November’s End

November 30th, 2005

Isn’t it curious how fast time flies? I know that each day is still the same twenty four hours long but they just seem to be passing me by. I’m not one to count down to Christmas and the shopping days left, so I don’t have that closing in, but I must say I’m so surprised at the marketing tactics during the holidays. It was not a week after Halloween had passed when the average store was donning lights and red and green decorations. It’s as if people want to pass by Thanksgiving all together! I think it may be because at Halloween people get free candy, and at Christmas they get gifts. But at Thanksgiving one is expected to ponder and give thanks for their blessings. Give? Who wants to do that? What a sad world we live in.

I for one am very excited to see the calender turn to December. We’ve been having cold rainy days now and even had enough of a storm–if you can call the mild rain and wind of California a storm–to have our power go out the night before last. I was thrilled and reached in the drawer for the flashlight only to find it’s batteries dead. Obviously we don’t have storms like that often. I lit a candle, but soon after the power came back on and the “storm” was soon over. I have several things I am looking forward to as this next month unfolds: visitors, events and the conclusion of my employment…it seems I’m approaching a whole new season in both nature and life.

I had a doctor’s appointment this morning and they were telling me how I will be visiting them every other week coming up here and then every week in my last month before the baby comes. I smiled to myself about this because it doesn’t seem that long ago that we were sharing our excitement with people and yet it is now just under three months left before the due date. Last night we set up the beautiful crib my parents gave us and did some sorting of gifts that we’ve been storing in the baby’s room. Some we will keep and some we will return. I’m pretty sure the baby would not be able to wear thirty different pairs of socks in three months time. The room is getting more organized and this weekend we even got the paint we will do in that room. I’m looking forward to a special gift from my mom as she is sewing the bedding for the crib which will be a replica of the Nautica set we like. In time, I trust it will all be ready and I can see how the Lord is making us ready. I’m enjoying this time as He is clearly growing us individually and together and with our friends and families. He is so faithful to continue His work in us as we seek Him no matter what the time or circumstances are going on around us.

This last week I’ve started John MacArthur’s new book Twelve Extraordinary Women. I don’t think I realized what godly examples we have to follow by a number of women in Scripture. I had always been aware that we learn a great deal from the lives of Abraham, David, Paul and Peter, but somehow had skipped the women in the Bible. In this book MacArthur takes a deeper look at the lives of twelve women including Sarah, Rahab, Mary, Anna and Lydia. Scripture may not speak chapters on these women, but we can learn a great deal from the little that it does say about them. I enjoyed the inspiring close to MacArthur’s introduction

——————————————
The faithfulness of these women is their true lasting legacy.
I hope as you meet them in Scripture and get to know more
about their lives and characters, they will challenge you,
motivate you, encourage, and inspire you with love for the
God whom they trusted and served. May your heart be set
ablaze with the very same faith, may you life be characterized
by a similar faithfulness, and may your soul be overwhelmed
with love for the extraordinary God they worshiped.
——————————————


This book has already helped me see just the fact that there is a great wealth contained in Scripture. We never read the Bible cover to cover and put it down saying to ourselves, “Well, that was a good read.” There is always so much more to learn! Not only does Scripture give us the Gospel, commands and guidelines for life in godliness, but it testifies of the amazing events of creation and Christ’s birth. This book has been instrumental in showing me that there is a great deal I can learn from the lives and experiences of the people in Scripture. Each person it seems is a testimony of God’s glory showing His holiness and His wonderful grace. For example the first chapter in this book is about Eve, the mother of all living. I didn’t realize that I could learn so much about my standing as a woman and my relationship with my husband just from the few verses about Eve. From her creation to the temptation to her humiliation in the curse, it is not that Eve is raised up as some incredible story, but rather in the snapshot of her life that Scripture accounts, the glorious person of God is proclaimed. He is the mighty Creator, gracious to let them still live once they fell into sin and I am awed. The God who talked with Adam and Eve at the beginning of all time in the paradise of Eden, is the same God I have a relationship with today. How great is our God!
“One generation shall praise Your works to another,
And shall declare Your mighty acts.”
Psalm 134:4


Pondering God’s Provisions

November 28th, 2005

Today I have been reading a remarkable account of faith and provision in Hebrews 11. I am often awed at the story of Moses and the intricate interaction God had with him in using him as an instrument for His purposes. I love the account in Exodus 33 where God talks with Moses on the mountain and even allows Moses to see a glimpse of His glory. I wasn’t surprised as I read Hebrews 11 when it came to verses 23-29 and testified of the faith that Moses had. When I read the story of Moses it is not difficult to see God’s hand mightily at work in the detailed happenings of his life from infancy to his death. A part stood out to me from the testimony.

“By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land,
whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned.”
Hebrews 11:29
So many things in Moses’ life did not make sense from a human perspective. And yet God worked on him from the beginning in the fact that his parents hid him as a baby to being found and raised in royalty. Most humanly impossible was when God told him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Pharaoh would not allow it. It seemed that Pharaoh kept changing his mind on the matter, eventually letting them go. But we are given a peak behind the scenes in Exodus 10:27. “But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go.” One might wonder that if God told Moses to lead them out of Egypt, then why was He making it impossible for him to do so? But this is not the case. God never commands us to obey or asks something of us without also providing the means to do so. We are told numerous times in Scripture that God’s grace, strength and wisdom are ours in abundance, sufficient to do every good work. It wasn’t that God was not making the way for Moses to obey…in Exodus 11:9 another behind the scenes secret is revealed. “But the Lord said to Moses, ‘Pharaoh will not heed you, so that My wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”


All that God does is for His glory. Creating all things, creating man, His work of salvation and the everyday care He gives to us is all to proclaim His glory. It isn’t that the Egyptians just took off after Moses and the Israelites and God said to Himself, “I must stop them!” This was God’s plan all along so that all would know who the one true God is.
Seeing this reality makes me never want to complain about my circumstances or wish things could go my way. Just think what wonders of God we might be missing out on by trying to do things our own way! Something that really stands out about Moses’ faith is that he didn’t come up with all these ideas of what he wanted to do and then try to set out to do them. He did go through times of doubt in his life, but all the while he is doing what God called him to do. When we are about the Lord’s work, there will always be enough grace to get us through each day. When we are about the work of what we want to see accomplished, we have no power in what we do.
Bobby and I have been talking some about our future and where God might want us to go in life. It used to be easy to get anxious about the details and wonder how we would live. But I am thankful that the Lord has shown me time and time again that He alone is the provider. Not only is He our salvation and hope, but each day He grants us forgiveness, mercy and strength. He reveals His will in His Word, hears us when we pray and gives family and friends to stir us up in our love for Him. He doesn’t only provide our spiritual sustenance but also our physical needs with food, shelter, clothes, jobs and transportation. I have found that it is essential to keep fresh in my mind Luke 12:31 “But seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.”


God’s provisions are best. We could go out and try to make a life without Him. People do this everyday. Instead of seeking God, they seek first family, a career, a spouse, popularity or even just meaning in life. What God provides may seem foolish to some. Waiting on the Lord is often looked at as passive. Trusting the Lord is looked at as too simplistic. But God’s works and wonders are not bound to the rules of human intellect, just as 1 Corinthians 1:18 says of the Gospel “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”


It seems overly simplistic to just have one day to celebrate in thankfulness all of the provisions from the Lord. I am sad that so many people’s experience of Thanksgiving this year was merely about turkey and cranberry sauce. If we do not have much to proclaim of the glory of God’s wondrous provisions on one simple holiday, are we thankful of much each morning as God grants us life, breath and love for each day? It’s all good and nice to sit around with the family and have an abundance of food, but surely we must see that thanksgiving is to be a lifestyle not just a day off of school or work. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 even refers to our thankfulness as fulfilling God’s will. God has provided abundantly for each of us. I hope you are somehow encouraged to consider what gracious provisions He has made for you and a thankful response of praise…


A Birthday Blog

November 22nd, 2005

Bobby and I were blessed with a real three-day weekend. We both had Friday off from work, no plans Saturday and a minimal amount to do Sunday. We immensely enjoyed the time off to relax. We even celebrated my birthday, made a half-day trip down through Carmel and Big Sur and went to the movies. It was a wonderful time.

Birthdays are always an interesting time for reflection for me. I always try to see ways that God has grown me since the year before. How am I different? Last year I wrote an entry about my birthday at my old blog. As I re-read it this weekend I was reminded that it doesn’t matter where I am in comparison to what some look to as big events in life–getting a drivers license, graduating from high school or college, getting married, having a baby, retirement. What matters most is where I am on the journey of becoming who God wants me to be.

I am still very young in most people’s standards, except maybe to our high school students. It used to bother me how people seemed to always point out how young I was. I remember feeling belittled my first semester in college when the telephone company wouldn’t let me activate my own phone account because I was not yet eighteen. The operator said, “You need to have a parent set this up for you, honey.” After our wedding people often remarked how young I was to be married. Just starting out in the high school ministry students sometimes thought I was a new senior at their school. I remember last year one of my friends told me that when you turn twenty-five everyone takes you seriously. I laughed as I recalled this over the weekend as I’m sure people will take me as seriously or not seriously as they always have even though I’ve now reached the prescribed age.

I wish that people would focus less on the years attributed to my life and more on the content of it. I hope that what people would see is my deep desire to follow Jesus, my Lord. This year I would probably say that I have learned and grown much more in the area of repentance of my sin and submitting to Christ in obedience to His Word. I hope that the older I get that I will increase in my willingness to grow and change. This year the Lord impressed upon me the necessity of putting my excuses aside and being willing to recognize my sin for what it is.

Perhaps the biggest thing I have been learning this year can be found in the prayerful statement made in Psalm 31:1.

“In You, O Lord, I put my trust;
let me never be ashamed;
deliver me in Your righteousness.”


David trusted in God alone. He didn’t dwell on his hardships, circumstances, people or approval. He seems to come out victoriously from his problems and pains into prayers and praise. He passionately lived and celebrated the sufficiency of the Lord. The Psalms are overflowing with praise and adoration for God’s character, provision and deep adoration for His Word.
This verse strikes me as a passionate proclamation of two big thoughts that I’ve been learning more of in my life this year. The first is that it is clear who David’s master is. He has put His trust in the Lord alone. David makes this declaration many times in this chapter and others. Verse 14 says, “But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’” I am often confused by people in this regard. It seems that so many people want to wear the name tag “Christian” and yet remain completely unaligned with Christ. They want to say that Jesus is God, but not Lord. It is sad to me that Christians destroy the testimony of the Gospel by exhibiting lives that consist of worldly interests, sinful desires and a pick-and-choose approach obedience.
It has been said that who you serve is who you’ll become. I hope that it will become more evident in my life that what drives and constitutes my life is whom I serve. When I first believed in Jesus as my Savior and He became Lord of my life I had no idea how He would change me. Many people I’ve known have made “professions” of faith or “believed” that Jesus died for them, but seemed to stay the same as they were before their conversion. Even some of them do not believe in Him now.
Romans 10:8-9 has given me a very different perspective. Salvation means Jesus is my Lord and Savior. It is not simply a prayer or “decision” of faith.
“This is the word of faith which we preach:
that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead,
you will be saved.”

Jesus being Lord of my life is not about what He can or will do for me, it is about following Him. I cannot simply acknowledge that Jesus died for me and has saved me from my sin, even the demons acknowledge who Jesus is (James 2:19). Instead, salvation is Jesus reigning as Lord over my life. It is the conviction and foundation that Jesus is my Master and sovereign over me. In this relationship I don’t just acknowledge God to be who He is, I live to please Him by obeying His Word and seeking to “Be holy, for He is holy.” (1 Peter 1:16)

The second thing this verse speaks of is David’s desire for godliness. “Let me never be ashamed; deliver me in Your righteousness.” David was not content to simply stay in the position he was in, he wanted to grow in righteousness. The Psalms talk a great deal about this kind of change which defines a godly life. In other Psalms David prays for God to purge Him from sin and uncleanness and give him righteousness and purity. Ephesians 4:22-24 has really helped me to see this pattern of growth and change from sin toward righteousness.

“If indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him,
as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off concerning
your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt
according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed
in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man
which was created according to God,
in true righteousness and holiness.”

Paul teaches a process that is foundational to spiritual life. In v.22 Paul says that if I am born again then I must choose to change and grow. In v.23 and 24 he teaches the two aspects of true change: put off and put on.
“Put off,” describes the stripping away of something old or dirty. Paul says that if you have been saved from sin then don’t keep living in it; cast it away from you, be separated from it. This is a good description of what happens in repentance. When I repent I must be rid of my sin, turning from it, and wanting to have nothing to do with it. “Your former conduct” is referring to who I was before salvation. This includes how I used to talk, what entertained me, habits I might have had. When by grace through faith, Jesus becomes Lord of my life my former conduct is what I have been saved from, being a slave to sin.
“Put on,” can be described much like putting on clothes. I have learned that we can never just put off, and then simply be rid of sin. We must always put something on in the place of what is put off. Paul is specifically saying to put off corruption and lusts and put on righteousness and holiness. Change is an exchange. Before salvation I was spiritually dead, but God has made me new, alive in Christ Jesus. Growing as one who is spiritually alive involves exchanging the remains of my old nature and purposefully choosing to take on attributes of my new nature. My new nature is “created according to God in true righteousness and holiness.” I will put on things that will make me, as Ephesians 5:1 says, an “imitator of God.” Change is a break from past practice and a taking on of a new practice. Before I practiced sin, now I practice righteousness.
I hope that the older I get that I will also grow more devoted to Christ as my Lord and master. I don’t want to be ashamed by continuing in sin. I want to seek Him first and be delivered in His righteousness day by day. I’m glad that I don’t have to be afraid of age or compare my life to others and big life events because I am confident that God began a good work in my life and “will carry it on to completion until the Day of Christ Jesus.”(Philippians 1:6) I hope this might encourage you to consider how the Lord is growing you this year. Birthdays come only once a year, but Christ is worth celebrating everyday!


Thoughts on Stability…

November 16th, 2005

The last couple of weeks I’ve been studying and memorizing Psalm 1. In this dynamic passage the writer distinguishes between the ways of the righteous and the ungodly. The theme of this chapter resounds throughout Scripture showing the ultimate end of the opposing paths all people walk. One of the clearest points we can glean from this chapter is that all people fall into one of these two categories: righteous or ungodly. A person is either following God or he is not. Though we like to think we are creating middle ground, in reality there is no such thing. Our friend Brad Smith said it well, “There are not many paths in the spiritual landscape. There are only two and they lead in opposite directions.” This is the essence of Psalm 1.

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.

The ungodly are not so,
But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the ungodly shall perish.”

Blessed or happy is the righteous man. For a closer look at what righteousness is we can turn to Jesus’ words in Matthew 5. In this passage those who are “blessed” are characterized as being poor in spirit, mourning over sin, meek, hunger and thirsting for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, peacemaking and persecuted. In addition to these things, the righteous man is also characterized by two things in verses 1-3
Delights in the law of the Lord. The righteous man does not get caught up in the philosophies and counsel of men. Verse one shows a downward spiral that people can make when they associate too closely with the ungodly in walking, standing and sitting. These stages can represent the way that sin can drag us downward. We start out just talking with someone in passing, then we stop and stand with them and discuss deeper, and eventually we are sitting down for longer more involved conversation. A righteous person should never follow the counsel of ungodly people. Counsel is not referring to asking your neighbor how to make a recipe or fix your car. Counsel would be asking or hearing advice or guidance from someone who does not follow God. As one following God, we should seek counsel and guidance from His Word and never heed the man’s advice and worldly wisdom of the ungodly. Worldly advice can be found offered from various people and in radio talk shows, where people call in with questions or television shows such as Dr. Phil or Oprah. These are not always offering bad suggestions to people in terms of relationships or guidance, but the righteous man can be faithful to delight in God’s counsel as sufficient for all of his questions and problems.
The whole idea of delighting in something implies that the person is devoted to something that he finds great joy and satisfaction in. The Psalms are saturated with this attitude toward Scripture. Psalm 119, the longest Psalm and longest chapter in the Bible, is all an expression of the writer regarding the excellencies of God’s Word. It seems a little odd that someone would delight in a law, but in the New Testament God’s law is described as “not burdensome” (1 John 5:3) and “easy” and “light” (Matthew 11:30).
Brings forth fruit. The righteous man is described as a tree. His roots go deep into the law of the Lord as he delights in and meditates on the Word. He is a doer of the word, not just a hearer (James 1:23) and as he obeys God’s law, the Holy Spirit bears His fruit in his life (Galatians 5:22).
Many people long for a more stable life. They have anxiety and seem constantly rocked to and fro by their circumstances. Verse 3 refers to the righteous man as a tree that is “firmly planted.” He isn’t described as a tree that just happened to be there and hopefully will bear something worthwhile, but as one planted intentionally, by streams and yielding fruit in season. This bears in mind the reality that we are chosen by God unto salvation (2 Thessalonians 2:13) and given all the spiritual resources necessary to grow us in Him (2 Peter 1:3).
Studying this Psalm helped me to see that these two aspects of the righteous man can be a good grid for me in times of anxiety, sin or apathy. If I am wavering and being tossed by circumstances and desires I will ask myself, am I delighting in the law of the Lord? And am I doing what it says, not just hearing it? John MacArthur said it well, “The person who walks with God knows stability, but the one who rejects Him flounders in meaningless existence. Which would you rather be?”


Downpour

November 14th, 2005


My mom, me and Bobby’s mom

Yesterday some dear ladies at our church hosted a lovely party in honor of our baby. I’ve been to many baby showers, played the “don’t-cross-your-legs game” and eaten a piece of a giant stork cake. But yesterday was different. I was the guest of honor! We didn’t play any silly games and there wasn’t a stork cake and I had a wonderful time. It is a bit stunning when a room is packed full of ladies who are all there for you and have brought gifts just to celebrate something on your behalf.

That is how I felt yesterday–overwhelmed–as I opened not just a few nice gifts, but lots of them! These ladies went all-out to give to us and I was very touched by it. We received some bigger items, some specially homemade, some fun gifts and lots and lots of clothes. This baby is going to be much more styling than Bobby and I put together!

I was reminded about Paul’s encouragement to the Philippians when he assured them “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19) I have been learning and seeing how God works even to the extent of our physical needs. Sometimes I’ve been wrong thinking that God gives us only an abundance of spiritual resources that are above and beyond all we need, but am finding that He also gives all we need physically. Bobby and I didn’t even think we’d have a place big enough to keep any gifts if people were kind enough to give them, and yet, the Lord has provided our new home, and we were able to put our new gifts that the Lord provided yesterday into the whole empty room that the Lord has also provided.

This morning I looked up some other verses that directed my thoughts on receiving and/or giving. Three main things stand out from all the passages I found:

Ask. Sometimes we need things and I just wonder and worry, “How are we going to get this, oh dear, what will we do?!” But Scripture puts our needs in such a simple light

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;
knock and it will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks receives,
and he who seeks finds, and to who knocks it will be opened.
Or what man is there among you who,
if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?
Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?
If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your Father who is in heaven
give good things to those who ask Him!”
Matthew 7:7-11

God is above and beyond the gifts and love of an earthly father. But even earthly fathers know how to give gifts to their children. God will surely give good things to those who ask Him for what they need. Instead of turning to man-made plans, worry or fear I should turn straight to my heavenly Father and simply ask Him for what I need. If He sees it fit in His will to give something good, He will! Maybe sometimes the reason we don’t have is simply because we don’t ask God for it. This doesn’t mean that we will get everything we ask for, but it tunes our hearts to see that all we have is given to us from Him alone. Start asking.

Give. God has given so much to us all beginning with life in His Son. We have His Word to guide our lives, families, friends, a home, food, clothing and so many possessions that we don’t even need. He has given much and in turn we should give much to others. It helps to see first, that nothing I have is my own. It all belongs to God as it was given to me from Him (James 1:17). In turn I shouldn’t hold so tightly to my possessions or even my time and energy, but should turn to the Lord and the people in my life and offer all I can in loving and serving them. If I remember this it is not so difficult to believe Jesus words, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35)

Be Content. Sometimes we get stuck on asking and receiving and we are not just content with what we have. We might fall into the deception that we need more to be happy, so we ask a lot, but keep what we have to ourselves and hope for more. Contentment is not ignoring a need or putting aside all desire for good things. Contentment is a joyful peace that is not dependent on any circumstances. It is rooted and maintained by living each day giving up all our needs and concerns to the Lord, who in turn gives us all the strength we need to be content in all circumstances (Philippians 4:13). James 4:3 exhorts us not to ask God for things out of discontent and other wrong motives. “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” Sometimes we can confuse “need” with “greed” because we can become consumed with the desire to have comfort and ease that the heart behind our request is one of personal gratification or selfish desire. All that we seek or ask must be for the purpose of bringing glory and honor to God.

This weekend I wasn’t just blessed by a shower…it felt much more like a downpour from heaven. Bobby’s mom was able to come up for the weekend. She sewed a beautiful quilt for the baby, so that was a very special gift. And my mom and my sister Monica surprised me and came up for the afternoon. Seeing them is the only gift I wanted from them! But of course they came bearing sweet presents for the baby and even a couple for me! How good the Lord is! He seems to continue to reach down from on high and put joy in my life. The only response I can think that makes any sense is to praise Him.



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