Energy is a "hot" topic these days - gas prices, electricity costs, controversy over building nuclear power plants, whether to drill or not. Discussions abound in any gathering. Yet how frequently do we stop to consider the effectiveness of the most important power plant of all ~ our spiritual power plant? After all, we need its power to fuel our every move, our every thought, our every decision. Yet when was the last time you or I evaluated its condition and what may be hindering its effective and efficient operation? With all that is happening in our world and in our own personal lives, perhaps there has never been a better time than today.
Recently, 2 Timothy 1:6-7 have been brought into my peripheral vision from multiple sources and with neon lights every time. Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Trust me, the Lord has gotten my attention. Simultaneously events have triggered a self examination of what drives my reactions to people and to people's statements. Knowing that Abba is purposeful about everything in my life, I sought to understand the intersection of this recurring scripture with my search for truth amidst the turmoil that I was experiencing. (And yes, folks, we all go through periods of turmoil and storms no matter what it looks like on the outside. :-))
These verses have been repeated to us so many times in so many circumstances that for some they have lost their power. Hmmm, there is that word again - POWER. In my search for the truth, I came across an awesome explanation of the last phrase of verse 7 - of power and of love and of a sound mind. Reverend Henry Wright in his book, A More Excellent Way, explains that power is the Holy Spirit because He is the power within us that enables us to do what we are called to do, live the way we are instructed to live, etc. Love is God the Father in that it was His incredible agape love for us that gave us His Son as our Savior enabling our salvation and reconciliation with God. Finally, sound mind represents Jesus Christ as the Word which must be instilled in our minds daily to enable us to carry out all that we must in completing our charge with the Great Commission and living lives of righteousness. So what did God give us? God gave us the Triune Godhead as our power plant to insure that we could move forward everyday.
What did he NOT give us? He did not give us the spirit of fear and timidity. How many of you have skimmed over that part of the verse and not considered that Paul was identifying a real spirit here? I admit - guilty! I read fear and skipped the spirit part. If God did not give me that spirit of fear and timidity then who did? OK, that was an easy question that you don't have to be smarter than a fifth grader to answer. Did God intend for us to have that spirit? No! But do many of us have it anyway? Yes. Doors were opened because of many things that happened to us in our past that caused us to question who we are, maybe years before we came to know Christ as our Savior. Despite our efforts to walk in freedom and the full power of our God, we lacked the knowledge that there was a root cell in our power plant that was still rendering us ineffective at times.
Much needed maintenance on our power plants seems in order, doesn't it? Glance back at Verse 6: Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. Action is required first and foremost. We are instructed to stir up - keep fresh - that which has been imparted to us. Don't get caught up on the laying on of hands phrase. God Himself has instilled in you His gift. There are two kinds of gifts we are referring to here. Specifically for Timothy he was being called to continually stay fresh in his anointing as a minister of the Gospel, but to all of us as followers of Christ, we have received the Gift of God. We must never underestimate the preciousness or the power of that gift. It was further defined in the closure of verse 7 - the Triune power of the Godhead. Keep that gift stirred up.
Think back to your days as a camper, what would have happened to your campfire if you had not continually kept that fire stirred and added fresh wood to the flames? Think about how you can fuel your Power Plant spiritually. By studying the Word daily, by fellowshipping with like minded believers, by intimate quiet time with the Lord, etc. Similarly you can also inadvertently fuel that negative root cell if you fail to tear it out of your power plant. Negative thoughts, negative words out of your mouth, wrong relationships that do not edify God, an absence of God-centered activities in your life, etc. These will fuel that spirit of fear and timidity who is a strongman and will bring a few of his buddies along for company. Before long, your power plant will be operating at 50% efficiency. Then you will begin wondering, what is happening to my life.... Choose life. Choose full power. Choose to do some maintenance on your power plant today and enjoy a new power surge in your life!
Monday, June 29, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Milk or Meat - What's Your Diet?
We live in a world that is saturated with opportunities to be fed with the Word. It can be found anywhere you look - on the Internet, on the radio, on television, in every bookstore, in the library, on most newsstands, even in our mailboxes, if you so choose. The quality and level of teaching is as varied as the means of delivery. The messages can tickle your ears or challenge your faith. They can placate your spirit and make you feel good or they can cause you to examine your every move and every thought. Somebody out there has an answer to your every question and advice for every dilemma that you could possibly face. It can be overwhelming, but it does not need to be.
This time was prophetically anticipated in the Word for us. Each generation that has come before us has faced a similar challenge as the information vastly increased and the delivery methods accelerated. But the advice given in the beginning of the Church age remains the same and is as relevant today as it was then. Hebrews 5:11-14 We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. The writers of Hebrews were encouraging this young church of new Christians to grasp hold of the power of what Christ had done and move forward with it. That is no different than where we are today. No matter where you are in your walk, there is a mandate on your life and on your faith to grasp hold of what Christ has done and move forward with it.
This time was prophetically anticipated in the Word for us. Each generation that has come before us has faced a similar challenge as the information vastly increased and the delivery methods accelerated. But the advice given in the beginning of the Church age remains the same and is as relevant today as it was then. Hebrews 5:11-14 We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. The writers of Hebrews were encouraging this young church of new Christians to grasp hold of the power of what Christ had done and move forward with it. That is no different than where we are today. No matter where you are in your walk, there is a mandate on your life and on your faith to grasp hold of what Christ has done and move forward with it.
Reflect for a moment on when you first began this journey with Christ and needed to be fed "infant formula" - the basics of this new-found faith. Described in Hebrews we were "not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness." But how long does one stay on infant formula? How long is one fed from a bottle by someone else? Sooner or later you are expected to move on to solid food and then pick up the eating utensils and begin the process of feeding yourself. Sadly far too many believers have never made that move from the bottle to solid food. The expectation is that someone else via the pulpit on Sunday, the television screen in their living room, or the many conferences that they attend is going to feed them their formula. Where is the solid food?
I have listened to far too many individuals within the Body of Christ lodging complaints about the menu they have been fed in their given churches. The irony of these comments would be funny if it were not such a sad statement about the current condition of "church" in America. Have you ever heard a baby complain about his/her bottle? "Mom, you are going to just have to get me a different flavor. I am just not getting anything out of what you are giving to me." No, by the time a child is able to talk, they have moved onto solid food a long time ago. So why haven't believers made the same transition?
Hebrews states "But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." Did you notice the two actions within that statement? Constant Use and Trained Themselves. That is not sitting passively in a chair while in church or a conference. That is getting out there in the Body of Christ and using the knowledge with which you have been equipped and training yourself. Using - Serving - Doing what God has called you to in the Great Commission. Not just being a sponge soaking up the Word. (Water that just collects becomes stagnant by the way.) Training myself? How do I do that, you ask? Hmmm... do you remember that Jesus Christ explained to us that He was sending us a COUNSELOR? Study the WORD - directly from the SOURCE. Trust Holy Spirit to speak some revelation knowledge into you. He really can teach you.
Did you know that third world ministers have only the Bible from which to learn? There are no ministerial schools that they can attend for years to learn to do God's work. They have a passionate desire to serve the Lord and bring His Word to lost people. They study the Bible inside out, upside down, backwards and forwards. :-) Holy Spirit is their teacher. What is happening in those countries? Christianity is exploding and they are praying for America's salvation! Am I suggesting that you give up Bible study groups and other worthy authors who have been given revelatory knowledge from the Lord? No. I am suggesting that you make studying the Word daily your number one priority and equal to that you make walking out your faith in the World your second priority. Without these two actions, you will still be on infant formula.
A precious sister of mine in Christ made a powerful statement to me this morning. She said, "Eagles go after meat!" Eagles are referenced frequently in the Word. Many of us would like to think that we are soaring like eagles in our faith, striving to seek new heights for Him and with Him. We will never have the strength we need to go the distance if we are only feeding on milk. We must have fresh meat as the eagles do. So I challenge you to examine yourself and examine your diet. Who are you and what is your nourishment this day with the Lord?
Monday, June 15, 2009
Pruning Time....Again
Did your mother ever tell you, "It is not polite to point. Remember when you are pointing at someone that you have four fingers pointing back at you."? Obviously mine told me and it has stayed with me all of these years. Recently the Lord has been convicting me of a parallel observation. When I am thinking something about someone else that is not kind, uplifting, positive, etc., if I am totally truthful about the matter, there will be four fingers pointing back to me about some aspect of that situation. In fact, while on the surface the initial reaction that I was having may have been about that person, God was really working on me and trying to get my attention. My precious Abba had put on His gardening gloves, pulled out His pruning shears and was beginning to work on some growth that needed to come off. Ouch!
Inevitably we enter seasons of our lives when our loving heavenly Father has to become our disciplinary Father if we are going to stay on the path that He has set before us. It is natural. If you have ever grown a garden, maintained a yard or landscaped at all, then you have an analogy to what the Lord is talking about in John 15:2 when He said, "Every branch in me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit." Any productive plant must be pruned in order to maximize its fruitfulness. To allow it to grow in any direction that it chooses without the gardener tending to it will result in a wild bush with skimpy fruit. Sound like your life at any point in time?
When I was at the end of one significant chapter in my life and entering the next, I was studying Bruce Wilkerson's book, Secrets of the Vine. A timely study of which I was only beginning to understand the relevance as I made the transition to a new state and a new life. God revealed to me, page by page, how He was pruning everything out of my life so that eventually I would bear Him more fruit for the kingdom. I can tell you that it was a painful pruning process as I watched people, relationships, material possessions disappear from my life as the pruning shears kept snipping away. However with each cut I also began to rely more and more on my source of life itself, the True Vine, to keep me alive. Since I was no longer expending energy to keep those old branches that were not bearing fruit alive, I could focus on the nourishment that was coming from the Vine which was intended to bring life to me.
Pruning brings about another kind of fruit to our lives. Hebrews 12:11 "Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." When we are going through the pruning process, we can experience a myriad of emotions - hurt, rejection, anger, disappointment, etc. Yet once we release the flesh and soul, surrender ourselves to this process and to our Lord, proclaiming, "Your will, not mine, Lord!" a sweet peace will begin to ebb into our being. It is seldom a flood as we have to recognize that those emotional bruises will have to heal and to be treated by the loving touch of Holy Spirit, our Comforter. He is true to His name and will bring us that comfort, if we are true to Him and surrender the flesh and soul to Him.
Pruning... do we have a choice? I don't believe we do. When God decides it is time to cut away dead wood out of our lives, it is going to go whether we like it or not. What we do have a choice about is how we are going to proceed during and after the pruning process. Do we accept the pruning knowing that our Gardener is lavishing His loving care on every branch checking as to whether this is a fruit bearing branch; checking how far back to cut before He reaches the point of division where the branch is going to multiple and reproduce itself making an even greater harvest than before? Or do we reject the pruning, becoming angry and depressed developing a victim mentality listening to the lies of the adversary and beginning to lament to anyone that will listen to the tale of woe that will pour forth from our tongue? (Please remember Proverbs 18:21 "The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.") The choice is yours when your pruning season is upon you. If you are going to bear fruit for the kingdom then you will be pruned. It is proof positive that God has His hand on your life!!!
Inevitably we enter seasons of our lives when our loving heavenly Father has to become our disciplinary Father if we are going to stay on the path that He has set before us. It is natural. If you have ever grown a garden, maintained a yard or landscaped at all, then you have an analogy to what the Lord is talking about in John 15:2 when He said, "Every branch in me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit." Any productive plant must be pruned in order to maximize its fruitfulness. To allow it to grow in any direction that it chooses without the gardener tending to it will result in a wild bush with skimpy fruit. Sound like your life at any point in time?
When I was at the end of one significant chapter in my life and entering the next, I was studying Bruce Wilkerson's book, Secrets of the Vine. A timely study of which I was only beginning to understand the relevance as I made the transition to a new state and a new life. God revealed to me, page by page, how He was pruning everything out of my life so that eventually I would bear Him more fruit for the kingdom. I can tell you that it was a painful pruning process as I watched people, relationships, material possessions disappear from my life as the pruning shears kept snipping away. However with each cut I also began to rely more and more on my source of life itself, the True Vine, to keep me alive. Since I was no longer expending energy to keep those old branches that were not bearing fruit alive, I could focus on the nourishment that was coming from the Vine which was intended to bring life to me.
Pruning brings about another kind of fruit to our lives. Hebrews 12:11 "Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." When we are going through the pruning process, we can experience a myriad of emotions - hurt, rejection, anger, disappointment, etc. Yet once we release the flesh and soul, surrender ourselves to this process and to our Lord, proclaiming, "Your will, not mine, Lord!" a sweet peace will begin to ebb into our being. It is seldom a flood as we have to recognize that those emotional bruises will have to heal and to be treated by the loving touch of Holy Spirit, our Comforter. He is true to His name and will bring us that comfort, if we are true to Him and surrender the flesh and soul to Him.
Pruning... do we have a choice? I don't believe we do. When God decides it is time to cut away dead wood out of our lives, it is going to go whether we like it or not. What we do have a choice about is how we are going to proceed during and after the pruning process. Do we accept the pruning knowing that our Gardener is lavishing His loving care on every branch checking as to whether this is a fruit bearing branch; checking how far back to cut before He reaches the point of division where the branch is going to multiple and reproduce itself making an even greater harvest than before? Or do we reject the pruning, becoming angry and depressed developing a victim mentality listening to the lies of the adversary and beginning to lament to anyone that will listen to the tale of woe that will pour forth from our tongue? (Please remember Proverbs 18:21 "The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.") The choice is yours when your pruning season is upon you. If you are going to bear fruit for the kingdom then you will be pruned. It is proof positive that God has His hand on your life!!!
Monday, June 8, 2009
Walking Out Our Faith
If you happen to be one of the many millions who frequent Facebook, you may have noticed there is a new poll out. The question asked is, "Is there too much Jesus on Facebook?" Seems to be a lot of that type of discussion going on these days. In reality though this is not a new topic. This is an age old discussion; in fact it is a quandary that every believer must confront in his/her daily life. What can I say in my workplace? What do I say in front of my friends? What is acceptable in my recreational circle? With certainty I can state that every person reading these words has at some point in time been in a situation when you felt compelled to evaluate what you wanted to say based on the people or the circumstances that were surrounding you. Is this how we were meant to live as Believers?
Many of us work with individuals, have friends or family members that do not embrace the same beliefs that we do. Sometimes that causes tension and dissension in our relationships. We wrestle with how to walk out our faith and carry out the Great Commission when every time we open our mouths, a battlefront is declared. For some this creates an environment that is less than conducive to healthy relationships. Rather it is like living within an armed truce; each side waiting for the axe to fall or the next bombshell to explode. I ask the question again: Is this how we were meant to live as Believers? As followers of Jesus Christ?
The answer can be found throughout the Word, but one most excellent explanation is contained within Ephesians. The church at Ephesus was young and this letter was written as one of encouragement in which Paul describes the nature and appearance of the Body of Christ as well as challenges those reading the letter to function as such on earth. His advice is just as valid for us today. Did your mother ever tell you, "actions speak louder than words"? That is exactly what Paul is telling us in this advice written centuries ago. How we behave will have far more impact on those around us than the words that come out of our mouths. Let's take a look at Ephesians and apply it to life today.
All of chapter 4 and 5 are powerful for guidance in how to walk everyday in every way according to the love of Christ. I urge you to spend some time studying these powerful scriptures and instill them deep into your spirit. Today listen to verses 29-32 from chapter 4:
"Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. And do not bring sorrow to God's Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he is the one who has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of malicious behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you." Sorry, you read that way too fast; go back and reread that out loud and put your name in there a few times as if Paul was addressing you directly. Really - I am serious!
Now let us think about how we operate when we are around those that we care about (friends, family, co-workers) that don't follow the Lord and we want to win them over to Him. Do those verses describe us? Break it down verse by verse. Beware, this could be painful. :-) Don't use foul or abusive language. I just heard somebody protest, "I don't curse!" Sorry, this is much broader than that. Are you critical of someone and their actions? Do you ever speak negatively about people whether they are present or not? Are you guilty of gossiping (talking about others and what they are doing)? One of the problems of human nature is our need to shore up our self esteem often at the expense of someone else. Frequently we are not even aware that we are doing it. But Paul warns us that is unacceptable as a member of the living body of Christ. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. His instructions on what we are to say are pretty clear.
And do not bring sorrow to God's Holy Spirit by the way you live. We must remember that Holy Spirit lives within us and thus everything that we do is witnessed by Him. Would our actions grieve Him? How about... Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of malicious behavior. Talk about a broad range. When we are dealing with others' actions toward us and our beliefs, they can often trigger reactions such as bitterness and anger that result from hurt and rejection. But Paul cautions us that those actions and feelings do not belong in the life of a follower of Christ. Instead we are to be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. Even though we may be misunderstood and criticized for what we believe, we must understand that we have a mandate to still walk in our new Christ-like attitude, not our old mind-set.
The essence of Paul's advice for us in daily living is this: when we are with those who have not come to know the Lord as we have, we have a responsibility to demonstrate who He is by our lives, more than by our words. For many people, you and I may be the only real interaction they may have with Him. Would you like Him to dance over you for your portrayal or be grieved by it? We have an obligation, a mandate to operate in agape love just as Jesus did while He was here on earth. Please do not misunderstand me. That does not mean that you accept everything everybody does and go along with their agendas. It does mean that you demonstrate who God is by living out His love every day in every way. We have been separated out for a reason. So that we can demonstrate that we are indeed different than the rest of the world. This is where we walk out our faith every day in every way. Don't allow it to become a strain on you. Walk in the joy and the knowledge of who you are in Christ and the confidence that His strength and grace is sufficient to carry you through any fire. It is not your job to be the giant fire hose blasting everyone that you come near with Living Water of the Word of God. It is your job many times to stand still in the furnace like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and demonstrate the power of the living God in you. Which scenario will have more impact on winning souls to the Lord? So relax. Stop walking on those eggshells and just be Jesus with skin on. You are about to be amazed.
Many of us work with individuals, have friends or family members that do not embrace the same beliefs that we do. Sometimes that causes tension and dissension in our relationships. We wrestle with how to walk out our faith and carry out the Great Commission when every time we open our mouths, a battlefront is declared. For some this creates an environment that is less than conducive to healthy relationships. Rather it is like living within an armed truce; each side waiting for the axe to fall or the next bombshell to explode. I ask the question again: Is this how we were meant to live as Believers? As followers of Jesus Christ?
The answer can be found throughout the Word, but one most excellent explanation is contained within Ephesians. The church at Ephesus was young and this letter was written as one of encouragement in which Paul describes the nature and appearance of the Body of Christ as well as challenges those reading the letter to function as such on earth. His advice is just as valid for us today. Did your mother ever tell you, "actions speak louder than words"? That is exactly what Paul is telling us in this advice written centuries ago. How we behave will have far more impact on those around us than the words that come out of our mouths. Let's take a look at Ephesians and apply it to life today.
All of chapter 4 and 5 are powerful for guidance in how to walk everyday in every way according to the love of Christ. I urge you to spend some time studying these powerful scriptures and instill them deep into your spirit. Today listen to verses 29-32 from chapter 4:
"Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. And do not bring sorrow to God's Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he is the one who has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of malicious behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you." Sorry, you read that way too fast; go back and reread that out loud and put your name in there a few times as if Paul was addressing you directly. Really - I am serious!
Now let us think about how we operate when we are around those that we care about (friends, family, co-workers) that don't follow the Lord and we want to win them over to Him. Do those verses describe us? Break it down verse by verse. Beware, this could be painful. :-) Don't use foul or abusive language. I just heard somebody protest, "I don't curse!" Sorry, this is much broader than that. Are you critical of someone and their actions? Do you ever speak negatively about people whether they are present or not? Are you guilty of gossiping (talking about others and what they are doing)? One of the problems of human nature is our need to shore up our self esteem often at the expense of someone else. Frequently we are not even aware that we are doing it. But Paul warns us that is unacceptable as a member of the living body of Christ. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. His instructions on what we are to say are pretty clear.
And do not bring sorrow to God's Holy Spirit by the way you live. We must remember that Holy Spirit lives within us and thus everything that we do is witnessed by Him. Would our actions grieve Him? How about... Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of malicious behavior. Talk about a broad range. When we are dealing with others' actions toward us and our beliefs, they can often trigger reactions such as bitterness and anger that result from hurt and rejection. But Paul cautions us that those actions and feelings do not belong in the life of a follower of Christ. Instead we are to be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. Even though we may be misunderstood and criticized for what we believe, we must understand that we have a mandate to still walk in our new Christ-like attitude, not our old mind-set.
The essence of Paul's advice for us in daily living is this: when we are with those who have not come to know the Lord as we have, we have a responsibility to demonstrate who He is by our lives, more than by our words. For many people, you and I may be the only real interaction they may have with Him. Would you like Him to dance over you for your portrayal or be grieved by it? We have an obligation, a mandate to operate in agape love just as Jesus did while He was here on earth. Please do not misunderstand me. That does not mean that you accept everything everybody does and go along with their agendas. It does mean that you demonstrate who God is by living out His love every day in every way. We have been separated out for a reason. So that we can demonstrate that we are indeed different than the rest of the world. This is where we walk out our faith every day in every way. Don't allow it to become a strain on you. Walk in the joy and the knowledge of who you are in Christ and the confidence that His strength and grace is sufficient to carry you through any fire. It is not your job to be the giant fire hose blasting everyone that you come near with Living Water of the Word of God. It is your job many times to stand still in the furnace like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and demonstrate the power of the living God in you. Which scenario will have more impact on winning souls to the Lord? So relax. Stop walking on those eggshells and just be Jesus with skin on. You are about to be amazed.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Looking Back
Certain times in our lives automatically cause us to pause and survey our past, considering the decisions we have made and the roads those decisions have taken us down. This past weekend was one of those reflection times for me. The occasion was my 35th college reunion; a time of getting reacquainted with old friends and classmates as well as forming new bonds even at this late stage. Such an occasion gives us an opportunity to ponder the values that were important to us then and the ones that have emerged as fundamental to us now. We listen as others share what has transpired in their lives and again reflect on challenges, blessings and the very aspects of life that have brought us together again over distance and time.
Indulge me as I share one precious moment from this past weekend. We celebrated the return of a particular alum that initiated a standing ovation from all of us. This precious woman was from the class of 1933. She walked from the back of the auditorium escorted on either side by her two sons who were also alums. She enthusiastically shook a pom-pom of our school colors on the end of her cane. Realize that this delightful lady went to college in an era when women were not exactly encouraged to do so. I do not know much about her except that she sparked incredible admiration from all of us that day for her smile and her spirit. I'll do the math for you; she is probably 97 or 98 years old. Imagine the twists and turns her life has taken since 1933 and what she has experienced....
When I arrived on my college campus in 1970 as a wide-eyed freshman, I had no idea what was about to happen over the next 4 years not to mention the next 40. The decisions that I made one by one altered my life's direction dramatically, yet no one could have convinced me that it was happening at the time. Sometimes life becomes a runaway tractor trailer on the down side of a mountain running a course of its own that has so much momentum we can no longer control it. Sadly the time to control it was much earlier, but we weren't paying attention then to the consequences of the decisions we were making. Each decision, each step farther along that road takes us further in a direction that is often far from the one that we thought we had chosen.
I was decades from choosing a life with the Lord. I knew of Him yet He was not the Lord of my life. There was no personal relationship with Him in my life; in fact I did not even know that such a thing was a possibility. I knew an autocratic, hierarchical God. That was the God to whom I directed formalized prayers. Yet somewhere deep inside my soul, I knew something different. I did not know how to describe it and I did not know how to live it. I did know that "out there somewhere" He was expecting something from me. It was like a feather that tickled my soul every now and then. Sadly it was not something that I could talk with anyone about and there was no one in my life that was experiencing anything like it. I would feel it and would turn in my spirit to see what was there. But I did not know what I was looking for, hence I could not find it on my own. I plodded along in the Woods of Life, lost and not on His path.
The beauty of His love for me is that He wasn't lost; I was. He knew all along exactly where I was and He continued to woo me in spite of my actions and my decisions. I could almost hear the words that I now know He was whispering to me, "It is OK. We will use all of this in due time. All of this pain, all of this hurt. All of these mistakes. I will waste nothing that you have been through. Don't give up on yourself and don't stop listening for Me. I am here. I promise." I can look back now and know that it was Him so many times. His voice that kept me going when I thought I would give up and did not. His voice that kept me thinking straight when everything around me was so dark I could not see. His voice that promised peace someday.
How many quotes have you read that in essence remind us that life is not easy and life is not fair? They are all true, but there are equally as many quotes to remind us that it is our attitude that will make the difference in how we choose to see our lives and what we have been given in life with which to work. I can paint a hundred pictures for you about life and what you can do with it. I can tell you in detail about the valleys and mountains of my life and those of the people that I know and love. None of that matters when it comes to thinking about each 24 hours we have been given to live. I did some more math; it has been over 340,000 hours since I set forth on the campus of Gettysburg College as a freshman. What would my accounting to the Lord be like for all of that time that He had given to me on this earth? I shudder to think of the time that I have wasted.
Then I hear that gentle loving voice again. "Don't waste more time by looking back. Did I not promise you that we would use everything?" Romans 8:28 "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." I have a purpose, me, Janice. Everything that I have been through whether as a result of my actions or someone else's will work towards that purpose. It is His promise to me. I am already seeing fruits of that promise through my book, through the people that He has placed in my path, even through this blog. It is a process. I know that unquestionably. It is not a destination. There is only one destination and that is eternity with Him. Until that moment comes, it is a journey that I am traveling and if I spend too much time looking back, it will hinder my forward movement. Looking back is valuable because it helps me to see how far I have come. But then I must turn back around and head forward again. I must keep my eyes on the finish line and endure until the very end. Whether I have another 340,000 hours or just 24. I want to live them in a way that I will be honored to stand before my Lord and tell Him that I have done my best to live out my purpose for Him.
Indulge me as I share one precious moment from this past weekend. We celebrated the return of a particular alum that initiated a standing ovation from all of us. This precious woman was from the class of 1933. She walked from the back of the auditorium escorted on either side by her two sons who were also alums. She enthusiastically shook a pom-pom of our school colors on the end of her cane. Realize that this delightful lady went to college in an era when women were not exactly encouraged to do so. I do not know much about her except that she sparked incredible admiration from all of us that day for her smile and her spirit. I'll do the math for you; she is probably 97 or 98 years old. Imagine the twists and turns her life has taken since 1933 and what she has experienced....
When I arrived on my college campus in 1970 as a wide-eyed freshman, I had no idea what was about to happen over the next 4 years not to mention the next 40. The decisions that I made one by one altered my life's direction dramatically, yet no one could have convinced me that it was happening at the time. Sometimes life becomes a runaway tractor trailer on the down side of a mountain running a course of its own that has so much momentum we can no longer control it. Sadly the time to control it was much earlier, but we weren't paying attention then to the consequences of the decisions we were making. Each decision, each step farther along that road takes us further in a direction that is often far from the one that we thought we had chosen.
I was decades from choosing a life with the Lord. I knew of Him yet He was not the Lord of my life. There was no personal relationship with Him in my life; in fact I did not even know that such a thing was a possibility. I knew an autocratic, hierarchical God. That was the God to whom I directed formalized prayers. Yet somewhere deep inside my soul, I knew something different. I did not know how to describe it and I did not know how to live it. I did know that "out there somewhere" He was expecting something from me. It was like a feather that tickled my soul every now and then. Sadly it was not something that I could talk with anyone about and there was no one in my life that was experiencing anything like it. I would feel it and would turn in my spirit to see what was there. But I did not know what I was looking for, hence I could not find it on my own. I plodded along in the Woods of Life, lost and not on His path.
The beauty of His love for me is that He wasn't lost; I was. He knew all along exactly where I was and He continued to woo me in spite of my actions and my decisions. I could almost hear the words that I now know He was whispering to me, "It is OK. We will use all of this in due time. All of this pain, all of this hurt. All of these mistakes. I will waste nothing that you have been through. Don't give up on yourself and don't stop listening for Me. I am here. I promise." I can look back now and know that it was Him so many times. His voice that kept me going when I thought I would give up and did not. His voice that kept me thinking straight when everything around me was so dark I could not see. His voice that promised peace someday.
How many quotes have you read that in essence remind us that life is not easy and life is not fair? They are all true, but there are equally as many quotes to remind us that it is our attitude that will make the difference in how we choose to see our lives and what we have been given in life with which to work. I can paint a hundred pictures for you about life and what you can do with it. I can tell you in detail about the valleys and mountains of my life and those of the people that I know and love. None of that matters when it comes to thinking about each 24 hours we have been given to live. I did some more math; it has been over 340,000 hours since I set forth on the campus of Gettysburg College as a freshman. What would my accounting to the Lord be like for all of that time that He had given to me on this earth? I shudder to think of the time that I have wasted.
Then I hear that gentle loving voice again. "Don't waste more time by looking back. Did I not promise you that we would use everything?" Romans 8:28 "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." I have a purpose, me, Janice. Everything that I have been through whether as a result of my actions or someone else's will work towards that purpose. It is His promise to me. I am already seeing fruits of that promise through my book, through the people that He has placed in my path, even through this blog. It is a process. I know that unquestionably. It is not a destination. There is only one destination and that is eternity with Him. Until that moment comes, it is a journey that I am traveling and if I spend too much time looking back, it will hinder my forward movement. Looking back is valuable because it helps me to see how far I have come. But then I must turn back around and head forward again. I must keep my eyes on the finish line and endure until the very end. Whether I have another 340,000 hours or just 24. I want to live them in a way that I will be honored to stand before my Lord and tell Him that I have done my best to live out my purpose for Him.
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