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…

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!

Family January 14, 2010

“I would get a lot more out of _______ Church tonight, Dad.”

“Maybe so, son, but we don’t only go to church to ‘get something out of it.’  There are many more reasons.”

“Like what?”

“I’ll tell you on the way to church.”

….on the way to church….

“What are those other reasons, Dad?”

“Church is family.  We’ve made a commitment to those people.  What if I look around and see a child that always says ‘yes, sir’ and ‘no, sir’ and mows the lawn without being asked and loves to wash the car?  I might get a lot more out of that child.  Maybe I’ll trade children…  I’ve made a commitment to my family.  We always stick together.  We are there for each other.  We depend on each other and encourage each other.  My family  needs me.  My family counts on me.  We stay together, warts and all.  Church is family.  I don’t attend just because I get something out of it.  I attend because they are my family.”

–Paraphrased from a ride to church last week–

Golden Bowls December 26, 2009

Where do prayers go?  Do they just float upwards?  Does God hear them and then move on?

Revelation 5:8 says, “And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.”

Golden bowls….my prayers, our prayers are incense in golden bowls.

Prayers are precious.  Prayers for those who are hurting.  Prayers for the lost.  Prayers for wisdom and strength.  Our prayers are in golden bowls.

Thank you, Father.

My God October 15, 2009

What does it take for the creator of the universe to become My God?

When I was growing up, I remember people talking to large groups of us, and sharing their journey of faith, usually with horrible tales of drugs and sex.  They generally concluded with the sentiment that after all of that, they realized that God was the only one who could save them, turned to him, and were completely committed to his kingdom.  These were beautiful accounts of God reaching down and meeting people where they are and bringing them out of the muck and mire.

What about me?  How would Jehovah, the Almighty One, become My God?  I wondered if I would just wait around and slip into the pit, then I would have a story to tell.  Then I could legitimize my faith.  Then I could prove to people that he was My God. Where is my story of shock and awe?  Would I ever have a faith that had merit?  A faith worth sharing?

Do you remember the movie, Ghost?  When someone died, they either were pulled down into the earth by a black cloud or lifted into the air by the light.  It was pretty easy to tell what would happen to each person before they died depending on whether or not you liked their character.  If you liked them, they went to the light, if you didn’t, they went to the dark.

That’s not how it works…We all deserve the black cloud.  No one can be saved except by the blood of Jesus.  I am a mess of sin without his saving blood, his saving grace.

In Genesis 28, Jacob has a dream of a stairway to heaven.  Angels are ascending and descending from heaven.  God is at the top.  God tells Jacob that he will bless him, make his descendants numerous, and be with him wherever he goes.  When he awakens, Jacob says, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear ²¹ so that I return safely to my father’s house, then the LORD will be my God.

I haven’t had a vision, or a specific blessing about my offspring, but everything I have, from the clothes I wear to the food I eat to the house in which I live, comes from God.  I have been given this promise,

“So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³²For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”  Matthew 6:31-32

and

“Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you.”^{[a] 6}So we say with confidence,
“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?” Heb. 13:5-6

Jacob announced that the God that had been Abraham’s God and Isaac’s God, was now his God.  Jacob would depend on God for everything he needed – safety, shelter, food, clothes.

My God supplies my every need.  He is my God.  He will never leave me or forsake me.  All that I have is his and comes from his outstretched hand.

He is my God.

Precious Rest August 20, 2009

Fear of dying.  It colors so much of my life.  I don’t want to die. That’s why I go to the doctor, I buckle my seat belt, I eat my vegetables, I exercise.  If I follow all the directions and rules, I just might live and live and live and….

It’s that eternity that God has placed in our hearts.  We can’t shake that desire to live forever.
“He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; …”  Ecc. 3:11

So…this desire to live and never die comes from God.  Life is good.  But I believe it is godly to be bold in the face of death.  It is godly to not fear death.  God has promised…..

^“and whoever lives and believes in me will never die…..”  John 11:26

I’m always a bit taken aback by how God addresses the death of the saints.  I have to look again.

“Precious in the sight of the LORD
is the death of his saints.”  Psalm 116:15

“Then David rested with his fathers and was buried in the City of David.”  I Kings 2:10

The death of his saints is precious rest.  I have a long way to go to adopt that view.  He will change me.  He will prepare me.  “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.”  2 Peter 1:3.  He is a gracious God.  He will also give me everything I need for death.  He is my God.

He’s Working for My Good July 31, 2009

I fret and fuss and get stressed out.  However, I know that he is working in all things for my good.  I have been called according to his purpose.  He foreknew me, he predestined me to become like his son.  He has justified me and will also glorify me.  (from Romans 8:28-30)

May I bring honor and glory to his name as I work for him.  “…nothing can separate me from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.”  (Romans 8:39)

Why do I fret and fuss?  It makes no sense to be saved so completely and cared for so powerfully and yet, worry about tomorrow.  May God forgive my lack of faith.  I pray that he will strengthen me in his might.

What an awesome God we serve.

You May Have to Wait July 27, 2009

Do you ever feel like God is not answering your prayers or worse, not even listening? I can remember as a girl asking my dad if I could go somewhere with my friends and waiting for an answer. And waiting. And waiting. My friends would poke me and try to get me to hurry him along. I knew better. I would motion for them to wait. And wait. He was thinking and would not be rushed. I would get my answer, when my dad was ready for me to have it.

I came across this verse the other day during my daily reading:

³⁷ “So Saul asked God, “Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will you give them into Israel’s hand?” But God did not answer him that day.” 1 Samuel 14:37

God doesn’t work on our timetable. But he never has. He will answer when he is ready.

A Hero Who Hears April 16, 2009

“God heard the boy crying…”  Genesis 21:17

God hears us when we cry.  God cares about our fears and concerns.  Ishmael had just been sent away by his father and was wandering in the desert with his mother.  Hagar left him under some brush because the Bible says, “she thought, ‘I cannot watch the boy die.’” Genisis 21:16.

The angel of the Lord visited Hagar again in the desert and asked her, “What is the matter, Hagar?”

Then before she could respond, he told her, “Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there.”

The care and protection that God gave this Egyptian woman and her rejected son shows us a glimpse into the astounding love that God has for all those he has created.  Whether rejected and misplaced, forgotten and alone, God is the one who sees us, the one who hears us.

In what ways have you experienced God as the One Who Sees Me or the One Who Hears Me?