January 31, 2012
"When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, 'Up, take your wife
and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city.' But he hesitated." Genesis 19:15-16a
I consider myself a hesitater. My spell-check dislikes the word hesitater, and frankly so do I. But when it comes to decision making I rarely respond with immediate action. I tend to drag my feet, refusing to take the next step until I've had a chance to weigh my options. I believe God's way is good and trustworthy. I sometimes hesitate to follow God's lead because I question whether I've heard Him correctly. Discretion is good. However, when it comes to following the call of God I believe Scripture reveals that hesitation can prevent us from receiving His best.
In Genesis 12:1 God says to Abram (who in Genesis 17 becomes Abraham), “Leave your native country, your relatives,
and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you." Notice God doesn't tell Abram where to go, God simply instructs Abram to go to the land that He will show him.
At this point I would have composed a thousand questions for God. In which direction should I head? Should I pack a snack? Will this be an overnight stay or should I plan for a week? or more? Will it be hot or cold when I arrive? Can I bring my flat iron?
Genesis 12 records no questions from Abram. Instead we read in verse 4, "Abram departed as the LORD had instructed." No questions. Not an ounce of hesitation. Abram simply obeys.
Skip forward a few chapters to Genesis 19. In this chapter we find Lot, Abraham's nephew, residing in the city of Sodom. Two angels come to Lot and say, "Whomever you have in the city, bring them out of the place; for we are about to destroy this place, because their outcry has become so great before the LORD that the LORD has sent us to destroy it" (Genesis 19:12-13). Unlike God's call to Abram the angels tell Lot exactly where to take his family in order to escape destruction. But Lot hesitates.
Abraham became the father of many nations. His descendants eventually inherited the Promised Land. God counted Abraham righteous because of his faith.
And Lot?
Lot helped form two nations . . . through his own two daughters (Genesis 19:30-37). Rather than escaping to the mountains as the angels commanded, Lot sought refuge with his daughters in a cave. Seemingly alone and feeling cutoff from civilization Lot's daughters concoct the idea of having relations with their father so that they could preserve their family line. The firstborn daughter bore a son who became the father of the Moabites. The younger daughter also bore a son who became the father of the sons of Ammon. Eventually both the Moabite and Ammonite nations were destroyed.
Lot's outcome may have had to do with more than just his hesitation. But I can't help but to consider how his lot might have changed if he had obeyed the Lord without delay.
For more than a year I have felt the Lord encouraging me to consider other publishing options with my first book, A Place of Peace. Realizing I would find it difficult to cancel my publishing contract I've prayed that God would make it obvious when I should act. A printing error on a recent order, one which the publisher failed to fully reconcile, helped me to recognize that now is the time. I consulted my contract yesterday and realized I have sixty days remaining until my contract automatically renews for an additional year (and I have to give thirty days notice of my intent to cancel). A few weeks of hesitation could have forced me to stay bound another year to an agreement from which I feel the Lord leading me away. In light of the story of Abraham and Lot I decided to obey right away.
Not to worry about the book. Though I may experience a few days of unavailability toward the end of March, the Lord has already provided another way for publication. Not with a big-name publisher but with a way which will still allow me to make my book available to those who need it most.
Where is the Lord calling you to go?
Do not hesitate.
Trust God to make it happen, for He who calls you is faithful (1 Thessalonians 5:24).
Showing posts with label Trust. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Trust. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Cabbage and Peas
January 1, 2012
"Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need." Matthew 6:33
I despise cooked cabbage and black-eyed peas. Just thinking about the bitter flavor of the greens and the pasty texture of the peas causes my tongue to twist in disgust. Legend has it that if eaten on New Years Day a serving of black-eyed peas will bring good luck and a spoon-full of cabbage will deliver prosperity. Such a feast is the one tradition I dread most about ringing in the new year. As I contemplated my New Years Day fate I began to question the torturous meal. I'm all for tradition--after all, my husband and I both graduated from Texas A&M University, a school most known for tradition. But when tradition turns to trouble for my taste-buds it's time to reconsider the truth.
The Bible tells us how to prosper (and there's no eating involved). Joshua 1:8 reads, "Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night
so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will
you prosper and succeed in all you do." We are to feed not on lettuce leaves but on the Word of God.
And who needs luck when we have a Sovereign God who promises to be with us and to protect us wherever we go (Genesis 28:15)? God watched us as we were being formed in utter seclusion, as we were woven together in the dark of the womb. He saw us before we were born. Every day of our lives was recorded in His book. Every moment laid out before a single day had passed (Psalm 139:15-16). God promises to work all things for our good (Romans 8:28) and for His glory (Romans 11:36) . . . if we let Him. I'll take a heaping spoonful of the Prince of Peace over a plate of peas any day.
Those of us who choose to buck the system by refusing to eat our cabbage and peas won't fare any differently than those who choke down their lentils and veggies on New Years Day. The secret to a good year isn't found in what you eat on the first day of the year but in what you choose to indulge yourself each day of the coming year.
Tired of cabbage and peas? Maybe its time to consider attending a different type of feast. In 2012 I invite you to join me as we seek to fill ourselves on the very Bread of Life.
"Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need." Matthew 6:33
I despise cooked cabbage and black-eyed peas. Just thinking about the bitter flavor of the greens and the pasty texture of the peas causes my tongue to twist in disgust. Legend has it that if eaten on New Years Day a serving of black-eyed peas will bring good luck and a spoon-full of cabbage will deliver prosperity. Such a feast is the one tradition I dread most about ringing in the new year. As I contemplated my New Years Day fate I began to question the torturous meal. I'm all for tradition--after all, my husband and I both graduated from Texas A&M University, a school most known for tradition. But when tradition turns to trouble for my taste-buds it's time to reconsider the truth.
The Bible tells us how to prosper (and there's no eating involved). Joshua 1:8 reads, "Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night
so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will
you prosper and succeed in all you do." We are to feed not on lettuce leaves but on the Word of God.
And who needs luck when we have a Sovereign God who promises to be with us and to protect us wherever we go (Genesis 28:15)? God watched us as we were being formed in utter seclusion, as we were woven together in the dark of the womb. He saw us before we were born. Every day of our lives was recorded in His book. Every moment laid out before a single day had passed (Psalm 139:15-16). God promises to work all things for our good (Romans 8:28) and for His glory (Romans 11:36) . . . if we let Him. I'll take a heaping spoonful of the Prince of Peace over a plate of peas any day.
Those of us who choose to buck the system by refusing to eat our cabbage and peas won't fare any differently than those who choke down their lentils and veggies on New Years Day. The secret to a good year isn't found in what you eat on the first day of the year but in what you choose to indulge yourself each day of the coming year.
Tired of cabbage and peas? Maybe its time to consider attending a different type of feast. In 2012 I invite you to join me as we seek to fill ourselves on the very Bread of Life.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Mary's Obedience
December 14, 2011
"And Mary said, 'Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.' And the angel departed from her." Luke 1:38 NASB
I recently asked the Lord to take me to the next place, to the next level in our relationship. I love the Lord but I want to love Him more. I trust God but I want to know Him by another name--ELOHIM (the Hebrew name for God), ADONAI (my Lord), EL-SHADDAI (God Almighty).
I knew my request would come with discomfort, challenge and discipline, as drawing nearer to God will always require further surrender myself and my ways. The past two weeks have been difficult. Two nights ago I cried myself to sleep. The Lord has burdened my heart for many things--scary things. My response? "But Lord, what about my kids?" It goes without saying that I would never intentionally place my children in the path of danger. However, as I consider reaching out to those bound by the enemy, my mommy-mind runs amuck with the potential harm that could come my family's way.
A few years ago I struggled to transition into the role of stay-at-home mom. It wasn't that I didn't want to be with my children, it was that staying at home meant that I had to surrender my idea of sustaining a career. Six years into the SAHM journey, I love serving as the primary caregiver and teacher of these precious ones. I love my role almost to a fault. I love my children. I want to be with them, provide for them, protect them at all costs. In my quest to go deeper with the Lord He has revealed to me that I have placed my children in a most precarious place: above my love and concern for Him.
Matthew 10:37 reads, "If you love your son or daughter more than Me, you are not worthy of being mine."
Ouch.
Its okay that I love my children. As parents God calls us to teach and to train our children, and to serve as a vessel through which He can pour His love for them. But God loves my children more than I ever could. His plans for my children exceed anything I can think to ask or imagine. Why, then, do I think God would call me to serve in a manner which would cause my children to fall out of the protection of His will for them? Why do I think that His will for me includes anything less than His best for my children?
In light of Christmas, I couldn't help but ponder the example of Mary, the mother of Jesus.
God sent the angel Gabriel to tell Mary that she would conceive and give birth to Jesus, the Son of God.
Consider Mary's plight. Wasn't she familiar with Scripture? God's Word is so deep and so wide that none can fully comprehend its meaning. However, I must believe that because of the prophets Mary knew enough of the Holy Writ to have an inkling as to what her--and her child's--future might hold if she followed in obedience.
Didn't Mary know the rejection and utter disdain that her Son would face? Didn't Mary know that her Son would endure a horrid death upon a cross? Didn't Mary know?
Mary could have said, "But God, if I fulfill the call you've placed on my life, my child (whose child?) will suffer. I think instead I'll spare Him the suffering by refusing to follow your lead."
But that's not how Mary responded. Mary recognized her place of humility before God. She surrendered to the fact that she could not change God's will for His Son. Mary did not challenge God's authority or question His plan or petition Him for another way. She simply responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true."
Oh, that I may respond to God's call with similar words. "Behold your bondslave; may it be done to me according to your word."
On account of Mary's obedience, God delivered Salvation to the world. Who knows what God may accomplish through our obedience?
I do not know what God has in store for my children (whose children?). I do know God will never call them to suffer as much as He did His own Son--to bear the sins of the world.
My
earnest prayer for my children is Colossians 1:9-11, which read, "We
have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about
you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give
you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will
always honor and please the Lord, and your
lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will
grow as you learn to know God better and better.
We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power
so you will have all the endurance and patience you need."
I beleive the most abundant life we'll ever live is the life God ordained for us. The one sure way for my children to fulfill God's call on
their lives is to watch their mama walk in obedience to fulfill God's call on her own life.
Father, I must ask forgiveness for my lack of trust in You. Thank you for revealing an area of my heart which offends you. Help me to trust you with your children. Help me to love you so much that I am willing to follow you wherever you go. In Jesus name, Amen.
"And Mary said, 'Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.' And the angel departed from her." Luke 1:38 NASB
I recently asked the Lord to take me to the next place, to the next level in our relationship. I love the Lord but I want to love Him more. I trust God but I want to know Him by another name--ELOHIM (the Hebrew name for God), ADONAI (my Lord), EL-SHADDAI (God Almighty).
I knew my request would come with discomfort, challenge and discipline, as drawing nearer to God will always require further surrender myself and my ways. The past two weeks have been difficult. Two nights ago I cried myself to sleep. The Lord has burdened my heart for many things--scary things. My response? "But Lord, what about my kids?" It goes without saying that I would never intentionally place my children in the path of danger. However, as I consider reaching out to those bound by the enemy, my mommy-mind runs amuck with the potential harm that could come my family's way.
A few years ago I struggled to transition into the role of stay-at-home mom. It wasn't that I didn't want to be with my children, it was that staying at home meant that I had to surrender my idea of sustaining a career. Six years into the SAHM journey, I love serving as the primary caregiver and teacher of these precious ones. I love my role almost to a fault. I love my children. I want to be with them, provide for them, protect them at all costs. In my quest to go deeper with the Lord He has revealed to me that I have placed my children in a most precarious place: above my love and concern for Him.
Matthew 10:37 reads, "If you love your son or daughter more than Me, you are not worthy of being mine."
Ouch.
Its okay that I love my children. As parents God calls us to teach and to train our children, and to serve as a vessel through which He can pour His love for them. But God loves my children more than I ever could. His plans for my children exceed anything I can think to ask or imagine. Why, then, do I think God would call me to serve in a manner which would cause my children to fall out of the protection of His will for them? Why do I think that His will for me includes anything less than His best for my children?
In light of Christmas, I couldn't help but ponder the example of Mary, the mother of Jesus.
God sent the angel Gabriel to tell Mary that she would conceive and give birth to Jesus, the Son of God.
Consider Mary's plight. Wasn't she familiar with Scripture? God's Word is so deep and so wide that none can fully comprehend its meaning. However, I must believe that because of the prophets Mary knew enough of the Holy Writ to have an inkling as to what her--and her child's--future might hold if she followed in obedience.
Didn't Mary know the rejection and utter disdain that her Son would face? Didn't Mary know that her Son would endure a horrid death upon a cross? Didn't Mary know?
Mary could have said, "But God, if I fulfill the call you've placed on my life, my child (whose child?) will suffer. I think instead I'll spare Him the suffering by refusing to follow your lead."
But that's not how Mary responded. Mary recognized her place of humility before God. She surrendered to the fact that she could not change God's will for His Son. Mary did not challenge God's authority or question His plan or petition Him for another way. She simply responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true."
Oh, that I may respond to God's call with similar words. "Behold your bondslave; may it be done to me according to your word."
On account of Mary's obedience, God delivered Salvation to the world. Who knows what God may accomplish through our obedience?
I do not know what God has in store for my children (whose children?). I do know God will never call them to suffer as much as He did His own Son--to bear the sins of the world.
My
earnest prayer for my children is Colossians 1:9-11, which read, "We
have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about
you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give
you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will
always honor and please the Lord, and your
lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will
grow as you learn to know God better and better.
We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power
so you will have all the endurance and patience you need."
I beleive the most abundant life we'll ever live is the life God ordained for us. The one sure way for my children to fulfill God's call on
their lives is to watch their mama walk in obedience to fulfill God's call on her own life.
Father, I must ask forgiveness for my lack of trust in You. Thank you for revealing an area of my heart which offends you. Help me to trust you with your children. Help me to love you so much that I am willing to follow you wherever you go. In Jesus name, Amen.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Meeting Needs
October 25, 2011
"'Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,' says the Lord
of Heaven’s Armies, 'I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will
pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in!
Try it! Put me to the test!'" Malachi 3:10
What about that rainy day? Isn't it prudent to save up for hard times?
Like the ant we are wise to store up food for the winter (Proverbs 6:6 and 30:25). But the earth is God's and everything in it. God owns it all--even our emergency funds.
God makes us rich in every way so that we can be generous on every occasion. God gives us
our wealth as well as the ability to earn wealth. Romans 12:6 says that
in His grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things
well. All we have, all that we are . . . comes from Him. God is the owner, we are the steward. When it comes to meeting needs the answer is simple: ask the Owner how He would have us invest His resources--His money, the time and very breath He gives us, the abilities with which He has empowered us--to meet the needs of others.
Remember the boy who offered two fish and a few loaves of bread to feed 5,000 men? I'm certain those men scoffed at the boy's contribution. But in the hands of Christ there proved more than enough to go around.
What if God asks me to give it all away?
God loves a generous giver (2 Corinthians 9:7). "To
those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and
they will have an abundance" (Matthew 25:29). "'Bring your tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,' says the Lord
of Heaven’s Armies, 'I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will
pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in!
Try it! Put me to the test!'" (Malachi 3:8) God will never let you out-give Him.
Scripture clearly calls us to meet the needs of others. I
challenge you to ask God how He would have you meet the needs of the
world around us, and ask Him to give you the courage to obey. As the holiday season approaches, "let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up" (Galatians 6:9).
"'Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,' says the Lord
of Heaven’s Armies, 'I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will
pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in!
Try it! Put me to the test!'" Malachi 3:10
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas . . . Everywhere you go you'll find store shelves increasingly stocked with Christmas treasures (you can thank me later for placing that jingle in your head). Each year the arrival of the holiday season seems to usher in a fresh awareness of needs . . . as well as the pressure to say "yes," and feelings of guilt for saying "no." As requests for support begin to flood our mailboxes, churches and hearts, how do we keep from growing bitter and resentful or overwhelmed by all the needs? By turning to the One who owns all things.
"The whole earth is mine and everything in it," says the Lord (Psalm 50:12). Recognizing ourselves as stewards--not owners--of God's resources is the key which unlocks the door to a generous heart.
I recently asked my small group to consider where they would place themselves on a scale of 1-10; 1 representing the utmost struggle to recognize that all we have comes from the Lord (after all, we work hard for our stuff, don't we?) and 10 representing the firm belief that everything we have comes from Him. I didn't force anyone to answer aloud (what kind of teacher would I be?!?). However, I did profess that most of the time I am hard-pressed to place myself at a "10." My head recognizes that all I have comes from Him but my heart tends to disagree.
God's ownership over all things can best be demonstrated by the parable of the three servants found in Matthew 25. A man leaves for a long trip. While away he entrusts his money to three servants. The first servant receives 5 bags of silver. He invests them and earns 5 more. The second servant receives 2 bags of silver. He invests them and earns 2 more. The third servant receives 1 bag of silver. Afraid of loosing what little he was given, the third servant simply hides his bag of silver in the ground. When the master returns he replies to the first and second servants, "Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have
been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many
more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!" (Matthew 25:21, 23) To the third servant the master responds, "That's a terrible way to live! It's criminal to live cautiously like
that! . . . Get rid of
this "play-it-safe" who won't go out on a limb. Throw him out into
utter darkness" (Matthew 25:26-30, The Message).
The master responds a little harshly to the third servant, don't you think? It's not as if the third servant squandered his master's money; he simply held on to it for a rainy day. Cast into utter darkness? Why?
What about that rainy day? Isn't it prudent to save up for hard times?
Like the ant we are wise to store up food for the winter (Proverbs 6:6 and 30:25). But the earth is God's and everything in it. God owns it all--even our emergency funds.
God makes us rich in every way so that we can be generous on every occasion. God gives us
our wealth as well as the ability to earn wealth. Romans 12:6 says that
in His grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things
well. All we have, all that we are . . . comes from Him. God is the owner, we are the steward. When it comes to meeting needs the answer is simple: ask the Owner how He would have us invest His resources--His money, the time and very breath He gives us, the abilities with which He has empowered us--to meet the needs of others.
Remember the boy who offered two fish and a few loaves of bread to feed 5,000 men? I'm certain those men scoffed at the boy's contribution. But in the hands of Christ there proved more than enough to go around.
What if God asks me to give it all away?
God loves a generous giver (2 Corinthians 9:7). "To
those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and
they will have an abundance" (Matthew 25:29). "'Bring your tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,' says the Lord
of Heaven’s Armies, 'I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will
pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in!
Try it! Put me to the test!'" (Malachi 3:8) God will never let you out-give Him.
Scripture clearly calls us to meet the needs of others. I
challenge you to ask God how He would have you meet the needs of the
world around us, and ask Him to give you the courage to obey. As the holiday season approaches, "let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up" (Galatians 6:9).
Monday, August 15, 2011
My (Homeschool) Help Comes From the Lord
"Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." Romans 12:2
Six days into our new homeschool year and already I notice a significant difference between the workload of this year and last year. Last year I could get away with being half-engaged while the other half of me wondered if God had truly called me to homeschool. This year I have two young students who require--and deserve--my utmost devotion.
Six days into our new homeschool year and already I notice a significant difference between the workload of this year and last year. Last year I could get away with being half-engaged while the other half of me wondered if God had truly called me to homeschool. This year I have two young students who require--and deserve--my utmost devotion.
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