Reflection and Redirection

I'm off this week (the benefit of taking only one other vacation day the whole year) and since nearly all of my family and friends are working, I'm spending a lot of time alone this week. I've done some post-holiday shopping, a little cleaning around the house, took down all the Christmas decorations last night, did some laundry, etc. No major plans this week except for our extended family Christmas celebration on Friday.

With lots of free time on my hands, I've done some reflecting on 2004. It's been a year of a lot of changes in my personal life. A few friendships have gone through radical changes, one friend got married, a couple of friends moved away. I've been able to travel to some really fun places this year--Las Vegas, Chicago, Mexico. I learned to snorkel. My house survived Hurricane Ivan (for which I'm extremely grateful). I started this blog, which has given me the desire to do more writing.

While a lot of blessings have come my way this year, it's easy for me to get bogged down thinking about the things that didn't work out the way I wanted them to. There are some areas that I feel I've made strides in, then I have some setback that makes me feel like I'm back to square one. I'm finding it hard to let go of some dreams I've had--I continually find myself asking God to unpry my hands from those dreams I'm wrapped around in order to be free to grasp what He wants for me.

As I reflect on this past year, I'm also thinking about the coming year. I'm not big into "New Year's Resolutions"--I never seem to be able to stick to those more than a month or so--but I am a big dreamer. While the calendar's still blank and fresh days lie ahead, it's tempting to make grandiose plans for 2005.

But this year I want to focus more on God's plans for my year. I want Him to direct my path. I want to spend more time asking Him what He wants from me and less time telling Him what I want from Him.

I want to surrender completely to His plans for my life. That's a very scary, and very thrilling, proposition. How different will my life be a year from now? More importantly, how different will my heart be? I'll keep you posted...

Throwing Up the White Flag

Just when I thought I had things figured out…Something Unexpected happens. Not something bad, necessarily. On the surface, it appears to be a good thing. To be honest, I’m not sure if it’s a blessing or a counterfeit.

I find myself overanalyzing the situation, as I have a tendency to do. I wonder if this is a circumstance engineered by God, or if it’s Satan in disguise, or if it’s just some random thing. I’m not sure if there are ever any random events, so maybe choice #3 is out. But perhaps I’m just reading too much into this, thinking it out WAY too much. Wouldn’t be the first time…

You know that “Be still and know that I am God” passage? I’ve memorized it, but the words have trouble seeping from my brain into my heart at times. Tonight’s one of those nights. My mind wants to run rampant trying to figure out to the nth degree what’s going on and what’s happened and what’s going to happen.

Maybe all that’s happened is God calling me to sit down and shut up for one second and be with Him. Not that He’ll instantly give me answers (the passage says to be still and know that He is God, not be still and He’ll impart to you the fullness of His knowledge and plans for the universe), but maybe it’s time for me to just throw up my hands and surrender in recognition of His omniscience and wisdom that far, far exceed mine.

No Exchanges, No Returns

After a day of celebrating Christmas with family and friends, opening presents and eating way too much food, many people will spend today practicing yet another Christmas ritual: the gift return. Thankfully, I won’t have to return any of my gifts this year, but there are thousands, perhaps millions, of people will be crowding the stores today to return gifts that were the wrong size, wrong model, or the wrong taste.

I’ve been there. There have been many times throughout my life when I’ve received Christmas or birthday gifts that just didn’t suit me for one reason or another, and I’ve spent my fair share of time in the customer service line at stores waiting to exchange my gift for something I liked better. We all have our own ideas about what we think would be the perfect gift for us and bring us great happiness.

God’s the Master Gift-Giver. He’s given me more gifts of material, relational, and spiritual blessings than I can count. But I’ll be honest, there are times when I’ve wanted to return some of the things He’s given me. Some things (and even some people) that He’s brought into my life haven’t always seemed like gifts to me. From time to time I find myself wishing Heaven had a customer service line that I could go to and make an exchange for a blessing that I thought would better suit me.

I’ve also asked for certain blessings, and for whatever reason, He has not brought those to me. Perhaps now is not the time for those, or perhaps He has even greater blessings in store for me. But sometimes I act like God’s some cosmic Santa Claus whose lap I can sit on and recite my wish list, and if I’ve been “good” then I’ll get what I’m asking for. Doesn’t work that way!

I have to remember that God knows far, far better than I do what I need and what would best benefit me. Romans 11:33-36 sums up how far our understanding is from God:

“Oh, the depth and the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.”

Because there are times when I don’t like what God’s given me, it helps for me to be reminded that God’s gifts are truly good:

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17

“Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks you for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” Matthew 7:9-11

“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” Romans 8:32

God chooses to bless us in different ways. My parents don’t usually give me and my sister totally identical gifts every Christmas. They know we have different tastes, different preferences when it comes to colors and scents and interests.

Likewise, God knows us intimately, and knows what gifts are best for each of us. It’s common for me to want to exchange certain aspects of my life for someone else’s, but that could be disastrous if God allowed those exchanges. What is a great blessing for you could turn out to be a curse for me. It really is a good thing that God has a no-return policy on what He brings into our lives.

Finally, even the curses that Satan tries to bring upon us (the lumps of coal, if you will) can be turned into blessings by God. Romans 8:28 speaks of how God is able to cause all things to work out for our good. Notice that’s ALL things—not just the good things, not just the convenient things. There’s nothing that comes our way, good or bad, that God cannot use in our lives for His glory.

While it’s great to be able to simply enjoy the Christmas gifts I got yesterday and not have to return any of them, I’m trying to have that same attitude with my life. I want to truly enjoy all the gifts God’s given me, the life He’s given me, and not spend so much time trying to make an exchange.

For to Us A Child Is Born

Isaiah 9:2-7

2 The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.
3 You have enlarged the nation
and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest,
as men rejoice
when dividing the plunder.
4 For as in the day of Midian's defeat,
you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor.
5 Every warrior's boot used in battle
and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,
will be fuel for the fire.
6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David's throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this.


Merry Christmas!

Lisa

How's Your Life Going?

This morning I read the book of Haggai. It's a short book (3 chapters) near the end of the Old Testament. A little background first: The Israelites had been conquered by the Babylonians and taken into exile in Babylon. Babylon was subsequently conquered by Persia, and the king of Persia, Cyrus, had allowed the Israelites to return to Jerusalem to rebuild their temple. Although they completed the foundation of the temple, neighboring nations grew fearful that Israel would return to power and they opposed the building of the temple, eventually bringing reconstruction to a halt for several years.

Haggai was a prophet who delivered God's call for His people to rebuild the temple. I'll pick up Haggai's message in 1:3-11: "Then the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: 'Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?'

Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: 'Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.'

This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'Give careful thought to your ways. Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,' says the Lord. 'You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?' declares the Lord Almighty. 'Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house. Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the oil and whatever the ground produces, on men and cattle, and on the labor of your hands."

The Israelites had abandoned the call to rebuild the temple, out of fear and maybe other reasons. But they were suffering the consequences of poor crops and drought because they were in violation of God's command.

Now...give careful thoughts to your own ways. How are YOU doing? How's your life going? Do things seem to be falling apart, one thing after another? If so, have you considered that it may be because there is something that God has called you to do that you are ignoring?

Now, sometimes bad things happen to good people, bad things that are not brought on by disobedience or sin, and good things seem to happen to bad people. God causes the sun to rise on the good and the evil, and the rain to fall on the righteous as well as the unrighteous (Matt. 5:45). But the bottom line here is that when we are disobedient, ignoring or abandoning God's call to us, we suffer the consequences.

It's easy to let fear stop us from pursuing God's plan for us, and we use that as what seems to be a good excuse. But God didn't let Israel get away with that. Even though their neighbors threatened and frightened them to the point where they abandoned the plan to rebuild the temple, God did not allow them to hide behind that excuse of fear.

The good news is, God reminded Israel that He was with them, that He was always with them, and thus they had no reason to fear opposition from other nations. Furthermore, He promised that if they obeyed His call to finish rebuilding the temple, He would bring about great blessings.

"This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,' says the Lord Almighty. 'The silver is mine and the gold is mine,' declares the Lord Almighty. 'The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,' says the Lord Almighty. 'And in this place I will grant peace,' declares the Lord Almighty." (Haggai 3: 6-9)

Notice that God promised Israel that, if they obeyed Him, He would make the temple even more glorious than it had been when it was originally built. He also promised to bring peace to them. The Israelites did get back to work on the temple, completing its construction in 516 B.C.

Isn't it awesome that even after we flagrantly disobey God, when we return to Him and are obedient, He will cause His glory to shine even brighter in us? There is also great peace that comes to us through our obedience to Him.

If you’ve been running from something that God is calling you to do, don’t wait for everything to fall apart around you before you act. Don't use fear as an excuse. Trust that whatever God is calling you to do, He will enable you to do for His glory to be shone.

Fellowship, Continued

A follow-up to my previous article on fellowship:

In Sunday school this morning we read from I Samuel 8-12, and though I'd studied it several times before there was one verse that jumped out at me that I'd never noticed.

I Sam. 10:26: "When Saul returned to his home at Gibeah, a band of men whose hearts God had touched became his constant companions." (NLT)

Saul had just been announced as the new king of Israel by Samuel. Most men would probably have been thrilled to be selected as king. The Israelites had been pushing for a king, and no doubt there were many men who, either secretly or publicly, imagined themselves in that role. Saul, on the other hand, had a very different reaction. His inclination was to run and hide among the baggage during his coming out party (see vs. 22). Perhaps he was overwhelmed by the thought of being the go-to guy for Israel. Maybe he had a sense of the impending pressure and expectations he would face. It seems that the fear of taking charge of the kingdom outweighed the honor.

Perhaps that's why God surrounded Saul with a group of men who He had hand selected to serve as companions to Saul. I'm not sure how long that band of men stayed together; it's not long before Saul starts a downward spiral into disobedience and ultimately paranoia and murderous rampages. Most likely there was a great lack of Godly wisdom and companionship in Saul's later years.

God-ordained fellowship seems to be very important throughout the Bible. David had Jonathan as his brother in friendship. Jesus did not need fellowship on Earth to keep Him from sinning, but He still chose to call men to serve with Him as an integral part of His ministry. In Ecclesiastes 4, Solomon speaks of the benefits of two walking and working together in harmony.

But to me, the most exciting talk about fellowships in the Bible is the revelation that we can have fellowship with GOD.

“We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ.” (I John 1:3, NIV)

How mind-boggling is that?? To know that I can commune with the Creator of the universe just blows me away sometimes.

As far as human fellowship goes, I've prayed many times before for more friends. But I'm changing my prayers now to seek not necessarily a higher quantity of friendships, but a deeper quality of friendships. I think the fellowships I’m seeking have to come from God, not manufactured by me. And that’s really what makes the fellowships I already have so special, knowing that it was God who brought our hearts together.

I think the story of Saul's divine appointment as king and God placing companions in his life drives home to me the importance of having men and women who provide the support, encouragement and honesty that I need. I think we all need that, no matter how "far" we go in life. I don't think we always realize that need, however.

Seeking True Fellowship

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the quality of various friendships in my life. There are friendships, and then there are fellowships. Friendships can be based on anything—a common interest or hobby, work, our taste in music or movies. Fellowship, on the other hand, is based around a common goal, even if the parties don’t have much in common as far as background or interests go. Some friendships can be quite shallow and hollow if they’re only centered around watching movies together. A fellowship goes deeper; it seems to be more soul-driven than flesh-driven.

There are certain fellow Christians in my life with whom I have friendship, but not really fellowship. Sometimes after hanging out with them, I find myself wondering what the purpose of that time together was, how what we did or said glorified God. And I wonder: am I expecting too much from them?

I don’t necessarily expect that every time I meet with a fellow Christian, we’re going to crack open our Bibles or launch into prayer. But there are some Christians with whom I have a deeper connection, and our talk just seems to naturally turn toward Christ, whether we consciously intend to or not. Those particular friendships inspire me, encourage me, spur me on “toward love and good deeds” (Heb. 10:24).

I know that, as Christians, we are not called to separate ourselves physically from the world but to use our influence as Christians in the world. But what about being around fellow Christians who don’t make me feel more Christ-like. Should I limit my time with them, or should I use my Godly influence on them as well?

Please don’t think that I've got this holier-than-thou attitude—there are many, countless times every single day when my words and actions are sinful and fall far short of honoring God. But as I strive to become more like Christ, I want to be around people who have that same goal. So when I encounter fellow Christians who do not act like they want to be more like Christ, should I avoid them? Or am I setting my expections too high?

Lessons from Hannah

This past Sunday our class began a study of I & II Samuel. We spent the first week in I Samuel 1-2, focusing on Hannah’s prayers for a child and on Eli’s wicked sons. There are a couple of points I was reminded of in our study that help me in my prayer life, and I thought I’d share them with you.

First, timing is key. Consider the timing of Hannah and Eli’s trials. Hannah was childless, and longed for a son. Eli had sons, but they were wicked and God was planning to destroy them. Eli needed someone to succeed him as priest, to carry on the service of God and minister to the people of Israel.

Had Hannah not suffered years of heartache over her longing for a child, she might not have come to the point where her heart was turned towards God with a willingness to dedicate her firstborn to His service. The birth of Samuel was more than just fulfilling a childless woman’s dream. He would become the successor to Eli, fulfilling a role that Eli’s own sons could not.

Timing remains a key element of our prayers. Many times I pray for good, Godly things, but become frustrated when those prayers seem to go unanswered. How often I forget that God’s timing is never late, always perfect. And usually what I’m asking for affects other people’s lives in some way, too. Sometimes God has to work in several other lives in order to bring about fulfillment of prayer in another’s, and that takes time as well.

Second, this prayer was answered for the glory of God. Hannah’s vow to dedicate her firstborn to God was not some last-ditch effort to coerce God into giving her a child. Back in those days, vows were considered extremely heavy-duty stuff. (By the way, God still considers vows to be serious business, but we tend to take them pretty lightly these days.)

Hannah would not have made her vow if she did not intend to follow through on it. When friends and family came by to admire newborn Samuel and wonder out loud about what his future held, surely Hannah told them that he would be serving with Eli. Word probably quickly spread through the town that Hannah was willing to give up this long-awaited child. When visitors to the tabernacle saw little Samuel helping Eli, they knew that this child was special, set apart for God.

Our prayers are always answered in a way that God is glorified. Some answers make it easier to recognize that glory than others. But God is not in the business of answering our prayers in a way that always makes us happy. It’s not about us—another difficult thing for me to remember at times! We were created to glorify God. Our lives are meant to be living, breathing testimonies of His attributes--His love, His mercy, His power.

When certain prayers are not answered in the way I want them to be, it’s easy to get discouraged. But I have to remember that sometimes what I ask for, while good, may not be what’s best for bringing God glory. God dreams so much bigger than we do. We’re so willing to settle for less than what He truly wants to give us. Hannah only asked for one child; God ended up giving her five more after Samuel. Don’t you know that Hannah couldn’t help but tell other people she met about how God had worked in her life?

The greatest testimonies I can give of God meeting my needs or blessing my life usually come about as the result of some trial I go through. I think we tend to be more appreciative, and more willing to give God the glory, when He comes through for us under seemingly impossible circumstances.

Hope these reminders enrich your prayer life today.

Long-Distance Dedication

I love music (who doesn’t, really?). If you ever pull up next to me at a traffic light you’ll probably see me dancing and singing along to the radio, looking like a fool and not caring that you and a bunch of other people are watching. Maybe I’ll give you a good laugh that brightens your day, who knows?

I think music is a very powerful gift that touches our souls. I love words, I’m a sucker for a well-written line, so a song with a beautiful melody and intelligent lyrics is heavenly to me. Maybe that’s why the book of Psalms is one of my favorites in the Bible. The words are so exquisitely written; I can’t wait to hear the accompanying melodies one day. Maybe David will take out his harp and sing for us.

Have you ever been in a certain mood, unable to really fully express it yourself, and you hear a song that perfectly captures what you’re feeling? It’s like the song was written especially for you.

There are a couple of songs that have been “my” songs the last year or so. One is “If You Want Me To” by Ginny Owens; the other is “I Still Believe” by Jeremy Camp. I cannot tell you the number of times that I’ve been discouraged, needing some encouragement when one of those songs came on the radio. It’s totally God.

It happened again tonight on my drive home from work. I wasn’t really feeling discouraged, but feeling stressed about work and some other things going on. There are certain answers I’m seeking and God hasn’t revealed them to me, and that’s been frustrating to deal with. But on my way home I was listening to the radio and “If You Want Me To” came on, as if God had phoned in a long-distance dedication just for Lisa. Pretty awesome.

No Small Sacrifice

I have a cold. I woke up literally every hour last night because I couldn’t breathe through my nose; I’m too tired to hang out with my friends watching football tonight as originally planned; and I’m ready to nominate the person who invented Puffs Plus for a Nobel Prize of some sort. All in all, it’s not the most pleasant experience, but it could be worse, and it’s just a part of life that everyone has to suffer through at some point.

With the sights and sounds of Christmas following us at every turn, we celebrate the fact that Jesus traded His heavenly reign for an earthly life. I started thinking about how many typical life events we suffer through that Jesus likely experienced. Surely He had at least one cold, a stomachache, diaper rash, a stubbed toe. As a carpenter, he most likely suffered His fair share of splinters and cuts. Maybe His joints ached. The Bible makes it clear that Jesus was not simply some deity disguised as a man (i.e., not feeling any pain or suffering); He WAS a man.

“You attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Phil. 2:5-8)

“Since the children have flesh and blood, he [Jesus] too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” (Heb. 2:14-18)

Sometimes I forget what a sacrifice it was for Jesus to leave Heaven to live on Earth. To trade the ultimate perfection for utter filth, corruption, danger. To endure not just the physical suffering of the crucifixion, but the much greater agony of being separated from the Father, and not because of any sin He committed, but because of our sins.

Most incredible of all is to consider that Jesus sacrificed all this—His very life--for us! For you. For me. He could have chosen to stay in Heaven, free from germs and dirty laundry and betrayals. But He didn’t.

Hallelujah! What a Savior!