As I listened to a friend bare her soul, my heart grieved for her. Later my thoughts were weighed heavy for her. My prayers are earnest and full of tears for her. In those prayers I writhe in pain for her. My heart bleeds for her. My soul is in anguish for her. I struggle to find answers because of my own inadequacies, my own sin, my own struggles, my own pain.

And then Christ’s Spirit says to me, “You are carrying the sorrow for one. I carry the sorrows for all. The weight of this world’s sin, pain, sorrow, disease I bore on the cross for you, and for of you, and you, and you, and you, and you…”

How can He bear up under it? How can He carry it ALL?

I can’t solve it for one. How can He solve it for all?

He died for it ALL–a criminal’s death (Luke 19)–from the beginning of mankind until the end.

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree,

that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. 

By his wounds you have been healed.

For you were straying like sheep,

but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”

I Peter 2:24-25 

I am humbled that my friend would bear her soul to me. I am more humbled to point her to the Christ, who bore it all.

“Surely He has borne our griefs


And carried our sorrows;


Yet we esteemed Him stricken,


Smitten by God, and afflicted.


But He was wounded for our transgressions,


He was bruised for our iniquities;


The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,


And by His stripes we are healed.


All we like sheep have gone astray;


We have turned, every one, to his own way;


And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed and He was afflicted,

Yet He opened not His mouth;

He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,

And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,

So He opened not His mouth.

He was taken from prison and from judgment,

And who will declare His generation?

For He was cut off from the land of the living;

For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.

And they made His grave with the wicked—

But with the rich at His death,

Because He had done no violence,

Nor was any deceit in His mouth.

Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him;

He has put Him to grief.

When You make His soul an offering for sin,

He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days,

And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.

He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied.

By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many,

For He shall bear their iniquities.

Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great,

And He shall divide the spoil with the strong,

Because He poured out His soul unto death,

And He was numbered with the transgressors,

And He bore the sin of many,

And made intercession for the transgressors.”

Isaiah 53:4-11

I awoke this morning with the below verses on my mind. Why God? What are you saying to me?

“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues,  they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

I Corinthians 13

As a people in our culture, we have many opportunities, from education, to making wealth, to promotion, to leisure, to even good deeds through philanthropic opportunities, and the list goes on and on. Through hard work and determination, we have many opportunities. That’s the American way, right? But is it God’s way?

These verses speak of a more excellent way in one simple word, “LOVE.”  As you can see above, the fruit of this “love” is patience, kindness, and honoring others; no pride, envying, boastfulness, or self-seeking ways; not easily angered or keeping record of wrongs; delights with the truth; always protects, trusts, hopes & perseveres. This love never fails.

The Matthew Henry Commentary says, “…this type of love excels the best of gifts and other graces, by its  continuance, when other gifts and graces are no longer of any use…,” as mentioned in the above.

You get that?

The author of I Corinthians, Paul, is telling the Corinthians in this 13th chapter that this love will out last supernatural gifts like prophecy, tongues, and even basic knowledge (gifts on which the early Christians prided themselves in, to the utter neglect of love.)

In our culture today, what are those things that we pride ourselves in to the utter neglect of love? Education, wealth, promotion, philanthropy, leisure…  Do we neglect our marriages, children, families, and friends for the pursuit of these things?

I think education is a good and admirable. Wealth can be used greatly to help others. Promotion is often from God. And leisure and rest are needed. But these pursuits can become our “gods,” if we’re not careful. Loving our families and others can often take the back seat to these pursuits.

The above verses end with, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” When all is said and done, will it be said that faith, hope and mostly love dominated our lives?

These verses remind me of my life verse, “…Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:37 Until my dieing day, I will always be venturing to live out this verse.

Life is short! What will you pursue above all else?

God is saying to me today that the surest offspring of God is love. Love bears its most favorable impression of God. For God is love. And where God is to be seen as He is, and face to face, there love is in its greatest height—there, and there only, will it be perfected.

Recommended Affiliate Links:

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (with Cross-References) 

Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream

Follow Me: A Call to Die. A Call to Live.

Have you ever had one of those serendipity moments when you know there is a God? He exists and he speaks to you? Yesterday I posted a prayer in my Sunday Psalms using a portion of Psalms 95:7-11 with the message of the verses being “Do not harden your hearts.”

Today I opened up my CBS study (Community Bible Study) which directed me to Hebrews 3:7-11. Guess what those verses are a partial quote of? Psalms 95:7-11. Serendipity! The very verses I used yesterday in my Sunday Psalms. The verses say,

“So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did. That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.’ So I declared on oath in my anger. They shall never enter my rest.”

I’ve been praying against the hardness of heart in some that I know who are struggling. But I hear the message for myself as well, “Do not harden your heart.”

Even after God delivered the Israelites from Egyptian slavery, parted the Red Sea, fed them manna, and showed them the promised land, the Israelites were caught in unbelief. They developed a hardness of heart, allowing themselves to go astray in rebellion. Oh how we can be so guilty of the same thing. Looking over own lives, we can see particular blessings, protections and provisions. However, we often blame God and shake our fist at him when life gets difficult.

Scripture says that although God was certainly long-suffering, He was so angered with the Israelites for repeating this rebellion for 40 years that He didn’t allow them to enter into His “rest.”

The author of the book of Hebrews is now quoting these same verses because the New Testament Christians were in danger of falling into the same rebellious, hardened heart. However the book of Hebrews goes on with instruction to prevent this unrest.

Hebrews 3:12 says, “See to it, brothers [and sisters], that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.”

As I’ve been praying these verses for others, verse 13 also gives me further instruction on how to take action. It says “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.”

As Christians today, to prevent “unrest” that results from a hardness of heart towards God, we need to “see to it that none of us has a sinful, unbelieving heart” and we “hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at the first” from our salvation.

Let go of unbelief, rebellion, and hardness of heart. Let God cleanse those hardened areas. I’m getting this serendipity message myself two days in a row. And I’m praying the same for those I love.

 

 

Seasons come and go, sometimes without much disturbance to life and living. However, since Hurricane Ike hit our home two years ago, it seems the seasons of life have been more rough. As soon as I start seeing light and hope, another storm of life hits, throws me under the waves, and then under again.  I catch my breath, start seeing calm, and then several heartaches of life hit. Routine and rhythm sets in only to be knocked out of commission again. I struggle to the surface. Is anyone there? Everyone seems to be in their rhythm and routine while I flounder to catch my breath. I ask “Why?” “How long?” I put “DO NOT DISTURB!” over my heart and I sink into a bubble of self-pity.

Recently I wrote a post entitled A Heart for Home which admittedly now seems a bit prideful in my home and life.  This is how my home looked this week, undergoing restoration from a broken water heater:

Through each season, I seek God and His timeless Word.  He speaks.  He corrects.  He brings hope “when I listen.” He remains faithful, even when I doubt, even when I fear, even when I fall deeper into despair.

Today was an example of a special way He speaks to me.  Today I am reminded there is a God who sent His son, Jesus, to die for ME.  Today He spoke to “my” heart.  He knows my name.  Today He spoke because He loves me and He wants me to speak to another and another.  I know I’m not the only one struggling.  I know others are hurting far worse than I and there are others who even question God’s existence.

But today God spoke to me ,first, through His creation.  I’m taking a photography class through www.bigpictureclasses.com and the assignment was “Open Heart, Open Mind: Visual symbols can go a long way for visual people. Today, make some room, even if it’s only in a photograph [to find symbolism in nature].”  As I took my photo walk, acorns seemed to speak to me.  They were everywhere popping out, making me notice their delicate beauty.

When I came home I looked up the symbolism of acorns on Wikipedia (I know, not the greatest resource).  But it said: “Acorns appear only on adult trees, and thus are often a symbol of patience and the fruition of long, hard labor. For example, an English proverb states that Great oaks from little acorns grow, urging the listener to wait for maturation of a project or idea.”

I started thinking, “Hmmm. God only brings fruit to adult trees.” And “Hmmm, God must think I can withstand long hard labor in order to bear fruit in my life.  Fruit like patience.”  Then I thought of the verse Romans 5:3-5 “…but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character, and character, hope.  And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us…”

Another way God spoke to me was through song.  As I journeyed on my photo walk I was listening to some old tunes of Steven Curtis Chapman.  The song “Bring it On” seemed to pop right out of my iPhone into my ears.  Here are the words and a link to the song:

Bring it On

Steven Curtis Chapman

I didn’t come lookin’ for trouble
And I don’t want to fight needlessly
But I’m not gonna hide in a bubble
If trouble comes for me
I can feel my heart beating faster
I can tell something’s coming down
But if it’s gonna make me grow stronger then…

Bring it on
Let the lightning flash, let the thunder roll, let the storm winds blow
Bring it on
Let the trouble come, let the hard rain fall, let it make me strong
Bring it on

Now, maybe you’re thinkin’ I’m crazy
And maybe I need to explain some things
‘Cause I know I’ve got an enemy waiting
Who wants to bring me pain
But what he never seems to remember
What he means for evil God works for good
So I will not retreat or surrender

Now, I don’t want to sound like some hero
‘Cause it’s God alone that my hope is in
But I’m not gonna run from the very things
That would drive me closer to Him
So bring it on

Bring it on
Let the lightning flash, let the thunder roll, let the storm winds blow
Bring it on
Let the trouble come, let it make me fall on the One who’s strong
Bring it on
Let the lightning flash, let the thunder roll, let the storm winds blow
Bring it on
Let me be made weak so I’ll know the strength of the One who’s strong
Bring it on
Bring it on

Part of my immaturity fears the words of this song.  I worry that something worse will happen (especially to my kids).  But more importantly, my kids will eventually have to stand on their own two feet someday. They will need to know how to stand strong, stand mature, stand secure.  I am chosen to show them the way.  So come what season, come what may, Bring it On!

Do you stink? My dog stinks. No matter how much I tell her “NO!” and give her a bath after she rolls in stink, she goes back to the same old rotten smell producing behavior.

She rather enjoys the process and seems quite pleased with herself when she comes into the house smelling like dead bird, lizard, or whatever else she finds worthy of rolling in.  She doesn’t care about my opinion.  She knows in her heart of hearts that she has done what a dog should do.

But that’s not the stink I’m asking about.  Is your life an exquisite fragrance, a sweet scent rising to God, an aroma redolent with life?

II Corinthians 2:14-17 says, “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are perishing.  To the one we are the smell of death, to the other, the fragrance of life.  And who is equal to such a task? Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit.  On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God.”

In my research, notice the likeness of perfume and the aroma of Christ:

Perfume definition: a fragrant product that results from the artful blending of certain odoriferous substances in appropriate proportions.

Aroma of Christ: At times God artfully defines us by allowing situations to form a Christ-likeness within us.

Perfume: Perfume is also the purest and longest lasting of all forms of fragrance and sets the standards for its counterparts, such as cologne, toilet water, soap, powder, lotions, etc.

Aroma of Christ: The character of our lives should have a long-lasting quality to it that should set the standards for others to live by.

Perfume: The greater the artistry of the perfumer, known in the fragrance world as “the nose”, the more perfect each of its offspring will be.

Aroma of Christ: God has the purest “nose”.  He knows when we stink and when we have a sweet aroma. He is the greatest artisan of our lives.

Did you know that it requires some 3500 to 4000 pounds of rose petals to distill one ounce of perfume?  Speaking of analogies, that’s a lot of blooming in our lives as well as pruning!

Each perfume is composed of a top note, the refreshing, volatile odor perceived immediately; a middle note or modifier, providing full, solid character; and a base note, also called an end note or basic note, which is the most persistent.

Do you have a pleasant spirit about you when you’re on a superficial level with someone, maybe in the marketplace, volunteering at school…?  That’s the top note of our perfume.

When you get more personal with someone, can they see that you have a solid character about you?  That’s the middle note of your perfume.

Are the base qualities of your life persistent and long lasting or are they flighty and uncommitted?  That’s the basic note of your perfume.

We all want to have a pleasant spirit about us that is an “aroma redolent with life” (The Message), as well we should, as Christians.  However the verses also say “to some we are an aroma of death.”  That does not mean we are being rude, ugly and impolite.  It is talking about being an aroma of death to those who don’t want anything to do with Christ.  We are not to be so concerned about that.

We are to stink for Christ.

There was a woman who didn’t care what people thought of her in Matthew 26:6-13 “While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.  When the disciples saw this, they were indignant.  ‘Why this waste?’ they asked.  ‘This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.’  Aware of this Jesus said to them, ‘Why are you bothering this woman?  She has done a beautiful thing to me.  The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.  When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial.  I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.’”

We are to stink for the One “who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.”  Like this woman (and my dog) not caring what others think but only being a sweet aroma to Christ.

“I can’t believe you still get back in the saddle again, after the painful horse experience you had a few years back,” a friend recently said to me.

Three months after knee surgery, I signed up for a cattle drive at our annual family camp at Pine Cove.  I had ridden several times before and even that week, so although I was cautious of protecting my knee, I felt assured that I would be in good hands with the experienced head Wrangler at the helm of our cattle drive.

The ride, in fact, was safe, educating and exhilarating, as we learned how to drive the cattle from one field to the next and then cut them into pins.  However, it all fell apart when my horse stalled at a gate, neither moving forward or backward.  He was about 1,000 pounds of dead weight.  The Wrangler noticed his stubborn heart and rode up behind him and smacked him on the rear. Unfortunately the horse didn’t respond by moving forward but by jumping sideways pinning my lower leg between his about 1,000 pound body and a metal pole.  The same leg I had knee surgery on.

The pain reverberated throughout my shin and leg but I rubbed it good, holding back tears, staying on the horse. However, throughout the remaining ride, I noticed how hot it was. I began to sweat and feel uncomfortable. When the horse and I approached anything vertical I felt nervous. I began to think the horse was purposely walking me into trees to brush me off. But I held my saddle and finished the ride, albeit anxiously.

By the time we returned to the barn and I dismounted, my body began to shake. I felt weak and had to sit with head between my legs to keep from fainting.  When we lifted my pant leg, my shin was swelling and bruising rapidly.  The Wrangler quickly put some type of jarred horse cement (I think it was called) on my leg.  It’s kind of a cure-all for horses with a wound to keep it protected and to help swelling go down.  I slowly limped back to our cabin, with my drying horse cement,wounded, hot, weak and tired. Of course, the camp took every measure to make sure I was okay, requesting that I go to a doctor in town… However, I decided to tough it out and wait until I got home.

Back home where I had just finished physical therapy for my knee, I made an appointment for an x-ray and new therapy on my lower leg.  Nothing in my leg was seriously wounded, except for deep bruising which took a year to  quit aching.  None-the-less, at every opportunity, I got back in the saddle.  How could I not.  They’re beautiful animals!

My friend’s above statement about getting back in the saddle struck me because I often don’t get back into the saddle of life when I’ve taken a hard blow from a situation involving people.  I often retreat, feel sorry for myself, and worse yet, hold bitterness in my heart.  I responded to my friend by saying that it really wasn’t the horses fault.  My lack of experience and the Wrangler’s response is what caused the series of events. Although every time I get on a horse, I think about that day and steer clear of vertical objects, it doesn’t stop me from getting back into the saddle again.  Wow!  What a life lesson!  I wish it was that easy to look at hurtful life situations so objectively and not point fingers and just get back into the saddle of relationships.

We’ve all been there when life is moving along wonderfully and out of no where we’re struck by pain, shock, disappointment…then we either get bitter or better. Admittedly, I’ve gone the bitter route more than once.  Often when it comes time to get back in the saddle, we shrink back.  We say statements like, “I will never allow myself to be in that type of situation again…”  ”I was an innocent bystander.  I can never trust again…”  And on and on we go, staying on the ground, not risking the saddle.

After riding this summer, it wasn’t a perfect experience but as I trotted and cantered the horse, I felt stronger and more in control than ever.  I think that’s what getting back in the saddle of life does.  It’s scary but it brings more experience, knowledge and strength for the next ride and the next.  And often a reward might just be what’s at the end of the next ride.

“Lord, thank you for the cross.  The worse thing that ever happened to You is the best thing that ever happened to me.”

This summer I’ve been intentionally focusing on my attitude.  God is revealing in me my attitude of complaining, covetousness, and more, with my lack of “true” thankfulness. He isn’t finished with me yet!  It’s going to take at least all summer, if not my lifetime to fully complete this work He’s started in me (Philippians 1:6).

But this morning God helped me take a huge step forward when I prayed the above prayer. Again: “Lord, thank you for the cross.  The worse thing that ever happened to You is the best thing that ever happened to me.”

We all want happiness, to be void of pain, failures, hurts, disappointments, regrets… But think about it, “The worse thing that ever happened to Jesus, is the best thing that ever happened to us.”  He willingly suffered and He’s thankful that He died for us.  (“Then He took the cup, and gave thanks…”  Matt. 26:27).  That right there is the “true” meaning of thankfulness–He was thankful for the worst thing that ever happened to Him–the good, the bad, and the ugly.

It’s easy to be thankful for the beautiful day, my kids, vacations, friends…but it’s another thing to be thankful for heartache, disease, trails…  True thankfulness trusts God and is grateful for even the bad things, even the things we wouldn’t choose for our enemy because, like Jesus, the worse thing that ever happened to you could be the best thing that ever happened to someone else.  God wastes nothing and He will use your pain to help others, if you let Him.

I Thess. 5:18 “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

God is bringing me to a sacred place where I can say, “Thank you, God, for this thing that you’re using in my life, you’ve allowed because you love me, and I trust You.”  When I find that kind of “true” thankfulness, I will experience a depth of “true” joy, not happiness, but deep, abiding joy.  God is moving me there one step at a time and I am “truly” thankful for the process.

“giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,”  Ephesians 5:20

Recommended reading: Lord, Change My Attitude, by James MacDonald