I think my uncle, aware of how deep the spiritual battle for my family is, thought we should have a larger shield of faith.
Posts Tagged: god
Turning My Page
Impossible Circumstances are no match for
Edgar Allen Poe dug up Annabel Lee . . . or so the ghost tour guide in Charleston, South Carolina wanted us to believe. Often times we take bits of truth, such as Poe wrote a lot about dying women and he is shrouded in mystery and blow them up into legends.
Behind Poe’s poetry on death was a real person, who himself may have been stuck in grieving and trying to figure out, is death the final blow. His father abandoned him, and his mother died when he was only 3. His siblings were split up and his foster family was tumultuous at best.
He did not have guidance into firm and secure adulthood and, I believe, became stuck in an impulsive and impetuous childhood as an adult. He tended to alienate others because he had a sharp tongue and used it often. Drinking and gambling became two of his fallbacks when life was not going his way. He could neither manage success nor enjoy it. Poe’s life seemed destined to fail. His final words were reported to be, “Lord, help my poor soul.”
We have a real enemy who loves to attack our children. Jesus warns that the punishment is severe for those who harm our children (Matthew 18). Some of us have been born into abusive families, some of us endure hardship after hardship, and some of us have chosen our own destructive path. I am working on reading the Bible cover to cover this year and one thing is clear: GOD IS NOT LIMITED BY OUR CIRCUMSTANCES! From Adam to the end God turns the darkest of circumstances around. Rahab the prostitute is in the lineage of Jesus, Joseph the slave, saves his family who sold him into slavery, Roman occupation into the stage for a cross, a death, and a resurrection.
Poe, like many of us, could not see the possibilities beyond his circumstances. I tell you the truth, not even death can stop us! Jesus’ enemies thought that by cutting off the head the disciples would fall apart. They were almost right, the disciples could not see past their fears or the grave. But, when Jesus arose and continued ministering and preparing the disciples, this band of rag-a-muffins became a powerhouse of restoration to the sick, poor, lost, hungry and all those whose circumstances seemed impossible! So, don’t think for a second that what you are experiencing is beyond hope.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
4. ____________is patient and kind; ___________ does not envy or boast; __________ is not arrogant 5or rude. __________ does not insist on its own way; ___________ is not irritable or resentful;b 6 ___________does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7___________ bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8___________ never fails.
Put your name in the blank.
1 Corinthians 13 is known as the love chapter and is often quoted at weddings. But, what would happen if we put our name in the place of love? After all God is love. (1 John 4:8) How would it change us if we could say that love is not something that we do, but our state of being. Our very DNA is made of love!
There seems to be a clear shift in the disciples because they experienced first hand the love of God, through Jesus Christ. My first experience with God, he opened my eyes to his love for me. I could now see it in creation, in those around me, in scripture, in worship. The reason why scripture speaks of putting on our new selves is that love changes us, how we interact with the world, how we see ourselves and others. When someone loves at this level it is head turning!
So much of how we love is based upon what we do, not who we are.
Do you do romantic things for your spouse?
Do you speak kind words?
Do you provide encouragement for others?
Do you serve others?
Do you give to the poor?
Do you share your faith?
Paul is challenging the believer to stop doing, and start being love! Putting my name in the place where love is causes me to stop striving and start abiding in the love of Christ. Love does not just go out it is always coming in through our relationship with Jesus. Only then can we be love, rather then a to do list.
Matthew 18:35 This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.
Question: How many times should I forgive?
Answer: As many times as it takes for you to realize that I forgave you first. (Karisa paraphrase)
(Matthew 18:21-35 Parable of the Unmerciful Servant)
As I step towards forgiving those who hurt my son, the first thing I am reminded of is that God chose to forgive me. Somewhere in the midst of court hearings, bad counseling, and heart ache I lost sight of the awe that God forgive me. I saw awe, because that is what I felt in the beginning. God loved me and forgave me a debt I could not repay. Little by little pride took over and now I have to repent of thoughts that I am somehow better than those who have caused my great sorrow. I am a liar, an adulterer, idol worshipper, thief and many other things that God poured out mercy over. At the heart of un-forgiveness is pride!
It easy to pick and choose who we want to see punished when their sins are unhidden, but scripture clearly states that ALL have fallen short of the glory of God and the punishment for sin is death. (Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23) Romans 6:23. In Jesus’ Matthew 18:21 parable he gives insight to how heaven treats forgiveness.
- God settles his account with all of us (vs. 23)
- He is just and will demand us to repay what we owe him (vs. 24)
- We all have a debt we cannot repay (vs. 25)
- It is God’s decision whether or not to extend us grace (vs. 27)
- He will not tolerate us squandering his mercy (vs.32)
- He expects us to be merciful to those who owe us debt they cannot repay because he forgave our debt (vs33)
- We are to forgive the sins of others from our heart (vs. 35)
In a world that emphasis revenge, forgiveness and mercy is unusual! Oh Lord make me unusual!
Matthew: 26: 36Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.†37And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watchd with me.†39And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.â€
I’ve been invited into the garden. Not for a girly tea party, nice as those are, but invited to drink a cup of my Father’s will. Two years ago, the Holy Spirit began leading me to the garden, I thought it was teach me forgiveness, but now in the midst of grief, confusion, and a loss I physically cannot bear I finally understand. God was inviting me to trust him completely.
What does it mean to trust God completely?
- Putting God’s will first (vs. 36)
- Obedience ( vs. 39,42)
- Seeing that God is sovereign in ALL circumstances (vs. 39, 42)
- Allowing the Holy Spirit to lead me (vs. 41)
- Â Acknowledging my will as well as his (vs. 39)
Jesus was in the habit (discipline) of praying in the garden! (Luke 22:39), How many of us, when facing the most difficult trial stick to our routine of talking to God? He went to the garden not out of sudden desperation, but out of steady consistency.  His prayer was raw, real, and vulnerable. He gave insight into his state of mind, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” Sometimes our will verses God’s will takes us to the brink of death. Our flesh wants its way! This isn’t some lightweight battle, the enemy of our soul knows exactly what he is doing! It is okay to ask the heavenly father for our will to be done, even while we submit to His will completely. The Holy Spirit ministers to us in our weakness. through prayer, keeping watch, discipline, even with those we long to support us fall away in their own weakness.
From Psalm 37 I learn these building blocks of God’s will:
- Trust
- Delight
- Commit
- Be Still
- Wait patiently
- Refrain
- Turn
- Hope
- Consider
As I practice these 9 steps I will find that forgiveness happens out of my God given new spirit, and as I am in the garden, I will be able to trust in everything that I have learned about my heavenly father. Then I will be able to drink the cup of his will completely.
Isaiah 43:19 For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.
How many of you need to see God do something new? I do! I need to see that he is making a pathway through the wilderness of grief and that I have a gushing river to quench my thirst, in a place where there should be no hope. This year is one of firsts that no parent wants to have. Jonathan’s 19th birthday is fast approaching and my sorrow deepens.
Lord, I see the first of my flowers peaking through the earth. They were there throughout the winter, but hidden and the sight of them fills me with the hope of new life. Father I cry out to you, may the seeds that have remained dormant in my life blossom so that I can see that you are at work. May the day of my son’s birth produce new life, so that the glory of your plan is revealed! Help me to trust your provision! Amen
Colossians 3:1Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
“They are so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good.”, is a false saying! Yesterday I was at a funeral for a man who was an interracial part of our community, our state, and our lives. Even the Governor and Senator came to pay their respects. Mike’s son shared, “It was not all the things that he did to improve our lives that made him a great man, it was the fact that he loved the Lord his God, with all his heart, soul and mind.” Mike was heavenly minded! I contend, that if your mind is truly on the things of heaven then you will be doing the greatest good here on earth.
I have a son in heaven! To say that he has turned my head towards heaven is an understatement. Jonathan’s death has made me cling to the only one who gave me love, value, purpose and meaning in the first place. Jonathan’s death has forced me to renew the foundation that Christ laid, to strengthen it, and to fix my eyes on Him. Jonathan’s death has increased my longing for things above, and I pray that my longing grows deeper. I want to be heaven minded, because this earth deserves nothing less than my best!
I have had enough shades of grey in my life, it has left me lost, confused, afraid, and depressed. Seems to me that our world keeps trying to sell us cheap grey imitations of love when what we crave is black and white love! I have only found that kind of crisp, clear love in one place–the arms of my heavenly father. It may have involved a cross, but that was his choice for me, and again added depth and dimension to my life that is like nothing I have ever felt before. Agape love is unconditional, and it is something I can count on for a lifetime! Jesus’ love enables me to reach beyond my grief, to hold you, encourage you, and to keep writing my story no matter what. God’s love is not stored in a “room” for only a select few, but is sewn into the very fabric of creation. Look around you, it isn’t hidden!
Are you craving some black and white love? Check these verses out:
1 Corinthians 13
1If I speak in the tonguesa of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If 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. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,b but do not have love, I gain nothing.
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8Love 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. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11When 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. 12For 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.
13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Romans 8
37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,k neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
1 John 1
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to
do with punishment.
Romans 5
And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
Jonah 2
8 Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love.
Psalm 52
8 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever.
What is your reward? Many of us would answer, our children. For some of us it would be our jobs, our spouse, helping those in need.
Jonathan changed my life for the better eighteen years ago. So I am coming to realize that a part of my current struggle is that I made his success a part of my reward. I thought that if I invested in his life, was a good mother, and taught him about God’s love for him, that he would go on to do great things. My son’s death has now brought me face to face with the realization that my children may not be my great reward. So, what is?
As God begins his covenant with Abram in Genesis 15, he tells Abram: “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield, your very great reward.” Is God enough for us? I’m with Abram in his question: 2But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?†3And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.†Pretty bold question for man to ask the God of the universe. God answers with a math problem (count the stars if you can), to display Abram’s decedents.
I have to decide if God is enough for me. Are his promises trustworthy? Can I believe that God will do what he says he will do in my life? God later tells Abram and Sarah to name their boy to be Isaac (laughter). Love that God has a sense of humor! But, God also tells Abram that his decedents will be captives for 400 years.
Jesus told us that in this life we will have troubles, but those troubles are never the end of our story! David also acknowledge this when he looked back at his life and declared in Psalm 71:20-21 You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again. 21 You will increase my greatness and comfort me again.
God you are enough for me!
‘You have me ready, completely.” Natalie declared, as I put her hat on her head; completing her winter assemble.
Her statement struck me as I drove them to school. Do I have my children ready completely? Do I dress them spiritually with all they need to fight the enemy? And what do I clothe them in?
…
Colossians 3:12-15 gives me some clues:
12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Looks like a long list, but Paul boils it down to love, which binds all of the others together in perfect harmony. You might call love our tuning fork. I realize that right now my love is out of tune with Christ because Jonathan’s death dominates my thinking, my body, and my spirit. So as I lean in to Christ’s character, my his love bring me into tune.
I completed our journey to school with prayer for the teachers, my kids, husband, and myself, and felt an ever so slight shift in my spiritual wardrobe for today. May your day dressed in the splendor of God’s love so that you are complete.
National Suicide Hotline
If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call the National Suicide Lifeline at 988 or go to the website at https://988lifeline.org/