It's worth repeating from Psalm 8:3-4, "I look up at your macro-skies, dark and enormous, your handmade sky-jewelry, Moon and stars mounted in their settings. Then I look at my micro-self and wonder, Why do you bother with us? Why take a second look our way?"
Have you ever felt small, invisible, forgotten in a world with SO MANY people? Sometimes it's hard to believe that God can really see ME. That He cares about ME. That He is looking MY way. That He wants be involved in my life.
When I think of all the BIG stuff I know God could be dealing with on a daily basis, my life seems so insignificant. But I am not. My way seems forgotten. But it's not. He sees me. He knows me.
You may feel "micro" today, but our "macro" God is looking your way...and He sees You!
Blessings!
6.19.2010
5.18.2010
The Damsel in Distress
It's worth repeating from John 10:10, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I CAME to give real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of." (NIV and Message combined; emphasis mine)
I must admit there is a part of me that is SO INTO stories about chivalry, knighthood, men of honor, the Round Table, King Arthur, Robin Hood... stories where courageous people STEP IN and rescue people. They make wrong things right. They stand for justice, peace, and freedom! And they end up falling in love with a beautiful damsel who needs to be rescued...aaahhh..love those stories. Robin Hood and King Arthur and Sir Lancelot are some of my favorite "rescuers".
I have been STRUCK by this verse in John 10 for the last few days. Sure, I have read it before, have had it in my memory banks since I was a little kid, but the Holy Spirit made it come alive in such a strong way this week that I had to share it with you. This verse moved beyond information to my mind to revelation to my spirit, and it has transformed my mind!
The thief comes...yes he does. He sneaks in, he finds a crack in our armor, he weasels his crafty lies into our minds. Sometimes he even comes with a heavy ambush and we feel crushed!! And he does it to destroy us!! Maybe you are under attack from enemy forces right now... The thief has come to steal your joy, your peace, your victory, your family unity. The thief has come to kill your dreams, your faith, your hope. The thief has come to destroy you...to take you out. It is true... the enemy hates you. He does not want you to have hope, joy, or peace! He will try to pin you under his thumb.... But...
Can you see Him on the horizon? Here He comes... to not only save the day, but to save YOU! Your hope, your peace, your dreams, your family! JESUS CAME! He came because He loves you and wants to rescue you from the attacks of the enemy. He intervenes in our lives... He fearlessly steps between the enemy and you, says "ENOUGH", fights the battle FOR YOU, and then scoops you up as His Bride and rides off in victory... "Thanks be to God who ALWAYS causes us to triumph in HIS NAME"!
The thief comes...yes he does. But there is so much hope in the very small phrase in John 10:10, "I CAME!" When you feel the doubts and fears and anxieties that we all feel from time to time, remember HE CAME!! He came to give you life.... to rescue all the damsels in distress!
Blessings!
I must admit there is a part of me that is SO INTO stories about chivalry, knighthood, men of honor, the Round Table, King Arthur, Robin Hood... stories where courageous people STEP IN and rescue people. They make wrong things right. They stand for justice, peace, and freedom! And they end up falling in love with a beautiful damsel who needs to be rescued...aaahhh..love those stories. Robin Hood and King Arthur and Sir Lancelot are some of my favorite "rescuers".
I have been STRUCK by this verse in John 10 for the last few days. Sure, I have read it before, have had it in my memory banks since I was a little kid, but the Holy Spirit made it come alive in such a strong way this week that I had to share it with you. This verse moved beyond information to my mind to revelation to my spirit, and it has transformed my mind!
The thief comes...yes he does. He sneaks in, he finds a crack in our armor, he weasels his crafty lies into our minds. Sometimes he even comes with a heavy ambush and we feel crushed!! And he does it to destroy us!! Maybe you are under attack from enemy forces right now... The thief has come to steal your joy, your peace, your victory, your family unity. The thief has come to kill your dreams, your faith, your hope. The thief has come to destroy you...to take you out. It is true... the enemy hates you. He does not want you to have hope, joy, or peace! He will try to pin you under his thumb.... But...
Can you see Him on the horizon? Here He comes... to not only save the day, but to save YOU! Your hope, your peace, your dreams, your family! JESUS CAME! He came because He loves you and wants to rescue you from the attacks of the enemy. He intervenes in our lives... He fearlessly steps between the enemy and you, says "ENOUGH", fights the battle FOR YOU, and then scoops you up as His Bride and rides off in victory... "Thanks be to God who ALWAYS causes us to triumph in HIS NAME"!
The thief comes...yes he does. But there is so much hope in the very small phrase in John 10:10, "I CAME!" When you feel the doubts and fears and anxieties that we all feel from time to time, remember HE CAME!! He came to give you life.... to rescue all the damsels in distress!
Blessings!
5.01.2010
Get off your face...get up and praise!
It's worth repeating that the time comes when we need to "stop praying about it and start praising God for it!" (Mark Batterson, in his blog)
It takes me a while at night once I lay down to fall asleep. No, I am not an insomniac. My brain just decides to start thinking about all the details in my life right when my head hits the pillow. Sometimes it makes me crazy... then, I feel like I need to get up to write things down so I don't forget, but what I really want to do is JUST FALL ASLEEP!
For a while, I was praying that God would give me a good night's sleep... "Dear God, PLEASE allow me to fall asleep quickly tonight and just shut my brain off right when I lay down...Amen."
However, I am starting to take a new approach. The Word of God says that God gives rest to the ones He loves... and He gives perfect peace to those whose minds STAY on Him. Those are great promises...so instead of praying that God would grant me a good night's sleep and peace when I lay down, I am praising Him in advance for the promises He has already made. It gets my focus off ME and onto HIM... I have even started praising when I lay down...thanking God for sweet rest...
This principle can be applied in so many areas of my own life... maybe you are feeling the same way. Maybe you have been praying for a "prodigal" child to come home... and it's time to start praising God IN ADVANCE for his/her return. Maybe your finances are in a mess, a family member has been laid off, and instead of begging God, you need to start prasing Him that He provides ALL that we need. Maybe your marriage is falling apart, and instead of continuing to pray for reconciliation, you can start praising that God is working behind the scenes in ways you can't even see with your physical eyes...
However this may apply to you... maybe it's time to get up off your face, and get up and praise!! Don't get me wrong, prayer is a NECESSITY. I wholeheartedly believe in the power of prayer... BUT I also believe in the power of praising our God who is so much bigger than anything we ever face... and when I praise Him and see how big He is, it makes me that much surer that victory is on the way!!
Blessings!
It takes me a while at night once I lay down to fall asleep. No, I am not an insomniac. My brain just decides to start thinking about all the details in my life right when my head hits the pillow. Sometimes it makes me crazy... then, I feel like I need to get up to write things down so I don't forget, but what I really want to do is JUST FALL ASLEEP!
For a while, I was praying that God would give me a good night's sleep... "Dear God, PLEASE allow me to fall asleep quickly tonight and just shut my brain off right when I lay down...Amen."
However, I am starting to take a new approach. The Word of God says that God gives rest to the ones He loves... and He gives perfect peace to those whose minds STAY on Him. Those are great promises...so instead of praying that God would grant me a good night's sleep and peace when I lay down, I am praising Him in advance for the promises He has already made. It gets my focus off ME and onto HIM... I have even started praising when I lay down...thanking God for sweet rest...
This principle can be applied in so many areas of my own life... maybe you are feeling the same way. Maybe you have been praying for a "prodigal" child to come home... and it's time to start praising God IN ADVANCE for his/her return. Maybe your finances are in a mess, a family member has been laid off, and instead of begging God, you need to start prasing Him that He provides ALL that we need. Maybe your marriage is falling apart, and instead of continuing to pray for reconciliation, you can start praising that God is working behind the scenes in ways you can't even see with your physical eyes...
However this may apply to you... maybe it's time to get up off your face, and get up and praise!! Don't get me wrong, prayer is a NECESSITY. I wholeheartedly believe in the power of prayer... BUT I also believe in the power of praising our God who is so much bigger than anything we ever face... and when I praise Him and see how big He is, it makes me that much surer that victory is on the way!!
Blessings!
4.20.2010
Get Back Up!
It's worth repeating "We lose our way, We get back up again. It's never too late to get back up again. One day, you're gonna shine again. You may be knocked down, but not out forever." (TobyMac, "Get Back Up", Tonight)
Music gets me going. I thank God for music all the time!! There is such emotion, such feeling, such power in music, as there should be, since God created music!
This song by TobyMac has been playing in my house for the last couple days, my car for the last week, and I must admit I have found myself smiling inside an out when I sing it, and even dancing a little!
When our lives are in Christ, when we are found in Him, when we surrender to Him, we will always get back up from being knocked down. When we lose our way, He will get us back on track again.
In Micah 7, starting in verse 8, is one of my favorite verses of Scripture: "Don't, enemy, crow over me. I'm down, but I'm not out. I'm sitting in the dark right now, but God is my light. I can take God's punishing rage. I deserve it--I sinned. But it's not forever. He's on my side and is going to get me out of this. He'll turn on the lights and show me His ways. I'll see the whole picture and how right he is. And my enemy will see it, too, and be discredited--yes, disgraced! This enemy who kept taunting, 'So where is the God of yours?' I'm going to see it with these, my own eyes-- my enemy disgraced, trash in the gutter."
Wow!! Some of us need to get loud with our enemy today, and let him know that we are going to get back up. We may be going through a trial right now, we may be in waiting mode, we may be going through doubt and pain, we may be benched for a time for our own sins, but we are going to shine again! There is hope for us--but not for our enemy. Someday he will get what has been coming to him for so long!
Hold on to Jesus today and to His promises for your life!
Psalm 13 gives a great account of what to do when you you've fallen down somehow. Starting at the end of verse 2, "Long enough my arrogant enemies have looked down their noses at me. (LONG ENOUGH--NO MORE!) Take a good look at me, God, my God, I want to look life in the eye, So no enemy can get the best of me or laugh when I fall on my face. (notice: "when" i fall on my face..you will fall on your face sometimes, but the enemy better not laugh, because you will get up stronger!) I've thrown myself headlong into your arms--I'm celebrating your rescue. I'm singing at the top of my lungs, I'm so full of answered prayers."
The end of that passage tells us what to do: Throw yourself right into Jesus' arms, Celebrate that He has rescued you, Sing praises at the top of your lungs (loud enough for your enemy to hear and for you to get it!), and thank God for answered prayers! Wow!! There's a great prescription for when you fall down...
If you haven't heard the song "Get Back Up" by Tobymac, that would be a great song to start singing OUT LOUD... you may even find yourself starting to smile inside and out... and maybe, just maybe, the beat might get to you, and you might start dancing a little... (in the privacy of your own home, of course...ha!!)
At any rate, if you find yourself down low, or lost, or broken, you will GET BACK UP AGAIN!
Blessings!
Music gets me going. I thank God for music all the time!! There is such emotion, such feeling, such power in music, as there should be, since God created music!
This song by TobyMac has been playing in my house for the last couple days, my car for the last week, and I must admit I have found myself smiling inside an out when I sing it, and even dancing a little!
When our lives are in Christ, when we are found in Him, when we surrender to Him, we will always get back up from being knocked down. When we lose our way, He will get us back on track again.
In Micah 7, starting in verse 8, is one of my favorite verses of Scripture: "Don't, enemy, crow over me. I'm down, but I'm not out. I'm sitting in the dark right now, but God is my light. I can take God's punishing rage. I deserve it--I sinned. But it's not forever. He's on my side and is going to get me out of this. He'll turn on the lights and show me His ways. I'll see the whole picture and how right he is. And my enemy will see it, too, and be discredited--yes, disgraced! This enemy who kept taunting, 'So where is the God of yours?' I'm going to see it with these, my own eyes-- my enemy disgraced, trash in the gutter."
Wow!! Some of us need to get loud with our enemy today, and let him know that we are going to get back up. We may be going through a trial right now, we may be in waiting mode, we may be going through doubt and pain, we may be benched for a time for our own sins, but we are going to shine again! There is hope for us--but not for our enemy. Someday he will get what has been coming to him for so long!
Hold on to Jesus today and to His promises for your life!
Psalm 13 gives a great account of what to do when you you've fallen down somehow. Starting at the end of verse 2, "Long enough my arrogant enemies have looked down their noses at me. (LONG ENOUGH--NO MORE!) Take a good look at me, God, my God, I want to look life in the eye, So no enemy can get the best of me or laugh when I fall on my face. (notice: "when" i fall on my face..you will fall on your face sometimes, but the enemy better not laugh, because you will get up stronger!) I've thrown myself headlong into your arms--I'm celebrating your rescue. I'm singing at the top of my lungs, I'm so full of answered prayers."
The end of that passage tells us what to do: Throw yourself right into Jesus' arms, Celebrate that He has rescued you, Sing praises at the top of your lungs (loud enough for your enemy to hear and for you to get it!), and thank God for answered prayers! Wow!! There's a great prescription for when you fall down...
If you haven't heard the song "Get Back Up" by Tobymac, that would be a great song to start singing OUT LOUD... you may even find yourself starting to smile inside and out... and maybe, just maybe, the beat might get to you, and you might start dancing a little... (in the privacy of your own home, of course...ha!!)
At any rate, if you find yourself down low, or lost, or broken, you will GET BACK UP AGAIN!
Blessings!
4.15.2010
Playing Pretend
It's worth repeating that "...too often it is more important for a Christian couple to appear as if they have a healthy marriage than to really have one-- which requires disagreement, work, and real one-flesh unity in which both parties grow healthier." (Families Where Grace Is In Place, Jeff VanVonderen, italics mine)
One of my children's (I have three) favorite games to play is pretend. One will say, "Let's pretend I'm a mermaid", and the other will say, "Okay, let's pretend I'm a dolphin", and then the other will say, "No, I want to be the dolphin", and then one of them will say, "Okay, you be the purple dolphin and I'll be the pink dolphin." And then the scenarios start... "Let's pretend the mean mermaid put us in the sea dungeon and we can't get out..." and on and on they go, pretending away...
It's a fun game for kids, but unfortunately many of us don't grow out of pretending. We pretend things are better than they really are. We pretend we're doing okay when we're really not. We pretend we have it all together when instead we feel as though we're falling apart. We pretend we have a growing, vibrant relationship with our spouse, but really we resent him/her for past hurts and disappointments.
Why do we do this? I believe there's a couple reasons. One is we just don't know where to start. It's way too much work to have a godly marriage so we settle for a marriage that APPEARS godly and okay to others, but is anything but if we're really honest with ourselves.
Secondly, though, I think somewhere in our minds we have this idea that we have to APPEAR perfect or we won't be acceptable... and unfortunately, we find this "pretending disease" even in the church, where we are supposed to come as we are, confess our sins to one another, and sharpen and encourage one another.
We've all been there, right? We're on the way to church, and we are in the middle of a heated argument... and then we walk into church and we are once again the Brady Bunch-- no problems, no hurts, no failures... then we leave, and go right back to the craziness that is our reality.
For some reading this blog, your marriage or circumstances may seem hopeless, beyond repair, and no one even knows because you are so afraid of being judged or the subject of someone's gossip circle or admitting that things are much worse than what they seem because that would be admitting failure. And what would people think? The truth is people are going to think whatever they want to think. You can't control what people think. But you can stop the "pretending" once and for all!
Can I just ask you to find someone you can trust and talk to them..be real..be honest.. We have to get to a point when we care more about getting healed then getting people's approval and acceptance.
And if you are a Christ-follower, ask God to help you be a safe person for people to be real with.. a person who prays instead of gossips, a person who loves instead of judges, a person who listens and doesn't always have to give advice...
I personally love when people are real with me... I know then that I can be real with them, too!
So, stop pretending... There are people who love you and accept you..the REAL you in your REAL life circumstances... and there is Jesus..oh, how He loves us!
Blessings!
One of my children's (I have three) favorite games to play is pretend. One will say, "Let's pretend I'm a mermaid", and the other will say, "Okay, let's pretend I'm a dolphin", and then the other will say, "No, I want to be the dolphin", and then one of them will say, "Okay, you be the purple dolphin and I'll be the pink dolphin." And then the scenarios start... "Let's pretend the mean mermaid put us in the sea dungeon and we can't get out..." and on and on they go, pretending away...
It's a fun game for kids, but unfortunately many of us don't grow out of pretending. We pretend things are better than they really are. We pretend we're doing okay when we're really not. We pretend we have it all together when instead we feel as though we're falling apart. We pretend we have a growing, vibrant relationship with our spouse, but really we resent him/her for past hurts and disappointments.
Why do we do this? I believe there's a couple reasons. One is we just don't know where to start. It's way too much work to have a godly marriage so we settle for a marriage that APPEARS godly and okay to others, but is anything but if we're really honest with ourselves.
Secondly, though, I think somewhere in our minds we have this idea that we have to APPEAR perfect or we won't be acceptable... and unfortunately, we find this "pretending disease" even in the church, where we are supposed to come as we are, confess our sins to one another, and sharpen and encourage one another.
We've all been there, right? We're on the way to church, and we are in the middle of a heated argument... and then we walk into church and we are once again the Brady Bunch-- no problems, no hurts, no failures... then we leave, and go right back to the craziness that is our reality.
For some reading this blog, your marriage or circumstances may seem hopeless, beyond repair, and no one even knows because you are so afraid of being judged or the subject of someone's gossip circle or admitting that things are much worse than what they seem because that would be admitting failure. And what would people think? The truth is people are going to think whatever they want to think. You can't control what people think. But you can stop the "pretending" once and for all!
Can I just ask you to find someone you can trust and talk to them..be real..be honest.. We have to get to a point when we care more about getting healed then getting people's approval and acceptance.
And if you are a Christ-follower, ask God to help you be a safe person for people to be real with.. a person who prays instead of gossips, a person who loves instead of judges, a person who listens and doesn't always have to give advice...
I personally love when people are real with me... I know then that I can be real with them, too!
So, stop pretending... There are people who love you and accept you..the REAL you in your REAL life circumstances... and there is Jesus..oh, how He loves us!
Blessings!
4.13.2010
Question only God can Answer
It's worth repeating that "Jesus was given to provide life and value to each one of us." (Families Where Grace is in Place, Jeff VanVonderen)
There are some questions that only God can answer. One of those questions is, "Do I have value?"
Whenever we start looking to others for an answer to that question, we begin to give other people power over us that is not theirs to have. If I am so concerned whether you think I am valuable, than I am going to do whatever it takes to make you think I am valuable. I am going to keep trying my best and doing more and more to earn your approval. I am going to act the way I think you would like me to act instead of being myself and comfortable in my own skin. And that is too much power to give anyone in your life....yes, even your spouse, your parents, your closest friend.
Our value comes from God alone. He created us and He validates us! Do you remember when John the Baptist baptized Jesus? The heavens were torn open and the Father validated Jesus by saying, "This is MY Son, in whom I am well pleased." Jesus was validated by the Father. He could take all the criticism and insults from the religious leaders, He could handle the people who didn't believe in Him, because His value was not found in whether people approved of Him or not.. His value was found in His Father, and His Father was very pleased with Him.
If you find yourself looking for value in what others think of you, or even in the tasks or job you perform...STOP! That is a dead end that leads to some great pits-- depression, self-pity, resentment, bitterness, pride, etc...
Look only to God for value and worth... that is where life begins! Can't you just feel the freedom in getting to be who God created you to be...HIS child, in whom He is very pleased!!
Blessings!
There are some questions that only God can answer. One of those questions is, "Do I have value?"
Whenever we start looking to others for an answer to that question, we begin to give other people power over us that is not theirs to have. If I am so concerned whether you think I am valuable, than I am going to do whatever it takes to make you think I am valuable. I am going to keep trying my best and doing more and more to earn your approval. I am going to act the way I think you would like me to act instead of being myself and comfortable in my own skin. And that is too much power to give anyone in your life....yes, even your spouse, your parents, your closest friend.
Our value comes from God alone. He created us and He validates us! Do you remember when John the Baptist baptized Jesus? The heavens were torn open and the Father validated Jesus by saying, "This is MY Son, in whom I am well pleased." Jesus was validated by the Father. He could take all the criticism and insults from the religious leaders, He could handle the people who didn't believe in Him, because His value was not found in whether people approved of Him or not.. His value was found in His Father, and His Father was very pleased with Him.
If you find yourself looking for value in what others think of you, or even in the tasks or job you perform...STOP! That is a dead end that leads to some great pits-- depression, self-pity, resentment, bitterness, pride, etc...
Look only to God for value and worth... that is where life begins! Can't you just feel the freedom in getting to be who God created you to be...HIS child, in whom He is very pleased!!
Blessings!
4.12.2010
New Wardrobe!
It's worth repeating from Galatians 3:26-27 (MSG), "Your baptism in Christ was not just washing you up for a fresh start. It also involved dressing you in an adult faith wardrobe--Christ's life, the fulfillment of God's original promise."
I must confess that this passage is a little deeper Theologically than what I typically tackle in this blog, but these verses are truly freeing once they are understood. When we go to God's Word, and we bite off a passage that seems tough to chew, we need to pray for wisdom and understanding. The book of Proverbs makes it clear that we are to get wisdom in this life even if we get nothing else!
As I read this verse, something clicked in my brain which sent a signal to my heart, and I had immediate joy! Wow!! What God does for us is so much more than give us a fresh start, a clean slate, a do over, a second chance, whatever you may call it...
God saves us, by no work on our own, I might add at this point. Jesus baptizes us into the family of God, and then He says to us, "Now you can start life all over... You can try again... You can find better tools to live by... Now go and make me proud!" NO! NO! NO! That is not what Jesus says. We can not live the Christian life on our own anymore than we can save ourselves.
This is the beauty of the work of Christ. We get so much more than a fresh start or a do over. We get the life of Christ as our life. We get the Spirit of God living the Christian life through us as we yield and surrender our will to the Father. We get a new wardrobe!
Let's be honest, if all we got was a do over, we would end up exactly where we found ourselves to begin with... lost, empty, shamed, sinful. I don't want a do over-- I don't want to try harder-- I want the Spirit of God to fill my Spirit, and live through me-- a new life with a new source! A new wardrobe from a new designer!
Jesus doesn't find us, wash us up, and leave us naked to try to find the right clothes to wear in this new life. He clothes us with everything we need for life and godliness. We don't start with the Thrift store wardrobe and move up to the 5th avenue wardrobe. We are clothed with the life of Christ from day one of our salvation... and just have to walk in it... by walking in step with the Spirit, and dying to our will.
We have more than a fresh start...we have a new identity! We were sinners before... Now we are saints of God... with a brand new wardrobe!! (One that does not have to be laundered... and all the mothers said AMEN!!)
Blessings!
I must confess that this passage is a little deeper Theologically than what I typically tackle in this blog, but these verses are truly freeing once they are understood. When we go to God's Word, and we bite off a passage that seems tough to chew, we need to pray for wisdom and understanding. The book of Proverbs makes it clear that we are to get wisdom in this life even if we get nothing else!
As I read this verse, something clicked in my brain which sent a signal to my heart, and I had immediate joy! Wow!! What God does for us is so much more than give us a fresh start, a clean slate, a do over, a second chance, whatever you may call it...
God saves us, by no work on our own, I might add at this point. Jesus baptizes us into the family of God, and then He says to us, "Now you can start life all over... You can try again... You can find better tools to live by... Now go and make me proud!" NO! NO! NO! That is not what Jesus says. We can not live the Christian life on our own anymore than we can save ourselves.
This is the beauty of the work of Christ. We get so much more than a fresh start or a do over. We get the life of Christ as our life. We get the Spirit of God living the Christian life through us as we yield and surrender our will to the Father. We get a new wardrobe!
Let's be honest, if all we got was a do over, we would end up exactly where we found ourselves to begin with... lost, empty, shamed, sinful. I don't want a do over-- I don't want to try harder-- I want the Spirit of God to fill my Spirit, and live through me-- a new life with a new source! A new wardrobe from a new designer!
Jesus doesn't find us, wash us up, and leave us naked to try to find the right clothes to wear in this new life. He clothes us with everything we need for life and godliness. We don't start with the Thrift store wardrobe and move up to the 5th avenue wardrobe. We are clothed with the life of Christ from day one of our salvation... and just have to walk in it... by walking in step with the Spirit, and dying to our will.
We have more than a fresh start...we have a new identity! We were sinners before... Now we are saints of God... with a brand new wardrobe!! (One that does not have to be laundered... and all the mothers said AMEN!!)
Blessings!
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