I am at yet another cross-road. What is God's Will when faced with adversity, a daunting obstacle, the presence of darkness where there is no hope? Both solutions are good, godly, right... but which is the BEST solution with the most profound impact?
I Corinthians 15:57 says "Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
We find ourselves in a real spiritual battle... but thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
I read this except today while spending time with Jesus. It's from "Come Away, My Beloved" pgs. 56 & 57:
"O My child, have I ever failed you? Have I ever turned My back on you or forsaken you? Have I not been your refuge and your strong defense? I have protected you and kept you in sickness and in health. Yea, I am with you to help you now. Fear not. My purposes will be fulfilled in spite of your weaknesses, if in your need you rely on My strength. My will shall be done regardless of the flaws in your life, if you count on the power of My righteousness. I do not work only in cases where there are no obstacles; but I glory in overruling the prevailing circumstances, and I take pleasure in bringing victories in those places where no victory is anywhere in sight.
Count on My coming. Know that whenever faith brings Me on the scene, everything is changed. Darkness is turned to light. Grief is turned to joy. Sickness to health. Poverty to My sufficient supply. Doubt to faith. Anxiety to trust.
No negative force can occupy the same place as My Spirit. When My Spirit comes in, all these things must go. Yes, they shall go! Ask for the victory. I will come and bring it. Don't look for the victory-- look for Me, and you will see the victory that I will bring with me. After I have come, you shall behold the miracles I will do."
So I guess, I now know which solution is the best... the one where I TRUST the SPIRIT to enter the situation, so that all the negative forces must flee, asking for the victory, and watching the Lord bring it. I long to see the miracles he will do. Praise be to God-- the One who gives us the Victory!
Friday, July 08, 2005
Monday, July 04, 2005
"Make Straight the Way of the Lord"
The prophet Isaiah fortells the coming of John the Baptist when he says in Isaiah 40:3 "He is a voice shouting in the wilderness: 'Prepare a pathway for the Lord's coming! Make a straight road for him!'"
I spent some time reading in Matthew yesterday where John the Baptist is introduced on the scene as the fullfillment of this prophecy. Matthew 3:1-3 says:
In those days John the Baptist began preaching in the Judean wilderness. HIs messagae was, "Turn from your sins and to turn God, becuase the Kingdom of Heaven is near." Isaiah had spoken of John when he said, "He is a voice shouting in the wilderness: 'Prepare a pathway for the Lord's coming! Make a straight road for him!'... people from Jerusalem and from every section of Judea and from all over the Jordan Valley went out to the wilderness to hear him preach."
"Prepare a pathway for the Lord's coming! Make a straight road for him!" really struck me. I remember a few months ago when a young lady in our house church asked, "What do you suppose that means?" I too was wondering the same thing. So we dialogued about it and my husband encouraged us to ask the Lord to reveal it to us. Well, we never came back to it in the many weeks to follow. Now it's back! Hmmmm...
So I asked the Lord to reveal the meaning to me. What was John the Baptist's message really saying? It seemed so indirect. After reading and re-reading the context and asking the Lord to reveal the real meaning, I got the answer! Weeks ago, I assumed it meant that I had to clean up my life, heart, mind, etc... to make a straight road, clear path, for the Lord in my own life. That is NOT what this passage is talking about.
The meaning of this passage is way bigger than ME! People who don't know Jesus must be prepared to meet Him. I can prepare the way for Jesus by telling them of their need for forgiveness, demonstrating Christ's teaching by my conduct, and telling them how Christ can give their lives real meaning. I can make a straight road for Jesus by correcting the misconceptions that they might have that are hindering them from coming to Christ.
So, it's not about me getting my life straight! It's about my obedience to God's Word to prepare the soil of unbelievers and straighten out the road so that others too will turn to Christ.
Hmmmm....God's assignment for my life is getting clearer...
I spent some time reading in Matthew yesterday where John the Baptist is introduced on the scene as the fullfillment of this prophecy. Matthew 3:1-3 says:
In those days John the Baptist began preaching in the Judean wilderness. HIs messagae was, "Turn from your sins and to turn God, becuase the Kingdom of Heaven is near." Isaiah had spoken of John when he said, "He is a voice shouting in the wilderness: 'Prepare a pathway for the Lord's coming! Make a straight road for him!'... people from Jerusalem and from every section of Judea and from all over the Jordan Valley went out to the wilderness to hear him preach."
"Prepare a pathway for the Lord's coming! Make a straight road for him!" really struck me. I remember a few months ago when a young lady in our house church asked, "What do you suppose that means?" I too was wondering the same thing. So we dialogued about it and my husband encouraged us to ask the Lord to reveal it to us. Well, we never came back to it in the many weeks to follow. Now it's back! Hmmmm...
So I asked the Lord to reveal the meaning to me. What was John the Baptist's message really saying? It seemed so indirect. After reading and re-reading the context and asking the Lord to reveal the real meaning, I got the answer! Weeks ago, I assumed it meant that I had to clean up my life, heart, mind, etc... to make a straight road, clear path, for the Lord in my own life. That is NOT what this passage is talking about.
The meaning of this passage is way bigger than ME! People who don't know Jesus must be prepared to meet Him. I can prepare the way for Jesus by telling them of their need for forgiveness, demonstrating Christ's teaching by my conduct, and telling them how Christ can give their lives real meaning. I can make a straight road for Jesus by correcting the misconceptions that they might have that are hindering them from coming to Christ.
So, it's not about me getting my life straight! It's about my obedience to God's Word to prepare the soil of unbelievers and straighten out the road so that others too will turn to Christ.
Hmmmm....God's assignment for my life is getting clearer...
Thursday, June 30, 2005
I beg to differ!
"Alone...just me and my Jesus" continued:
In this same time with God as my last entry (Alone...just me and my Jesus), after reading John 8, I was told to read Acts 15. Here the Spirit revealed to me the importance of restoration and unity in The Church. The Jewish Christians were demanding that the Gentile Christians must become Jews first (through circumcision) before they could follow Jesus. The Gentiles were confused and frustrated. So Paul and Barnabas called a meeting among the Jewish leaders to set them straight on this. God does not make differences between Jew and Gentile. Once one has accpets Jesus as Lord, the Holy Spirit is placed in them. There is no need for circumcision. The elders and deacons came to see the truth in this and decided it best to write a letter to the Gentiles freeing them from the religious Law of the OT. So, they sent the letter with some of the Jewish leaders along with Paul and Barnabas back to the Gentiles informing them. There was much celebration over this. Paul and Barnabas then felt they needed to go visit all the believers in all the churches from thier first missionary journey. Barnabas requests that John Mark accompany them. Paul refuses, becuase John Mark had deserted them when they were imprisoned. A heated argument ensues, and it is resolved with Paul and Barnabas dividing into 2 groups. Barnabas took John Mark with him to Cyprus, while Paul chose Silas to accompany him. (The start of Paul's second missionary journey)
BUT the story is not complete! There was a heated argument, which led to seperation... BUT was all part of God's plan to bring unity. WHAT??? How does a fight bring unity? Doesn't that bring discord?
Well, here are the parts that I left out... remember the arguing over circumcision? Well, Silas was one of the Jewish leaders sent to deliver the letter to the Gerntiles freeing them from this ritual. Paul chose HIM to go with him on his next journey. When the believers commissioned Paula and Silas for the journey, they sent them off ENTRUSTING THEM TO THE LORD'S GRACE!
And remember Barnabas and Paul's "split?" This too was God's plan... two great preachers formed TWO teams... TWO MISSIONARY ENDEAVORS INSTEAD OF ONE! The Gospel spread faster!
The Lord used this passage to show me that even when things get really ugly among Christians, HE is still in control. He is bigger than our plans, our minds, our vision. When we are FULLY reliant on the Holy Spirit in our lives, through adversity and hardship, God's grace is sufficient. Christians don't always agree. AND problems can be solved by seeking wise counsil (eg: Paula and Barnabas' wisdom in circumcision) and agreeing to disagree and letting God work his will. (eg: Paul and Barnabas' disagreement).
So what did I learn today? To sum it all up in a few short sentences:
When times get really ugly, and they will, I must rest in the Father, keeping my eyes on Jesus. Agree to disagree. And allow God to work his perfect will.
In this same time with God as my last entry (Alone...just me and my Jesus), after reading John 8, I was told to read Acts 15. Here the Spirit revealed to me the importance of restoration and unity in The Church. The Jewish Christians were demanding that the Gentile Christians must become Jews first (through circumcision) before they could follow Jesus. The Gentiles were confused and frustrated. So Paul and Barnabas called a meeting among the Jewish leaders to set them straight on this. God does not make differences between Jew and Gentile. Once one has accpets Jesus as Lord, the Holy Spirit is placed in them. There is no need for circumcision. The elders and deacons came to see the truth in this and decided it best to write a letter to the Gentiles freeing them from the religious Law of the OT. So, they sent the letter with some of the Jewish leaders along with Paul and Barnabas back to the Gentiles informing them. There was much celebration over this. Paul and Barnabas then felt they needed to go visit all the believers in all the churches from thier first missionary journey. Barnabas requests that John Mark accompany them. Paul refuses, becuase John Mark had deserted them when they were imprisoned. A heated argument ensues, and it is resolved with Paul and Barnabas dividing into 2 groups. Barnabas took John Mark with him to Cyprus, while Paul chose Silas to accompany him. (The start of Paul's second missionary journey)
BUT the story is not complete! There was a heated argument, which led to seperation... BUT was all part of God's plan to bring unity. WHAT??? How does a fight bring unity? Doesn't that bring discord?
Well, here are the parts that I left out... remember the arguing over circumcision? Well, Silas was one of the Jewish leaders sent to deliver the letter to the Gerntiles freeing them from this ritual. Paul chose HIM to go with him on his next journey. When the believers commissioned Paula and Silas for the journey, they sent them off ENTRUSTING THEM TO THE LORD'S GRACE!
And remember Barnabas and Paul's "split?" This too was God's plan... two great preachers formed TWO teams... TWO MISSIONARY ENDEAVORS INSTEAD OF ONE! The Gospel spread faster!
The Lord used this passage to show me that even when things get really ugly among Christians, HE is still in control. He is bigger than our plans, our minds, our vision. When we are FULLY reliant on the Holy Spirit in our lives, through adversity and hardship, God's grace is sufficient. Christians don't always agree. AND problems can be solved by seeking wise counsil (eg: Paula and Barnabas' wisdom in circumcision) and agreeing to disagree and letting God work his will. (eg: Paul and Barnabas' disagreement).
So what did I learn today? To sum it all up in a few short sentences:
When times get really ugly, and they will, I must rest in the Father, keeping my eyes on Jesus. Agree to disagree. And allow God to work his perfect will.
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