Have you ever been around someone and wondered whether they were drunk or not? The answer should be an emphatic, NO!! Why is that? Because the difference between being drunk and not being drunk is so huge that there isn't ever a question or subtlty. You can tell by a person's actions and speech.
Ephesians 5:18 says, "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit." Wait a minute- did that just compare being drunk with being spiritual? YES!
We just started a new series at church on this very subject, and the sermon was so great, I just had to share.
So, back to Ephesians 5:18. How is it possible to compare being drunk with being filled with the Spirit? What did God mean by that?? Let's look at some characteristics of drunk people and I believe you will see.
1. Drunk people talk differently (you can tell someone is drunk by the way they speak)
2. Drunks produce one of these two urges in those around them: to get away from them or join them.
3. A drunk is always ready for another binge.
4. Drunks don't feel pain.
5. Drunks don't have any pride (you can't hurt a drunk's feelings).
6. Drunks don't like to drink alone.
7. Drunks are motormouths (they make friends with everyone).
8. Drunks are generous (they don't think twice about buying drinks for many different people).
9. Drunks love everybody (they are very affectionate and don't avoid anyone based on stereotypes).
10. Drunks fight (they believe they are invincible and are not afraid of anything).
11. A drunk will do anything for a drink.
When I look at this list and think about how I can apply each of these qualities to my walk with God, I am amazed. The person who achieves all of these qualities through intoxication by the Spirit is one who will be unstoppable in being used by God. What would happen if I was always ready for another binge of God's presence? What if I didn't want to indulge in His presence alone and, therefore, gathered groups of people to join me in my ecstasy? What if I didn't have any pride or insecurities...was so unaware of myself that I would cross any barrier to do the great things I have been called to do?
Friends, Ephesians 5:18, I believe, is referring to a loss of control. To be drunk is to have lost control. I don't know about you, but I am ready to lose control for Christ! I am eager to enter the state where my actions and speech are uncontrollable because I have given myself so fully to Christ that He has altered my state of mind.
Only through intoxication with Him can we have an unending supply of the substance that makes our lives not broken, but ever sweeter and favored by Him. :)
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Monday, August 3, 2009
Believing God
One of the great truths I have come to discover is the power of believing God. Not believing IN God, but believing God. Believing what He says. Like if you tell me you're going to call me later today, I believe you that you are going to do it. That kind of believing. Really, it's simple believing...yet so hard to do!
Every person has strongholds of sin or personal failings that they have to deal with. What I have found consistently throughout my life is that every stronghold at the root of it boiled down to believing God. We usually don't have any idea this has caused a stronghold until we work through the layers of emotions, thought patterns, and damaging behaviors that result from it.
I have thought about why it is so hard for us as humans to believe God. It is not easy to pinpoint. After all, isn't it just the opposite? Don't we have to believe God to be living as devoted Christians? Well, it's not all or nothing. We may believe God easily in some areas, while in other areas, such as where there is a past hurt or failing, we may have much difficulty believing God. So yes, it is possible to believe God and still not believe God.
My personal opinion is that it is so hard to fully believe God in every single area of our lives because our hearts and minds would have to live in a different reality than our body does. We would have to make a conscience choice not to dwell where our eyes can see, but in the realm where Christ dwells. We would have to deliberately get a new set of spiritual glasses so that we see everything differently than what it naturally appears.
Here's an example: you get fired from your job. Everything was going well, you were the best worker they had, you had no major failings in your work, your boss thought highly of you. It comes as a sudden and complete shock. In the natural sense, the one that tends to disbelieve God, which leads to strongholds, you might think, "What good is it to work hard? It never pays off." or "God must not care about me." or "I guess I can never trust anyone again!" There are so many toxic thoughts like these that actually appear to be quite true based on what your eyes can see.
Now, let's put on our spiritual glasses and take another look. "God has always provided for me, I know He will make a new way for me." or "I knew I did everything I could; therefore, this was out of my hands and I know God has a perfect plan." or "God has turned every failure and shortcoming of mine for His glory and to take me one step higher. I know His plans for me are good." or "God is in control of all things. He could have allowed me to advance in this position or to remove me from it. I cannot hold anything against the people I work with or conclude that no one is trustworthy. Instead, I choose to see that when things don't make sense to my human understanding, God is at work." or "Maybe God just had me here for a season so that I could touch the people I worked with. I know the place He brings me to next will be blessed just as much."
It is amazing what a difference believing God can make. The tricky thing about believing God is that when we are tempted to believe what our eyes see, it definitely appears to be true! Therefore, believing God has to be a conscience effort and one in which we live in a different reality. The sad thing is that the more we disbelieve God and act on what we see in the natural, the more we will create behaviors that will affirm our fears.
Here is an example: Using the example above of getting fired~ if I choose to believe that I got fired because God doesn't care about me, then I may begin to relax spiritually and not try as hard to please God. The more I do this, the more tempted I will be to sin and do things which displease God. The more that happens, the more distanced I will be from God. Then when I see just how distanced I have become from God, then I will again affirm my original fear that God doesn't care about me.
What a viscious, deadly cycle this can be! People, we MUST believe God! Our lives depend on it like nothing else in this world!
Let me point out something to you that is really eye-opening. Genesis 3:1-6: Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?" And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.' " But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
Do you see what I see?!?! Let's break this down.
1- "Now the serpent was more CRAFTY than ANY other beast of the field that the Lord God had made." Need I say more? This is where the verse "be ye wise as serpents and harmless as doves" comes in! Your mind is your sharpest tool! Use it!
2-See how the serpent made her disbelieve God?
3-See how the serpent made her think God was witholding His goodness from her?
4-See how what the serpent said appeared to be true in the natural?
5-Most importantly, see how the woman does not put forth ANY effort to combat the serpent's lies? We have to FIGHT to be victorious!!
The wonderful thing about living a life believing God is that He empowers us to do things we wouldn't normally do. He gives us a mega-dose of spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical strength. In believing God, we end up confirming what we once thought was impossible. This is in contrast to the example above, where believing the natural confirms our fears.
People, I invite you to believe God with me. Let's examine our hearts and minds. Let's take an honest look at our lives and invite the Holy Spirit to bring to the forefront any areas of our lives when we have disbelieved God and believed the enemy instead. The Scriptures say that "in his presence there is fullness of joy; at his right hand are pleasures forever more." I don't know about you, but I'll take that over a life in defeat any day! :)
Every person has strongholds of sin or personal failings that they have to deal with. What I have found consistently throughout my life is that every stronghold at the root of it boiled down to believing God. We usually don't have any idea this has caused a stronghold until we work through the layers of emotions, thought patterns, and damaging behaviors that result from it.
I have thought about why it is so hard for us as humans to believe God. It is not easy to pinpoint. After all, isn't it just the opposite? Don't we have to believe God to be living as devoted Christians? Well, it's not all or nothing. We may believe God easily in some areas, while in other areas, such as where there is a past hurt or failing, we may have much difficulty believing God. So yes, it is possible to believe God and still not believe God.
My personal opinion is that it is so hard to fully believe God in every single area of our lives because our hearts and minds would have to live in a different reality than our body does. We would have to make a conscience choice not to dwell where our eyes can see, but in the realm where Christ dwells. We would have to deliberately get a new set of spiritual glasses so that we see everything differently than what it naturally appears.
Here's an example: you get fired from your job. Everything was going well, you were the best worker they had, you had no major failings in your work, your boss thought highly of you. It comes as a sudden and complete shock. In the natural sense, the one that tends to disbelieve God, which leads to strongholds, you might think, "What good is it to work hard? It never pays off." or "God must not care about me." or "I guess I can never trust anyone again!" There are so many toxic thoughts like these that actually appear to be quite true based on what your eyes can see.
Now, let's put on our spiritual glasses and take another look. "God has always provided for me, I know He will make a new way for me." or "I knew I did everything I could; therefore, this was out of my hands and I know God has a perfect plan." or "God has turned every failure and shortcoming of mine for His glory and to take me one step higher. I know His plans for me are good." or "God is in control of all things. He could have allowed me to advance in this position or to remove me from it. I cannot hold anything against the people I work with or conclude that no one is trustworthy. Instead, I choose to see that when things don't make sense to my human understanding, God is at work." or "Maybe God just had me here for a season so that I could touch the people I worked with. I know the place He brings me to next will be blessed just as much."
It is amazing what a difference believing God can make. The tricky thing about believing God is that when we are tempted to believe what our eyes see, it definitely appears to be true! Therefore, believing God has to be a conscience effort and one in which we live in a different reality. The sad thing is that the more we disbelieve God and act on what we see in the natural, the more we will create behaviors that will affirm our fears.
Here is an example: Using the example above of getting fired~ if I choose to believe that I got fired because God doesn't care about me, then I may begin to relax spiritually and not try as hard to please God. The more I do this, the more tempted I will be to sin and do things which displease God. The more that happens, the more distanced I will be from God. Then when I see just how distanced I have become from God, then I will again affirm my original fear that God doesn't care about me.
What a viscious, deadly cycle this can be! People, we MUST believe God! Our lives depend on it like nothing else in this world!
Let me point out something to you that is really eye-opening. Genesis 3:1-6: Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?" And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.' " But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
Do you see what I see?!?! Let's break this down.
1- "Now the serpent was more CRAFTY than ANY other beast of the field that the Lord God had made." Need I say more? This is where the verse "be ye wise as serpents and harmless as doves" comes in! Your mind is your sharpest tool! Use it!
2-See how the serpent made her disbelieve God?
3-See how the serpent made her think God was witholding His goodness from her?
4-See how what the serpent said appeared to be true in the natural?
5-Most importantly, see how the woman does not put forth ANY effort to combat the serpent's lies? We have to FIGHT to be victorious!!
The wonderful thing about living a life believing God is that He empowers us to do things we wouldn't normally do. He gives us a mega-dose of spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical strength. In believing God, we end up confirming what we once thought was impossible. This is in contrast to the example above, where believing the natural confirms our fears.
People, I invite you to believe God with me. Let's examine our hearts and minds. Let's take an honest look at our lives and invite the Holy Spirit to bring to the forefront any areas of our lives when we have disbelieved God and believed the enemy instead. The Scriptures say that "in his presence there is fullness of joy; at his right hand are pleasures forever more." I don't know about you, but I'll take that over a life in defeat any day! :)
Monday, July 20, 2009
Witnessing for Dummies
Excuse me while I step up onto my soapbox...
There is something that really bugs me about Christians. Christians who do door-to-door evangelism, and when I tell them I am already a Christian and attend church regularly, they continue their speech as if they didn't hear me!!
This happened today- some Jehovahs Witnesses stop by.
The worst situation was one time when this man came from the Baptist church. He began his speech, and I immediately told him that I was a Christian, and he continued his speech. He began to mention Bible verses, and I began to quote verses that I knew that were relevant to what he was saying. He still continued his speech! So I continued to discuss my relationship with God and Bible verses, etc. Finally, he invited me to attend his church after I told him I had a church I regularly attend!
Brothers and sisters, sharing the good news about Christ is one of the most important things a person can do in life. I want to share the goodness of Christ with as many people as I can and do whatever I can to draw more people to Him. But, folks, let's not be idiots! If you knock on someone's door and they tell you they are a Christian and you continue your speech, then 1-you don't really care about the person anyway, you're just out to make a speech, since obviously you weren't listening to what the person said; 2- you are insulting that person's intelligence, as if they were either lying to you or not "saved" enough; and 3- you are mismanaging your time and energy...wouldn't it make more sense to move on to someone who is not a Christian rather than waste your time trying to "save" someone who is already "saved"?
Alright, I'm stepping off my soapbox now... may I live in a way that draws people to Christ without being a robot! :)
There is something that really bugs me about Christians. Christians who do door-to-door evangelism, and when I tell them I am already a Christian and attend church regularly, they continue their speech as if they didn't hear me!!
This happened today- some Jehovahs Witnesses stop by.
The worst situation was one time when this man came from the Baptist church. He began his speech, and I immediately told him that I was a Christian, and he continued his speech. He began to mention Bible verses, and I began to quote verses that I knew that were relevant to what he was saying. He still continued his speech! So I continued to discuss my relationship with God and Bible verses, etc. Finally, he invited me to attend his church after I told him I had a church I regularly attend!
Brothers and sisters, sharing the good news about Christ is one of the most important things a person can do in life. I want to share the goodness of Christ with as many people as I can and do whatever I can to draw more people to Him. But, folks, let's not be idiots! If you knock on someone's door and they tell you they are a Christian and you continue your speech, then 1-you don't really care about the person anyway, you're just out to make a speech, since obviously you weren't listening to what the person said; 2- you are insulting that person's intelligence, as if they were either lying to you or not "saved" enough; and 3- you are mismanaging your time and energy...wouldn't it make more sense to move on to someone who is not a Christian rather than waste your time trying to "save" someone who is already "saved"?
Alright, I'm stepping off my soapbox now... may I live in a way that draws people to Christ without being a robot! :)
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Burn out or flood in?
I was talking to my mom the other day about different jobs that I could do in social work, and I started thinking about something that's so crucial.
You hear all the time about social workers getting "burn out" because of working really hard jobs, such as being case workers for child abuse and neglect. Aside from social work, people in society say they could never do certain jobs because of the amount of suffering and evil they would see. People fear becoming jaded and they fear losing their peace of mind that even though evil exists, we're still ok. They fear that somehow in the process of confronting horrible and unimaginable circumstances, that slowly the amount of goodness in the world will dissipate.
Friends, brothers, sisters...I believe these ideals are mistaken. If anything, I believe Scripture and the very nature and character of God would lead us to the opposite. He is the Wellspring of Life! Everything good comes from Him, and nothing that is not good comes from Him. As long as we allow His Spirit to dwell in us, we will be like a spring in a desert, sunshine in darkness, rain in drought. His Spirit gives life, and nothing that it touches remains unchanged. Facing suffering and evil should push us closer to Him, that He may pour out more of His Spirit on us. Facing suffering and evil should provide an even starker contrast that we may see and believe more than ever how good God is and how true the goodness is that He has placed on the earth.
I will boldly and gladly face anything God puts in front of me on this earth. If he sends me to work in the inner-city to counsel murderers, if He sends me to be a case worker for child abuse, if He sends me to war-torn regions of Africa...I will do it all knowing that what is not burned in the fire is refined by it, a beauty to behold. :)
You hear all the time about social workers getting "burn out" because of working really hard jobs, such as being case workers for child abuse and neglect. Aside from social work, people in society say they could never do certain jobs because of the amount of suffering and evil they would see. People fear becoming jaded and they fear losing their peace of mind that even though evil exists, we're still ok. They fear that somehow in the process of confronting horrible and unimaginable circumstances, that slowly the amount of goodness in the world will dissipate.
Friends, brothers, sisters...I believe these ideals are mistaken. If anything, I believe Scripture and the very nature and character of God would lead us to the opposite. He is the Wellspring of Life! Everything good comes from Him, and nothing that is not good comes from Him. As long as we allow His Spirit to dwell in us, we will be like a spring in a desert, sunshine in darkness, rain in drought. His Spirit gives life, and nothing that it touches remains unchanged. Facing suffering and evil should push us closer to Him, that He may pour out more of His Spirit on us. Facing suffering and evil should provide an even starker contrast that we may see and believe more than ever how good God is and how true the goodness is that He has placed on the earth.
I will boldly and gladly face anything God puts in front of me on this earth. If he sends me to work in the inner-city to counsel murderers, if He sends me to be a case worker for child abuse, if He sends me to war-torn regions of Africa...I will do it all knowing that what is not burned in the fire is refined by it, a beauty to behold. :)
Thursday, June 11, 2009
The Purposeful Life
Spiritual warfare is not a nice, neat topic that people enjoy discussing. But I am ever aware of the need to discuss it. We need to discuss it because I see so many Christians dragging chains with them wherever they go. If Jesus died on the Cross to set us free, why are we not living in it?
The first mistake that a Christian can make is to be unaware of the war going on all around them. When Satan was kicked out of heaven, he didn't go quietly or humbly. Pride is what brought about his demise, and pride is what drives his workings today. He wants all the glory and praise and honor for himself alone. He wants to expand his own kingdom so that less and less will go to the only Omnipotent Creator.
This means that the enemy is not nonchalant. He is deliberate and tactful. He wants nothing less than your and my total destruction, a total thwarting of all the good plans God has for us. He is always scheming and planning. He is an organizer and a military commander, sending out his helpers to carry out his mission (there are multiple Biblical references to this).
Brothers and sisters, we have to be on guard!
The second mistake a Christian can make is to be unarmed. It goes without saying that without armor, we have NO protection! Scripture lists the armor for us: the belt of truth; the breastplate of righteousness; shoes of peace; the shield of faith; and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Notice what our sword is: the word of God. Meaning, each day you go without reading the Word is a day you are walking onto the battlefield without your sword! How deadly! This is not meant to make us feel guilty, but to give us a sense of urgency about the power that God's word has in our lives.
The third mistake a Christian can make is to let their thoughts go unmonitored. All it takes is for the enemy to start whispering little things in your ear...without monitoring your thoughts, you accept them as truth, and before you know it, you have resulting sinful behavior or corrosive thought patterns. Both are not good! Listen to what 2 Corinthians 10: 3-5 says: "For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ."
So how do we win the battle for our souls?
1. Put on the armor! This requires reading God's Word and both applying it as truth in our lives and using it as our sword in battle.
2. Pray. Philippians 4:6-7: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
3. Cultivate and build up your mind. Your mind is one of the biggest tools in the battle. Your mind is a recepticle- if you plant good seeds, water them, pull the weeds out, and take routine care, your mind will be full of all kinds of blooms that give life to your soul. If, however, you don't care for it, it will become dilapidated and trash and weeds will pile up. With a mind full of trash, it is no wonder people walk around in chains! We've got to take care of our minds!
Here's a good dose of Miracle Grow for the mind- Philippians 4:8: "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
4. Lastly, don't sweat it. A trained, seasoned warrior will not need to take on a full-fledged battle at every threat. Once we have been conditioned and are in the habit of daily filling our mind with the Word, spending time with God, standing on His promises, and taking harmful thoughts captive and replacing them with God's truth...well at that point, we will be so sensitive and aware of the enemy's attacks that we can quickly reject a negative thought or quickly pray through a situation and move on.
On the flip side of everything else I have said so far, we don't want to give the enemy too much time and attention...this can also have the opposite effect of what we want. Our desire and effort should be to give the Lord Jesus Christ 100% of ourselves, 24/7. Once we are experienced at spiritual warfare, we know that the enemy will do anything to get our attention fixed on him...including excessive spiritual warfare. Spend only the amount of time necessary to protect yourself/ward off attacks, and then move on to your greater purpose of exalting Jesus Christ.
Friends, I know this letter was long, but hopefully if you have read this far, you have gotten something useful out of it. Let us all commit to being purposeful in our daily living, all for the sake of God's glory...with joy! :)
The first mistake that a Christian can make is to be unaware of the war going on all around them. When Satan was kicked out of heaven, he didn't go quietly or humbly. Pride is what brought about his demise, and pride is what drives his workings today. He wants all the glory and praise and honor for himself alone. He wants to expand his own kingdom so that less and less will go to the only Omnipotent Creator.
This means that the enemy is not nonchalant. He is deliberate and tactful. He wants nothing less than your and my total destruction, a total thwarting of all the good plans God has for us. He is always scheming and planning. He is an organizer and a military commander, sending out his helpers to carry out his mission (there are multiple Biblical references to this).
Brothers and sisters, we have to be on guard!
The second mistake a Christian can make is to be unarmed. It goes without saying that without armor, we have NO protection! Scripture lists the armor for us: the belt of truth; the breastplate of righteousness; shoes of peace; the shield of faith; and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Notice what our sword is: the word of God. Meaning, each day you go without reading the Word is a day you are walking onto the battlefield without your sword! How deadly! This is not meant to make us feel guilty, but to give us a sense of urgency about the power that God's word has in our lives.
The third mistake a Christian can make is to let their thoughts go unmonitored. All it takes is for the enemy to start whispering little things in your ear...without monitoring your thoughts, you accept them as truth, and before you know it, you have resulting sinful behavior or corrosive thought patterns. Both are not good! Listen to what 2 Corinthians 10: 3-5 says: "For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ."
So how do we win the battle for our souls?
1. Put on the armor! This requires reading God's Word and both applying it as truth in our lives and using it as our sword in battle.
2. Pray. Philippians 4:6-7: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
3. Cultivate and build up your mind. Your mind is one of the biggest tools in the battle. Your mind is a recepticle- if you plant good seeds, water them, pull the weeds out, and take routine care, your mind will be full of all kinds of blooms that give life to your soul. If, however, you don't care for it, it will become dilapidated and trash and weeds will pile up. With a mind full of trash, it is no wonder people walk around in chains! We've got to take care of our minds!
Here's a good dose of Miracle Grow for the mind- Philippians 4:8: "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
4. Lastly, don't sweat it. A trained, seasoned warrior will not need to take on a full-fledged battle at every threat. Once we have been conditioned and are in the habit of daily filling our mind with the Word, spending time with God, standing on His promises, and taking harmful thoughts captive and replacing them with God's truth...well at that point, we will be so sensitive and aware of the enemy's attacks that we can quickly reject a negative thought or quickly pray through a situation and move on.
On the flip side of everything else I have said so far, we don't want to give the enemy too much time and attention...this can also have the opposite effect of what we want. Our desire and effort should be to give the Lord Jesus Christ 100% of ourselves, 24/7. Once we are experienced at spiritual warfare, we know that the enemy will do anything to get our attention fixed on him...including excessive spiritual warfare. Spend only the amount of time necessary to protect yourself/ward off attacks, and then move on to your greater purpose of exalting Jesus Christ.
Friends, I know this letter was long, but hopefully if you have read this far, you have gotten something useful out of it. Let us all commit to being purposeful in our daily living, all for the sake of God's glory...with joy! :)
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
A question of trust
Last night at Bible study, the leader said something that got me thinking. He was talking about trust and saying that we, as humans, will only trust if we have a track record to go by. For example, we trust someone with our money if we know that so far he is an honest person and handles money well. He was talking about how we trust God because of His track record of proving Himself to us.
Pardon me, but I have to disagree. I believe that our trust in God is very unique. Everything about our relationship with God is unlike our relationships with one another. The beauty of trust in God is that we can trust Him simply because He is God, and we don't have to base our trust in Him on His proving Himself. For example, take someone who has never had a relationship with God or been to church, etc., and then decides to give their life to the Lord. They put their faith in Him because God gives them grace to do so (see Ephesians chapter 2) and because they simply make the choice.
There have been times in my life when I don't know why I am in a particular situation or I don't know what the future will be like...and, yes, during these times I do count on the fact that the last time I was in this position, God brought me through. So I don't completely discredit this notion. However, this would be when a person is at a mature point spiritually.
What about the times when you or I wonder where God was when such-and-such happened? What about when we doubt Him? There have been times in my life when I was so hurt and betrayed by others that I wondered why I should trust God. In those times, you may not be able to see clearly a record of God's faithfulness to you. In fact, you may even be angry at God, which I have been before. That is when you CHOOSE to BLINDLY trust. I use the word blindly not to indicate it is dumb, of course, but to say that you may not feel you can trust or you may not be convinced that trusting will lead to safety and reassurance...but you choose to trust anyway.
Even Jesus mentioned this kind of trust. He had been raised from the dead, and the disciples had discovered Him walking among them. At this point, Jesus said (John 20:29), "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
Pardon me, but I have to disagree. I believe that our trust in God is very unique. Everything about our relationship with God is unlike our relationships with one another. The beauty of trust in God is that we can trust Him simply because He is God, and we don't have to base our trust in Him on His proving Himself. For example, take someone who has never had a relationship with God or been to church, etc., and then decides to give their life to the Lord. They put their faith in Him because God gives them grace to do so (see Ephesians chapter 2) and because they simply make the choice.
There have been times in my life when I don't know why I am in a particular situation or I don't know what the future will be like...and, yes, during these times I do count on the fact that the last time I was in this position, God brought me through. So I don't completely discredit this notion. However, this would be when a person is at a mature point spiritually.
What about the times when you or I wonder where God was when such-and-such happened? What about when we doubt Him? There have been times in my life when I was so hurt and betrayed by others that I wondered why I should trust God. In those times, you may not be able to see clearly a record of God's faithfulness to you. In fact, you may even be angry at God, which I have been before. That is when you CHOOSE to BLINDLY trust. I use the word blindly not to indicate it is dumb, of course, but to say that you may not feel you can trust or you may not be convinced that trusting will lead to safety and reassurance...but you choose to trust anyway.
Even Jesus mentioned this kind of trust. He had been raised from the dead, and the disciples had discovered Him walking among them. At this point, Jesus said (John 20:29), "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Candles
There's something about candles. They are beautiful. They are captivating. Is it the light? Is it the presence? Is it the atmosphere they create? Is it the emotions they induce? Could it be their aroma? I can't quite put my finger on it. However, it is certain that candles are captivating.
We light them when we want to set a mood. We light them when we want romance. We light them at weddings and funerals. We light them in church services. We light them in concerts and vigils. We light them.
The other day I was pondering where the rest of my life is going to go and my larger-than-life dreams for Africa. My mind drifted to the verse that says, "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."
As I was thinking of this verse, God revealed a marvelous concept to me. A candle must be lit. It cannot light itself, nor can it blow itself out. Its power rests completely in the one who can make light. Just think of it! I am a candle brightly lit. My light will never go out, for I cannot blow myself out! He has put His light in me so that no matter where I go, it's there.
Now let's say, perhaps, that there are ways for a candle to shine dimly. This may be because it is not ready to receive the flame- the wick is the wrong length, there is water on it, etc. It could be because the candle is behind something. It may be because the candle has formed a pit inside itself so that the light cannot reach the surface of the candle. The point is that the candle must be in the proper condition for the light to shine brightly.
The other promise God made is what to do with me (and you!!) now that I am lit. The Scripture above says that a candle which is lit will be held up and displayed to give light to everyone around it. Imagine! Just imagine God holding you or me up with His mighty hands as a beacon in this dark world. What an awesome thought!
Here is another thought that makes me giddy. How many new candles may be lit by one flame? The answer is: infinite!!!! Can you just picture it? There is literally no limit to the number of people you can "light" when you let His light shine in you! :)
I don't want to waste one day being a dim candle. I won't hide behind things to abstruct the light. I won't let junk pile up on my wick to keep me from lighting. I won't let a pit grow inside of me. I want to be the brightest candle there is. I want to be the one who, when God needs a flashlight to light a dark way, He reaches inside His toolbox with a smile and says, "Ah! Finally, one bright enough." :)
We light them when we want to set a mood. We light them when we want romance. We light them at weddings and funerals. We light them in church services. We light them in concerts and vigils. We light them.
The other day I was pondering where the rest of my life is going to go and my larger-than-life dreams for Africa. My mind drifted to the verse that says, "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."
As I was thinking of this verse, God revealed a marvelous concept to me. A candle must be lit. It cannot light itself, nor can it blow itself out. Its power rests completely in the one who can make light. Just think of it! I am a candle brightly lit. My light will never go out, for I cannot blow myself out! He has put His light in me so that no matter where I go, it's there.
Now let's say, perhaps, that there are ways for a candle to shine dimly. This may be because it is not ready to receive the flame- the wick is the wrong length, there is water on it, etc. It could be because the candle is behind something. It may be because the candle has formed a pit inside itself so that the light cannot reach the surface of the candle. The point is that the candle must be in the proper condition for the light to shine brightly.
The other promise God made is what to do with me (and you!!) now that I am lit. The Scripture above says that a candle which is lit will be held up and displayed to give light to everyone around it. Imagine! Just imagine God holding you or me up with His mighty hands as a beacon in this dark world. What an awesome thought!
Here is another thought that makes me giddy. How many new candles may be lit by one flame? The answer is: infinite!!!! Can you just picture it? There is literally no limit to the number of people you can "light" when you let His light shine in you! :)
I don't want to waste one day being a dim candle. I won't hide behind things to abstruct the light. I won't let junk pile up on my wick to keep me from lighting. I won't let a pit grow inside of me. I want to be the brightest candle there is. I want to be the one who, when God needs a flashlight to light a dark way, He reaches inside His toolbox with a smile and says, "Ah! Finally, one bright enough." :)
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