Perspective

photo credit

I tell you, her sins--and they are many--have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love. Luke 7:47, NLT 

Let's be real for a second... With all our selfishness, pride, anger, jealousy, backbiting, greed, lust, idolatry, and murderous, adulterous thinking, has any of us really only been "forgiven little"?  I'm starting to think the truth of this verse is all a matter of perspective.  

There is no one righteous, not even one,
there is no one who understands,
there is no one who seeks God.
All have turned away,
together they have become worthless; 
Romans 3:10b-12

According to the Word of God, none of us can say we have been "forgiven little," but sometimes our lives show that's exactly what we believe.  

Let's look back at the comparisons made in Luke 7:36-50.  Jesus went to dinner at Simon's house, and Simon showed little care for Jesus... no water for His feet, no kiss of greeting, no anointing oil for His head. Even though Simon was a "church-goer," and a religious leader, he wanted to meet with Jesus in his home, eating the meal he provided, with the people he invited to be there... his way, his turf, on his schedule.  

What did the sinful woman do in comparison?  She sought Jesus out and did not rest until she found Him.  She entered a place where she was not invited and humbled herself before Christ in the face of her enemies.  She became undignified in throwing herself at His feet.  She kissed his feet and anointed them with tears and expensive perfume.  She wiped His feet with her hair.  She was desperate.  

I can imagine how she felt.  She wanted everything she had and everything she was to be completely laid-out before the One who would forgive her and save her life.  She knew her sin was great, and she was grateful.  She would not, could not, rest until all the love she felt for Him was fully expressed, fully spent.  Wherever He was, she wanted to be there.  Whatever He offered, she wanted to receive.  Whatever He said, she wanted to hear.  

And what was His response?  

He saw her.  He forgave her.  He loved her.  And He spoke the words she so desperately longed to hear... "Your sins are forgiven... Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

We have all been forgiven the same amount: completely.  Whether we are murderers and child molesters, or cradle-Christian housewives, we have ALL been forgiven MUCH.  When we really humble ourselves before God and see our sin for what it is... the very thing that crucified His Son, Jesus Christ... we will overflow with gratefulness and our hearts will cry out to serve Him above all others! 

The sacrifices God desires are a humble spirit--O God, a humble and repentant heart you will not reject. Psalm 51:17, NET Bible.  

Prayer

"Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness." 
Lamentations 3:22-23

"I don't want anything to stand between us, oh God.  I want to walk tucked up underneath Your arm... wrapped in Your love, Your voice whispering in my ear as I live out this day." 

"I wanna stay right here, Father, right here in the midst of You..."

"I repent and renounce all that I have placed between us, and I place it under the Blood of Jesus.  I release it to You without burden and without condemnation, for You have made me blameless in Christ." 

"You have filled my life with love, peace, and good works in Christ.  You have made my life worth something, Father, and I'm so unspeakably grateful."

"Fill me up with Your Spirit and Your Word, oh God, and let what You have placed within me overflow to others today.  Allow my life to make a real and lasting and beautiful difference in the lives of those around me." 

"Without You I have nothing, and I am nothing, and everything is worth nothing.  All of life is empty without You, for You alone are worthy of praise, Oh God."

A Great and Effective Door

I was in prayer and studying this morning and the Lord was speaking about the "great and effective door."  I had a dream about it last week that I'd love to share, but this morning I want to tell you about something else that caught my eye.  

"But I will tarry in Ephesus until Pentecost. For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries." (1 Corinthians 16:8-9)

I've read that a million times, but this morning it stuck out to me that 1.) he's staying in Ephesus seemingly because of adversaries, and 2.) he doesn't ask for prayer about that... he just quickly states it once and moves on to talk about Timothy.  And apparently there are many adversaries.  Still, no problem, he's not leaving, and he's not worried in the least.  No biggie.  

Huh???  

Then I looked up some commentaries and found this quote: 

"Adversaries and opposition do not break the spirits of faithful and successful ministers, but warm their zeal, and inspire them with fresh courage. A faithful minister is more discouraged by the hardness of his hearers' hearts, and the backslidings of professors, than by the enemies' attempts." ~Matthew Henry's commentary

This truly makes me smile because I think of Paul traveling where the Holy Spirit leads, doing the Lord's work, and when he comes to Ephesus and encounters "many adversaries," he's like, "Oh yeah, baby!  I'm staying here!  Bring it on!"  LOL  He's not only unaffected by the enemy's tactics, he's EXCITED because he knows it's a sign that God's hand is on the situation... that a GREAT and EFFECTIVE door has been opened to him... and OH, THE WONDERS he will see when he walks through that door because the MIRACULOUS is on the other side!!!  Many adversaries???  Who cares!!!  We're about to strike ministry GOLD!!  Haha!!

In the face of ministry, adversaries and opposition should make our mouths water to sink our teeth into what God has on the other side of our own "great and effective door."  Our eyes should be wide with wonder in the face of every attack, at the throwing of every stone, because we know our Great God is about to do something that will blow our minds and change lives forever!  

Hold to the Path

 photo credit
"Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.











 Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil." Proverbs 4:26-27

Every morning this week, right when I woke up, I heard in my spirit, "get up and go for a walk."  Because I have struggled with obedience in some areas, and because I desperately want to be obedient and mature in Christ, I have gotten out of bed, put on my shoes, and headed out the door.  

On the first day, a cool, damp morning, I walked down my driveway and turned left.  I had a quick thought about the path I would take through my large, 1970s-era neighborhood, and in my mind I saw a flash of the longest route I usually take.  It takes about 20-25 minutes, and there are plenty of up- and downhill slopes. 

As I walked and prayed, I came to the first place I could turn and I thought, "oh, maybe I should go this way instead..."  Immediately, in my spirit I heard, "hold to the path." Still clinging to that sweet voice, I continued straight.  

Then I got to another street where I could turn left and thought about going that way... and I heard, "hold to the path."  And again, I continued straight.  

Then the Lord began speaking into my spirit...  

Stay on the road I have set out for you.  Follow me obediently.  Along the way, there will be hard uphill climbs when you have to press and push yourself to get to the top... and there will be times of refreshing in the downhill slopes... but do not stop, and do not change course...or you will tire out faster, become discouraged, and quit early....

As I kept walking, the Lord brought more things to mind that I needed to repent of and submit to Him, and I began to cry.  Then He spoke to me again... 

All along the way, if you hold to My path, there will be times of repentance designed to open your eyes to sin and free you from its grip.  Hold tightly to Me, My child...

Finally, as I began closing in on my destination, feeling lighter than I had when I started, He spoke again...

Hold to the path that I set out for you.  If you turn to the right or to the left and take a different course, you will miss divine appointments I have prepared for you... and you will not accomplish My purposes for your life...

A couple weeks ago I spoke at an outdoor event.  It was my first time speaking in ages, and I was pretty nervous.  I had prayed all week for the Lord to reveal His plan to me for that day, but I didn't receive it until 11pm the night before.  The message came to me in three parts, and I wrote it out as best as I could.

The next afternoon, as I was preparing to speak, I couldn't make much sense of the first part of my message.  I kept forgetting how it was supposed to go.  But the second part of the message was clear and burning in my spirit to get out....

I wasn't as sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit as I should have been that day, and instead of scrapping the first part and moving on to the second like I now know I should have, I trudged through it.  It made no sense, had no point, and was pretty much a disaster. 

But when I got to the second part, everything became clear.  It still wasn't as well put together as I would have liked, but I got out what the Lord had put on my heart...

The tragedy is that I ran out of time right after I ended that second part and I never got to the final part of my message... a salvation message about Jesus Christ. 


As I was walking the road that first day, the Lord showed me that when I decide to change course and go my own way, I miss important parts of the journey.  What would have happened if I had given the message the Lord wanted me to give?  Would more people have come to Christ that day?  If so, will those people have another chance, or was I their last appointment before eternity?

I am humbled by my prideful ways of thinking I know better than God. He knows the plans He has set out for me, and all the reasons behind what He asks me to do... with possible ripple effects reaching generations into the future.......   I am unspeakably thankful for His grace and mercy, and how He has faithfully shown me the error of my ways.  I pray He continues and allows me more opportunities to learn and grow... and that I am humble enough to see them when they come...  

"Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil." 
Proverbs 4:26-27

Distracted by a Butterfly

photo credit
"but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own
evil desire and enticed." James 1:14

This morning I'm sitting in my dining room looking out the window into my backyard.  It's a sunny, breezy day... nice and cool... and I'm thinking about thinking.

I'm doing very well this morning, spiritually speaking.  But over the last week, I've had some challenges.  Technically speaking, I dipped into controlling behavior, self-condemnation, and depression.  By the grace of God, and with the help of friends and Pastors, I was able to pull myself out of it, but I really need to take some time and learn from this episode so I can cut it off earlier next time.

I was meditating on Ephesians 4:21-24 this morning, which says:

"Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the Truth that has come from Him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.  Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God - truly righteous and holy."

As I was laying on my office floor listening to Jason Upton's Faith CD and thinking about this piece of Scripture, the Lord showed me a picture.  Jason Upton was singing about having childlike faith, and in my spirit I saw a picture of a bright-eyed little girl playing outside in a field of wildflowers.  It was a bright, sunny day, and she was at peace and filled with joy as she moved through the field picking flowers and humming a song.  All was well with her soul.

Then along came a dark little butterfly that was a dark thought in disguise.  It whispered a lie in the little girl's ear that brought a little frown to her brow and a slight dimness to her eyes.  The butterfly was small, and seemed harmless, so she shrugged it off.  It returned again and whispered a lie that was even more tempting and dark, and the little girl's countenance darkened again, but again, though she had the power to squash the butterfly so it wouldn't bother her anymore, she shrugged it off.  Finally, the butterfly came back a third time, with a lie too tempting to ignore, and the little girl was hooked.  Even though the butterfly said things that hurt and troubled her deeply, she followed it because she believed its lies.  As the dark butterfly began to fly away from the beautiful field, she followed after it.  She knew she was going the wrong way, felt the knot of discontent forming in her stomach, and she longed for the peace of the field, but still, she followed the butterfly.

I know that butterfly, and where it leads.  It lives in darkness, depression, rejection, and discontent.  All who follow it will end up hopeless and defeated, and that's been a bad habit of mine.  Like an alcoholic who believes one drink won't hurt anything and ends up drowning in liquid sorrow, I have allowed that dark butterfly to keep coming back and whispering in my ear instead of squashing it like the evil bug it is.

The Bible says to "throw off your old sinful nature."  It tells us to put our flesh and old ways TO DEATH. This is where I sometimes fall down on the job and allow myself to wander off, ending up hopeless and defeated.

So, how do I keep that from happening again?  Well, that's the funny thing.  If you're anything like me, you probably think the only way to make it better is to work harder, be better, strive for excellence!  But the truth is that all my striving starts the cycle all over again.

Once I find myself in hopelessness and depression, I work hard to build up my faith and get myself to that place of joy and contentment before the Father.  But then, because I still believe the lie that I have to make myself perfect to be acceptable, I begin to work harder and harder to make myself better, and end up working myself into the ground... which makes me vulnerable to the butterfly, and I'm right back on my way to where I started.

So what's the answer?  Brokenness.

My flesh, my will, my pride have to be broken.  It's morbid, but I think of a person lying on the floor with a broken spine.  She can't move, can't breathe, can't survive without help.  And the only one who can help is God.  That is where real change lives.  In my weakness HE is made strong.  With the Father's direction, I need to begin to revel in my own weakness, without condemnation, and have faith in His strength... speaking the Word of God over my life, believing in His promises without wavering, obediently following His voice.

It seems like a tall order, but I only have to focus on right now... this moment... and as I look out my dining room window at the breezy day outside, I'm enjoying picking the wildflowers.

Waiting...

Passion.  Vision.  Purpose.  Calling.  These are some of my favorite words.  They cause a stirring in me that I sometimes cannot contain, but I'm still in the birthing process of God's plan for my life.  I can see His plan on the horizon and I know it's coming quickly, but I still have some waiting to do.

I'm not a big fan of waiting.  Unfortunately, sometimes I want it my way, and right now!  But no matter how much I push and shove to try to "get it done," God will not be moved.  He will not release His plan until HE is ready... and oh, how grateful I am for that!  God, in His great mercy, will not allow me to move from this waiting place until everything has been made ready.  He plans for me to succeed, and I will succeed, IF I will be obedient and wait on His timing.

Waiting on God can be hard, but there are some things that only He can take care of.  All I have to do is place my faith and trust in Him, because putting my hands on things to control them only makes the process longer.  So I wait...

But waiting is active... praying, believing, worshiping... and oddly enough, it takes passion, vision, and purpose!  I have to take hold of the vision He has given me for my life and hold on to my faith with passion knowing that all this waiting has a purpose!  He is growing me, He is preparing the ground for my future, He is working everything out for my good... for His glory... and soon enough, when He is ready, the calling He has given me will be born.

Finally, humility is KEY in this waiting game.  While I'm waiting, God is operating.  He is opening me up, exposing the cancer of sin and wrong thinking, and cutting it out.  He is shining His light on all the dark places within me and gently erasing signs of the enemy. He is pulling out old arrows, cleaning and closing old wounds, and massaging the scars to make them soft.  He is pouring His love out on me and making me better.  He is increasing my capacity to love, to give, and to receive.  He is surrounding me with His goodness and binding me up in His grace.

How I love Him so... and so I gladly wait.

Shaken

Everything that can be shaken WILL be shaken. 

Do you ever have those times when God is shaking things up in you?  When all of a sudden, your life is like the epicenter of a major earthquake... everything seems unstable and you can't find your footing... and it feels like everything will fall apart?  And didn't you feel fine BEFORE the earthquake started, but during the shaking you felt sort of chaotic inside?  

Maybe I'm the only one who goes through times like those, but I sincerely hope NOT.  

God, in His great mercy, allows things into our lives that will shake us up... on purpose. He sees all the unfinished business in our lives, and He is not willing to leave us incomplete.  He wants to shake out all the junk.  We may scream and cry like little children during the process, but does that stop Him?  Nope.  Like any good dad, Father God is completely unconcerned with our "comfort" while He is molding us and making us into HIS finished product... because He knows how great we're going to be when He's finally done!  He sees the end from the beginning, and He's SO EXCITED to show us ALL that He has planned!!  

Trust His process.  Job said, "though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him."  Though we may feel like we are going to come apart, we're not.  He is keeping us safe... holding us together.

See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. 

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,  for our “God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:25-28)

No matter what, we cannot turn away.  We cannot refuse Him.  Our response should always be to hold tighter to Him by spending more time in prayer, more time in the Word. Getting to a place of submission and obedience will help the process along.  We just need to lay down on the Potter's wheel and let God have His way.