I Am Selfish

I like things to be done my way. There’s a little plaque sitting on the kitchen bar that says “I’m not bossy, I just know what you should be doing.” I’m sure some psychologist or psychiatrist or counselor will read that line and say, “Oh, she has control issues” …. and they will be correct in their assessment. Just don’t get too comfortable in that diagnosis until you have walked in my shoes for a bit.

“Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.” – Philippians 2:3‭-‬4 NLT

As far back as I can remember, I was trying to impress someone. My older brother and I are very close in age, and as children we were often mistaken for twins. I was thrilled to be seen as his twin; He detested it. My goal in life as a little girl was to be included in whatever he was doing, and I think his goal was to get away from his pesty little sister! Fairly typical, I would imagine …. not many boys want a ” lost puppy” little sister following them around all the time.

That need to be accepted followed me into young adulthood. I was a Christian, having accepted Jesus as my Savior at an early age. In my childs mind, I wanted my brother to love me like Jesus did. Now I know how impossible that is. No human can possibly love like Jesus did, like He DOES! Instead of resting secure in the ccompleteness and Love of Jesus, I began a lifelong search for the impossible: a man to love me and take care of me, one I could physically hold on to. Boy, did I hold on! I made choices based on looks and on how they made me feel needed. After they got what they were after, whatever it was to them, I would be left adrift in a sea of despair and helplessness. My solution? Reach for another man. While I was wallowing in that desperation, I lost the ability to stay in contact with my family and friends. I lost people and things that were precious to me; I lost my health and I lost my SELF in all the mess. I kept on grasping at the people and things that were keeping me adrift instead of accepting the hand of my Savior, Who was standing right next to me the entire time. The Savior I refused to look at or acknowlege.

That’s about as selfish as a person can be. We keep ourselves so busy doing whatever we have decided is best for us, working on the most favorable impression to those surrounding us, wanting more and more “stuff.” (Have you seen the number of storage places around us???) How much more selfish can we be? Shouldn’t we be concentrating more on what God has to say?

“Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the Name which is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” – Philippians 2:9‭-‬11 NKJV

Am I exalting Him in my life, or am I exalting myself? Am I content, or still grasping for world ingredients regard and approval? Am I ready to worship the LORD instead of the world yet? I want to join in this song!!

“And then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea. They sang: “Blessing and Honor and Glory and Power belong to the One sitting on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever.” – Revelation 5:13 NLT

AMEN!

(Scriptures are from http://bible.com)

“Good” Friday?

Warning: no punches pulled today. May be R-rated……

“But God showed His Great Love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” – Romans 5:8 NLT

We call it Good Friday, to celebrate the day Jesus sacrificed Himself for us. SACRIFICED. How many of us understand what Jesus did? Even though His actions has been explained and expounded upon by many great scholars, I know there’s really no way I could ever really understand. Keep in mind, Jesus was INNOCENT, something you and I don’t get, because there is not a single person, before or since on this planet who can claim true innocence. So remember, this is a man who has never sinned; a man prepared to undertake the worst torture man has ever thought up.

God sent Christ to die for us… that almost sounds benign. Jesus was wounded, beaten, crucified. Sacrificed. Not just a few minor wounds. He was wounded, literally beaten to a pulp. The Romans were masters with torture techniques. First, after having been mocked, jeered at, and spit on by the soldiers, Jesus was tied to a post and His clothes ripped from His body. I don’t know if it was scorching hot or freezing cold, or some point in between, but here He is, the Son of GOD, naked and tied like an animal in front of a crowd intent on making fun of Him. He was beaten with a Roman scourging whip or what we call a cat-of-nine-tails. (For a very real and accurate explanation of the REAL Roman cat-of-nine-tails, the torture instrumen known as the flagrum, check out http://naturesdesignsonline.com/Cat-of-nine-tails.htm)

After Jesus endured this absolutely incomprehensible beating, the soldiers crammed a “crown” made of some type of thorny plant onto His head. There is some discussion among scholars about what plant was actually used, but I can’t see that it significant, any more than what type of tree was used for the cross, or whether there were 39 or 40 stripes. Just imagine what it feels like to prick your finger on a tiny rose thorn or have a sand bur stuck in your finger, and multiply that by any number on your scalp. It would hurt, whether the thorns were tiny or large!

He was then dragged back to court to be sentenced to be crucified, another torture instrument the Romans used and perfected. By this time, He would have lost a lot of blood, and then men handling His bruised and slashed body were probably not being gentle! The Romans created the crucifixion to be a prolonged and incredibly painful way to die. The crosses weren’t smooth, but were instead roughly hewn, full of splinters. Archeological and historical evidence suggests that the uprights were left in place, to be ready to put the cross piece on. I’ve handled a lot of lumber in my life, and I can say without reservation that even a smallish cross beam would weigh at least 30 pounds, and possibly more depending on the exact size and type of wood. To add that weight and roughness to a back that is flayed into exposed muscle and tendon, on a man who has been weakened from blood loss, and expect him to carry it through crowded, uneven and steep streets…..

Then, in front of His mother and His friends, naked, mutilated, His wrists laid out on the cross beam and nailed – NAILED – to the wood with rough iron nails; lifted up and dropped into place, then having His feet nailed to the upright…. I cannot comprehend the agony. Once, as a preteen, I stepped on a nail on a path and it penetrated my shoe and into my foot. THAT was agony to me, so how much more must Jesus have suffered? An accident for me, and He allowed Himself to be tortured like He was? WHY???

Why indeed…..

“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.” – Isaiah 53:5 NKJV

I won’t understand why Jesus sacrificed Himself for me until I see Him. I can’t begin to comprehend the GLORY He gave up to come here, for ME. It makes absolutely no sense, yet I know without any doubt that He did it so that I could be forgiven and spend eternity with Him, rather than eternity suffering in hell. It’s amazing, that the King would do such a thing for someone like me! The really cool thing? He did it for YOU, too…

Love.

Tell Me Something Good

“The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. ‘I am the Good Shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.’ ” – John 10:10‭-‬11 NLT

Have you ever played the game Telephone – aka Chinese Whispers, Broken Telephone, and Silent Mail? You sit in a circle, and whisper a phrase to your neighbor, and on it goes around the circle. A simple phrase such as “I gave my brother and ride to work” could morph into “I saw my mother ride a stork!” (Thanks to ask.metafilter.com for all of the information.) Even when it is just from one person to another, we can’t get it right. Look at Eve when she’s speaking to the serpent in the Garden….

“The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’” “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.” – Genesis 3:1‭-‬5 NLT

But what did God really say?

“But the Lord God warned him, ‘You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.’ ” – Genesis 2:16-17 NLT

God told Adam not to eat the fruit…. He never said to Adam not to touch it. Until we have a chance to ask them, we can’t know whether Adam told Eve just to not eat the fruit, or if he told her not to touch it. As humans, we tend to embellish and make the tiniest changes when repeating what we’ve been told. I don’t think it’s so much deliberate as it is that we don’t fully listen, and we want to puff ourselves up…. even without conscious thought. The serpent played the devil’s advocate, and tempted Eve with something beautiful, and she and Adam chose to believe him. As John points out in John 10:10, “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” – John 10:10 NLT

Satan, personified in the serpent, set out to steal Adam and Eve from the LORD, and He succeeded in getting them – and us – rejected from the Garden. We need to be hyper-aware of his subtle tricks to lure us away from God. Even that temptation to sleep in on Sunday mornings, or watching a slightly questionable television show. I was having a conversation with a Korean a few days ago, and she was telling me some of the differences between Korean and American television. They don’t show the blatant soft porn and sexual inuendo that is in so many shows here; even passionate kisses are left out of the shows. We are supposed to be the Christian nation, yet we tolerate and even support so much that we know is wrong. What does that say about us?

We know that the enemy is working hard to destroy any semblance of Christ in the world. Instead of succumbing to his mind-numbing games, maybe we should be listening with more intent to the quiet voice of the LORD speaking to us as He tells us so many good things. He will tell us something good, if we just listen. Prayerfully and thankfully go to God, and pay attention to those whispers!

Photograph by Mark Campbell at Carmel by the Sea City, arrangement by God. Thank you for sharing His beauty with us, Mark! All scriptures are from http://bible.com.NLT 

Lie or LIFE

“You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.” – Genesis 3:4‭-‬5 NLT

“For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.” – Romans 1:20‭-‬23 NLT

I love traveling and watching travel shows; seeing the world through the eyes of other cultures. Temples and churches, chapels and cathedrals, ancient and modern, proliferate in the landscape of our earth, dedicated to gods and goddesses and animals; deities of all shapes and sizes. There are majestic, extravagant buildings, sometimes almost side-by-side with little humble structures. You might hear the bells of a great cathedral juxtaposed onto the chanting of an Iman, underlaid with murmurs of a group worshipping nature.

Can they all be right in their beliefs?

“For, There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity – the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time.” – 1 Timothy 2:5‭-‬6 NLT

No, God is very clear on this. ONE God. ONE Mediator. Truth from the Creator, or the lies of a fallen angels who is lower than a worm? I chose God to be Lord of my life, and I am most humbled and awestruck that the Lord of all – ALL – creation, King of the world, the Almighty, chose me. He chooses you, too. All you have to do is accept the Love and salvation that He offers through the death and resurrection of the Son Jesus Christ. Pretty simple, but you have to chose, because He won’t force you. Not church, not religion, the choice is this:

Love or hate, beauty beyond belief or the ugliest ugly; Eternal Life or an eternity of death, Grace or eternal damnation…… if you don’t choose Love, then by default you have chosen death.

“Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.” Daniel 12:2 NIV

I choose LOVE, Jesus Christ, and Eternal Life with Him.

Living in The Light

In the little church we attended in Santa Fe, we often sang this chorus:

“If we are living in the Light,

As He is in the Light,

We have fellowship

With one another.”

“But if we are living in the Light, as God is in the Light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from all sin.” – 1 John 1:7 NLT

How do we know we are living in God’s Light? Are there spotlights from heaven, and brass bands and choirs of angels around us, pointing us out over all others? It’s much quieter and simpler than all that. We know we are in His Light through the company we keep in the fellowship of His believers, and we know because we can hear His quiet voice speaking to us.

Has God spoken to you lately?

“While you were doing these wicked things, says the LORD, I spoke to you about it repeatedly, but you would not listen. I called out to you, but you refused to answer….. But my people would not listen to Me. They kept doing whatever they wanted, following the stubborn desires of their evil hearts. They went backward instead of forward….. But my people have not listened to Me or even tried to hear. They have been stubborn and sinful—even worse than their ancestors.” – Jeremiah 7:13, 24, 26 NLT

I ask again, has God spoken to you? I’m probably the worst listener on the planet, too busy doing whatever I’m doing to listen to Him. Oh, I hear His voice; at least, I know He is speaking, I just don’t listen to what He is saying. FYI, looking back on my own experiences, not listening can be harmful to your health…. even now, I don’t really want to hear what He is telling me. I’m quite comfortable in my rut, even if I’m not particularly happy, it’s much more comfortable and easy to stay in it than to dig my way out. I’m tired of the financial struggle, and I’m tired of feeling like I’m running in place, not getting anywhere.

And as I write these words, TobyMac comes on singing the amazing song “Move…” (These are just the beginning lyrics):

Another heartbreak day
Feels like you’re miles away
Don’t even need no shade
When your sun don’t shine, shine

Too many passin’ dreams
Roll by like limousines
It’s hard to keep believin’
When they pass you by and by

I know your heart been broke again
I know your prayers ain’t been answered yet
I know you’re feeling like you got nothing left
Well, lift your head, it ain’t over yet, ain’t over yet so

Move, keep walkin’ soldier keep movin’ on
Move, keep walkin’ until the mornin’ comes
Move, keep walkin’ soldier keep movin’ on
And lift your head, it ain’t over yet, ain’t over yet

Songwriters: Bryan Christopher Fowler / Christopher E Stevens / Toby Mc Keehan

Move lyrics © Capitol Christian Music Group

Sometimes God speaks through a friend, sometimes His Word, and sometimes He speaks through a song. It isn’t coincidental when the “right” words come through…. Go to your search engine and look for this song. It will raise your spirit, at least for a moment. Until Jesus returns, life isn’t over. As long as we have breath, we have the choice to listen to God and to live in His Light, even in deplorable circumstances here on earth. Focus at the prize at the end, instead of the dirt around us. God is still in control. Do you believe it?

(http://bible.com)

Trials

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33 NKJV

For the past several days I have been in a brain fog, and physically feeling as though I was mired in a vat of molasses. Have you ever felt that way? It is depression, pure and simple…. but not so simple to deal with. For some people, depression is something they deal with on a daily basis; for some, it is seasonal or situational (or both); and for a few, I suppose never experience it. There’s medication for that. Yes, I’m well aware of the pills available, and the counseling that is available, and I have integrated both into my life. However, sometimes all you can do is muddle forward as best you can.

I just finished a book by Jennie Goutet called “Stars Upside Down, A Memoir of Travel, Grief, and an Incandescent God.” In her journey, Jennie struggled with depression and addictions, and finally, her return to God. There was a lot there I could relate to, and a lot I couldn’t. What I came away with was the message I have shared many times, yet I still need to hear. God never leaves us. We can turn our back on him: we can run from him, even to foreign countries, but He is always there beside us.

We can get discouraged, and feel frustration. Look at Job, and Abraham and Moses; even Paul was frustrated at times. Fall on this verse that he wrote and hold tight to it.

“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 8:38‭-‬39 NLT

We will have many trials in life. I fight the discouragement and helplessness of not having an income. You may also be struggling financially, or you or a family member could be dealing with illness or death. We can’t know what trials anyone else is facing. Our God is not only capable, but completely willing, to move our mountains. As Jesus said about the mustard seed:

“It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants; it grows into a tree, and birds come and make nests in its branches…. “You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.” ” – Matthew 13:32; 17:20 NLT

Jesus loves me, this I know. Oh, for the faith of a mustard seed!

(http://bible.com)

Duty

 “Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.” – Galatians 6:10 NLT

How well do you think we are doing in God’s eyes? Do you know a believer who is hurting spiritually? Physically, from accident or abuse or illness? One who is hungry; hurting financially?

“Though the Lord gave you adversity for food and suffering for drink, he will still be with you to teach you. You will see your teacher with your own eyes. Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left.” – Isaiah 30:20‭-‬21 NLT

Too often, we are too focused on our own issues to see the pain of a fellow believer. It isn’t that we mean to ignore them or hurt them, we just don’t see them. I see a broken down person begging on the street corner, but can I see them if I don’t know their story? The tweaky person you pass on the sidewalk. Do you see them?

Had to share this from Billy Graham:

“Courage to Stand – A great problem in America is that we have an anemic and watered-down Christianity that has produced an anemic, watered-down, and spineless Christian who is not willing to stand up and be counted on every issue. We must have a virile, dynamic, aggressive Christian who lives Christ seven days a week, who is ready to die, if necessary, for his faith. We need Christians who are ethical, honest, gracious, bold, strong, and devoted followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. I realize how spineless and pampered my Christian walk is. Give me Your courage, Lord Jesus, to follow You more devotedly. But suppose you suffer for being a Christian. Then don’t be ashamed. Instead, PRAISE GOD because you are known by that name!

“Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.” – I Peter 4:16 NKJV

If the life and example of the Rev. Billy Graham is, as he states, “spineless and pampered,” where does mine fit? I can choose to let the monsters of the world keep me cowering in fear, or I can face them and destroy them with the armor of God.

“A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” – Ephesians 6:10‭-‬12 NLT

http://bible.com

We Cannot Stop

“For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, ‘The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’ There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”

The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus. So they called the apostles back in and commanded them never again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, “Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him? We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.” – Acts of the Apostles 4:11‭-‬13‭, ‬18‭-‬20 NLT

To be like Peter and John, who stood in front of the authorities and defend their belief in Jesus Christ, or C.S. Lewis or John Piper in their ability to make the Gospel available for anyone to understand! What a privilege to get to meet them when we get to heaven. God has a mission for each person – every person – to share His Love. It might be the witness the mother shares in her actions, the teacher who cares for the troubled student, and boss who mentors rather than “bosses”. It could be the smile and wave at the neighbors every time you see them. God knows that a little touch of love goes a long way toward as a witness. Not all of us can be a Peter or John, but we can all be a breath of heaven in a fallen, ugly world.

That last verse is the one we should focus on. “We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.” – Acts of the Apostles 4:20 NLT

If we have seen the Truth and the Love of the LORD in our lives, how can we not be telling the world about it?

(Scriptures from http://bible.com)

Just As I Am

Just as I am – words by Charlotte Elliott 1789-1871

Just as I am, without one plea,

But that Thy blood was shed for me,

And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,