Last night, the topic was about trusting in God.  You’d think that in a church setting the topic of trusting God would be a ‘no-brainer’ for all concerned.  You’d be wrong.  I noticed more than one head nod ever-so-slightly when I asked if anyone had ever had difficulty with this issue.

 As the questions and conversation continued, I began to notice something interesting.  There is a pretty wide age range in this group—something I really love about them!—and what I noticed was in the responses (both verbal and non-verbal).  There were some universal concerns/agreements on some questions and there were some definite differences on others.  The differences seemed to be based around more life-stage issues:   for example, those who were raising young children/teenagers had more specific instances of where it was difficult to trust God than the ladies who had adult-aged children/grandchildren. 

 That told me something important:  trusting God is something we can grow into just like so many other growth opportunities we face.  Growing older doesn’t always mean that we continue to grow in our faith—that is a choice requiring a consistent “yes” to God no matter what He sends our way.  In the same way, youth doesn’t necessarily mean a lack of maturity in the faith, either.

 One of the advantages of age in one who has loved and served God for a long time is the opportunity to have seen Him at work longer!  Being consistently thankful is a way to remind ourselves of all the ways God blesses us.  It’s an important step to building that trust in Him over time.

 Ann Voskamp makes a bold statement when she says that choosing worry and stress is an exercise in practical atheism.  She goes on to say that while Christians (those who have chosen to believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died to save them from their sins and lives to make intercession for them now while waiting to bring them home to heaven and present them as a gift to God the Father) can not be positional atheists (our position is sealed once we are saved) we can exhibit practical atheism.  This is different from making sure that we’ve taken common-sense precautions.  Once you’ve taken the necessary precautions in a situation, you can move on.  Ann is talking about making a habit of choosing to continually recycle negative thoughts over and over in our minds without arrving at any productive solution.  In short, she’s saying that when we consistently choose worry and stress—-we’re telling the world that God is not enough and that He can’t be trusted.  Since we’re called to share the Good news of our Lord, who would possibly want to follow Him if He can’t be trusted?  It’s something to think about…seriously.

 We come from all kinds of different backgrounds.  Some of us have faced many difficult challenges and may even feel we’ve managed them quite nicely all on our own.  Some of us are dealing with pain even in this moment and know that we could never handle it without the help of a God who loves and cares for us in such detailed ways.  No matter where you are in that spectrum, there’s always room for improvement.  There’s always room for more trust in God.  He can be trusted.  No matter what you face today or have dealt with in the past, God can be trusted.  That’s never going to change.  What can change is our response to Him and our decision to take Him at His word and begin to trust Him more right now.  It’s a process.  How will you progress in the process today?

  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;  in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)

Why do we compare ourselves with others instead of trusting God for what He has prepared for us?

Even the disciples here in Matthew 20 were confronted with comparison and position. Jesus told them that this wasn’t His call but the Father in Heaven who makes these preparations. God has prepared what each of us is to do.

Our flesh and ego wants to compare. God is gracious to show us His Kingdom in the Word and to teach us to be who He has prepared each of us to be.

Later, in this very chapter Jesus asked the blind men what they wanted Him to do for them. Like them, I am crying out for mercy for Jesus to give me sight so I can follow Him. I want to see clearly what God has prepared for me and go in faith.

Do you trust that God has prepared you for your unique purpose? Go.

Today’s Prayer: Father God, thank You for preparing my purpose. Lord, open my eyes so I clearly see how I am to follow and serve You. Remove my pride and ego that hinders Your call. I trust You and thank You for what You have prepared for me. I want to serve You and others and I am asking You to give me Your vision and the boldness to go. Amen

Tom Raines

Christian Affirmations 4 Life

God has been speaking heavily to me today through various things.  I heard a great sermon from Pastor Jan about praying for God to grant me wisdom.  I joke with others that my name, “Monica,” is Latin and actually translates into “wise counselor or advisor.”  I’ve had people comment that I speak and act with wisdom – especially in the church.  Those are kind words, and with that wisdom comes humility in the knowledge that I am not always wise . . . nor do I always “Keep Calm” when I know I should.  I am very aware of my need for God in my life and I’m on my knees in the realization that I can not be wise through my own devices.  It is God that grants me wisdom – not just me.  To “keep calm” in the face of any challenge means to do so with God granting me wisdom to choose the right responses to the challenge, to take the right path moving forward.  THAT is how I keep calm!

Another way God spoke to me today was reading a blog post by Craig Jutila.  His posts are so spot on at times.  You see, only a fool would pray for wisdom and then not stop what they are doing long enough to listen to God’s response!  We can pray for things all day, but if we then dive into our daily “stuff” and don’t stop and listen . . . well, then, we are simply missing the point.  God is there, wanting to answer our prayers, listening to every word.  We, however, are too busy blogging, texting, Facebooking, Pinning, or whatever to hear God’s reply.  Too bad we all can’t be forced to stop for 10 minutes and listen or forced to take 10 minutes just to refocus on God.  I bet God has some great things to share, don’t you?

As I type this I’m in my office waiting for my daughter to get out of youth group.  My lights are off, my blinds are open, and the sun is spilling onto my desk.  The only sound in here are my fingers punching the keyboard.  So, now, I’m going to stop.  I have 20 minutes until I pick her up so I wonder what God has to say to me?  I wonder what nugget of wisdom God will bestow upon me?  I bet it’s a good one.  And, I can’t wait to hear it .

The audience greeted me and gave me their attention for ten minutes. Then, despite my preparation and passion for the subject, some listeners retreated. One pushed his chair backwards and closed his eyes. My words fell on the table, never reaching him.

Others stared out the floor-to-ceiling windows, some distant thought or plan choking out the sound of any call to action I suggested. And I noticed some, who leaned forward at first and scribbled notes, now straightened in their chairs and frowned as if their energy for the task before them withered under the heat of a challenging climb to success.

I failed to engage them, I concluded.

The email from their manager came an hour later. “Gloria, thank you for coming to speak with us today. The information you discussed was invaluable. Just in the time it took to walk across the hall after the meeting, there were so many comments about … how they can carry out the information into their next coaching sessions.”

I smiled, realizing that for some, my words landed on fertile ground. They took root. These will blossom into solid managers one day.

Heaven on earth would be everyone paying 100% attention whenever we speak or share our passions. Unfortunately, Jesus predicted that would not always happen. He told the parable of the farmer who sowed his seeds. Not all seed produced. Birds snatched the seeds that fell along the path. Those that fell on rocks grew but with shallow roots, so they withered and died in the sun. Other seeds fell among thorns, which choked the plants to death.

The only seeds to produce crops were those that fell on fertile soil. Soil tilled, watered, fertilized.

Did my words reach them? As I consider different soils on which my words may fall, I expect not everyone will listen. Not everyone will hear.

And, lest I get too smug about those who missed my message, I must walk to the other side of the table and ask myself, which soil am I today?

Other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop — a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown…the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understand it. He produces… (Matthew 13:8, 23, NIV)

©2013 Gloria Ashby. Feel free to forward this devotion in its entirety, including this copyright line. Leave comments, ask questions, read past devotions, or subscribe to receive these devotions daily in your e-mail.

]]> http://ddclaywriter.wordpress.com/2013/04/14/803/ Sun, 14 Apr 2013 18:10:15 +0000 ddclaywriter http://ddclaywriter.wordpress.com/2013/04/14/803/ http://frmartinflatman.wordpress.com/2013/04/14/explaining-the-resurrection/ Sun, 14 Apr 2013 05:43:33 +0000 Father Martin Flatman http://frmartinflatman.wordpress.com/2013/04/14/explaining-the-resurrection/ In the last two weeks a number of people have asked me to explain why the Risen Christ showed himself to the women and to his disciples in so many different ways that often seem quite strange, so I thought now would be a good time to look at them in more detail and answer some of the questions I have been asked.

First of all, it’s no good trying to understand the nature of the Risen Christ by comparison to any other human experience. The Resurrection is a unique moment and there is nothing like it, except perhaps the Big Bang when the Universe was created – another unique moment.  Sometimes we call the Resurrection the New Creation!

One person suggested to me that the Resurrection might be a Hologram, and then immediately he said it, realised this wouldn’t make sense. They didn’t know about “holograms” in those days, but they knew about ghosts, and the Risen Jesus says clearly (Luke 24:39) “Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”  Yes, they can touch him, just as we heard last week when Thomas needed to touch him before he could really believe what was happening. Today’s Resurrection story(John 21:1-19) like some others, (Luke 24:30) also tells us that the Risen Jesus ate with them – which is certainly not something that ghosts or holograms can do!

Yet the risen Jesus also comes to them mysteriously even when the doors in the room are locked, so he is clearly not simply a body come back to life again! No, he is in some way transformed, and his transformed body is only visible to them for a short while at certain times. These times, the Resurrection appearances, are clearly given to them by God to assure them that this new Risen Presence of Jesus is absolutely real, and will last for ever.

St Paul says that we too will be transformed like this when we die, if we trust in the saving power of Jesus. And because he compares our transformation to that of Jesus, we can learn more about what the Resurrection is like from him. He writes : “But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?..  How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body^…..    So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power;  it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.”

But be careful here, for by “body” Paul does not mean our flesh, but rather our whole being. He wants us to know that when we die in Jesus, then as we leave the physical dimension and enter the spiritual dimension, we will be like Jesus, so that however much we are transformed, we still keep our identity.

One of the other Easter questions I was asked comes in here, because although, as we have heard, Jesus encourages them to touch him and to eat with him, he tells Mary Magdalene when she touches him, not to cling on to him. (John 20:17) Clearly this is because the Resurrection is not about clinging on to the past, of having Jesus back just as he was before, but is the power of God sending them all, and us, forward into an unknown future. We too can cling on to that part of our faith that has helped us most, and can be reluctant to let God take us on to where we would rather not go.

And that, you see, is just what the Risen Jesus predicts for St Peter at the end of our Gospel today, “Somebody else will put a belt round you and take you where you would rather not go.” (John 21:1-19) Here, Jesus is pointing Peter on to that moment many years later in Rome when he will not deny Jesus as he had done previously. Jesus, by his threefold questioning of Peter, asking him 3 times “Do you love me” has purged Peter of his threefold denial and prepared him for his future role as the leader of the early Church.

Just as there are many different stories in the Bible of how the Risen Jesus appears to people in different ways, so it is for us. Although we may not see him, we still experience his Presence, and that Presence will be different for each one of us. Sometimes we need comfort and reassurance, and at other times we need to be challenged and given courage.  Of course, we may be challenged when we would rather be comforted, but in the long run God knows best, and we are better simply saying to him. as Peter said to Jesus “Yes Lord, you know I love you.” And Jesus says to us “Follow me.”

Have you been faithful with what you have been given? Piercing through the sting of regret is a hope in the promises of God.

Affirmations of God are all I have and this is what I give to you. Enter into my joy.  My hope is NOT that you will find amusement in my affirmations but will find a way to bring the Word of God alive. I have found great treasures in God’s Word and I am giving them to you.

I pray that in seeking God’s affirmations you will come to know what you have, be faithful in giving it to others and enter into His joy. Can you see these affirmations?

• The Lord speaks to me.
• I am a faithful servant.
• I am faithful with what I have.
• I enter into the joy of my LORD. 

What is God saying to you?

Today’s Prayer: LORD, thank You for what You have given me. I desire to be faithful in sharing what You have given me and to encourage others to give away what You have given them. Lord together may we feed the hungry, provide drink to the thirsty, welcome strangers, clothe the naked and visit those who are sick and in prison. May we give to the least of our brothers our all. Amen

Tom Raines

Christian Affirmations 4 Life

What is the point?
Well I often say/think Durban beachfront is God’s swimming pool and the Berg is His back garden.

In the ever stunning Drakensburg I pray and hope for a few things:

1) That teenagers will listen to God
2) May they will hear His encouragement or convictions.
3) May the learn and be reminded of their true identity in God. Something Beautiful in His eyes
4) Grow in grace
5) Accept God’s forgiveness
6) Learn more about Him / recognise His voice.
7) Get to know my teens. (Relationship is key)

So God will You do what You do best? Change lives please.

Surrounding us were very beautiful people.  Their outfits were perfect, their hair was perfect, some sat typing away on their laptops intensely while listening to their favorite tunes on their iPods, some read the Sunday paper looking very smart as the ideal couple relaxing together over coffee in the early afternoon.  Everyone looked so self sufficient and successful; there was little need for God here.  Ava and I had come to this impasse only minutes before while we waited in line so I could purchase a breakfast sandwich.

“Hi, come wait with me in line; I don’t want to loose my place,” said the woman now behind me to the man across the room.  I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, “Oh my gosh,” she exclaimed.  “I can’t believe he’s dead!  He was so healthy too.  He exercised all the time and never smoked.  Oh that’s so sad.”  I just had to turn around and catch a glimpse of her; yep, she too was perfect in her tight black pants and eyes lined carefully to highlight their shape.

After I had ordered the sandwich, Ava held fast to the register, waiting for Grant the barista to return so she could order something else.  She and I had gotten into the bad habit of “additional orderings.”  Ava usually brings along babysitting money when we go out so she can supplement my purchases for her with extra items she knows I won’t pay for.

“Can I please have a caramel frappuccino and a bagel with cream cheese, toasted?’  However, not even fifteen minutes earlier I had just purchased cinnamon mini-buns from McDonald’s for her.  By no means am I a health food nut, actually Ava and I are known for “Donut Day” every Saturday morning and “In-N-Out” day on Tuesdays.  Yet even for me the combination of cinnamon mini-buns and a caramel frappuccino for breakfast, was ridiculous (the bagel was for the car ride home back to northern California).

So as Grant was preparing Ava’s order, I felt the Lord say to me, “Don’t let her purchase what she just ordered.  You pay for it.”  As I handed over my credit card, Ava looked at me with a smile, thanking me for what she probably assumed was just another gift for her fourteenth birthday.

One day earlier, she and I had been posing for pictures outside Cinderella’s castle in Disneyland.  It was a surprise road-trip for her birthday.  It had even been a surprise to me!  In the past, we have tried to host her friends for special trips or parties, but this year nothing was coming together.  During a Wednesday morning prayer and praise meeting, I felt the Lord continuously bring Disneyland to my heart and than began to see the word “Disneyland” strongly in my mind’s eye.  I don’t like Disneyland.  Knowing it was the last (not happiest) place on earth I wanted to go; it seemed God was asking me to take Ava to Disneyland for her birthday that weekend.  And while I felt He wanted to make the statement loud and clear that, “She is my Princess;” He also hinted that the trip was going to be a teaching tool for Ava and I to learn how to minister alongside one another.

“You’re not drinking that,” I told her as we grabbed a table right next to the counter.  Her face of joy slipped into confusion and then landed on irritation.  “That’s far too much sugar for one sitting.  You need to figure out what you want to do with that drink, because you’re not drinking it.”  The battle had begun.  There were only a few combinations of moves we each could make.  She could resist, rebel, give-up, give-in or obey.  I could demand, coerce, bargain, back-down or lead.  Neither one of us reacted initially, partly because we’ve learned to think things through before we act and also partly because we were hemmed in on all sides by very quiet, perfect people who would be instantly alerted to any non-conformist Starbucks’ activities.

So there we were, on the edge of our seats, with three bags between us and the fate of a coffee drink hanging in the balance.  After my initial objection, I began to notice a certain weightiness to the situation; like this moment in time was not really about someone’s sugar intake or a balanced breakfast.  There were larger implications to what was transpiring, likely becoming more obvious on the other side of this decision.  I had a dim awareness of what I felt God might be doing, so I stayed calm and hoped that God was at work doing something very big in this seemly insignificant moment.

Two minutes went by, silence.  Three minutes went by; a daggered glance in my direction told me she was not finding any happy options.  “Well, I could throw it out!” She stated this option less as a threat and more out of frustration.

“Okay, that’s one option.  Do you feel led to do anything else with the drink?”  By then the Lord was making it clearer to me that this whole frappuccino ordeal was an exercise for growing Ava’s faith.  Ava is not new to Christian ministry; she’s been raised with the concept that there are people in need around her.  Praying for others on the street and handing out food in Berkeley was something our family did regularly since she was eight, she asked her friends to join her self-made bible study at the age of nine, and most recently she joined us on a mission trip to the Philippines at age thirteen. However, while she ultimately ministered to those brought before her; Ava had yet to step out and feel confident enough to minister to someone through God’s leading based on her own relationship with Christ.

Eight minutes in.  Glancing over her shoulder a second time, “I could give it to someone?  But everyone in here has drinks already!”  Very true, one of the downfalls of being surrounded by seemingly perfect people is that they appear to need nothing.  In fact, they can even become quite insulted by the idea that they could be a “charity case.”  At first glance there seemed to be no need for God here.  Yet, while we had stood in line to order, a man at the far side of the room had caught my attention.  While everyone else seemed engrossed in their own world, this guy sat alone at a table, one earbud in, one earbud out, looking around the room with a gentle smile.   Ava seemed to have noticed him as well because as she scanned the room those two times, she paused on him for a second.  “I don’t know,” she said despairingly.  “That guy over there maybe,” motioning to the same man I felt led to as well.  “But he has a coffee. Why would he want my drink?”  Just as her faith began to rise, she was pulled back down by doubt and objections and she questioned me, “Do you know? Do you have any sense what I am supposed to do with this or who I would give it to?”

“Yep, I think so.  But I can’t tell you.  God is trying to teach you how to hear his voice.  If I keep telling you what I hear, keep taking the lead, how are you supposed to grow?”  Now it had crystallized in my mind.  This silly frappuccino incident was all a big exercise in hearing God’s voice and inaugurating Ava into her ministry.  In a safe environment, with low stakes and my support, Ava could learn to move where she felt God was moving.

Eleven minutes have gone by and we are still at an impasse; our strange interaction is now beginning to make our table neighbors slightly uncomfortable.  The woman next to me would quickly glance our direction and stare only long enough to assess the situation, but not long enough to call attention to herself.

Thirteen minutes in; I was impressed with Ava’s willingness to hear me out, but I could see she was getting to the end of her patience.  Just then, in walks another local carrying his daughter on his hip.  As he makes his way to the line, he looks around the room and singles out the same man that has caught our attention by the window sitting alone.  “Hey, Robert!”  He smiles and adds, “It’s good to see you.”  Robert raises his hand and waves, very receptive to the attention.

“Ava, so what do you think?  That guy by the window has been highlighted to you several times; do you think he could be someone God is pointing you to?”  I was trying to encourage her to connect some of the “God dots,” but still wanting to let it be her decision.  The reason this exercise was so timely and important was that in less than two months Ava and I would be leaving for our second mission trip to Sierra Leone.  While I have been called upon to help spiritually lead the trip, it has recently been brought to my attention that God’s heart is for Ava to come along side me as a spiritual partner in ministry, and eventually pass me by.  Within this context, the wait, struggle and uncertainty of the moment, the decision of the fate of the frappuccino was well worth gaining a spiritual partner to minister alongside with in Sierra Leone.

“Alright fine!”  Apparently the evidence was enough to cause Ava to be willing to offer her coffee drink to the man by the window. “I guess we can go over there and see if that guy wants the frappuccino.  But you need to go first.  I’ll go with you, but you need to ask him.”

“No,” I responded.  “That’s the whole point.  You need to be the one moving to the front, hearing God’s voice and acting on it.  I’m here as support.  You walk over there and I’ll be right behind you.”  I waited for her to move, and then followed her over to his table.  Now according to Ava, she was still worried about if and how she was going to be received by this man.  She was pretty sure that he was going to be uninterested in receiving her frappuccino (for the record, it had been un-touched with a straw and looked fresh from the barista…fifteen minutes earlier).  Interestingly, Ava said that when she finally approached him, she just then noticed his black hat that stated in big block white letters, “JESUS.”  In block red letters below it read, “Is My Boss.”  Jesus was literally written across his forehead!  You don’t usually get any clearer sign than that.  She admits to feeling a little stupid for questioning God about whether or not this man by the window would be receptive to her gift; what apparently had been a struggle for her all along, had never in reality existed.

“Excuse me, but would you like this caramel frappuccino?”  That was all she got out.  With compassion in his eyes, this man looked straight at Ava and began to let out moans and grunts of gratitude.  He was mute.  Formless words poured out of his mouth, but his heart emanating out of his eyes told the whole story.  His loud groans fluctuated with emotion while his hands gave the most beautiful prophetic blessing over Ava.  Repeatedly he made the Sign of the Cross, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, over Ava’s head and chest.  He then mimed and groaned how his heart was so full because of her gift.  He motioned to his cup, pointing to the bottom and how it was almost all gone.  He clutched his chest saying how precious it was to receive her drink, how full and loved it made him feel.  He then circled her head with his hand forming a halo and then gestured that the Lord had been with her since she was a little child and he was going to grow her into a powerful woman of God.

It was about this time when I began to cry.  This man’s compassion and love was so tangible.  To think we had ever questioned going over to him.  To think that we thought we were the ones bringing the blessing?  To think that we might have missed this moment altogether if Ava had rejected this test? To think that I cold have been more focused on calories then on the larger goal?  To think that all we had to do was spend a few minutes listening for God’s voice? So many near misses along the way, and yet so right on target.

We hugged our new friend Robert (I found out his name by calling the store the next day), and headed out to the car.  We were both stunned by how the whole thing had played out.  I feel strongly that God wanted to bless Ava with a Disneyland birthday, after all, she’s his princess.  However, the whole trip could very well have been about Robert.  It wouldn’t surprise me one bit to find out that God’s main reason for our road-trip was this random half-hour encounter at a small Starbucks in Newport Beach to meet Robert the mute believer who radiates Christ’s love, and Disneyland was just the bait.

Therefore, listen to the voice of wisdom; keep the word close to your heart, tied around your neck like a precious jewel. Dwell in the word for it is your light, and its discipline is the way to life.  God’s instructions will lead you when you walk, protect you when you sleep, advise you when you wake, and following his will keeps us focused on truth, on desirable action, and on the importance of faithfulness.

~SLM

Now what? Jesus has risen and after reviewing the ends of all four of the Gospels to clearly to see what comes next I know I am to follow Jesus. Just as the disciples were dazed and confused we too can be unclear as to where to turn next.

In Matthew Jesus assured us He is with us always. In Mark, Jesus promised He would work with us as we go. In Luke Jesus encouraged us to remember that we are clothed with the power that is on high. John stresses that if we love Him we will follow Him.

We are called to go, make disciples and feed His sheep. Sometimes we are still dazed and confused as to where to go. However, if we will love Him and keep our eyes on Him then following is less confusing than going.

Do you want direction? Follow Jesus.

Today’s Prayer: LORD, thank You for our risen Savior. Thank you for clothing us in Your promises. I trust in Your power and look to Jesus to follow Him and go where You are calling me. I love You LORD and I am following the example and Word who is Jesus. Guide me Lord Jesus. Amen

Tom Raines

Christian Affirmations 4 Life

It is on days like today, blustery and headache-y, that I wonder what I am doing with my life.

These days emerge here and there shouting questions into my head and knocking on my heart.

Are you using your gifts?
Are you listening to God?
Are you loving with your whole heart?
Can you do more?

Of course, every single day, the answer to all of these questions is Yes. And No.

Both/And. Both Yes And No, which is often the answer in all that we do.

But on these blustery headache-y days, those answers do not seem enough. I need lists and plans and assurances. I need to know what is next. It is on these days that God smiles down on me and says, don’t rush, my dear, my time is my time. (In my head, I am always dear to God.) Today, though, I want to rush time.

Next year, both boys will be in school. And so, I wonder. What is next for me?

Of one thing I am sure, my days as a full time stay at home mom are coming to an end. God knows this and so do I. He knows that these past years at home have been my place because my children were here, needing me and learning from me. He also knows that without them here, guiding our days, I quite possibly will return home from dropping them off at school, settle into my favorite reading chair, and never leave.

He and I both know that reading and learning, although certainly one of my gifts, is not the only one I am called to share.

So, I am left wondering, with multiple paths curving in front of me, which one I am to take. I want to jump in and start running. I want to careen wildly down the right path for me, but instead I sit at the juncture, waiting for one of the paths to shine brighter than the rest.

It could be that each path will lead me to where I am to go. God is like that sometimes, giving us options, allowing our freedom to guide our way, allowing one of our many gifts to outshine the rest, bringing us to him.

But this time I don’t know. I can’t see.
And so I wait.

The Butterfly

Not too fast, not too fast,
Let it grow, let it last,
Nature knows when and why…the butterfly.

I remember one morning when I saw a cocoon in the bark of a tree,
I remember I marveled that imprisoned inside was a butterfly waiting to be free.

I was very impatient so I warmed the cocoon with the breath of my sighs,
And the butterfly trembled and began to emerge like a miracle right before my eyes.

All at once I discovered that its delicate wings were all crumpled and torn,
When he still wasn’t ready I had made him be born.
I was stronger than nature and I had made him be born.

But the wonder of life had a definite plan,
So he died in my hand by the will, not of God, but of man.

Not too fast, not too fast,
Every one has a moment and I’m waiting for mine,
When I’m finally free.
But I mustn’t be hurried.
Give me light…give me time.
Like the butterfly…like the butterfly…

Not too fast, not too fast,
Let me grow, let me last.
Nature knows when and why…like the butterfly.

by Sister Therese Even, SSND

Me? Not so much. Just starting to step out in this area and it feels scary.

I swallow my fear and begin anyway.

But after we wrap up, mocking thoughts begin to hit me: “Pfff… what do you call that?”     “Maybe you don’t belong here… with them. After all, they know what they’re doing….”

My throat feels tight. I sweat a bit. I remove myself quickly from the space, feeling the need to escape any ‘constructive criticism’ that might come my way.

The feelings continue to plague me for the rest of the afternoon. I mull, I ponder, I fret.

But then I think “What if those thoughts are lies?”  What if those feelings of inadequacy, of incompetency and uncertainty, what if those are not the truth?

Quietly… prayer on my lips, I whisper that I reject those lies. I reject those feelings. I want to know the Truth. And so I ask Jesus to reveal the Truth to me.

And then I sit… and I listen. I listen for that still, small voice that I know belongs to the Good Shepherd.

He answers. He fills my spirit with the Truth. And my spirit soars!

2 Cor.3:4  Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent ministers of a new covenant – not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

• People who look down on others,
• A liar,
• Those who hurt the innocent,
• People who harbor evil in their hearts,
• Someone who willing takes a wicked path,
• A false witness.

Wisdom calls us to look upon others with compassion and love, never in haughty arrogance, or from a position of superiority.  Liars and those who would willingly make up stories about others are people who cannot be trusted. Someone who harbors evil desires in their heart and who would harm the innocent are faithless reprobates, and are not the kind of people the wise associate with. These are all behaviors that God hates, that speak against God’s laws, and that open up a world of hurt and misfortune for those who follow their teaching.  And, as if to underscore what he had just said, he adds the “shit” disturber to his list.

Wisdom calls on us to follow God’s laws, to write them on the tablet of our hearts, to live our lives every day according to His will, to seek Him first among all things.

~SLM

The subject this morning was the fact that the way Satan tempted Eve was to get her to darken her perspective by showing her the one thing she could not have . . . the fruit from the apple tree.  Think about it . . . . she was in the Garden of Eden . . . everything was perfect for cryin’ out loud!  Yet Satan coerced her into looking right past all the perfection she lived in every day and to focus on the one . . . the only thing on the planet that she was forbidden to have . . . the fruit from the apple tree.

I don’t know about you but I sure have a tendency to do exactly the thing that Eve did.  I live a life with an over abundance of blessings . . . good health . . . wonderful marriage . . . great lifestyle . . . and the list goes on into eternity . . . the blessings I live with.  Yet, when there is one thing not exactly right, we tend to be unhappy . . . discontent until that thing is fixed.  How self-centered and selfish is that?!

As I was thinking about this, the thought occurred to me that we need to be good stewards of what God has given us.  Oh, we have all heard those stewardship sermons where the preacher tells us that we have been blessed with income and we should give 10% to God and I don’t disagree with that.

But let me take that a step further . . . I challenge you to think about ALL of the blessings of our lives . . . our finances . . . the sunrise . . . the blooming flowers you saw on the way to have a root canal . . . ALL of your blessings as something we need to be a good steward of.  Rather than taking those wonderful things for granted . . . give thanks!

Don’t let Satan . . . and the world darken your perspective into only being able to focus on the things that need fixing . . . look at ALL the things in your life that God has ALREADY fixed . . . and give thanks!  Our perspectives will brighten and our minds will be more open to hearing God’s voice in our lives!

Amen and Amen!

Pat

I don’t know where to begin, so I’ll sum up. Despite the failures I’ve felt at work, somehow I got the raise I missed back in August. And despite how short I’ve felt I’ve come on some of the projects I’ve faced there, I’ve made enough progress it’s showing on my evaluations.

And God has been with us in everything we do. We were blessed recently with a profit sharing gift, as my company continues to be able to do that despite the downturned economy. We got a great tax return too, and no bill from the state for the first time in several years. We’re completely out of debt to them now.

Because I didn’t get my raise in August, we took a tax hit on January 1, when all the tax credits rolled away. But the amount of deficit was offset, and then some, by the raise I did get in February. Praise the Lord Most High, for He is holy, and mighty, and has seen fit to bless me. I don’t know why, but I won’t complain.

I’ve been self-publishing a lot of individual short stories separately which I included in my collections before. Now I guess I need to write some new stuff and maybe promote the collections as a bargain, based on 99¢ each for the stories. But my work has been seen by a lot of people lately, and I praise the Lord for that too.

I prayed a few months ago for the Lord to make me a computer programmer. I didn’t know what to do, how to do it. I studied hard, practice when I can at work, and used my projects to forward my skills. Now I’m improving all the things I was left with by my predecessor. I still have panic attacks from time to time, but mostly, I just hammer away until the issues are solved. I don’t know what a computer programmer might do in my situations, but I do know I’m doing things I never thought possible, and making progress.

I’m beginning to have confidence in Jesus and HIs ability to do it through me even when I can’t see Him doing it. Or feel Him. Or anything. The darkest times now are absolute sunshine compared to where we’ve been, and this is easy.

I’m talking about struggles I have on the job I’ve worked as a full-time employee for the last two years, plus. Twenty-six months now, and counting. It’s amazing. Amazing.

His work is clear. His blessings are abundant. His goal is still hidden from me, but I can see His hand at work, everywhere, all the time. In me, around me, through me. I’ve never felt this way before, and there is no sign of stopping. Every day, when I pray, I can sense how much He loves me, how much more He has planned. I can’t wait.

I can’t wait.

God be praised.

Jesus came so we would know perfect unity with God. Just before being betrayed in the garden Jesus was pouring out His love and His promises to His disciples and to us.

The disciple’s hearts were so filled with sorrow they didn’t even ask Jesus where He was going. Too self consumed were the disciples to be able to focus on Jesus. That sounds familiar to us, doesn’t it?

Jesus knew us and knew we needed the Helper to come. The Spirit of truth convicts us and guides us out of our sorrow filled hearts into God’s heart. When we look to God through the eyes of God we come to know His love.

The same love and as much love as God loves Jesus. What a wonderful truth and what wonderful joy to know we are one with the Father just as Jesus told us.

Do you believe God loves you as much as He loves Jesus?

Today’s Prayer: Father in Heaven, thank You for Jesus. Thank You for Your Word that we are one with You. The love You have for Jesus is the same You have for us.  Fill our hearts with the oneness Jesus knew and taught us. Amen

Tom Raines

Christian Affirmations 4 Life

Sometimes, as God is doing something in us and our situation, words can be said to us which the speaker doesn’t necessarily recognise as significant, but which can resonate with our inner being in such a way as we know God has spoken to us. Those words can bring a confidence that there will be movement and change for us and they can entirely change how we feel about our circumstances, even though to an onlooker those circumstances look just the same as before.

Look at this snippet from the account of Hannah’s long and painful journey towards having a longed for son.

“Eli answered, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.”

(I wonder whether he knew he was saying something which would impact lives in such a way. I wonder whether he felt he was ‘just’ blessing Hannah.)

She said, “May your servant find favour in your eyes.” Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast.

Early the next morning they arose and worshiped before the LORD and then went back to their home at Ramah.
Elkanah lay with Hannah his wife, and the LORD remembered her. So in the course of time Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, “Because I asked the LORD for him.”

1 Samuel 1:17-20

…’Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.’

Such a seemingly small thing, an ordinary run of the mill blessing, maybe even made with no sense of the eternal on it.

Yet…

Things were different from then on.

Today, perhaps you will be the one who speaks…or maybe the one who hears.

There are days when we know ‘God has said’, and so…things will be different.