Psalm 32:1-2
Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.
I can't count the number of times I have read these verses, thought briefly about them, and then quickly moved on to the next verse in this Psalm. Today, however, God moved in me and I spent a little more time thinking about them. At first glance I want to say, "Yes, I'm blessed because God has covered every bad choice I've made," thinking in past-tense. Yet today it occurred to me that every sin and transgression I ever have or will commit has been covered.
Of course we talk about that quite often - Jesus has forgiven ALL our sins, past, present, and future, but this was just another stark reminder of that reality. I think you may already know this, but I tend to dwell, unhealthily I might add, on all the things I do wrong and all the ways I fall short. What a blessing to be "told" that even in the midst of the sin, God does not count it against me!
Now, I am not saying we will not have consequences for our bad choices, or that we won't have to live with the results, but I am saying that God doesn't treat us as the sinners we are, but rather as the righteous children He is making us to be. Woo-hoo!! Hallelujah!!
I think my favorite part of this passage, though, is our being blessed when we have no deceit in our spirit. "I'm not a liar!" I want to scream. However, in context I think this is talking about something altogether different. I think David is reminding us that while God will not count our sins or transgressions against us, we also shouldn't just merrily skip through life, ignoring them in our lives completely. No, we still must acknowledge the sin in our lives, the bad choices. We must go before God and say "I screwed up . . . again." And then repent - turn from them and walk the other way. Ignorance is NOT bliss (as a matter of fact, ignorance of the law has never been an excuse, even in the Old Testament.)
So, if you have been wallowing in your sin, get up, brush yourself off, and count yourself blessed, because God does not count it against you! If, however, you have been ignoring some sin (whether big or little), perhaps calling it something it isn't, or somehow justifying it, you need to get on your knees, and come clean at the foot of the cross. Yes, there may be some consequences, and they will probably be painful, but God still counts you righteous, and the burden of guilt will be lifted from your shoulders.
May you be blessed, today!
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Consumed by God
Ephesians 4:30
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
My daughter is becoming ever-more curious about Jesus, sin, salvation, and everything in-between. We often talk about how we ask Jesus into our lives and hearts and live for Him. She insists she bowed her knee to him last April - I continue watching for the fruit of that transformation, and am beginning to see the little, baby spiritual buds popping out here-and-there.
Well, all this talk of "Jesus in our hearts" has got me thinking about that concept. I have been thinking about how we tend to live our lives as though we have taken Christ in and enveloped Him, making Him a part of us. We live as though He is our genie, called on in times of distress or despair; tucked away when we want to indulge in a "little harmless" sin (after-all, He'll forgive us!); molded into our version of Him (currently 6.0); loved and obeyed when it is easy and/or beneficial (church is a great place to make business contacts, after-all!).
However, it should be the other way around, shouldn't it? We need to be taken into Christ, enveloped in Him - in His way of living, His thoughts, His actions, His love. We are the ones that need to be molded to Him, calling on Him at all times, living in a constant awareness of His passionate love for us, resulting in obedience (even in the oh-so tempting moments) because we want to please Him and make Him proud! Just as Ephesians 4:30 says, He has sealed us, as though we have been bottled and corked by El Shaddai Bottling Inc.
We need to re-focus and re-think this: we have not taken Him in, doing Him some immense favor; He has taken us in, full of grace and mercy, love and compassion. So, the next thing we need to ask ourselves is this: Are we living lives having been completely consumed by God?
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
My daughter is becoming ever-more curious about Jesus, sin, salvation, and everything in-between. We often talk about how we ask Jesus into our lives and hearts and live for Him. She insists she bowed her knee to him last April - I continue watching for the fruit of that transformation, and am beginning to see the little, baby spiritual buds popping out here-and-there.
Well, all this talk of "Jesus in our hearts" has got me thinking about that concept. I have been thinking about how we tend to live our lives as though we have taken Christ in and enveloped Him, making Him a part of us. We live as though He is our genie, called on in times of distress or despair; tucked away when we want to indulge in a "little harmless" sin (after-all, He'll forgive us!); molded into our version of Him (currently 6.0); loved and obeyed when it is easy and/or beneficial (church is a great place to make business contacts, after-all!).
However, it should be the other way around, shouldn't it? We need to be taken into Christ, enveloped in Him - in His way of living, His thoughts, His actions, His love. We are the ones that need to be molded to Him, calling on Him at all times, living in a constant awareness of His passionate love for us, resulting in obedience (even in the oh-so tempting moments) because we want to please Him and make Him proud! Just as Ephesians 4:30 says, He has sealed us, as though we have been bottled and corked by El Shaddai Bottling Inc.
We need to re-focus and re-think this: we have not taken Him in, doing Him some immense favor; He has taken us in, full of grace and mercy, love and compassion. So, the next thing we need to ask ourselves is this: Are we living lives having been completely consumed by God?
Saturday, January 13, 2007
God's Pursuit
Philippians 1:3-6
I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
I love this passage, as it really speaks of my heart right now. First, I must ask you to forgive my absence – I have been sick, and fought a headache for about 4 days. It got to the point to where I could hardly think!! (Not that I’m much better without a headache, but at least I can form semi-understandable thoughts.) Anyway, when I am unable to “meet” with you, I find that I think about you more often. I am thankful for you and your understanding, when I do not meet with you daily. However, I have to admit that I also begin to beat myself up, and I begin to wonder if you think I am lazy or apathetic. I truly am my own worst critic.
As I’ve thought about this tendency in my life (not just with the Morning SonRise, but with everything, especially everything spiritual . . . which I guess for me is pretty much everything), I thought about a quote I read from Eugene Peterson, who translated The Message. Now, I’m not going to be able to get this word-for-word, so I’m just going to have to paraphrase it for you. Basically, he said that his life was completely changed when he came to the realization that God was infinitely more interested in a relationship with him than he was with God. He talked about how he started to just calm down, he stopped fretting about everything he did wrong, stopped his frantic reaching and striving, and he started taking the time to notice God pursuing him every day in ways he had never noticed before.
I have been thinking a lot about that interview I read and I have really been trying to do the same. I try to notice God’s pursuit of me everyday, and stop beating myself up over the little things, like not getting a chance to send out a daily devotional.
Perhaps you need to do the same?
Do you need to stop fretting over all the things you’re not doing, and just start enjoying the things you are? Do you need to get your focus off your “to do” list and start focusing on God and all the ways He is reaching out to you each day? Perhaps you just need to stop and realize that God is so much more interested in your relationship than you are. If this is you, then know that you are not alone – I am right there with you. Perhaps together we can begin to cut ourselves some slack, and let God reach into our hectic but mundane lives and give us some passion, some peace, some excitement, some love, and some of the sweet relationship we always seem to be striving for.
God started this thing in us, let’s let Him finish it – shall we?
I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
I love this passage, as it really speaks of my heart right now. First, I must ask you to forgive my absence – I have been sick, and fought a headache for about 4 days. It got to the point to where I could hardly think!! (Not that I’m much better without a headache, but at least I can form semi-understandable thoughts.) Anyway, when I am unable to “meet” with you, I find that I think about you more often. I am thankful for you and your understanding, when I do not meet with you daily. However, I have to admit that I also begin to beat myself up, and I begin to wonder if you think I am lazy or apathetic. I truly am my own worst critic.
As I’ve thought about this tendency in my life (not just with the Morning SonRise, but with everything, especially everything spiritual . . . which I guess for me is pretty much everything), I thought about a quote I read from Eugene Peterson, who translated The Message. Now, I’m not going to be able to get this word-for-word, so I’m just going to have to paraphrase it for you. Basically, he said that his life was completely changed when he came to the realization that God was infinitely more interested in a relationship with him than he was with God. He talked about how he started to just calm down, he stopped fretting about everything he did wrong, stopped his frantic reaching and striving, and he started taking the time to notice God pursuing him every day in ways he had never noticed before.
I have been thinking a lot about that interview I read and I have really been trying to do the same. I try to notice God’s pursuit of me everyday, and stop beating myself up over the little things, like not getting a chance to send out a daily devotional.
Perhaps you need to do the same?
Do you need to stop fretting over all the things you’re not doing, and just start enjoying the things you are? Do you need to get your focus off your “to do” list and start focusing on God and all the ways He is reaching out to you each day? Perhaps you just need to stop and realize that God is so much more interested in your relationship than you are. If this is you, then know that you are not alone – I am right there with you. Perhaps together we can begin to cut ourselves some slack, and let God reach into our hectic but mundane lives and give us some passion, some peace, some excitement, some love, and some of the sweet relationship we always seem to be striving for.
God started this thing in us, let’s let Him finish it – shall we?
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
My Jesus
Psalm 18:1
I love you, O LORD, my strength.
My strength. My love. My life. My breath. My joy. My peace. My sanity. My purity. My time. My resource. My body. My senses. My rest. My desire. My passion. My heart. My soul.
My everything.
I love you, O LORD, my strength.
My strength. My love. My life. My breath. My joy. My peace. My sanity. My purity. My time. My resource. My body. My senses. My rest. My desire. My passion. My heart. My soul.
My everything.
Saturday, January 06, 2007
An Answer...
Isaiah 65:24
And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.
I started using a brand new prayer journal today, and this is the verse on the first page. HA-HA!! Doesn't God have the greatest sense of humor? "Before they call, I will answer." (emphasis mine) Hmmm...
I've been talking about God not responding, and here He's responding back "I've already sent the answer."
I think, perhaps, that you and I get so wrapped up in talking to God and our expectations to hear an answer that sometimes we neglect to simply be silent and wait for it.
I remember when I was working and my daughter was 1-1/2 years old, I was desperate to be a stay-at-home mom. I would beg and plead with God daily to make it work. Finally, God was doing a work in my life, and I decided to stop pretending He didn't hear me. I simply told Him, "I would like to be at home with Regann by the time she is 2. You know my heart and my desires, I'm going to stop begging you for this, and just start waiting and watching for Your answer, trusting You to do what is right and what is best for all of us." Within that month we were told her daycare center would be shutting down. Then Chris was temporarily promoted to supervisor, making my working part-time (so we could take turns caring for her) nearly impossible to work out. My last day of work was August 13, 2003, Regann's 2nd birthday.
Yeah, we get so wrapped up in talking to God, pleading with Him, and tugging on His robes, that we forget to simply trust that He has heard us and start waiting and watching for the answer that is already on its way. It may not look like we expect (chances are it won't), but if we are quiet, and truly waiting on the Lord, we will know His answer when it comes, and it will be ever-more delightful than we anticipated!
And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.
I started using a brand new prayer journal today, and this is the verse on the first page. HA-HA!! Doesn't God have the greatest sense of humor? "Before they call, I will answer." (emphasis mine) Hmmm...
I've been talking about God not responding, and here He's responding back "I've already sent the answer."
I think, perhaps, that you and I get so wrapped up in talking to God and our expectations to hear an answer that sometimes we neglect to simply be silent and wait for it.
I remember when I was working and my daughter was 1-1/2 years old, I was desperate to be a stay-at-home mom. I would beg and plead with God daily to make it work. Finally, God was doing a work in my life, and I decided to stop pretending He didn't hear me. I simply told Him, "I would like to be at home with Regann by the time she is 2. You know my heart and my desires, I'm going to stop begging you for this, and just start waiting and watching for Your answer, trusting You to do what is right and what is best for all of us." Within that month we were told her daycare center would be shutting down. Then Chris was temporarily promoted to supervisor, making my working part-time (so we could take turns caring for her) nearly impossible to work out. My last day of work was August 13, 2003, Regann's 2nd birthday.
Yeah, we get so wrapped up in talking to God, pleading with Him, and tugging on His robes, that we forget to simply trust that He has heard us and start waiting and watching for the answer that is already on its way. It may not look like we expect (chances are it won't), but if we are quiet, and truly waiting on the Lord, we will know His answer when it comes, and it will be ever-more delightful than we anticipated!
Friday, January 05, 2007
God is Near
Perhaps it is my clogged ears, from my cold, but I still seem to be listening to a silent God. I had a friend write, commiserating with me about how it is difficult to pray and not hear anything in response. Or else not hear what you want to hear. Amen! I do not think the issue for me here is that God is not talking. I think perhaps, I'm just not listening to what He's trying to say. I'm not "hearing" what He's trying to communicate to me on so many different levels.
First, as a dear friend pointed out to me, I do not take very good care of myself. Even with a cold, I find that I am pushing myself beyond what I should. I need to give myself time to heal and gain strength. I need to take care of myself, otherwise what good am I to Him. I did, you'll be happy to know, start taking vitamins - multi, calcium, and even Omega 3 fatty acids (or something like that - basically fish oil, since we aren't much of a fish family). I think my body is hurting and aching far more than it should be at my age. I go and go and go until I cannot go anymore, and even then I go some more! God has been calling me to slow down, as I prepare to step into another busy season of ministry. Perhaps that is why He's being quiet, so I can get some sleep.
The other thing I need to remember (and I need to remind myself of this one at least once a month) is that this is a relationship. And just like any other relationship it is shifting, changing, in motion. It is growing. Perhaps God was so vivid and obvious to me at first because that is what I needed, that is what the relationship drew forth from Him. Now, however, we have grown more intimate, and so His musings are quieter. I don't know. I know that He is drawing me in, and bringing me along to where He needs me to be, and I have to trust that this is a part of that process. A part of my growth. Our growth into each other.
Whatever it may be, I know that God is here - I can never doubt that. I know that He is here, and that He loves each of us deeply. Every time I even think of questioning that, I just have to think back on my life over the last 7 years or so, and I can see His hand so vivid, so large, that there is no way I could every question Him or His activity in my life. I pray you can do the same!Be blessed, dear one, and wherever you may be on your journey, whether you are right where I am, were once here, are have yet to pass this way, take courage in knowing that God is not done with you yet! He is drawing each of us in to Himself and preparing us for what lies ahead, including eternal life by His glorious side!!
Psalm 46
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.
Selah
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah
Come and see the works of the LORD, the desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire.
"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."
The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah
First, as a dear friend pointed out to me, I do not take very good care of myself. Even with a cold, I find that I am pushing myself beyond what I should. I need to give myself time to heal and gain strength. I need to take care of myself, otherwise what good am I to Him. I did, you'll be happy to know, start taking vitamins - multi, calcium, and even Omega 3 fatty acids (or something like that - basically fish oil, since we aren't much of a fish family). I think my body is hurting and aching far more than it should be at my age. I go and go and go until I cannot go anymore, and even then I go some more! God has been calling me to slow down, as I prepare to step into another busy season of ministry. Perhaps that is why He's being quiet, so I can get some sleep.
The other thing I need to remember (and I need to remind myself of this one at least once a month) is that this is a relationship. And just like any other relationship it is shifting, changing, in motion. It is growing. Perhaps God was so vivid and obvious to me at first because that is what I needed, that is what the relationship drew forth from Him. Now, however, we have grown more intimate, and so His musings are quieter. I don't know. I know that He is drawing me in, and bringing me along to where He needs me to be, and I have to trust that this is a part of that process. A part of my growth. Our growth into each other.
Whatever it may be, I know that God is here - I can never doubt that. I know that He is here, and that He loves each of us deeply. Every time I even think of questioning that, I just have to think back on my life over the last 7 years or so, and I can see His hand so vivid, so large, that there is no way I could every question Him or His activity in my life. I pray you can do the same!Be blessed, dear one, and wherever you may be on your journey, whether you are right where I am, were once here, are have yet to pass this way, take courage in knowing that God is not done with you yet! He is drawing each of us in to Himself and preparing us for what lies ahead, including eternal life by His glorious side!!
Psalm 46
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.
Selah
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah
Come and see the works of the LORD, the desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire.
"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."
The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Gone Missing
I sit here staring at my computer screen. The minutes are ticking by, yet nothing comes to me. I am blank. I ask God for something to share. Again, nothing. I stare some more, until I finally decide that I want to go to bed, and I'd better just start typing. My hope is that putting mere words on the page will loosen the plug in my brain and allow the great thoughts, full of wisdom and great knowledge to start flowing. HA! Alas, it does not work that way.
It occurs to me that lately I seem to have a lot of times when I am seeking God, and He seems to be silent. I ask for a message, and none comes . . . or at least not until the very last moment, leaving me sweaty and nervous, afraid that I'll mess up and forget something, due to my seeming lack of practice and preparation. Perhaps this is His way of keeping me clinging to Him throughout the message. I'm sure I have much to learn. I also think He gets a laugh out of it, because I inevitably spring a leak in my right arm pit and find myself looking like a T-Rex with an arm that can barely reach my nose, afraid to gesture freely and scare everyone within eye-shot of my arm-pit. (This is no lie, friends, you can ask my Bible study on Thursday nights. I have started buying and wearing jackets for this very reason. I've tried changing deodorant, to no avail. Again, I think God just likes to laugh at me sometimes. And I would imagine that I deserve it, somehow.)
Ah, but I digress. OK, so the whole point of this thought today is to simply commiserate with you over all the times we reach out to God and He seems to be absent. Aloof. Gone. Busy. Uncaring. Not felt that?? Well then, you're the lucky one! I sometimes wonder if I've tuned my ears to the wrong channel completely - God is screaming, but I just seem to be listening to the wrong guy. Why, I ask you? Why do I go through spells like this? It is miserable! There is nothing I miss more than the timbre of God's voice in my spiritual ear. I long for nothing outside of His heavenly breath on my neck as He speaks to me in words audible only to my heart. His presence warms me. His insight is sustenance for my body.
Yet, I wonder if there are times when I simply take Him for granted. His wisdom and guidance become normal, a nuisance to be obeyed or ignored. I run to Him only when I need a message, or devotional. I do not spend time listening apart from my ministry duties, or I fall into a pattern of not being awed by the fact that the God of the universe wishes to know me, love me, hold me, and speak to me. He is so far above me, and I should be nothing to Him. Yet, in fact, I am everything to Him. And so are you.
Tonight I miss Him. I miss Him desperately. And with each word I add to this page, I feel my heart pounding with longing for and the anticipation of the sweet whisper of Jesus. I can sense His approach . . . can you?
It occurs to me that lately I seem to have a lot of times when I am seeking God, and He seems to be silent. I ask for a message, and none comes . . . or at least not until the very last moment, leaving me sweaty and nervous, afraid that I'll mess up and forget something, due to my seeming lack of practice and preparation. Perhaps this is His way of keeping me clinging to Him throughout the message. I'm sure I have much to learn. I also think He gets a laugh out of it, because I inevitably spring a leak in my right arm pit and find myself looking like a T-Rex with an arm that can barely reach my nose, afraid to gesture freely and scare everyone within eye-shot of my arm-pit. (This is no lie, friends, you can ask my Bible study on Thursday nights. I have started buying and wearing jackets for this very reason. I've tried changing deodorant, to no avail. Again, I think God just likes to laugh at me sometimes. And I would imagine that I deserve it, somehow.)
Ah, but I digress. OK, so the whole point of this thought today is to simply commiserate with you over all the times we reach out to God and He seems to be absent. Aloof. Gone. Busy. Uncaring. Not felt that?? Well then, you're the lucky one! I sometimes wonder if I've tuned my ears to the wrong channel completely - God is screaming, but I just seem to be listening to the wrong guy. Why, I ask you? Why do I go through spells like this? It is miserable! There is nothing I miss more than the timbre of God's voice in my spiritual ear. I long for nothing outside of His heavenly breath on my neck as He speaks to me in words audible only to my heart. His presence warms me. His insight is sustenance for my body.
Yet, I wonder if there are times when I simply take Him for granted. His wisdom and guidance become normal, a nuisance to be obeyed or ignored. I run to Him only when I need a message, or devotional. I do not spend time listening apart from my ministry duties, or I fall into a pattern of not being awed by the fact that the God of the universe wishes to know me, love me, hold me, and speak to me. He is so far above me, and I should be nothing to Him. Yet, in fact, I am everything to Him. And so are you.
Tonight I miss Him. I miss Him desperately. And with each word I add to this page, I feel my heart pounding with longing for and the anticipation of the sweet whisper of Jesus. I can sense His approach . . . can you?
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