Unity March 15, 2010

How is unity to be attained when there are so many differences and disagreements between Christians?  We know that unity was of utmost importance to Jesus when he walked on this earth.  In his final prayer, he prayed that believers would be one just as he and the Father were one.  However, when we look around and see all the factions and splinters of believers, it sometimes feels hopeless.

What do you think about this?  In Ephesians 4…

^“11It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, ¹²to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up ¹³until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

¹⁴Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. ¹⁵Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. ¹⁶From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”

Read verse 12 & 13 again, “to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up ¹³until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

Could these works of service lead us to unity?

Look at verse 16, “From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”

Could these works of service be a tool that unifies the body and helps the body to grow and mature in unity?

What effect does it have on me when I hear of churches and their works of service?  Can I see beyond our differences and see the work of the kingdom?  Can I appreciate the love that is evident in their works of service?  What about individuals with whom I have differences?  When I hear or witness their works of service, do I grow in unity and love?

The whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (verse 16)…unity is part of the fullness of Christ.

Just a thought…

Contentment March 8, 2010

We hear it on the news almost daily.  Job losses.  No one is hiring.  Factories and schools are closing.

There are some question marks about the stability of my job.  Will there be enough funds for it to continue next year or will this be the end of the road for this position…

Contentment.  How can I be content with all of the questions and the unknowns?

Paul said the secret to contentment is (This is a test.)

a.  preparation.  Prepare for all of the possibilities.

b.  fun.  Just have as much fun as possible along the way.

c.  busyness.  Keep busy so there’s no time to think about it.

d.  I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.“  Philippians 4:12-13

Really?  That’s it?  I can handle any situation because of Jesus.  Everything!  I can do it.  He said it.  That’s the secret, the key, to contentment.  I can do everything through him who gives me the strength.  Nothing is exempt from everything.

It’s not the ability or foresight to plan.  It’s not the pleasure of lots of friends.  It’s not the luck of dodging life’s arrows.  It’s the promise that I can do everything through him who gives me strength.  He gives.  I receive.  Thank you, Father.

I can do everything because of the one who gives me strength.

Wow.

Skills and Abilities February 23, 2010

In Exodus 35, the men and women of Israel came together to work on the Tabernacle of the Lord.  Here are some excerpts:

“From what you have, take an offering for the Lord….Everyone who is willing is to bring to the Lord…All who are skilled among you are to come….everyone who was willing and whose heart moved him came and brought an offering to the Lord….Every skilled woman spun with her hands and brought what she had spun…..Then Moses said to the Israelites….and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts….And he has given…the ability to teach others.  He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as craftsmen, designers, embroiderers…weavers…all of them master craftsmen and designers.”

God commanded the people of Israel to build the tabernacle, decorate it, furnish it and then he supplied them with all the skill and ability that was needed.

He does the same for the new Israel.  He supplies us with everything we need to complete the tasks that he has set for us to do.

Praise God.

Completion February 4, 2010

“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:3-6

I was struck today by this part  “….that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”  Who will carry on this work to completion?  He will.  God will complete it.  God is faithful.  He will complete what I can not. I’m pretty good at starting things….start the laundry, start the dishes, start a friendship, start an exercise program, start a quilt, start a diet…completing things is not my forte.

God is faithful.  He will complete his work in me.

Praise God!

The One Who Sees Me April 1, 2009

Hagar

Who was the first person visited by an angel in the entire Bible?

(Nope.  Not in the garden.  It was a cherubim that was put at the entrance to the garden with a flaming sword.)

Hagar.  How ’bout that!  I would not have guessed her.  Hagar encountered the angel of the Lord before anyone else.  It had never happened before.

I have always thought of Hagar as a glitch in the beautiful love story of Abraham and Sara.  To me, she was an insignificant character in this monumental story.  To God, she mattered.  She had God’s attention.

Now, I can’t get her off my mind.

When Hagar discovered she was pregnant, she despised Sarai.  (Gen. 16:4)  In Gen. 15, we learn that Sarai mistreated Hagar terribly once Hagar became pregnant.   Some translations say that she was abusive.  The tension in that household was high.  Even though Sarai had given Hagar to Abram for the purpose of having a child, Sarai couldn’t stand the sight of her servant.  Hagar, whose name means “wanderer” or “flight” eventually runs away.  Wouldn’t you look for a way out?

Hagar, the Egyptian, possibly picked up from the household of Pharaoh during the time that Sarai was a member of his harem, heads for home.

So we find Hagar fleeing across the desert toward Egypt.  She is pregnant, alone, and running away from Sarai when God comes looking for her.  Gen. 16:7, “The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert…”  The angel of the Lord met Hagar by “a fountain of water in the wilderness” (KJV)

She has broken free from her slavery to Sarai, but God tells her to “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” (Gen. 16:9)  She would have most likely died in the desert.  She and her baby probably would not have survived the harsh surroundings.  God sends her back to safety.  He cares for her and for the seed of Abram.

God doesn’t leave it at that.  He has more to say to Hagar:

• I will increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count.
• You are now with child.
• You will have a son.
• You will call him Ishmael – which means “God hears”.
• He will be a wild donkey of a man.

Hagar has something for God in return.  She names God.  She named him.  “You are the God who sees me.”  Gen. 16:13

God saw Hagar in the fullness of the word:  looked at, recognized, called by name, understood, visited with, provided for.

“I have now seen the One who sees me.”  Gen. 16:13  (Makes me think of ‘Stands-With-Her-Fists’ from Dances with Wolves.)

“The name she gave the Lord became attached to the place where they met, a spot where both water and mercy flowed in abundance. ‘That is why the well is called Beer Lahai Roi.’  Genesis 16:14  Literally’ a well to the Living One Who sees me’.”  Liz Curtis Higgs in Slightly Bad Girls of the Bible

Hagar returned to Sarai with the full knowledge that the One who sees her is far greater than Abram and Sarai.

God saved Hagar because he loved her.  His love saw beyond gender, race, nationality, class, religion.  (Higgs)    He saved her in the desert.  God saw her alone and vulnerable and he saved her.

God saw her.  God sees you.  God is “One-Who-Sees-Me”.  This is the God we serve and honor.  He will find you in the desert.  He will save you.

What an awesome God!

My iPhone Bible March 26, 2009

My iPhone Bible.  Sounds irreverent.  It makes my husband cringe.  I grab my purse and my phone…(my Bible) and I’m ready for church.  Really?  Does my iPhone Bible count?

It has a daily reading to help me read through the Bible in one year.  I’ve always wanted to do that, but haven’t made it yet.  Could I do it now?  Will this make a difference?  I started late…mid March.

My phone has a back light, so when I wake up in the middle of the night or really early in the morning, I can read without turning on the light.

I can read stuck in line somewhere or waiting on my children.

I went on a trip and had my Bible with me.  The version I am using is an old version.  No one cares about the copy wright, I guess.  It was free online.  But I’ve read the NIV for so long and last year I read the NT in the Easy Reader Version.  Maybe I’m ready for the good old KJV.

I’m enjoying the poetic and antiquated language.

Have you ever read the Bible through in a year?  How did you do it?  Did you ever get way behind and have to read a ton to catch up?  Any advice?

Grounding Principles February 19, 2009

In Wednesday night class, we talked about princples by which we live.  What biblical principles do you return to again and again as you make your way through life being transformed by the renewing of your mind to become like Jesus?

I want to clarify that these are principles that ground me, but that I still struggle to incorporate fully.  In the words of Paul, “I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it, but one thing I do:  Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 4: 13-14

Here are some of mine:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”  Mt. 22:37

“Love your neighbor as yourself.”  Mt. 22:39

Be submissive to my husband.  I Pet. 3:5-6

Pray for wisdom.  James 1:5

Care for my family.  I Tim. 5:10

Do all to the glory of God.  I Cor. 10:31

Bear one another’s burdens. Gal. 6:2

Raise my children to know the Lord and his commands.  Deut. 6:4-8

Never be far from Psalms and Proverbs.

What about you?  What are your thoughts?  What principles have grounded you?