March of Things: Saturday

On this, the second day of break, I had the privilege to spend the morning with some of the ladies from my church for a ladies retreat.  What a blessing!  The best thing was just the time to spend in the word, quietly meditating on what God is doing in my life.

Seeking the Lord 

When we think about seeking the Lord, what do we do with the things that we can't do anything about?  What is our response?  How do we think?  Act?  Feel?  Who do we look for help?

The speaker shared from the passage in John 21, where the Lord is speaking to the apostle Peter.  It is after Christ's death and resurrection from the dead.  During these last 40 days our Lord was on earth, He taught the disciples many things concerning the kingdom of God (Acts 1:3).  It was here that the Lord spoke to Peter and asked him, "Peter, do you love Me more than these?"  In His grace, Christ was giving Peter a chance to publicly announce his love for the Lord after previously denying Him three times.  As the people heard Peter's testimony, Christ then revealed to him the future--something Peter could do nothing about.  He showed him what sort of death he would die.  Now, we are thinking, "this is not the most encouraging message to hear, come on, Jesus; tell him something happy!"  But Jesus did command him to a great hope: following Him!

Peter's undesirable circumstance: dying a death like Christ's
What could he change?  Nothing
How did he respond?  He begins to compare himself with the apostle John.  He turned away from the Lord to point at John and ask what was going to happen to him.  He was probably wondering if John was also going to suffer the same pain that he was going to have to endure.  Instead of trusting in the Lord, he compared his circumstances to someone else's.

Jesus responds:  "What is that to you?  In other words, John's future is none of your business!  You follow Me!"

Christ showed Peter grace by only telling him his story.  He did not want Peter to wallow in self-pity, selfishness, and pride, but in love, He convicted him of his sin, and challenged him to a higher goal: following Jesus.
Following Jesus is the only thing that can provide strength to us when we are called to go through things that we have no control over.  In other words, they are unpleasant circumstances.  We are called to glorify God in all that we do!  In the good and the bad, the promise remains that God is good, and He only does things that are good.  He allows things in our lives for our good and His glory!

Luke 9:23, "And He said to all, 'If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.'"  

1. Salvation: "deny yourself", in Christ by grace through faith, we are dead to sin and alive to God!
2. Service/Sacrifice/Surrender/Suffering: "take up your cross daily", we are called to joyfully take up the "thing/circumstance" God has called us to for our good and His glory!
3. Seeking: "follow Me", we come to know God through His word so that we can walk with Jesus daily!    Following Jesus starts with knowing God!  As you come to know Him through scripture, prayer, and fellowship, you begin to see more clearly how to walk in His paths.  His ways won't confuse you if you know Him!  He will might not be pleasant, but you trust Him because you know and have seen His faithfulness.  

Seek the Lord!  Follow Jesus!  He is good and forgiving, and abounds toward you with love.  All good things you receive are gifts off grace from His hand.  For, "...every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." (James 1:17)  Walk with Jesus!  Get to know Him better.  Preach the gospel to yourself daily to have perspective on who you are in and because of Christ!  

Do not let the cares of this world drag you down.  Don't give in to the temptation to complain or compare yourself with others.  Do not only seek pity for your burden, but listen to Truth!  Don't let you emotions control you mind, but follow God's truth alone!  

Follow Jesus!  

March of Things: spring break #1

So, I had great intentions of blogging everyday for the month of March.  However, the first of March came, went; I blinked and it was the 15th!  As a consolation, I am going to "try" to chronicle my adventures over spring break (which consequently, started today...) :) 
I don't know how interesting this will be (though I have high aspirations of doing fun and random things over break), I hope it's at least slightly entertaining! 

All of the important people say that a good day starts off with a good breakfast.  Well, mine did.  All of the Calvary dorm students (and even the president and first lady) were welcomed into the lobby with the wonderful aroma of freshly made waffles!  It's a Waffle-palooza!!!  There was quite the group of people lined up in the lobby for a chance at the fluffy waffles.  Even after the syrup ran out, the loyal breakfast fans stayed around.  It might have had something to do with it being the first day of Spring Break!

Stephen (the waffle maker), Jess, Fluffy Waffle, and me!  

It was a beautiful day!  The sun was super warm and there was a cool breeze!  It was a perfect day.  Some folks took advantage to do a little sun-tanning.  Later on in the afternoon, a group of us played a little softball.  Oh, the joys of having no school and a great day to be outside!  

All right, enough about waffles and sunny days...:)  

March 15 is also known as "True Confessions Day".  

So, here's Bekah's true confession...:)  

I can be very paranoid.  Or rather, I like to say that I am very observant of my surroundings, all the time, especially at night!  Don't get me wrong.  There is nothing wrong with being observant, but like everything else it should be kept in balance with reality!  No, I don't think that scary monsters will be jumping out of the bushes.  Oh, and one more thing...always keep your blinds closed at night...:)  

What is your "true confession"?  

(thus ends the super random first installment of my spring break blogging efforts...)  

The Mask Wearing Crowd

She stood there with a mask.  Her face all a picture of calm, serene, godly, joyful.  The plastic smile ready to greet me.  He stood there too.  His mask looked the same.  Together, they made a formidable pair.  They were talking to each other, with their masks held on tight, but neither seemed to notice me.

I was broken, sitting alone.  I watched the charade.

What little conversation passed between them was unimportant to me.  It looked normal, but then, so did the fake faces.  Of course, there was his gentle compliment, her smiling acknowledgement; followed by the "spiritual" question.  This begged a "spiritual" answer.  After a few minutes of stimulating conversation, they both smiled at each other, adjusted their masks and walked away.

I was broken, sitting alone.  I watched the charade, empty and full of false pretense.

The charade

It was a charade.  As a child, I loved this game.  My friends and I would play for hours, acting out and guessing one another's clues.  The moderator would give us a person, place, or thing, and we would have to act it out without words.  It was a game of mime.  Yet it was fun, and we all knew that we were just acting.  It wasn't serious.
Or do you remember those childhood masks of zoo animals or super-hero's?  They would come out every  once in a while, usually just for play.  Whatever game had been going on before, as soon as the lion mask was donned, we were running for our lives on an African safari hunt.  What changed our game of playing house?  The mask.

The mask wearing crowd

We all wear masks, everyone of us.  We put them on when we're with other people.  They are nice looking, professional, friendly, and spiritual.  The mask protects us (or so we think).  It keeps up the reputation of "good person".  Our masks are formed when who we think we are (or should be) does not match who we really are.  These ideas are fueled by our natural inclination

to perform to be accepted,

to keep our good name,

to pretend everything's okay, 

to serve others for ourselves, 

to look spiritual, 

to be strong and responsible, and 

to be comfortable and indifferent.

We are so good at wearing masks.  It is almost so natural, that many times, we are never seen without them. We are afraid of others opinions.  Or afraid of ourselves.  We know our hearts, the deepest secrets, desires, and sinful habits.  And so does God, and even more so.  We who wear the masks are the hypocrites.  We look one way, while on the inside we are something else.  We play the Pharisee.  

The gospel accounts are filled with times when Jesus confronted the Pharisee crowd.  These men were more concerned about tradition, religion, personal spirituality, and appearance than their own soul.  They were not looking for a Messiah, because they believed that God would accept them based on what they did.  They were professional mask-wearers.  "So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God.  You hypocrite!  'This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me; in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of me.'"  (Matt. 15:6-9)  

Romans 7

The apostle Paul wrestled with who he was and who he wanted to be in Romans 7.  He said, "For I do not understand my own actions.  For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate...For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh.  For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.  For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.  Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me." (vs. 15-20)

As believers in Jesus Christ for salvation, we are not dealing with the power or penalty of sin.  The sin in our world today, though still present, does not have a hold on us because of Christ.  By faith, we have been accepted in Him as His children--new creations--to walk before Him holy and blameless in love.  The mask of sin has no power, I am new in Christ!!!   

Showing my face

Oh, the joy that comes from knowing our identity is not found in who we think we are or should be!  See the freedom that comes from resting in Christ!  Gone is the mask of performance, doing things for others to be accepted.  Gone is the mask of reputation, risking everything to keep up my good name.  Gone is the mask of indifference, pretending I don't care.  Gone is the mask of spirituality, acting like a Pharisee.  They are gone.  I am free!

Where does reality come in?  How can I live as one free in Christ?
It's not rocket science.

Truth/Trusting:
It starts with the fundamental knowledge of being a child of God.  By faith, we take Him at His word and trust His promises.  We look in His word for truths about our new identity, and go forward in the strength of His indwelling Holy Spirit.

Remain/Time:
As we move forward everyday, we make little choices on whom we will follow.  Scripture says to let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.  To dwell means to make residence or to remain.  The tendency to put on the old familiar mask won't have any charm as we see the reality of who we are in Christ.  There is no fear in His love.

Respond/Worship:
All of this goes back to the truth that God is working all things according to His will for His own glory.  We are living a life of worship, not putting on the Sunday-morning-worship-mask.  We live and breathe to give glory to God.

Set your Mind:  
It's a choice.  "Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.  For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God."  (Col. 3:2-3)

Don't be afraid to show your face.  There is freedom in vulnerability, showing the face that God has redeemed and made new.  There is no fear in His love, but joy comes from resting and being held by His hands.  Your story is no longer one of shame, but one of redemption, pointing to the grace of God.  

Gifts

I think we all have that "inner child" when it comes to gifts.  Like at Christmas time, we all remember how it felt to be waiting with such anticipation for the presents from Mom and Dad.  We would wait all December, seeing the pile slowly accumulate with brightly wrapped packages.  Then Christmas morning finally comes, and us kids would wake up at the break of dawn!  Our parents are sleepy-eyed, but they still smile with just as much joy as they watch us open the presents.

What makes this process so much fun!  Is it the surprise?  The whole point of a gift is that it is something you didn't choose, but it was given to you.  Is is the anticipation?  Or the expectation of something wonderful?

So, what is it about gifts?

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, 

coming down from the Father of lights 

with whom there is no variation 

or shadow due to change."  

James 1:17

Our heavenly Father is the Giver of good gifts.  All His gifts are good, because He is good!  

Think of this in relation to what it is like to get presents at Christmas time.  We are so excited for this "thing/present".  We don't know what is in the package.  We may have suggested some items that we wanted, but in the end our parents made the final decision for what would be good and best for us.  It might be that toy we always wanted, or the socks that we really needed!  We don't approach the tree with fear or worry, but we are excited to find out what is there.  

Our heavenly Father is the Giver of good gifts.  All His gifts are good, because He is good!  

"I say to the Lord, 'You are my Lord; 

I have no good apart from You'"  

Psalm 16:2

Think of all the gifts we have from God.  

Everything is from God!   

And everything from God is a good gift.  

My life is a gift from God, every part of it, even what I don't see.  In His grace, He has given me so many blessings--so many good things.  He has allowed me to learn things and go through trials--so many good things.  He is working out His plan for my life, which is a gift from His good hand. 

I can go through life waiting expectantly for the next gift from God.  I can be like that child on Christmas day, holding their breath for the nod from Mom and Dad to dive into the pile of good things.  I don't need to fear or worry, the gift will be good!!!  

"You open Your hand; 

You satisfy the desire of every living thing.  

The Lord is righteous in all His ways, 

and kind in all His works."  

Psalm 145:16-17

God gives good gifts. 

Ambassadors

     "What should we do to be part of God's work in the lives of others?  Paul uses the word ambassadors to define what it means to live incarnationally.  
     The job of an ambassador is to represent someone or something.  Everything he does and says must intentionally represent a leader who is not physically present.  His calling is not limited to forty hours a week, to certain state events, or to times of international crisis.  He is always the king's representative.  He stands in the place of the king (or the government of his country) wherever he is, whatever he is doing.  His relationships are not primarily driven by his own happiness.  He decides to go places and do things because they will help him to faithfully represent the king.  Thus the work of an ambassador is incarnational.  His actions, character, and words embody the king who is not present.
     Paul says that God has called to all to function as his ambassadors.  Our lives do not belong to us for our own fulfillment.  The primary issue is, "How can I best represent the King in this place, with this particular person?"  This is not a part-time calling; it is a lifestyle.  When an ambassador assumes his responsibilities, his life ceases to be his own.  Everything he says and does has import because of the king he represents.  Anything less is an affront to the king and a denial of the ambassadorial calling.
     What is God calling you to in your marriage?  To be an ambassador.  What is God calling you to as a parent?  To be an ambassador.  What is God calling you to regarding friends and neighbors?  To be an ambassador.  What is God calling you to at work and in leisure?  To be an ambassador.  We represent God's purposes to the people He places in our lives.  This is much broader than a commitment to formal ministry occupying a portion of our schedule.  It acknowledges that our lives belong to the King."  

- Paul David Tripp

"Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands"

Have you ever? (It's a new year)

Have you ever taken the time to simply stop and think about all that God has done in your life?  

God is faithful.  

His Word speaks of this attribute in extent.   

Faithfulness is a part of His character. 

remember that!  

God wanted the nation of Israel to remember His works for them too.  He told them, that they should remember what He had done for them to lead them out of the land of bondage.  So that when they were in a foreign land they would not be tempted to follow other gods when they served the one true God.  

They forgot.

So, what about me?  It's a new year, 2013!  There are many exciting things to anticipate within the next 12 months?  Last year was filled with many adjustments and changes and moves and steps and challenges.  This year is bound to be filled with just as many.  

But where I stood a week ago, the future didn't exactly look...bright!  In fact, it looked quite bleak.  In this season of my life, I am still in a state of "transition".  At first, it was normal, but after a while it has got harder and harder to deal with the constant state of limbo.  (But I had the wrong glasses on...)  It only gets hard when I don't have my focus on Christ.  When I am self-focused and not seeing His will and plan for my life!  

So, what about me?  Well, you see, I had forgotten the faithfulness of God.  And this brings me to why I love going on walks when I am at home.  There is a lovely highway just north of town that I love to walk on.  It is so quiet, and a person can see for miles.  It is perfect for walking and thinking and praying and meditating.  

This is what I was reminded of...

We serve a faithful God who holds you in the palm of His hand.  He has never forsaken you or left you to fend for yourself.  Psalm 139:5 says, "You hem me in, behind and before, and lay Your hand upon me."  He is there in the past (behind) and in the future (before).  BUT He is not just there in the past and the future, because He has in hand on you NOW, in the present...Right Now!  

Nothing has escaped from His eyes, even though my life feels so fluid.  This "season" of transition is hard, but He has led me to this place for a time.  I don't know how long that is, but it is only a chapter of my life.  The book is already written, God has it all planned, scripted according to His design.  I don't need to know the full story now, just the chapter I'm in presently.  

Then I looked back to only the last 4 years of my life and thought through all of the things that God has done for me!  The list was astounding.  I never knew then, that He would have me here and now.  But that was His plan.  He sculpted and shaped the events of my life for a better purpose than my own plans--HIS OWN GLORY!  

How can I not trust a good God with all the days of my life?  

Dare I answer more?  

a new year is here...2013

So, I know that I am a little late for the whole...beginning of the year blog posts about New Year Resolutions and reflections from the past year...but I figured something was better than nothing!

Here is something to start the year off right!
This is the song "Dear Refuge of my Weary Soul".

And another personal favorite...

See, this is something...:)  

(don't worry, in true blogger fashion, I'll have a post soon about my thoughts on the new year and so forth!!!)