I heard the following story when growing up. When my older sister was a toddler, my mother would wash her cloth diapers over the bathtub. One night, it seemed she wasn't making any progress in getting the job done. "I didn't realize there were this many," she thought. Passing by the bathroom, my dad watched as my mother would place a washed, damp diaper to the side, only to see my sister retrieve one from the same pile and place back into the bathtub behind my mother's back. Amid laughter, he pointed out to my mother her double duty.
I thought of this while reading I Kings 17, concerning the widow at Zarephath. The Lord sent Elijah to her during the dry spell, ensuring him she would provide for his needs. Upon a request for water, she obliged. However, when he asked for a bite of bread, she could only refuse. She explained she only had enough for her and her son to have one final meal. But Elijah told her, if she would honor God's man, all of her needs would be provided for.
Taking him at his word, she prepared a meal for Elijah first. Then for her family of two. She did the same day after day, only to find she never ran out of flour or meal. She'd turn her back and, while it was turned, God would add a little more to her stock. Every time she turned around, he'd blessed her yet again. Every time she turned around, He was making a way.
Here's another vein of thought. If we'd turn our eyes off our lack, our problems, etc., and let God work in the situation without our fretting and counting pennies, we might see something different when we take a second look at it in due time. I know I've had to do this for myself these past couple of weeks. It was as if God was saying, "If you'll let it go, stop dwelling on it, and shift your attention to other matters, I'll work in this. And before you know it, this will be resolved." Sure enough, that's just what happened. Let go, and let God.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Security
A friend of mine has the most adorable little, three-year-old daughter. I remember when she was about a year old how she used to walk around their house with her favorite blanket. She was so at one with that blanket that sometimes she wouldn't even hold it in her hand but would instead put a corner of the blanket between her teeth and proceed with walking, the blanket dragging alongside her. My friend said, "I'm thinking of a way to add vitamins to the blanket considering how much she keeps it in her mouth."
We never really grow up from our need for security. You may not carry a blanket around with you, but you have some other forms of it. For some, security is found in money. As long as a certain amount is in the bank, they feel like they have a good hold on life. For others, it could be another person and, should that person ever become unavailable, their life would fall apart.
Guess what? It's OK to need to feel secure; it's OK to have security. Just have it in something eternal instead of the temporal things of this world.
II Samuel 22 is David's Song of Praise. In verse 3, David mentions his security blanket..."He is my shield, the strength of my salvation, and my stronghold, my high tower, my savior, the one who saves me from violence." Coming from a mighty king, that's quite a statement! David knew in whom he believed, and he was persuaded the Lord of Hosts could keep and preserve him through anything. Notice that David didn't mention any earthly gain or possessions, of which I'm sure he had much. No, he mentioned the one, true, and living God.
Allstate can say all they want. But you're in good hands with Yahweh. Now that's security.
We never really grow up from our need for security. You may not carry a blanket around with you, but you have some other forms of it. For some, security is found in money. As long as a certain amount is in the bank, they feel like they have a good hold on life. For others, it could be another person and, should that person ever become unavailable, their life would fall apart.
Guess what? It's OK to need to feel secure; it's OK to have security. Just have it in something eternal instead of the temporal things of this world.
II Samuel 22 is David's Song of Praise. In verse 3, David mentions his security blanket..."He is my shield, the strength of my salvation, and my stronghold, my high tower, my savior, the one who saves me from violence." Coming from a mighty king, that's quite a statement! David knew in whom he believed, and he was persuaded the Lord of Hosts could keep and preserve him through anything. Notice that David didn't mention any earthly gain or possessions, of which I'm sure he had much. No, he mentioned the one, true, and living God.
Allstate can say all they want. But you're in good hands with Yahweh. Now that's security.
As I've mentioned before, I've started working with a personal trainer in a more focused attempt to get in shape. I did well on my own for a while, losing some 20+ pounds. But the last 15 have been more of a challenge for me. I'd lose 5 lbs. and then gain 7 lbs.; I'd lose 7 and then gain 5. I came to the conclusion that I needed to change up my workouts, but I didn't know who to go about doing that...safely. Hence, my decision to hire a personal trainer. I knew a trainer would not only hold me accountable to a proper diet but also would push me more than I'd know to push myself.
I couldn't have been more correct! His name is Luke, and he works me like crazy. He adds an additional 5 or 10 lbs. to my weight load, walks in with a heavier medicine ball...I just never know what he's going to pull next. What I abhor the most is running laps. I never have been the running type, even when I was a child. If THIS girl is running, it's because an insect of some sort has made itself known in my presence, and I'm looking for the nearest escape route. And on Day 1, he tells me I'm to run 3 laps?!? "Do you want me to run with you?" Luke asked. Well, of course I did. I'd never run a lap before, and I didn't want to go at it alone. About 1/3 of the way through, I was glad he was beside me. By that point, I was ready to give up and just walk the rest of the way. Still, I knew I had to keep up with him, and he just wasn't stopping. Thursday he pushed me to run 3.5 laps. Again he asked, "Do you still want me to run with you?" You'd better believe I said yes. As long as he was there with me, running beside me, I somehow could find the strength to keeping picking up my feet and putting them down again. With him next to me, I know I'll make it to the end, even when I don't feel like I will.
The Israelites had a similar inspiration in the Ark of the Covenant. It represented God's presence and, without it, they were doomed. David realized the importance of having it when he learned how blessed Obed-edom of Gath became after leaving the Ark at his home. II Samuel 6:11 reads, "The Ark of the LORD remained there with the family of Obed-edom for three months, and the LORD blessed him and his entire household" (NLT). When David heard that, he knew he had to retrieve the Ark for the sake of all of Israel. With it, and in obedience to God, they were on the winning side. They could accomplish any task or feat, but they needed God with them, beside them every step of the way.
Next Tuesday, Luke warned me that we're taking it up to 4 laps! I'm already dreading the "I can't make it" feeling I get during the 2nd lap. But Luke will be in the lane right beside me, and I will keep up. Together, we will run 4 laps.
I couldn't have been more correct! His name is Luke, and he works me like crazy. He adds an additional 5 or 10 lbs. to my weight load, walks in with a heavier medicine ball...I just never know what he's going to pull next. What I abhor the most is running laps. I never have been the running type, even when I was a child. If THIS girl is running, it's because an insect of some sort has made itself known in my presence, and I'm looking for the nearest escape route. And on Day 1, he tells me I'm to run 3 laps?!? "Do you want me to run with you?" Luke asked. Well, of course I did. I'd never run a lap before, and I didn't want to go at it alone. About 1/3 of the way through, I was glad he was beside me. By that point, I was ready to give up and just walk the rest of the way. Still, I knew I had to keep up with him, and he just wasn't stopping. Thursday he pushed me to run 3.5 laps. Again he asked, "Do you still want me to run with you?" You'd better believe I said yes. As long as he was there with me, running beside me, I somehow could find the strength to keeping picking up my feet and putting them down again. With him next to me, I know I'll make it to the end, even when I don't feel like I will.
The Israelites had a similar inspiration in the Ark of the Covenant. It represented God's presence and, without it, they were doomed. David realized the importance of having it when he learned how blessed Obed-edom of Gath became after leaving the Ark at his home. II Samuel 6:11 reads, "The Ark of the LORD remained there with the family of Obed-edom for three months, and the LORD blessed him and his entire household" (NLT). When David heard that, he knew he had to retrieve the Ark for the sake of all of Israel. With it, and in obedience to God, they were on the winning side. They could accomplish any task or feat, but they needed God with them, beside them every step of the way.
Next Tuesday, Luke warned me that we're taking it up to 4 laps! I'm already dreading the "I can't make it" feeling I get during the 2nd lap. But Luke will be in the lane right beside me, and I will keep up. Together, we will run 4 laps.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
What's Got Your Goat?
I take an annual trip to Kenya with a medical mission team. We assist a community known as Bethlehem Home -- truly, the poorest of the poor. Because AIDS has wiped out a large portion of the middle generation in Kenya, many children are without parents, and many elders are without adult children to care for them. This is the case with the elders and orphans of Bethlehem Home. One man in the community sees to it that the elders and orphans get at least one meal a day. Given the alternating periods of drought and flooding, it's a tough goal to meet on a daily basis. Still, God faithfully provides.
On our last Sunday with them, the community shares a fine gourmet meal with us -- roasted goat. Now, this might not measure up to your foie gras, but for them, this is major. More often than not, meat is not a part of their diet. Yet, when we're departing, they share it with us in love.
David had to encourage his men to do some sharing in I Samuel 30:23.
On our last Sunday with them, the community shares a fine gourmet meal with us -- roasted goat. Now, this might not measure up to your foie gras, but for them, this is major. More often than not, meat is not a part of their diet. Yet, when we're departing, they share it with us in love.
David had to encourage his men to do some sharing in I Samuel 30:23.
But David said, “No, my brothers! Don’t be selfish with what the Lord has given us.
He has kept us safe and helped us defeat the band of raiders that attacked us.
Interesting how those with nothing often are more likely to give of their lack than those who have plenty. It's easy for us to point an accusing finger, but when we do so, we have three pointing back at us. Ever been selfish with your time? Too busy to encourage someone? Too busy to listen to someone who just needs to talk? Take what you have (talents, time, skill sets, knowledge), and share it with someone else...invest it in someone else. Pay it forward, and watch what God can do with it.
When we accept that final meal from our dear friends, we're receiving much more than something to fill our bellies. We're reminded of how faithful God is to provide for them, what true love is, how blessed we are, the value of true friendship, and the list goes on.
What can you share today? What are you grasping hold of so selfishly? What's got your goat? Why aren't you giving it away?
Get Serious.
A while back, I got serious about getting in shape. Prior resolutions to do so had fallen through. In the morning, I would say to myself, "I'm going to the gym this afternoon." But by the time the afternoon rolled around, I could come up with at least two reasons why I didn't have time to go. "I'll go tomorrow," I'd say to console myself. "Tomorrow" would come, and the same thing would happen again.
I finally had a good one-on-one meeting with self and concluded something had to change if what I spoke with my lips or thought in my head was going to come to fruition in my form. I got serious about the matter and hired a personal trainer. I knew if I were scheduled to meet with someone at a specified time to do something, I wouldn't stand him/her up. That's just rude. I might stand myself up, but not anyone else. After acquiring a trainer, I started living differently. I gave up some things and took on some others. I swapped out Coca-Cola for water. Burgers went by the wayside, and vegetables became more alluring. You get the picture.
Samuel had to give the same wake up call to the Israelites.
I finally had a good one-on-one meeting with self and concluded something had to change if what I spoke with my lips or thought in my head was going to come to fruition in my form. I got serious about the matter and hired a personal trainer. I knew if I were scheduled to meet with someone at a specified time to do something, I wouldn't stand him/her up. That's just rude. I might stand myself up, but not anyone else. After acquiring a trainer, I started living differently. I gave up some things and took on some others. I swapped out Coca-Cola for water. Burgers went by the wayside, and vegetables became more alluring. You get the picture.
Samuel had to give the same wake up call to the Israelites.
Then Samuel said to all the people of Israel,
“If you are really serious about wanting to return to the Lord,
get rid of your foreign gods and your images of Ashtoreth.
Determine to obey only the Lord; then he will rescue you from the Philistines.”
(I Sa. 7:3)
If you're serious about something, it should show forth in your actions. Being serious about getting in shape meant actually going to the gym. I couldn't just think or talk about it. For the Israelites, getting serious about returning to the Lord meant putting aside those things that were contrary to His law. In a sense, Samuel told them, "If you're serious, act like it."
We can take this same advice today. What spiritual commitments have we made with our mouths that we've yet to follow up with action? What have we resolved to do in prayer that we've not made a move toward in practice? Songwriter Mark Hall (Casting Crowns) aptly describes this in "The Altar and the Door."
Lord, this time, I'll make it right
Here at the altar I'll lay my life
Your Kingdom come, but my will was done
My heart is broken as I...
Cry like so many times before
But my eyes are dry before I leave the floor, oh Lord
I try, but this time, Jesus, how can I be sure I will not lose my follow through
Between the altar and the door
Get serious with yourself. We say, "Practice what you preach." We need to add, "Practice what you pray." Don't lose your follow through.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Reading of the Will
There's a book by John Grisham in which the heirs of billionaire anxiously await the elderly man's death to receive their "due" inheritance. After his death, the heirs can practically smell the money that they're sure is coming their way, and they start to make extravagant decisions and purchases on the assumption of millions to come. Little do they know that the deceased has willed his estate to an unknown lady doing a work for the Lord in a remote part of the world--his own daughter. Oh, the dismay when the heirs learn there will not be a "Black Friday" for them for quite some time.
Moses and Joshua distributed Jacob's estate. Every tribe received some amount of land but, when it was Levi's turn, the tribe received nothing...nothing tangible, that is.
"But Moses gave no land to the tribe of Levi, for the Lord, the God of Israel had promised to be their inheritance" (Jos. 13:33).
What a deal!! More than wealth and land, Levi received something eternal--something unaffected by moth, rust, drought, etc. Just like Levi, our inheritance is eternal. Some may choose to give it up for temporary gain in the trappings offered by this world. But the best is yet to come.
Moses and Joshua distributed Jacob's estate. Every tribe received some amount of land but, when it was Levi's turn, the tribe received nothing...nothing tangible, that is.
"But Moses gave no land to the tribe of Levi, for the Lord, the God of Israel had promised to be their inheritance" (Jos. 13:33).
What a deal!! More than wealth and land, Levi received something eternal--something unaffected by moth, rust, drought, etc. Just like Levi, our inheritance is eternal. Some may choose to give it up for temporary gain in the trappings offered by this world. But the best is yet to come.
In Memory of You
How many times have we done something in memory of another? Written/read a poem, sung a song, given a donation, sponsored a walk, planted a tree, etc. After crossing the Jordan, God commanded Joshua to have 12 men gather a stone a piece to build a memorial.
"In the future, your children will ask, 'What do these stones mean to you?' Then you can tell them, 'They remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the Lord's covenant went across.' These stones will stand as a permanent memorial among the people of Israel (Jos. 4:7)."
These stones were to trigger a story of remembrance--a testimony to be passed down from generation to generation. Just as Jacob's grandchildren likely asked, "Papa, why do you limp like that?", Joshua's successive generations would ask, "What's with these rocks?" and the instilling of another piece of their heritage would begin. A seed would be planted in recalling how a faithful God helped the Israelites cross the Jordan in the midst of the flood season. Yet another story of deliverance through water in this God-ordained heritage.
We also have testimonies to share--those of deliverance, healing, undue mercy, undeserved grace, protection...and the list goes on. In what way has God made you victorious? As you look back, what memorials do you see?
There's an old song that says, "I am a living testimony. I should have been dead and gone, but Lord, You let me live on. I am a living testimony. I thank the Lord that I'm still alive." Are YOU a memorial?
"In the future, your children will ask, 'What do these stones mean to you?' Then you can tell them, 'They remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the Lord's covenant went across.' These stones will stand as a permanent memorial among the people of Israel (Jos. 4:7)."
These stones were to trigger a story of remembrance--a testimony to be passed down from generation to generation. Just as Jacob's grandchildren likely asked, "Papa, why do you limp like that?", Joshua's successive generations would ask, "What's with these rocks?" and the instilling of another piece of their heritage would begin. A seed would be planted in recalling how a faithful God helped the Israelites cross the Jordan in the midst of the flood season. Yet another story of deliverance through water in this God-ordained heritage.
We also have testimonies to share--those of deliverance, healing, undue mercy, undeserved grace, protection...and the list goes on. In what way has God made you victorious? As you look back, what memorials do you see?
There's an old song that says, "I am a living testimony. I should have been dead and gone, but Lord, You let me live on. I am a living testimony. I thank the Lord that I'm still alive." Are YOU a memorial?
I've seen miracle after miracle
Performed in my life
You kept having mercy on me
I didn't even deserve to be alive
When I faced dangers I couldn't see
Lord, You kept Your angels encamped around me
And I wanna take this time and say
Thank You, Lord, for keeping me alive
I am a living testimony
I should have been dead and gone
But Lord, You let me live on
I am a living testimony
I thank the Lord I'm still alive
"Living Testimony" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgb-X40-1_k&feature=related
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