Tuesday, January 30, 2007

The Way, The Truth, The Life

Have you ever decided in life that you knew best? Maybe God took too long to answer a prayer and you took matters into your own hands. You had a need not met, an adventure to search out, a desire to fill, or some temptation led you into selfish ambitions. Then you prayed about it and ask God to bless your decision. Yet it still turned out to be your plan not His. You proceeded on your own. Time passed, mistakes happened, life continued. Then one day you found yourself on the wrong road. Now what do you do? Ever been there? I've found myself in this position a few times and while there found everyone else there also. Why did this happen and how is this corrected. I tried to answer that dilemma in my book Faded Purple. Here is my stab at it in a nutshell.

Read: Prov 4:20-27 ; 8; Ps 105: 1-5, James 3: 13-18

Words like prudence,knowledge, discretion, pride, arrogance, faithless (perverse) speech, sound judgment, wisdom's voice, fixed gaze, level paths, guarded heart, peacemaker, mercy, good fruits, appear in these verses. They have the answer.

When we go our own way and decided to be God of our lives we get lost and sometimes so lost we can't find our way back home. The web of deception is so tangled, the light so dim, the reap what we sow so difficult there seems to be no path in sight, no logical way through. What do you do then? What?


From Faded Purple:


The runner said: The treasure is not the gold in the chest. Not even the moments with Abba in those golden chairs. The real treasure is Him. The beauty of Him and His life living in us every day now and forever.

The young girl said: I had everything I ever desired but this letter from Abba meant more to me than everything I acquired.

The child said: If Abba says no then it's a no.

The crippled one said: What our heart needs is love, value and acceptance. Babylon offers this but can't deliver.

The wise gentleman said: My failures are ever before me, but even then He lifts me.

Purple said: Oh Abba I need you, please forgive me. My life is yours

Abba said: My promises are true. Welcome home child.

You see the King of Kings is Abba, our daddy. He will never let us down for He has decided to see us safely home.

Saturday, January 27, 2007

Time goes by

Luke 9:24-25

One year in my Toastmaster's group I gave a speech called 'You Can Never Go Back.' I'd just come back from a visit to my home state. At that time it had been 25 yrs since I'd seen the area. Desire to walk the halls of the old High school again, or to place my feet in the river where we used to swim, or to feel, taste and smell the ocean as I did then guided me.

The trip left empty sadness inside. I was no longer seventeen and the new high school looked old. The building surrounded by a gated fence still nestled in a wooded area but resembled a prison. No longer twelve and able to swim the river near the old bridge was not as big a disappointment as the new freeway that cut off all entrance to the swim area. The stately bridge remained only to resemble a giant ghost across a river no longer used for swimming due to pollution. Did I continue to the ocean? Of course. The beach we use to visit when I was six seemed huge to me then. Now it resembled a cove clutter with seaweed, dirty sand and careless people who left garbage here and there. Disillusioned, I warned others not to relive the past but to live for today.

Twenty yrs later I have a new perspective. Even though the conclusion I came to is accurate 'live for today' there is much to enjoy from yesterday. A few years ago I went back to the grounds of a church I attended while raising children. I stood on a grass knoll and watched people, who I did not know, flow from one place to the other. Warmth swept over me as I remembered friends, my children in Sunday Schools, pastors and leaders and how much I learned about the Lord. I also appreciate all the good news those who now walked around me would hear. A smile came to my heart, not sadness.

Why the change? I think it might deal with Luke 9: 24-25. You see, in the first experience I went back to the past to get, to revive the past and keep my life. In the second experience I remembered a life given away for the cause of Christ. When you loose you life for Him you find life for it continues on. When you keep your life and try to live it over and over you lose even what you had before because the new memory steals the old.

In this world time goes by and life ends. In Christ there is not time and life never ends.

Temptation

1 Cor 10:12-13 James 1:13- 15

Before Christ came into our lives we satisfied our selfish desires and even legitimate needs apart from Him. This formed a pattern (Rom 7: 23-24) in the flesh. A pattern we remember as satisfying. Temptation conceived (James 1:12,13) is deciding to live independent of God. The more independent we become the more power temptation produces. The scriptures indicate that temptations come three ways. Lust of the flesh and lust of the eyes which tells us God can not supply our needs and that there is more to experience out there; and the pride of life which worships self not God. The way out (1 Cor 10: 13) has to be found here:

  • total dependence on Him
  • total Trust in Him
  • total worship of Him

No matter how close we walk with the Lord temptations will come and there will be many times these temptations over take us. I've been a victim of these temptations often in my life and I am sure, as the verses in Romans seven indicate, they will over take me again. But I am encouraged. Why? Because I have lived through and suffered the result of sin conceived and found Christ on the other side.

Our sins and mistakes do not surprise God. He somehow takes all the evil thrown at us and produced through us and works it for good toward us; because we love Him (Romans 8:28.) We do reap what we sow but thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ (Rom 7: 25,) there is no condemnation (Romans 8: 1.) He has a plan. No matter how many times we fail, or mess it up we are never disqualified. He is faithful to bring us into true repentance and back to Himself.

Thank you Lord, once again for Your love and grace. We are truly helpless without You and Your plans for us. Help us all keep on track.

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Integrity

Proverbs 11:3 The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.

This verse made an impression on me about two years ago. You guessed it, another trial came on the scene and my heart struggled with what to do. The words 'Integrity will guide you' caught my mind. Integrity...let me see... that means honest, trustworthy, real...right? What would Jesus do in a given moment? Effort went out but the problem continued.

A year later, my husband received a gift book in the mail from one of the ministries we support. The book was called 'Integrity by Dr. Henry Cloud'. God came to the rescue as always. I immediately grabbed the book.

"Honey, can I read this first."
"Well I don't know you always mark them up."
"You're right." Then I gave him a puppy dog look. (lack of integrity by the way)
"Here, I can always buy one." He handed it over to me.
"No, let me buy you one, if it is good."

Well, it took me another year but I finished the book last week. What an eye opener. The subtitle said: 'The courage to meet the demands of reality'. When I read the first chapter I thought I'm not mature enough to read this thing. Integrity is more than being honest, trustworthy, or real. It required me to face reality about all of life and then the courage to do what integrity demanded. Here are just a few of the authors thoughts:

  • Do the actions of your life leave a good wake behind you once you pass by?
  • When you deal with someone do you cover their back door as much as you do your own?
  • Do you listen to the other person enough to 'get it' or does your own agenda get in the way?
  • Can you step out, take a chance and change to become more effective in life?

When it's all boiled down, the walk of integrity is walking in the spirit and not the flesh in almost every area of your life. No wonder integrity leads us. It's a life where Chris lives His life through us. That requires trust in Him, the One who will complete the work He began in us.
Phil 1:6

Monday, January 22, 2007

Victory In Christ

The Battle: 2 Cor. 10:4-5
The Victory: Luke 10:19; 1John 4:4; Phil 2:10; PS 119:105; Isaiah 55:11; Jer 1:12: Heb 4:12,10:23

We are in a spiritual war. The battle field is our mind. The enemy is out to kill, steal and destroy. Our protection, weapons and victory are already supplied. The Victory is in Christ.

Every day I am reminded of God's Word and how His Word rescues us from this present life. Today is no exception. Years ago, as a young mother, God used two songs, The King is Coming and The Hallelujah Choirs to inspire me to write a short two page story I shared during my christian talks to women's groups. That story became a hundred and ninety page book this year Faded Purple. Around that same time I wrote another small booklet called Teach Me Lord, a basic work book. Since conversion at age twenty one, I've always been on fire for the Lord. Never once would I have suspected a time when I would be so discouraged as to not find my way. I discovered that no one escapes life and no escapes the enemy's attack.

Life happens, mistakes, sickness, trials, tragedy's, sadness, loneliness, abuse, riches, poverty maybe even divorce or death, Somewhere sometime life will take it's tole and where we stand with Christ makes the difference. I am not saying the enemy of our soul causes all these things to happen, but I am saying he capitalizes on them. The only way to have Victory in this life is Christ.

When life happens, it can steal truth, reality, inspiration and sometimes even the will to continue if we do not remain under the shadow of His Wing. It doesn't even have to be some huge tragedy. I could even be good fortune. One time when life happened to me it knocked me down so far I could not get up. My children and friends helped. How? The Word, they read the Word and talked the Word till I could read it and hear it again for myself. Some of those readings were from those books He allowed me to write. You would think that having written them I'd know it enough to not stumble. Not true. It's not just knowing or reading the Word, though that is the vehicle, it is the Word Himself. We need to hear Him fresh every day for He destroys the fiery darts of the evil one and heals us every where we hurt.

Thank you Lord for Your Word, Your faithfulness, Your forgiveness, Your grace, Your life in us, Your love, Your kindness, Your inspiration, and the Victory in Christ.

The books are found on www.fadedpurple.com

Sunday, January 21, 2007

Living Hope

1 Peter 1:3-12

One year I received a Christmas card with and image that occurs often in my heart, an image that appeared again today.

The card had the usual nativity scene, Mary, Joesph, Jesus, angels. Typical, yet not. The large angel protected the scene, almost dwarfed it from behind. The smaller angle, child like, bent down and looked into the face of Jesus as if to say: "Look! He became a baby just like He said. I can't hardly believe this. The King of the universe, God almighty, our Creator in the hands of frail humanity? Salvation and mercy must mean a lot to Him."

The living hope, salvation and mercy means a lot to Him. 1Peter starts out with 'In His great mercy He has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ form the dead. His birth starts this living hope. His resurrection closes the deal. Verses 3- 12 include these descriptions of this living hope.

  • Great mercy and New Birth
  • Resurrection from the dead
  • A non perishable inheritance
  • An inheritance that wont fade or spoil
  • An inheritance kept in heaven, waiting for us
  • A salvation shielded by God's Power
  • A salvation that is ready
  • A salvation revealed in the last time

Then in verse 6 it says that we are to greatly rejoice, though now for a Little while we may suffer grief in all kinds of trials. Trials that cause faith to grow, faith that God considers more valuable than refined gold, faith proven genuine, faith that results in praise, glory and honor when Christ is revealed. Puts perspective into things, right?

Great mercy, new birth, resurrection, inheritance, faith, it is all called a Living hope our salvation. That is what amazed the Little angel.

'A salvation that even angels long to look into 1 Peter 1:12.'

Friday, January 19, 2007

The Truth

If truth is truth then it is universal.

I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but by way of me. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. For in that while we were sinners Christ died for us. To as many as receive Him to those he gave the right to become children of God. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son and who ever believes in Him will have everlasting life. That Is the Message. Is it Truth. Is it Universal.

I often wondered how missionary's got this truth out to an uncivilized world. How does it apply when you use spears to hunt for food or believe in sun gods or practice witchcraft and experience the powers of darkness. How? The answer is more simple than I expected. People are people the world over. We all live and die. We all experience hate, war, abuse, list, pride and sin. Women have babies, men defend their own and we all need Abba, Father.

'The Jesus Movie' and 'The End of the Spear' drove this truth home to me. The Jesus Movie presented the message of the cross through out the world and people, in uncivilized places everywhere, understood sacrifice for sin. The End of the Spear tells of natives who received the message and understood changed hearts through the blood of the cross. Teenagers took an ipod and broke a language barer with simple drawing that presented the truth of God's love for us. Turns out The Truth is universal.

Though all these stories bring a tear to my eyes, the one response that impressed me the most was the one from 'The End of The Spear'. I saw that native interviewed on television. They asked him permission to tell his story to the world on film. At first he said no. When the missionary's son, the son of the man he killed more than fifty years prior said.
"America needs to hear your story for they have hate in their hearts and they are killing each other as you use to kill."
The native's eyes teared and He said.
"Then they need to experience the blood of the cross that cleanse hearts and mind. They need to follow the path that leads them home."
He gave permission and The End of the Spear visited America. Was it popular and well viewed?
No, not really. Maybe we are not as civilized as we think.

My encouragement to you today is this. Tell the story of Abba's love. The story of the Cross. It is The Truth. It is the power of God to those who are being saved. I Cor 1:18

Truth that is truth, is universal.

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

The Lighthouse

James 1 17-18,21-22;5:20

I heard a story the other day that inspired me. It went something like this: The captain of a large ship noticed a light in his path, a possible danger. He signaled the one in his path and required him to make way. The conversation went like this.
"Make way. I am a large ship and you are in our path."
"No, you make way."
"I am the captain of this ship, I order you make way now!"
"I am a Lighthouse, correct your heading immediately."

Just as the captain of a ship obeys the lighthouse, we need to obey God. Like the lighthouse, God's word signals us, protects us, warns us, and directs us through life. Though the captain of his ship has freedom to control his ship, the lighthouse guides him safely so he obeys. Though in Christ we have the freedom to choose, obedience to Him, our lighthouse, leads us safely.

There is no such thing as total freedom. Nor would we want total freedom. Birds depend on air to navigate, fish depend on water to breathe, we depend on God to live. True freedom means we are free to do as we ought not as we please. Whether we believe it or not, we are just as dependant on God as the ship is dependant on the lighthouse.

Sunday, January 14, 2007

The Testimony

1 John 5:7 For there are three that testify: the Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one.

As Nana of two grand children, my thoughts often look back to the time I spent raising my two little ones. The prayers offered up for them, their years in church camp, youth groups, hours of Jesus talk and the continual watch of their lives: where they went, who they knew, what they saw, what the said, what they heard. Most of us pray that our children will carry on in the faith and we dedicate them, educate them and led them in the way.

Did it work? Yes, success did come. Both my children know, love and walk with the Lord on a daily basis. Even my granddaughter sings, prays and talks about the Lord. My heart is so thankful that God caused this to take place. I thoroughly believe that He and only His supernatural work in their hearts brought this reality into existence. Let me explain why.

You see, it wasn't the fastidious eye that scrutinized everything they did or Easter baskets filled with Christian tracks, trinkets, toys and book marks (very little candy, something they still tease me about today) that influenced them. It was the Testimony.

I asked my girls once what caused them to adhere to the faith. I paused, surprised at their words. "Each morning you spent time reading and praying. It told me that God and His word held great importance." I remembered those mornings. My girls would come to me, still in jamies, for attention. With a finger to my lips and a stroke through their hair, they'd lay next to me and sometimes fall asleep till I finished.

Reading and praying. That is what they remembered. I've noticed since then that the Testimony changes every ones life. A young husband and father becomes more tender and compassionate toward his wife and children because he attends a weekly bible study and daily reads the Word. Another man watched his wife's daily moments with the Testimony and decided to join her. She now sees changes in his goals and heart. Another husband attends retreats where the Testimony is revealed and he changed his ways. Something as easy and basic as reading the Bible, Gods Word, The Testimony, changes lives.

My encouragement to you today is this: Read His Word and talk to Him each day even if it is only five minutes, the length of a quick shower.