God of the Impossible

God's fingerprints are all over the book of Esther, but His name is not mentioned even once. And this led me to think about how many times I feel like God is silent or inactive...yet He's orchestrating something huge - as He did for His people in the time of Esther. Throught he courage of one woman, God supernaturally protected His people from annihilation and extinction. Esther reminds us that God is constantly at work behind-the-scences to deliver His own.

The story beings with Esther, a beautiful young Jewish girl, chosen by the Persian King Xerxes as his new queen (note that Xerxes was unaware at this point of her Jewish heritage). The wicked Haman, second-in-command of the Persian empire, plots to have all of the Jews killed as revenge for the refusal of Mordecai to bow down to him (Mordecai was Esther's cousin and former guardian, as well as a high-ranking government official). Haman convinces Xerxes that this mass extermination will be in the empire's best interest, and the execution is scheduled for a particular day according to a decree from the king himself. The date is chosen by casting lots, or purim. Even today, the Jewish people celebrate the Feast of Purim to commemorate God's deliverance from Haman. Mordecai asks Queen Esther to become involved, and she courageously reveals her heritage and exposes the plot to the king. Because of her love for her people, Esther risks her life by going against the king's law, saying, "If I perish, I perish" (Esther 4:19). The king has mercy on her and grants her request, and eventually Haman is hanged on the very gallows he has erected for Mordecai.

Esther's decision is similar to the one Jesus would make years later. Motivated by His love for us, our Savior became our representative in the courtroom of a holy God. It cost His life to save us from perishing (John 3:16). It seemed impossible for fallen humanity to gain a pardon from an offended God, but Jesus accomplished just that and then rose from the dead to prove it. Just as Haman was publicly humiliated and destroyed, so Jesus "disarmed the powers and authorities" of His enemy, Satan. "He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross" (Colossians 2:15).

That which appears to be a futile cause for human beings is never unattainable for God. In fact, I think God specializes in the "impossible" as a means for demonstrating who He is. Many people throughout history have scoffed at God's seemingly improbable plans and methods. When He had informed one Abram and Sarai that they were going to have a son - they laughed because of their old age - until the miracle birth took place (Genesis 18:13-14). And when Mary learned that she had been chosen to give birth to God's Son, she very logically inquired, "How will this be...since I am a virgin?" (Luke 1:34). God's angel messenger reminded her that "nothing is impossible with God" (Luke 1:37). And even in Persia, God was watching out for His people, quietly setting all the pieces in place for their deliverance.

Presently, I feel surrounded by some impossible situations...

...a dissertation I've worked for 3 years on - not being accepted by my committee...

...a house we are confident God has led us to - with unreasonable requests from the seller's realtor...

But in the midst of all of this, I know that God is sovereign over all things! I am glad I serve the God of the impossible - trusting that He will bring these dreams He has placed before me to fruition!

If I perish...let me perish...I am Yours...I am Yours...

Serious Life...Serious Death

So a number of people have noticed this year that I’m not as outspoken about my Broncos…and I wanted to express that it has nothing to do with their mediocre season (I still love ‘em!)…rather, God has been working in my life over the last year about the place that sports hold in my heart and life…among other things. He has really revealed to me the way that I would get so wrapped up in and excited about the Broncos…from being convicted at how defeating trash-talking is within His Body, to ultimately Him developing a holy discontent about it in my spirit. I’ll see if I can explain it better.

I think it all revolves from a much deeper heart issue with us as believers that manifests itself in us as a dissatisfaction with the status quo in our churches. We often leave services wondering what was in that for me, we pick and choose which parts of the church we want to be involved in and which parts we will shop elsewhere for, and we begin to be lulled to sleep by the enemy of our souls because we deaden ourselves to the yearning in our hearts for a real, tangible encounter with God. And this is where God has really changed my heart about the Broncos (insert whatever team/activity/etc. here). God created us to have a passion for Him. Desperate hunger for more of Him is the currency of Heaven – it’s what causes us to empty ourselves of compromise and creates a holy dissatisfaction that drives us to our knees and makes us depend on Him. And I don’t think we can truly be hungry for God if we are being satisfied with other things. We become fascinated with the created, rather than the Creator.

When we get more excited or worked up over a football game (or insert whatever activity here!), than we do over the Word of God…that’s a serious problem!! Rather than allowing the Lord to cultivate serious life within our spirits, the devil is cultivating serious death within our minds – by lulling us to sleep. We constantly are nibbling on junk food from the world, and in the process have lost our appetite for the Holy of Holies! The really sad thing is, we often don’t even feel our hunger pains for Him. Satan has so lulled us to sleep, that we are starving for lack of His presence without even knowing it! The devil has on running on empty, and turning to everything the world offers to fill it…instead of turning to the only One who can truly fill and restore our souls. The issue is a lack of hunger – desperate, aching, unspeakable hunger for His presence! How hungry are we? We say we are hungry for God – that we want to know Him more and love Him more deeply – but are we? What are we hungry for? Perhaps a better question is what are we filling ourselves with? If we are already full from the lesser pleasures of this world, how can we have an appetite for God?

God has really taught me this last year or so that He cannot simply be added to my life like an appendage. He is not some lucky charm that I carry in my pocket and pull out when I need help. He is GOD!! He doesn’t (and can’t!) fit into our little boxes and our self-centered agendas. He wants to fills us to overflowing with who He is – and conform us to the image of His Son. I am confronted with the reality of Isaiah 64:7 – “There is no one who calls on Your name, who stirs himself up to take hold of You.” We stir ourselves up alright…over sports, over our education, over music, over our families and friends. Please hear me, I am NOT saying any of these things are bad!!! What I am saying, is that when they take the place, and we allow ourselves to be filled by them rather than God, there is a serious problem.

This lack of desperate longing for God has brought us to where we are as a Church today. The stale quality of our spiritual lives is (I believe!) a direct result of our lack of holy desire for Him. Jesus just waits to be seriously wanted and invited. Instead – we often invite Him only to the things we think He fits into. We are fascinated by the things of this world…Oh how I resolve and pray that God will instill in my heart a holy fascination for Him. Sure, it might look like I’m not normal or unconnected to Western ‘reality’ – but who cares! That’s what I was called to be, that’s what I was created to be! Revelation 3:20 says this – “Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with me” – and it is my desperate prayer that I will quiet the world around me to be able to hear his voice to open the door!

There has been a lot of hype and hoopla over the whole Colts/Pats game this past weekend. Last night I heard that a sportswriter here in Indy was comparing Bill Belichick with satan and I was heart broken. I’m not a big Bill Belichick fan – but all I could think about was God sees him as a LOST SOUL – one that we are called to love and pray for! (Ouch – I know…I have my own ‘Bill Belichick’s’ in my life. But we can’t lose sight of how God sees situations and people!) Anyway – my discontent over the hype of it all wasn’t that the Colts are the focus…I would have reacted the same way about the Broncos. I am just sensitive to the whole thing right now because my heart is tender over it with the Father. I don’t want to keep walking through my life, content and feasting on what the devil is laying on my table. I want to set aside those things and gaze upon my Father – knowing that His presence is what will sustain and restore me in the coming days. I don’t see the Broncos making those kinds of promises!

I guess I want to challenge each of us to season our days with Christ, and evaluate what makes us excited (or frustrated when it doesn’t go the way we would have hoped). Sport is just an easy example…because our society is so wrapped up in it, it’s easy for us to become wrapped up in it. Heck, my entire career is centered around it! But God is just wooing us, wanting to excite us that much and more!

Will we hear Him, and allow our bodies and souls to be filled with His Spirit? Or will we continue to allow the enemy of our souls to lull us to sleep and satisfy us with things of this world that will pass away?

Hope ~ Psalm 16

1 Keep me safe, O God,

for in you I take refuge.

2 I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord;

apart from you I have no good thing."

3 As for the saints who are in the land,

they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight.

4 The sorrows of those will increase

who run after other gods.

I will not pour out their libations of blood

or take up their names on my lips.

5 LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup;

you have made my lot secure.

6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;

surely I have a delightful inheritance.

7 I will praise the LORD, who counsels me;

even at night my heart instructs me.

8 I have set the LORD always before me.

Because he is at my right hand,

I will not be shaken.

9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;

my body also will rest secure,

10 because you will not abandon me to the grave,

nor will you let your Holy One see decay.

11 You have made known to me the path of life;

you will fill me with joy in your presence,

with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

This is something I have been thinking on for a while, and it came together last night during Deep End. I think every time I have ever read Psalm 16, I always meditated on the sense of peace, hope, and immeasureable confidence and confort that verse 11 brought. These words afford us something to which we can cling to when the burdens of life seem unbearable. We can rest secure (verse 9) because we have the assurance that the God who loves us will never abandon us. That promise to us was sealed when Jesus came back to life after His crucifiction (interesting word picture/prophecy of this by the way in verse 10). Our greatest hope for the future is not simply that we as believers will live forever - but that we will live eternally with Jesus!

Sometimes I think the fulfillment of God's promises can appear to be so far in the future that we have a difficult time comprehending that those promises apply to us right now. While it is reassuring and sometimes comforting to know that things will work out "someday," we cannot help but ask the question - what about today?!? Psalm 16 is what has been called a Messianic psalm - there are about 36 of them throughout the book of Psalms - and they predict something about the coming Savior. Psalm 16 looks forward in time to God's promised Messiah, Jesus. In it we can glimpse something of the perspective of the promised One. And it comes as no shock, that when we view our situations (or mountains as Mark 11:23 calls them) through Jesus' eyes, we perceive a strong and sure hope for today.

First of all, we are invited to keep our eyes on God the Father (verses 1-2), the One who keeps us safe today and will continue to do so in the future. He is our place of refuge, a secure retreat to whom we can flee when we face attack or injury. Secondly, God wants us to know that we are a delight to Him. In Matthew 17:5, God identified Jesus as His Son, in whom He was "well pleased," and, now that we have been given the righteousness of Jesus (see 2 Corinthians 5:21), God takes the same delight in us!

Thirdly, we have the assurance that the circumstances of our lives are carefully assigned to us by our loving heavenly Father (verses 5-6). In Romans 8:28-29, we learn that God is working through all of the events in our lives to conform us to the likeness of His Son. I'm not saying here that God causes bad things to happen to us - hear me, satan is a big liar and a thief...He is lurking around every corner wanting to destroy us and our faith in God. Abba, the lover of our souls, will NEVER allow the enemy of our souls to do anything that God will not first provide a way out IN FAITH!!

Fourthly, there is a significant difference in outlook between God's people and those who disown Him. We can learn from others who know God and gain perspective on life's situations from them. When we keep our focus on loving the Lord, we will not be shaken by the changes and trials of life. This unique vantage point helps us to carry on in the present and look forward to the future.

As we live a God-centered life, we respond to truth in three ways:

We delight in our inheritance (verses 5-6)...

We thank God for being with us and guiding us each hour of each day (verses 7-8)

We celebrate constantly - because our hope in the One who raised our precious Savior Jesus Christ from the dead will last today, tomorrow, and forever (verses 9-11).

Imagine the sense of hopelessness unbelievers must feel when they face a crisis situation. I know I have a twinge of it whenever I am confronted with a new mountain in my life...but my faith in God has provided comfort in His promise that He never leaves me. I want to take this comfort to the world and remove the hopelessness that covers the faces of many I come in contact with every day. But is my life reflecting the glory of the Lord, the comfort of my King, the assurance of God's promise? Is yours?

Prayer and Obedience

I've been thinking a lot about God's direction and leading in my life these last few days - and the Lord keeps bringing me to the Israelites. It was such a simple proposition for the Israelites to know what God wanted - He made His intentions crystal clear. When the cloud of His glory settled down to cover the Tent of Meeting, the people stopped, set up camp and stayed put until further notice. When the cloud lifted from the Tent of Meeting, the people pulled up stakes and followed wherever it led them. God made His intentions even more explicit at night, when the hovering cloud appeared like fire.

With a cloud by day - and a fire by night - I keep movin' on...

Although there was no advance warning, no date circled on a calendar, the people of God never had to wonder when to go. The cloud might remain in one place for a year, a month, two days or only a few hours (Numbers 9:21-22). God directed His people to stay or forge ahead whenever He chose - and they obeyed, every time.

You see - as straightforward as God's instructions were to the Israelites, understanding His desires today can be fully as simple. He never intended that discovering or doing His will should be a complicated exercise. He gave us His Word, the Bible, as our map and guidebook. God wants us to believe in Jesus (1 John 3:23), and trust that He will lead us exactly where He wants us.

With a cloud by day - and a fire by night - I keep movin' on...

There doesn't need to be any doubt or guessing game for us any more than there was for the sojourning Israelites. We take God at His word, trusting Jesus to remove the sin from our lives and repair the damage it has done. We take God at His word, and trust that He will lead us exactly where He wants us. We take God at His word...and trust.

Another of God's explicit commands is that we love each other. In the words of Jesus, "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that He lay down His life for His friends. You are my friends if you do what I command" (John 15:12-14). When we walk in God's love, we do so all of the time: "If anyone obeys His word, God's love is truly made complete in Him. This is how we know we are in Him: Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did" (1 John 2:5-6). Walking in God's love requires obeying His commands. And God reveals His commands to us in the secret place.

There's no more speculation about whether a cloud will remain stationary or be pushed along by a sudden gust of wind - what a great sense of freedom! We are called to listen - and hearing comes from intimacy with the Father - and intimacy with the Father comes from conversing with Him. Finding His will becomes so much easier when we are walking in communion with Him every step of our journey. We at times express so much concern about finding the will of God, but we often make this quest much more complicated than it needs to be. God's will is so clear cut that we often cloud the issue with all kinds of caveats and extenuating possibilities - instead of simply praying, listening for His sweet voice, and obeying.

With a cloud by day - and a fire by night - I keep movin' on...

Grace and Works

I was reading in Galatians this morning - and was just reminded of God's grace...and overwhelmed at how much I don't deserve it...

The believers in Galatia had found themselves heading down a dangerous path, and they needed a reminder from Paul. They had become children of God by placing their trust in Jesus, but their simple, childlike faith was being assailed by the false teaching that faith alone is insufficient for salvation. Jewish Christians were telling them that along with faith in Jesus, God's people were accountable to keep the Jewish traditions and laws in order to be saved (Galatians 3:1-14).

The main thrust of Paul's letter to the churches in Galatia was the truth that anyone who believes in Jesus is therby God's child - and that this adoption and salvation have nothing whatsoever to do with adherence to rules. Both Jewish and Greek believers are sons and daughters of God - both slaves and free, both men and women - all who believe are God's children (v. 26-29).

Sometimes it appears that "faith" as exemplified in the Old Testament was based on how closely people followed the commandments and how faithfully they offered sacrifices. But being a member of God's family has always been a matter of trust rather than of any futile attempt at perfection. While the law of God teaches us what He is like and defines for us the kind of liefstyle He expects from us, it does not "impart life" (verse 21). Only Jesus' sacrificial death could accomplish that: "When the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons" (Galatians 4:4-5).

As the Holy Spirit moves within us, we are freed from the stranglehold of constricting rules. Instead, we are guided by His power to want to live holy lives. While we are not saved by our good deeds, they are indeed evidence that the Holy Spirit is at work in us. Paul minced no words in addressing the Galatian believers: "You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?...After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?...Does God give you His Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you have heard?" (Galatians 3:1,3,5).

Remember, the old covenant of the law was replaced by the new covenant of Jesus' sacrifice. We no longer have to follow a list of rules and regulations to understand and get close to God - Jesus' death and resurrection opened up a new covenant for us - a covenant that says we grow close to God by faith and grace - not by our behavior. We are no longer bound by the letter of the law, rather we as believers are "clothed...with Christ" (verse 27), and our focus becomes pleasing Him because of our love from and for Him. Salvation comes from grace, not works - and works come from a deep, love relationship with our Creator.

Faithful and True

After the roar and shouts of multitudes praising God, John saw "heaven standing open and there before him was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True" (Revelation 19:11). Faithful and True. This rider is also referred to as, "the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation" (Revelation 3:14). Faithful and True. And this person is none other than Jesus himself (Ephesians 1:22; Colossians 1:16). He is somewhat mysterious, this Judge and Warrior, because "he has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself" (Revelation 19:12). We are also told that "his name is the Word of God" (Revelation 19:13, see also John 1:1-14). Faithful and True.

The very essence of Jesus' name - Faithful and True - is something that we who are living within the confines of a sin-stained world can only begin to understand. We have never experienced the quality of unadulterated faithfulness in any one person, because all of us humans are fragile, prone to breaking down under duress or temptation. And not one of us can claim to know someone who is absolutely honorable. We all fall prey to the tendency to twist the facts just a bit to make ourselves appear better than we actually are. Even as godly, maturing Christians, we know that our framework of truth can never be the same as the absolute, pure truth of Jesus. Only His perspective is consistent with all of the facts; only He can perceive and interpret reality from every possible vantage point. Faithful and True.

The Bible assures us over and over again that we can trust God to keep His word. And this is much more than a character trait passed down from Father to San. Because God the Father and Jesus Christ are one (John 17:11, 22), the Rider on the white horse can safely be followed through every circumstance - all the way to eternity. Faithful and True. We often use phrases like "As sure as I'm standing here" to convey the reliability of what we are about to state. In my work, every meausre used must be proven reliable before it can be used - and even then, it's hardly completely trusted. Paul simply relied on who God is, using God's faithfulness as a reference when he made the claim that his own words would be absolutely true: "As surely as God is faithful," he assured his readers (2 Corinthians 1:18). Faithful and True. (ps...can you imagine if in a research talk - I said 'As surely as God is faithful, the SFQS is reliable' - which would be a lie...)

As we hear and believe the gospel message, we come to know that it is altogether true; as we experience it's dynamic power we come to see that all of God's truth comes to one majestic affirmation in Jesus Christ, in whom all of God's promises are "yes". Our God does not waver in carrying out His word. He follows through with every detail of what He promises us, because He is and will always be faithful (Philippians 1:6, 2 Thessalonians 3:3). Faithful and True.

It really makes no difference whether or not we believe this to be true. Paul addressed this issue through a rhetorical question followed by a resounding affirmation: "Will our lack of faith nullify God's faithfulness? Not at all! Let God be true, and every man a liar!" (Romans 3:3-4). Faithful and True.

On Loving a Dying World

So Pastor Jim was preaching tonight on love...the general jist of his message was that to know God is to know love. And faith expresses itself through love (Galatians 5:6). We can't truly have faith in God - truly believe God - until we love others the way the God loves others. At one point he (Pastor Jim) said, "love will begin to make you care about the dying world around you..." And that really got me thinking...

There are so many people in the world who are hurting, and who desperately need Jesus - who need to know Him as their Savior. Unfortunately this isn't the reality we oftentimes choose to live in as Christians. People need Jesus! Everywhere we turn, there is evidence of a fallen world, a world so desperately in need of love. And I started thinking about the hundreds of people who I come in contact with who need Jesus...of the thousands of people in this city who need Jesus...of the millions of people in this country who need Jesus...of the billions of people in the world who need Jesus. And my first response was something like, 'right Lord - what am I, one person, going to do'. And His response was...

Have faith in me. Believe that I am big enough to handle this. Trust that I will use you - right where you are - to accomplish my purposes.

Wow! Then I was lead to John, chapter 6 - Jesus was teaching the crowd that had followed Him, and He saw that they were hungry, so He asked the disciples where they could buy enough food to feed everyone (I laugh, because Jesus obviously knew what was coming...yo! disciples - where's the nearest grocery store?!). Anyway - the disciples told Jesus that they would need to work for a month to feed the crowd sitting before them - and they brought to Jesus all that they could find...5 loaves of bread, and 2 small fish (these fish were like the size of sardines...). And we all know what happened next - Jesus, took the food, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to the disciples to feed the crowd. John tells us that there was more than enough (vs. 13).

Great, Stacey - so what does this have to do with loving the world? Well, I started thinking about the little boy that the disciples got the 5 loaves and 2 fish from. Do you think he went home to his mom that night saying, "Guess what I did today?! I fed thousands of people, not one person didn't have enough to eat - I'm so amazing!" I don't think so...I'm thinking that this little boy was amazed by what Jesus did, and was never the same again.

Which brings me to us loving the many lost people in this fallen world. So many times in life we approach a situation with our 5 barley loaves and 2 fish - wondering what in the world God could ever do with it. But that's all God has asked us to do - to show up with what we have, with whatever we have packed in our lunch for that day, and trust that it will be enough for Him to accomplish His purposes. Don't you see how that takes us out of the equation - we just get to 'sit back' and wait in amazement as we see what our Creator will do this time!

The Bible says that our Father is going to send us off into every day with exactly what we will need to accomplish His purposes for that day (Philippians 4:19). As each day unfolds, the events may surprise us, but they don't surprise Him! All He asks is that we offer what little faith and courage we do have to Him, and He will make it enough.

Pointing to Jesus

God's ways are often surprising, yet He often graciously prepares us in one way or another to understand them. Through Isaiah, God declared that He would provide a "voice" before the appearance of the Messiah to alert the people that the day was approaching (Isaiah 40:3). The "voice" Isaiah was referring to was John the Baptist, who was sent by God to prepare the way for Jesus (see Matthew 3:3; Mark 1:3, Luke 3:4; and John 1:23). Isaiah included many details that would help the people during that time (and us!) to identify this messenger.

Bear in mind that John was not the voice - he was only a voice. His purpose was simply to point to the voice - Jesus Christ. When the priests and Levites questioned John as to whether or not he was the Christ or Elijah or "the Prophet," he emphatically stated that he was not, specifying that his role was to be a voice (John 1:19-23). At long last, John was able to make the announcement: "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes awy the sin of the world" (John 1:29).

John's voice implored people to turn from their sins and follow God (Matthew 3:1). This forerunner of Jesus realized that the people needed to be willing to listen to God in order to recognized God's Son for who he was. Sounds like something we need to be able to do too...

John was no ordinary prophet. He made his home in the desert, wearing rude clothing made of rough camel hair and eating locusts and wild honey (Mark 1:6). He may not have been the poster-child for Jesus that we were all hoping for - been when, really, has God operated in the realm of what we expect in this crazy world. What's even cooler (I think), is that John - this crazy man - didn't travel to meet the crowds - instead, the people came to him.

It would have been an easy task for John to establish his own following and give birth to his own movement - the people were following him around, asking questions, seeking answers...but he resisted his temptation, recognizing that his life's calling was simply to prepare people to open their lives and hearts to Jesus. Even when John's disciples argued with Jesus' disciples about which of the two was greater (thinking about this makes me chuckle...the disciples - like us - were so often too concerned with verbally 'proving' God, instead of just letting Him do the work and the proving!). Anyway - the two sets of disciples are arguing, and John allows no room for doubt, stating that "He must because greater, I must become less" (John 3:30). You see, John knew that once Jesus appeared on the scene, John's task was complete, and he was content to fade into the background.

God wants each of us to be a voice for him as well. Our purpose is to point people to Jesus rather than to demonstrate how good we are, or how committed we are. Wow - did you hear that?! Our purpose is to point people to Jesus rather than to demonstrate how good or how committed we are. And the message we call out is the same as John's - that God wants people to turn from their sin and give control of their lives to Jesus. We are called to be faithful to God wherever he places us - in the city, in the desert, in our schools, in our workplace, in the midst of a crowd of friends, in our secret quiet place.

But wait, there's more...we are called to be more than Jesus voice - He asks us to be his hands and feet as well. In our awesome Father's name, we are to feed the hungry, offer a cup of cold water to the thirsty, show hospitality to the stranger, clothe the needy, look after the needs of the sick, and visit those in prison (Matthew 26:34-46). (check out my friend Nicole's blog about this...I put a link at the bottom...) We are called to be Jesus' hands and feet - and too often I think we take a look at that responsibility and decide it's too difficult, it's too dirty, it's not for me. But the writer in Hebrews urged us to "keep on loving each other as brothers. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by doing so some people have entertained angels without knowing it" (Hebrews 13:1-2).

Don't think you have to do this alone! Ask God to reveal to you ways that you can be Jesus' voice, hands, and feet today...and every day.

Nicole's blog:
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=46602744&blogID=190582463&Mytoken=C62F89C6-9482-44CC-9AEF05B9BADD51421284334

Cultivating Our Faith

This passage of scripture has come up so many times in different contexts in my life over the past few weeks. So I've been thinking about it a lot - and God has been revealing some pretty sweet things to me! I dig that about Him!

So here we go - while Jesus was up on the mountain with Peter, James, and John, the rest of the disciples continued their ministry in the valley. One distraught father brought his demon-possessed son to the disciples, but they were unable to drive out the demon. Jesus had given them the authority to correct this kind of problem (Mark 3:15-16), and it was nothing new to them - they had done it so many times before (Matthew 10:1). So what was the problem?

After Jesus had returned from the mountain, the agonized father approached and knelt before Him, saying, "Lord, have mercy on my son. He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him." (Matthew 17:15-16). Mark expresses in his account of this situation that the father asks Jesus "If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us." To which Jesus replies, "'If you can?'" (Mark 9:14-29) I can just picture Jesus - "ARE YOU KIDDING ME PEOPLE?!?!? - how many times do I have to show you that I can do ANYTHING??" Of course, Jesus healed the boy, but not until after he puts the responsibility of the boy's healing on the father. You see, to Jesus, it wasn't a question of IF He could heal the boy, Jesus CAN do anything, period. The real question is, did the Father believe that He could heal the boy? Do we believe that He can?

Later on in this passage, the disciples questioned Jesus as to why they had failed. Jesus' reply was pretty straightforward - you don't believe. ("Because you have so little faith." - Matthew 17:20) Jesus told them that faith as infinitesimal as the tiniest of seeds can work miracles - but apparently the disciples lacked even that degree of trust when they attempted to liberate the boy on their own.

It's all about faith. Faith can be cultivated in one way: through prayer (see Mark 9:29). It seems the disciples had forgotten this fundamental discipline. You guys - without prayer we are as helpless as the disciples in the face of satan's schemes! It is not enough to be called into a ministry, to be gifted for a ministry, to have experience in a ministry, or even to have achieved some success in a ministry - we must continually practice the discipline of real prayer as we do what Jesus asks of us. This goes for EVERYTHING we do in life. I believe we can be in line with God's will for our lives, and still miss some of it - when we aren't praying.

Neglecting to pray robs us of our power - the power that Jesus Himself gave us - and can reduce our faith to a level of usefulness in God's kingdom that is far smaller than what God desires to exercise in us. That's what I mean by missing some of it. God may have things planned for us - but when we are not equipped with His power through prayer - we can not effectively battle. So we feel defeated, we get frustrated, and we give up. Satan wins this battle.

Well - I'm done with satan winning any battles! He's such a liar and a cheat and just a big jerk! (Quit being such a jerk, you big - jerk!) I believe as we draw closer to our precious Lord Jesus, we will echo the words of the apostle Paul, who found the secret to his contentment in the source of his strength in Jesus alone: "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:13). Oh Lord, give me the grace to exercise that kind of faith...to believe you can do everything...and live my life in a manner that reflect that belief!

Wrestling with Unbelief

A product of what God has been working in my life over the last 6 months or so, that finally clicked somewhere between youth service last night and my quiet time this morning...

Oh...this is good stuff! God is so good! I was reading in a couple of places this morning 2 Timothy (I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. 2 Timothy 4:7-8), and for some reason I thought about Jacob...so I started reading generally about Jacob (Genesis 32) and how he wrestled with God, refusing to stop until God blessed him. And it hit me - God completely blessed Jacob after their wrestling match. Jacob refused to stop, having faith that God was going to bless him if he was persistent in pursuing God and it was because of Jacobs faith that God blessed him. This is the guy who stole his brothers birthright 5 chapters earlier, wrestling and being blessed by God because of his faith. He had figured something out, that God is faithful. And then it hit me back to 2 Timothy...Paul didnt say I have fought the good fight, I did everything perfectly...nope, he says I HAVE KEPT THE FAITH. And I realized that sometimes we run our race to the finish line its easier, things make sense, everything is clear. But other times, we wrestle our way to the finish line it's more difficult, it's hard to see God's hand...but either way God is calling us to be FAITHFUL to Him, to believe Him, to trust Him. I think I have had this faulty theology that if I'm wrestling my way through something must be wrong, I must not be lined up with God's plan. But God revealed to me this morning that wrestling is not the absence of faith...just like Jacob, He wants me to wrestle through some things with Him, knowing and believing that He will carry me through it. Faithfully. Because thats who He is, and what He does.

I know that He has me here for a higher purpose than getting my PhD...thats just a piece that I need for what He has planned. I have no idea what that final product is, but I know that He will be faithful to me to get me to that finish line...even if I have to wrestle my way there! I've been focusing on the wrong things...how hard this has been, how frustrated I am, how nothing seems to be working how I think it should...but God is asking me to look elsewhere up to Him. To get rid of that unbelief in my heart...that unbelief that is moved by what it sees, rather than by what God has done or said...that unbelief that instills that spirit of fear in my heart, keeping me from moving...that unbelief that is negative, making me think I can't do it. I have to shift my perspective higher - fix my gaze on the Lord and His Word - and keep my faith in check. I know that my God is faithful, I know that He loves me beyond what I can ever think or imagine, and I know that He rewards faith He credits it to me as righteousness (Romans 4). If I'm going to err in this thing...I'm going to err on the side of FAITH, rather than sitting here in the safety zone not believing.

Eternal Victory

I have been incredibly stressed out lately. School is crazier than ever. I am taking on too many things at once. I have let the craziness of school, aka - the world, steal my gaze from Christ. But as of last night, I read the book of Revelation. I've read it before, but tonight it came alive.

I kept thinking of Georg Handel's "Messiah" as I was reading (the big choir nerd that I was...one of my all time favorite musical compositions!). The majority of it comes straight from Scripture...

The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord

and of his Christ...

And He will reign for ever and ever...

As the apostle John continued to receive incredible visions about the last days, it was obvious that some great culmination was approaching. It appeared that the story was all over but the shouting. God had opened up Heaven and provided John with a sneak preview, everyone who has lived since has been offered an opportunity to hear of the celebration of God's incredible victory over evil.

It just doesn't get any better than this! The Lord will claim His omnipotent power and begin an uncontested reign - just as He has always promised and just as His people have anticipated since the beginning of time (Genesis 3:15). In John's vision, all of the saints and angels in Heaven fell on their faces and worshipped Jesus, recognizing Him as the eternal King over all creation. (sweet bliss!) The flawless relationship with God that He has promised His people throughout the ages will be theirs in every way imaginable. Sin and the devil will have be routed, and nothing will ever again stand between the Creator and His creatures! Wow!

When Jesus takes His place as the King of all creation, two things will happen. He will reward with eternal life in Heaven, those who have honored Him. But those who have refused Him will be granted precisely that for which they have asked all along - for God to leave them alone, forever. Revelation 11 began with a description of hell on earth, but in the middle of his vision of judgment, John reminded us that victory is certain. Certain! There will inevitably be conflicts and challenges ahead of us, but one glimpse of Heaven reminds us that God is still on the throne! God is in control - and we are in His arms!!

Rewind back to Romans, and remember what Paul told us (Romans 8)..."What then shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all - how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?...Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?...No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us"

That to me says we win. More than conquerors doesn't just mean we catch the hail mary at the last second...nope, more than conquerors to me says we're so far ahead, we could have quit playing at halftime...but we didn't. So don't quit - it could be the beginning of a new battle, you could be sitting in the locker room at halftime, or you could be so close to the finish that you can taste the victory - but don't lose sight of that victory! It's certain!

So if you're feeling down...stressed out from life...overwhelmed by the task at hand...read Revelation...and get your focus on the certain victory of Christ. Suddenly, the other troubles fade away - they don't go away - they just lose their power! I know, it's a confusing book - a tough book to swallow - but take the plunge, and let God reveal pieces of it to you!

Unparalled Joy

There are times when, as followers of Jesus, we celebrate with unparalleled joy. Zephaniah described that kind of celebration. He invited the people to sing, shout aloud, be glad, rejoice with all their heart. That's starts to scrape the surface of what I felt like doing at last night's service!

Zephaniah 3:14 marks a turning point in Zephaniah's prophecy. The beginning of the book concentrates on God's judgment, but then the mood lightens and the prophet focuses on the Lord's future promises for His people: promises of restoration, healing, and blessing. When the Messiah would come to establish His kingdom, Zephaniah predicted, there would be a celebration to exceed all others.

Many of the promises in Zephaniah deal with Jesus' second coming, but there are others for which I believe we can experience on an everyday basis. Check out Zephaniah 3:17 and see what God is doing - all the time!:

The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save.

He will take great delight in you,

He will quiet you with His love,

He will rejoice over you with singing.

First of all, God is with us, and He always has been. Many years after Zephaniah's ministry, when Jesus was about to return to Heaven, His followers must have been feeling the agony of impending loss. Jesus was leaving them...what?! But Jesus reassured them (and us) with the words, "Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:20. Now when I read that - I see always, that doesn't mean sometimes, that doesn't mean only when I think to call out to Him, that doesn't mean only when I feel like I've screwed up - so He's going to be there judging me...nope, that's always! His presence comes to us in different forms at different times, but He is NEVER far from us (Acts 17:27).

God also saves us. In the New Testament, Peter and John were brought before the Sanhedrin, a Jewish council or court, for questioning. Peter reminded those assembled that the only way to be delivered from sin is through Jesus, God's Son (not the easiest thing for a group of guys believing that strict following of the Law was the way to condemn sin to swallow...). "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under Heaven given to men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). No other name. No other works. No special requirement of church attendance. Just Jesus - He saves us, period.

Sometimes the reality is difficult to comprehend, but God delights in us you guys!! He is vitally interested in our lives. You never have to wonder whether He is actually paying attention when you talk to Him - He is. You never have to question if He really care - He does. His love for us is so great that He sent His one and only Son to die for our sin so that we might have the opportunity to experience the fire of a relationship with Him.

Next, God quiets us with his love. What does that mean?? Well, we are restless creatures...we worry about everything. Worrying that God might not actually be out there, worrying that He might not really care, worrying about day-to-day things...we worry, we're restless. But His love is soothing and completely fulfilling if we will allow it to be. He quiets our restless spirits with His love. How much more could He love us than to die for us? (John 15:13).

Finally, God rejoices over us. The Bible has a lot to say about singing and rejoicing in God's honor (check out the Psalms...and the book of Revelation), but Zephaniah is made this amazing announcement that God is singing and rejoicing over us!! I just love this! What profound encouragement we can take from this? In the midst of a crappy day...God is singing over you. In the craziness of life...God is rejoicing over you. Always.

We all have something to shout about, no matter how trying and painful our particular circumstances might be. The God of the universe has saved us from our sin. He is right by our side, wherever we go. God loves us, delights in us, rejoices over us. Is it any wonder that all of Heaven honors Jesus by shouting aloud - Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise! To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!! (Revelation 5:12-13). And we are invited to join in the chorus.

The God of Second Chances

Sorry...this one is probably going to be a bit long...I've been thinking on it for a while

I was reading two passages this morning...Psalm 51 and Romans 8...and I am just overcome at the grace and mercy of my Father. I am left speechless, astonished, and amazed at the love He pours out in my life time and again. Reading these passages I started thinking about sin and why it's such a thorn in our sides, why it's such a frustrating thing to overcome, to break free from.

David is one of my favorite Old Testament people...he just rocks. I mean seriously - yes, the dude lived a life of devotion to God, but by no means did he live a perfect life. The greatest tragedy of his life was that he had an affair with a married woman and arranged to have her husband killed when she discovered that she was pregnant with David's baby. Psalm 51 gives us a glimpse into David's broken heart during this time, as he tells God about his sin and promises to turn back to his Creator and Father, the God of the second chance.

Sin is first and foremost a violation against God. We can be sure that in David's story, Bathsheba, Uriah, and David's son were wronged and hurt by David's poor choices. But the relationship that suffered the greatest was the one between David and God..."Against you, you only, have I sinned" (vs. 4). I think maybe it's not so much the actual 'sin' that is so detestable to God...but the fact that it creates brokenness in our relationship with Him. He created us to be in perfect relationship with Him, and our sin prevents that from happening.

Sin has consequences. After David turned away from God, he eventually experienced the full weight of what he had done and he talks about feeling crushed inside (vs. 8). You see, David knew that his relationship with the Father had been affected, and he had seen God remove His presence from Saul after Saul turned his back on God (see 1 Samuel 16:1, 14 and 2 Sanuel 7:15). When we sin, we lose the sense of peace and joy that comes from right living. When we grieve the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30), we feel His sorrow...because He lives in us and produces His fruit in us (Galatians 5:22).

Here's the beautiful thing...our relationship with God doesn't have to remain broken! David found the path leading back to God, and the same path is there for us. When we admit to God that we have sinned against Him and betrayed His trust, when we direct our steps back toward Him, He forgives us and no longer holds our sin against us (2 Corinthians 5:17-19; 1 John 1:9). God looks for a broken and contrite heart that seeks a restored relationship (Psalm 51:1-2, 17). He is the God of second chances. Not only did He forgive David, but look at how He used David to lead others back to Himself (vs. 13)...including us!

I don't think God intends for me to be perfect...because He knows in this world I will fail and stumble...but what He does intend for me to do is to run into His lap when I stumble - accepting the robes of righteousness that He places around my shoulders...throwing off the rags of guilt and shame that the enemy casts at me.

Jesus was sent by God to take upon Himself the burden of sin for all who would belive (Isaiah 53:6; 2 Corinthians 5:16-21). While we certainly need to confess our sins daily and strive more and more to live a life modeled after that of our Savior, the reality is that our sins have already been forgiven through the blood of Jesus Christ.

He took our sin upon Himself, if it's on Him - it can't be on us.

Because of Jesus, when God looks at us, he sees our hearts as pure and clean (Isaiah 1:18).

Check out Romans 8...it is full of God's promises to us...to list a few:

...there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus...

...through Christ the law of the Spirit of life has set us free from the law of sin...

...the mind controlled by the Spirit is one of life and peace...

...we are controlled not by the sinful nature, but by the Spirit...

...our spirit is alive because of righteousness...

...we rest in a Spirit of sonship, not a spirit of fear...

...we are God's children, heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ...

...nothing can separate us from the love of God...

As I was driving today, I heard the song, "You are so Beautiful" by Joe Cocker. It's such a simple song...but I just pictured Jesus singing it to me, and I was completely overwhelmed with His love for me in that moment...and always...

~You are so beautiful to me ~ You are so beautiful to me ~

Can't you see ~

~You're everything I hoped for ~ You're everything I need ~

You are so beautiful to me ~

So I've come to the conclusion that I just need to let God be awesome, to let Him be wonderful, to let Him love me without the restraints that I place on His love for me...to let Him be who HE is...the God who loves to love me, the God who sees me as perfect, the God who grants me the willing Spirit to do His will...the God of Second Chances.

When God is Silent

There are stagnant periods in the lives of many believers during which God seems almost strangely silent. Perhaps that hs never been more true than during the four centuries between the end of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament. Malachi was the last of the Old Testament prophets, and after his death God did not send a successor until the birth of John the Baptist.

It isn't too difficult to visualize Old Testment prophets whose primary role was to pronounce doom and gloom on God's unfaithful people. But Malachi closed his prophecy with words that should have infused all future generations with hope:

Surely the day is coming...the day when people would see God's righteousness, and there would be healing for God's people with "Elijah" appeared (see Malachi 4:1-6).

The "Elijah" to whom Malachi pointed would be who we know as John the Baptist, and his purpose was to prepare the people for the ministry of the One who would set us free from slavery to sin.

What must it have been like to be alive during the intertestamental period? I sometimes think when I haven't clearly heard from God in a day that everything is crazy! But these people had no prophets, no message from the Lord - only a seemingly enless void - for 400 years! Some people very likely assumed that God had forgotten them. Others may have concluded that He no longer cared, or that He had given up on them. I think we all live through times during which it seems that we are unable to make contact with our Lord, and we inevitably experience the same fears and doubts. Living during these times of apparent one-way communication requires FAITH.

How do we make it through these silent times? By remembering what God has already said and done! Even though there had been no prophet since Malachi, the people had already received God's promises...and so have we. We already have access to the word of the Lord. The faith of some of the people alive between Malachi and John the Baptist no doubt matured as they continued to turn to God in faith and cling to His promises. And we can do the same!

In the final analysis, God is never really silent (see Hebrews 1:1-3). He might not furnish new revelation with every new day, but we always have His eternal and completely reliable Word to inspire hope in our hearts! After all, we serve the infinite and all-powerful God who pledges that He will ever be "faithful to all His promises and loving toward all He has made" (Psalm 145:13). And nowhere has this incredible promise been more beautifully and perfectly expressed than in the gift of His precious Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

So be strong...keep the faith...and know that God is with you in this desert silence! In my life, I have definitley learned that He takes me to those depths before He hits me with something huge - something I never could have planned or imagined!!

I chuckle remembering my winter this past year - yikes! But when I look where He has brought me, what He has done in my life, who He has placed in my life - how perfect His timing and provision!!! Trust in what you know to be true of Him...recount all that He has done, the depths from which He has already brought you - and walk in FAITH - knowing that He will lead you where He wants you!

Spiritual Battles

2 CORINTHIANS 10:3-6

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. THe weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.

When I read this passage, I think it's easy to see that walking with God destines us to be engaged in spiritual warfare. My first response to thinking about me having the power of God, is sweet - I win, don't mess with me! But I think rather than feeling arrogant and condescending because of our relationship with God, we can use the "weapons" (His power and strength...) to fight against the spiritual forces that strive to lure us off track.

When I think of spiritual warfare - I think so much more globally...angels and demons...battles in the heavenlies...darkness and light...but God is starting to reveal to me something so much more powerful - it's also about me individually. The battlefield of our minds.

As we make God-honoring choices, God gives us His own power and helps us to overcome enemy strongholds, every human attempt to claim honor for oneself, or any other obstacle that threatens to draw us away from Him and keeps us in bondage to sin. In this passage, Paul urges us to gain control over our own minds, to pray for the power that alone can enable us to capture every thought and use it in the service of Jesus.

We are called to focus consciously on our own thought patterns and to continually ask ourselves whether our thoughts are glorifying Jesus or serving ourselves. (ouch!) But the more we get to know Jesus, the better equipped we will be to do this! Spiritual battle begins with our private thoughts, and it can only be won using the spiritual tools which have been placed at our disposal because of the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ!

What are those tools? Check out Ephesians 6:10-20...here, Paul gives us a picture of how we can effectively be strong in God's power. Again, he reminds us that our battle isn't in this world - it's in the spiritual realm. I think it's important to note that certainly - the war that wages in the heavenlies can manifest itself in the natural world...war, famine, disasters, sickness...but the root of the battle is still spiritual!

To fight this battle, Paul urges us to put on the full armor of God...

...the belt of TRUTH...

...the breastplate of RIGHTEOUSNESS...

...feet fitted with the gospel of PEACE...

...the shield of FAITH...

...the helmet of SALVATION...

...the sword of the SPIRIT...

...PRAYER...

God has provided to us an armor to protect us from the flaming arrows of satan..but we have to make the choice to use it! Our enemy is smart and cunning...he knows the weaknesses in our armor - and you can be sure that those weaknesses are going to be the first place he is aiming to throw us off track! But you guys, we don't have to live defeated because we are weak. God's Word says His power is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). So grab hold of God's truth - the righteousness of Christ that He places on you - and exercise your faith. Choose to use the armor God has given you - and live victoriously!!

Jesus, Remember Me

The sinless Son of God was executed on a cross, hanging helpless between two hardened criminals. The crowd jeered, ("the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him" Matthew 27:44). But one of the thieves experienced a radical change of heart.

This robbers first action was to confront the other criminal, reminding him that they as partners in crime fully deserved execution, but pointing out that Jesus had done nothing wrong (Luke 23:41). But the thief didn't stop there - he goes on to ask Jesus for help. His request was short and to the point..."Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom" (Luke 23:42). This is amazing!!! Through some flash of revelation this man with a crazy past recognized Jesus as the Messiah and the King - realizing that faith in Jesus would provide his only access into God's eternal kingdom.

Even cooler is Jesus' response to him..."I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43). This guilt-ridden criminal received a great deal more than he had bargained for. He asked only to be remembered - but Jesus gave him more, Jesus promised to BE WITH him. This was far more than the promise of a distant future in some far-off kingdom. Jesus says, TODAY this thief would experience the glory of paradise with the God who was now dying to save him.

Jesus regularly does more than we even dare to ask. (can I get an amen!?) The apostle Paul pointed out that he is able to do immeasureably more than all we ask or imagine because His power is working in us (Ephesians 3:20-21). More than we can even imagine...that's crazy! This man hanging on a cross next to Jesus had lived only to please himself, literally almost until his last breath. And simply by placing his destiny in the hands of Jesus, he experienced "immeasureably more" than he was requesting or could ever have fantasized would happen to him! Immediately following his last rasping breath, he would find himself in the place of blessedness, where he would be at home with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23).

How often are we confused about what God expects from us?? We start to believe that we have to comply with the expectations of our Christian social circles, our families, our churches. But think about this you guys, the thief on the cross had never been baptized. He didn't attend regular church services. He didn't deposit money into the offering plate every week. And he undoubtedly performed more bad deeds than good. But he did do one thing...he chose to admit his sin, to acknowledge who Jesus was, and to ask the Savior for help.

Oh how I pray that we will do the same...don't get caught up in playing church, in doing things because you think you should...get caught up in the person Jesus Christ. Be ruined by His love for you. Think about the truth that He is able to do immeasureably more than all you could ever ask or even imagine! He always exceeds our expectations - amazing!

Prayer

Gethsemane - the place that has come to signify a place of intense suffering and courageous submission.

After Jesus had celebrated the Passover with His disciples, the group went together to the garden of Gethsemane. Jesus asked His friends to keep watch while He went to pray alone a short distance away. Luke says that prayer was so full of anguish that His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground (Luke 22:44).

Prayer is one of the disciplines of a godly life that we frequently find difficult to completely understand. I think oftentimes the whole concept seems intimidating or even baffling because we try to use unfamiliar words, or sound a certain way, like God is interested in whether or not we use proper English when we talk to Him! God never intended that talking with Him should be threatening! His desire is that prayer be more like an intimate conversation than some profound theological discourse. He just wants to hear our voice, to know that we trust Him enough to come to Him - even if we sound like babbling idiots! Jesus began His prayer that night at Gethsemane with, "my Father," and he has instructued us to address God in the same manner when we approach Him in prayer (Luke 11:2).

You guys - true prayer, the kind that moves Heaven, it requires honesty. Honesty with ourselves, and honesty with God. That night in the garden, Jesus knew full well that He was about to be arrested, and with every ounce of human emotion He dreaded and resisted the idea that He was about to die on the cross. He pleaded with His Father...you know, I kinda don't want to do this - if it's possible, take this away from me (Matthew 26:39). But the key is - Jesus openly expressed His emotions, He was honest with God in His prayer! He of course knew that His request was against God's eternal design, but He was honest with God! I strongly believe that God honors honesty in our prayers!! Jesus said if it were possibe he would have preferred to avoid the anguish ahead of Him. This isn't a sign of weakness - rather it was an expression of authenticity and honesty. In the same way, when we face seemingly unbearable suffering, it is perfectly legitimate for us to plead with our heavently Father to deliver us from the pain.

But hear me - when we approach God in a prayer like this, we have to be willing in advance to submit to whatever He decides is best. Jesus didn't look forward to the pain, but He had the wisdom and the courage to add yet not as I will, but Your will be done. Through this He acknowledged that His Father's will had to take priority over His own personal desires.

When we come into God's presence in this spirit of humble submission, of willingness to surrender control, to let go into the loving arms of the Father, we know in advance that while He may not change our circumstances, He will most definitely change us through the experience.

God honors honesty in our prayers - He just wants to hear our voice. Don't worry if you don't sound like so and so...God wants to hear YOUR voice, and YOUR heart! He wants us to trust Him, and believe Him when He says He listens to our prayers.

For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer (1 Peter 3:12)

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours (Mark 11:24)

We're Kinda Dumb

I'm all over reading about Jesus' miracles in the gospels...God is just blasting me with an understanding that the miracles of Jesus are just the ordinary works of the Father, He just has to scale it down so we might actually believe them to have happened. Imagine what He could do with children who had the faith to believe anything He threw at them!

I was thinking about when Jesus miraculously satisfied the hungry masses at the feeding of the 5000...then he sent His disciples across the lake by boat while He went to pray (even Jesus needed quiet times of rest with the Father...probably a good plan for us too, then!). Later that evening, He cross the lake Himself - walking on water. (He's so cool!) As He approached the disciples in the boat, they assumed that a ghost was drifting toward them (yep, the Holy Ghost..well, sort of!), but Jesus calms their fears with three simple words..."Don't be afraid" (Mark 6:50). When He climbed into the boat, Mark says the disciples were "completely amazed"...I'm guessing they were sitting in shocked silence, you know the kind where you just shake your head wondering what just happened?! Mark 6:52 tells us that "they had not understood about the loaves." In other words, the disciples just didn't get it...we're kinda dumb! They had just witnessed Jesus feeding more than 5000 people with a handful of food, and they were still astonished that He could walk on water. This is so me! How many blessings and miracles has He brought on my life...and I'm still shocked at His goodness! We're kinda dumb! But as you read through the gospels, you see the disciples began to see that Jesus could do anything - it was only through experience that they finally figured this out! And the same it true with us - only as we get to know Jesus on an intimate level, can we learn that He can do anything in and through our lives! The more we observe Him carrying out His plans for our lives, the less astounded we'll be when He performs what seems unimaginable to us! Then we can start to become kinda smart...but only because of Him!

A Prophet Without Honor (for Nicole)

Text: Mark 6

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%206:1-6;&version=31

I'm getting ready to head home for my 10 year high school reunion (yikes, when did THAT happen?!?!)...and was reading in Mark about when Jesus goes to his hometown...some thoughts I thought I'd share...

No matter what we do with our lives after we become adults...how far we travel or how much we learn...returning to our hometown is often an emotional experience. (Kids...you'll understand this in about 10 years) Most people will at one time or another speak nostalgically about their childhood memories, and my psychology background tells me that to some degree, people make sense of their daily experiences through the filter of the patterns and recollections of their youth. So in some way, we are all forever affected by something of what we were as children.

Jesus understood these feelings about childhood experiences. When He returned to Nazereth and taught in the synagogue, the people there were amazed by His wisdom and miracles but found themselves unable to reconcile what they were seeing and hearing with the fact that Jesus was a local carpenter's son (Mark 6:2-3). Within the close-knit circle of small-town life, they had watched Him grow up, and their response to His teaching was skewed by their recollections of what had been in many ways an ordinary childhood. (I love how God makes ordinary - extraordinary!)

The citizens of Nazareth lacked faith. But Jesus refused to simply walk away and give up on them. He did not perform many miracles in Nazareth, but He did perform some (verses 5-6). I think the reaction that stung the most HAD to have been that of His own family. Check out Mark 3:20-21 - His own family questioned His sanity!! (Jesus entered a h ouse, and again a crowd gathered, so that He and His disciples were not even able to eat. WHen His family heard about this, they went to take charge of Him, for they said, "He is out of His mind") In John 7:5, John explains it as, "Even His own brothers did not believe in Him."

Nicole...this is where I find the Holy Spirit bringing you to mind! In our own lives, I think it can sometimes be most difficult to discuss the reality of Jesus' love and salvation with those who know us best. They may listen to what we say and even acknowledge that they can observe a change in our demeanor since we first met the Savior, but they will almost invariably judge us through what they remember of us...the "family" lens. They are probably the most skeptical because they remember too much. Or because they see that there is something different, but they have no idea how to approach it and understand it.

I think the key is - even when our parents, brothers, sisters, or close friends reject our words or are embarassed by our devotion to Jesus, we can not simply resign ourselves to their entrenched attitudes! Eventually, Jesus' own family DID come to the point of belief (see Acts 1:14). What speaks the loudest is not the idea that we are perfect, but the observation that we are consistent. (Oh...how I could write for hours on this one!) The example of a changed life before Jesus, will make a difference over time to those around us who find it hard to understand or believe!

Miracles Aren't Enough

I've been reading through a number of the miracles Jesus performed (as recorded in Matthew) over the past few days. It's obvious that Jesus' miracles attracted a lot of attention because there were crowds of people following Him everywhere (Jesus was a rock star!). But these miracles didn't always result in people turning to God in faith. In Matthew 11:20-24, Jesus condemned the towns of Koran, Bethsaida, and Capernaum because they had seen with their own eyes who He was and what He had done - yet had failed to believe. It seems that witnessing miracles does not always lead people to want to get to know God. This is so hard for me to understand because God has used miracles in my own life to draw me closer to Him (although, I definitely miss out on some from time to time because I'm retarded...). So it got me thinking - when two people witness the same event, how is it that one person is left doubting and another is found running into God's presence? I think the answer lies in God's grace. Only God's grace can bring about a change in our hearts.

While these New Testament miracles may have constituted irrefutable evidence that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, they can not in and of themselves soften and change unyielding hearts of stone. When we witness things around us that build our faith, draw us near to God, and basically just blow us away - that is the Lord wooing us into His presence, saying - come my child - let me show you what I have for you - this is just the beginning!

I think it comes down to three things...commitment, worship, and repentance. You see, Jesus desires our commitment, not our applause. He longs for our worship, rather than merely our wonder. And he yearns for our repentance, rather than simply our respect.

The greatest miracle anyone can experience is having his or her heart transformed by the touch of God's love and grace (see Matthew 13:11-17 and Ephesians 2:4-10). I think I always view this as the big salvation transformation of our hearts, and forget that God wants to transform my heart daily. I think too often I miss the small touches of His love because I am looking for the big signs and wonders. O how I pray that we will begin to understand His grace on a level beyond salvation and repentance. And move into an understanding that daily He rejoices over us with singing, He delights in us, and His love quiets our hearts - drawing us in to see the world through His eyes (Zephaniah 3:17).