Lord, please make my heart toward you undivided.
"...from Zebulun, experienced soldiers prepared for battle with every type of weapon, to help David with undivided loyalty—50,000..." I Chronicles 12:33
love the picture of soldiers fighting, yielding, giving with "undivided loyalty."
"Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name." Psalm 86:11
and, I'm pondering how the two - an undivided heart and fearing God go hand in hand...
"I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh." Ezekiel 11:19
lovely picture of God's people purging from their midst and their lives "detestable idols" and "vile images" - anything they might worship or love more than Him.
"I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord." 1 Corinthians 7:35
...Paul speaking to unmarried men and women, but it's a great reminder for me that undivided devotion to the Lord may require more intentionality because I have a husband and children...
Please, Lord, give me an undivided heart.
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
2 small revelations
Revelation 1: I noticed tonight during the local youth baseball game that people were talking...a lot.
Really, they seemed to relish the very art of conversation.
There was a constant hum, an endless chatter.
And, I began to wonder at our desire and ability at communication.
Why do we like it so much, and what does that have to do with God?
I like to remember how He says we're made in His image (Genesis 1:26), which means we reflect Him....in most everything we do. Our very essence breathes His own.
So, if we're made in the image of God, and we love communicating, talking, sharing, laughing, listening, then, we can be certain that God is the master Communicator. He, after all, authored the Bible.
Revelation 2: This is our 14th wedding anniversary, which always causes me to be more ponderous and reflective...thinking over the years, mulling over trials, suffering, good days.
Those reflections led to a mini revelation in my heart today. I've bemoaned past trials and challenges, wishing at times that things would have been pieced together differently, within a perhaps tidier and neater package.
In the middle of those mind meanderings, it dawned on me that nothing can enter my domain without it first having passed through the okay of Christ Himself. As He is owner of all, and as all (including the Evil One) must yield and submit to Him, He has the final word on what befalls me. I remembered how Joseph told his brothers, " You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." (Genesis 50:20)
God's desire for me is good, His good, which may be defined differently than my good. God's intention is to refine me, to grow me, to discipline me, to use whatever means He chooses to effect the changes He desires. He purposes to conform me to Himself, and if that requires some high waters, tumultuous storms, terrifying fires, or dry wastelands, He will do it. His desire is good for me, good for me. Not just good like a tasty ice-cream but good as in character-shaping, identity-defining, readiness-equipping, Christ-conforming good.
I have fought it, resisted, mourned over what was lost, tasted bitter roots of days gone, wept for life changed; but today, God showed me in this mini revelation that He is truly working all things together for my good. And, now I'm understanding that this does not simply mean lining things up to make my day a good one, or to bring good from a bad situation; rather, He issues troubles, trials in order to obtain the good He has in store. These sufferings are His means to His end.
Please give me arms to embrace the thorny memories and trials to come, a mind that trusts that You know what You're doing, and a heart that welcomes these refineries with hospitality and thanksgiving.
I need You.
Really, they seemed to relish the very art of conversation.
There was a constant hum, an endless chatter.
And, I began to wonder at our desire and ability at communication.
Why do we like it so much, and what does that have to do with God?
I like to remember how He says we're made in His image (Genesis 1:26), which means we reflect Him....in most everything we do. Our very essence breathes His own.
So, if we're made in the image of God, and we love communicating, talking, sharing, laughing, listening, then, we can be certain that God is the master Communicator. He, after all, authored the Bible.
Revelation 2: This is our 14th wedding anniversary, which always causes me to be more ponderous and reflective...thinking over the years, mulling over trials, suffering, good days.
Those reflections led to a mini revelation in my heart today. I've bemoaned past trials and challenges, wishing at times that things would have been pieced together differently, within a perhaps tidier and neater package.
In the middle of those mind meanderings, it dawned on me that nothing can enter my domain without it first having passed through the okay of Christ Himself. As He is owner of all, and as all (including the Evil One) must yield and submit to Him, He has the final word on what befalls me. I remembered how Joseph told his brothers, " You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." (Genesis 50:20)
God's desire for me is good, His good, which may be defined differently than my good. God's intention is to refine me, to grow me, to discipline me, to use whatever means He chooses to effect the changes He desires. He purposes to conform me to Himself, and if that requires some high waters, tumultuous storms, terrifying fires, or dry wastelands, He will do it. His desire is good for me, good for me. Not just good like a tasty ice-cream but good as in character-shaping, identity-defining, readiness-equipping, Christ-conforming good.
I have fought it, resisted, mourned over what was lost, tasted bitter roots of days gone, wept for life changed; but today, God showed me in this mini revelation that He is truly working all things together for my good. And, now I'm understanding that this does not simply mean lining things up to make my day a good one, or to bring good from a bad situation; rather, He issues troubles, trials in order to obtain the good He has in store. These sufferings are His means to His end.
Please give me arms to embrace the thorny memories and trials to come, a mind that trusts that You know what You're doing, and a heart that welcomes these refineries with hospitality and thanksgiving.
I need You.
Monday, June 3, 2013
a morning with the Lord in Jeremiah 29
It is a dark day for the Israelites. They are in the land of Babylon as exiles. God commanded them to go, to be subjugated by King Nebuchadnezzar, promising consequences and punishment if they did not obey.
Most obeyed the Lord and entered into exile in the land of Babylon; however, some Israelites remained behind, setting up a king and listening to false prophets.
While God promised consequences to those who remained behind their fellow Israelites, He also promised hope, a future, and restoration to those who yielded to Babylonian captivity: ‘They will be taken to Babylon and there they will remain until the day I come for them,’ declares the Lord. ‘Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place.’” Jeremiah 27:22
He reinstates His promise and plan in Jeremiah 29 via a letter written from Jeremiah to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon, reminding the Israelites that there is hope. When seventy years of captivity in Babylon have been completed, they will return to Jerusalem. He instructs them, “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” Jeremiah 29:5-7
The Lord then reminds those in Jeremiah 29:16-19 who remained behind in Jerusalem the very promise He made in Jeremiah 27:8 if they were disobedient to His will: "...but this is what the Lord says about the king who sits on David’s throne and all the people who remain in this city, your fellow citizens who did not go with you into exile— 17 yes, this is what the Lord Almighty says: “I will send the sword, famine and plague against them and I will make them like figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten. 18 I will pursue them with the sword, famine and plague and will make them abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth, a curse and an object of horror, of scorn and reproach, among all the nations where I drive them. 19 For they have not listened to my words,” declares the Lord, “words that I sent to them again and again by my servants the prophets."
He reminds my heart this morning that my sin will not go unnoticed, that disobedience is abhorrent to Him, and that He desires a pure heart and clean hands. He requires obedience, and He, in His way, will bless the obedient. Obedience is a beautiful response; it is a bending of my will to His, yielding myself to His directive, humbling my heart to enter into sweet harmony with His. Make it so in my life, Lord.
Most obeyed the Lord and entered into exile in the land of Babylon; however, some Israelites remained behind, setting up a king and listening to false prophets.
While God promised consequences to those who remained behind their fellow Israelites, He also promised hope, a future, and restoration to those who yielded to Babylonian captivity: ‘They will be taken to Babylon and there they will remain until the day I come for them,’ declares the Lord. ‘Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place.’” Jeremiah 27:22
He reinstates His promise and plan in Jeremiah 29 via a letter written from Jeremiah to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon, reminding the Israelites that there is hope. When seventy years of captivity in Babylon have been completed, they will return to Jerusalem. He instructs them, “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” Jeremiah 29:5-7
The Lord then reminds those in Jeremiah 29:16-19 who remained behind in Jerusalem the very promise He made in Jeremiah 27:8 if they were disobedient to His will: "...but this is what the Lord says about the king who sits on David’s throne and all the people who remain in this city, your fellow citizens who did not go with you into exile— 17 yes, this is what the Lord Almighty says: “I will send the sword, famine and plague against them and I will make them like figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten. 18 I will pursue them with the sword, famine and plague and will make them abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth, a curse and an object of horror, of scorn and reproach, among all the nations where I drive them. 19 For they have not listened to my words,” declares the Lord, “words that I sent to them again and again by my servants the prophets."
He reminds my heart this morning that my sin will not go unnoticed, that disobedience is abhorrent to Him, and that He desires a pure heart and clean hands. He requires obedience, and He, in His way, will bless the obedient. Obedience is a beautiful response; it is a bending of my will to His, yielding myself to His directive, humbling my heart to enter into sweet harmony with His. Make it so in my life, Lord.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
we're all pointing somewhere
i'd like to be a real girl,
a down-to-earth, honest, genuine girl.
i'd like to shower folks with love,
kindness, listening, camaraderie, truth.
i'd like to do this without pointing to me;
i want to be the real deal with people and love them without being the focus.
i'd like to live in such a way that others receive good fruit from me,
but they all realize its source is not my own heart,
it's Christ.
We are all pointing to something, someone, somewhere.
I have the option of pointing to my circumstances, whether happy or dire.
I have the option of pointing to myself, to what I think I've accomplished,
to the cookies I bake, the blankets I crochet, the children I teach, blah blah blah.
Or, I have the option every time of pointing to Christ.
Here's how I am today, and here is where I am with Jesus,
what He's teaching, how He showed His faithfulness and mercies again this morning,
how He is loving me through this dark valley.
If I want to worship Jesus, I focus on Him;
if I want those around me to worship Him, my role is to do what I can to point to Him, not me.
It's one thing for me to be honest about how I'm doing; it's another thing to distract people from God while talking about myself.
Our circumstances are not for us to glean sympathy or pity from others but to glorify Christ and show Him as faithful to others in the midst of our circumstances.
We are commanded to face our difficulties and trials with joy...
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4
O, Lord, do this through me; I need You desperately.
a down-to-earth, honest, genuine girl.
i'd like to shower folks with love,
kindness, listening, camaraderie, truth.
i'd like to do this without pointing to me;
i want to be the real deal with people and love them without being the focus.
i'd like to live in such a way that others receive good fruit from me,
but they all realize its source is not my own heart,
it's Christ.
We are all pointing to something, someone, somewhere.
I have the option of pointing to my circumstances, whether happy or dire.
I have the option of pointing to myself, to what I think I've accomplished,
to the cookies I bake, the blankets I crochet, the children I teach, blah blah blah.
Or, I have the option every time of pointing to Christ.
Here's how I am today, and here is where I am with Jesus,
what He's teaching, how He showed His faithfulness and mercies again this morning,
how He is loving me through this dark valley.
If I want to worship Jesus, I focus on Him;
if I want those around me to worship Him, my role is to do what I can to point to Him, not me.
It's one thing for me to be honest about how I'm doing; it's another thing to distract people from God while talking about myself.
Our circumstances are not for us to glean sympathy or pity from others but to glorify Christ and show Him as faithful to others in the midst of our circumstances.
We are commanded to face our difficulties and trials with joy...
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4
O, Lord, do this through me; I need You desperately.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
is there a difference?
What's the difference between "being real" in sharing how I'm doing and in complaining about how I'm doing?
How can we answer honestly without dishonoring God, sounding whining, or coming across as self-centered?
How does that work?
I just don't know.
thinking on it...
How can we answer honestly without dishonoring God, sounding whining, or coming across as self-centered?
How does that work?
I just don't know.
thinking on it...
Friday, May 10, 2013
dwelling
On what do we dwell?
What do we think about?
What do we ponder, consider, mentally chew?
What do we retrieve over and over in our minds?
Do we dwell on our pasts...
its memories, events, wrongs inflicted upon us?
Do we repeat these things to others, regurgitate them in conversations, chew on them, retrieve them to play on repeat in our minds?
Do we dwell on ourselves...
who hurt us, how we were hurt, when we were hurt, how it still follows and troubles us?
Do we repeat these hurts and painful memories to others, regurgitate them in conversations, chew on them, retrieve them to play on repeat in our minds?
Or, do we remove the focus from ourselves and place it on Another?...
Do we dwell on Jesus...
His sacrifice, His life, His death, His power, His forgiveness, His Spirit, His cross, His resurrection, His ascension?
Do we repeat these truths and promises to others, regurgitating them in conversations, chewing on them, retrieving them to play on repeat in our minds?
Do we realize that that on which we dwell becomes that which doth define us?
Either we are defined by our problems, our pain, our methods and routines for dealing with our stuff, or....
We are defined by Jesus, His solution, His pain on our behalf, His forgiveness and hope, His Truth, His Word, His power.
What defines you?
What do people think of when they think of you?
Are others' thoughts pivoting around your sorrows, around you?
Or are the thoughts of others fixed on Christ as a result of your focus?
When we fix our gaze down on our circumstances, our history, ourselves, vaunting our own merits and works, Christ is diminished, ignored.
When we look up to the cross, remembering Jesus and His work on our behalf, His love, His hope, then He is exalted, honored, rejoiced over, worshiped.
Look up and live!
On what are you dwelling today?
What do we think about?
What do we ponder, consider, mentally chew?
What do we retrieve over and over in our minds?
Do we dwell on our pasts...
its memories, events, wrongs inflicted upon us?
Do we repeat these things to others, regurgitate them in conversations, chew on them, retrieve them to play on repeat in our minds?
Do we dwell on ourselves...
who hurt us, how we were hurt, when we were hurt, how it still follows and troubles us?
Do we repeat these hurts and painful memories to others, regurgitate them in conversations, chew on them, retrieve them to play on repeat in our minds?
Or, do we remove the focus from ourselves and place it on Another?...
Do we dwell on Jesus...
His sacrifice, His life, His death, His power, His forgiveness, His Spirit, His cross, His resurrection, His ascension?
Do we repeat these truths and promises to others, regurgitating them in conversations, chewing on them, retrieving them to play on repeat in our minds?
Do we realize that that on which we dwell becomes that which doth define us?
Either we are defined by our problems, our pain, our methods and routines for dealing with our stuff, or....
We are defined by Jesus, His solution, His pain on our behalf, His forgiveness and hope, His Truth, His Word, His power.
What defines you?
What do people think of when they think of you?
Are others' thoughts pivoting around your sorrows, around you?
Or are the thoughts of others fixed on Christ as a result of your focus?
When we fix our gaze down on our circumstances, our history, ourselves, vaunting our own merits and works, Christ is diminished, ignored.
When we look up to the cross, remembering Jesus and His work on our behalf, His love, His hope, then He is exalted, honored, rejoiced over, worshiped.
Look up and live!
On what are you dwelling today?
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