I have begun to take a fresh look at the truth that God is a Jealous God. That from the beginning, He has been clear that there would be no other God’s but Him and that He will ask for the very things that threaten that….our loves, what we worship and serve. (gen 12) We also looked at what He would do if we do forsake Him as our ONLY love…that He will visit that iniquity on 3 and 4 generations behind us. And that if we do love Him like that-that He will bless by the thousands.
The question is…do we believe what He says is true? Do we believe that the best, most loving thing and the thing we can do to most bless God and those things we love is LOVE HIM ONLY, so we can love other rightly. Do we believe He IS jealous and will do what HE said?
I have been thinking about the friction we feel and how it feels wrong to cheat on our families with Jesus. We struggle with the idea of letting go because HE gave it. And yet the very thing HE gave we have worshipped, served, obeyed and loved more than Him. We somehow justify that it is okay to cheat Jesus, particularly if it is with something He blessed and gave.
And the Lord took me to the verse that is rocking my world.
2 Cor 11:2-4
2 For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, that to Christ I might present you {as} a pure virgin.
3 But I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds should be led astray from the simplicity and purity {of devotion} to Christ.
4 For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear {this} beautifully.
Wow….we have been betrothed, married to and given/taken to One, that is Christ. And yet, we think it is okay to step out on Him. Much like Eve, we have been led astray by the craftiness of the serpent who deceived us into thinking it is okay to LOVE something other than God with ALL and have been led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to CHRIST-our husband.
Simplicity. I love that word…it means singleness. Our SINGLE simple devotion is CHRIST.
We were betrothed and given to CHRIST. He is our single, simple, pure devotion.
He says, that if we do not embrace this, then we have accepted, received and listened to a different gospel than that of Jesus. We will have trusted in something that is not real.
Perhaps it is time to reevaluate and to ask if we have been deceived. God is a jealous God and will not share, will not accept our leftovers. He was clear…He wants ALL and there is both blessing and cursing that comes if we obey or don’t. But the crux of it is that if we do not live as if we understand His jealousy and are betrothed to HIM, we have embraced a false gospel.
So while we struggle with the friction, but perhaps our lives look more like us cheating on Him with the things He has given, than us cheating on them with Him. And perhaps, He is just coming back to claim what is rightfully His-His bride. Where are we stepping out on HIM? Isn’t that the real question?
ALL FOR YOU
Monday, March 30, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
sinday
I was texting a friend recently about what had happened at church that morning. I didn’t realize til later that a texting typo error had occurred. RE-looking at my typo, I was struck by the significance of that error. Not because of the letters being wrong, but that it perhaps held more truth that I wanted to admit.
I am all about words being a word picture. And this one was just that. A word picture. In trying to type the word SUNDAY, my text instead read sinday. Do you see the problem. Sunday is usually a day where we spend time focused on the Son-Jesus Christ. It is a day created by God to totally set our hearts and minds on Him alone.
But for many of us, it is more sinday than SONday. I get that we go to church on that day, but that doesn’t really make the day all about the SON. We call it a day of rest, thinking it is a day we should relax, focus on what we would like to do and kick back from a hard week’s work. But that is not what Scripture says. Scripture is clear that Sunday, Sabbath, SONday is to be a day where make much of Him, set our hearts and passions to listen and to serve Him. In fact, the Word says we are to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy-set apart, distinct, in use for HIM.
Instead we use SONday to indulge our desires, to entertain family, to catch up, to rest, to be lazy, to do what we want…instead of asking the question-if this is YOUR day…what do YOU want me to do with it that will honor You, make much of You and cause others to see the greatness of You. In some ways, what was intended to be SONday, then becomes sinday. A day where we take what the Lord has given and use it for our own pleasures instead of our pursuit of Him.
I think we need to be careful. We will stay up late for ballgames and keep our kids out late for plays, dances, sporting events and dinner out with friends-but we will use them as an excuse not to gather with other believers because the “need to be in bed’. We will spend money on high dollar tickets to events, games, movies and plays-but will not offer the same sacrifice to the Lord. We will rise early and be on time to work, but be late to the House of God for worship. We will require that our children be at school and have homework done, but let them skip time with the Lord because they are tired or need to get their homework done. We will ground our kids from church, instead requiring them to go. We will choose to spend our afternoons doing yardwork or sitting by a pool, playing golf or with our kids and then find we are too tired to focus on the Lord. We will stay up late watching TV, surfing the net or doing chores, but we will not sacrifice for time with other believers or time in the Word. It is so easy to see how SONday could easily become sinday, just by the simple choices that we make.
Perhaps it is time…for us to reevaluate and makes some different choices. God wants us to SET apart time JUST for Him. Not fifteen minutes…he wants the equal of a WHOLE day every week. 24 hours….Is this happening in our lives. Can you say God got a full on…dedicated 24 hours this week? We will make that effort for our families….what about God? Is it possible that Somedays are just sindays because there was no SON in the day. Or perhaps there was some Son in the day, but has God gotten a set apart day from you?
Exod 20:8 "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
ALL FOR YOU
I am all about words being a word picture. And this one was just that. A word picture. In trying to type the word SUNDAY, my text instead read sinday. Do you see the problem. Sunday is usually a day where we spend time focused on the Son-Jesus Christ. It is a day created by God to totally set our hearts and minds on Him alone.
But for many of us, it is more sinday than SONday. I get that we go to church on that day, but that doesn’t really make the day all about the SON. We call it a day of rest, thinking it is a day we should relax, focus on what we would like to do and kick back from a hard week’s work. But that is not what Scripture says. Scripture is clear that Sunday, Sabbath, SONday is to be a day where make much of Him, set our hearts and passions to listen and to serve Him. In fact, the Word says we are to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy-set apart, distinct, in use for HIM.
Instead we use SONday to indulge our desires, to entertain family, to catch up, to rest, to be lazy, to do what we want…instead of asking the question-if this is YOUR day…what do YOU want me to do with it that will honor You, make much of You and cause others to see the greatness of You. In some ways, what was intended to be SONday, then becomes sinday. A day where we take what the Lord has given and use it for our own pleasures instead of our pursuit of Him.
I think we need to be careful. We will stay up late for ballgames and keep our kids out late for plays, dances, sporting events and dinner out with friends-but we will use them as an excuse not to gather with other believers because the “need to be in bed’. We will spend money on high dollar tickets to events, games, movies and plays-but will not offer the same sacrifice to the Lord. We will rise early and be on time to work, but be late to the House of God for worship. We will require that our children be at school and have homework done, but let them skip time with the Lord because they are tired or need to get their homework done. We will ground our kids from church, instead requiring them to go. We will choose to spend our afternoons doing yardwork or sitting by a pool, playing golf or with our kids and then find we are too tired to focus on the Lord. We will stay up late watching TV, surfing the net or doing chores, but we will not sacrifice for time with other believers or time in the Word. It is so easy to see how SONday could easily become sinday, just by the simple choices that we make.
Perhaps it is time…for us to reevaluate and makes some different choices. God wants us to SET apart time JUST for Him. Not fifteen minutes…he wants the equal of a WHOLE day every week. 24 hours….Is this happening in our lives. Can you say God got a full on…dedicated 24 hours this week? We will make that effort for our families….what about God? Is it possible that Somedays are just sindays because there was no SON in the day. Or perhaps there was some Son in the day, but has God gotten a set apart day from you?
Exod 20:8 "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
ALL FOR YOU
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
I never want it to appear as thought I worship the words or the life of my Memom. However, I do know that I could follow her footsteps all the way to Jesus and so when I sit to read her journal; there are days when the Lord uses her words to pierce my soul. Today, was one of those day.
Jan 7 echoes in my soul;
I always want to give you thanks EVERY morning for EVERY blessing you give me. Lord, I WANT to do YOUR WILL in ALL that I do. Help me to put FEET to my prayers.
She was in such pain and struggling so. She was discouraged and wanting answers-for at this point had not yet been diagnosed. And yet, her prayer was EVERY morning, EVERY blessing. Eph 1 reminds us that we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies. She understood this. And wanted to embrace the blessing of life-even suffering-doing HIS will in All. Certainly there were days that she asked for “this cup to pass” from her. For healing and deliverance. But in the end, she wanted His Will and she wanted that in ALL-even death. What a picture of Christ. And then as if knowing the difficulty that lied ahead….help me…to put feet to my heart. Her heart belonged to another. But she knew her flesh would be weak and she would need HIM to enable her to live out what her heart longed for.
I may not have cancer (today), but what an example of how to live and die for Christ. Do we long to live the will of God in all things-and then beg Him to help us to do it?
Perhaps our prayer today is much like hers…I want to do your Will in all things…help me put feet to my prayers.
Embrace the cross…
ALL FOR YOU
Monday, March 09, 2009
owned
“There’s a piece of tape on your back.” That is what the little girl said to me during TREEHOUSE yesterday morning. Apparently, sometime during the course of the morning, one of our youth thought to put a label on my back with a word on it. I had no idea he had done that, nor what it said. However, once TREEHOUSE was over, there was a little girl kind enough to enlighten me to the prank.
I had had a really tough week. Circumstances and people were sucking life out of me and I felt pulled in many directions and a failure at most of it. I was discouraged and hurt, tired and ready to just say enough. However, the Spiritual disciplines of my life had kicked in and I was pushing through-but only just doing the “deal”. I was a little better by Sunday, but had asked the Lord to make Himself evident in the course of the morning, to just speak and remind ME of what He had done and to affirm a journey that I had been on.
So, when I pulled the tape off my shirt, I had no idea it was God’s way of marking me for the day-that is until I read what it said.
OWNED.
I am sure the teenager was being funny, but in essence He was God’s hand on my back. In an instance, He reached down and marked me. I didn’t even know it. But as I sat on the edge of the stage looking at this label…the Lord whispered…in that beautiful way that He does. “you are mine. I have directed your steps. I have called you my own. No one else gets to determine your course.” The words to Isaiah 43 ran through my mind. You are precious, beloved, called, honored and I love you. I formed you. I made you and you were created for my glory. You are mine. Do not fear, I am with you. You are OWNED.
Then, I remembered the lesson the Lord had taught me months ago. He is my Kurios. My Lord, My master. The one to whom I belong. I am HIS beloved and He is mine. I am OWNED. I am not my own, but His. And those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, but He also pursues. He guides, speaks and doesn’t let wander, but instead instructs with His Spirit.
I hung my head and looked at what was meant to be a prank, but became God’s Word to me. I am OWNED. I belong to someone. And only the one to whom I belong gets to have me. And He will not lead me in a path that is wrong, but will lead me in paths of righteousness and truth.
I smiled and took that label and proudly put it back on the front of my shirt, unashamed of the fact that I am not my own, but OWNED by Him. And that HE determines every step.
In a world, where many others want to determine your steps, I can rest in the fact that I belong to HIM.
Isa 43:1 But now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel, "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine!
Doxa-zugos
ALL FOR YOU
I had had a really tough week. Circumstances and people were sucking life out of me and I felt pulled in many directions and a failure at most of it. I was discouraged and hurt, tired and ready to just say enough. However, the Spiritual disciplines of my life had kicked in and I was pushing through-but only just doing the “deal”. I was a little better by Sunday, but had asked the Lord to make Himself evident in the course of the morning, to just speak and remind ME of what He had done and to affirm a journey that I had been on.
So, when I pulled the tape off my shirt, I had no idea it was God’s way of marking me for the day-that is until I read what it said.
OWNED.
I am sure the teenager was being funny, but in essence He was God’s hand on my back. In an instance, He reached down and marked me. I didn’t even know it. But as I sat on the edge of the stage looking at this label…the Lord whispered…in that beautiful way that He does. “you are mine. I have directed your steps. I have called you my own. No one else gets to determine your course.” The words to Isaiah 43 ran through my mind. You are precious, beloved, called, honored and I love you. I formed you. I made you and you were created for my glory. You are mine. Do not fear, I am with you. You are OWNED.
Then, I remembered the lesson the Lord had taught me months ago. He is my Kurios. My Lord, My master. The one to whom I belong. I am HIS beloved and He is mine. I am OWNED. I am not my own, but His. And those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, but He also pursues. He guides, speaks and doesn’t let wander, but instead instructs with His Spirit.
I hung my head and looked at what was meant to be a prank, but became God’s Word to me. I am OWNED. I belong to someone. And only the one to whom I belong gets to have me. And He will not lead me in a path that is wrong, but will lead me in paths of righteousness and truth.
I smiled and took that label and proudly put it back on the front of my shirt, unashamed of the fact that I am not my own, but OWNED by Him. And that HE determines every step.
In a world, where many others want to determine your steps, I can rest in the fact that I belong to HIM.
Isa 43:1 But now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel, "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine!
Doxa-zugos
ALL FOR YOU
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