God’s Choice

A Blogged Bible Study entry.

“Do you wish to get well?”

Yes.  Completely.  I do wish it.  I do want it.  I have sought it.  I’ve confessed all my sin.  I’ve begged for healing.  But,….

Why did Jesus heal this man - the one in the fifth chapter of John?  He wasn’t seeking after Jesus.  He hadn’t expressed any words of faith.  He was sitting by the pool of Bethesda, the house of mercy, waiting for an angel to stir up the waters.  The first to enter the waters would be healed.  He had been infirmed for thirty-eight years.  But he couldn’t get to the waters fast enough; someone always beat him there.  So he sits.  He waits.  He hopes.

Jesus passes by all the other sick people and comes to this man.

Nothing is asked of him other than, “Do you wish to get well?”  The man doesn’t even answer the question he only explains why he can’t get to the water.  Jesus asks nothing of him.  “Do you believe?”  “Have you confessed your sins?”  “Do you have faith in Me to heal you?”  No conditions are required of this man, Jesus just says, “Get up, pick up your pallet and walk.”

The man does, without question.  He walks away.  No thank you.  No recognition of Jesus having done anything for him.  He did not even know who Jesus was.  His regard for Jesus is further revealed in his attempt to blame Jesus for telling him to break a Sabbath rule.

Why did Jesus heal this man?  Why this man and no other sitting around the pool?

To reveal His glory.  To show His authority over all.  To declare He is doing the work of His Father.  Whatever His Father tells Him to do, He does.

All healing is wrapped up in the will of God.  His sovereign will.  His choice. 

My healing is based upon His choosing.  He has healed me spirituallly.  I am His.  He is mine. 

At a time of His choosing, I will be healed physically.  If that’s not until the resurrection of the dead, I’m OK with that.  It’s His plan.  I’m just here to bring glory to His name.

When I am weak, then He is strong.  His strength is perfected in my weakness.

 

We’re All Wounded

Some of us hide our wounds better than others, but none of us are spared from being wounded.  It’s the nature of this world.  It’s not something any of us can escape.  Even the people who seem to live the “high life,” not a care in the world, are still hurting.  Self-indulgence is a wounded heart trying to fill up a vast emptiness.

Maybe harsh words were spoken or unrelenting criticism was given.  It could have been the betrayel of a friend or worse, a spouse.  Possibly a beating from an unrestrained parent in a moment of rage.  Wounding can take many forms.

God promises not to crush a bruised reed or snuff out a smoldering wick.   I have bullrushes growing in my pond out back.  Reeds standing tall on the water’s edge can bend easily.  With just the slightest pressure a bruising can occur, a bit more and the reed is bowed to a point of brokenness. 

Do you feel broken?  Have you been bruised?  God promises not to crush you.  He pleads for you to come to Him and find healing for your wounds.

And large crowds came to Him, bringing with them those who were lame, crippled, blind, mute, and many others, and they laid them down at His feet; and He healed them.  ~Matthew 15:30

“Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on Him, and He will proclaim justice to the nations.  He will not quarrel or cry out; no-one will hear His voice in the streets.  A bruised reed He will not break, and a smouldering wick He will not snuff out, till He leads justice to victory.  In His name the nations will put their hope.”  ~Matthew 12:21

He was wounded because of our rebellious deeds, crushed because of our sins; He endured punishment that made us well; because of His wounds we have been healed.  ~Isaiah 53:5

He heals the brokenhearted, and bandages their wounds.  ~Psalm 147:3

He personally carried away our sins in His own body on the cross so we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. You have been healed by His wounds!  ~2 Peter 2:24

Twenty-five Years of Wedded Bliss?

“How do you stay married in this day?  Everyone says it’s hard.  Isn’t it hard?” the waiter asked.

We looked at eachother.  No…it’s not hard to be married.  It’s been good.

We grew up together.

We’re comfortable.

We’ve wondered over the years why we have the relationship we do…

Honestly…we both want the same thing.

Sure, there have been struggles, terrible struggles…life is hard.

We’ve experienced the lowest of lows, but the love is steadfast.

We want the same thing.

We want to live for God.

In living for God, we serve one another.

It works.

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.  Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord.  For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body.  But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.  Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.  So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body.  FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND SHALL BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH.  This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.  Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.  ~Ephesians 5:21-33

Guard Your Heart

The little girls sat wide-eyed on the front row, meticulously watching each movement while attempting to sing along.  Some songs were more fun than others.  Marching in the Lord’s army while shooting the artillery was one of the most challenging.  But springing up from the chair for a rousing rendition of “Praise Ye the Lord — Hallelujah!” created raucous laughter throughout the room.

After settling into their seats, the littlest girl knew it was time for the quiet songs, the ones she loved to sing.  “Whisper a prayer in the morning, whisper a prayer at noon.  Whisper a prayer in the evening, twill keep you heart in tune…God answers prayer in the morning…”  Or this one:

Oh, be careful little eyes what you see,
Oh, be careful little eyes what you see;
For the Father up above
Is looking down in love;
Oh, be careful little eyes what you see.

It had many verses: little ears what you hear, little hands what you do, little mouth what you say, little feet where you go.

I learned to sing of my love for Jesus very early and began to understand some principles of Christian discipline through these simple songs.   They’ve been with me throughout my life.

So you can imagine my excitement when Steve Green came out with a song in the late 80’s which began, “Oh be careful little eyes what you see…”  The first time I heard it on the radio, the children’s voices took me back to sitting on the front row.  But then…it turned into a song written especially for me, a young mother with many desires and not much chance for fulfillment.  These words pierced my mind and began to search my soul: 

What appears to be harmless glance
Can turn to romance
And homes are divided;
Feelings that should never have been
Awakened within,
Tearing the heart in two –
Listen, I beg of you…

Guard your Heart,
Guard your Heart;
Don’t trade it for treasure,
Don’t give it away.

Guard your Heart,
Guard your Heart;
As a payment for pleasure,
It’s high price to pay.

For a soul that remains sincere with a conscience clear,
Guard your Heart.

The human heart is easily swayed
And often betrayed at the hand of emotion.
You dare not leave the outcome to chance
You must choose in advance,
Or live with the agony.
Such needless tragedy!

Guard your Heart,
Guard your Heart;
Don’t trade it for treasure,
Don’t give it away.

Guard your Heart,
Guard your Heart;
As a payment for pleasure,
It’s high price to pay.

For a soul that remains sincere with conscience clear,
Guard your Heart.

When I heard that song I remembered the discipline of guarding my heart.  I remembered the need for diligence to not let my mind wander.  I remembered the innocence of being a child and wanting to please Jesus.  I now know it’s a matter of perseverence and understanding the nature of warfare.  The enemy does roam around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.  (1 Peter 5:8-9)  I don’t want that someone to be me.  And no matter how old I get, I need this reminder.

For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.   ~2 Chronicles 16:9

Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.  ~Proverbs 4:23

“Be on guard, so that your hearts will not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day will not come on you suddenly like a trap; for it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth.  But keep on the alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”  ~Luke 21:34-36

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.  ~Philippians 4:6-8

What pulls you away?  Do you struggle with the things you see, think, do or say?

Don’t we all?!

How have you learned to guard your heart?

A Gratuitous Gift

A Blogged Bible Study entry.

Do you know what I love about Jesus’ life on earth?  He was unpredictable.  From the stories shared in the four gospels it is clear His disciples never seemed to know what Jesus would say or do next. 

As we enter our fourth week of study we come to the fourth chapter of John.  And, as always, there’s too much to talk about.  Narrowing this down to one thought which “jumps out” is hard!!!  No complaints, Carl, just stating the facts. Well, this week the unpredictability of our Savior jumped out at me.

Many of us know of the animosity between the Jews and the Samaritans* during Jesus’ day.  For a Jewish man to speak to a Samaritan woman would have been considered inappropriate (think Parable of the Good Samaritan here).  And if that woman was not of the highest repute, well, that would have been scandalous, to say the least.

That’s exactly what Jesus does.  He scandalously speaks to a SAMARITAN woman who is living with a man to whom she is not married.  And He tells her who He is!  That’s really huge.  HUGE.

Then Jesus, having become wearied to the point of exhaustion by reason of His journey, was sitting thus at the spring.  The hour was about the sixth. (noon)  There comes a woman of Samaria to draw water.  Jesus says to her, Give me a drink, for His disciples had gone off into the city in order that they might buy food in the market place.  The Samaritan woman then says to Him, How is it that you being a Jew, Are asking a drink from me, being a woman of Samaria, for Jews do not associate with Samaritans?

So you see, she was surprised He spoke with her.  Moving on…

Answered Jesus and said to her, If you knew the gratuitous gift of God, and who it is who is saying to you, Give me to drink, you would in that case have asked Him and He would have given to you water which is alive…Everyone who keeps on drinking this water (from the well) will thirst again.  But whoever takes a drink of the water which I shall give him, shall positively not thirst, no, never, but the water which I shall give him shall become in him a spring of water gushing up into life eternal.

Now she did not understand what He was saying to her yet.  She asks for this living water so she won’t ever thirst again, but Jesus moves on to tell her about herself.  He has introduced Himself and now He is putting a mirror up to her.  He confronts her sin.

The woman says to Him, Sir, give me this water in order that I may not continually be thirsty and keep on coming here to be drawing.  He says to her, Be going on your way.  Call your husband at once and come here.  The woman answered and said, I do not have a husband.  Jesus says to her , You aptly said, I do not have a husband.  This truly you have said.  The woman says to Him, Sir, as I am carefully observing you, I am coming to the place where I see that you are a prophet.

“OK,” she thinks to herself, “this dude is different.  He knows about me.”  I imagine this was uncomfortable for her because she changes the subject.  She moves on to a point of conflict between her people (the Samaritans) and His people (the Jews).  Where are they to worship?** Jesus explains the dispute, a bit, basically saying the Jews have it right. Jerusalem is where the Lord has set His memorial name forever (Hosea 12:5; Psalm 102; Luke 24:46-47; Zech. 8:3; Jer. 3:17; Rev. 3:12; 21:2).  Then He moves on to the point about worshipping God in spirit and truth.

But there comes an hour and it is now, when the genuine worshippers shall worship the Father in a spiritual sphere, and in the sphere of truth.  For indeed, the Father is seeking such as these who worship Him.  God as to His nature is spirit, and for those who are worshipping, it is necessary in the nature of the case to be worshipping in a spiritual sphere, and in the sphere of truth.

WOW.  She realizes she is speaking to Someone who knows His stuff.  It seems to remind her of something she had learned.

The woman says to Him, I know positively that Messiah comes, the One who is commonly called Christ.  Whenever that One comes, He will make known to us all things.

Yeah, she’s gettin’ it!  Then…He reveals Himself to her…completely.  He tells her exactly who He is.

Jesus says to her, I am He, the one speaking to you. 

Whoa!  Very cool.  Complete revelation.  He tells her, a seemingly insignificant person, a samaritan woman, a gentile of questionable reputation, at a well needing water to drink – He tells her HE is the source of all she will ever need.  He is the One sent from the Father, who will reveal all things. 

Scandalous.   A gratuitious* gift.  Giving living waters to whomever will ask. 

He is the free gift of everlasting life through the living waters gushing up in this gentile woman…Me! 

Have you asked Him for the water which brings life?

He Took Your Curse

A Blogged Bible Study entry.

I love Tex-Mex.  Absolutely LOVE it.  Every date I want Uncle Julio’s.  Most fast food nights I’ll choose Taco Bueno.  And if the kids have their choice, Chili’s, I always order chicken fajita nachos.  Now you’d think I’d get tired of it, but I really haven’t…not yet.  It’s been a good fifteen years since I’ve been able to indulge this obsession, having moved to the mecca of Tex-Mex, back to my home state…TEXAS!!!

Now, if I had to eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner I might get tired of it quicker.  If I could only have one choice, let’s say…tacos…I’m pretty sure I would begin to complain, after a while.  But that’s just me.  I have a very high tolerance for Tex-Mex.  So…let’s say it was…pancakes…?  A light fluffy pancake which melts in your mouth.  It’s brought to your door every morning and all you have to do is pick it up, enough for the day, and you are good to go.  Maybe for a couple of days or even a week you could tolerate it. But … week after week, month after month, year after year…?  Well.  You get the point.

And you know the story:

And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness, for there is no bread or water, and we detest this worthless food.”

We quickly judge the Israelites for complaining.  But, I must admit, unless it was tacos, I might be right there with them.  But the LORD God was not going to have it.  These people had complained enough (they had been doing it from the start) and it was time for judgment.

So the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people, and they bit the people; many people of Israel died. Then the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord that he would take away the snakes from us.”  So Moses prayed for the people.

The Lord said to Moses, “Make a poisonous snake and set it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks at it, he will live.” So Moses made a bronze snake and put it on a pole, so that if a snake had bitten someone, when he looked at the bronze snake he lived. ~Numbers 21:5-9

The curse was placed upon a pole in the form of a bronze snake. If anyone had been bitten he was to look upon the bronze snake and be healed.

To be sure I’ve not misconstrued this story from the Jewish teaching, let me share with you from a Jewish devotional:

Now the Lord could have healed Israel in fashion. The intent of placing a bronze serpent on a pole was to require acknowledgement of sin first and then acceptance of the healing provided by the Lord second. It was not adequate to think in one’s heart, “I’m sorry for my mistake.” To be healed the second action was required. They had to look up towards the heavens and view the bronze serpent to live.

This wilderness story was not lost to the people of Jesus’ time. The bronze serpent had been kept. Centuries later it was destroyed during Hezekiah’s reign for it had become an idol of worship. (2 Kings 18:1-6) It may not be known to us Gentiles, but then we don’t study the Law and the Prophets like the Jews. That was the only scripture they had and they knew it well.

Jesus is having a conversation with Nicodemus.  He is explaining to Nic about the meaning of being born again and He ends the conversation with this seemingly obscure bit of information.  But it’s not obscure to Nic.  He is a Jewish teacher of the Law, a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin.  He knows this story.  He knows his history.  He understands the context.  Then Jesus says this is the sign of the Son of Man:

“Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.” 

For this is the way God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world should be saved through Him. The one who believes in Him is not condemned. The one who does not believe has been condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God. ~John 3:14-18

Have you looked to the One who can bring you healing?  Did you know that everyone is cursed who hangs upon a tree? 

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”   ~Galatians 3:13

He took the curse for you.  He bore it on the cross.  He has redeemed us from the Law of sin and death.  You have only to look upon Him and believe.

The Voice of Truth

I’ve been lovin’ this song recently. Wanted to share it with y’all. I know many of you may already know it, but I’ve found the words inspirational lately. And Nor, it has captions. I chose this particular video for you…

When You’re Just Raw?

We sat around the table for dinner last night and tried to have a conversation.  Well, I tried to get a conversation started.  We could have had our usual banter but, some days I just can’t take banter.

Phat had a bad day at work, the kids were all dealing with individual struggles and I…well, I wasn’t moving too well.  So I asked, “How do you deal with disappointments in your life?  I mean, we all have them.  I’m not talking about the daily stuff, I’m talking about the deep struggles of overcoming.  Dreams that have been dashed, hopes that have been lost, desires that will never be fulfilled…what do you do with them?”

Now, maybe our struggles were too fresh to think that one through.  But.  We all seemed to be at a loss.  We had our usual answers yet somehow, the “lonely days without the sun…if through sorrows, more like You I become”…well, that just wasn’t cutting it.  We were feeling a bit raw.

So, I’m asking you.  What do you do with deep struggles?  Have you had any in your life?  (I know some things cannot be discussed, I’m not asking for details.)  How did you overcome when the raw pain caused you to want to quit, but you knew you couldn’t?  Please know, we’re all Christians (praise Him) so it’s not a matter of needing Him.  I’m thinking we just need some practical things we can do to keep our minds above the hurt.  Any advice?

I’m off to Bible Study so I won’t be interacting until this afternoon, but I really would like your input.

So…whatcha got?

God Wants Your Attention

He cares more about our character than our comfort.

Years ago that saying made such an impact on my soul. I wasn’t very comfortable. I was a mess with a mysterious illness and three little ones to nurture. But the truth of that statement helped me get a grip on the purposes of our God. He will do whatever it takes to bring us to the place He has prepared for us.

Max Lucado, A Gentle Thunder (thank you, Nor):

How far do you want God to go in getting your attention? If God has to choose between your eternal safety and your earthly comfort, which do you hope he chooses?

What if He moved you to another land? (As He did Abraham.) What if he called you out of retirement? (Remember Moses?) How about the voice of an angel or the bowel of a fish? (A la Gideon and Jonah.) How about a promotion like Daniel’s or a demotion like Samson’s?

God does what it takes to get our attention. Isn’t that the message of the Bible? The relentless pursuit of God. God on the hunt. God in the search. Peeking under the bed for hiding kids, stirring the bushes for lost sheep.

What’s happening in your life today that may be God working to get your attention?

Come back to the LORD your God, because He is kind and shows mercy.  He doesn’t become angry quickly, and He has great love.  ~Joel 2:13

Weekends in the Blogosphere

Not much happens on the weekend in our little community. Lots of us have church responsibilities or family obligations. So it slows down to a trickle and I wonder what everyone’s doing, for you see, my days don’t change much.

I used to live for the weekends…get all the work done during the week so I could have some down time for a couple of days. Not anymore. Activity is not my everyday reality.

But it’s yours. What are your days like? If you have time and want to talk this weekend, I want to know more about you. But I also hate to pry so I’m leaving it up to you if you have anything to share…I’m here.