment of this passage in Isaiah: "The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news . . . to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners . . ."
In John 8:31-32, Jesus declares, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." Later, in verse 36, He adds that if He makes you free, you are truly free. True freedom is not found in independence from others or from societal restraints; true freedom is found in dependence upon God.
"Abide in My word." To abide means to live, to dwell. This is more than opening your Bible on Sundays when the preacher teaches, or doing your morning devotional before starting your day. Abiding in God’s Word means counting it your home: so saturating your mind and heart in it that, as you face the day’s tasks and challenges, God’s voice is the primary influence on your thoughts, emotions and choices. By living in His Word, you are His disciples, knowing His truth, knowing Him! And you are made free.
But made free from what? In John 8, Jesus’ listeners didn’t get it: they stated defensively that they had always been free and had never been in bondage. But so might the man with a sharp temper who has consequently lost the respect and affection of his wife. Or the self-described honest woman who habitually overspends and then hides all evidence from her husband. Or the teen who can’t seem to turn off her electronic gadgets, even though her grades and relationships are suffering as a result. We do not easily recognize our own bondage to sin, yet our fallen hearts rush easily toward it, like moths to a flame. Without Jesus’ truth living in us, we are not free to experience deep joy, love with abandon, or disentangle ourselves from nagging sin patterns.
Jesus makes us free by saving us from God’s judgment on our sin. His death on the cross paid for our freedom from condemnation! We are free from the fear of guilt and shame and rejection, because we know that our repentance before God brings His full forgiveness. We come close to God and call Him Father. We are free to live as privileged, unconditionally loved children of God.
When we live in Jesus, and His Holy Spirit lives in us, we are freed from the control of sinful passions, from the behaviors and thought patterns that previously imprisoned us. This does not mean they will instantly disappear, but that God’s power is stronger than theirs. As we depend upon Him, we are empowered to say no to what once ruled us. This freedom is what we were made for! We are free to be who God designed us to be.
Do you know this freedom? Do you know the precious lightness of having sin’s condemnation lifted from you? Is your life about Jesus and seeking Him in God’s Word? Are you His disciple, making your home with Him, free to serve the Lord with joy?
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Waiting on God
Yes, Lord, walking in the way of Your laws, we wait for You;
Your name and renown are the desire of our hearts — Isaiah 26:8
Your name and renown are the desire of our hearts — Isaiah 26:8
I’ve been reading about Joseph. As I often do in reading Genesis, I
wish there was more detail. I wonder so much about what’s not said.
But in Joseph’s case, the little he does say reveals a lot.
If you didn’t know the ending, you would think Joseph’s life story a great tragedy. The apple of his father’s eye, his jealous brothers kidnap him and sell him to a slave trader. Through his own strength of character and God’s blessing, he ends up running Potiphar’s household, and we begin to have some hope for this displaced young man. But Potiphar’s wife is impressed with him too (evidently, his physique was as attractive as his character). When Joseph rebuffs her advances, declaring His devotion to God and to her husband, she cries rape and Joseph ends up in prison. There, God continues to be with him, and he helps two cellmates by interpreting their dreams. When the dreams come true and one man is released to serve Pharaoh again, Joseph has one request: Tell the Pharaoh about me, so that he will let me out. But the very next verse says: When two full years had passed...
If you didn’t know the ending, you would think Joseph’s life story a great tragedy. The apple of his father’s eye, his jealous brothers kidnap him and sell him to a slave trader. Through his own strength of character and God’s blessing, he ends up running Potiphar’s household, and we begin to have some hope for this displaced young man. But Potiphar’s wife is impressed with him too (evidently, his physique was as attractive as his character). When Joseph rebuffs her advances, declaring His devotion to God and to her husband, she cries rape and Joseph ends up in prison. There, God continues to be with him, and he helps two cellmates by interpreting their dreams. When the dreams come true and one man is released to serve Pharaoh again, Joseph has one request: Tell the Pharaoh about me, so that he will let me out. But the very next verse says: When two full years had passed...
We read a careful telling of the prison scene, and suddenly two whole years are gone. What happened? Wait a minute!
Evidently, the cupbearer forgot his promise to Joseph, that is, until the Pharaoh is troubled by two dreams of his own that none of his wise men can interpret. Joseph is finally summoned to the Pharaoh’s presence, but we are never told about those "missing" two years.
Did Joseph pray? Was he faithful to his God? Did he grow bitter, blaming others for his plight? We know Joseph waited, but we aren’t told just how he waited.
However, we get a strong clue when Joseph answers the Pharaoh’s request to interpret his dream. Joseph simply says, "I cannot do this; but God will tell you your dream."
Without one narrative verse of those two years, we learn from his words that Joseph was not blaming God for doing wrong, or wallowing in self-pity, or entertaining vengeful fantasies. The humility of his answer, and his impulse for giving God glory, reveal his heart: he was a man who had waited with God, and waited for God.
We desire to walk
well, as we follow Christ. What I continue to learn is this: much of walking well is connected
with waiting well. So
much in our life is a process of waiting: waiting for a loved one to accept
Christ, for a health problem to be solved, for a relationship to be healed, for
our financial situation to improve. No-one likes to wait; we feel inactive; we
think we are accomplishing nothing.
But in fact, waiting well is an active pursuit. We can choose to wait in faith, trusting God is at work, even when we don’t see Him at work. We can choose to pray without ceasing as we wait for answers. Or we can choose to wait in frustration, forgetting the grace that God has supplied for our wait.
Waiting on the Lord is never wasted time. May the Lord give each of us the grace to wait with Him in view, to trust that His timing is perfect, and to bring glory to Him, no matter how long we wait.
But in fact, waiting well is an active pursuit. We can choose to wait in faith, trusting God is at work, even when we don’t see Him at work. We can choose to pray without ceasing as we wait for answers. Or we can choose to wait in frustration, forgetting the grace that God has supplied for our wait.
Waiting on the Lord is never wasted time. May the Lord give each of us the grace to wait with Him in view, to trust that His timing is perfect, and to bring glory to Him, no matter how long we wait.
Recommended
reading: Waiting on God, by Andrew Murray
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