"Come here, Mom! I want to show you something." My nine-year-old son excitedly led me through the store to it’s electronics department.
"I’m a really good driver," he insisted. "Watch this game."
I smiled as he swerved, dodged and passed. And for a moment, I was transported into the future. Gee, I thought, it won’t be long and he’ll be 16!
We parents like to dream for our children: a solid relationship with Jesus, a good paying job one day, beautiful family, supernatural health, strength of character, and the list could go on. We even try to orchestrate their childhood in such a way that they will have the proper education, nutrition, relationship skills and whatever else it takes to cause them to have a hope and a future. We do our best to help them to develop a vision. In a similar way, God has developed a vision for us.
Sometimes God puts His desires for us in our hearts but doesn’t let us have them right away. Perhaps we dream of owning a business, or of doing some short-term mission work, or impacting our world in some other way. Just as your typical parent wouldn’t let their 9-year-old drive the family car, the Lord waits until we grow into the spiritual maturity to handle responsibilities that will bring a greater impact of blessings to more people – fulfilling that vision that He originally placed in our heart.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Monday, March 24, 2008
Heavenly Treasures
One of my favorite non-fiction authors is Rick Joyner, and one of many wonderful books that he has written is entitled, The Call. I was just really blessed by the insight of a particular character who, when asked what he saw when he looked at a prison yard full of people replied, "A great field of buried treasure." The young man’s reply left a rather memorable impression on me and there were several reasons why it spoke to me. But I think the primary one is that no matter how bad things look in the natural, God can turn it into a treasure. One of the most valuable questions that we can ask Him is, "Lord, what do you want to teach me through this?" If we can remember to do that then we will set ourselves up to receive added depth to our character and our relationship with Him. These treasures will position us to step into the meaningful future that He has planned for us, and enable us to remain faithful with it.
Hidden Treasure
Jesus speaks of a man who finds a hidden treasure in a field, sells all he has, and buys the field (Matt 13:44). And when I checked out the Greek word for treasure, (the New Testament was originally written in Greek) I discovered that the word could be used either literally or figuratively. So this wealth is not necessarily a monetary issue. While our greatest treasure will certainly be our personal relationship with Jesus, our relationship with those who love us is also a treasure. The talents and abilities that the Lord has put into each of us are treasures that we can use to express our love to Him. Also, encouraging one another in our giftings, or even helping one another to discover them are treasures that will change lives – perhaps even the world.
But it all begins with a personal relationship with Jesus. If we don’t have that, we don’t have the most valuable treasure of all. Without Jesus, we’re directionless, dejected and destitute. And laying up treasure in Heaven only begins with making Jesus the center of our lives. When the rich young ruler in Luke chapter 18 verses 18-23 asked what good thing he could do to have eternal life, the problem wasn’t the fact that the man was rich. It was his focus. His arrogance, pride, envy, and greedy lust for lots of stuff and cash cost him the greatest treasure of all. He thought he could do something to earn or buy his personal relationship with Jesus. He couldn’t understand that a healthy, real, relationship with God can’t be earned or purchased with human strategies. By the way, neither can God’s goodness - nor His grace, favor, forgiveness, peace nor any of His other blessings.
God’s Heart for World Changers
In the Gospel of John chapter 4 verse 23, Jesus tells the Samaritan woman that the Father is seeking people who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. The Greek word here also defines seeking as, "to go enquire", or "to seek after". So one could say that the Lord pursues people whom He knows He can trust and then grants them opportunities. Likewise, many are called but few are chosen (Matt. 20:16). The Greek word "called" can be defined as "appointed", and the word "chosen" as "favored" or "elect". And just because someone isn’t popular with men doesn’t mean that they aren’t favored of God. Consider David – who would have thought that the young shepherd boy would grow up to be a King? Or who would have thought that Joshua the spy would be the one to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land? Or that a typical, young, virgin, Jewish lady named Mary would be chosen to give birth to the Messiah. But just to name a few examples who are more "modern", Watchman Nee, a man born and raised in Communist China, was used by God to help many of his pagan countrymen realize their need for a personal relationship with Jesus. Luis Palau, born and raised in a small town in Argentina, has a worldwide ministry today. And the well-known Pastor Tony Evans started with a 10 member church right here in America about 30 years ago. Today his church has about 7000 members and his preaching is heard on about 500 stations internationally. These people, once a typical as you and I, were chosen by God to do great exploits because of their faithful, willing, obedient hearts. But we must always remember that to whom much is given, much is required. Or to put it another way, God is going to require an extraordinary depth of character in those whom He has chosen to do extraodinary things.
When we choose to lay our own plans at Jesus’ feet, and be willing to change them if we have a sense that He is asking us to do so, then we will not only store up treasures, but the Lord will also cause us to step into the fullness of the future that He has for us. We can start by simply choosing to ask Him, in a simple prayer, to be our personal Lord and Savior. And one day, we can look forward to hearing the treasured words in Matthew chapter 25 verse 21, "Well done good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord."
Hidden Treasure
Jesus speaks of a man who finds a hidden treasure in a field, sells all he has, and buys the field (Matt 13:44). And when I checked out the Greek word for treasure, (the New Testament was originally written in Greek) I discovered that the word could be used either literally or figuratively. So this wealth is not necessarily a monetary issue. While our greatest treasure will certainly be our personal relationship with Jesus, our relationship with those who love us is also a treasure. The talents and abilities that the Lord has put into each of us are treasures that we can use to express our love to Him. Also, encouraging one another in our giftings, or even helping one another to discover them are treasures that will change lives – perhaps even the world.
But it all begins with a personal relationship with Jesus. If we don’t have that, we don’t have the most valuable treasure of all. Without Jesus, we’re directionless, dejected and destitute. And laying up treasure in Heaven only begins with making Jesus the center of our lives. When the rich young ruler in Luke chapter 18 verses 18-23 asked what good thing he could do to have eternal life, the problem wasn’t the fact that the man was rich. It was his focus. His arrogance, pride, envy, and greedy lust for lots of stuff and cash cost him the greatest treasure of all. He thought he could do something to earn or buy his personal relationship with Jesus. He couldn’t understand that a healthy, real, relationship with God can’t be earned or purchased with human strategies. By the way, neither can God’s goodness - nor His grace, favor, forgiveness, peace nor any of His other blessings.
God’s Heart for World Changers
In the Gospel of John chapter 4 verse 23, Jesus tells the Samaritan woman that the Father is seeking people who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. The Greek word here also defines seeking as, "to go enquire", or "to seek after". So one could say that the Lord pursues people whom He knows He can trust and then grants them opportunities. Likewise, many are called but few are chosen (Matt. 20:16). The Greek word "called" can be defined as "appointed", and the word "chosen" as "favored" or "elect". And just because someone isn’t popular with men doesn’t mean that they aren’t favored of God. Consider David – who would have thought that the young shepherd boy would grow up to be a King? Or who would have thought that Joshua the spy would be the one to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land? Or that a typical, young, virgin, Jewish lady named Mary would be chosen to give birth to the Messiah. But just to name a few examples who are more "modern", Watchman Nee, a man born and raised in Communist China, was used by God to help many of his pagan countrymen realize their need for a personal relationship with Jesus. Luis Palau, born and raised in a small town in Argentina, has a worldwide ministry today. And the well-known Pastor Tony Evans started with a 10 member church right here in America about 30 years ago. Today his church has about 7000 members and his preaching is heard on about 500 stations internationally. These people, once a typical as you and I, were chosen by God to do great exploits because of their faithful, willing, obedient hearts. But we must always remember that to whom much is given, much is required. Or to put it another way, God is going to require an extraordinary depth of character in those whom He has chosen to do extraodinary things.
When we choose to lay our own plans at Jesus’ feet, and be willing to change them if we have a sense that He is asking us to do so, then we will not only store up treasures, but the Lord will also cause us to step into the fullness of the future that He has for us. We can start by simply choosing to ask Him, in a simple prayer, to be our personal Lord and Savior. And one day, we can look forward to hearing the treasured words in Matthew chapter 25 verse 21, "Well done good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord."
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Our God is a Poet
When I think of Old Testament poetry, the first book that comes to my mind is the book of Psalms. Now someone might say, "Psalms? That’s more like Israel’s hymnal than it is poetry." But let’s face it, the writings we tend to remember best in our culture are song lyrics – and lyrics often begin as poems. Poetry is often used to help young school children remember things such as the number of days in a month, (30 days has September…) important dates in history such as, "In fourteen hundred ninety two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue", and other important concepts. Just as we use poetry as a tool in this culture, the poetic books were used in Israel’s culture to help them to remember their history, the character of their God, and His directives for how to live in a way that’s pleasing to Him.
Recognizing Redemption
The Lord also used these "poems set to music" as a way to speak to Israel about the arrival of their Messiah. Here are a few specific examples:
Psalm 2:7 highlights the Messiah as God’s son (compare with Matt.3:17, Acts 13:33-34)
Psalm 78:1-2 states that the Messiah would often teach using parables (see also Matt. 13:35)
Psalm 22 speaks of how Messiah would die (compare with Mark 15:33-39)
Psalm 45 highlights Messiah’s victory over evil (compare to Revelation 1:5-8 and Revelation 19:11-16)
There are many other messianic prophecies, but these will create an outline to illustrate how our God often uses poetry to express His desire to have a personal relationship with us and the extent to which He will go to make it happen. All we have to do is confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord (the promised Messiah) and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead. (Romans 10:9-10) And this particular scripture would highlight one of the major differences between Christianity and other religions. Buddha was not raised from the dead, nor was Mohammed, nor Joseph Smith (founder of Mormons), nor Charles Taze Russell (founder of Jehovah’s Witness / Watchtower society), nor any other alleged "prophet of God". Jesus warned us that many false prophets would rise up and deceive many (Matt 24:11). But it’s Jesus alone who was raised from the dead as payment for every sin ever committed. In Acts 4:8-13 the Apostle Peter testified to his fellow Jews that it’s Jesus alone who is able to deliver people from an eternity of suffering, shame and misery. And within that testimony, Peter quoted Psalm 118:22 as proof that Jesus is the Messiah – a Psalm that he would have learned as a boy in the Jewish culture.
Another important difference between Christianity and other religions is that Christians worship one God who offers forgiveness for all sins. All other religions require their followers to work for their forgiveness. In addition, they are required to perform good works in order to get into Heaven, though Heaven might be renamed something like Paradise, Nirvana or "achieving godhood". Now at first glance, working for forgiveness and working to get into Heaven might seem like the same thing. But it’s not. Earning repentance and earning a reward are two different things. But for Christians, it’s Jesus’ shed blood that grants us access into Heaven and a loving, Heavenly Father who hears and answers our prayers (Jeremiah 33:3). And we do our good works as an expression of our love and gratitude to Jesus – a free, joyous gift to Him: A way to worship Him in spirit and in truth.
Reinforcing Relationship
Another important concept that the Apostle Peter pointed out to his fellow Jews was that God’s promise of a personal relationship with Him is for anyone who will accept it (Acts 2:38-39). This being the case, that would make anyone accepting it a part of His chosen people – because He becomes our God. So we get to be grafted in (Romans 11:13-20). As those who are grafted in, we become eligible for the same plethora of promises proclaimed through out His Word. And the promises demonstrate His character.
Even in this culture we make promises to those with whom we desire to have some kind of relationship. For example, businesses sign contracts, credit card companies have people sign an agreement to terms, banks have borrowers sign an agreement, even a bride and groom make promises or vows to one another in front of witnesses.
In the same way, the Lord has made promises to His people and He put them in writing in the Bible. In fact, Jesus compares our relationship with Him to the relationship between a husband and a wife in many places throughout the Word. And anyone who’s been married for a while knows that a good, lasting marriage relationship requires effort. Many people want to put all the effort into the wedding rather than the marriage. If we rarely spent time with our spouse and we only communicated occasionally, there wouldn’t be much of a relationship there. While our spouse might respond when we mentioned a need or want, a relationship that lacked time together and communication would be somehow unfulfilling – sort of empty and irrelevant. But when we begin discovering our Spouse’s (Jesus’) interests, His likes and dislikes, we begin to see the beauty of our Spouse’s character. That beauty is laid out in every promise in His Word.
One of the most beautiful representations of the analogy of our wife and husband relationship with Jesus is the poetic book, Song of Solomon. It gives us an example of just how deep Jesus’ love for us runs and how much He enjoys us – His people. It gives us a glimpse of how he sees us in spite of our imperfections. Just as the lover in Song of Solomon looks past the flaw of the Shulamite woman’s tanned skin and sees the beauty of who she is, ( Song 1:5-10) Jesus looks fondly on a heart that is devoted to Him.
Reaching the Races
One of my favorite promises is in Jeremiah 29:11. "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." The reason that I like this promise so much is because it shows me that the Lord has vision for my life – a destiny. And since I know He’s all-powerful (Matthew 19:26, able to finish what He starts (Phil 1:6), and loves me beyond my ability to
comprehend it (Jer. 31:3), I know He’ll be faithful. Of course these promises (as well as many other promises) apply to anyone who has accepted Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. He has a plan for each of us as individuals, and a collective plan for us as His bride (the church). As we experience the joy of going where He leads us and using the talents He’s given us, we get to have the privilege of helping to add to His Kingdom. If we’re not experiencing joy, we need to ask Him why – He might be calling us to do something other than what we’re doing.
As we step into the giftings and talents that He has given to each of us, He will empower us to share with others the great things that He has done for us. He will extend His power to us and bring opportunities to us to share with others what we have learned about His character through each book that makes up the Bible. Each book shows us something different about the depth of who he is. And as we pray and take the time to listen for Him to speak to us through His Word, He will show us His heart – just as any husband longs to share his heart with his wife in a healthy, Christian marriage. Likewise, he will desire to hear his wife share her heart with him as well.
As we continue to make a point of communicating with our Lover in prayer and take the time to listen for His voice through His word, we will not only see that He is a poet, but we’ll see the deeper things too. Such as catching a deeper revelation of His unconditional, undying love for us – and gaining deeper insight into who we are becoming in Him.
Recognizing Redemption
The Lord also used these "poems set to music" as a way to speak to Israel about the arrival of their Messiah. Here are a few specific examples:
Psalm 2:7 highlights the Messiah as God’s son (compare with Matt.3:17, Acts 13:33-34)
Psalm 78:1-2 states that the Messiah would often teach using parables (see also Matt. 13:35)
Psalm 22 speaks of how Messiah would die (compare with Mark 15:33-39)
Psalm 45 highlights Messiah’s victory over evil (compare to Revelation 1:5-8 and Revelation 19:11-16)
There are many other messianic prophecies, but these will create an outline to illustrate how our God often uses poetry to express His desire to have a personal relationship with us and the extent to which He will go to make it happen. All we have to do is confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord (the promised Messiah) and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead. (Romans 10:9-10) And this particular scripture would highlight one of the major differences between Christianity and other religions. Buddha was not raised from the dead, nor was Mohammed, nor Joseph Smith (founder of Mormons), nor Charles Taze Russell (founder of Jehovah’s Witness / Watchtower society), nor any other alleged "prophet of God". Jesus warned us that many false prophets would rise up and deceive many (Matt 24:11). But it’s Jesus alone who was raised from the dead as payment for every sin ever committed. In Acts 4:8-13 the Apostle Peter testified to his fellow Jews that it’s Jesus alone who is able to deliver people from an eternity of suffering, shame and misery. And within that testimony, Peter quoted Psalm 118:22 as proof that Jesus is the Messiah – a Psalm that he would have learned as a boy in the Jewish culture.
Another important difference between Christianity and other religions is that Christians worship one God who offers forgiveness for all sins. All other religions require their followers to work for their forgiveness. In addition, they are required to perform good works in order to get into Heaven, though Heaven might be renamed something like Paradise, Nirvana or "achieving godhood". Now at first glance, working for forgiveness and working to get into Heaven might seem like the same thing. But it’s not. Earning repentance and earning a reward are two different things. But for Christians, it’s Jesus’ shed blood that grants us access into Heaven and a loving, Heavenly Father who hears and answers our prayers (Jeremiah 33:3). And we do our good works as an expression of our love and gratitude to Jesus – a free, joyous gift to Him: A way to worship Him in spirit and in truth.
Reinforcing Relationship
Another important concept that the Apostle Peter pointed out to his fellow Jews was that God’s promise of a personal relationship with Him is for anyone who will accept it (Acts 2:38-39). This being the case, that would make anyone accepting it a part of His chosen people – because He becomes our God. So we get to be grafted in (Romans 11:13-20). As those who are grafted in, we become eligible for the same plethora of promises proclaimed through out His Word. And the promises demonstrate His character.
Even in this culture we make promises to those with whom we desire to have some kind of relationship. For example, businesses sign contracts, credit card companies have people sign an agreement to terms, banks have borrowers sign an agreement, even a bride and groom make promises or vows to one another in front of witnesses.
In the same way, the Lord has made promises to His people and He put them in writing in the Bible. In fact, Jesus compares our relationship with Him to the relationship between a husband and a wife in many places throughout the Word. And anyone who’s been married for a while knows that a good, lasting marriage relationship requires effort. Many people want to put all the effort into the wedding rather than the marriage. If we rarely spent time with our spouse and we only communicated occasionally, there wouldn’t be much of a relationship there. While our spouse might respond when we mentioned a need or want, a relationship that lacked time together and communication would be somehow unfulfilling – sort of empty and irrelevant. But when we begin discovering our Spouse’s (Jesus’) interests, His likes and dislikes, we begin to see the beauty of our Spouse’s character. That beauty is laid out in every promise in His Word.
One of the most beautiful representations of the analogy of our wife and husband relationship with Jesus is the poetic book, Song of Solomon. It gives us an example of just how deep Jesus’ love for us runs and how much He enjoys us – His people. It gives us a glimpse of how he sees us in spite of our imperfections. Just as the lover in Song of Solomon looks past the flaw of the Shulamite woman’s tanned skin and sees the beauty of who she is, ( Song 1:5-10) Jesus looks fondly on a heart that is devoted to Him.
Reaching the Races
One of my favorite promises is in Jeremiah 29:11. "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." The reason that I like this promise so much is because it shows me that the Lord has vision for my life – a destiny. And since I know He’s all-powerful (Matthew 19:26, able to finish what He starts (Phil 1:6), and loves me beyond my ability to
comprehend it (Jer. 31:3), I know He’ll be faithful. Of course these promises (as well as many other promises) apply to anyone who has accepted Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. He has a plan for each of us as individuals, and a collective plan for us as His bride (the church). As we experience the joy of going where He leads us and using the talents He’s given us, we get to have the privilege of helping to add to His Kingdom. If we’re not experiencing joy, we need to ask Him why – He might be calling us to do something other than what we’re doing.
As we step into the giftings and talents that He has given to each of us, He will empower us to share with others the great things that He has done for us. He will extend His power to us and bring opportunities to us to share with others what we have learned about His character through each book that makes up the Bible. Each book shows us something different about the depth of who he is. And as we pray and take the time to listen for Him to speak to us through His Word, He will show us His heart – just as any husband longs to share his heart with his wife in a healthy, Christian marriage. Likewise, he will desire to hear his wife share her heart with him as well.
As we continue to make a point of communicating with our Lover in prayer and take the time to listen for His voice through His word, we will not only see that He is a poet, but we’ll see the deeper things too. Such as catching a deeper revelation of His unconditional, undying love for us – and gaining deeper insight into who we are becoming in Him.
Monday, March 10, 2008
A Few Fast Facts on Fats
By now most of us have heard or read somewhere that trans fats and saturated fats are some of the worst things for arteries and cholesterol levels. Some of us may even be aware that monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are very beneficial. It seems like anything that’s cooked and tastes good has fat – the more the tastier. But is fat really a necessary part of our diet? If so, why?
I think one of the most interesting facts about fat is that the body is not able to produce it’s own fatty acids. That may also be one of the most annoying facts. I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather blame that five pound gain on genetics than chocolate cake. The good news is that there are certain oils and foods that can be used in place of the bad stuff on those days when we actually feel like exercising the necessary self-control for making healthy choices.
Putting the right fats into our bodies does not, unfortunately, eliminate the need for exercise. But when eaten in moderation, they will increase our energy level, boost the body’s ability to protect vital organs, keep us warm, help hormone production, and promote healthy skin and hair. The trick is to do enough exercise that a healthy weight is maintained – because good fats can cause weight gain if we don’t. At least 30 minutes of daily exercise is ideal. Some of the best forms include brisk walking, hiking, biking (or a stationary bike), swimming and dancing. And it doesn’t have to be done in one thirty minute block. For example, 15 minutes on lunch break and 15 minutes before dinner is also beneficial – and sometimes more doable in our busy lives.
A few changes that we can incorporate into our diets that will yield healthy results are:
I think one of the most interesting facts about fat is that the body is not able to produce it’s own fatty acids. That may also be one of the most annoying facts. I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather blame that five pound gain on genetics than chocolate cake. The good news is that there are certain oils and foods that can be used in place of the bad stuff on those days when we actually feel like exercising the necessary self-control for making healthy choices.
Putting the right fats into our bodies does not, unfortunately, eliminate the need for exercise. But when eaten in moderation, they will increase our energy level, boost the body’s ability to protect vital organs, keep us warm, help hormone production, and promote healthy skin and hair. The trick is to do enough exercise that a healthy weight is maintained – because good fats can cause weight gain if we don’t. At least 30 minutes of daily exercise is ideal. Some of the best forms include brisk walking, hiking, biking (or a stationary bike), swimming and dancing. And it doesn’t have to be done in one thirty minute block. For example, 15 minutes on lunch break and 15 minutes before dinner is also beneficial – and sometimes more doable in our busy lives.
A few changes that we can incorporate into our diets that will yield healthy results are:
- Olive oil in place of lard, bacon grease or corn oil
- Whole wheat bread in place of white bread
- Whole wheat flour in place of white flour
- Whole wheat pasta in place of white pasta
- Skim milk in place of whole milk or 2% milk
- Smart Balance in place of butter or margarine
- Ground turkey in place of hamburger
- Chicken in place of beef or pork
While this is not a complete list of changes that can be made, they are a few fast facts that can be applied for the sake of maintaining (or getting one step closer to) the blessing of a healthy body.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Determined to Love
One of my favorite hobbies is hiking. And it just so happens that it’s a favorite hobby for my husband Gary too. God often speaks to us through the artistry of His handiwork, and He gave us a beautiful and powerful picture of a love that’s determined to stay committed. As we walked, I noticed a rock partially embedded in the side of a huge hill and pointed it out to my husband. The top of the rock was covered with dirt, and a couple of intertwined and healthy flowers grew out of it. The Lord began to speak to us about the value of having Christ our Rock as our foundation.
When life’s storms of economic woes, health care scares, and job instability cause us to feel the effects of being dumped on with an erosion of difficulties, it’s only the rock solid love of our personal relationship with Jesus that will cause us (and a marriage) to survive and flourish. We must pull together – or we will pull apart. When we make a choice to run to God by spending more time in His Word, laying our concerns at His feet with our prayers, and determining to continue in our worship of Him, He will cause us to overcome because of the power of His blood and the word of our testimony. Keeping our focus on Jesus is where we will find true peace, love joy, and hope for the future.
When life’s storms of economic woes, health care scares, and job instability cause us to feel the effects of being dumped on with an erosion of difficulties, it’s only the rock solid love of our personal relationship with Jesus that will cause us (and a marriage) to survive and flourish. We must pull together – or we will pull apart. When we make a choice to run to God by spending more time in His Word, laying our concerns at His feet with our prayers, and determining to continue in our worship of Him, He will cause us to overcome because of the power of His blood and the word of our testimony. Keeping our focus on Jesus is where we will find true peace, love joy, and hope for the future.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)