Well, summer time is a’comin’ and along with it comes wedding season, vacations, VBS, swim team and over all mayhem in the McBride household. In general this is a very nostalgic time of year for me because I love summer and all that it brings with it: tree frogs, long days, fresh cut grass and lots of ice cream. But, it also means that my time blogging is cut nearly in half! It is very hard to have so much to say and no time to say it! It’s like telling the birds to hush up for a few months! Needless to say, I am already missing you!
This year our church has four couples that have recently become engaged and are planning weddings all within two months of one another! If telepathy had been one of my spiritual gifts I would have taken out a “wedding” club account to save up for all of the presents I have to buy! As it is, however, I am so excited for each of them and I lurv being able to actually attend a wedding as a guest especially when I can be there with Kraig. There’s something so romantic about sitting close together, listening to wedding vows, reciting them in your own heart and committing to them all over again. The only difference is that this time you actually KNOW what you are promising! (It’s a good day when you can say that you would still do it again!) Even though marriage is hard at times there is such a sweet satisfaction in looking back over many years together and being able to say, “We made it, thank you Jesus and can I get a PRAISE THE LORD!” I love that about weddings! I also love the reception for two very important reasons: food and food! Oh, and I forgot cake and food! I will tell you that nothing excites me more than a good feast! If you know anything about me at all you will know that I am a self-professed foodie - and I am no respecter of food. Anything will do. I love everything from twinkies to the finest delicacies and everything in between.
Recently, I was thinking about food in the Bible. There are a myriad of references to food, feasts, banquets, suppers and the like. Even the Bible itself is set forth as the food for our spiritual nourishment. Jesus called Himself “The Bread of Life” and we are promised to spend eternity dwelling in a land of milk and honey! All of this got me thinking (and hungry) about how we feast on the banquet of God’s word and the different kinds of eating habits we tend to develop in regards to scripture. The rest of the post highlights these trends in hopes that we can all get the most out of our time spent at the banquet and feast wisely. Notice only one woman is eating well - is it you?
The first kind of eater is the “picky eater”. This is the woman who picks and chooses which passages appeal to her based on what her feelings are for that day. Mostly, she chooses passages that make her feel good about herself, affirm her choices and appeal to her tastes. She is quick to avoid those scriptures that might convict her of sinful patterns or encourage her to change her lifestyle. (All scripture is breathed out by God. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions. 2 Timothy 3:16a; 4:3-4).
The “over-eater” is next. This woman is fat on the word. She is the bible study queen with an arsenal of workbooks and a week full of studies, small groups, counseling sessions and mentoring meetings. She is always in need of more knowledge never taking the time to pass on what she has learned to others or serving out of her plenteous reserves. (For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women..always learning but never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. 2 Timothy 3:6-7).
The “leftover eater” is our next culprit. She is constantly going back to the last good meal that she had in God’s word. She is reheating and microwaving from the one mountain top experience she had at the ladies’ retreat or conference she attended a few months back. The food was so good that one time that she has refused to try anything new. (Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God. Hebrews 6:1)
The “skimpy eater”, otherwise known as the “dieter” is only eating enough to get by. Unfortunately, she hasn’t looked in the mirror lately or she would realize that she is slowly wasting away! She is a thin shell of what she used to be and now she is gaunt and just plain unhealthy. Her lack of nourishment has left her hungry and weak. (My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge. Hosea 4:6).
Last is the “nutritious eater”. This woman feasts on a well balanced diet of the whole counsel of God! She is daily balancing her time in the word making sure that she is full enough to serve but not gorging herself so that she has some to share with others. She is sure to look for new things in scripture, examining and spending time on passages or books she is unfamiliar with knowing that ALL of the word is God breathed and profitable for her. This woman is disciplined in her pursuit of wisdom and is eager to sharpen her knife. She will always be satisfied. She will always be healthy. She will always be strong! (How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Psalm 119:103).
I encourage you to really take the time to identify your eating habits when it comes to the word of God. This is the banquet that the Lord has left us to feast upon and gain nourishment until He comes again and we feast with Him at the marriage supper of the Lamb. Eat well ladies, eat well!
But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. Hebrews 5:14
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Going Camping!
Let me begin by saying a huge “Thank You!” to Ms. Melissa Young for inspiring this blog post and in her words, “Puttin’ feet on it!” I believe we have decided that we will be a Moses and Aaron pair - so you will probably have many posts in the future that are a combination of our two heads put together. It takes the two of us to make up ONE decent teacher!
So, if any of you know anything about me at all you know that I am not a camper and certainly not a happy one at that! Call me crazy but I enjoy those insane luxuries like indoor plumbing, electricity and a mattress! Not to mention the fact that there isn’t much peace of mind knowing that the only thing that separates me from the “lions and tigers and bears oh my” is a thin piece of nylon, uh, no thanks! Do you see the sweet picture of our family over to your right? Do you see the caption that graces that picture? It was a looong night! Our daughter was just learning to use the potty so the time lapse between “Mommy, I have to potty” and her bladder exploding was less than a nano-second. Translation: You don’t have time to get to the indoor bathroom on the other side of the camp ground! Foreknowledge as a parent is rare but in this case we planned for the unexpected and brought the port-a-potty. We made our own little outhouse right beside the tent for emergencies - which proved frequent at best!
Next, we failed to account for ALL of the downtime that camping brings so needless to say we were in the tent ready for bed and wide awake in the dark at 8:30p.m. We finally managed to fall asleep only to be awaken by the distinct sound of a Volkswagon bug, circa 1970, pulling in a few sites down. We assume this was probably 11p.m. or so but the people who drove in didn’t seem to mind a bit as they set up camp VERY enthusiastically, calling out to one another and banging around. Things finally died down about an hour later and we drifted off for another ten minutes or so when our daughter determined that she was cold and that my sleeping bag would be much warmer. After laying awake, drenched in sweat, wondering what was rustling around right outside our tent on the prowl for fresh humans I was more than anxious for the first trace of dawn. As soon as I could see the slightest glimpse of my hand in front of my face I roused the troops and began to cook breakfast. I don’t even think it was 5:30a.m. at this point but I was tired and feeling a little vindictive. I made sure that the “Bug” people were well aware that we could also do things enthusiastically. (Is there anything that zaps the Jesus right out of you like no sleep?) By 6:30a.m. breakfast was done, tent was packed and I had the peddle to the metal head back to civilization. Needless to say, it was the first AND it was the last camping trip for the McBride family.
All of that to bring you to question your own camping trip. When was the last time you went camping? Where did you pitch your tent? Did you make sure it was a safe place? For those of you who have never camped, although I highly recommend it at least once, what conditions would you look for in choosing a place to set up camp? Did you know that the Bible talks about camping? Yep, there are some camping stories in the word of God - and you thought the Bible was just about some really old people thousand of years ago wandering around in the desert.
As we begin let’s see how the word “tent” is used in scripture. First, the word tent is used to describe our bodies. In 2 Peter 1:13 our bodies are referred to as tents or temporary dwelling places. Our bodies house our souls but only as long as we are alive on this earth. Once we pass on our bodies die and are no longer of any use to us. So, it is a good analogy for us to be able to see how our bodies are tents. From here on out in this lesson when we talk about tents we will be talking about ourselves, our bodies.
Another word for tent in the Bible is the word “tabernacle” which also means “dwelling place”. Let’s take a moment for a brief history lesson here. When God, through Moses, led the Israelites out of Egypt he instructed them to build a “tabernacle” or special tent where His (God’s) presence could dwell among them. Are you starting to see the connection between tent, tabernacle and dwelling place? Okay, stay with me here. Once Jesus came He continued to talk about sending the Holy Spirit to believers once He ascended back to heaven so that they would always have the presence of God. However, for the believer, the Holy Spirit doesn’t dwell among us, He dwells within us! So, our bodies become His modern day tabernacle. That is why it says in 1 Corinithians 3:16-17; 6:19 that our bodies are the temple of God. Did you realize this? Did you know that when people say “God lives inside of us” it is true? What an amazing reality!
So, now that we have established our bodies as tents as well as God’s dwelling place we can get to the main point. Please read Psalm 91, for the sake of space I will not include it here. In verse one it states, “He who DWELLS in the shelter of the Most High, will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.” Then drop down to verses nine and ten, “Because you have made the Lord your DWELLING place—the Most High, who is my refuge - no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your TENT.”
There is so much we could learn in these few verses but let’s stick to our camping theme. God is inviting us here to dwell in His shelter. In other words, He invites us to pitch our tent in His shelter, in His shadow and then He tells us what happens when we do: “Because you have pitched your tent in His shelter, no evil or plague will come near your tent. Now, does that mean that you will never be tempted, that you will never have a trial or that you will never be sick again? No! However, it does promise us two things:
First, that we are safe from the evil one. We can know that no temptation or trial will come upon us except for those that are filtered through the hand of God and if that is the case then we can rest assured those trials and temptations are for our good! As it says is James 1:2 “Count it all joy my sisters when you fall into various trials KNOWING that the testing of your faith produces patience. And let patience have it’s perfect work that you may be complete lacking nothing!”
The second promise is not a guaranteed immunization from all sickness, but a promise to general safety and protection. It says in Proverbs 12:21, “No harm befalls the righteous, but the wicked are filled with trouble.” As we set up camp near the Lord we are placing our trust in Him for our safety and protection.
So, are you ready to go camping? Are you ready to move your tent from wherever you have been to higher ground? You see, God never moves so, if we have left His presence it is because we have moved! The pull of the world can be very strong in our lives and we have to be vigilant to make sure we stay in His presence by being in His word, becoming a part of a church where you can fellowship with other believers and always communing with Him in prayer. Today is a beautiful day! It’s a great day to go camping! Don’t hesitate, pack up your bags and let’s get a move on!
So, if any of you know anything about me at all you know that I am not a camper and certainly not a happy one at that! Call me crazy but I enjoy those insane luxuries like indoor plumbing, electricity and a mattress! Not to mention the fact that there isn’t much peace of mind knowing that the only thing that separates me from the “lions and tigers and bears oh my” is a thin piece of nylon, uh, no thanks! Do you see the sweet picture of our family over to your right? Do you see the caption that graces that picture? It was a looong night! Our daughter was just learning to use the potty so the time lapse between “Mommy, I have to potty” and her bladder exploding was less than a nano-second. Translation: You don’t have time to get to the indoor bathroom on the other side of the camp ground! Foreknowledge as a parent is rare but in this case we planned for the unexpected and brought the port-a-potty. We made our own little outhouse right beside the tent for emergencies - which proved frequent at best!
Next, we failed to account for ALL of the downtime that camping brings so needless to say we were in the tent ready for bed and wide awake in the dark at 8:30p.m. We finally managed to fall asleep only to be awaken by the distinct sound of a Volkswagon bug, circa 1970, pulling in a few sites down. We assume this was probably 11p.m. or so but the people who drove in didn’t seem to mind a bit as they set up camp VERY enthusiastically, calling out to one another and banging around. Things finally died down about an hour later and we drifted off for another ten minutes or so when our daughter determined that she was cold and that my sleeping bag would be much warmer. After laying awake, drenched in sweat, wondering what was rustling around right outside our tent on the prowl for fresh humans I was more than anxious for the first trace of dawn. As soon as I could see the slightest glimpse of my hand in front of my face I roused the troops and began to cook breakfast. I don’t even think it was 5:30a.m. at this point but I was tired and feeling a little vindictive. I made sure that the “Bug” people were well aware that we could also do things enthusiastically. (Is there anything that zaps the Jesus right out of you like no sleep?) By 6:30a.m. breakfast was done, tent was packed and I had the peddle to the metal head back to civilization. Needless to say, it was the first AND it was the last camping trip for the McBride family.
All of that to bring you to question your own camping trip. When was the last time you went camping? Where did you pitch your tent? Did you make sure it was a safe place? For those of you who have never camped, although I highly recommend it at least once, what conditions would you look for in choosing a place to set up camp? Did you know that the Bible talks about camping? Yep, there are some camping stories in the word of God - and you thought the Bible was just about some really old people thousand of years ago wandering around in the desert.
As we begin let’s see how the word “tent” is used in scripture. First, the word tent is used to describe our bodies. In 2 Peter 1:13 our bodies are referred to as tents or temporary dwelling places. Our bodies house our souls but only as long as we are alive on this earth. Once we pass on our bodies die and are no longer of any use to us. So, it is a good analogy for us to be able to see how our bodies are tents. From here on out in this lesson when we talk about tents we will be talking about ourselves, our bodies.
Another word for tent in the Bible is the word “tabernacle” which also means “dwelling place”. Let’s take a moment for a brief history lesson here. When God, through Moses, led the Israelites out of Egypt he instructed them to build a “tabernacle” or special tent where His (God’s) presence could dwell among them. Are you starting to see the connection between tent, tabernacle and dwelling place? Okay, stay with me here. Once Jesus came He continued to talk about sending the Holy Spirit to believers once He ascended back to heaven so that they would always have the presence of God. However, for the believer, the Holy Spirit doesn’t dwell among us, He dwells within us! So, our bodies become His modern day tabernacle. That is why it says in 1 Corinithians 3:16-17; 6:19 that our bodies are the temple of God. Did you realize this? Did you know that when people say “God lives inside of us” it is true? What an amazing reality!
So, now that we have established our bodies as tents as well as God’s dwelling place we can get to the main point. Please read Psalm 91, for the sake of space I will not include it here. In verse one it states, “He who DWELLS in the shelter of the Most High, will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.” Then drop down to verses nine and ten, “Because you have made the Lord your DWELLING place—the Most High, who is my refuge - no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your TENT.”
There is so much we could learn in these few verses but let’s stick to our camping theme. God is inviting us here to dwell in His shelter. In other words, He invites us to pitch our tent in His shelter, in His shadow and then He tells us what happens when we do: “Because you have pitched your tent in His shelter, no evil or plague will come near your tent. Now, does that mean that you will never be tempted, that you will never have a trial or that you will never be sick again? No! However, it does promise us two things:
First, that we are safe from the evil one. We can know that no temptation or trial will come upon us except for those that are filtered through the hand of God and if that is the case then we can rest assured those trials and temptations are for our good! As it says is James 1:2 “Count it all joy my sisters when you fall into various trials KNOWING that the testing of your faith produces patience. And let patience have it’s perfect work that you may be complete lacking nothing!”
The second promise is not a guaranteed immunization from all sickness, but a promise to general safety and protection. It says in Proverbs 12:21, “No harm befalls the righteous, but the wicked are filled with trouble.” As we set up camp near the Lord we are placing our trust in Him for our safety and protection.
So, are you ready to go camping? Are you ready to move your tent from wherever you have been to higher ground? You see, God never moves so, if we have left His presence it is because we have moved! The pull of the world can be very strong in our lives and we have to be vigilant to make sure we stay in His presence by being in His word, becoming a part of a church where you can fellowship with other believers and always communing with Him in prayer. Today is a beautiful day! It’s a great day to go camping! Don’t hesitate, pack up your bags and let’s get a move on!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Lessons from a Trumpet
I have been up for three hours already this morning stuck on one passage of scripture out of Numbers 10. I take it as a personal challenge to find relevance in books like Leviticus and Numbers. Mostly, because people are scared away by the mention of these books and I for one want to change that. Plus, I know that “ALL scripture is profitable for reproof, correction, instruction and training in righteousness” so I will hang on until I grasp it! (Sometimes it is a lot harder than others - case in point: genealogies). Anyway, I am constantly asking “Why?” all the time. Good thing that the Lord never tires of our questions because I am like the woman in the parable of the righteous judge - I can definitely “black the eye” over the number of questions I continually ask! I guess I am just not satisfied with the surface of anything, which definitely acts as a source of frustration on my part and no doubt on the part of the people around me! My parents are still not over it! You can only imagine how difficult it is to not always have answers from the Lord. He sanctifies me year after year in learning to trust even when I can’t connect all the dots. It is at these times I have to lean on His sovereignty and believe in faith that He is faithful!
So, this morning in Numbers 10:1-10 I was reading about the institution of trumpets in the nation of Israel. Seems pretty straightforward at first glance but I was drawn into the four particular events that called for the “blowing of the trumpet.” I was interested to see how and when we hear the trumpet in our own lives. First, why a trumpet of all things? Why not a harp or something more pleasant to the ear? This reminded me that in fourth grade my son had to pick an instrument for band. He was, as any fourth grade boy, drawn to the instrument that would make the most noise and quickly drive his mother to think unwholesome words! In this case that would have been the trumpet! We quickly had a meeting of the minds and he was persuaded in the more useful benefits of the violin. (I will say as a side note, that there simply isn’t a single instrument out there that doesn't sound like nails on a chalkboard that first year!) So, needless to say, the trumpet tends to have a distinct, bright sound that can bring one to attention, or tears, very quickly! The harp kind of gives the impression that maybe you can take your own sweet time getting to the matter but the trumpet can definitely tweak the ears!! On that observation, I assume this is why the trumpet and not the harp or some other more soothing instrument.
The trumpet was used in four situations. First, to summon the people, get their attention or call them to gather together. The second, to set them out to march, in other words, “MOVE!” The third instance, as an alarm in battle to “remind God to secure the victory for them.” Last, during days of gladness, feasts, the first of the month and over certain offerings. Okay, stick with me, don’t lose it before the blessing...How does this relate to us? We don’t readily hear or blow literal trumpets these days. But! God uses scripture, people and circumstances to sound trumpets in our lives. What’s the application? Let’s briefly look at each situation one by one.
The first instance was to summon the people. In Israel the only people who could blow the trumpets were the priests. Today, that can apply to us as believers since the Bible tells us we are a kingdom of priests (1 Peter 2:5,9). We can “blow our trumpets” to summon people but to what? Well, let me pose this question: “As a believer what is the one thing you would want to summon people to?” The answer is two-fold. We want to summon people to their sin (Is. 58:1) and then summon them to Christ (Is. 27:13). This is our purpose in all that we do as believers so it is appropriate that this is first. God also uses His word to summon us, to warn us, to get our attention. We are to heed the sound of His word.
Second, the trumpet blows to set us on the move! There are times when we need to get on with what the Lord has called us to do (Jer. 6:16-17). We can make many excuses, procrastinate til the cows come home or until the Lord comes back but that doesn’t bring the Lord glory! The Lord can use the trumpet of scripture or the trumpet of circumstance to jolt us into action and call us to attention. When He does, let’s get going!
Third, the trumpet sounds to “remind God to secure our victory.” In truth God doesn’t need a reminder to secure the victory for us but we do! This is more about reminding us that we serve a God who has gone before us and who continues before us! This reminds us to fight mightily against sin and the things that so easily entangle. Can you think of the most recognized story concerning trumpets in the Bible (Joshua 6)? Does seven times ring a bell? Do you think the Israelites felt totally ridiculous marching around the walls of Jericho and blowing horns the first six days? No doubt but I guarantee they didn’t feel stupid standing among the rubble on day seven! God had secured the victory before the first trumpet even blew on day one - it just took until day seven to see the fullness of the plan. Even though our eternal victory is already secured in Christ, often times we lose the daily victory because we don’t wait for it by persevering through the difficult thing. Perseverance is always about enduring patience. Wait for it, thought it tarry, it will come. Maybe not now and maybe not here on earth but it will come, rest assured!
Fourthly, the trumpet blows to signify joy and delight in our service. I like to think of this as our heart attitude before the Lord as we carry out all that He has given us to do in life (Ps. 19:14). Admittedly, there are times when my trumpet is totally out of tune and doesn’t sound like joy or delight! It is then that the Lord reminds me that I need to “tune my heart to sing His grace!”
We are divine trumpet blowers. We sound the call through our lives as we choose joy and call others to the Lord. We are affected by the sound of the trumpet from others as well. The Lord strategically places people in our lives to move us, to remind us of His victory and to summon us to do the right thing. Mostly, He does this through His word. We are commanded to test all things by scripture so that we are not easily led astray by a trumpet that isn’t following the Composer.
I think it is appropriate to end with thoughts toward the final trumpet sound. The one that will summon us, call us to move, make our victory final and give us greatest delight. It says this in 1 Corinthians 15:52, “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the LAST trumpet; for the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed!” Hallelujah!
Today, let’s examine our lives and the trumpets we are sounding. Let’s be diligent to summon people to Christ, let’s get on with the thing that God has called us to do, namely glorifying Him in everything being reminded that He secures our victory through Jesus Christ which brings us unspeakable joy in the song of our hearts!
So, this morning in Numbers 10:1-10 I was reading about the institution of trumpets in the nation of Israel. Seems pretty straightforward at first glance but I was drawn into the four particular events that called for the “blowing of the trumpet.” I was interested to see how and when we hear the trumpet in our own lives. First, why a trumpet of all things? Why not a harp or something more pleasant to the ear? This reminded me that in fourth grade my son had to pick an instrument for band. He was, as any fourth grade boy, drawn to the instrument that would make the most noise and quickly drive his mother to think unwholesome words! In this case that would have been the trumpet! We quickly had a meeting of the minds and he was persuaded in the more useful benefits of the violin. (I will say as a side note, that there simply isn’t a single instrument out there that doesn't sound like nails on a chalkboard that first year!) So, needless to say, the trumpet tends to have a distinct, bright sound that can bring one to attention, or tears, very quickly! The harp kind of gives the impression that maybe you can take your own sweet time getting to the matter but the trumpet can definitely tweak the ears!! On that observation, I assume this is why the trumpet and not the harp or some other more soothing instrument.
The trumpet was used in four situations. First, to summon the people, get their attention or call them to gather together. The second, to set them out to march, in other words, “MOVE!” The third instance, as an alarm in battle to “remind God to secure the victory for them.” Last, during days of gladness, feasts, the first of the month and over certain offerings. Okay, stick with me, don’t lose it before the blessing...How does this relate to us? We don’t readily hear or blow literal trumpets these days. But! God uses scripture, people and circumstances to sound trumpets in our lives. What’s the application? Let’s briefly look at each situation one by one.
The first instance was to summon the people. In Israel the only people who could blow the trumpets were the priests. Today, that can apply to us as believers since the Bible tells us we are a kingdom of priests (1 Peter 2:5,9). We can “blow our trumpets” to summon people but to what? Well, let me pose this question: “As a believer what is the one thing you would want to summon people to?” The answer is two-fold. We want to summon people to their sin (Is. 58:1) and then summon them to Christ (Is. 27:13). This is our purpose in all that we do as believers so it is appropriate that this is first. God also uses His word to summon us, to warn us, to get our attention. We are to heed the sound of His word.
Second, the trumpet blows to set us on the move! There are times when we need to get on with what the Lord has called us to do (Jer. 6:16-17). We can make many excuses, procrastinate til the cows come home or until the Lord comes back but that doesn’t bring the Lord glory! The Lord can use the trumpet of scripture or the trumpet of circumstance to jolt us into action and call us to attention. When He does, let’s get going!
Third, the trumpet sounds to “remind God to secure our victory.” In truth God doesn’t need a reminder to secure the victory for us but we do! This is more about reminding us that we serve a God who has gone before us and who continues before us! This reminds us to fight mightily against sin and the things that so easily entangle. Can you think of the most recognized story concerning trumpets in the Bible (Joshua 6)? Does seven times ring a bell? Do you think the Israelites felt totally ridiculous marching around the walls of Jericho and blowing horns the first six days? No doubt but I guarantee they didn’t feel stupid standing among the rubble on day seven! God had secured the victory before the first trumpet even blew on day one - it just took until day seven to see the fullness of the plan. Even though our eternal victory is already secured in Christ, often times we lose the daily victory because we don’t wait for it by persevering through the difficult thing. Perseverance is always about enduring patience. Wait for it, thought it tarry, it will come. Maybe not now and maybe not here on earth but it will come, rest assured!
Fourthly, the trumpet blows to signify joy and delight in our service. I like to think of this as our heart attitude before the Lord as we carry out all that He has given us to do in life (Ps. 19:14). Admittedly, there are times when my trumpet is totally out of tune and doesn’t sound like joy or delight! It is then that the Lord reminds me that I need to “tune my heart to sing His grace!”
We are divine trumpet blowers. We sound the call through our lives as we choose joy and call others to the Lord. We are affected by the sound of the trumpet from others as well. The Lord strategically places people in our lives to move us, to remind us of His victory and to summon us to do the right thing. Mostly, He does this through His word. We are commanded to test all things by scripture so that we are not easily led astray by a trumpet that isn’t following the Composer.
I think it is appropriate to end with thoughts toward the final trumpet sound. The one that will summon us, call us to move, make our victory final and give us greatest delight. It says this in 1 Corinthians 15:52, “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the LAST trumpet; for the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed!” Hallelujah!
Today, let’s examine our lives and the trumpets we are sounding. Let’s be diligent to summon people to Christ, let’s get on with the thing that God has called us to do, namely glorifying Him in everything being reminded that He secures our victory through Jesus Christ which brings us unspeakable joy in the song of our hearts!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
And She Shall Be Called...Quiet???
Things have been quiet for way too long but I figured after a whole week on the tongue and guarding our mouths that maybe that was appropriate. I will say that I have been increasingly aware of what, when and how I say things however, our adversary, who is good at what he does, has somehow used this to catapult me into not wanting to say anything at all! It has almost crossed the line, okay, it has crossed the line, into fear. I was reminded today that God does not give us a Spirit of fear...He gives us a powerful, Holy Spirit that guides and controls our tongues when we submit to His authority!
Is there a lesson coming?? Why, I’m glad you asked, of course there is! The lesson to be learned in all of this is two-fold: First, Satan can take anything we are attempting to do for the glory of God and distort it if we let him. As humans we just don’t know the appropriate balance between lethargy and obsession...this would be called moderation. Ah, I am the queen of extremes!! I am all or nothing, hot or cold, hit or miss - no in between! This has served me well in some capacities but not well in others. I can get a task done, now - I won’t even kid you on that, detailed down to the minutia of it all! BUT! As far as addictions in my life, and mind you, addictions don’t have to be drugs and alcohol, we can make ANYTHING an addiction (aka idolatry). As far as addictions in my life I HAVE an addictive personality! I can go completely overboard with anything if given the chance! Exercise, food (yes, I do one so that I can do the other), bible study, parenting, being a “helper” to my husband (ladies you know what I’m talkin’ about), student, gardener etc; etc; etc; So, I have to constantly realign myself with scripture, reign myself in...look at Jesus! He is the perfect balance between grace and truth, He is moderation! He was passionate with patience. (Ummm, if I learn this one my sanctification will be complete). He was and still is correction with compassion. He is loving and discerning at the same time. This is what I long to be! I pray for it daily, indeed hourly at times, to be the balance of grace and truth that brings Him glory!
Which leads me to the next point, although it has tarried for a bit: The second thing that needs to be learned out of this “fearful oppression” is that sin will never leave us in this life! We will never be perfect! We will never be able to say all things with grace and compassion. We will never be able to say everything at the right time in the right way. We will never attain perfection as long as we are on this earth. It says in James that “she who is able to bridle the tongue is perfect.” Well, that ain’t me! And, never will be! That doesn’t mean that “I sin so that grace may abound”. That means that I give myself grace, not too much, but enough to see that perfection isn’t attainable. Then, I glory in confession and repentance which draws me back to the gospel again and again! If I reached perfection in any aspect of my life then Jesus died in vain! If I am able to reach the pinnacle of sinlessness on my own then I would do it and never look to the cross. The truth is ...I can’t, so I continue to fall on the mercy of the Lord to cleanse me, convict me, pick me up, dust me off and encourage me to keep going because He is faithful to complete the good work which He started in me!
I have to remember that sin persists and grace abounds. Let me say that again, sin persists and grace abounds! I hate my sin because it sent Jesus to the cross but I love the grace that the cross brings! How I cling to that grace! Grace that drives me to repentance. Grace that grants me forgiveness. Grace that is greater than all my sin!
“Marvelous grace of our loving Lord, grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!
Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured! There where the blood of the lamb was spilt!
Grace, grace, God’s grace! Grace that will pardon and cleanse within!
Grace, grace God’s grace! Grace that is greater than ALL my sin!”
Is there a lesson coming?? Why, I’m glad you asked, of course there is! The lesson to be learned in all of this is two-fold: First, Satan can take anything we are attempting to do for the glory of God and distort it if we let him. As humans we just don’t know the appropriate balance between lethargy and obsession...this would be called moderation. Ah, I am the queen of extremes!! I am all or nothing, hot or cold, hit or miss - no in between! This has served me well in some capacities but not well in others. I can get a task done, now - I won’t even kid you on that, detailed down to the minutia of it all! BUT! As far as addictions in my life, and mind you, addictions don’t have to be drugs and alcohol, we can make ANYTHING an addiction (aka idolatry). As far as addictions in my life I HAVE an addictive personality! I can go completely overboard with anything if given the chance! Exercise, food (yes, I do one so that I can do the other), bible study, parenting, being a “helper” to my husband (ladies you know what I’m talkin’ about), student, gardener etc; etc; etc; So, I have to constantly realign myself with scripture, reign myself in...look at Jesus! He is the perfect balance between grace and truth, He is moderation! He was passionate with patience. (Ummm, if I learn this one my sanctification will be complete). He was and still is correction with compassion. He is loving and discerning at the same time. This is what I long to be! I pray for it daily, indeed hourly at times, to be the balance of grace and truth that brings Him glory!
Which leads me to the next point, although it has tarried for a bit: The second thing that needs to be learned out of this “fearful oppression” is that sin will never leave us in this life! We will never be perfect! We will never be able to say all things with grace and compassion. We will never be able to say everything at the right time in the right way. We will never attain perfection as long as we are on this earth. It says in James that “she who is able to bridle the tongue is perfect.” Well, that ain’t me! And, never will be! That doesn’t mean that “I sin so that grace may abound”. That means that I give myself grace, not too much, but enough to see that perfection isn’t attainable. Then, I glory in confession and repentance which draws me back to the gospel again and again! If I reached perfection in any aspect of my life then Jesus died in vain! If I am able to reach the pinnacle of sinlessness on my own then I would do it and never look to the cross. The truth is ...I can’t, so I continue to fall on the mercy of the Lord to cleanse me, convict me, pick me up, dust me off and encourage me to keep going because He is faithful to complete the good work which He started in me!
I have to remember that sin persists and grace abounds. Let me say that again, sin persists and grace abounds! I hate my sin because it sent Jesus to the cross but I love the grace that the cross brings! How I cling to that grace! Grace that drives me to repentance. Grace that grants me forgiveness. Grace that is greater than all my sin!
“Marvelous grace of our loving Lord, grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!
Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured! There where the blood of the lamb was spilt!
Grace, grace, God’s grace! Grace that will pardon and cleanse within!
Grace, grace God’s grace! Grace that is greater than ALL my sin!”
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