Sunday, April 18, 2011 - Floating in a Miracle

"Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that is was Jesus. He called out to them, "Friends, haven't you any fish?"  "No," they answered.
He said, "Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some." When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, 'It is the Lord!' As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, 'It is the Lord,' he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water." John 21:7


This is my story, this is my song this morning. Tom and I were floating in a miracle and didn't know it until Jesus pointed which way to fish yesterday afternoon. 
     I was finishing up taxes (contrary to popular belief, they're due on the 18th) and had a burning question regarding a supplement on each paystub. This was new to me since we've always made quarterly estimates, so I asked our church administrator, Katherine, to explain.  She tried but this happened in my pre-Dave Ramsey days and in the fog of details surrounding our new move, all I caught was "to help pay Social Security" and "a good idea to save it."  So, from every paycheck I deposited the amount into savings thinking one day we would be called on to write the government a check for the full amount. Yesterday, I thought, "Surely April 18th is the day I'm supposed to send all that money somewhere but, here it is Saturday and I can't call the church to ask. I'd really like to ask Katherine since she's the one who explained it to me earlier but I HATE TO BOTHER HER ON A SATURDAY." That's when the phone rang.
     Jesus inspired Katherine to call our home to ask Tom something about today's service.  Now here's the next part of the miracle: I was nearest Tom's phone and answered it.  Normally, Tom has his phone on him and would've answered her call from the other end of the house and I would've never known she called. It was as if she had read my mind and knew I needed important information only she could give me at that moment. Her answer was our miracle. The designated money we'd saved was our net of fish to pay what we owed for 2010.  We simply had to haul our answer into the checking account: an answer God was working on while we worried, an answer through which He taught us discipline. 
     The disciples labored on the water all night. They were in familiar territory and knew what they were doing, but if they'd caught fish all night, they would've missed the miracle Jesus wanted them to experience, the gift He wanted to give them. There's nothing unusual about saving money in a bank, but Jesus waited to reveal it as a miracle, to put the gift tag on it to answer a need at the exact moment we would most appreciate it. Just when we needed the blessed assurance of His Sovereignty, His Grace, and His Provision He called out to us and pointed the way. Like Peter, I feel like jumping into the water fully dressed and swimming  to Jesus to express my joy. 
Praise God from Whom all blessings flow! You've held us up yet again, Lord. You've poured out grace upon grace. You've strengthened us and filled us. This miracle has been about more than money - it's been a long-term investment in our habits, our personal discipline, and our faith. Thank You, thank You. 
"Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! Oh what a foretaste of glory divine! Heir of salvation, purchase of God, born of His Spirit, washed in His blood"  and  "lost in His love."  
In the Name of Jesus, our Blessed Assurance!
Inspired by Jesus Calling and My Utmost for His Highest
photo from my Italy album, little boats at the Isle of Capri

"So do not fear for I am with you; 

do not be dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you and help you;

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Isaiah 41:10

Saturday, April 16, 2011 - Thanking Outside the Box

Can you imagine having a fixer-choleric-Type A-OCD personality who's gifted with prophetic visions and dreams on a regular basis? 

Thank You, God, for not "blessing" me 

with that particular combination 

of gifts and challenges.

How about living in a country where the dessert plate includes chocolate covered insects?

Thank You, God, for casting my lot 

in a community where chocolate 

is fully appreciated just as it is.

Or, living in Europe when the Black Plague hit with no medical knowledge to combat the deadly disease?

Thank You, God, for medical researchers, technology, 

MRIs, CTs, therapy, treatments, doctors, nurses, 

pre-natal vitamins, vaccines, and flu shots.

How about being a Protestant during the Spanish Inquisition or an aristocrat during the French Revolution?

Thank You God, for placing me in a generation and nation 

where I can live the life You've called me to live 

without fear of torture or imprisonment or losing my head.

Some days we may feel too baffled by our circumstances to be thankful for them just yet. That's the time to start "thanking" outside the box. I'm finding reasons to be thankful this morning, both in my circumstances and just for fun. Our Holy God knows what He's doing. He's put each of us in the time and place where He can best use us and it's time to rise up and thank Him.

"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:18


"And they were calling to one another: 'Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory." Isaiah 6:3


"We live by faith, not by sight." 2 Corinthians 5:7
Inspired by Jesus Calling
photo of Chocolate covered bacon from photobucket.com          

Friday, April 15, 2011 - When God Throws a Party

     Being a minister of music's wife I don't miss too many Sundays, but when I do, I miss them on multiple levels. I miss the fellowship, the music, what God laid on my pastor's heart to share with us, the growth opportunities, the blessing of hearing how new believers came to accept Jesus just before they're baptized, and I miss seeing who God leads to join the fellowship of the Body. When I miss a Sunday the rest of the week seems out of sync and I don't like feeling out of touch with the rest of the Body.
    As odd as it feels to miss worshiping with my church family, missing time in God's Word or prayer leaves me weak and undernourished, a little dizzy, exposed and vulnerable. Another church billboard reads:

Seven days without prayer makes one weak. 

Oswald Chambers said, "You no more need a holiday from spiritual concentration than your heart needs a holiday from beating."
And why would we want to take a holiday from the One Who puts a song in our hearts?  
"Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation." Isaiah 12:2
Why ever step out from behind the One we call our Rock, our Refuge, our Strong Tower? Why would we leave the shelter of His loving wings to face the foe alone? 
"From the ends of the earth I call to You, I call as my heart grows faint; 
lead me to the Rock that is higher than I. 
For You have been my Refuge, a strong tower against the foe. 
I long to dwell in Your tent forever and take Refuge in the shelter of Your wings." 
Psalm 61:2-4
Why ever leave the transforming Light to step back into darkness? 
"And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." 2 Corinthians 3:18
I'm finding that when the Father throws a party I don't want to miss a thing. Praying you and I learn to dance and sing and throw it down with the best of them!





Inspired by Jesus Calling and My Utmost for His Highest.

Thursday, April 14, 2011 - God's Favorite Child

"Two are better than one, 

because they have a good return for their work" Ecclesiastes 4:9

"Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me." 

Matthew 11:29

     Jesus' yoke brings with it the heaviest burdens and the greatest strength, the most  trying trials yet the most joyful joy. It's a package deal and we can't know one without the other. No struggle, no strength. No pain, no gain, but the truly comforting fact is no discipline, no relationship which means I'm God's favorite child.

"My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, 

and do not lose heart when He rebukes you,

 because the Lord disciplines those He loves,  

and He punishes everyone He accepts as a son. 

Endure hardships as discipline; 

God is treating you as sons."

Hebrews 12:5b-6

   "The fact that the peace and the light and the joy of God are there (in a believer's life) is proof that the burden is there too. The burden God places squeezes the grapes and out comes the wine; most of us see the wine only (in other believers' lives)." (Oswald Chambers)

    So will I complain about heavy or ongoing burdens since they prove God loves me enough to discipline me as His child? Will I whine when He's squeezing the grapes to get the wine from the fruit of His Spirit in my life? Am I going to allow myself to sink into feeling persecuted and alone when Jesus is pulling alongside me and for me? We'll enjoy the sweetest fellowship if I don't ruin it with constant complaints (and don't we all love to work with people who complain constantly?). Taking Jesus' yoke means our communion with Him strengthens and inspires us until we're more focused on the joy of the walk with Him than the burden we're carrying together.  

"We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. 

It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, 

who went before us, has entered on our behalf. 

He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek." 

Hebrews 6:19-20

What a joy to be Your child and walk with You daily, Lord. May we be so distracted by Your Presence and Beauty that we could care less about the weight of the load we're pulling. Guide us to desire You more than comfort, relief, or ease. That's a deep request and I'll need Your strength to bear Your answer, but You've promised never to leave me or forsake me. I never have to carry another burden alone. It only feels like I'm alone when I start complaining and forget You and I are yoked together.

In the Name of Jesus, Teacher and Example Who carried the cross without complaint for the joy ahead of Him.

Inspired by My Utmost for His Highest

photo from photobucket.com

Wednesday, April 13, 2011 - "A Moveable Feast"

Shakespeare & Company, owned by Sylvia Beach, was one of
Hemingway's favorite bookstores in Paris and served
as a rendez-vous for free-thinkers, writers and artists who lived there.

     I would've read Ernest Hemingway's A Moveable Feast long ago but I found the title enigmatically intimidating. Hemingway wrote to a friend: "If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast."  
     The book contains Hemingway's memoirs of his early career as a writer in Paris as he moved among other artists and writers. I've enjoyed getting to know the eccentric personalities behind the literary geniuses he knew such as F. Scott Fitzgerald and James Joyce. As a writer, I've grown to appreciate the risks he took and the discipline he applied to leave the steady income of journalism and succeed in his craft. He worked in a tiny room on the third floor of an apartment building rented for writing purposes only. He wrote with pencils on a notebook and typed with carbon paper. Sometimes he worked an entire morning on a single paragraph but when he put his writing down after a day's work, he didn't touch it again until the next day. Hemingway wore the same clothes most days and often skipped meals to be economical, but also because he felt clothes were unimportant and hunger sharpened his senses. People said he was rude and cruel because when he worked in his favorite cafe for a change of scenery or to keep hot coffee close by, he ignored or snapped at friends and colleagues who came into his work space.     

    God calls us to work with a similar determination and focus, minus the rudeness.

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, 

as working for the Lord, not for men," 

Colossians 3:23 

I question my commitment to the Lord when I read about people single-minded enough to accomplish something without the Lord. I romanticize my willingness to sacrifice and grow hungry for His name's sake, but then the daylight blows out the candles to reveal the costs lurking in the shadows and I find I'm not as willing as I thought.  My "hunger" pains outshout my commitment.

    God puts the moveable feast of His Presence within us so we can find Him in every setting and situation. He sets Himself before us and asks us to meet His gaze.

"Look to the LORD and His Strength; seek His Face always." Psalm 105:4

Through His sustaining Power we can release the distractions and produce what He plants in us and, without it, we suffer the tragedy of a wasted day.  

"Cast your cares on the LORD and He will sustain you; 

He will never let the righteous fall." 

Psalm 55:22

"I am the vine; you are the branches. 

If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; 

apart from Me you can do nothing." 

John 15:5

Father, keep us imbedded in and imbibing You. Fill our spiritual veins with Your Life and produce Your Spirit and works in us. Strengthen us to become like You, to bring our minds into submission to Your will. You're the Feast for our souls and we praise You. 

In the Name of Jesus, our example for focused, disciplined lives 

Inspired by Jesus Calling and My Utmost for His Highest

Photo from photobucket.com

 

Tuesday, April 12, 2011 - Chasing Rabbits

You know the story of how the Tortoise grew tired of hearing the Hare brag about his speed so the steady-but-slow Tortoise accepted the challenge to a foot race. The Tortoise knew his competitor loved to chase rabbits, so to speak, and sure enough, the Hare's overconfidence in his own ability and his lack of commitment to reaching the finish line cost him the race. 

     Riding downhill on a bicycle I could say I love bike-riding, but huffing and puffing up the same hill on the way home I might wish I had opted for swimming or had simply stayed home. The Israelites faithfully followed Moses down the hill through the newly-parted Red Sea then danced in celebration, but as soon as they turned to face the next big challenge, they began grumbling against Moses and ultimately against the Lord. 

"Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur.

For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. 

When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. 

(That is why the place is called Marah.) 

So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, "What are we to drink?" 

Then Moses cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a piece of wood. 

He threw it into the water, and the water became sweet." 

Exodus 15:22-25

We might assume from this passage that grumbling gets things done, but it was when Moses cried out to the LORD that the LORD answered their new need. 
     New is exciting. New churches and Bible study classes grow more quickly. New friendships take off and new fashions catch on and spread. Newlyweds and new babies are adorable but the new wears off while the commitment to finish the race remain. Adorable bunnies frolick around us, tempting us to step off our course to "live a little" and not be so predictable. 
     Maybe God's urging us to accept and fulfill a new calling or ministry. A group of us who want to learn sign language sit on the back pew during Sunday night services as a friend, fluent in signing, interprets the service. It's a start into new territory and, right now, it's an exciting challenge.
    Or, maybe, we're in the middle of a desert or sea He's already called us to cross and we're finding the water is bitter or we've lost sight of the finish line since the purpose of the journey has grown muddy. We can grumble as we seek relief and resent feeling left alone or abandoned by those who committed to run alongside us race off to join "new," exciting ministries. Our answer is to let them run their own race as we cry out to the LORD and trust Him to show us how He'll sweeten the bitter moments with His Presence and provision.
Lord You know we love to be entertained and we detest being bored, but Your mercies are new every morning and Your infinite creativity is anything but boring. Guide us to find the "new" in what You've called us to do even if it's the fifty-thousandth time we do it. Guard us from having grumbling hearts and fill us with gratitude for the ways You sweeten our lives with Your Presence.
In the Name of Jesus, our example for taking the next difficult step
Inspired by Jesus Calling
photo from VBS slide show
"But I trust in You, O LORD; I say, 'You are my God.'" Psalm 31:14

     

Monday, April 11, 2011 - Guest Room

"This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

     It's the first day of a new week and a fresh start, but I think I've already blown it. Yesterday, I was reminded again to show no mercy on sin by crucifying the sin-monsters I've tried to confine in my heart's closets. Like any other closet, it will have to be cleaned out regularly but I didn't expect to have to chase pride out again so soon. Sneaky devil.
     Sigh. 
     As I empty the closets the Holy Spirit begins again to refresh and reorganize what I store in my heart. He has complete freedom to remodel as He sees fit because, try as I might, I can't confine Him to the guest room. He's not company; it's His house. I turned over the keys and the deed the day Jesus saved me.

"Now if we died with Christ,                           we believe that we will also live with Him. 

For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead,                   He cannot die again; 
death no longer has mastery over Him. 
The death He died, He died to sin once for all;       but the life He lives, He lives to God. 
In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin             but alive to God in Christ Jesus." 
Romans 6:8-11


"Brothers, I do not consider 
myself yet to have taken hold of it. 
But one thing I do: 
Forgetting what is behind 
                                      and straining toward what is ahead, 
                                                           I press on toward the goal 
                                                                              to win the prize 
                                                                     for which God has called me 
                                                                                                    heavenward 

                                                                                            in Christ Jesus."                                          Philippians 3:13-14

Father, help me free Your Holy Spirit to shine Your Holy Light into every corner, nook and cranny of my soul. Remind me I'm the temple and You're the Residing Owner Who calls the shots. Guide me to live moment by moment, day by day through You and to You. 
In the Name of Jesus Who purchased my life with His blood.
Inspired by My Utmost for His HIghest and Jesus Calling
Photo from photobucket.com