We humans are curious creatures. We apply one set of rules to ourselves and our desires and a completely different set for everyone else's. We even teach our kids this double standard way of living.
Let me explain my point with an example. When I ask my daughter to clean up her toys, I expect her to stop whatever she is doing and fulfill my request. However, when she asks me to do something for her, I see no problem in telling her that she will have to wait until I have a free moment to comply with her wishes. Now, when I have to wait on her, I continually repeat the request and add punishment to the mix if she refuses to cooperate. When she waits on me, begins to get impatient and starts expressing her frustration in unacceptable ways, I scold her for not being more patient. Talk about a double-standard!
I teach her to procrastinate or put off meeting someone else's needs; I teach her to be frustrated when someone else does the same to her. Wow, I never realized that I was doing that - I've just had a revelation moment!
Please don't misunderstand. I am in no way saying that our children should be able to put us off indefinitely when we ask them to do something. Nor do I think it appropriate for them to throw tantrums when they do not get our attention immediately. However, I do think we owe our children some consistency in word and action. Maybe we should strive to meet their requests as promptly as possible while giving them a little latitude on when they meet ours. Thus, the beauty of a compromise.
Now, to bring this back around to a spiritual perspective. We do the same thing to God that we do to our children. Again, let me illustrate with a common occurrence. We ask God to do something in our lives, perhaps provide something monetarily or otherwise. Then, when we do not see immediate results, we get frustrated. As a result of our annoyance at not receiving an instantaneous answer, we pout or throw tantrums. We accuse God of not caring for us or listening to us. The reverse situation is also relevant. God asks us to do something like take a hurting friend to dinner or give a single mom the night off by keeping her kids, and what is our response? Many times we brush Him off. We are so busy; we certainly do not have the time or the funds to honor His request.
We serve God with a double standard. Our needs are important, but His requests are frivolous. We, like our children, fail to realize that Father has our best interests at heart. He knows whether we are ready for the blessing we are requesting. He sees the big picture, while we are looking at a close-up of a single frame.
Let me be transparent right now. I know exactly what I am talking about here. For 7 long years I prayed for a baby. My husband and I spent tens of thousands of dollars trying to conceive. I did everything short of cursing God. I begged, I bargained, I pleaded in desperation for Him to grant my request. Now, I still don't completely understand His reasoning for taking us down the path we traveled, but it is not for me to understand. I do know this: while I was being a petulant child throwing my tantrums at God, He was quietly asking me to do certain things for Him, which I refused to do. I always kept a part of myself back from Him. I suppose I was subconsciously punishing Him, but really, I was only hurting myself.
Hopefully, I have learned a few things since then. I pray that I will not react that way again should I be placed in a similar situation. I thank my Father for being a big enough God to handle my childish actions. I am so glad we serve a God full of grace and mercy.
I have a favorite scripture that I would like to share with you. It is the one that I hold on to when I feel that my prayers are hitting the ceiling. It is found in Habakkuk 2:2-3 Then the Lord answered me and said:
If God has told you He will do something for you, you can rest assured that He will. It may not come in your timing, but it will come. At the same time, the scripture mentioned above says that we are to "wait." Now, that is not the doctor's office definition of wait - you don't sit around reading a magazine until God calls you in. We are to be active in our waiting. We should be actively seeking Him and His will in the meantime. Just because we are not seeing the answer to our request doesn't mean that He doesn't have other things for us to accomplish in the meantime."Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry."
Our Father loves us, and our prayers never fall on deaf ears. However, we often allow His desires to go unanswered. I encourage you to do as the Bible tells us - write down your dreams so you can see the answers as they come, but do not make the mistake that I made. Be active in your waiting.
Do not put off 'til tomorrow what God has asked you to do today!
Friday, June 6, 2008
The Waiting Game - Habakkuk 2:2-3
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Live In The Moment
Do you ever just stop for a minute, look around, and realize that you have everything? I'm not talking about material things. I mean, do you ever just stop and thank God for all the blessings He's given you?
I am fairly young, but even I can look back over my life and see that I have wasted time. It seems that I have always lived my life looking forward to the next big thing. When I was a teenager, I counted the days until high school graduation. In my early twenties I longed to graduate college and get married. After I married my fabulous husband (10 years ago!), my heart's desire was to have a baby (that one took a while). Of course, along with all of my other hopes and dreams I wanted to have a big, world-changing ministry. Unfortunately, when I attained these goals, the satisfaction and happiness were not permanent.
The key is that I was never living in the moment. I didn't own my life; I was leasing that space hoping for something better. You know, the grass is always greener. I never allowed myself to be completely happy. Don't get me wrong. There were weeks even months when I was "walkin' on sunshine," but for the most part, I was always looking to the future for my happiness.
I have to tell you that I seriously doubt that is how God intended it to be. I'm not saying that every day is going to be a walk in the park. We are going to have those rough days, weeks, months, maybe even years. Shouldn't we take whatever we are given and live in that moment in time? The Bible tells us in Psalm 30:5, "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning."
Now, please note, the scripture says joy, not happiness. The thing about happiness is that it is fleeting. That is why we tend to spend the majority of our time looking to the future if we are seeking happiness. I would encourage you to seek joy rather than happiness. You see, you can have joy even in the dark times of your life. My favorite "joy" scripture is found in John 15:9-12 where Jesus tells us:”As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”
Did you catch that? It was the secret to joy. Did you miss it? Let me help you. First, Jesus tells us to abide in (that means dwell, live, inhabit) His love. Then He goes on to say that if we will keep His commands, we will dwell in His love. He continues by saying he told us all this so we can be full of His joy (not running on empty, not half full, but completely full). Then He tells us what this commandment is we are supposed to follow - love one another. Did I lose you?
Here is the secret to being full of joy all the time - even when things seem dark and difficult - love others with the love of Christ. That's right, and it works every time. Why? Because you get the focus off yourself and onto God. That is when He can really work. If you are living in Him, you will not have to look for the next big thing to make you happy. Instead, you will have everlasting joy.
So, to recap, loving others translates to living in His love, which brings us lots and lots of joy. Now, it's completely up to you, but if I were you, I would now get up from my computer and go love someone, so you can get some joy!
Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
For Real
I just have to share this with you. God used my 2 year old to give me a glimpse into how He desires to use us. I recently shared this story with some ladies in our church, and it seemed to minister to them as well.
Back in November we had Avari's portrait made with her cousin. The plan was to get it framed for my in-laws and give it to them as a Christmas gift. Off we went to Hobby Lobby with Avari (23 months old at the time) in tow to pick out a frame and matte.
After 15-20 minutes of trying to find a matte and frame to match, we resorted to asking for help from the lady working in the framing department. Now, when we first approached the employee, she seemed less than enthusiastic about helping us. Begrudgingly, she began to show us various mattes to go with the frame we had chosen. About that time Avari noticed that the woman had a band-aid on her finger.
Now, Avari had skinned her knee a month or so earlier, and we had used the opportunity to teach her about prayer for healing. We told her that we could pray for her boo-boo and Jesus would heal it. She really latched on to that and told us repeatedly that Jesus had healed her boo-boo.
So when Avari spotted the woman's band-aid, her little mind kicked in to overdrive. She pointed to the employee's finger and said, "you have a band-aid on your finger." The woman replied, telling Avari that she gets hurt quite often working with the glass in the frames. Now, Avari has these big beautiful brown eyes that just grab you, and she looked up at the woman with those eyes and said in the sweetest, most sincere voice, "Jesus will heal it."
You could see the change take place in the blink of an eye. Immediately, the woman's eyes welled up with tears, and she said, "You're right. Jesus will heal it." From that moment on she was more than happy to help us. Before we left we had learned all the names of her grandchildren and where they lived. We knew their ages and which of them was good at sports and who made good grades in school. By being the wonderful person God created her to be Avari had changed the course of that woman's day.
I love the story of Esther. A humble Jewish girl goes from her family's home to the palace and becomes a queen. However, she made that transition by just being herself. When faced with a challenge like none we are ever likely to face, she is urged by her cousin Mordecai with these words found in Esther 4:14 "Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this."
God places us in situations everyday where He can use us if we are willing; however, if you are anything like me, most of the time you overlook those opportunities. We have a tendency to see the circumstances of life as obstacles to be conquered rather than a series of opportunities in which God can mold us and use us. Most of us think that we lack the ability, the training or the talent to make a difference for God. I'm here to tell you that God does not call the qualified; He qualifies the called.
If we will be willing to be the men and women that He has created us to be, we can change our world. There is no one person who can reach everyone who needs the touch of Christ. It is going to take every single Jesus-lover to accomplish that task. God is not looking for you to hold sold-out revivals in huge stadiums; He is asking you to be yourself - the man or woman He designed you to be. Be real; be genuine and sincere. As such, He will use us in just the same way that He used Avari and Esther - to touch the lost and hurting souls all around us.
Who knows that you and I were brought into the kingdom for just such a time as this!
Monday, June 2, 2008
What If?
I had to post a link to an amazing post that I ran across today. You can find it here.
It really makes you stop and think about the fact that while we are trying to figure things out for ourselves, God is longing for relationship with us. If you never click another link on this blog, please click this one.
Blessings!
Every Vote Counts
I had a few minutes to myself this evening, and I was thinking about the election. Now, I'm not going to get all political on you here. However, I do think you should let your voice be heard at election time. This is one of the most hotly contested presidential races in history.
Anyway, I stumbled upon this website: PresidentialElection.com. There may be other websites like this one, but this is the one I found. It has a tab on the home page that you can click on to get voter registration information by state. I am already registered to vote, but I clicked on it and had them send the information anyway. The e-mail gave me links to the voter registration forms, voter information and even a link to the site where I could check to see if I was already registered.
Now, I'm sure the information links differ by state, according to what your state offers. I just thought it was terrific to find a site that makes it so easy to find the information.
In any case, if you aren't registered to vote, please register. So many people would love to have the freedom to vote for their leaders. We should exercise our right. After all, every vote counts!
Made to Worship
Last night was an exercise in discipline. My angelic, little girl decided that bedtime really didn't apply to her. We have a 2-½ year old rebel on our hands. Of course, I shouldn't complain too loudly. Her idea of rebellion was sneaking a book into her room to "read" after she was supposed to be asleep. We finally convinced her to stay in bed, and then she serenaded us over the monitor.
It took us a few minutes to figure out exactly what Avari was singing. It turns out she was singing the Chris Tomlin song "Made to Worship." Here are the lyrics that made their way to us over that monitor:You and I were made to worship
She placed particular emphasis on "forgiven and free." It just made me smile to hear her little voice over that monitor praising Jesus. I can only imagine how it must have made God smile.
You and I were called to love
You and I are forgiven and free
I imagine that He has the same reaction when we worship Him - truly worship him. You know, so many times we forget that our worship is not about us. Oh, we benefit from it because it draws us close to Him. But really, it should be all about Him. In the words of one of my favorite Matt Redman songs:I'm coming back to the heart of worship
In fact, our worship isn't about music at all. When we serve God, our lives and the way we live them should be an act of worship. In John 4:23-24, Jesus tells us that "the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
And it's all about You
It's all about you, Jesus
I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it
When it's all about You
It's all about You, Jesus
Now, if you look at that entire passage in John, you will see that he was talking to the woman at the well and responding to her question about whether she was supposed to worship on the mountain or in Jerusalem. Jesus' response resonates even today because what He was telling her is that worship is not about ritual or religion, but it is about relationship.
Our Father is still seeking true worshipers today. Let us be those worshipers. When my life here on this earth ends, I pray that I will be remembered not as a great guitarist, singer or writer. I doubt anyone will remember the sermons I've preached or the songs I sang. My desire is that people will describe me as being a true worshiper of God.
As we go forward may we all strive to worship Him with our lives. In the words of Chris Tomlin as sang by my sweet girl: "You and I were made to worship!"
Sunday, June 1, 2008
The Church Has Left The Building
Well, we are housebound today because of Avari's strep throat. Of course, that means we missed church this morning, or did we?
If memory serves me, the Bible never refers to a building as the church. It does compare the church to a building in several passages. However, the building is not the church - we are. Christ is the head of the church, and we are the body. That means that we do not go to church on Sunday morning (or whenever your services are held). It means that the church gathers in a building and meets together to encourage, exhort and teach.
Let me say that I am not advocating disobedience against scripture. I firmly believe that we should not forsake "the assembling of ourselves together" as the writer of Hebrews urges in Hebrews 10:25. However, I do not see in scripture where it tells us that this "assembly" must take place in any particular building or location. I seem to remember another portion of scripture, Matthew 18:20 to be exact, that says, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." That means that even though we had to stay home this morning, God was still here to meet with us - the three of us gathered together in His name.
I think that we have done a disservice to God's church by making our Christian lives about a particular building. That attitude - the one that says, "I'm going to get ready and go to a building so I can meet with God" - is one thing that causes us to live lives that are not full of His power and love. We section our lives into pieces and carve out a small piece for God on Sunday. Instead, we should view our lives as He would have us see them.
God should not have a piece of our lives, but He should be the center of our lives. Everything that we do should be infused with His influence. Instead of ministry flowing from a building, ministry should flow from the church - the Body of Christ - us - you and me. In this way, we no longer depend on the pastor to tell us what we should be doing for God. Rather, we take it upon ourselves to reach out (as the church) to those around us. At that point, we no longer have one point of ministry in a community but hundreds or thousands because we come into the full realization that the church, not the building, is God's instrument of ministry.
So, no matter where you worshiped this morning - in a home, a school, a park - I pray that you left with the desire to be a point of contact for God to impact those who reside within your sphere of influence. Now, let's go forth as the body of Christ, the church, and touch our world!
