 “In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” These are the same questions you and I face today: What is truth? What have we done with Jesus, the “King of the Jews?” What will we do with Jesus, the Son of God? Objective truth is necessary for life Objective truth is the idea that there are self-evident truths that are not dependent upon our knowledge, opinion or agreement with them. Without us, they continue to exist. Subjective truth, by comparison, is that which relies solely on an individual person, and relates individually to that person's perspective or opinion of the objective reality which he or she experiences. The scientific laws of nature give us many concrete examples of objective truth: according to the second law of thermodynamics, all things tend to decay and disorder. Whether we like it or not, our vehicles will break down, our homes have already begun the rotting process, and our bodies begin to feel the advance of breakdown from the moment we are conceived. All of these processes take place without our consent, and even without our knowledge. The laws of nature are completely unconcerned with our agreement or belief in them. Whether we are aware of the truth of these objective statements has no bearing on its objective validity. The only necessity we have left is to find these truths and prepare for them properly so as to mitigate damages or reap benefits from them. We even find objective laws at work within societal structures. For instance, without his agreement on the validity of a rule, my son will still lose access to the new airsoft gun he may have purchased if he should choose to load it and test it out in our vehicle while I am driving, since I am the author of the ethics in my vehicle and in my home. He doesn't own the car, therefore, he doesn't get to make the rules about the car. On the other hand, in such an instance as this my son's belief or perspective about the new reality in which he finds himself (gunless) is very much a subjective truth, that which is purely opinion and perspective. He feels that the result is unfortunate. To the rest of the world, however, our general agreement in opinion about the result is very much a fortunate one. Reality is not a human construction, though our perception of reality may, in fact, be. Without objective truth, each person’s personal “reality” becomes unanchored to any other grounded object. Our “realities” begin to float in space, with no focal point and no real reference point. As a result, each person feels that they may then reign in their own heart as absolute creator, judge and king, each a mini-god in their own constructed "reality." Wherever these ideas, self-proposed truths and morality clash with another’s ideas, truths, and moralities, it is only left to either person to try to make others submit to one's own constructed reality or individualized meaning. Failing this, we find that we must maintain our distance from one another in communication, relationship and even distance in order to maintain peace in our spheres. Without an arbiter outside of our individual realities, there is no way to maintain intimate relationships without a constant conflict of personal interests. Finally, when practiced in the extreme as we have seen in history, ethics and morality denigrate to become subject to the idea of the “survival of the fittest,” or the mob rule. Either democracy, the idea of the majority vote, or despotism, that of the most powerful forcefully ruling, becomes the judge of ethical morality, and that morality can subsequently change with the feelings or personal interests of a changing and relativistic people. Consequently, those in the minority at any given time simply no longer have a voice, a right, or a cause. Instead, whoever is weaker, whether physically, intellectually, or culturally, then become the victims of whoever has more power at the moment. Our human need for objective truth, therefore, is intrinsic to our survival and well-being both personally and societally, and it is left then to find how we may make a determination as to who really does have an objective and transcendent standard for life. Humans have no inherent ability to set their own standardCan we be our own judges? Can everyone just follow their own conscience? Is there any person or group of people fit to make objective moral determinations or truth? Years ago, I engaged in a series of small debates with one of my youngest. This sweet young lady emphatically declared to me that she was “the boss.” I calmly explained to her that no, she wasn’t: Mommy was. Whatever it was that she was protesting at that moment, whether it was her chores, her salad, or her consequence for picking on her little brother, she desperately wanted autonomy from an outside source of truth, justice and accountability. To her, true freedom meant the ability to do anything she wanted without repercussions. After a series of these conversations, she decided on a new tactic: Mommy would be “big boss,” but she would be “little boss”--over her other siblings. At least that way she could have control and power over them. Knowing her agenda for this, it was not likely that I would be placing her in charge of anyone anytime soon. Now, since that time she has matured and there have been times when I have sensed an unselfish desire to serve others and have been able to delegate responsibilities to her in order for her to be “in charge” of others for their benefit, with a careful eye to make sure that she used that power correctly. In each of us, we have that that temptation. Perhaps you are familiar with the proverb, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power tends to corrupt absolutely.” Without outside accountability of some kind, this is certainly true (Luke 12:45). Because we are born with an intrinsic, inherited selfishness and propensity to sin, we need outside accountability to make sure that our behavior is truly loving. The Bible teaches us that “the heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure,” and that no one can truly understand their inner hidden motivations and intents, except the Lord who searches and examines our hearts and gives to each of us according to our conduct (Jeremiah 17:9-10). In Paul’s letter to the Romans in chapter 3, Paul argues that it is only God who may ultimately judge*, because it is only God who has the capacity to be true and righteous at all times and in all ways: "Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge” (Rom. 3:4). While Paul is arguing here about the deplorable inefficacy of the Jewish Law to produce the righteous living that God requires from us in order to have a right or justified relationship with Him, he takes the opportunity to share the good news of the gospel to those then under the conviction of their inadequacy; the good news of a righteousness that comes as a free gift, independent of our striving to please a holy God: This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. Romans 3:22-26 Only God can set an objective standard for His creationBecause only He is holy, only He is qualified to judge our wrongdoing. Unlike us, there are no impure or ulterior motives (1 John 1:5) that God has ever or will ever have for giving us guidelines to live by. As Creator of all, He has no need to manipulate or coerce to gain or maintain power. Rather, God is holy in His entirety (1 Peter 1:16-17) from His actions to His inner motivations and therefore has the ability to call us to His standard: But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear" (1 Peter 1:16-17). Because only He knows all things, only He is able to judge all things. While humans so characteristically misunderstand one another, fail to see the inner motivations or even fail to witness all that happens and so find themselves consistently making poor judgments on one another's guilt or innocence, the Word of God teaches us that God, the Creator, is eternal (John 5:24), and as such he knows both the “end from the beginning,” (Isaiah 46:10) and the secrets of each person’s heart (Psalm 44:21, Acts 15:8, Psalm 69:5, Proverbs 15:11). In Psalm 139 we see not only the vastness of the knowledge of our Creator, but also the depth of His profound love for His creation and people, His image-bearers. The Psalmist declares that not only does God intimately know us, but that he knows our every thought, our physical location at all moments, and every word we will speak before we have even let it out of our mouths. Even in the womb, the writer asserts, God created us and watched over us carefully as each one of our parts was put together and, even more incredibly, knows every day of our lives from before we were formed. Because only He is all goodness and love, only He has all of humanity's good purposed in His objective standard. For these attributes I am incredibly grateful! Imagine an all-powerful, all-knowing God who wasn’t good or loving, and our desire to hastily maneuver Him into a brightly-polished genie’s lamp becomes paramount. Instead of an evil or arbitrary power though, we see evidences of His love and goodness in creation’s warm spring breezes, beautiful flowers, lovely scents and fantastically indulgent foods from around the world. We see natural processes built into creation that allow it to recover, regenerate, and reproduce. We find miracles in our everyday lives, rescuing us from what could and often should be our fate if left to chance. It is no wonder to me that the Psalmists announces, “Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him! (Psalm 34:8)" At other times, the crime, sin, poverty and suffering that exist in our fallen world seem to contradict the nature of goodness and love that God reveals about Himself in creation. And that is where we look to the cross and the unfathomable sacrifice of the deepest love that no man can ever fully comprehend: “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:6-8 |
 | If what you are facing in your life seems like a wasteland---wasted choices, wasted relationships, wasted finances, wasted health, wasted time--- |
“Behold! I am making all things NEW!”
Rev. 21:5
Simon stood up carefully, pressing his hands into his lower back. He could feel every muscle, tight and cramping, sore from the long night of bending and pulling. Squatting again by the lapping shore-water, he reached down to pick up the fishing net, scrubbing and picking at the lengths of intertwined vegetation.
At least the others shared in the tasks, their joint vessels standing empty by the lake shore of Gennesaret. Lake fishing wasn't a one man job, it took a team of people to manage the boat, pull the nets, and clean up after the night.
This morning was unusual—not in the lack of a catch, that happened often enough, but in the crowd of people watching and thronging around. Several times he found himself motioning small children away from playing with the nets, tangling and tugging on them, making it harder to finish the chore. He wanted to get the job finished and to go home to rest.
A large shadow fell across his hands in the early morning sunlight, and Simon looked up to see a man, simple and plain, gazing down at him. Even as he did, the people swarmed closer and closer, trampling the nets and pressing into him, pushing and asking questions.
Simon looked at the growing multitude, and at his boat. Making a quick assessment of the situation, he got up, motioned to the man to climb in, and they set out a little from the shore. If they couldn't finish their job on land, he may as well wait until the crowd dispersed.
Instead, the man began to teach the crowd, his voice carrying clearly over the water, the people quieting and sitting along the shore. When he was finished, he turned to Simon and said, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”
Simon looked at Jesus, his thoughts in a turmoil. He was tired, and Jesus didn't know fishing. He was a master, a rabbi, a teacher of the Law. And they'd already tried-- it just wasn't a good time for fishing. And deep water? That wasn't where they fished. Their small boats weren't made well for deep sea fishing.
But in that moment, he made a decision. If only to show Jesus that it was pointless, they would go out again. “Master, we have worked hard all night and caught nothing; but because you say so, I will let down the net.”
Simon motioned to the others, whose faces mirrored his own frustration and weary defeat. They picked up the oars and set out into the deep water, the waves increasingly swelling and splashing up over the sides. A little water in the boats would be fine, Simon knew. Too much and they would capsize.
Simon and his partners picked up the large net and lowered it down into the water. Within moments the weight of the net increased and it became more and more difficult to hold on. Simon leaned over the edge, careful to keep the majority of the weight of his lower body within the boat. The ropes began to strain. At the corners, he could see them start to unravel and the cords start to snap.
Signaling to their partners to come and help, the second boat sidled alongside, and together they heaved the load into both boats, filling them and causing the hulls to sink lower in the water. With the rocking swells, Simon saw the boats begin to take on more water.
Fear, amazement and a raw sense of insufficiency, more than that--of defilement, gripped Simon's heart. He fell down at Jesus' knees in the boat. “Go away from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord!”
Jesus looked at Simon, and knew the magnitude of Simon's heartache and vulnerability. What Simon was now, he would no longer be. A picture of who Simon would become, transformed by Love, seeped into the voice of Jesus, now soft with compassion and hope: “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.” (Luke 5:1-11)
At least the others shared in the tasks, their joint vessels standing empty by the lake shore of Gennesaret. Lake fishing wasn't a one man job, it took a team of people to manage the boat, pull the nets, and clean up after the night.
This morning was unusual—not in the lack of a catch, that happened often enough, but in the crowd of people watching and thronging around. Several times he found himself motioning small children away from playing with the nets, tangling and tugging on them, making it harder to finish the chore. He wanted to get the job finished and to go home to rest.
A large shadow fell across his hands in the early morning sunlight, and Simon looked up to see a man, simple and plain, gazing down at him. Even as he did, the people swarmed closer and closer, trampling the nets and pressing into him, pushing and asking questions.
Simon looked at the growing multitude, and at his boat. Making a quick assessment of the situation, he got up, motioned to the man to climb in, and they set out a little from the shore. If they couldn't finish their job on land, he may as well wait until the crowd dispersed.
Instead, the man began to teach the crowd, his voice carrying clearly over the water, the people quieting and sitting along the shore. When he was finished, he turned to Simon and said, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”
Simon looked at Jesus, his thoughts in a turmoil. He was tired, and Jesus didn't know fishing. He was a master, a rabbi, a teacher of the Law. And they'd already tried-- it just wasn't a good time for fishing. And deep water? That wasn't where they fished. Their small boats weren't made well for deep sea fishing.
But in that moment, he made a decision. If only to show Jesus that it was pointless, they would go out again. “Master, we have worked hard all night and caught nothing; but because you say so, I will let down the net.”
Simon motioned to the others, whose faces mirrored his own frustration and weary defeat. They picked up the oars and set out into the deep water, the waves increasingly swelling and splashing up over the sides. A little water in the boats would be fine, Simon knew. Too much and they would capsize.
Simon and his partners picked up the large net and lowered it down into the water. Within moments the weight of the net increased and it became more and more difficult to hold on. Simon leaned over the edge, careful to keep the majority of the weight of his lower body within the boat. The ropes began to strain. At the corners, he could see them start to unravel and the cords start to snap.
Signaling to their partners to come and help, the second boat sidled alongside, and together they heaved the load into both boats, filling them and causing the hulls to sink lower in the water. With the rocking swells, Simon saw the boats begin to take on more water.
Fear, amazement and a raw sense of insufficiency, more than that--of defilement, gripped Simon's heart. He fell down at Jesus' knees in the boat. “Go away from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord!”
Jesus looked at Simon, and knew the magnitude of Simon's heartache and vulnerability. What Simon was now, he would no longer be. A picture of who Simon would become, transformed by Love, seeped into the voice of Jesus, now soft with compassion and hope: “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.” (Luke 5:1-11)
Launch out into the deep
Sometimes it can feel like we have been using all our energy and time fruitlessly—like the thorns and thistles just keep coming, and no matter how hard we try, we come up empty, profitless. It can feel like we are trying to draw full and satisfied people to the Gospel when they feel no hunger or need for it. They aren't attracted to it, and they aren't interested in spending their time hearing. But Jesus, the Master Fisherman, knows just where the “fish” are, and how to draw them.
Often in the gospels, Jesus illustrates a principle first in a parable or symbolic story, and then developes it with further teaching or practical application. In Luke chapter five we see the same pattern. The story of the morning of fishing was meant for us to represent a principle of ministry of sharing the gospel in an effective and harvest producing way.
Jesus' next three stories show the practical application of going “out into the deep” waters.
Story one (v. 12-16) starts with a leper who approaches Jesus, needy and hungry for both inner and outer healing. The man has faith, Jesus touches the untouchable, and the man is made clean, both in his body and His spirit.
The result?
Often in the gospels, Jesus illustrates a principle first in a parable or symbolic story, and then developes it with further teaching or practical application. In Luke chapter five we see the same pattern. The story of the morning of fishing was meant for us to represent a principle of ministry of sharing the gospel in an effective and harvest producing way.
Jesus' next three stories show the practical application of going “out into the deep” waters.
Story one (v. 12-16) starts with a leper who approaches Jesus, needy and hungry for both inner and outer healing. The man has faith, Jesus touches the untouchable, and the man is made clean, both in his body and His spirit.
The result?
“...the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities. So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed. (v. 15-16)
To launch out into deep waters we must go to places of need.
It is in the context of Jesus' obedience to go that those hungry for the gospel would approach Him as what could have seemed an interruption or distasteful distraction. As we go we need to stop, help them in their need and share the good news of what Jesus has done with them.
Story 2 (v. 17-26) involves another man, a paralytic, being brought to Jesus with a need, both physical and spiritual, to be forgiven and made functional. This time, his friends are desperate to get to Jesus through the crowd—the paralytic's friends pull away a hole in the roof to lower him down to Jesus. In spite of the criticism of the religious elite, Jesus not only heals the man, but forgives his sin as well.
The result?
“Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen strange things today!” (v. 25-26)
To launch further into deeper waters, we must disciple those who come in an available way.
As Jesus discipled the people who came to him, those desperate for the gospel would approach Him until they pressed through the busy-ness and crowd of the situation. Again, what seemed to be an interruption was what His Father wanted in that moment. We need listen to the Spirit and remain flexible to shift our focus as needed.
Story number 3 (v. 27-32) revolves around a tax collector, Levi, a sinner and a cheat, who Jesus saw plying his dishonest trade and approached, offering to disciple him. At Levi's subsequent invitation into his life and into his friendship circle, that of other dishonest tax collectors and sinners, Jesus went home with him, shared in Levi's generosity, and engaged in conversation with his friends.
Jesus was then criticized by the leading religious of His day, the pharisees and scribes, for such defiled behavior. Jesus responded to their criticism: “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” (v. 31-32)
The result?
To launch into the deepest waters, we will be going to those places where the awareness of the spiritual need is already there. We must see them, and enter into their life.
This is where some of the greatest harvest is....those who are hungry for the gospel-- the hurting, those acutely aware of their sin and need for forgiveness, those discarded by society, those “poor in spirit,” with an inner and humble sense and urgency about their destitution. We will find that people are already seeking out the “net.” They are seeking that safety, belonging and wholeness that they may enter into as we point them to Jesus, their savior and healer.
And our nets will begin to break.
Signal Our Partners
None of us are physically able to bear alone the burden of responsibility in carrying the gospel to people and discipling them into maturity.
In Exodus 18, Moses is trying to lead and to judge a nation of millions. When his father-in-law Jethro visited and saw the extent of what he was doing, and that “the people stood before Moses from morning until evening”(v.13) for judgment and instructions, he said, “The thing that you do is not good. Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself.”
Jethro then gave Moses godly and wise counsel:
In Exodus 18, Moses is trying to lead and to judge a nation of millions. When his father-in-law Jethro visited and saw the extent of what he was doing, and that “the people stood before Moses from morning until evening”(v.13) for judgment and instructions, he said, “The thing that you do is not good. Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself.”
Jethro then gave Moses godly and wise counsel:
"Listen now to my voice; I will give you counsel, and God will be with you: Stand before God for the people, so that you may bring the difficulties to God. And you shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and show them the way in which they must walk and the work they must do. Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them....And let them judge the people at all times.... So it will be easier for you, for they will bear the burden with you. If you do this thing, and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all this people will also go to their place in peace.” (v. 17-23)
When the nets begin to fill, we need to “signal” our partners in ministry, those who are called to the work of the gospel, and ask for their help. It can be self-gratifying to feel like this is our own ministry, or that we should retain the credit, but that will only result in a net that is broken and a catch that is lost.
Let's share the work and responsibility, delegate and team task so that the ministry can get done-- His ministry, not ours, for we all serve the same Master and without Him we could do nothing.
Let's share the work and responsibility, delegate and team task so that the ministry can get done-- His ministry, not ours, for we all serve the same Master and without Him we could do nothing.
Humbly Acknowledge Jesus
Peter's humility and willing obedience at this critical juncture is one of those things that marked him for increased ministry—he knew where the credit lay, because he knew his own unworthiness, ignorance and need for Jesus in his own life. His response to Jesus' miracle and nearness was a gut-wrenching longing to get away to a place where he would feel more adequate, more self-equipped and more satisfied in his sin. But he knew that in his sinful inadequacy, he could work all night and catch absolutely nothing.
Without Jesus, we can do ministry, exhaust ourselves, frustrate our teams, and abandon our families with our time—all for nothing.
The Simon of the night before felt competent, satisfied and without need of help. The Simon of the morning was shattered, broken, needy and humbled.
Like Simon, we may feel that after our hard work and long efforts we are exhausted and needy, bewildered and disillusioned. Perhaps we've seen Jesus at work in our lives, but at this point we may worry that we too sinful, too full of inadequacy and too weak for Jesus to call or use us. We may be too scared to be that close to a holy Jesus who calls us to let go of our unrelenting grasp on our possessions, home, relationships and reputations, worried about the potential loss and sacrifice.
With Jesus, the unrelenting toil is over. If we choose to serve Him, he bears the burden of directing where we go, who we speak to, and how we help. He sends us partners along the way. He does the work of cleansing, maturing and making our hearts holy and love-filled for the job ahead. He guarantees the results, because it's all about Him.
Are you willing to launch out into the deep water with Jesus?
"Don't be afraid, from now on you will catch men."
Luke 5:10b
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It's springtime in the Canyon. Our new blueberry plants are set in their rows, and the raspberries are sending up their new canes. Jeff has been building new cedar planting beds, and our kids are helping to dig out the earth in terraces for the planters to rest.
Beside my recliner in the living room I have my packets of seeds, and I have been leafing through “The Family Garden Plan” by Melissa K. Norris (from the Pioneering Today podcast), a fellow Santiam Canyon gardening enthusiast who is much more skilled than I am, in the hopes that I might glean from her years of experience.
Beside my recliner in the living room I have my packets of seeds, and I have been leafing through “The Family Garden Plan” by Melissa K. Norris (from the Pioneering Today podcast), a fellow Santiam Canyon gardening enthusiast who is much more skilled than I am, in the hopes that I might glean from her years of experience.
My favorite part is the planning—because I can sit in my recliner with my warm and cozy blanket, hugging a warm cappuccino with a chocolate drizzle. I am fine with getting the seeds and plants into the ground, but once it's time to weed and water—that's all Jeff.
Weeding season happily coincides with allergy season. In fact, I only get a desire to work out in my gardens when it is sunny and warm, something that not a frequent occurrence in our mountainous climate. I have a haunting suspicion that to be truly successful at gardening I would need be out there rain and shine, cold and warm, working to make sure that each plant has the best shot at bearing fruit later on.
While I love the convenience we have in our culture of raised beds, automatic watering systems, and online seed shopping, it doesn't help much in understanding some of Scripture's analogies in planting and harvesting—Scripture's most often used parallel for ministering in the Word of God.
In Eastern Biblical cultures, they didn't have raised cedar beds and imported topsoil. Instead, they worked with what they did have—their water systems. Every year the streams, creeks and rivers would overflow onto their banks with rich topsoil, spilling essential nutrients and water past their normal bounds. The families would take their grain carefully hoarded from the previous year's harvest out to the moist banks, and, using the oxen and donkeys, would plough up the wet dirt with the animals' feet, afterward throwing out the seed onto the wet topsoil. This would soak the grains and prepare them for more uniform germination. As the waters subsided, the plants would spring up and have easy access to water and nutritious soil throughout the hot summer months.
Those most successful, the ones who would reap the richest most bountiful harvests, were those who would continue to sow beside as many water sources as they could find. They wouldn't just sow once and be done. They knew that if you wanted the fullest harvest, you wouldn't “put all your eggs in one basket.” You would diversify. You would invest your time, energy and resources into as many places as you could for the most profitable return.
Have you ever checked the back of those little seed packets? It always has a spacing for each plant's optimal production. However, the garden experts don't always advise following those spacing rules. It is not that they are inaccurate, but rather that if you sow generously across the entire area, so many more plants will come up that the net result of your harvest will be much greater than if you had sowed sparingly.
For the ministries the Lord has given me, this might mean that I participate in worship with my cello. When my son falls on the playground and comes to me with a bleeding lip, I hold and comfort him. When the Lord prompts me to share a verse or song with a friend, I obey. When the floor in the kitchen at church needs mopped, maybe I can help with that. If there's a devotional needed for youth group, I can ask the Lord to give me something to share. It can mean different things at different times, but it is more about being flexible to the leadings of the Holy Spirit than about certain amount of time or involvement.
Obviously we have our giftings from the Lord in particular areas, and those areas may see a more natural growth and return, but if there's another place that we can invest, even if it's a smaller rate, it is worth sowing into, because the end result will be all the greater.
In Ecclesiastes 11:1-6 there is a passage that continues to help me to persevere in “sowing” in ministry in those times when it seems fruitless or discouraging:
Weeding season happily coincides with allergy season. In fact, I only get a desire to work out in my gardens when it is sunny and warm, something that not a frequent occurrence in our mountainous climate. I have a haunting suspicion that to be truly successful at gardening I would need be out there rain and shine, cold and warm, working to make sure that each plant has the best shot at bearing fruit later on.
While I love the convenience we have in our culture of raised beds, automatic watering systems, and online seed shopping, it doesn't help much in understanding some of Scripture's analogies in planting and harvesting—Scripture's most often used parallel for ministering in the Word of God.
In Eastern Biblical cultures, they didn't have raised cedar beds and imported topsoil. Instead, they worked with what they did have—their water systems. Every year the streams, creeks and rivers would overflow onto their banks with rich topsoil, spilling essential nutrients and water past their normal bounds. The families would take their grain carefully hoarded from the previous year's harvest out to the moist banks, and, using the oxen and donkeys, would plough up the wet dirt with the animals' feet, afterward throwing out the seed onto the wet topsoil. This would soak the grains and prepare them for more uniform germination. As the waters subsided, the plants would spring up and have easy access to water and nutritious soil throughout the hot summer months.
Those most successful, the ones who would reap the richest most bountiful harvests, were those who would continue to sow beside as many water sources as they could find. They wouldn't just sow once and be done. They knew that if you wanted the fullest harvest, you wouldn't “put all your eggs in one basket.” You would diversify. You would invest your time, energy and resources into as many places as you could for the most profitable return.
Have you ever checked the back of those little seed packets? It always has a spacing for each plant's optimal production. However, the garden experts don't always advise following those spacing rules. It is not that they are inaccurate, but rather that if you sow generously across the entire area, so many more plants will come up that the net result of your harvest will be much greater than if you had sowed sparingly.
For the ministries the Lord has given me, this might mean that I participate in worship with my cello. When my son falls on the playground and comes to me with a bleeding lip, I hold and comfort him. When the Lord prompts me to share a verse or song with a friend, I obey. When the floor in the kitchen at church needs mopped, maybe I can help with that. If there's a devotional needed for youth group, I can ask the Lord to give me something to share. It can mean different things at different times, but it is more about being flexible to the leadings of the Holy Spirit than about certain amount of time or involvement.
Obviously we have our giftings from the Lord in particular areas, and those areas may see a more natural growth and return, but if there's another place that we can invest, even if it's a smaller rate, it is worth sowing into, because the end result will be all the greater.
In Ecclesiastes 11:1-6 there is a passage that continues to help me to persevere in “sowing” in ministry in those times when it seems fruitless or discouraging:
“Cast your grain upon the waters;
after many days you will receive a return.
Invest in seven ventures, yes in eight;
you do not know what disaster may come upon the land.
If the clouds are full of water, they pour rain on the earth.
Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north,
in the place where it falls, there it will lie.
Whoever watches the wind will not plant;
whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.
As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother's womb,
so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.
Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let your hands not be idle,
for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that,
or whether both will do equally well.”
Ecclesiastes 11:1-6
after many days you will receive a return.
Invest in seven ventures, yes in eight;
you do not know what disaster may come upon the land.
If the clouds are full of water, they pour rain on the earth.
Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north,
in the place where it falls, there it will lie.
Whoever watches the wind will not plant;
whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.
As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother's womb,
so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.
Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let your hands not be idle,
for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that,
or whether both will do equally well.”
Ecclesiastes 11:1-6
While these verses speak about many different things, they really are all illustrating a couple of parallel concepts.
Our “grain” is whatever the Lord has given us to share with others—talents, finances, knowledge, service. Jesus' parable in Luke 8 tells of the farmer who scatters his seed on the path, the rocks, and the thorny areas as well as the good soil. While he may harvest with little to no return in some of those soils, the percentage of people, though small, who receive and bear a harvest when they hear the Word of God is multiplied exponentially. The ability to bear more seed and impact “100 times” more in the future is a harvest worth our investment.
Unlike the farmer though, as servants we cannot see the inside of a person's heart. “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Sam 16:7. We may see what looks like hard-heartedness in people, but is only a carefully formed facade meant to self-protect. We may see what looks like a lack of understanding, but as maturity forms and knowledge increases may come back to them with a Spirit-inspired revelation of insight. Only God can see beyond the appearance of things.
Our “grain” is whatever the Lord has given us to share with others—talents, finances, knowledge, service. Jesus' parable in Luke 8 tells of the farmer who scatters his seed on the path, the rocks, and the thorny areas as well as the good soil. While he may harvest with little to no return in some of those soils, the percentage of people, though small, who receive and bear a harvest when they hear the Word of God is multiplied exponentially. The ability to bear more seed and impact “100 times” more in the future is a harvest worth our investment.
Unlike the farmer though, as servants we cannot see the inside of a person's heart. “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Sam 16:7. We may see what looks like hard-heartedness in people, but is only a carefully formed facade meant to self-protect. We may see what looks like a lack of understanding, but as maturity forms and knowledge increases may come back to them with a Spirit-inspired revelation of insight. Only God can see beyond the appearance of things.
We must keep casting the gospel everywhere we can find to cast it,
because as seed-casters, we cannot see the heart's condition.
because as seed-casters, we cannot see the heart's condition.
It takes a measure of faith to take what we have carefully saved of our time, energies and resources, and “throw it into the mud.” It's easy to wonder if that investment into people will ever produce anything, especially when many people reject the gospel, or treat us poorly as a result. Many often consider what we have to share to be of no value, and the sacrifice of what we could have enjoyed for ourselves with that precious resource can seem pointless and discarded.
If we look at those discouragements, if we focus on what seem to be failures, than we lose our courage to keep planting. If we “watch the wind” or “look at the clouds,” we will in turn make fear-based choices that will end up with no reward, no ministry fruit.
Only God, who forms and works miracles in secret in the womb, knows what He will do with the seed we cast. Just as we know that rain-clouds will eventually drop their rain, so we know that if we keep persevering there will end up being a harvest. Just as we can predict where a tree will lay when it starts to fall, so we know that our ministry in the Lord will never be wasted. God intently watches over His Word to make sure that it will accomplish what He intends. (Jer. 1:12, Isa. 55:11)
If we look at those discouragements, if we focus on what seem to be failures, than we lose our courage to keep planting. If we “watch the wind” or “look at the clouds,” we will in turn make fear-based choices that will end up with no reward, no ministry fruit.
Only God, who forms and works miracles in secret in the womb, knows what He will do with the seed we cast. Just as we know that rain-clouds will eventually drop their rain, so we know that if we keep persevering there will end up being a harvest. Just as we can predict where a tree will lay when it starts to fall, so we know that our ministry in the Lord will never be wasted. God intently watches over His Word to make sure that it will accomplish what He intends. (Jer. 1:12, Isa. 55:11)
“There, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you.
Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord,
because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
1 Cor. 15:58
We must keep serving regardless of the conditions and outlook,
because God watches over His own purposes.
At our church we are wrapping up our school year schedule of ministry, and moving into a season of rest and minimal work so that we can restore our energies for the next year and spend more family time. This year, honestly, has been a difficult one to finish out. Trying to juggle seminary, homeschooling and leadership at the same time has on many occasions drained my energy. At the end of a particularly challenging season, when we have given and given and feel like there's nothing left to give, it can feel like perhaps we should have saved more. It can be challenging to continue to throw it all out there and to trust that we will have more again to give later on.
My husband owns his own business, and he is always looking for ways to supply his employees with better, faster tools, more efficient vehicles, and sufficient help to get each job finished in a timely and profitable way. A good and wise owner will always want to supply his workers with what they need to get the job done well.
In the same way, our God, who created all things by the Word of His mouth, wants to re-supply and refresh us with all that we need for each new day. So at the end of each day, let's take our empty baskets back to Him and ask for more. More energy, multiplied time, more help, more resources.
My husband owns his own business, and he is always looking for ways to supply his employees with better, faster tools, more efficient vehicles, and sufficient help to get each job finished in a timely and profitable way. A good and wise owner will always want to supply his workers with what they need to get the job done well.
In the same way, our God, who created all things by the Word of His mouth, wants to re-supply and refresh us with all that we need for each new day. So at the end of each day, let's take our empty baskets back to Him and ask for more. More energy, multiplied time, more help, more resources.
God is invested in His own kingdom as the Lord of the Harvest.
He will abundantly supply us with what we need to serve Him.
“And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times,
having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
As it is written, 'They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures .' Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food,
supply and multiply the seed you have sown
and increase the harvest of your righteousness.”
2 Corinthians 9:10
Have you ever been fascinated by mountain climbers? I just think it's incredibly daring and awe-inspiring. They train intensively for the altitude differences in oxygen levels and physical exertion. They research and prepare the proper equipment and layers of moisture wicking clothing, and for most of them, they hire a competent and experienced guide.
As much as they train or prepare, though, things can go wrong.
I remember a few years back when an extended family member had been training rigorously for a climb. Unfortunately, he broke his leg shortly before the trip was to start, and disappointedly he wasn't able to go with his team. During the week he had been set to go, Nepal was hit with a severe earthquake and avalanches began on the mountain he was set to climb--Everest.
Tragically, all the training, protection and guidance couldn't stop the injuries and even deaths that resulted from an unforeseen and uncontrollable force of nature.
In my studies this week, I saw some of the same devastation in the life of King Saul. In 1 Samuel 16, we find that after his rejection of God, he made a progressive series of poor and destructive choices that avalanched over his kingdom and family.
As much as they train or prepare, though, things can go wrong.
I remember a few years back when an extended family member had been training rigorously for a climb. Unfortunately, he broke his leg shortly before the trip was to start, and disappointedly he wasn't able to go with his team. During the week he had been set to go, Nepal was hit with a severe earthquake and avalanches began on the mountain he was set to climb--Everest.
Tragically, all the training, protection and guidance couldn't stop the injuries and even deaths that resulted from an unforeseen and uncontrollable force of nature.
In my studies this week, I saw some of the same devastation in the life of King Saul. In 1 Samuel 16, we find that after his rejection of God, he made a progressive series of poor and destructive choices that avalanched over his kingdom and family.
After the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, a spirit of distress
{evil, bad, wicked} from the LORD began to torment {terrorize, startle} him. Saul’s servants said to him, “Surely a spirit of distress from God is tormenting you.
1 Samuel 16:14-15
{evil, bad, wicked} from the LORD began to torment {terrorize, startle} him. Saul’s servants said to him, “Surely a spirit of distress from God is tormenting you.
1 Samuel 16:14-15
Without the Spirit of God, Saul was susceptible to the mental torment of an evil spirit.
Earlier in 1 Samuel we see that when Saul was anointed as king, God sent His Holy Spirit to rest upon Saul and empower him with courage, passion and wisdom to get the tasks done that the Lord gave him for his position over the people.
Once Saul, however, had thoroughly rejected God as his own king (1 Sam 13:13-14; 14:11-26), God in turn rejected Saul, and by consequence, the Spirit of God was removed in order that Saul and all the people of Israel could see just how evil power without godliness could be (1 Sam 8:7-18).
After the Holy Spirit and presence of God was removed from Saul's life, it was a natural next step for Saul to be harassed by an evil spirit. While we see from the passage that God sent the evil spirit, displaying the sovereignty of God, we also know from Saul's own free choices that he was dwelling on the very temptations that the evil spirit enticed him with...jealously, evil suspicions, envy, murder, deceit, malice, debilitating fear, worry, and discontent.
The word used in the Hebrew for the evil spirit “tormenting” him, means to terrorize, bring fear, make one easily startled. He became unable to properly handle the ministrations of the kingdom, being often brooding, enraged, distracted, anxious and rash.
While God indeed is sovereign in this situation, Saul also made his choice. He chose to serve the evil of his own heart rather than to repent, which in turn led to an open invitation by his spirit to other evil spirits. Spirits of fear, of lust, of pride, and of murder.
Jesus tells the story in Matthew 12 about a man who had been freed from an evil spirit, and had “swept his house clean, and set it in order.” The healed man's spirit was free and clear and in completely order, free to make its own choices. Tragically, the man's choice was to leave his own spirit empty. In so doing, he became a target for the evil spirit who had previously occupied his body. Going to arid places, Jesus tells us, the evil spirit sought seven other spirits more evil than itself and invited them to come with him to reoccupy the empty man's body, since there was an open vacancy. “The final condition of that man,” Jesus tells us, “was worse than the first.”
A few years ago we owned a delightful dark chocolate brown newfoundland puppy. He was fluffy and cuddly and playful. Very quickly, though, we discovered that we enjoyed him better without that "wet dog" smell that is so classic to long-haired dogs. Now, newfoundlands are bred to be water rescue dogs. Their coats are extra insulating and warm, and they love to play in the rain and snow, making him a perfect dog for our mountain home. What we learned, though, is that if we shampooed his coat it would temporarily strip the natural oils from his fur and take away the natural waterproofing with which he was created. Without the oils saturating his fur, the moisture would have access to his skin.
Jesus' story illustrated that the only way to not be occupied by evil was to be filled with the Holy Spirit, effectively shutting the door against any unwanted occupation.
Submission to God, His will and His spirit
results in a saturation that repels evil.
But there is another condition which the Bible shares with us about torment from evil spirits, one of which believers should also be aware. It is not an occupation, but it is an exterior pressure that brings suffering internally. An occupation or indwelling of an evil spirit gives it mastery over a person, and enslaves a man to do evil. In contrast, though, suffering experienced by a believer from an evil spirit results in the power and glory of Christ and increased ministry!
My husband and I are currently leading a youth group at our church. Over the course of the year, I have noticed that whatever Biblical principle I am about to share in our ministry ends up coming very close and raw in my own life, and I far too often find myself confused at the particular and unique trials and feelings that I go through.
Confused that is, until I start to work on the next passage for our studies, and find the very answers to my own situation and needs! To be truthful, I am both a little annoyed at this and very grateful. I wish I didn't need to go through even a taste of each problem before I shared it, but it does help me to understand the frustrations and challenges that are involved in working through these principles with the Lord, and I am so very grateful that He does know how to help me handle them!
This last week, I found myself often coming under a particularly frustrating attack on my nerves. It was debilitating. I am used to having the end of a long day or when my blood sugar is low be very challenging or stressful for me, particularly with noise or mess. But this particular morning was unique in that I was thoroughly rested, well fed, and with no greater than normal noise level. I found that all of a sudden every noise was excruciating, my work on homeschooling or on the computers were met with every kind of roadblock and frustration, and that my soul seemed completely overwhelmed.
Not only that, but even with my holding in my feelings so that the kids wouldn't be disturbed (I certainly can't say that I have the self-control to never spill my frustrations onto my kids, but this morning I had been extra careful), I started to hear the little kids reacting to this spiritual attack in the middle of what had been a peaceful morning, and they were completely unable to cope. It dawned on me after a bit (I should have noticed it sooner!) that it was spiritual in nature, rather than just a typically difficult day. I prayed silently, submitted our school day and agendas to the Lord, asked for His help and peace and Spirit to comfort us, and commanded any evil spirit to leave in Jesus' name. Within moments God's Spirit had restored my calm and peace completely, and the kids were peaceful again as well, praise the Lord!
The funny thing is, and rather embarrassing to admit, I forget those moments so very easily! Even today, as I was trying to sit down to write out this devotional, the very same thing happened. This time, it wasn't until I started reading through the passage that it dawned on me that the spiritual attack was happening again, and that I needed to deal with it in the Lord. Once again, as soon as I did, His peace and comfort returned and I was free to work without impairment.
While that is so simple and wonderful, though, there have been many times where whatever trouble it was that I pleaded with the Lord to remove just remained in my life, and I had to live with the problem while living in His peace in the middle of it, sometimes for years, and some that are still ongoing for me.
In 2 Corinthians 12:17 the Apostle Paul shares with us his story of great favor, blessing and revelation from the Lord, and his subsequent suffering in order to not give himself over to sin. For Paul, it was very similar—an evil spirit to bring him suffering. However, because Paul's spirit was indwelt with the Holy Spirit, he had an entirely different outcome: “Lest I should be exalted above measure, there was given me a thorn [stake, impalement] of the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to buffet[beat, pound in] me.”
Paul doesn't share with us in this context to what he was referring, whether it was a physical ailment, emotional trauma, mental agony or spiritual temptation, but whatever it was left him feeling weak and inadequate for what he was called to do. The words he used suggest to me that it was his own form of bearing the cross, the impalement of the cross, from which Jesus Himself prayed also to be spared.
Therefore, when Paul asked Jesus three time to remove this evil spirit, this acute suffering, Jesus would not, but replied to him:
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."
Paul's response is both awe-inspiring and humbling at the same time:
“Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses,
so that Christ's power may rest on me.”
Honestly, this is hard for me. Being weak and inadequate while allowing God to use me is not really what I had hoped for in my dreams of a future in ministry or parenting. Dealing with pain, frustration, uncertain physical outcomes and spiritual attacks on my family definitely wasn't.
But if my weakness and inadequacy makes Christ's power more evident, if it increases His glory and leads to more healing and wholeness for myself, my family and the people God brings into my life, then I want it. It does feel backward to me, but a couple of verses come to my mind, "for the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God....But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things--and the things that are not--to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him." (1 Cor 1:18, 27-29)
What about you? What things in your life does the Spirit put his finger on and say, “This....[pain, unfinished story, brokenness, weakness, insufficiency].....this is what I want to use to bring people to Me? This...is how I will bring you the very most blessing.....
"This...is what makes My power rest on you...and remain.”
Earlier in 1 Samuel we see that when Saul was anointed as king, God sent His Holy Spirit to rest upon Saul and empower him with courage, passion and wisdom to get the tasks done that the Lord gave him for his position over the people.
Once Saul, however, had thoroughly rejected God as his own king (1 Sam 13:13-14; 14:11-26), God in turn rejected Saul, and by consequence, the Spirit of God was removed in order that Saul and all the people of Israel could see just how evil power without godliness could be (1 Sam 8:7-18).
After the Holy Spirit and presence of God was removed from Saul's life, it was a natural next step for Saul to be harassed by an evil spirit. While we see from the passage that God sent the evil spirit, displaying the sovereignty of God, we also know from Saul's own free choices that he was dwelling on the very temptations that the evil spirit enticed him with...jealously, evil suspicions, envy, murder, deceit, malice, debilitating fear, worry, and discontent.
The word used in the Hebrew for the evil spirit “tormenting” him, means to terrorize, bring fear, make one easily startled. He became unable to properly handle the ministrations of the kingdom, being often brooding, enraged, distracted, anxious and rash.
While God indeed is sovereign in this situation, Saul also made his choice. He chose to serve the evil of his own heart rather than to repent, which in turn led to an open invitation by his spirit to other evil spirits. Spirits of fear, of lust, of pride, and of murder.
Jesus tells the story in Matthew 12 about a man who had been freed from an evil spirit, and had “swept his house clean, and set it in order.” The healed man's spirit was free and clear and in completely order, free to make its own choices. Tragically, the man's choice was to leave his own spirit empty. In so doing, he became a target for the evil spirit who had previously occupied his body. Going to arid places, Jesus tells us, the evil spirit sought seven other spirits more evil than itself and invited them to come with him to reoccupy the empty man's body, since there was an open vacancy. “The final condition of that man,” Jesus tells us, “was worse than the first.”
A few years ago we owned a delightful dark chocolate brown newfoundland puppy. He was fluffy and cuddly and playful. Very quickly, though, we discovered that we enjoyed him better without that "wet dog" smell that is so classic to long-haired dogs. Now, newfoundlands are bred to be water rescue dogs. Their coats are extra insulating and warm, and they love to play in the rain and snow, making him a perfect dog for our mountain home. What we learned, though, is that if we shampooed his coat it would temporarily strip the natural oils from his fur and take away the natural waterproofing with which he was created. Without the oils saturating his fur, the moisture would have access to his skin.
Jesus' story illustrated that the only way to not be occupied by evil was to be filled with the Holy Spirit, effectively shutting the door against any unwanted occupation.
Submission to God, His will and His spirit
results in a saturation that repels evil.
But there is another condition which the Bible shares with us about torment from evil spirits, one of which believers should also be aware. It is not an occupation, but it is an exterior pressure that brings suffering internally. An occupation or indwelling of an evil spirit gives it mastery over a person, and enslaves a man to do evil. In contrast, though, suffering experienced by a believer from an evil spirit results in the power and glory of Christ and increased ministry!
My husband and I are currently leading a youth group at our church. Over the course of the year, I have noticed that whatever Biblical principle I am about to share in our ministry ends up coming very close and raw in my own life, and I far too often find myself confused at the particular and unique trials and feelings that I go through.
Confused that is, until I start to work on the next passage for our studies, and find the very answers to my own situation and needs! To be truthful, I am both a little annoyed at this and very grateful. I wish I didn't need to go through even a taste of each problem before I shared it, but it does help me to understand the frustrations and challenges that are involved in working through these principles with the Lord, and I am so very grateful that He does know how to help me handle them!
This last week, I found myself often coming under a particularly frustrating attack on my nerves. It was debilitating. I am used to having the end of a long day or when my blood sugar is low be very challenging or stressful for me, particularly with noise or mess. But this particular morning was unique in that I was thoroughly rested, well fed, and with no greater than normal noise level. I found that all of a sudden every noise was excruciating, my work on homeschooling or on the computers were met with every kind of roadblock and frustration, and that my soul seemed completely overwhelmed.
Not only that, but even with my holding in my feelings so that the kids wouldn't be disturbed (I certainly can't say that I have the self-control to never spill my frustrations onto my kids, but this morning I had been extra careful), I started to hear the little kids reacting to this spiritual attack in the middle of what had been a peaceful morning, and they were completely unable to cope. It dawned on me after a bit (I should have noticed it sooner!) that it was spiritual in nature, rather than just a typically difficult day. I prayed silently, submitted our school day and agendas to the Lord, asked for His help and peace and Spirit to comfort us, and commanded any evil spirit to leave in Jesus' name. Within moments God's Spirit had restored my calm and peace completely, and the kids were peaceful again as well, praise the Lord!
The funny thing is, and rather embarrassing to admit, I forget those moments so very easily! Even today, as I was trying to sit down to write out this devotional, the very same thing happened. This time, it wasn't until I started reading through the passage that it dawned on me that the spiritual attack was happening again, and that I needed to deal with it in the Lord. Once again, as soon as I did, His peace and comfort returned and I was free to work without impairment.
While that is so simple and wonderful, though, there have been many times where whatever trouble it was that I pleaded with the Lord to remove just remained in my life, and I had to live with the problem while living in His peace in the middle of it, sometimes for years, and some that are still ongoing for me.
In 2 Corinthians 12:17 the Apostle Paul shares with us his story of great favor, blessing and revelation from the Lord, and his subsequent suffering in order to not give himself over to sin. For Paul, it was very similar—an evil spirit to bring him suffering. However, because Paul's spirit was indwelt with the Holy Spirit, he had an entirely different outcome: “Lest I should be exalted above measure, there was given me a thorn [stake, impalement] of the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to buffet[beat, pound in] me.”
Paul doesn't share with us in this context to what he was referring, whether it was a physical ailment, emotional trauma, mental agony or spiritual temptation, but whatever it was left him feeling weak and inadequate for what he was called to do. The words he used suggest to me that it was his own form of bearing the cross, the impalement of the cross, from which Jesus Himself prayed also to be spared.
Therefore, when Paul asked Jesus three time to remove this evil spirit, this acute suffering, Jesus would not, but replied to him:
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."
Paul's response is both awe-inspiring and humbling at the same time:
“Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses,
so that Christ's power may rest on me.”
Honestly, this is hard for me. Being weak and inadequate while allowing God to use me is not really what I had hoped for in my dreams of a future in ministry or parenting. Dealing with pain, frustration, uncertain physical outcomes and spiritual attacks on my family definitely wasn't.
But if my weakness and inadequacy makes Christ's power more evident, if it increases His glory and leads to more healing and wholeness for myself, my family and the people God brings into my life, then I want it. It does feel backward to me, but a couple of verses come to my mind, "for the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God....But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things--and the things that are not--to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him." (1 Cor 1:18, 27-29)
What about you? What things in your life does the Spirit put his finger on and say, “This....[pain, unfinished story, brokenness, weakness, insufficiency].....this is what I want to use to bring people to Me? This...is how I will bring you the very most blessing.....
"This...is what makes My power rest on you...and remain.”
"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from Your Presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of Your salvation, and renew a right spirit within me."
Psalm 51:10-12
A Psalm of David
after he sinned with Bathsheba
Cast me not away from Your Presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of Your salvation, and renew a right spirit within me."
Psalm 51:10-12
A Psalm of David
after he sinned with Bathsheba
If anyone builds on this foundation
using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw,
their work will be shown for what it is,
because the Day will bring it to light.
1 Cor. 3:12-13
using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw,
their work will be shown for what it is,
because the Day will bring it to light.
1 Cor. 3:12-13
 For purposes of clarification, this is a kind of home that would be beautiful to own--but I do not. :) | We own a fixer-upper. You wouldn't believe the great deal we got for our mountain property on 2.5 acres, 3000+ square feet. You would probably believe the great deal of time we have spent planning and working to finish up a never ending list of both remodeling and maintenance. One morning not too long after we had moved I had the bright idea of spending a week home as a "stay-cation." |
We could work on one of our remodeling project rooms, play games and sleep in.
Unfortunately, for those of you who know what owning a general contracting business is like, it won't surprise you that by midday on the first day of our "stay-cation" he had received upward of 100 phone calls, not to mention the texts and emails he had responded to. I was absolutely fried. I had a terrible attitude. I was so mad. I had waited so long for this day and for our project to make some headway...I blew up at him.
Man, did the conviction of the Holy Spirit get to me after what I said. It's not a fun moment when you realize you've put your own agenda before loving your family, your hard-working husband and, by transference, God Himself.
When I read the story of Abram and Lot, I see myself caught in this moment—the moment of choice between choosing to survive—or to thrive. My agenda, or God's.
In this opening scene, we find that Abram and Lot, who is Abram's nephew, have been traveling together for quite some time, each with their herds and families and servants. But because their great amount of cattle and sheep took so much pasture land, they found that there just wasn't enough food to go around, and their servants had started arguing about who could have the pasture:
Unfortunately, for those of you who know what owning a general contracting business is like, it won't surprise you that by midday on the first day of our "stay-cation" he had received upward of 100 phone calls, not to mention the texts and emails he had responded to. I was absolutely fried. I had a terrible attitude. I was so mad. I had waited so long for this day and for our project to make some headway...I blew up at him.
Man, did the conviction of the Holy Spirit get to me after what I said. It's not a fun moment when you realize you've put your own agenda before loving your family, your hard-working husband and, by transference, God Himself.
When I read the story of Abram and Lot, I see myself caught in this moment—the moment of choice between choosing to survive—or to thrive. My agenda, or God's.
In this opening scene, we find that Abram and Lot, who is Abram's nephew, have been traveling together for quite some time, each with their herds and families and servants. But because their great amount of cattle and sheep took so much pasture land, they found that there just wasn't enough food to go around, and their servants had started arguing about who could have the pasture:
So Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herders and mine, for we are close relatives. Is not the whole land before you? Let’s part company. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.” Lot looked around and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan toward Zoar was well watered, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company: Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. Now the people of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord. Gen. 13:8-13
Lot had an agenda. So did Abram. They both wanted to be good businessmen and to take care of their families. There's nothing wrong with either of those goals. The difference was what each was willing to do to get their agenda.
I find that so often selfishness, or at least a self-focused way of thinking—what do I need, what does my family need, how can I get to my goals--trips me up in my desire to please God and love Him and others. It's not so much that I don't care about others, but I can get so focused on my own desires, goals, and needs that I place them above God's love and concern for other people who also have needs and desires.
Lot and Abram were both believers in God. They both tried to practice righteousness. They both tried to abstain from wickedness as far as they knew.
But Lot chose for himself what seemed to be the better plain. The one that promised riches. Promised popularity. Promised an easy life. But the promises were empty.
In fact, in 2 Peter the apostle Peter tells us that Lot was righteous, but that by living in Sodom in what he had thought would be a really fun lifestyle, he “was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)" 2 Peter 2:7-8.
Lot had built up a kingdom for himself that was made only of flammable materials: when the judgment day came it completely burnt up what he had built until only he himself was able to be saved. When the angels came, he was forced to choose to either save his own life or die staying with his empty wealth.
The Apostle Paul explains how this relates to our personal life as believers and how we serve the church Body together:
By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames. 1 Cor. 3:10-15
So if Lot chose to build with wood, hay or straw, with what did Abram build?
In chapter 14 we find that even before the angels come to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, the cities faced a war. The four kings of the tribes around them joined together to attack them in the Valley of Siddim. The kings of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim and Zoar lost and their people were taken as captives, including Lot and his family, and their possessions were looted.
Abram's immediate response was to rally his 318 men and go to fight the winning king to take back the people and possessions. He split his men at night and attacked and pursued them, bringing back all the people and the goods.
The next thing that happens I think is key to understanding Abram's different perspective on true wealth. Both the king of Sodom and Melchizedek, King of Salem went to meet Abram. By the law of conquest, every person and all property would belong to Abram and would be at his disposal to deal with however he pleased:
Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine;
He was the priest of God Most High. And He blessed him and said:
“Blessed be Abram of God Most High,
Possessor of heaven and earth;
And blessed be God Most High,
Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.”
And [Abram] gave him a tithe of all.
Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, and take the goods for yourself.”
But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth, that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich’—except only what the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me: Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.” Gen. 14:18-24
He was the priest of God Most High. And He blessed him and said:
“Blessed be Abram of God Most High,
Possessor of heaven and earth;
And blessed be God Most High,
Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.”
And [Abram] gave him a tithe of all.
Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, and take the goods for yourself.”
But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth, that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich’—except only what the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me: Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.” Gen. 14:18-24
When Melchizedek blessed Abram, He reminded Abram that the God Abram served and worshipped was currently in possession of the universe and was absolutely capable of providing for Abram's needs without him resorting to taking away from the needs of others or by taking the riches of wickedness.
Though it doesn't outline a distinct conversation, either Melchizedek told Abram God's instructions about not taking the riches of Sodom or Abram simply had a strong heart conviction from God. Either way, Abram was not only willing to give God back His own tithe, but also to depend solely on the Lord's provision for his future needs.
This simple action of trust and obedience is what made a distinction between Abram and Lot:
Abram went back to living a hard life in the desert, waiting for the promises of God to be fulfilled in God's own way and time.
Lot went back to Sodom.
I know that I believe in Christ to be my savior, and I know that He has forgiven me and gives me grace to walk in righteousness and to grow in grace. But I want more than that. I want to build for His kingdom in such a way that there is something left after it all goes through the fire of the Judgment Day. I want there to be something left worth going through the challenges of this life. In my day to day decisions, I want there to be gold.
When my child comes down to “talk” at 11:30pm, am I willing to listen and free myself for however God would want to use that conversation?
When my husband calls me and asks to stay out late helping another person with the broken tree limbs hanging over their home, can I give my plans of comfort time to God, and take on the extra responsibilities of putting the kids to bed by myself?
When God asks me to give my spending money to care for strangers in need, would I be willing to give that up?
I'll be honest, both the little things and the big things are a daily challenge for me. It is much easier for me to abstain from doing evil things than it is to give Jeff the better cup of coffee. True story.
If we are to build using gold, silver and costly stones, it is going to cost us.
I would encourage you and myself, however, to put our trust in our God Most High, the Possessor of Heaven and Earth: He is the One who will abundantly and richly satisfy both our needs now and will give us a reward that can't be even imagined:
Though it doesn't outline a distinct conversation, either Melchizedek told Abram God's instructions about not taking the riches of Sodom or Abram simply had a strong heart conviction from God. Either way, Abram was not only willing to give God back His own tithe, but also to depend solely on the Lord's provision for his future needs.
This simple action of trust and obedience is what made a distinction between Abram and Lot:
Abram went back to living a hard life in the desert, waiting for the promises of God to be fulfilled in God's own way and time.
Lot went back to Sodom.
I know that I believe in Christ to be my savior, and I know that He has forgiven me and gives me grace to walk in righteousness and to grow in grace. But I want more than that. I want to build for His kingdom in such a way that there is something left after it all goes through the fire of the Judgment Day. I want there to be something left worth going through the challenges of this life. In my day to day decisions, I want there to be gold.
When my child comes down to “talk” at 11:30pm, am I willing to listen and free myself for however God would want to use that conversation?
When my husband calls me and asks to stay out late helping another person with the broken tree limbs hanging over their home, can I give my plans of comfort time to God, and take on the extra responsibilities of putting the kids to bed by myself?
When God asks me to give my spending money to care for strangers in need, would I be willing to give that up?
I'll be honest, both the little things and the big things are a daily challenge for me. It is much easier for me to abstain from doing evil things than it is to give Jeff the better cup of coffee. True story.
If we are to build using gold, silver and costly stones, it is going to cost us.
I would encourage you and myself, however, to put our trust in our God Most High, the Possessor of Heaven and Earth: He is the One who will abundantly and richly satisfy both our needs now and will give us a reward that can't be even imagined:
“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared
for those who love Him.”
1 Cor. 2:9
When we find a “costly stone” or precious metal, something that we can give up for Him, let's be excited at the building that we are helping to prepare for eternity—us.
 | Betrayal. It comes to all of us. In some way, we all encounter those deep and anguishing betrayals from people we have trusted. We can all feel that it has become a very cold time in the last few years, and divisiveness in church and out of the church, has increased. We see rampant anger, bitterness, hatred, violence, slander, and deep pain, and in all of these things we find the symptoms of betrayal. |
In fact, I believe that Jesus promised both that betrayal would come, but also that it would grow colder and colder at the end of time. He prophesied that people would eventually join the body of believers “by intrigue,” not seeking to belong out of sincerity, but rather to spy on and betray us. He said that “brother would betray brother to death, and a father his son. A man's enemies would be the members of his own household,”( Matt 10:36). He said that it would be so dark and cold because of the “abundance of wickedness,” that “the love of many would grow cold,” (Matt 24:12).
Betrayal comes from close family. Parents. Church family. Colleagues and associates at work. Best friends. Authority figures. Children. Spouses.
As King David lamented, “If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were rising against me, I could hide. But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend, with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship at the house of God, as we walked about among the worshipers.” Psalm 55:12-14
David was saying that "it wouldn't hurt so much, it wouldn't feel like a betrayal, if you had been my enemy." We expect that from our enemies. We have our guards up. We even plan on how to evade or avoid pain inflicted from people we distrust.
But when we have gone through those steps from acquaintance to friend to close or intimate relationship--when we have lived with our families through the joys and pains of birthdays, sicknesses, breakups, financial hardships and even the loss of shared loved ones, then the sting of betrayal bites deep, and hangs on.
So how do we get out of the grip of betrayal? How do we plan for and prevent the damage that can come from betrayal?
We all know what happens if we are exposed to freezing temperatures for too long—we can go into shock, lose parts of our extremities due to a lack of circulation, and become disoriented. We can find it very hard to make good decisions, and may generate risk-taking behaviors. We often aren't even aware that we are experiencing hypothermia. Our bodies tend to retreat into ourselves, and we just want to go to sleep. We want to be left alone. Left untreated, these conditions can lead to complete failure of our hearts.
Just as these are the physical symptoms of intense cold, I find these to be the spiritual symptoms we experience when we go into betrayal unprepared, without the right spiritual coats.
So how can we be prepared, or if we didn't start out prepared, if a lot of damage has already been done to us, what can we do to heal and bring our hearts back up to a healthy temperature?
Betrayal comes from close family. Parents. Church family. Colleagues and associates at work. Best friends. Authority figures. Children. Spouses.
As King David lamented, “If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were rising against me, I could hide. But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend, with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship at the house of God, as we walked about among the worshipers.” Psalm 55:12-14
David was saying that "it wouldn't hurt so much, it wouldn't feel like a betrayal, if you had been my enemy." We expect that from our enemies. We have our guards up. We even plan on how to evade or avoid pain inflicted from people we distrust.
But when we have gone through those steps from acquaintance to friend to close or intimate relationship--when we have lived with our families through the joys and pains of birthdays, sicknesses, breakups, financial hardships and even the loss of shared loved ones, then the sting of betrayal bites deep, and hangs on.
So how do we get out of the grip of betrayal? How do we plan for and prevent the damage that can come from betrayal?
We all know what happens if we are exposed to freezing temperatures for too long—we can go into shock, lose parts of our extremities due to a lack of circulation, and become disoriented. We can find it very hard to make good decisions, and may generate risk-taking behaviors. We often aren't even aware that we are experiencing hypothermia. Our bodies tend to retreat into ourselves, and we just want to go to sleep. We want to be left alone. Left untreated, these conditions can lead to complete failure of our hearts.
Just as these are the physical symptoms of intense cold, I find these to be the spiritual symptoms we experience when we go into betrayal unprepared, without the right spiritual coats.
So how can we be prepared, or if we didn't start out prepared, if a lot of damage has already been done to us, what can we do to heal and bring our hearts back up to a healthy temperature?
We need to set our hearts on Jesus on His throne.
"Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory."
Col 1:1-4
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory."
Col 1:1-4
We must take our focus off of the physical circumstances that surround our betrayal, and refocus our thoughts and purposes on the absolute that Jesus is on the throne. He is Lord. He is in charge of it all, and can fully sort through and handle our situation. None of this has escaped His notice, and He isn't going to abandon you.
My husband is a general contractor. One year, and this is actually pretty common, we were taken advantage of by a very large contractor. We were never paid for most of the job, so we lost around $100,000. We still had to pay our employees and the subs.
I had a number of severe health emergencies at the time, surrounding my pregnancy, and we were also looking at high medical bills. My husband pleaded with the contractor to pay us, but he was unwilling. This lasted for a year of work, during which time we went into a year's worth of debt. This one was particularly hard. We needed to feed our family. It would have been so very easy to sink into hatred for this man who was causing all of us so much suffering.
But two things enabled me to get through that time until God would, really miraculously, deliver us out of all of those things.
Whenever I would become overwhelmed, which was multiple times a day, I would retreat in my soul right into Christ, and just hide there in Him. I would only allow myself to focus on His goodness surrounding and protecting me. I would focus on His Lordship and His power. There wasn't anything He couldn't do to protect me in my painful circumstances or to rescue me out of them. And in His good timing, He would do both.
My husband is a general contractor. One year, and this is actually pretty common, we were taken advantage of by a very large contractor. We were never paid for most of the job, so we lost around $100,000. We still had to pay our employees and the subs.
I had a number of severe health emergencies at the time, surrounding my pregnancy, and we were also looking at high medical bills. My husband pleaded with the contractor to pay us, but he was unwilling. This lasted for a year of work, during which time we went into a year's worth of debt. This one was particularly hard. We needed to feed our family. It would have been so very easy to sink into hatred for this man who was causing all of us so much suffering.
But two things enabled me to get through that time until God would, really miraculously, deliver us out of all of those things.
Whenever I would become overwhelmed, which was multiple times a day, I would retreat in my soul right into Christ, and just hide there in Him. I would only allow myself to focus on His goodness surrounding and protecting me. I would focus on His Lordship and His power. There wasn't anything He couldn't do to protect me in my painful circumstances or to rescue me out of them. And in His good timing, He would do both.
We need to bless.
My mother was a beautiful, godly woman, and she had taught us that the antidote to bitterness was praying blessing for our enemies. So we prayed. We prayed for God to bless this man. We prayed for God to bless his company. And we prayed for his salvation.
There have been times when betrayals are so deep that it is hard to pray for God's blessings for that person. In the case with the contractor, it really wasn't that hard. But at other times, it has been really difficult. It's hard for me when I feel that the betrayer doesn't deserve any blessing and it hurts to think that they would get good out of what they did to me. One thing that has made it easier for me is understanding the concept of blessing in the Bible.
You see, according to the Bible, when we give a blessing to someone who never does deserve it, in other words, they never repent, they never change, then the blessing can't “stick” to them. Instead, it comes back on our own heads to bless us even more. (Prov. 10:6; Proverbs 26:2, Matt 10:13). However, if they do change, we also are blessed because we are participating in Christ's work of salvation in their lives. Whatever they choose, we receive more blessing from God when we choose to bless.
There have been times when betrayals are so deep that it is hard to pray for God's blessings for that person. In the case with the contractor, it really wasn't that hard. But at other times, it has been really difficult. It's hard for me when I feel that the betrayer doesn't deserve any blessing and it hurts to think that they would get good out of what they did to me. One thing that has made it easier for me is understanding the concept of blessing in the Bible.
You see, according to the Bible, when we give a blessing to someone who never does deserve it, in other words, they never repent, they never change, then the blessing can't “stick” to them. Instead, it comes back on our own heads to bless us even more. (Prov. 10:6; Proverbs 26:2, Matt 10:13). However, if they do change, we also are blessed because we are participating in Christ's work of salvation in their lives. Whatever they choose, we receive more blessing from God when we choose to bless.
We need to be humble.
We need to realize who we used to be...and sometimes still struggle against going back to:
Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature:
immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.
Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.
You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.
But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these:
anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.
Col 3:5-8
immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.
Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.
You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.
But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these:
anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.
Col 3:5-8
When other people betray, sometimes it's truly unintentional. I can't tell you how often I have realized later the hurt I have caused other people without knowing or trying to. Life is full of misunderstandings and miscommunications. But it's also full of us messing up and giving into our own anger, rage, gossip, and even slander. Sometimes we have discovered ourselves to have been the betrayer and we have needed the mercy. I know that's certainly true in my life.
There was one time when someone I had very much trusted spoke some slanderous things about me to others and to me. It was a deeply painful experience.
After I drove away from this experience, I was telling the Lord how I felt about this. In front of me a vehicle was driving, and I noticed their bumper sticker: “The Armor of God,” it read. I laughed, and said, “Lord, which part?” He impressed on my heart that I needed the breastplate of His righteousness to guard my heart from the fiery arrows of accusation.
You see, the accusations that had been leveled at me included some things I had confessed to struggling against in a private prayer time with this person, as my trusted friend. It had even been leveled at me to prove their point: I had confessed that I struggled in this area, so what they were saying about me must be true.
This is how the devil likes to accuse us. He likes to take something that has some truth in it, expand it, and try to convince us that we are as far beyond redemption as he has made our case out to be.
I can't say that those accusations didn't continue to come back at me for some time, but I did find that as I placed the breastplate of the Lord's righteousness on my heart, that my value to and righteousness before God wasn't based on my own perfection and sinlessness, but rather on Jesus' own righteousness that He had given me.
Is it true that I struggle with temptations and sometimes give into them? Absolutely. In this particular case, whenever I neglected to apply the breastplate, I found myself back in pain and confusion. And when I was back in that pain, I would find that I would use my words to hurt my husband. I would accuse him of not protecting me. I would find ways that it was somehow his fault. I found that I would deeply hurt him, because I was hurting.
But while I don't practice sin on purpose, the reality is that my redemption and value is not based on those things that I've done that are under the blood of Christ. This took out a lot of the bite that the words had, and enabled me to deal with healing, as well as to see how I was perpetuating the hurt on to the next person in my life.
This part, seeing my own weakness, was crucial to seeing the pain of the person that had hurt me. It enabled me to hope for both compassion for myself as well as for them.
Admitting that we all have sinned and need God's forgiveness takes us to being able to forgive others for their shortcomings.
We need to forgive.
In Matthew 18 we find Jesus' story of servant forgiven of an enormous debt by his master, but then being unwilling to forgive his fellow servant the minor debt owed to himself.
When we forgive, it is a canceling of the debt. They don't need to pay it back. God will still judge, He will still sort it out, but I don't need to go exact my debt from them. I can leave it in the hands of a loving God who knows it all and is the only one who can figure out what is best.
I find that when I have forgiven someone, even sincerely, it can be easy to put the burden of their debt back on them when I am being tempted to relive the bitterness of the past. This is a symptom that I need to forgive again. To forgive as the Lord forgave me...completely, once and for all, and keeping no record.
When we forgive, it is a canceling of the debt. They don't need to pay it back. God will still judge, He will still sort it out, but I don't need to go exact my debt from them. I can leave it in the hands of a loving God who knows it all and is the only one who can figure out what is best.
I find that when I have forgiven someone, even sincerely, it can be easy to put the burden of their debt back on them when I am being tempted to relive the bitterness of the past. This is a symptom that I need to forgive again. To forgive as the Lord forgave me...completely, once and for all, and keeping no record.
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved,
clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love,
which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Col 3:12-14
clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love,
which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Col 3:12-14
We need to put on love
This one is both my favorite and the most important one of all, because practicing love in action is what finishes bringing a restoration.
There was one time where someone accused me, very inaccurately, of something that was very wrong. It was to the entire church, but privately, and without my presence, so that I couldn't deny it or set the matter straight.
The situation got worse as people called my husband, rather than me, to express deep disappointment in him for allowing me to get involved in what they were assuming I had.
It came to the point when I was crying out to the Lord, just for safety. When some people decided to confront us personally, I felt afraid. I got to my knees and prayed, asking God to protect me. Immediately I received a text that the person had fallen gravely ill and could not longer meet.
I hadn't anticipated God answering my prayer in that way. But I could also see that He was doing something better and deeper than I could have imagined. He had given me an opportunity to love my enemy.
My husband and I prayed about the situation, and decided to contribute financial help to them in their need. We sent a loving email, expressing our desire to help and pray for them during this time. We also prayed for their health, truly and sincerely hoping for God to somehow resolve the situation and restore the relationship.
God did heal them. But more than that, he healed our relationship. Without my having to defend myself in any way, they offered sincere and heartfelt apologies for the way they had treated the situation and the hurt they had caused us.
At that point, by forgiving, praying, blessing and choosing actions of love to them, our hearts were already following where we were putting our treasure, as Jesus promised (Matt 6:21). We wanted good for them, and we wanted a restored relationship.
This is the love that binds our hearts in unity in Jesus.
I can't say that every relationship and every betrayal has been restored in my life. I have a few that are achingly unfinished works God as far as what I can see. But I can say that following God's plan for staying warm in the freezing season of betrayal keeps my heart loving people and loving God. It clears my heart of the bitterness and anger and resentment that wants to set up its home inside of me. And it enables me to keep receiving the abundant love and mercy of God.
It keeps my heart warm.
There was one time where someone accused me, very inaccurately, of something that was very wrong. It was to the entire church, but privately, and without my presence, so that I couldn't deny it or set the matter straight.
The situation got worse as people called my husband, rather than me, to express deep disappointment in him for allowing me to get involved in what they were assuming I had.
It came to the point when I was crying out to the Lord, just for safety. When some people decided to confront us personally, I felt afraid. I got to my knees and prayed, asking God to protect me. Immediately I received a text that the person had fallen gravely ill and could not longer meet.
I hadn't anticipated God answering my prayer in that way. But I could also see that He was doing something better and deeper than I could have imagined. He had given me an opportunity to love my enemy.
My husband and I prayed about the situation, and decided to contribute financial help to them in their need. We sent a loving email, expressing our desire to help and pray for them during this time. We also prayed for their health, truly and sincerely hoping for God to somehow resolve the situation and restore the relationship.
God did heal them. But more than that, he healed our relationship. Without my having to defend myself in any way, they offered sincere and heartfelt apologies for the way they had treated the situation and the hurt they had caused us.
At that point, by forgiving, praying, blessing and choosing actions of love to them, our hearts were already following where we were putting our treasure, as Jesus promised (Matt 6:21). We wanted good for them, and we wanted a restored relationship.
This is the love that binds our hearts in unity in Jesus.
I can't say that every relationship and every betrayal has been restored in my life. I have a few that are achingly unfinished works God as far as what I can see. But I can say that following God's plan for staying warm in the freezing season of betrayal keeps my heart loving people and loving God. It clears my heart of the bitterness and anger and resentment that wants to set up its home inside of me. And it enables me to keep receiving the abundant love and mercy of God.
It keeps my heart warm.
Author
Halley Faville lives with her husband and children in their mountain home in Oregon.
As a homeschooling mother of 7 children, she enjoys spending her free time in language arts, music, art, and outdoor activities.
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