Author: Proclaiming His Goodness

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

About two weeks ago, ‘Do not be anxious about anything’ kept running through my head, and for good reason. I was stressing out over things that God had under control, and I was worrying about problems that only existed in my mind. I knew He had been leading me down a particular path, but I had been taking steps in fear, not faith.

As I thought about the words that had been running through my head, I remembered the rest of the passage and realized that there is a progression; let me show you what I mean.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! From the start, I should be looking back on God’s faithfulness in my life, and that should be the fuel feeding my joy. If I start and remain here, how much better my days will be!

Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord in near. If I really believe that God is present and taking care of the situation, I won’t be aggressively trying to fix my problems on my own; I will be waiting on Him to show me what to do.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. This is the hard part for me. I didn’t realize until recently that I get very anxious, and this happens when all the ‘what ifs’ and worst case scenarios surface and take over my mind. But God wants me to hand them over to Him, and He wants me to do it with a heart rejoicing in His goodness.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. And the end result; peace beyond comprehension! This is the ultimate defense for my heart, and it’s not impossible to attain. It’s a discipline, and the end result will be well worth the effort.

I can blame my introverted nature. I can blame social anxiety. But as a Christian, this kind of behavior is not honoring to God. How many times has He proved to me that when He leads me down a path, He will see me safely to the destination? And how many times has He proved to me that the destination is better than the place I am currently standing?

Just a quick note: I have had this blog for two years. Two years! Where did that time go? I was so scared to start it. I had no idea where this blog would take me, but I think it’s a good example of what I talked about in this post! To those of you who have joined me on the journey, THANK YOU so much! Your support and encouragement means so much to me.

 

 

“Why am I here? What is my purpose in life?”

If you’re a human being, you’ve asked this question.

If you’re a human being, you’ve looked to the world to find the answers to these questions.

But that is the worst place to go.

A description of this awful place is found in the book of Ecclesiastes, because Ecclesiastes is a book of human wisdom; it’s the description of a man’s search for meaning and satisfaction apart from God. Throughout the book, the phrase ‘under the sun’ is used repeatedly, and it refers to things of this earth; but we were created for more. We were created to worship God and be in His presence. Because of this, our purpose and meaning cannot be found on this earth, or ‘under the sun’; it can only be found in God. Only He can give me purpose and peace.

So as I go about my day-to-day work, I can park in one of three camps.

I can have the point of view of the author of Ecclesiastes, that all the work I accomplish will someday be worth nothing. ” ‘Meaningless! Meaningless!’ says the Teacher. ‘Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.’ ” 

Or, I can come to the conclusion He came to; that God sees all we do, so the best thing to do is try to make good decisions to keep the consequences minimal. “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”

Or better yet, I can live a life sold out to God. If I really look at His sacrifice on the cross, the only conclusion I can come to is that no sacrifice on my part is too great. “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day – and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing.” 

Just an aside: a drink offering was a minor offering intended to complete a major offering. Christ was that major offering; what an honor it would be to live a life that complements His sacrifice! What a goal to strive for!

So it’s that time of year again when people will resolve to do better, to live better, to be better; but how? No matter how good my intentions, no matter how much willpower I can summon, no matter how much blood sweat and tears I put in, I always fail in one way or another. But this time, I realized a few things before the New Year that helped me to refocus and get back on track mentally. In a way, it helped me to have a fresh start in the new year.

There were a lot of things I learned over the past few months, but it all boiled down to one thing: my motives had shifted from good to selfish. I was using the gifts God has given me, but I was doing it for my personal satisfaction instead of God’s glory. God put me here on this earth to love and serve Him; but if my heart isn’t right, my service is meaningless because I am not serving Him first. A genuine love for God will naturally overflow and manifest itself as love for other people, and that love for people will manifest itself as service that will last in eternity. But if the compass of my heart is pointing towards me, I can be doing all the right things for all the wrong reasons and no amount of good work will mean anything to God. This is why Scripture says to constantly be renewing our minds, and it’s the only real motive check. You and I are constantly bombarded by lies from the world, so it is of extreme importance to be continually washing away the lies of the world with the truths of God’s Word. I want my work to last; I don’t want to get to the end and have accomplished nothing of eternal value.

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”  -Romans 12:2

Who were the Magi mentioned in Mathew chapter 2? The writer was extremely vague, and perhaps it is the mystery surrounding them that makes them so intriguing and demanding of so much attention. There are fairly plausible explanations about where they came from and how they had exposure and access to knowledge of the Jewish belief system, but we simply don’t know for sure because Scripture doesn’t tell us.

So what was the purpose of telling us of them without telling us about them? My personal opinion of this matter is that they are mentioned because they are an example of what we should be. They were dedicated to their mission, and they followed through when they searched things out. They studied everything they had available to them, and they didn’t ignore the obvious signs that something big was about to happen. They spared no expense and they traveled possibly for months to search this matter out. By all appearances, they had more faith than the Jews that the Messiah had come.

But what did they see that made them so willing to sacrifice as much as they did? They must have recognized the significance of God coming to earth to rescue His people. Have we arrived at the same place, the place where no sacrifice will be too great to make for the Savior we so desperately need? There is so much talk of how much He loves us; but are we responding to that love by taking it for granted, or are we returning it?

Before Christmas was even a thing, all of mankind was offered a gift. It was so extravagant, so incredible, so unimaginable – yet so practical and necessary. It’s not the kind of gift that can be put on a shelf and ignored. It cannot be returned and exchanged. It cannot be broken by too much use – in fact, it gets stronger and sweeter as we use it more.

But there are two ways we can miss out on this amazing package that Jesus holds out to us. We can say, “No thank you, I’ll pass; I have plenty of packages already.” Or, we can accept the package and not open it; it will be received, but tossed in a corner and forgotten about, never to be opened and explored.

I’d like to share with you a few things that come to mind when I think of this gift I’ve received.

• I’ve been adopted into His family, and I now have a share in the inheritance, because I have received the benefit of His death – eternal life with Him in Heaven.
• I have His protection, and I am invincible until he calls me home.
• I have peace that surpasses all understanding – this world is so messed up and sin sick, but He is with me, and He will come back soon and take me Home.
• I have the promise that He is building an eternal home for me in Heaven, and I will share it with Him and everybody else who has accepted the gift He offers.

I want this Christmas to be different. I want to begin to consciously open and explore the gifts my Savior offered me, the gifts that were offered to the entire world that first Christmas. But I don’t want to just spend a day, or even a season, doing it; I want to spend my entire life striving to understand what I’ve been given – because it’s just that massive and mind-blowing!

What other parts of the package have you unwrapped and explored lately? Tell me in the comments section below, I’d love to hear about it!

There’s got to be more.

There’s got to be more than innocent lives shattered and lost.

There’s got to be more beyond this world that is so close to self-destruction.

There’s got to be more than all the mindless madness that threatens to drive me insane.

There’s got to be more than this ever increasing darkness.

But as the part of me that was designed to be filled by God cries this out, I shamefully realize that I have yet again been quick to forget His sacrifice; I lose sight of that, I lose sight of my mission.

There is something eternal that I can invest my time and energy in, and I acquired the ability to tap in to it when I accepted Jesus as the Lord of my life. I don’t have to chase after things that won’t fill me, because Jesus did that. I don’t have to live a life devoid of meaning, because there is only one thing I was created for. I have a Savior to worship, and a King to work for! God has also put people in front of me to love and serve, and He showed me how I am to do it when He came to this earth to love and serve us. When Jesus took the torn and empty parts of me to mend and fill them, He gave me the ability and desire to serve Him.

I heard somebody say that when we are in a crisis, we only see half of the picture because we cannot see what God is doing. To add to what was said, I think that the only thing I can do in a crises is the next thing He puts in front of me to do, and trust that there is more than I am unable to see.

 

“As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.  She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things,  but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”    -Luke 10:38-42

Notice that Martha was not rebuked for anything she was doing. She was not rebuked for being who she was or who she wasn’t. She was, however, rebuked for something she had not done. Martha had not taken the time to understand Who she was serving, so she was doing good things the wrong way.

When work is put before worship, we do not make ourselves available, and that is the only way God can work through us. When I make myself available, I push my agenda and my comforts aside to offer God what I have, then let Him decide what He wants me to do with it. When I follow God’s leading, my life goes in an entirely different direction that it does when I am in control – and while it is scary at first, it is the most freeing thing I can do because as I get to know Him more, I realize that the only thing worth doing in this life is following Christ. As an introverted person, I don’t like getting out and doing new things; but I am a witness to the fact that God only calls me to new places so I can serve Him. I know that I may be just beginning this crazy journey called life, but I am discovering that the biggest fears I face have the biggest payoff in the end.

In this story, there are two people exhibiting two separate characteristics that I am called to exhibit, and my ‘takeaway lesson’ is this: I need to take time to worship and get to know Him, then get up on my feet and start serving Him. Each has its time and place, and each is linked to the other. But for this to happen, I have to find my identity in Him. He identified with my sin on the cross; the very least I can do to show my gratitude is to identify with Him during my life. As I get to know Him more, I will trust Him more; then obedience will come more naturally as He shows me just how great He is.

“For no one can lay a foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the day will be brought to life. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer a loss but yet will be saved – even though only as one escaping through the flames.”                        -1 Corinthians 3:11-15

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” -Mathew 6:19-21

What hinders me from serving God effectively? What pulls me to gather treasures here on earth? Well, obviously, it’s because the things of the world are right in front of me; but when I only see those things at this life I’m living, it’s like I’m looking at half of a picture while the artist is standing next to me trying to tell me about the meaning of the entire picture. The scenario sounds ridiculous, but it is what I do when I focus on what I have been saved from more than I focus on what I have been saved for. I was saved from sin for a personal relationship with God. I was saved from death for eternal life in God’s presence. I was saved from hell for Heaven. But what does this have to do with ‘treasure in Heaven’? Well, I can’t effectively serve God if I don’t have an understanding of who He is and what He says in His Word. I can’t effectively engage in the battle if I don’t know what I am fighting for. I can’t effectively work to build His Kingdom if I haven’t seen the blueprints. And I won’t learn any of these things if I don’t look past the distractions in front of me and turn my focus heavenward.

I have been given the gift of eternal life, but is that changing the way I live? Am I using the time I have here to prepare for it, or am I living like this life is all I have?

I love this time of year! Trees burst into vibrant color, and mornings are crisp and cool. I can exchange flannels for short sleeves and pull my hoodies out of hibernation. But over the past few weeks, I’ve been reminded of something as I observed the change of season; all of life is really just a series of seasons, constantly changing and never staying the same for very long. I can do one of two things with this fact: the side of me that enjoys comfort and stability can be constantly fearful of what is around the bend in the road, or I can choose to trust in God’s never changing character and perfect plan for my life. Ecclesiastes 3:11a says, “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” I can trust Him to do this with my life.

The other day, I heard the following statement while listening to a radio program; God uses what we give Him. My first thought was, I don’t have anything to give to God, because everything is His already! But as I processed the statement further, I realized that what the speaker was saying is this: we act like what we have from Him is ours, when in reality, it has only entrusted to us for a period of time. My time, my talents, my family and friends are not mine; but I act like they are. I need to be willing to give them back to God when He asks me to, because I cannot move forward when I am burdened down with things.

God, in His infinite wisdom, has ordered my life so that each season is simply preparing me for the next; I can trust that He will not take me to the next season before He knows I am ready for it. But even so, we are never completely ready for what He has for us, and that is where His grace comes into the story. I am so thankful for my patient, loving God!

 

If you haven’t turned on the evening news anytime in the past few years, you are not missing anything; there is so much division in our country right now that it is downright depressing. Flags with really awful causes behind them are being flown, while our nation’s flag is being stomped on and disrespected; the definition of free speech has been so distorted that the people claiming their right to it are really taking away other people’s right; and the majority of Americans want freedom without understanding the sacrifice and responsibility that comes with it.

But I don’t think that the Church is acting much differently. So much time is wasted debating the same issues the world does while people are dying without knowing Jesus as their personal Savior. Watered down versions of the Gospel are being preached and gray areas are endlessly debated, then we wonder why Spiritual growth is not happening. We have been given the greatest gift, so why are we not proclaiming it to the world? Why is it not our mission to tell people about how we have been rescued from hell and saved for eternity with God, and how they can be as well? I think that a big part of the problem is, like the majority of Americans, we forget what we have been saved from; and when we forget the sacrifice, we lose sight of our mission and get off track. God saved us so we could be set apart for Him to take to Heaven someday. When we were drowning, He pulled out out of the water; is our job to then watch other drown while we sit in the boat? No! What about encouraging them, telling them how good a job they are doing keeping their head above the water? No, no, no! “To whom much is given, much is required.” We have been given life; it is required of us tell others about the great and awesome God who gave it to us. When God saved us, He gave us gifts to enable us on our mission; failure to use those gifts is a disservice to God and people. When I forget what I’ve been saved from and neglect to do what I was put here to do, I don’t act much differently from the people who disrespect our nation’s flag. I am here for a reason, and I only have one shot at life; I don’t want to mess it up any more than I already have.

“Only one life twill soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last” -C.T. Studd