Archive for April, 2005

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Giving Glory

April 6, 2005 - 3:23 pm 2 Comments

Last night Bobby says to me, “Christa, come look at this huge moth in the bathroom!” So I run in there and upon seeing it say, “I’ll get it!” I get the broom to knock it off the ceiling and have a tissue ready in my other hand to smash it. Unfortunately I missed and it started flying all over the bathroom. I finally give one good wack at it when it stopped above the vanity. Then it was gone! I couldn’t find it anywhere! For me, this is very unsettling to think that some monster moth might ressurect at any moment without notice. Like missing a spider in your room and then having to go to sleep knowing it might still be crawling around. After searching for several minutes with no luck I decided to get ready for bed, reaching in the cabinet for my toothbrush I see that the moth is fluttering around by my lotion… I took care of it. Bobby and I have some pretty funny “Bug” stories, we can add this one to the list.

I’ve been giving quite a bit more thought to the concept of doing all things for God’s glory. I’ve been trying to be really practical and think of specific ways that I can walk in obedience toward this goal. Then I was reading in 1 Peter 4 this morning and when I came to verses 7-11 I noticed the title was “Serving for God’s Glory.”

“But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. And above all things have fervent love for one another, for ‘love will cover a multitude of sins.’ Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. As each one has a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supoplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever, Amen.”

I can see four commands that I can obey to bring glory to God through my life. Prayer, love, hospitality and ministering my gifts.

Prayer-Peter instructs it to be serious and watchful, not swept away by emotions but holding to an eternal perspective. It is easy to offer prayers out of uncontrolled emotion, unchecked desires and pursuant of worldly lusts. Instead my prayers should be characterized by a proper perspective of the coming of our Lord, a serious response to His Word and looking for the hope that I have in Him.

Love-The love I have towards others is to be fervent. My dictionary defined fervent this way, “exhibiting or marked by great intensity.” The way that I love others must not be to glorify me by gaining approval, acceptance or empathy. It is not a fluffy love that is built around events and shallow conversations. Godly love goes much deeper than the surface and into the heart. It is marked by putting the spiritual good of the other person above my desires and feelings, even if I am misunderstood or mistreated. Peter refers to Preoverbs 10:12, “love will cover a multitude of sins.” This is the essence of godly love, reflecting God’s love towards us. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) This is not to say that we would not respond in matters of discipline toward an unrepenting believer. Sometimes I hear people mistake “love” for blanket acceptance and putting up with sin. This is not at all what spiritual love is. Godly love is challenging, encouraging, confronting the other when necessary, humble, kind and does not keep records of others sin (1 Corinthians 13). This kind of love can cover multitudes of sin when a believer can choose, if possible, to overlook sins that have been done against him, forgiving insults and unkindnesses.

Hospitality-this includes spiritual love and the opening of my home and caring for those in need. This can even include being welcoming and friendly, putting others at ease, even outside of my home. I know that when I am focusing on myself that reaching out to others in hospitality can seem like an inconvenience or burden, but Peter instructs us to do this without grumbling or complaining.

Gifts-Every believer has been given spiritual gifts from the Lord with which the Holy Spirit uses to minister to those in the Body. Verses 9-11 focus on the need for us to be good stewards of our gifts…meaning, exercise your gifts. These gifts are not meant to be kept to oneself or exalted above others, but ministered fervently in love to edify those in the body and be a shining testimony to those outside. We do not own our own gifts as if they originated from us, but rather, God in His grace gave them to us to build each other up. If I am speaking, I must do so responsibly as if I am speaking the very words of God. I must realize that I cannot serve of my own strength, but that it is God who provides ability for me to do all of the things that He has set before me.

When I live obediently in these ways the Holy Spirit uses me to build up the body for the purpose and goal of all things and that is that God may be glorified.

“Picture this: another place another time
With unveiled face I’m free to see the glory of the Lord
I’m looking here, I’ve got a mirror
But it’s not me, It’s who I could be
If I gaze into His glory
He’s making mine
And I want His beauty,
His brilliant light that shines
So others will see that His life’s in me and He’ll be glorified”

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Take My Life

April 4, 2005 - 1:43 pm 3 Comments

I washed my car Friday evening and yesterday it rained. There is such a funny connection to clean things and them getting dirty again. I do so much laundry and wash dishes…but they always get dirty again. I hadn’t washed my car in a couple of months and the day after I do, it rains on it. Ah, such is life.

Bobby and I enjoyed our weekend. Friday night we spent a few hours with our high school students bowling. I laugh at myself because with all my good intentions I can’t seem to break 100 while some of the students hit strike after strike. Saturday morning I went with a friend up to Stanford shopping center. It is all outdoors and had beautiful gardens and flowers blooming everywhere. We enjoyed window shopping (This place hosts Ralph Lauren, Bloomingdales, Nieman Marcus and several other big name stores where I couldn’t afford a pair of socks!) She treated me to lunch up at the Nordstrom’s Cafe and I was reminded how good it is to be in fellowship with one another. To talk and to pray and enjoy the company of unity.

Yesterday we did a song that has really stayed in my mind. It’s called “Take My Life” by Chris Tomlin. It is an adaptation from the hymn and I like how it is really a prayer for God to use us:

“Take my life and let it be consecrated Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days, let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands and let them move at the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee.
Take my will and make it Thine it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart it is Thine own; it shall be thy royal throne.
Take my love, my Lord I pour at Your feet its treasure store.
Take myself and I will be ever, only all for Thee.”
The last line says essentially, “take me.” Sometimes I act like I have so much to offer to the Lord such as my hands, feet, voice, talent, time, etc. In this mentality I can somehow think I’m giving God things that belong to me or that I can pick and choose what I want Him to have. Today my feet, tomorrow my voice, and so on. I think that I need to be regularly reminded that I do not have anything that God did not give to me and He desires that I would surrender it all back to Him. He wants my life, time, hands, feet, will, heart, and love—all of me. This surrender will be a humble obedience and a soft and willing heart towards the will of the Father. Psalm 40:8 says,
“I desire to do Your will, O my God;
Your law is within my heart.”

There are so many things that I can get caught up in, in this world rather than being caught up in Him. Many times I don’t consider the gravity of life without God. But recently with the debates on life and death in current events with Terri Schaivo and the Pope I have had a better persepective on this. We place so much importance on getting all there is out of life and we fear death, but we really should be fearing Who we must meet after death. Each person dies and goes before the judgement seat of Christ to be welcomed in to heaven or cast from God’s presence into hell. I have begun to think to ask myself: How am I living today that brings honor to God and glory to His name? How are my moments, days, hands and feet, will and time being surrendered for His use during my stay on earth? Is it for my own gain or pursuit of happiness or to please others? We only have one chance at life, one stay on this earth. A common phrase is, “If I could go back, or do it over…” But the truth is that we can’t. We live each day after another and time does not turn back, it only goes forward. Either I am going to put aside my excuses and surrender myself to the work of God’s glorious name or I am going to waste my life searching for fulfillment and meaning that does not exist outside of Him. I wrote this verse on a post-it note and put it in my office today as my reminder to this end:
“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do,
do all to the glory of God.”
1 Corinthians 10:31

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The power of example, all excuses aside…

April 1, 2005 - 11:48 am 2 Comments
In our student Bible study this week, we talked about 1 Timothy 4:12,

“Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers

in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”

Discussing this more with the girls in my small group it became apparent that we use youth as an excuse and people regularly excuse us for being young. People are always telling me that my highschool girls aren’t serious about the things of the Lord simply because they are “young.” Suddenly “youth” is the explanation for immodesty, obsession with boys, bad decisions, disrespect, uncontrolled emotions, impulsiveness, impatience and irresponsibility. People dismiss the commands in Scripture and chalk it all up to youth. What I quickly found in our discussion is that people have many reasons to look down or despise youth for the many reasons I listed above. Many young people live this way, careless and void of any spiritual accountability. Young people often walk according to the ways of the world, their flesh, sinful desires, seeking to satisfy their appetites and much of the time being proud of their “growing-up” experiences, they make fun of innocence, purity and faith.

What Paul is calling Timothy to is almost unheard of today, “be an example to the believers.” Young people can be an example, even to those who are older than them by following and pursuing the way of Christ. Bobby asked the students, “What if everyone in your life started acting like you? How would that change your world?” Many of them moaned and expressed how terrible that would be thinking of how chaotic it would be if parents and teachers were irresponsible, disrespectful and disobedient to God. The truth of the matter is that I can be a determining factor in my world. This goes for anyone, not just a young person. If change and action start with me, things will change. Often times we just want things in our lives to improve but we think it is the responsibility of everyone but ourselves. This simply is not the case. There is an old quote I’ve heard that says, “I must be the change I want to see in the world.” This is true, change needs to start with me, all excuses of age or habit, or upbringing aside.

I realized as I had this small group discussion with the high school girls that excuses and not being a godly example is not unique to their age group. We are all guilty of falling short (Romans 3:23). This is the root of our problems and it doesn’t have to do with age, we are sinful. Humanity is fallen and lost. No one teaches a child to do wrong. At the youngest ages, little children lie and disobey parents. It is our nature. Yet this is a common excuse. “I’m only human.” Jesus’ saving power can free man from his sinful nature. In Christ we can do all things, including changing from sinful habits to setting a godly example for others.

“You, however, are not controlled by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you.”
Romans 8:9

Another big excuse I saw was a bit difficult to swallow, because it had to do with hypocrisy. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says,

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;
old things have passed away; behold all things have become new.”

Many times I say, “I am in Christ,” But cannot always say “I am a new creation.” We won’t always let go of the old things in our lives. This was clear when I asked the girls what people might look down on their youth for. They said: gossip, cheating, lying and lust. We want to say, “I am going to heaven!” But do not always want to say, “I am a follower of Christ!” I told them that we need to seriously evaluate our hearts because what we claim to be true of ourselves and what is true of ourselves are often different things. If I am in Christ I will be a new creation by putting off the acts of my sinful nature and seeing to bear the Spirit’s fruits.

“The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies and the like.
I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Against such things there is no law.Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”
Galatians 5:19-26

If I say that I love God, that I am in Christ and yet remain the same, what does that mean about me? The mass of my excuses can often be boiled down to one: Me. I am why I do not change. I am why I continue to sin. I am the source of my excuses. What needs to change is not people’s perceptions or God’s standard. It is not the temptations we face, not the trials of life that need to change. It is my own heart. Psalm 119:9 deals with this need for change in my heart by asking the question, “How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your Word.” Internalizing God’s Word is a weapon against sin. The Word of God transforms my thoughts and changes my excuses into godly actions. Paul challenged Timothy not to let people despise him in his youth, but to live as an example. We can be someone that is a godly example when we put our excuses aside and press on towards the upward call of Christ (Philippians 3:12-14). Taking heed according to the Word, putting off our sinful ways and bearing the fruits of the Spirit as we walk in Him. I want so many things to change in the world, for Christians to really live like they are, for people to walk in faith and purity…what I learned in our Bible study and discussion is this: it starts with me.

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