January 31, 2011

Being a doer of the Word

The book of James is awesome.  It totally hits me where I live.  Don’t just hear God’s word – do it! 

I am still in the process of cleaning out my office, garage, kids’ closets, and eventually, I’ll get to the attic.  I have a confession:  there are a lot of unfinished projects at my house.  And I have another confession:  it’s easier to think of a new project and start that one than to look around my house and finish what I’ve already started…

James says, it’s kind of like that with truth.  We don’t need to go looking for new truth!  If we would just start to put into practice all God has told us up until now, it would keep us busy until He returns. 

For some, there’s a rush in acquiring new knowledge.  But James is clear:  knowledge is useless unless we put that knowledge to work in our lives.  There’s pride involved in chasing down the best teaching out there…  God isn’t interested in how much we know, He’s interested in how well we love.

So like the unfinished projects in my house, instead of looking for the next new thing, I need to take the truth I know – the things God has spoken to my heart – and put them into practice.

January 30, 2011

Discipleship:  follow me as I follow Christ… 

Who are you discipling?  Whom are you being discipled by? 

These are weighty questions.  The second one is easier, right?  The point being that we are never beyond needing someone else’s input into our lives.  If we ever get to the point where we think we don’t need to learn – we’ve heard it all before – we’re in a dangerous place. 

For the most part, though, we are well aware of our lack.  Finding someone to connect with in a discipling arrangement is usually the hard part.

And for the first question – who are you discipling – did that make you a little nervous?  It’s understandable.  If it didn’t, you probably don’t really understand the weight of responsibility involved. 

But before you get freaked out, it’s a simple question of, Who are you influencing?  Whose day do you totally make when you pay special attention to?  Who will listen to your encouragement?  Or when you have a word of advice?  You didn’t realize it, but you are discipling that person.

I believe the challenge for today, for me anyway, is to recognize those opportunities, and to make the most of them.  Having someone’s trust and friendship is a special thing, but it’s not just meant for my enjoyment – it’s meant to further both our maturity in Christ.  (I will grow as I look to grow other people.)

I loved this:  Discipleship is being before doing, maturity before ministry, character before career.  May we be aware of, and take advantage of, discipling opportunities every chance we get.

January 29, 2011

Spiritual authority

Another post on spiritual powers…  Today, I found myself wondering why all the focus on spiritual warfare.  Aren’t we supposed to focus on what we should be doing – loving others, telling folks about Jesus, etc.? 

Thinking it through, here’s what I came up with…  The purpose of this book, as evidenced in the title, is to teach us who we are in Christ.  What we do will flow out from who we are.  Our effectiveness as Christians, then, depends on our understanding of what has been given to us because we now belong to God.

Near the beginning of January, I compared being a child of God to being royalty.  Because of a king or queen’s position, certain things are already in place – they don’t have to strive for income, respect, security or authority.  Don’t ask about their love lives – that’s where the illustration wears a little think.

But in terms of authority, a king or queen is absolute in their kingdom.  I need to keep that picture in my head when it comes to spiritual stuff.

Even having grown up in the church, I still feel like I’m going to get the cooties if I mention the devil or demons, let alone have an encounter with them.  It’s human nature to fear what is unknown.  And oh, yeah, evil.

But Neil says, In Christ you have every resource to defuse and dispel any threat of darkness in your life or family.

My authority in the spiritual kingdom is based on the fact that I’m the daughter of the King, not my performance or knowledge. 

My prayer today is that God allows us to grasp more fully the authority He has given to us because we belong to Him, and that the understanding would translate in to action.  

January 28, 2011

It’s not about the rules…

As I thought about today’s entry, trying to get to the heart of it and what it means to me today, it’s this:  don’t get caught up on what things look like.

Don’t get stuck in thinking about what someone might think of me if I wore the wrong thing…  Superhero t-shirt at church?  (Wolverine – not the best example, but it’s what’s in my drawer)  Church t-shirt at my kids’ school?  What are the stereotypes I’ll be seen through if I do? 

Don’t get stuck on what church is supposed to look like…  For as open-minded as I am, I’m surprised by the things I hold sacred (or, at least, really nifty) that don’t matter at all in eternity.  Worship?  Bulletins?  Well proof-read written materials?  What are your things?

Don’t get stuck on what someone else’s life should look like…  Sure, there are going to be the issues of maturity that, on occasion, I’ll have an opportunity to work with someone on, but my job is to remind my brothers and sisters in Christ to listen to the voice of the Father.  He’s working things out in their lives, just like in mine.

And last, don’t get stuck on what I think His work in my life looks like.  Sometimes it comes through conflict (dang!); sometimes it comes through betrayal.  It has come through working at a tough job, and through caring for a special needs child. 

Equal to not assigning spirituality to spiritual-looking things is being able to find God where He surprises me.

January 27, 2011

Decisions, take two

More stuff to add to my list!  Now all I need is a life-altering choice before me…  (Nooooo!  I was kidding!)

Favorite quote from today (#7):  The faithless man asks, “What do I stand to lose if I do?”  The faithful man asks, “What do I risk losing if I don’t?”  May God grant us all the boldness to take those risks He’s appointing for us!  Risks that have been qualified by answering all the other 9 questions, of course. 

Neil kind of reminds me of the Dr. Phil question:  So this is what you’re doing right now.  How’s that working for ya?  The greater risk is to do nothing!  And from a believer’s perspective, my life is not my own – who would have been impacted if I had taken that step of faith? 

I appreciate question #8 (I got busted yesterday for going out of order), about being sure to ask opinions of well-grounded folks, not just friends who will tell you what you want to hear.  I need to seek out those friends, and be willing to be one of those friends. 

When I have to tell a friend something I know they don’t want to hear, it feels like conflict, and my first inclination is to run.  Run far.  But I’ve learned, I’ve practiced on a few people, and I’m starting to get the hang of it, although I’ll probably never enjoy it.  But telling the truth in love is putting someone else above myself and my comfort, and I’ve asked God to put truthful friends in my life, too.

And question #10 – follow the peace – is a method Loren and I have done over the years.  If we can’t arrive at an answer together by prayer and some of the other steps, we test out a decision.  Kind of like a practice run.  We’ll say, Okay, the answer to this is yes, and let’s sleep on it.  More than once, by the next day, we knew in our hearts that yes wasn’t the right answer.  We found the peace by stumbling upon the lack of it.  Confused yet?

Well, two things I’m so grateful for today – that God does indeed have a plan for our lives (it’s not just up to us to make the best of it), and that He’s ready and waiting to make that plan clear to us.  

Probably you know this one by heart:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord.  “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.  In those days when you pray, I will listen.  If you look for Me in earnest, you will find me…”  -Jeremiah 29:11-13

January 26, 2011

Decisions

Anyone in the middle of making a big decision?  How great – Neil gives us a list!  Who doesn’t love a good list? 

For the benefit of any non-football readers (I love you anyway!), a fourth-down punting situation would be pretty much a last-ditch effort.  The first-down huddle is the planning part, sort of, for the play that comes next.  Probably you got that from the context, but we don’t want anyone to feel left out! 

I love Neil’s comment that we aren’t supposed to make our plans and then ask God to bless them; rather, we’re supposed to pray and wait on Him to hear what He has in mind, and then plan accordingly.  Easy to say (ok, write), but hard to do.  

I had to think for a bit about #5 – Am I acting responsibly?  - and what it had to do with faithfulness.  I think it has to do with integrity…  I couldn’t come up with a life choice that fit the bill, but I’m always grateful for a reminder that God pays attention to how faithful I am (or should have been) in the little things. 

And I was challenged anew by #2 – Is it consistent with the Word of God?  It’s up to me to read and digest His Word, a little at a time.  He has done His part in communicating with me, and it’s up to me to read it, learn it, and know it.  I’m so grateful for the Holy Spirit who brings it alive in my heart and life as I read! 

(Now, whose feathers did I ruffle by talking about the points out of order?  Yeah, I thought so!)

I’ll keep this list handy.  It’s good to know I have it for when I’ll need it next…

As always, I so enjoy those of you who post comments.  Thanks for making me think!  For today, tell us about a decision you’ve made, are making, or just about a point that hit you as you read!  Thanks so much.

January 25, 2011

One more on spiritual warfare

Hang in there – tomorrow, the topic changes, but we’re still on the tough subject of spiritual warfare.  I was amazed at the story of Daisy and the simplicity with which she was able to do battle in the name of Jesus.

The imagery of pulling the covers over one’s head (like the spiritual ostrich) challenges me to be willing to look for the spiritual causes behind events in my world.  But not in a weird way.

Several years after Loren and I got married, he had to take a business trip to Japan.  It was a week-long trip, before texting or even email, really (but they did have airplanes!), so that week was one of the longest of my life.  I’m a big baby when I have to be alone.

And sure enough, on one of the first few nights he was gone, I was awakened from a sound sleep by the sound of someone pounding on my front door.  I was terrified.  (Sound sleep, remember?  Don’t judge me.)  Eventually, I got the nerve to go and look to see what was going on, and of course, I saw nothing. 

Did I dream the noise?  Had the friend of a neighbor had one too many and came to the wrong house?  Usually, bad people looking to break into a house don’t announce their intention with loud knocking, I reasoned.

Then I prayed, kind of fiercely, Lord, I know there’s an angel – at least one – who’s 20 or 30 feet tall, guarding the edges of our property.  Please show that angel to whoever is out there, if there is anyone. 

And in that moment, God gave me the picture I was asking to send to the bad guy – I imagined the angel God had protecting me, and it wasn’t just a nice thought – I understood that it was reality.  Because of that grace to me in that moment, I fell right back to sleep and have not had an experience like that since.

The spiritual world intersects with the natural one all the time.  With an understanding of the power that we’ve been given by the blood of Jesus, we don’t have to live in fear or under oppression of any kind. 

My prayer today is that we all might have an open mind, an open heart, and better vision.