"On the day I called, You answered me..." Psalm 138:3a
If you're in the midst of a difficult season, illness, or marriage, you may read these words and breathe yet another prayer. For help. For healing. For reconciliation. For justice. For God to just take the circumstance away.
In this particular Psalm, God answers in another way.
"On the day I called, You answered me; my strength of soul you increased." Some translations read, "You made me bold in my soul with strength."
The flesh balks at this answer to prayer. But faith embraces it. The Psalmist, David, continues in verses 7-8:
"Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
You preserve my life;
You stretch out Your hand
against the wrath of my enemies,
and Your right hand delivers me.
The LORD will fulfill His purpose for me;
Your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever.
Do not forsake the work of Your hands."
Suffering and trials can be part of His purposes to make us into the image of Christ, and His purpose will be fulfilled. He always holds and controls the line on the amount of suffering we face. As you face circumstances that you once thought you would never survive, recognize that He is strengthening your soul. I have prayed this for you, dear reader, and for me.
May Jesus be glorified as the world sees the strength He gives your soul.
Tuesday, June 20, 2017
Sunday, June 11, 2017
A Lesson at the Grocery Store
A young mom stood in line ahead of me at the grocery store. Her two children were ready to go home for lunch, and she said she was ready to go, too. She reached into her purse - first casually with one hand, then frantically with two hands. She had left her wallet at home.
She looked up at the cashier and sighed, "I'm so sorry..."
She apologized at least ten times while putting the items back into the cart. She then left her cart by the door, so she could go home for her wallet.
You might be wondering, why didn't anyone just offer to pay for her groceries? The funny thing is - we all did. One after another, the customers in line offered to pay for the young mom's modest assortment of groceries. The cashier offered to pay the bill. Even the store manager offered to let this mother (a regular customer, apparently) pay him for the groceries at her next trip to the store.
She refused us all.
I totally understood her decision. I wouldn't want to take money from others unnecessarily. If I took groceries on credit from a manager, I wouldn't be able to think or do much of anything until I got to go back to the store to pay. Still, I was sorry that she wouldn't take any of the help that was offered to her. She was determined to handle the situation on her own.
Her actions made me think about our actions toward the Lord. He offers us infinitely more than we receive from Him each day.
Psalm 103:2-5 lists a few of His benefits, "Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's."
It's not an exhaustive list, but just in these verses, God has offered so very much to us.
Forgiveness.
Healing.
Redemption.
A Crown of steadfast love and mercy.
Satisfaction.
We can walk away like the mom in the grocery store. Better yet, we can humbly receive all the Lord gloriously offers.
She looked up at the cashier and sighed, "I'm so sorry..."
She apologized at least ten times while putting the items back into the cart. She then left her cart by the door, so she could go home for her wallet.
You might be wondering, why didn't anyone just offer to pay for her groceries? The funny thing is - we all did. One after another, the customers in line offered to pay for the young mom's modest assortment of groceries. The cashier offered to pay the bill. Even the store manager offered to let this mother (a regular customer, apparently) pay him for the groceries at her next trip to the store.
She refused us all.
I totally understood her decision. I wouldn't want to take money from others unnecessarily. If I took groceries on credit from a manager, I wouldn't be able to think or do much of anything until I got to go back to the store to pay. Still, I was sorry that she wouldn't take any of the help that was offered to her. She was determined to handle the situation on her own.
Her actions made me think about our actions toward the Lord. He offers us infinitely more than we receive from Him each day.
Psalm 103:2-5 lists a few of His benefits, "Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's."
It's not an exhaustive list, but just in these verses, God has offered so very much to us.
Forgiveness.
Healing.
Redemption.
A Crown of steadfast love and mercy.
Satisfaction.
We can walk away like the mom in the grocery store. Better yet, we can humbly receive all the Lord gloriously offers.
Saturday, June 10, 2017
God's Calling
A missionary woman named Gladys Alyward once said, "If God has called you to China or any other place and you are sure in your own heart, let nothing deter you...remember it is God who has called you and it is the same as when He called Moses or Samuel.
There is so much good in those words, but one phrase hit me like a ton of bricks:
"...it is the same as when He called Moses or Samuel."
I've heard and read many statements about being certain of God's calling and obeying it. Of course, if God Himself calls you, you must go. However, I never thought about it being the same as when He called Moses or Samuel.
Certainly, He has called me to go on certain mission trips, marry my husband, be involved in the church, stay home to raise my kids, and even write this blog. His calling to me was almost as obvious as a burning bush saw or an audible voice. Still, I have never thought about the great purpose God must have behind His call on my little life.
When I consider Moses and Samuel, I see how God's call on their lives was the first pebble in an avalanche of major historical events. God had such plans and purpose behind His call. How foolish of me to think that He would have no purpose behind His specific call on lives today!
The God of the universe has a plan. Whether we see that plan or not, our privilege and responsibility is to respond in obedience to His call.
There is so much good in those words, but one phrase hit me like a ton of bricks:
"...it is the same as when He called Moses or Samuel."
I've heard and read many statements about being certain of God's calling and obeying it. Of course, if God Himself calls you, you must go. However, I never thought about it being the same as when He called Moses or Samuel.
Certainly, He has called me to go on certain mission trips, marry my husband, be involved in the church, stay home to raise my kids, and even write this blog. His calling to me was almost as obvious as a burning bush saw or an audible voice. Still, I have never thought about the great purpose God must have behind His call on my little life.
When I consider Moses and Samuel, I see how God's call on their lives was the first pebble in an avalanche of major historical events. God had such plans and purpose behind His call. How foolish of me to think that He would have no purpose behind His specific call on lives today!
The God of the universe has a plan. Whether we see that plan or not, our privilege and responsibility is to respond in obedience to His call.
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
Cherries and Followers
Cherries. The perfect snack on a warm summer morning. I plunged my hand into the bag to pull out a handful...
Squish.
While the rest of my hand gripped the smooth, deep red fruit, my ring finger felt something wet and mushy. A moldy cherry. After taking out the rotten fruit, I inspected that corner of the bag. Quickly, I found 3 more fuzzy cherries.
Moldy fruit always likes to hang out together, right?
We all know that the bag probably contained just one bad cherry to begin with, but that bad cherry affected the fruit immediately surrounding it. So it is with our friends. "Bad company ruins good morals" (1 Corinthians 15:33b).
On the flip side, there are people and examples that help us grow. The Apostle Paul boldly stated, "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ" (1 Corinthians 11:1).
I've noticed in myself a propensity to follow others. I want follow and imitate those I admire.
Take a minute to consider who you are following. Would you be fulfilling God's plan for your life if you became just like your church leaders, celebrity icon, and closest friends?
In all of the "following" I do as a Christian wife and mom, it is easy for me to desire many good things. I'd love to dress like her, decorate like her, and have hair like her. I want to look as young as her, have kids like hers, and cook like her. Do things like this ever consume your mind? They probably consume the minds and lives of those around you, too.
Most of these things seem harmless, but my bag of cherries helped me to see that I will be influenced by whatever is around me. I will adopt the values, thoughts, and behaviors of others.
I began to evaluate the things I have been thinking about - how many of those "harmless" things fit into the category of "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life" from 1 John 2:16?
I want to surround myself with women who love God's Word, study it, and obey it. I want to keep close company with women that pray powerfully, respect their husbands, and raise children with wisdom and virtue. I want to spend my days with women that think little of themselves and seek to show the grace and beauty of God. Humble, loving women are the women I want to imitate because they are imitating Christ.
This may cause a shift in position. I may need to move to another section of the cherry bag to keep from becoming what I ought not to become. You may need to move, too. May Jesus be honored as we seek to imitate Him.
Squish.
While the rest of my hand gripped the smooth, deep red fruit, my ring finger felt something wet and mushy. A moldy cherry. After taking out the rotten fruit, I inspected that corner of the bag. Quickly, I found 3 more fuzzy cherries.
Moldy fruit always likes to hang out together, right?
We all know that the bag probably contained just one bad cherry to begin with, but that bad cherry affected the fruit immediately surrounding it. So it is with our friends. "Bad company ruins good morals" (1 Corinthians 15:33b).
On the flip side, there are people and examples that help us grow. The Apostle Paul boldly stated, "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ" (1 Corinthians 11:1).
I've noticed in myself a propensity to follow others. I want follow and imitate those I admire.
Take a minute to consider who you are following. Would you be fulfilling God's plan for your life if you became just like your church leaders, celebrity icon, and closest friends?
In all of the "following" I do as a Christian wife and mom, it is easy for me to desire many good things. I'd love to dress like her, decorate like her, and have hair like her. I want to look as young as her, have kids like hers, and cook like her. Do things like this ever consume your mind? They probably consume the minds and lives of those around you, too.
Most of these things seem harmless, but my bag of cherries helped me to see that I will be influenced by whatever is around me. I will adopt the values, thoughts, and behaviors of others.
I began to evaluate the things I have been thinking about - how many of those "harmless" things fit into the category of "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life" from 1 John 2:16?
I want to surround myself with women who love God's Word, study it, and obey it. I want to keep close company with women that pray powerfully, respect their husbands, and raise children with wisdom and virtue. I want to spend my days with women that think little of themselves and seek to show the grace and beauty of God. Humble, loving women are the women I want to imitate because they are imitating Christ.
This may cause a shift in position. I may need to move to another section of the cherry bag to keep from becoming what I ought not to become. You may need to move, too. May Jesus be honored as we seek to imitate Him.
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