Journeys

“I know, Lord, that our lives our not our own. We are not able to plan our own course. So, correct me, Lord, but please be gentle.” (Jeremiah 10:23-24)

 

I read that today and I almost started to giggle, even though I know it’s not funny. I couldn’t even begin to tell you how many times I have prayed that exact prayer! Even reading it over and over again I can see it in my mind. How many times have I sat in this exact spot and let God know that I know He is in control? How many times have I confessed my sins but then, in the back of my mind, I am chanting “be gentle, be gentle, be gentle”? Do you ever feel good when you know you are not alone in your heart?

 

My journey through the Bible this morning was much of the same. I came across verses, as I did my morning Lent readings, and each time I felt God speaking to me. This is why I love God’s Word because the pages aren’t just filled with words. This tattered book I carry around with me, and try to pick up every morning, has become His voice in my heart. Now, I don’t get these warm fuzzy feelings every time but when I do it’s pretty neat stuff and I reminded once again of God’s beauty and His grace and love. I am reminded of how blessed I am and how much I love Him!

 

So, I finish this up with a few more versus from today.

 

“As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him?” (Psalm 42:1-2)

 

“Send out your light and your truth; let them guide me. Let them lead me to your holy mountain, to the place where you live.” (Psalm 43:3)

 

“For the sin of this one man, Adam, causes death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ,” (Romans 5:17)

 

Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32)

Your Red Sea

“The Moses raised his hand over the sea, and the Lord opened up a path through the water with a strong east wind. The wind blew all that night, turning the seabed into try land. So the people of Israel walked through the middle of the sea on dry land, with walls of water on each side!” (Exodus 14:21-22)

 

I was walking with my brother-in-law to McDonalds®. My sister had finally been placed in a room after her stroke and everyone else had left. Troy and I were hungry and ironically enough, a renowned heart hospital has McDonalds® on its ground floor. On our way down I told him that I would have the entire state of Iowa praying by the end of the night, that I would have friends across the country praying and even prayers being lifted from England by the next day. On the short walk down he mentioned that he had thought about getting back to church. He had been thinking life would get easier if they were going to church. I couldn’t help it. I laughed out loud. I said that is the inside joke of Christianity. For some reason the people looking in think that Christians have this easy cake-like life. However, the reality is life gets harder when you decide to walk the narrow path. It was then he remembered doing an alter call in his teens. “It was like as soon as I did that the girls flew down on me.”

 

God brought the Israelites to a new destination in an incredible way. They may have been free from 400 years of slavery but that didn’t mean that the rest of their lives were a picture of leisure and ease. It was hard. It was long. Many didn’t make it through. It brings me to the testimony I am giving this weekend. I had an amazing experience, a God-moment if you will, and I was refreshed, renewed, on fire, and alive in a totally new way (that is the jest testimony if you aren’t going to make it to church this weekend). I kid-you-not, within two days my world was crashing around me. I was on my knees and I didn’t know how I was going to get through.

 

We all have some sort of Red Sea in our lives. It’s that moment when we are walking with God and we reach a point where it seems impossible to break through or cross over. God is telling us to trust Him and to put one foot in front of the other and know that He will provide the dry ground. His Word is our staff and our church family, friends, loved ones, prayers, the sermons we hear, missions we are involved in, and circles we live in are His pillar of fire and smoke guiding us and pulling us forward. We know that He will always bring us through. We may not understand it. We may not see it. But we know that our Heavenly Father loves us and will us guide us Home.

 

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

The Promise

“I turned my face away and punished them because of their defilement and their sins. So now, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will end the captivity of my people; I will have mercy on all Israel, for I jealously guard my holy reputation! They will accept responsibility for their past shame and unfaithfulness after they come home to live in peace in their own land, with no one to bother them. When I bring them home from the lands of their enemies. I will display my holiness among them for all the nations to see. The my people will know that I am the Lord their God, because I sent them away to exile and brought them home again. I will leave non of my people behind. And I will never again turn my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit upon the people of Israel. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!” (Ezekiel 39:24-29)

 

Sin is real and sin is very present in our lives. For many of us, we were swimming in the values of the world and we got so deep that we didn’t think that God would be able to reach in and pull us safely to shore again, or that He would have wanted to. He did pull us out of the water and He will continue to help us up again every time we fall. He does this because He has poured His Spirit into us and when we accepted that gift we became His sons and daughters.

 

God’s love is greater for us than we can possibly fathom. His desire to be with us, and for us to choose Him, is immeasurable. God wants His family to reflect Him and He wants His family to be with Him. No matter where you have been, or what you have done, God has rescued you and He is with you at all times. We are no longer trapped in the values of ideas of the world. We have been made heirs of God and our worth and value were determined the day that Jesus hung on a cross for ALL the sins of the world. We just have to trust that He is there and ready to help us along the road that leads to Him.

 

“God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:17)

 

Crossing the Line

“But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”

 

When I first wanted to start coming to church it wasn’t because I had some huge desire to have a personal relationship with Jesus. Goodness, I didn’t even know what that meant. I thought it was what good people did. The “good” people took their families to church on Sundays and had their children in Sunday school classes. When we started coming, as sporadic as that was, I had no clue what the pastor guy was talking about but I liked the music. It was Easter, and I was 23, that day I realized that all these people weren’t talking about bunnies but instead talking about Jesus dying. I knew He had died but didn’t know all that other stuff. And, therein, lays the beginning of my faith walk.

 

I was excited for my new found faith, I was full of zest, and I was probably really annoying. But you know when you love something and get all excited it’s hard not to talk about it. Then, being the nerd that I was and am, I started soaking. I soaked in the Bible, I took classes when I could (the kids were really small), I read articles, did research, read studies and books, I made friends and tried to make huge lifestyle changes. I slipped a lot. I was wrong a lot. I was arrogant at times and proud at others. God had to break me several times through life’s circumstance to bring to where I am today. Unfortunately, I am sure the work isn’t done yet!

 

I can remember the very moment I crossed the line from a person seeking to a person filled with faith. However, this life isn’t always easy. Good things don’t just blossom in my front yard because Jesus is my friend. I struggle the same as anyone else. I have really great days and I have really crappy days. There are things that happen that I don’t understand and there are things about this world that make me so angry. There are things I love about my life and things that I can’t explain about the beauty of this world. The biggest difference between me then and me now, besides eternal salvation, is hope. I don’t see the circumstances of today as an end or a cause but the beginning and a gateway. I crossed that invisible line of faith and I found hope, what did you find?

 

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiahs 29:11)

Keeping the Door Open

“You will be accepted if you do what is right.  But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But your must subdue it and be its master.” (Genesis 4:6b-7)

 

Do you know how hard it is to have a philosophical conversation with a 7-year old? My youngest and I can have the best conversations and he is so smart and tries to rationalize everything. Last night we were talking Star Wars, which is actually a pretty normal thing since that is all he wants to talk about. As I was tucking him into bed the little guy said, “If I was Anakin I would have just learned as much as I could about the Dark Side but stayed on the good side of The Force.” I, with great trouble, explained to him that once you step over to the Dark Side it’s hard to come back. I tried to tell him that when you go to the Dark Side you are shutting the doors to the good side. Once those doors are shut everything gets dark and it’s hard to see and you can get back to the good side but it’ll take a lot of work because you shut all the light out so you will have to feel your way to the doors. It’s all about choices.

 

It’s all about choices. My dad used to say that for every bad decision I made I was shutting doors of opportunity and I shut a lot of doors. I walked in the dark searching for the light for a very long while. Once I saw where the light was coming from I would run to the door, only it seems to move or if lost focus at all I would loose the door and have to start searching all over again. Once I found the door and walked in it seemed as though I wanted to keep the door open so I could jump between the light and the dark just in case the light got too bright or the dark look to cozy.  

 

Now, I forget there is another door in the room most days. Even on down days, like yesterday, it never dawns on me to walk away from God or what His grace and His love have given to my life. I have seen too much, experienced too much, and seen God work too much to not believe that God is real and that this walk of faith is worth something. I am thankful that God kept the doors open for me and that He didn’t lock them shut and I am thankful for the yearning I had to start finding another way since what I was doing wasn’t working. Everyone walks in the dark sometimes but not everyone realizes that they can find their way back because God is keeping a door open until the last of days.

 

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8)

Doing Everything Wrong

“He seized the dragon—that old serpent, who is the devil, Satan—and abound him in chains for a thousand years. The angel threw him into the bottomless pit, which he then shut and locked so Satan could not deceive the nations anymore until the thousand years were finished.” (Revelations 20:2-3a)

 

I spent most of yesterday afternoon at the hospital with my sisters. The middle of the three of us had to be admitted. She had some bleeding on her brain that has stopped. However, it has caused her to struggle with her speech and some of her motor skills on her right side. They will be running more tests on her this morning to determine what happened and how to fix it. I was, of course, panicked when I got the phone call but a very good friend talked me through it. Then on the way home I was sad to leave her. Finally, as I am sure my body was completely drained of energy from the day, I realized how lucky we were that she was still alive and I spent the rest of the evening near, or at, tears. I went to bed, and then woke up, very thankful that I get to call her and visit her today….again, on the brink of tears.

 

I feel like I am doing everything wrong lately. I spend lots of my time eating too much, not sleeping enough, being stressed, worrying too much, and being angry too much. It sounds weird just typing that out because, on the other hand, I have been trying to focus on God, filled with adoration for Him, and loving seeing Jesus in so much of my everyday. There are obviously two sides of me at conflict right now and when I realize this I get even angrier because I know how it all ends. Jesus wins. We win. The devil, and all the fallen things of this world, will lose! We know the end of the story. Satan knows the end of the story. So, why then, do have moments when we struggle with direction, with life, and with our emotions and choices. God has simplified everything so well but I continue to make it so hard.

 

I was reminded yesterday of what a sweet gift God has given us with our loved ones and I don’t want to waste any of the time I have with the people in my life or the job that God has given me. It’s hard to walk in the Light when you carry too much on your back, and I have been carrying too much on my back. My prayer today is that I will start handing over my worries, my eating, my sleeping, and my stress to God and let Him carry them. He is much better at carrying that kind of stuff than me anyway. And we need to remember that we can chose to live in the struggles of this world or we can choose to live in the victory that we know is Christ Jesus. I want to choose victory!

 

“I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light. The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory. Its gates will never be closed at the end of the day because there is no night there. And all the nations will bring their glory and honor into the city. Nothing evil will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty—-but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” (Revelations 21:22-27)

 

We are the Circus

“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” (Ephesians 3:20)

 

We saw the Cirque de la Symphonie on New Years Eve. It was an amazing night and a neat way to introduce a different genre of music to our kids. The music was beautiful, the acrobatics were shockingly amazing, and the talent was breath taking. I was torn between watching the faces of my family as new things flashed across the stage and watching the stage itself. How incredible that so much talent can be displayed in one night and on one stage.

 

Two women, in two completely different songs, demonstrated a strength and flexibility that had the crowd “oohing” and “awing” in sync. The juggler was amazing and my youngest happened to mention, at the exact moment I thought it, that it looked like that funny little clown had three arms whenever he was juggling because he moved so quickly. Another guy came out and had a hollow 3-D box that he twirled that may not sound too exiting but it had the effect of a laser show and I couldn’t keep my eyes off the box as it whirled around the guy. The “strongman” act was a true demonstration of strength as these two guys showcased a level of discipline and strength I have never seen before. And let’s not forget the music: it was fabulous! The Des Moines Symphony really out did themselves. Our youngest was quite impressed that they remembered to play a StarWars song for him. They also had a 13-year old come out and play a song on the piano and he will a rising star; I am sure of it. It was a night of beautiful talent and I am glad that we decided to go.

 

God gives everyone different abilities. If all the people in the Cirque de la Symphonie did the same thing, equally talented in exactly the same talents, the show would have sucked (honestly). We are the circus, my friends. God has given us beautiful talents and abilities and when we work together we can produce amazing things through our differences. Some of us are good at juggling, some of us are able to contort ourselves to make things work, some our strength and ability to work on teams gets mighty mountains of ministry moving, and still, some of us are that star that will move people and show them the beauty of life. We are the circus….we are the church and it’s time, everyday, to get the show on the road. Pray about what God is asking you to do and fix your eyes on it now. He’ll walk you through it and see you safely to the other side.

 

“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and  strength belong to God forever and ever! Amen.” (Revelation 7:12)

A Page from a Book

“All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.” (Jude 1:25)

 

This is an excerpt from the Life Application Study Bible (NLT)

 

“With tiny wrinkles and cries, he entered the world and, wrapped in strips of cloth, took his first nap on a bed of straw.  Subject to time and to parents, he grew to manhood and Roman-occupied Palestine, his gentle hands becoming strong and calloused in Joseph’s woodworking shop. As a man, he walked through the countryside and city, touching individuals, preaching to crowds, and training 12 men to carry on his work.  At every step he was hounded by those seeking to rid the world of his influence.  Finally, falsely accused and tried, he was condemned to a disgraceful execution by foreign hands.  And he died—spat upon, cursed, pierced by nails, and hung heavenward for all to deride.  Jesus, the God-man, gave his life completely so that all might live.

 

At God’s appointed time, the risen and ascended Lord Jesus will burst into the world scene. Then everyone will know that Jesus is Lord of the universe!  Those who love me him will rejoice, greeting their Savior with hearts overflowing into songs of praise. But his enemies will be filled with fear.  Allied with Satan, the enemies of Christ will marshal their legions against Christ and his armies.  But who can withstand God’s wrath?  Christ will win the battle and reign victorious forever! Jesus, the humble suffering servant, is also the powerful, conquering King and Judge.”

 

“I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.” (Revelation 1:8)

 

Reference:

 

(2004). Life application study bible: New living translation. Pg 2165, para 1-2. Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Carol Stream, IL

I got that…maybe not

“Of course, your former friends are surprised when you no longer plunge into the flood of wild and destructive things they do.” (1 Peter 4:4)

 

There were many passages I read this morning that really caused me to pause and ask: Do I get it? How is it that 2,000 years ago that people were going through the same things as we do today. I haven’t had any issues with former friends the way others I know have but there are other things that I can relate to and, yet still, other things I wish I felt I understood better.

 

Like 1 Peter 4:12 “Dear friends, don’t be surprised at that fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange is happening to you.” I got that. Our salvation does not keep us from life’s trials and we can use them to become stronger for God. I will honestly say I don’t like the trials and since I seem to go through the same trial over and over again I feel as though I am either not learning what He is trying to show me or that He is building me up for something.

 

2 Peter 2:19b “For you are a slave to whatever controls you.” This one sucks. There is no one person I feel that controls me. However, there are times when I feel out of control and I can’t seem to turn on my self-control button. The Bible says the Spirit gives us self-control, I just haven’t done a very good job of figuring out where it is. Consequently, there are days when I feel like I am a slave to my lack of self-control when I would much rather feel like a slave to God, whom I gladly serve.

 

1 John 1:9 “but if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” If we confess all our sins but forget one, I mean honestly forget, are we not truly forgiven. Once we accept Jesus into our hearts and are saved does that mean past, present, and future sins are forgiven by default? What if you die before you have a chance to confess a sin? Does it make a difference if that sin was by ‘accident” or if it was deliberate?

 

I imagine many of my questions, and some days there are more than others, won’t be answered while I breathe on this earth. Sometimes there are probably only questions that can be answered by God Himself, or questions we will most definitely see on the other side of Heaven. I am okay with not knowing all the answers though. Having a direct answer to any of my questions does not help decide if I have faith or not. I am pretty sure I had even more questions the day I stepped over that line into faith and belief. This morning I am just glad that God took the time to make sure His Word spoke to me, right where I am, this very moment in time, telling me He knows and He loves. Those are the only answers I really need.

 

“This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” (1 John 4:10)

Snow Day!

“For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night.” (1 Thessalonians 5:2)

 

It’s a snow day today and there is no school. Children of all ages, including some very grown up people I know, wait and pray for a day like this. All this past week I could tell that my children’s teachers were hoping for a snow day this week because they sent the kids home every night anticipating the next day to be one (this was actually really annoying). Ah, but behold! We have 1/10” of ice under 2” of sleet under 2-4” of snow. Snow day! Great joy will fill the house as my little babes wake up one by one and realize their great fortune.  The joy will be reversed, however, when the school year gets extended out an extra day and they realize that they could have made their first trip to the pool but instead they are sitting in hot sticky classrooms.

 

People have been waiting for the day when Jesus raptures His children for thousands of years now. I can honestly say that I fully anticipate this day to come every day and I want to be ready. My children have their hats, mittens, games, and anything else they need ready to enjoy this much anticipated day of no school. It’s easier, and not so easy, to be ready for the Lord to come. For me it is a process of learning to not cling to things of this earth. It is a process of loving the people in my life but realizing I could never love them as much as Jesus. It’s a process of getting to know Jesus as much as possible through His Word because I want to know the One I will be spending an eternity with. I may teach kids at church but I need to reach and volunteer out in the community more. I may pray for people in the comfort and safety of my own home but I really need to go pray with them. See, until that day comes I need to keep working and studying for Jesus.

 

My children, and many across the great state of Iowa, have been dreaming of a day just like today. What are you dreaming of? What are you waiting for? Are you waiting for a raise or a pink slip? Are you waiting for a husband or a wife? Are you waiting for your kids to get past the stage where they totally grate on your nerves? Are you waiting for your hero to come from the war? Are you waiting for Christmas so you can give the gifts you got for everyone or open the ones others got for you? One of the things I desire more than anything is for Jesus to come! A part of me wants to pause at that though but honestly, nothing I, or my family, could experience could possibly compare to finally realizing that beautiful day….even though my brain wants me to picture everything we would miss a little too long. Lord Jesus, I pray that you come grab us today but if it is not time yet I pray that you let us know what we need to get everything ready so that you can. Amen.

 

“Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever. So encourage one another and build each other up, just as you are already doing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:9-11)