25 December 2012

Magi and the Christmas Star


History has a way of making me stand in awe of God’s sovereignty. Have you ever wondered who the Magi were and why they looked to the stars for the Messiah? A few years ago I explored this question and thought I would share a little of it with you. It was hard to condense down into an acceptable blog length so this is a little scattered and random.
Who were the Magi?
There are many theories surrounding the magi mentioned in Matthew two. For the sake of brevity, I believe the Magi were Zoroastrian.
The Persian Zoroastrian priests and the Median magi served together under the Achaemenian Persian rulers. Eventually the two priesthoods were combined for political reasons and the magi of the Medes became the priests of the Persian Zoroastrian religion. Eventually, under Nebuchadnezzar, the magi were associated with the Babylonian astrologers (known to the Greeks as Chaldeans).
Why were the Magi seeking a Messiah in Israel?
Zoroastrians already believed in a coming kingdom and Saviour. However, how did they come to look for a Messiah in Israel?
Nebuchadnezzar brought the different wise men and astrologers of his conquered kingdom to Babylon. By doing so, he created an environment where the different religions and beliefs could interact. Under Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel rose to prominence among the magi and astrologers. Because of this, Daniel had the opportunity to teach the Zoroastrian magi about the prophecies concerning the coming Messiah, someone they were also waiting for. It was a common belief a sign would accompany the birth of a great ruler. Under the influence of the Babylonian astrologers some of the Zoroastrian magi turned their eyes to the night sky to search for a sign of the coming Savior.
While we may never know with certainty who the magi of the Christmas story actually were, these men looked to the skies for the sign of the coming Saviour. As David said, “The heavens declare the glory of God... Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge” (Ps 19:1). While I am not advocating astrology, the magi looked to the heavens for directions to their Saviour and followed the star to a little town of Bethlehem. God used their field of study to lead them to Himself.
God is not governed by societal convention. His Son was born among the animals instead of among kings. He brought shepherds, the outcasts of society, in from the fields to spread the news to the people of Bethlehem. He used a captive of Israel to lead the astrologers and to teach them about the Messiah. Nearly seven hundred years later, these intellectual elite from another religion brought the news of the Messiah’s birth to the political ruler and religious rulers of Israel.
God’s hand is all over history. That is why I find it so fun to study.

19 November 2012

Hold onto the Promises


This past year was full of learning how to trust God while pushing through hard circumstances. I need to worship God and hold onto the promises He’s given me. He tells me who He is. He tells me who I am. I do not need to focus all my thoughts on my failures or my circumstances but need to lift up my eyes to the one who shelters me, provides for me and encourages me. “Submit yourselves, therefore, to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (Jas 4:7, emphasis mine). My job is to submit myself to God. By doing so, I automatically resist the devil and he has to flee. “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength...” (Isa 30:15). Right now, I am not to fight but to rest. (Have to admit, resting is really challenging) I am to focus my eyes on God, to be still and to remember who He is (Ps 46:10). Resting in God’s presence is more powerful than we know.
I was in a funk a few weeks ago and was talking with a friend about it. My friend commented that sometimes we just need to have an experience that allows our head knowledge to become heart knowledge. We need to experience the Bible and know it is true. The next morning I was listening to the radio and one phrase kept jumping out at me. “Hold onto the promises. Hold onto the promises.” I have no idea what the rest of the song was saying because I could not get past those four words. I pulled out the different promises God gave me. Soon I found myself praising God for His faithfulness and goodness. I was not focusing on my circumstances or emotions but on who God is. My circumstances did not change, but it is a lot easier to have joy when I focus on the One who gives joy.
Before this year, I never knew you could have a promise from God. I didn’t even know how to go about getting one. Then someone told me to ask God. What a brilliant idea. Ask God. It didn’t seem like it should work. It didn’t seem like God would want to give me a promise, let alone have a conversation with me about one.
Then my heart started to change. I looked back at the verses that always stood out to me, and one day I took hold of them for myself. I started to believe God is who He says He is. The more I surrendered to God, the more I learned from Him. I began to learn God’s voice. I began to recognize that when words jump off the page at me and grab my heart God is speaking with me. When I need encouragement, He wants to be that for me. When I need financial provision, He wants to be that for me. When I need to know I am beautiful or have worth, He wants to tell me and show me I do (Isa 62:1-6). I believe God gives us a need or a challenge so that He can be the answer to that problem. He gives us different desires so He can be the one to fulfill them.
So, does this mean I did not have promises before? No. If anything, I always had them. I just wasn’t looking for them. I wasn’t ready to take hold of them yet. I couldn’t handle it yet, despite my belief that I could handle them. However, I would have seen the promises of God as something I wasn’t living up to. I would have to earn them and be good enough for them. I was not willing to receive them and frankly did not want anything from Him. I did not trust Him as I thought I did.
God has given us many promises. His Word is full of them. There are promises about who God is and promises about who we are, about our past, present and future. I have promises about all of these. I even have promises about my name. Many of them are in Isaiah. I have no idea what it will look like for the promises to be fulfilled but it is fun talking with God about them. As we talk about them, he prepares me for receiving the promises. If I think I understand one of them, He shows me a deeper meaning and I am in awe of God all over again. He grows me in maturity and in faith and trust. I am learning to trust God, to believe He is who He says He is. If I am not grounded in who God says He is, I cannot fully help others be so. If I do not know who God says I am, I cannot fully help others find who God says they are.
This past week we talked about Scripture at my discipleship group. One of the leaders said (paraphrased), “The Bible is full of treasures just waiting for us to find them. It isn’t that they are hidden from us but hidden for us. They are for us to seek out. It is like a treasure hunt.” There is joy in finding treasure. If you are willing to seek it out, you will find it (Mat 7:7).
What are the promises God’s given you? He’ll highlight them for you when you read them. They’ll jump off the page and grab your heart. The words of a song will stick with you for weeks, but in a different way than when you merely have a song stuck in your head. The words of a friend will resonate deeply with your heart. God speaks in so many ways. His words bring peace and joy and encouragement.
Dare to ask God for a promise to hold onto. Let the treasure hunt begin.

18 November 2012

God will Provide for you Financially

George Mueller was a director of an orphanage in England in the 1800’s. He never solicited monies or donations. He relied solely on prayer so that only God could be credited with providing for their needs. One day, there was nothing for breakfast, but Mueller had everyone sit down as they normally would. They prayed, thanking God for breakfast. When they finished praying there was a knock at the door. The baker had brought over enough bread for everyone, free of charge. A little while later there was another knock. The milkman’s cart had broke down in front of the orphanage, and he asked if they wanted the milk since he could not deliver it. This is just one of the hundreds of stories Mueller got to be a part of because he dared to trust God to provide.

This year I came face-to-face with the question are you willing to let God provide for you? This required me to humble myself and admit I needed help. It caused me to really look at my beliefs. Do I actually trust God enough to provide for me? This was really hard for me to come to grips with. At first my pride would not allow me to trust God or even accept anything from Him. But He was not content to leave me in that state. He wanted to show me more, to take me on an adventure. He started softening my heart through prayer and time in His Word. He began breaking down the misbelief that He would only provide when it came to ministry but not for everyday life. He showed Himself faithful on so many occasions.

Trust that He is faithful
This was hard. I did not have much of a base to go off of so we had to start small. I wasn’t ready for the deep end of the pool yet. At first I was trusting God to provide where I was short. Soon I had to trust Him to provide because I had very little. He will start small and ease you into trusting Him. He wants to gain our trust and not force trust on us.
One day, I got an update from a missionary couple in Italy. They were getting married in a few months and were asking for additional financial support. Among the different requests, they were asking for $150 for a wedding dress. At the time, I did not have money to give them but really wanted to help. I asked God for the $150 so I could give it to them. The next day I got an email from school that they were returning $150 because they overcharged me. It was like God was saving that money so I could bless my friends. How cool is that!
God then had me trust Him for something bigger, a job and financial provision until I got one. A year ago I graduated from college. I spent eight months looking for a job before God provided a full-time position. It was a long eight months. In all honesty, I only had enough saved to allow me to stay here for about three and a half months. God provided for the rest of the months. It was crazy. I felt like the widow in 2 Kings 4:1-7 or in 1 Kings 17 (minus the widow and child aspect). I should only have been here for a few months but God kept providing for me. He allowed me to stay here until He gave me a full-time job.
This summer, the end of the month was coming to a close and I only had $30 in my bank account. Rent was due in a week and a half and I had no idea how I was going to pay it. There was absolutely nothing I could do but pray. I did not want to ask for help. Part of me did not want to ask for help because of pride, but a larger portion of my heart wanted to see God be a Provider. Throughout Scripture, we see God as a Provider. He provided a lamb in the place of Isaac in Genesis 22. He gave Elijah bread in the desert (1 Ki 17:1-6). He provided food for Elijah and a widow and her son during famine (1 Ki 17). Jesus fed 5,000 people (Mk 6). I wanted a story like that. I wanted to see God provide for me. It was the coolest thing. That week I got several checks in the mail. I had exactly enough to pay my rent. This was not a onetime occurrence either. I got to see God do this on several occasions.
I heard a quote that we should be leaning so far into God that if He is not there we would fall on our face. I want to be so dependent on Him that if He is not there, I will fall on my face. I am definitely at the shallow end of trusting God. I’m only ankle deep. But God is taking me deeper. He wants me to be swimming but we have to work our way up to that. One day I’ll be at that point but it is a hard thing to pray for. I like my comfort. A little too much sometimes. I know God is going to keep stretching me and asking me to trust Him for things beyond my comfort level. However, He is faithful. He will provide. If He gives a promise, He will not back out of it but will fulfill it (Isa 54:10, 1 Sa 15:29).
Dare to ask God to provide for you, and trust that He is faithful. He wants to show you more of Himself and take you on an adventure. It will stretch you and grow you but it is worth it.

21 October 2012

Awesome teaching


Scott spoke at my discipleship group a few weeks ago. This is a little of what we heard. Pretty amazing!

06 October 2012

Yeah, so Exodus...

When you find yourself face-to-face with an uncomfortable decision, I find it best to leave it alone. I walk away and try to avoid it. Unfortunately, that is never a helpful response. I seem to be at one of these points. I have a glimpse of what I think the next faith step is but I am afraid to ask God. I am afraid of what He will say, or worse, won't say. What if I made this up and it is in fact not from God?
 
I’ve been reading about the Fall in Genesis this last week. After Adam and Eve sinned, they hid themselves from God. They did not want to admit their sin. They were ashamed for the first times in their lives. I, in a similar fashion, have been hiding from God. I still spend time with Him but it is more so on my terms. Not a whole lot comes from that other than checking something off my to-do list. That is not the way I want my relationship with a loving and just God to be, yet here I find myself. I am afraid of the risks involved with walking toward God and going deeper. Faith can be scary because we do not know the outcome. It is completely out of our hands and totally in God's. Do I trust Him enough to rely on Him?
 
I’ve had trouble continuing with Exodus because I see so much of myself in Moses. God tells Moses who He is and Moses hides his face in fear. God promises to deliver Israel and to be with Moses. One phrase particularly stands out, “I promise that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land (I promised your forefathers)” (Ex 3:17). I tend to forget the promise that God gives us when He leads us to something. I forget that it is only Him who has the ability to get me where He wants me. I look more at the circumstances than Whom it is that is drawing me toward them.
From the outside, this seems like a small thing. However, deep within my heart this is leading toward a dream I hold very dearly (probably too closely even). I think I am supposed to go to grad school but I do not know with 100% confidence. This makes me even more hesitant to apply. I do not want to go if God is not behind me. If He is behind this, then what if I don’t have what it takes. I’m afraid to take that first step to even find out if this is something God wants for me. There is no risk in doing nothing. It is easier to write about something or dream about something, but is another thing entirely to do something, to walk toward your dream.
It is a scary thing to dream with God because He does let you know what the next step is. He does let you know some of His dreams for you. Sometimes God does not want us to know what the next step is just yet. Do we trust Him enough to keep seeking after Him and trust that He will let us know when it is time?
He loves to dream with us and to expand our dreams. We may think we have a great dream of impacting a few people or even a city when God wants us to impact nations. Maybe we want to impact nations but God wants us to go deep with a few people and disciple them or strengthen our family or support missionaries and church planters financially. Whatever the case, God’s dreams always require faith. If it is something you could feasibly do with a little help, then maybe it isn’t big enough. If there is no faith involved and no risk, then maybe God wants us to dream bigger.

14 September 2012

When Fear Steps In — Midian pt II


God tells Moses all the things He wants to do for Moses then tells him he is to lead the people out of slavery. At this point Moses objects. I can only imagine the questions and the fears running through his mind. Thus far everything in the conversation was risk-free. Now he had the option of crazy adventure that came with hardship or staying in Midian the rest of his life.
If Moses accepts the call, everything will change. Growing up in the palace he knew what Pharaoh was like. The last time he was in Egypt he killed a man and had to flee for his life. Returning to Egypt is returning to a death sentence and the charge of insurrection for trying to lead a people group out of Egypt. He was also in the desert for forty years and was coming back to civilization saying he had met with God. He would sound like a crazy person.
However, instead of being accused of insurrection he could stay in Midian. He was content there. He was part of a family and had a family of his own. He was content leading sheep around the desert. The Egyptians and Hebrews already rejected him. He would be returning to two cultures he thought he would never interact with again.
God's response to Moses’ fear is “But I will be with you...” He gives Moses a sign, power to back up what He is saying. God’s words always come with power. Moses isn’t going into this by himself. When he is still fearful God says the elders of Israel will go with him and will listen to him. However, Moses’ fear is not quieted. He still doubts God despite the promises of success.
 God does not get angry at Moses for doubting God’s promises. He gives Moses several signs to prove he met with God. God was definitely having fun with these. Moses throws his staff on the ground and it turns into a snake. He responds in the same way I would—he runs from it. I wonder how long it took Moses to pick up his staff again. God then tells him to put his hand into his cloak and it turns leprous. Again, another freaking out, what-are-you-doing! moment. God says that if the people don’t believe these he can always turn water from the Nile into blood.
Now Moses’ complaint isn’t that the people will not listen to him but that he does not have the capability to speak. At this point God gets angry. Growing up in the palace Moses was trained in public speaking. He also knew how to speak to Pharaoh. Despite his training, Moses still did not want to do it.
I seem to be standing near a crossroads right now where I could walk faithfully toward what I believe God is calling me or I could again yield to fear. I’ve seen God hand opportunities to other people when I say no out of fear. I don’t want that to be the case anymore. It only leaves me with regret and more fear. I worry that I am no longer following plan A but moved to plan B or Z. My worry goes directly against all God has said; in fact, do not worry is even a command in the Bible. When I am staring my fears in the eye I need to take my eyes off themand turn my eyes toward God. Focusing on fear is idolatry. I’m saying it is more powerful than God and deserves my attention.
If I keep saying no I will be living as a shepherd in the desert forever, but if I say yes to God I know there is great adventure awaiting. It will be hard and I do not see the full extent of what I am agreeing to, but I also know there is great joy that comes with it that will greatly outweigh everything else. We may take a detour in the desert, but it is there that God renews and refines us. He doesn’t leave us there but will bring us out of the desert into the calling He placed in our hearts.

11 September 2012

Content in Midian part I


My generation likes to think we can change the world, and many of us have discovered we can. Major internet companies such as YouTube (2005) and Facebook (2004) are the projects of young entrepreneurs. Organizations such as Charity: Water (2006) and Kiva (2004) have recent starts as well and are vastly changing the lives and communities of those they work with. The moment the ideas sprung into being, I do not believe any of these founders knew the impact they would have. Imagine if the founders of these companies and organizations never sought to bring change. Businesses in impoverished nations would not exist. Communities would be without clean water.
So, how did I start thinking about this? Believe it or, from reading Exodus. I think Moses felt a strong desire to bring about social justice, though he did not entirely know why or what that meant. I wonder if he thought he would make a difference as part of Pharaoh’s household. When he fled for his life from that very household, he must have wondered if God had a plan for him at all. Not a whole lot in his life made sense just yet.
One thing we learn about Moses is he becomes content in Midian living as a shepherd, looking out for sheep in the desert (2:21). The Egyptians found shepherds detestable so this is quite the occupation switch for Moses, especially since your identity is in your family and what your family does. He’d given up on standing as a protector for the people of Israel.
Moses is having a normal day and sees a bush on fire in the desert. This isn’t too abnormal in the desert. When he saw the bush wasn’t consumed by the fire he went to look at it. It is here that he has a powerful encounter with God. God calls Moses and tells him who He is. He says He has seen the affliction of His people and is going to do something about that. I can only imagine how Moses is feeling at this moment. He’s standing in the presence of God; already this is a pretty momentous moment. Memories of old dreams that still leave a deep ache in his heart and memories of old lives that never made sense come flooding back with each word God speaks.
Yet again this post was originally rather long so it will be in two parts (and explains the lack of transitions). Intertwined in this Exodus series will be more on what I believe God is calling me to and my responses to this. God is always so timely by leading me to the right places in Scripture and encouraging and challenging me with His faithfulness. We are on a journey and only God knows the destination.

03 September 2012

Wrong Response (Exodus 1-2)


Have you ever had the right intentions but the wrong response? Know you are not alone. Even the great men of faith in the Bible had these moments. I often think of the people in the Bible as these great people of faith but they had no idea what they were doing either. They were trying to rely on God and did not always have the correct response. They had moments of fear and of exhaustion and of doubt but also of joy and of victory, just as we have.
In the first chapters of Exodus we see Moses wants to follow God and stand for justice but goes about it in the wrong way. However, this is preceded by two stories. The first story tells of the midwives’ fear of God. The Israelites kept increasing in number so Pharaoh told the Israelite midwives to kill the baby boys. They let the babies live and had to answer to Pharaoh as to why they allowed this. This was breaking Maat. Because they feared God more than Pharaoh (who ordered them to against God) God blessed them with families of their own (1:21).
Side note: In ancient Egyptian society, Maat (ma-aht) is right or correct behavior (which is personified by a goddess). It is justice and truth, law and order (but much more than can be described in a paragraph). It is obeying those over us and treating those under us in a good manner. The opposite of Maat is greed, ruthlessness, lying, and violence. You have to learn Maat. Pharaoh was to preserve Maat and resurrect Maat if it was lost. When you die and go to judgment you are to give the negative confession (in the book of the dead). You are to say you fed the hungry, clothed the naked, helped some cross the river, saved the weak and didn’t inflict pain or make man weep.
The second story is of Moses’ mother. She refused to kill her son as Pharaoh commanded and hid him instead. When he was too old to hide in the house she hid him in a basket in the Nile and had his sister watch over him. Pharaoh’s daughter found him and took him as her own child. However, she first had Moses’ mother nurse him (and paid for her to raise her son!) (2:10). Because Moses’ mother did not kill her son like Pharaoh had commanded, God blessed her and allowed her to be paid to raise her son.
The next story in Exodus tells a time when Moses went and watched his people working as slaves. He saw an Egyptian beating an Israelite and killed the taskmaster to protect the slave. Like the previous two stories of the midwives and his mother, Moses wants to stand for justice but goes about it the wrong way. He wants to stand up for the underdog but kills someone in the process. When it was discovered he fled for his life.
Moses flees to Midian and sits down by a well. I imagine he is feeling pretty defeated right now. Soon, seven daughters of a priest come to draw water for their flock but the shepherds try to drive them away. In ancient societies women were not even considered people. Shepherds were the lowest in society. Nobody trusted them and they trusted few people. The shepherds are driving away the women, viewed as a step lower than the shepherds. It is at this point that Moses steps in and rescues the women.
Moses tried to bring peace and justice for the underdogs. He would have heard stories of how the midwives and his mother saved the baby boys and were blessed for it. He also wanted to stand for justice. While murder is never the right response, he began to learn what it meant to stand for justice.

27 August 2012

Do You Live Your Theology?


Have you ever taken the time to examine your beliefs and see how they work themselves out in your life? This last year has been a time of testing and growing in this area. I can tell you my theology but when tested, my life does not always line up with my beliefs. I was faced with the question of do I live my theology?
This was hard to come to grips with, especially when it came to trusting God. I thought I trusted God but my actions did not always portray this. I said I wanted more of Him but how could I when I did not trust Him? I only saw what I was to do. I did not understand love and grace. They had become cliché. I felt safer in fear. I acted as if I was only a servant of God and not a daughter of God. I did not understand who God actually is.
God was not content to leave me in this sad state. I do not know when I switched to not trusting God; I only knew that needed to change. Through time in the Word, prayer and counsel from friends and mentors, God began to change my heart. He is giving me a deeper understanding of who He is and who He sees me as. He is showing me how to respond out of that. He is showing me His trustworthiness. He is teaching me to rely on Him. I am coming face-to-face with the real God not the god I conjured up in my head. He is removing the projections I forced on Him and showing me who He really is. He is God but He is safe. He is trustworthy. He is loving. He is joyful and adventurous. He is a good Father.
Knowing who my Father is makes all the difference. Instead of responding out of fear, or not responding because of fear, I see the Father beside me. I need to keep my eyes on my Father and not my circumstances (which is sometimes easier said than done). It is when I take my eyes off of Him that I experience anxiety and fear and emotional turmoil. I need to worship Him through my circumstances. I am not saying it will be easy but I will be okay as long as I am with my Father. He says He will never leave me (Mat 28:20). He does not lie.
I’ll leave you with these questions: How are you doing with your theology? Do your actions mirror your beliefs?

26 August 2012

Living in the Aftermath of a Ransoming


And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. 
1 Peter 1:17-21
So how are we to respond to 1 Peter 1:17-21?
God is a Father, and our Father stands as an impartial judge for us. For Christians, our judgment falls on Jesus. For those who are not Christians, judgment falls on their heads. But our loving Father does not want us to be separated from Him. He ransomed us with Jesus, a precious lamb who took our place. This ransoming was planned before the world was even created, before the first breath was breathed or the first ray of sunlight hit the cold earth. When we call on God as our Father and ask Him to be the ruler of our lives we are saved. We are brought out of that dark dungeon of hopelessness, despair and judgment into the glorious light of Christ. It is by faith in Jesus that we are justified before God and made righteous (Ro 3:22, 5:1).

We are holy the moment we become Christ followers. We also grow in holiness as the Holy Spirit refines us and changes us to be more like Christ. Corrie ten Boom states:
“I believe that an important part of becoming holy is that we need to understand and accept that our sins are forgiven. We often do believe it theologically and theoretically, but it isn’t always a reality… We need to also ask for forgiveness, and then believe we are forgiven. And then we need to turn away from sin, in the power of the Lord. Turning your back on sin is part of becoming holy…. It is God’s will to make us holy, but do you love sin too much to turn your back on it?” (I Stand at the Door and Knock, 2008, pg 40-41)
That is such a challenging question. “Do you love sin too much to turn your back on it?” Speaking on 1 Peter 1:17-19, Corrie ten Boom later states,
Really, holiness is a serious business. We are bought with the blood of Christ. We are bought at a very high price. Christians behave as if they belong to themselves, but don’t forget that you lost all your rights at Golgotha. Every inch of us was paid for. Jesus paid the price… If you and I do not give ourselves entirely to the Lord, we do not give Him the value He has paid for us on the cross. We were bought at a very high price. That cross was horrendous. It was an extremely high price to pay for you and me. (48, 49)
Are you willing to be forgiven and to forgive? Forgiveness really is a supernatural work of God. It is a hard thing to accept, and it is a harder thing to give. As God forgave us we are to forgive (Eph 4:32). “If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness that you may be feared” (Ps 1303-4).
Are you willing to surrender fully to God? God has a gracious memory. The same God who said “let there be light” says you are righteous. Everything he says is true. Nothing he says fails to happen. Do not think your life or your sin can trump the massive obedience of Christ. If God says he will transform you, he will transform you.
Are you willing to respond? We are God’s masterpiece, and we are created with specific intention (Eph 2:10). God gives us things to do that make us feel alive and let us experience Him in new ways. He gives us people to love, people to provide for, to encourage. A pastor once said, “A clear mission without action is a dream… God won’t call you to something without giving you the provision to walk with Him… God honors action because it is the life behind your faith.” (Substance Church, Leaving a Mark) God is not going to call you to do something without giving you the desire to do it. I have experienced this on many occasions. I do not always want to do what I feel God asking of me. I have to surrender my control to Him and I find He gives me a desire for the task. I find joy in it and can’t believe I ever felt otherwise.
God is such a loving and good God. Are you unsure how to respond? Run to Him. He loves to hold us in His arms and sing softly over us, comforting us and guiding us (Isa 40:11-12, Ps 23, Zeph 3:17). Even when I am not faithful, He remains faithful and trustworthy (2 Ti 2:13). He gives us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Pe 1:3). He makes us stand strong in Christ, so lean on Him and not your own understanding (2 Co 1:21-22, Prov 3:5).

24 August 2012

Foreknown Before the Foundation

He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.      1 Peter 1:20-21
 
Jesus was not Plan B. Have you ever thought about this? If God already knew Jesus would die for us before He created the world, then why do we sometimes think Jesus was Plan B? God already planned to save us. God was not shocked by our sin. He did not scramble to come up with a backup plan since we messed up the first one. The Father chose us before we could impress Him or rebel against Him (Eph 1:4-6). He already gave us His love. We cannot earn what we have already received. We are not lacking anything in Christ.
It is because of His immense love for us that He saved us. He knew sin would separate us so even before we sinned He created a way for us to return to Himself. “[God] saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began…” (2 Ti 1:9). We cannot work our way to salvation. He chose us because of His grace not because we had potential to be awesome. We cannot earn the Father’s love. He already loves us more than we can understand. Before He created the world, he chose us. He created us with purpose. He wants us. We are not accidents or afterthoughts.
When God adopted us as His children Jesus was already His Son. In a sense, Jesus is our big brother. He is the one we are to model ourselves after (Ro 8:29). We do not know how to act as children of God so we look to Jesus who modeled this for us. When Jesus left Earth He gave us the Holy Spirit to guide us and instruct us (Jn 14:26, Ro 8:26-18). God has given us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Pe 1:3). We are not left alone but with hope and fully alive in Christ. God has given us everything we need in Him and more.
 
“In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will... [You] were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory” (Eph 1:11-14).

23 August 2012

To Do or Not To Do


(The title is more funny when you say it in a Brenden Fraser from George of the Jungle voice)

There are different seasons in life where we find ourselves more busy than usual. I enjoy having a full schedule. However, this past year I have been learning a lot about rest and surrender. The last few weeks were particularly full and I recognized I needed a break. You know it is bad when you do not feel stressed but you recognize your body is.
To counteract this, I planned a nothing day. No chores. No errands. No researching. Only cooking, knitting, writing and fun reading (though let’s be honest, I define fun reading as searching history books for my next research topic). To achieve this day of nothing I scheduled out the hours of the day, making sure to include some unscheduled time before my discipleship group that night.
I decided nothing had a broader meaning so I could do the dishes and a few other chores and errands. I was loading the dishwasher and went to put soap in it. I imagine God and the angels watching this rather humorous event unfold. One angel jabs his buddy, “Look at this, I don’t think she knows what she’s doing.” Soon a crowd gathers. “Oh, is she gonna do it? She’s gonna do it!” I looked down in my hand and instead of dish soap I held a jug of milk. It was at this point that I realized I had already defeated the purpose of my nothing day. When you decide milk is a good substitute for soap, you know you are too distracted by your to-do list.
But again, if I’m really honest there is always something more I can work on, a new project to finish or goal to achieve. But if I’m in a constant state of go and do not make time to relax, spend quality time with God and friends, then am I obeying God when He says to “Be still and know that I am God” (Ps 46:10)? This is a command, not a suggestion. I need to be still and obey.
So how does one do this? I have many thoughts on this, but there is more to come on this and 1 Peter.

16 August 2012

Sealed for His Glory


Are you standing on the edge of the kingdom or embracing your role as a child of the King? As sons and daughters of God, we have the authority of the King. However, do we live like we have authority over Satin, sin and death or do we live like subjects in the realm of a good King expecting to be served? If this is the case then might I suggest we do not realize we've had the authority to bring change all along.
A seal bearer is one who holds the authority of the owner of the seal. A son would receive his father's seal and with it the authority of his father. In a similar fashion, kings would give certain people their seal to do the king's will. They would then have the authority of the king and the resources of the king (A great example is King Xerxes and Haman from the book of Esther). If we are embracing our role as a seal bearer then we are living in the authority of Christ. If we are not, then we are living on the edge of the kingdom. If we are not, then there is so much untapped authority we are not using. We have authority over the Satan and demons (Mat 10:18-20, Mk 3:15), over sickness (Mat 9:1-2), over death (Mat 10:8).

As Christians, Jesus placed His seal of ownership on us (2 Co 1:21-22). Only He can open the seal. No one and nothing else can open it and has no place doing so. Anything that says it can have access to your life is lying and does not need to be there (This does not mean we should all go live in the desert and never talk to anyone. Ever. We are to live in community not in isolation. I'm talking more about the habits, sin patterns, lies that want to control us). When guilt or shame says it is my master, it is lying. Christ is my master (Ro 8:9-17). No longer do we need to conform to our old way of thinking (1 Pe 1:13-16). We have been made new. We are a new creation (2 Co 5:17).
We are in a spiritual war (Eph 6:12). However, God has already told us the outcome. We are victorious in Christ (1 Co 15:57, 1 Jn 5:4, book of Revelation). God always leads us in a triumphal entry (2 Co 2:14). You do not have a parade celebrating victory if you lost. We are operating from a place of victory. We do not have to surrender when God has already declared victory over us. We do not have to surrender to fear or to shame or to sin.
God has given us His armor to fight with. He has equipped us with everything we need for life and godliness (2 Pe 1:3). In Isaiah we see God put on the breastplate of righteousness and the helmet of salvation (Isa 58:17). We, like His children, copy the Father and also put on armor just like His (Eph 6). If we trust the armor God gives us has the ability to protect us but we never use it, it is becomes useless. It is meant for use. We need to use the armor God gives us.
We also need to prepare our minds for when spiritual attacks come (see the post Doubt from March for more). We used to live by the rules of sin, but now we live by the rules of Christ. Sin is not content to let us go. It will keep trying to re-master us. But we do not need to let it. Follow the example of your Father (1 Pe 1:13-15). We are also to follow the example of Jesus and prepare our minds. "Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God" (1 Pe 3:18, 4:1-2). The ESV Study Bible commentary gave this explanation of these verses:
Others have suggested that this is a reference to the believer being dead to the power of sin, as a result of having died with Christ (similar to Paul's concept in Romans 6:1-11). More likely, Peter's point is that when believers are willing to suffer, the nerve center of sin is severed in their lives. Although believers will never be totally free from sin in this life (cf. James 3:2; 1 John 1:8), when believers endure suffering for the sake of Christ they show that their purpose in life is not to live for their own pleasures but according to the will of God and for his glory.
Know that your adversary is real. He is not flesh and blood but spiritual (Eph 6:12). He is a "roaring lion seeking someone to devour" (1 Pe 5:9). He makes a lot of noise, but because we are in Christ, we are already victorious over him. Satan has no power over us anymore unless we give him power. Stand firm in faith and resist him (1 Pe 5:9). He has to flee when we submit ourselves to God (Jas 4:7).

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you" (1 Pe 5:6-10). 

12 August 2012

The Precious Lamb We Did Not Buy

"... knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things, such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot."                                                                   1 Peter 1:18-19

Not with Silver or Gold
It is not with silver or gold that we are ransomed. We did not pay our way out of it. It was a life-for-a-life exchange. We had nothing to do with it. We were in bondage. We could do nothing about it even if we wanted to. We were dead in sin (Ro 6:11, Eph 2:5, Col 2:13). Not mostly dead, all dead. When Christ paid the ransom, he made us alive (Ro 8:11). Where the first Adam failed and brought death, the second Adam (Jesus) brought life (1 Co 15:45). He breathed His life and Spirit into us and brought us to life as a new creation (2 Co 5:17). Only God has the ability to call into existence that which did not previously exist (Ro 4:17).
Precious blood
God did not see Jesus' life as one to throw away. In fact, it is quite the opposite. It is the "precious blood of Christ" that saves us. Not only is it precious because it saves us but it is precious because of whose it is. Speaking of Jesus in Isaiah 28:16, God says: "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame." Peter quotes this (2:6) to help drive home this truth: God loves Jesus and sees Him as precious. His life is not one to throw away. But get this; he then says we are also like living stones much as Jesus is the ultimate living stone (2:5). This means we are also chosen and precious. The Father saw us as too precious not to ransom. Just as the Father ransomed Israel from Egypt (see Ex 14), so he ransoms us from sin and death. He does so because He loves us and sees us as precious, as worth rescuing (Isa 43:3-5).
Perfect Lamb
Jesus was like "a lamb without blemish or spot". This is a stop-you-in-your-tracks kind of statement. To us it sounds arbitrary, but to the Jewish audience this was huge. Under the Old Covenant the Israelites were required to sacrifice a lamb without blemish or spot to atone for their sin (Ex 12:5). This was not a one-time event either. The Day of Atonement occurred annually. The Israelites constantly offered sacrifices for their sins. Something perfect had to die in their place. A blood payment was required to cleanse them from sin. When Jesus died as a blood sacrifice to ransom us, he died as a lamb without blemish or spot. He was the ultimate sacrifice. He paid the final price. No more sacrifices were accepted after Jesus' death. When Jesus died God tore the curtain in the temple to take away the separation from the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place (Ex 26:33, Mk 15:38). No longer was the Ark of the Covenant (and with it God's presence) separated from the people.
God met with the High Priest at the Ark of the Covenant (Ex 30:6). Only the High Priest had access to it once a year to offer sacrifices for the sins of the people (Lev 16:32-33). He could not come when he wanted either but only on the set day (Lev 16:29). When the Great High Priest (Jesus) became the ultimate sacrifice for us, He took away that separation (Heb 4:14). He paid the ultimate price so we could have access to God. He ushered us into access to God. He did what no other High Priest could do. He brought true access to God. Now we can come to God through our High Priest Jesus. When we accept Jesus as our Saviour our sins are paid for and we are truly free. We are children of God. 

10 August 2012

Covenants-- Futile Ways Part II

The Christian exiles Peter is writing to are at a very unique time in history. The Old Covenant just ended, and they are living in the New Covenant. In stark contrast to the Old Covenants (which only covered the Jews), the New Covenant now extends to the Gentiles as well as Jews. There is some confusion among the early church about whether the Old Covenant still applies to them or what parts they still need to follow. For example, the Judiasers went around teaching the Gentile Christians needed to add circumcision to the New Covenant. Paul has some harsh words for those trying to impose the Law of the Old Covenant onto the New Covenant.

By trying to return to part of the Mosaic Covenant the Judiasers were saying we need to still hold onto part of the Law to maintain righteousness. However, the law does not bring justification because we cannot keep the whole law (Ro 3:20, Gal 3:10-11). We are cursed if we do not obey its entirety (Deut 27:26). We did not keep the whole law and therefore do not qualify for the covenantal blessings but rather for the curses. It is futile to hold onto that which brings death when Jesus offers a New Covenant which brings life. The Law of the Mosaic Covenant revealed our sin which brought the covenantal curses. This means we need to be saved from the curses.
With covenants, there are blessings for following the covenant and curses for disobedience. When you fail, you have to take the curses with the blessings. Our faithlessness did not nullify God’s faithfulness (Ro 3:3, 2 Ti 2:13). God still upheld the covenant when we broke our end. Jesus took our place so we don’t have to suffer the curses. “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree’—so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith” (Gal 3:13-14). Jesus took the covenantal curses so we could have the covenantal blessings.
Covenants cannot be added to once they are ratified. The only way for a covenant to end is for someone to die. One way to understand this is with marriage. When a spouse dies, the remaining spouse is no longer married. When Jesus died, he fulfilled the Mosaic Covenant and ushered in a New Covenant. Instead of us dying to bring an end to the covenant, Jesus died. This is scandalous in the world of covenants! Kings did not die for a subject with whom they made an oath. What an intense and unfathomable love God showed us! Not only did He die to bring an end to the Old Covenant but He also created a New Covenant where we could be restored to Him eternally!

08 August 2012

Intro to Covenants- Futile Ways Part I

“…knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers…” 1 Peter 1:18.

Ok, so since this was going to be a super long post, I broke it up into two parts. I believe understanding covenants brings about a deeper meaning to the text so I wrote a brief summary of the different covenants in the Bible and the type of covenant it was. Covenants were fairly common in the ancient world and the ones in the Bible follow the same pattern.
A Few Types of Covenants:
  • Parity (equals)—This covenant is between two individuals or two nations. It is between “brothers”, or equals, for mutual respect and aid. Both take the oath, and it is a conditional covenant.
The Hittites were known for this type of oath. They would gash their forearm then grasp each other at the elbow allowing the blood to flow into the other’s wound. As the wound healed they would continue to open it to allow scaring. This was as much of a reminder for the individual as it was a warning to potential enemies. It said, “I am in covenant with someone. If you mess with me, you also mess with them.”
  • Royal Grant—This is between a king and a loyal subject. The king takes the oath, and it is unconditional. An example of this would be a king giving a subject a gift of land for his service.
  • Suzerain-Vassal—This is between a king and a subject, lord and a servant, or a father and a son. This is a conditional oath the vassal takes; occasionally the lord will swear an oath as well. The lord creates the oath and the vassal swears it. The lord claims sovereignty over the vassal and promises protection in exchange for loyalty, service and love.
Biblical Covenants:
  • Adamic Cov’t: (Gen 2:15-17) This is a Suzerain-Vassal Covenant between God and Adam. If you eat of the tree you will die.
  • Noahic Cov’t: (Genesis 9) This is a Royal Grant covenant between God, Noah and his descendants. God promises to never destroy the earth with a flood. The sign is the rainbow.
  • Abrahamic Cov’t: (Genesis 15) This is a Royal Grant covenant between God, Abraham and his descendants. God promises land, offspring and blessings to Abraham and his descendants. The sign is circumcision. Here God took a man who did not know God, called him to a land He would show him, and promised to make him great. God saved Abraham by His grace. Much like Abraham, Christians are showered with God’s grace as well.
  • Mosaic Cov’t (aka Sinaitic Cov’t, Old Cov’t):  (Exodus 19-24, renewed in Deuteronomy) This is a Suzerain-Vassal covenant between God and Israel. Israel swears the oath (Ex 24:3). Protection and blessings are promised if they are obedient and loyal. The sign is to observe the Sabbath. This is the most famous covenant of the Old Testament.
  • Davidic Cov’t: (2 Samuel 7) This is a Royal Grant covenant between God and David. God promises a name, rest and successors.
  • New Cov’t: (Jeremiah 31:31-40, Ezekiel 36:22-36) This is a Royal Grant covenant between God, Israel and Jesus’ followers. God promises forgiveness, an internal law written on your heart and the Holy Spirit.
In a sense it is a return to Eden, the true longing of every person’s heart. We all long to go back to the way it was pre-Fall. God takes a wicked person, a person with a heart of stone, and gives them a heart of flesh. He takes all of it, not part of it, and completely replaces their heart. We are given extreme grace.

07 August 2012

Ransomed

"If you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed..."
1 Peter 1:17- 18

We all have the desperate need to be ransomed. I myself have never been in a ransom situation in the traditional sense but I have been part of a spiritual ransoming. I was held hostage. The need for a ransom implies that I was stolen. In the beginning man had a right and good relationship with God but then we chose to sin. We chose to give into fear and believe God was holding out on us, that He could not be trusted. We became under the control of sin.

But then, something amazing happened. God promised to conquer sin and death and bring us back to Himself. He promised to restore our relationship. In the Garden of Eden, God made the first sacrifice symbolizing the final one to come. He killed an animal to make clothing for the man and woman (Gen 3:21). Because they put on the skin of the sacrifice their shame was covered. Later, Jesus died as the ultimate sacrifice. When we come to the ultimate sacrifice, our shame is eradicated. Our sin is atoned for, and the result is our freedom. When we confess that Jesus is Lord and truly believe God raised Him from the dead, we will be saved (Ro 10:9).

When a ransom is paid, one thing is exchanged for another. In this case, Jesus was exchanged for me. He was exchanged for you. We have been bought with a price (1 Co 6:20). He died in our place to sin and death. God made a covenant with His people (one of which you can read in Deuteronomy). God provided the ultimate fulfillment of this covenant with Jesus. Jesus took the covenant curses so we could have the covenant blessings. He was cursed for us so we could have a right relationship with God. He ransomed us with His life. He died so we could be ransomed. He rose so we could live with Him eternally. His death and resurrection saves us. What good new indeed!

06 August 2012

With Fear

"And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers… with the precious blood of Christ."

As much as we need to understand the love of our Father, we also need to have a holy fear of Him. If we call on Him as Father we need to also recognize that at one point we did not. At one point we were not children of God. God paid a high price for us to become His children. He paid with Jesus' blood. This is no small thing.

We are forgiven; however, we do not need to become children sitting on ant hills with a magnifying glass telling God to smite all the ants that bite us. We do not need to become prideful about how big our Father is and pick fights to prove it. Sometimes, we need to get off the ant hill and away from the situation we placed ourselves in that is causing us pain. We may not get the judgment (that went to Jesus) but we still get the consequences. God will hold us accountable for our part.

We will continue to sin, but we do not need to be afraid of God and His judgment. He is still a loving Father. If you've been a parent or watched a parent teach their child how to walk they do not yell at them when they fall down. They pick them up and keep encouraging them to walk toward them. Our Father is the same way. He will encourage us with His love (and not guilt us with fear or shame) to keep walking after Him. If you are guilted into following God, it will not last. Not only will your heart not be there but eventually you will recognize it is not worth doing anymore. "For the joy set before Him [Jesus] endured the cross…" (Heb 12:2). In the same way we find joy in following Christ. We are to look to Him and follow His example (Heb 12:2, among others). He is a treasure worth seeking (Mat 13:44-46).

02 August 2012

According to Each One's Deeds

So far Peter has told us we have a loving Father who stands as an  impartial judge. Now how does this work in light of the whole phrase:  "If you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds…"?

Earlier in the chapter Peter states: "According to his  great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ…" (1 Pe 1:3). Our actions do not bring about salvation. It is God's mercy that does so. Peter also says, "… [S]et your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy'" (1 Pe 1:13-16). In other words, grace comes through Jesus not through us.

We are God's children and therefore reflect God. Just as a child resembles his parents, so we resemble God. We are holy because He is holy. It is like saying I am a Christopher because my dad is a Christopher. We did not become holy because we were awesome so therefore God decided to grant us holiness. No, we are holy because He is holy. I can no more change the fact that I have my dad's eyes than I can the fact that I am holy because my Father is holy.

As Christians, we are new creations, an alien species, children of God (2 Co 5:17, 1 Jn 3:1). I may not be mature and may still choose sin but I am still holy in God's eyes. Maturity is not a mark of holiness. You either are holy or you are not holy. There are no varying degrees of holiness or higher levels of holiness to obtain. There are greater levels of maturity but not of holiness.

He then says we will go through trials to test the validity of our faith. Our faith will be refined. I believe it is these deeds that he speaks of. Were we faithful through the trials? If we failed miserably, did we return to Jesus and continue seeking Him? We are not judged based on another's actions but on our actions or lack of action.

There is no longer a need to try to pay for your own sins because it has already been done. There is no need to live in a constant state of guilt over past sins. There is no longer a need to hold onto bitterness. "'I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more' (Jer 31:34). Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin" (He 10:17-18). We can stop trying to nail ourselves to a cross because Jesus already did that. He already took our place. Our Father judged us according to our deeds and punished Jesus then forgave us. Jesus took our place so we could have a right and good relationship with the Father again.

God does not see us in light of our mistakes. Instead, he sees us in light of Jesus (2 Co 2:15). When God looks at us, He sees Jesus in us not the sin that once defined us. We have a new identity.

01 August 2012

Impartial Judge

Our Father is impartial and does not show favoritism. He does not love any of His children more than others. We cannot rank ourselves in His eyes. It is His grace, not my resume of good works, that saves me. It is His grace that keeps my very long list of sins from bringing condemnation (Eph 2:8-9). He puts that condemnation instead on Jesus.

When someone wrongs us, we find it hard to believe God will stand as judge on our behalf. We think we are supposed to let it go and forget it happened or excuse it away. In all actuality we instead hold onto the offence. We allow it to fester and grow into bitterness. This is not the way an impartial judge operates. Justice will be served to both parties.

For Christians, our penalty is paid by Jesus. This we readily accept. We readily accept the truth that Jesus died for our sins but when someone sins against us, we suddenly have trouble showing the same forgiveness that was shown us. I am speaking from a lifetime of experience.

When the offender is a Christian, we need to recognize that Jesus is taking that punishment (as He did for us), and we need to recognize that the punishment is enough. Justice was served on our behalf, and Jesus took that punishment.

He will not judge someone for something they did not do nor will he excuse someone for a sin they committed. Present the case your heart accuses then give it to the Father to bring about justice. It is then that we will experience true forgiveness. The Father will hold them accountable for their part in the offence. No more and no less. We in turn get to confess our part and receive forgiveness as well.

It is a precious and freeing experience to receive forgiveness and a refreshening of grace. Imagine the freeing experience it would be for the persecuted Christians to forgive those who drove them out of their homes and land. Imagine what a freeing experience it will be for you when you forgive those who have wronged you as well. I am beginning to grasp this freedom, and it is addictive to be free from bitterness. This is who the Father is. He loves to bring freedom to His children. He sent Jesus so we could have life to the full (Jn 10:10).

31 July 2012

Call on Him as Father

When I think of a judge, I either think of a John Cleese-esk guy with a big gavel and funny wig straight out of the 1700's or think of Owen from Drop Dead Diva. However, this is not the image Peter is presenting to his audience. Instead of a stern and aloof judge, he presents a father. A good father bears the connotation of love, of gentleness and of protection not of condemnation and of judgment.

Peter's audience was facing religious persecution and they needed to understand who God is in light of their persecution. They were scattered throughout the Roman Empire, no longer living in the Promised Land but rather in ones consumed with cults and false gods everywhere you looked. It is into this situation that Peter says we have a Father who is our judge.

When you come before a judge, you state your accusations and leave the decision and punishment in his hands. He is the one who decides the outcome. We may not like the outcome, but it is decided; it is no longer in our hands. By presenting our case to our Father, it is easier to believe he will give us justice. Subsequently, this makes forgiveness easier as well.

We need to trust God will see justice through on our behalf according to His standard; when we do, we are satisfied with the judgment. We may not see it but God will bring justice. However, when we appeal a case brought to our Father, we are seeking a judgment from someone above God. Since the highest power is God, what results is bitterness and anger because we do not trust Him to bring justice on our behalf. We either do not accept his decision as just or do not believe He will act on our behalf.

As a side note: It can be hard not to push our perceptions of ourselves and others onto God. Let Him show you who He is. He longs to reveal Himself to you. Recently God has been doing a major upgrade in my understanding of who He is. He is taking away the perceptions I forced onto Him and is giving me a clearer understanding of who He actually is. He is taking away my perception of myself and showing me who I really am in Him. Sometimes we just need to ask our Father for He longs to reveal more of Himself to us (Acts 17:26-27).

30 July 2012

Intro to 1 Peter 1:17-21


I have recently been reading 1 Peter 1:17-21. These are a few of the things that stood out to me: “Call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds... knowing that you were ransomed... with the precious blood of Christ...” 1 Peter 1:17, 18, 19.

The next several posts will be my written processings of these verses so I hope they speak to your heart as much as they do mine.

“And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot (spotless lamb was required for a sacrifice). He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.”
1 Peter 1:17-21 (ESV)

15 July 2012

Last Minute Miracle

These last several months, God has been growing and has been testing my ability to trust Him. He has been showing me that I actually do not trust Him like I say I do. My actions do not match my words. I say I trust God but then when it comes to backing it with my actions, I fail. I panic and stress and worry that God’s faithfulness does not extend to me. I worry that His provision will not cover me in this area, though for others I believe it does absolutely.

My roommate and I have been praying for a job for me since I graduated about seven months ago. I got a temp assignment that lasted about a month and then there was nothing for two months. It was not for lack of trying. I was getting interviews but nothing happened beyond that. I wondered if it had to do with my interviewing skills but this was not always the case either because I would get call-back interviews or be told the interview went well.

This past Friday was the deadline I had before I would need to move in with my parents. Last week was a really difficult week of waiting. There was much prayer, many tears and a deep struggle in my heart to hold on—to what I was not sure any more. It did not make sense as to why God would want me to move but I was beginning to believe it was the most viable option. There are so many things I believe God wants me to be a part of here that I could not understand why God would want me to move. My logic was telling me to hold onto the belief that God still wanted me here and would provide something for me. The worry in me said I should come up with a plan to move.

I was reading Isaiah 61 most of the week and kept coming back to verse 3 (sorry this is out of context): “... a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair...” So instead of spending the week worrying about what the outcome of Friday would be, I spend most of the week worshiping and praising God. Wednesday I worshiped and danced around the living room with God. It was a really lightening time. The worry could not hang on me when I was focusing on God. Thursday was a little harder to do so. Friday I knew I could do nothing but worship, pray and spend time in the Word otherwise I would be too tempted to try to figure out which way the day would go or what I could have done differently.

It was around two o’clock Friday afternoon when I got a call from my temp agency saying I did not get the position they put me up for. I got a little sad at this point. But then there was a “however.” However they had a position that would start Monday I did not need to interview for so if I wanted it I could have it. I was trying not to laugh at this point. “You’ve got to be kidding God. Really? You are really giving me a job?” It was one of those moments where you want to dance and laugh but aren’t quite sure how to react all at the same time. It was a giddy moment of realizing I was part of a miracle.

I am deeply relieved to not have to move. I am sad I did not stand firm throughout the entire time of testing but greatly encouraged my roommate was able to. My friends were greatly encouraging in helping me hold onto hope.

Even though this testing is over for a time, I know God will continue to test and to grow me in this. While the job is expected to end in about a month, I know God will provide for me. How cool is it that He cares about us enough to take care of our immediate needs!


“I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isa 41:10).

03 July 2012

Fearful Dreams

There is something deep inside us that dreams deeply and freely. Somewhere between the dreams of being a ballerina or fireman and the career we end up pursuing that ability to dream lessens. We start to look for more traditional occupations. We recognize there is pain in reaching for our goals. Instead of dressing up as princesses and warriors we trade the oversized gowns and chainmail for a lesser dream, a more attainable dream. We stop dreaming of being the best at something and settle for mediocre. But what if we were created for more than mediocre? We may settle for a supporting role but what if we were meant to have a lead?

I have big dreams that are unattainable by my power. They are growing into God-sized dreams and I have no idea how they will work out. I am excited and a little scared to see what the God-sized version will be. I had to laugh one day because I felt God saying I have no imagination when it comes to my dreams. I do not have His imagination. He will show me how to get there in His time. He wants to do something so much greater through me than I can imagine. Where I see roadblocks standing in my way God sees adventure and multiple routes.

This culture is one of instant gratification. We do not want to wait and often do not want to put in the time to get to the end result we seek. God gave famous artists such as Michelangelo, da Vinci and Raphael great artistic abilities. If they waited to use those until they got a paying job, they would have waited a long time. Instead, they became apprenticed to great masters and received training. They practiced. They helped another artist create great art before they had the chance to do so themselves. They certainly did not want to always remain an apprentice. They had the raw talent but it needed to be crafted into a refined skill.

We were created with intentionality and purpose. Fear was not supposed to rule us yet we allow it to have power over us. We do not need to believe fear. I do not need to avoid what I believe God called me to do because I am fearful. If God created me research and learn more about the culture and history of the people of Ephesus so I can better understand the book of Ephesians, than shouldn’t I be doing that? If God created me to do something and I am not doing it, then isn’t that also disobedience?
What are the things you are God-designed to do? Do not let fear answer for you. If you do not know, pray about it; ask the advice of those you trust. Find someone who has a dream and partner with them. Help them achieve it, and while doing so you will discover what you are created to do as well.

Have courage to dream and dream big. When God shows you a step you need to take toward those dreams, have the courage to do so. Let’s put an end to fearful dreaming. When God is leading you, He is leading you closer to your true identity, a follow of Christ.

06 April 2012

With Great Longing

The first three chapters of Genesis reveal the Creation and Fall of mankind. It always takes me a few minutes to get beyond the first four words of the Bible: “in the beginning God...” (emphasis mine). What a beautiful statement. What a powerful statement. In the beginning God was and still is. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Heb 13:8). Jesus was there in the beginning (Jn 1). He was there when God called the waters to wait with expectancy in one place so the land could see, or rather be seen (Gen 1:9). Isn’t that a great picture? Even the water watched with expectancy and made room for land to watch as well as God created and called things into existence. His very voice brought forth life. “The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD thunders over the mighty waters. The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is majestic” (Ps 29:3-4).
The birds sing with excitement, the waters roar with expectancy, the wind waits with halted breath as God creates something in His own image, something so set apart from His previous creations. God blows breath into man and his eyes open for the first time. His heart springs to life with a steady rhythm. His chest rises and falls as he breaths in the newly created oxygen. Imagine the excitement of the moment. He runs for the first time, falls down for the first time, is held by God for the first time. What a glorious moment.
Then God creates a wife for this man. He blesses them telling them to “be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it...” (Gen 1:28). Together, they got to discover more about their bodies and about the rest of creation God made. They got to watch the newly created fish swim through the water, the freshly designed sunrises and sunsets color the sky, the bright glimmering stars dance across the sky as the Earth’s rotation brought new stars into sight. All of creation was full of life, and all of creation worshiped God with their every movement and thought.
It is then, in this perfect paradise, that Satan enters as a serpent. He sows deceit into the pure sanctuary and brings forth death. As a result, all of creation is cursed. As God comes to walk with His children in the paradise He created for them and for His glory, sin covers the man and woman in shame. They cannot face God and hide. I hear deep, heartbroken sorrow in God’s voice as He curses all of creation.
However, it is at this bitter moment that God brings a promise of redemption made clear by the appearance of His Son. God makes a “garment of skin” to cover his cursed children (Gen 3:21). Imagine this moment. The first physical death occurs as God kills an animal because of the couple’s sin. The blood pours out of this sacrifice, and the skin is removed to cover the two. This dead thing covers their shame.
Fast-forward to the New Testament where Jesus is finally introduced to the story. So many signs point to the fact that He is the Saviour, the one who comes to wipe away the sins of the world (Jn 1:29). He becomes the ultimate sacrifice for mankind. He brings true redemption. The relationship between man and God is now restored through Jesus taking the covenant curses so we could have the covenant blessings. Because Jesus became that sacrifice, our sin was not covered, it was removed; we are no longer under shame but under the freedom of Christ (Jn 10:10, Ro 6, 2 Cor 3:17). The Saviour who died comes to life as the firstborn of the dead (Col 1:18). He conquered sin and death and fear (2 Ti 1:8-10)!
All God has created has been affected by humanity’s sin. Creation was no longer able to worship God as it had on the day it was created. It waited with expectancy for God to create man then waited with greater expectancy for God’s Son and children to be revealed.
Ever since the Fall, “creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from the bondage to decay and brought into glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies” (Ro 8:19-23).
We as believers have this longing deep within us. We know deep down that we were not created for this world. The closer I get to God the rawer this longing is for God, the deeper my realization is that I was not created for life here on this earth. I was created for life eternally with God. My soul yearns and cries out for home. I continually seek home here on this earth but will not find it. I find temporary ones, but they are not as satisfying as my first breath in heaven will be. When I open my eyes for the first time and see the glorious light of God shining all around me, when I see my Saviour face-to-face, when I hear Him call my name and when I dance with Him in a field by the ocean as all of creation joins this perfectly timed dance of pure and holy worship of our Creator Father God, then I will be home.
Oh how my heart yearns. Words cannot even begin to describe.

Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. 
— 2 Corinthians 5:1-5