Prophecy

Wow – Neil didn’t pull any punches today.  He comes across as harsh, but I see that there’s real potential for harm, even from someone who means well and wants to speak an encouraging word from the Lord to someone. 

Does God speak through prophecy today?  If He didn’t, I suppose He wouldn’t have listed it among the spiritual gifts He distributes to the church (Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12).  Neil knows his scripture pretty well, so I’m going to figure that he writes as a reaction to misuse of prophecy that he’s seen over the years in churches.

In reading and thinking about this topic, the idea that kept coming to the surface in me was that of humility.  If I’m hearing something I believe is from God, it’s with great humility that I offer it to the appropriate person, in the appropriate time.  Not everything is to share; some things God tells me are just for me.  I’m supposed to be praying about the situation and supporting those involved. 

And when a word is offered by someone, it’s with humility that I need to take that before God in prayer, and to His word, to look for confirmation.  I won’t know what’s in God’s mind and heart unless I ask.

People, not goals

I love it when Neil gets personal.  He waited until November to share this story, and it was worth the wait.

While I’m caught by the idea of God stepping in to keep Neil from going down the wrong path, what I’m focusing on today is this idea of seeing people as people. 

Sure, it seems pretty basic, but it’s a problem we all share…  Why did I treat my husband unkindly?  Because what I wanted to accomplish at that moment was more important to me than he was, flesh and blood, standing right in front of me.  I had a wrong goal. 

Years ago, I was a schoolteacher.  I look back on those days fondly, but with the distinct memory that the actual minutes of the day spent educating young minds was only a portion of what’s involved in being a teacher.  Factor in things like discipline problems, learning disabilities, communicating with parents, planning big events, fulfilling staff obligations (sure, I’ll chair that district Speech Meet!), maintaining your continuing education units, etc., and it’s not hard to see why so many teachers burn out.  It sure was true for me. 

It was at a children’s ministries conference that I heard a speaker talking about her job as a principal.  She was confiding to a colleague, Wow – I could get so much more done in my job if it wasn’t for all these difficult parents I have to deal with!  The friend replied, That’s just it – they ARE the job.

What a turning point for her, and for me, when I heard it.  Today, I’m going to be asking God to show me where I am choosing task over relationship.  I know I’m guilty of seeing people as blocking my goal; I want to learn to set aside what I had in mind so I can love my friends and family (and anyone God puts in my path) the way He does.

Miracles

Does God still do miracles?  What do you believe? 

I’ve known people who have said things like, I believe certain things, like miracles, happened in the Bible, but not necessarily today. 

I’ve known other people who say, God heals every time!  We just have to keep asking and have enough faith.

I’m in the middle…  I’ve seen a four-year-old boy healed from leukemia (healed, not sent into remission), and I’ve stood at the bedside of a friend dying of cystic fibrosis. 

It would be easy to say that God is random in how He answers prayers.  While not accurate, that thought hints at a larger truth:  God’s ways are so much greater, higher and better than mine that I won’t be able to comprehend them.  I’ll never get the Why behind what He does.

What I have learned is this:  I will pray for people to be healed, as Jesus told us to – ask and keep on asking, etc. – but I can’t call ultimatums like “God always heals”, nor can I stake my faith on what I want Him to do.  I can’t force Him to do anything, ever.

Matthew 7:9-11 tells me that God is a good and loving father, and that He gives good things.  Sometimes I think about how much I love my kids, and although I may not always give them what they are asking me for, I’m always looking out for the big-picture good for them.  Today, God is reminding me that He’s doing the same for me and the people I love.

Faithful

I’ll confess, I’ve never stopped to break down each of the ways in which faith affects my life.  Leave it to Neil!  It’s cool the way he categorizes stuff.

The third thing, the one about ministry, got me thinking about the correlation between faith and being faithful.  Second on the list was walking by faith, which requires movement, but living life as a faithful, reliable person requires lots of effort! 

I’ll admit it – it’s easier to be flakey some days.  Many folks I know don’t hold themselves to a very high standard when it comes to following through on commitments, but as soon as I start pointing a finger, I’m reminded of my own (many) shortcomings. 

God has never made a promise that He didn’t keep; the faithfulness of His word is the foundation of our universe (In the beginning was the Word…  from John 1).  The application for me is that because God is faithful, I am a faithful person.  I’m on the right path but I needed to be reminded of why it’s important. 

Deep-watering

As you’ve read over the past months, Neil writes on a theme and then circles back, often several times, to reinforce or extend it.  I think the idea is that we allow the information to sink in gradually, with the goal that it will stay lodged in our long-term memory,  It’s kind of like deep-watering the lawn, only more permanent.

Neil warns us:  …even believers are vulnerable to being lured away from the knowledge and power of God by our enemy. 

It’s a good reminder that instead of pursuing knowledge of God, I need to pursue God.  When I do, I will have the understanding I need based on my relationship with Him, and that will be a safeguard in my life.

We’re also reminded that God created us with legitimate needs – we want to be secure about our future – but when we meet them outside of Him, we invite disaster.  It’s a good day to say, Today, God, I’ll stop striving. I’m going to look to You to meet all my needs. 

About those marbles...

Did you ever see the movie Hook, way back when?  So much good stuff in that film.  Today’s entry from Neil had me thinking about an old man in Hook, a somewhat senile fellow named Tootles.  (What did we ever do before the internet?  Look stuff up at the library?)

From what I remember – and it’s been a while – we meet Tootles a couple of times, doddering along, saying, “I’ve lost my marbles.  Can you help me find them?”  He’s a gentle old soul, but nothing makes us doubt that he has, in fact, lost his marbles.

Metaphorically, we each dodder along, looking for what we lost in the garden.  We thrill to think that a friend or a group of people might accept us for who we are; we long to be safely ensconced in loving relationships.  When we don’t know how to find those things in healthy ways, we use any means necessary, resulting in broken, unhealthy relationships. 

God designed us to recognize real love and safety; we’re unsatisfied with the substitutes, thus we keep on looking.  Or, having found the real thing, we forget the treasure we have, and fall back into our former patterns of searching.

In case you’re worried about Tootles, he ended up okay – they found his marbles, yes, actual marbles, and they were what made him able to fly. 

Some days, the metaphors just write themselves…

All creation

It’s quite a picture, isn’t it?  Adam in the garden (and eventually, Eve), managing it all and enjoying it all…  When sin entered the world, it wasn’t just Adam and Eve who changed.  All creation was altered at the same time.

Neil says this:  The work of God is not just for our personal victory but for all of creation. 

The best illustration I can think of is from C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.  Aslan, the lion, gave himself up as a sacrifice on the stone table.  He died there, but the next morning, the deeper magic brought him back to life.

When it did, the world of Narnia began a transformation.  The White Witch had cast a spell causing it to be eternally winter (but never Christmas), and since she was a villain, she turned innocents into stone as a hobby.  But all that began to change…  Snow melted, stone creatures were freed, and winter was over.  What an image! 

Makes me think.