“But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing” (James 1:4).
As Christmas approaches this year, I am aware that I am tripping over toys constantly, yet planning to buy more for my children. My five-year old son began to ask for everything he sees this past year. We knew it had gotten out of hand when he asked for a laundry ball after seeing a commercial for one! It seems the more we have, the more we want. There is no end to human desire.
We are all born with an emptiness in our soul that can only be filled with a relationship with God. However, because we do not want to pursue that route, we try to fill this emptiness with other things. “Other things” may be obvious such as drugs, sex, or money. Or, they may be less obvious to others—food, shopping, sports, hobbies, children, etc. How do you spend most of your free time? What gets you excited? What consumes your thoughts? Most likely, you will not have to think hard to find an answer. Many of these “other things” are not wrong in and of themselves, but when you feel like you cannot get enough of it, you are trying to feel an emptiness that cannot be filled with this object. Excess is a result of trying to feel a void with the wrong things.
I have tried to fill my void with various things during my life. I would think that “such and such” will make me happy. Or when I finally get “here”, I will be happy. We often become “obsessed” with something or someone. Every time we do this and it is not God, we will still feel the emptiness. We go up and down like a roller coaster—happy for awhile, then disappointment—temporarily content, then searching for more. The author of Ecclesiastes speaks of this phenomenon. He found out that wisdom is meaningless. Pleasure is meaningless. Work is meaningless. “And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy” (Ecclesiastes 2:10a). Yet all he found was meaningless—it is like “chasing the wind”. “Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 12:8). Indeed, the author of Ecclesiastes was the result of his father, King David temporarily forgetting this very truth. David ruled the entire kingdom, yet wanted more. He wanted Bathsheba, even though he had the whole kingdom. David, as the author of many Psalms, is well-known for his relationship with the Lord, yet he temporarily lost focus as a result of wanting more. He took Bathsheba from her loyal husband and made her his wife. As a result, David found emptiness in a powerful way by losing the baby they had conceived. David repented and again pursued a relationship with God and Solomon the wise author of Ecclesiastes resulted.
The younger we are when we finally realize this truth, the wiser we are. When we realize that the void in our lives can ONLY be filled with a relationship with God, we can then stop “chasing the wind” and stop wasting time, money, and energy on things that will not satisfy. I have learned that this “void” is not filled at the point of salvation, but only filled when a genuine relationship with God is pursued. There is a difference between salvation and relationship. Saved people also may spend their lives chasing other passions trying to fill their emptiness. Stop wasting time, seek the water that satisfies, seek the food that fills, and seek the relationship that brings peace and happiness. Jesus said in John 6:35, “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. The Apostle Paul says of Jesus in Ephesians 1:23, “the fulness of him that filleth all in all”.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
God Sees
“The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.” (Proverbs 15:3)
Recently, I heard my four-year old son hit his two-year old sister. I can tell by the grunt sound he makes and the crying she makes. I shouted from the next room that he was not to hurt his sister and to apologize to her. He yells back to me, “But you didn’t see me!” I say, “It doesn’t matter if I saw you, apologize!” He again says, “But you didn’t see me!”
My son is at an age where he is not to good at hiding his wrong doing. Unfortunately, we do get better at hiding these things from our parents and authorities. By the time we are adults, many of us are experts at deception. When the boss is around, we “look busy”. When the boss is not around, we chat with co-workers, surf the internet, and make personal phone calls. Even if these activities are allowed at your job, we want to keep them hidden so that we appear as dedicated, hard workers in the eyes of our employers.
How about when your spouse is away? Do you secretly spend money? Do you have internet activities that you hide from your spouse?
We think that we are masters of deception, but just like my young son, we are unable to hide anything from our Heavenly Father. To him, we are just as naïve as my son in thinking that no one sees. “He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not see?” (Psalms 94:9) God sees, hears, and knows everything that we do.
If the idea of our heavenly Father looking over your shoulder every moment of every day sounds nerve-wracking, it should not. Not only does God see the bad, He sees the good and He sees the pain and He cares. He is there at every vulnerable moment. I am often reminded of how my Father in heaven cares for me. He demonstrates it daily through my two small children. I do know when they misbehave even if I am in another room. I also know when there is danger or one of them is hurt. I know how hard-headed they can be about obeying me and am reminded how hard-headed I am to obey God’s commands.
Small children have many scrapes and falls on a daily basis. My two children run to me crying and I pick them up, hug them, and give them a kiss. Magically that cures their pain and they are off playing again. The more serious injuries require a little more hugging and holding tight. Just as I do this for my children, God comforts me. Just as I wipe away their tears, God does this for me. “Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.” (Psalms 103:13)
Another aspect about God’s Presence is that He is continually protecting us and preparing the pathway. As good parents always “baby proof” the environment, God has done this for us our entire lives. We may never know how many accidents and traps we may have avoided in our lives, because we like a baby just do our own thing without realizing that our parents have went through and covered the outlets, put things out of reach, and removed the poisons. Many believe it is angels that protect us, but they are servants of our Heavenly Father, Who is all-knowing and ever present.
Recently, I had a sobering thought about the parent-child relationship. I thought, “Why is it that I want my children to grow up without getting involved in drugs (or any other sinful activity)?” Is it because they would be defying our family rules? No. Is it because it would personally embarrass the family? No. Is it because to be a part of this family, you have to obey all the rules? No. It is simply because I do not want to see my children in pain or suffering. Simply stated, it is because I love them. This thought gave me a new perspective about how God feels about sin and about His children. God loves each of us and hates sin because of His holiness, but also because sin makes us suffer. He hurts for us like we hurt for our children, but on an even deeper level. God is ever with us, not to catch us “red-handed”, but to protect us and guide us. His presence is desirable and when we acknowledge that Presence in our lives, it is then that we find peace and comfort. We can “curl up on His lap” and find that sweet, warm embrace—like a small child and his mother or father. It is a sweet, sweet place.
“Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.” (Mark 10:15)
Recently, I heard my four-year old son hit his two-year old sister. I can tell by the grunt sound he makes and the crying she makes. I shouted from the next room that he was not to hurt his sister and to apologize to her. He yells back to me, “But you didn’t see me!” I say, “It doesn’t matter if I saw you, apologize!” He again says, “But you didn’t see me!”
My son is at an age where he is not to good at hiding his wrong doing. Unfortunately, we do get better at hiding these things from our parents and authorities. By the time we are adults, many of us are experts at deception. When the boss is around, we “look busy”. When the boss is not around, we chat with co-workers, surf the internet, and make personal phone calls. Even if these activities are allowed at your job, we want to keep them hidden so that we appear as dedicated, hard workers in the eyes of our employers.
How about when your spouse is away? Do you secretly spend money? Do you have internet activities that you hide from your spouse?
We think that we are masters of deception, but just like my young son, we are unable to hide anything from our Heavenly Father. To him, we are just as naïve as my son in thinking that no one sees. “He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not see?” (Psalms 94:9) God sees, hears, and knows everything that we do.
If the idea of our heavenly Father looking over your shoulder every moment of every day sounds nerve-wracking, it should not. Not only does God see the bad, He sees the good and He sees the pain and He cares. He is there at every vulnerable moment. I am often reminded of how my Father in heaven cares for me. He demonstrates it daily through my two small children. I do know when they misbehave even if I am in another room. I also know when there is danger or one of them is hurt. I know how hard-headed they can be about obeying me and am reminded how hard-headed I am to obey God’s commands.
Small children have many scrapes and falls on a daily basis. My two children run to me crying and I pick them up, hug them, and give them a kiss. Magically that cures their pain and they are off playing again. The more serious injuries require a little more hugging and holding tight. Just as I do this for my children, God comforts me. Just as I wipe away their tears, God does this for me. “Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.” (Psalms 103:13)
Another aspect about God’s Presence is that He is continually protecting us and preparing the pathway. As good parents always “baby proof” the environment, God has done this for us our entire lives. We may never know how many accidents and traps we may have avoided in our lives, because we like a baby just do our own thing without realizing that our parents have went through and covered the outlets, put things out of reach, and removed the poisons. Many believe it is angels that protect us, but they are servants of our Heavenly Father, Who is all-knowing and ever present.
Recently, I had a sobering thought about the parent-child relationship. I thought, “Why is it that I want my children to grow up without getting involved in drugs (or any other sinful activity)?” Is it because they would be defying our family rules? No. Is it because it would personally embarrass the family? No. Is it because to be a part of this family, you have to obey all the rules? No. It is simply because I do not want to see my children in pain or suffering. Simply stated, it is because I love them. This thought gave me a new perspective about how God feels about sin and about His children. God loves each of us and hates sin because of His holiness, but also because sin makes us suffer. He hurts for us like we hurt for our children, but on an even deeper level. God is ever with us, not to catch us “red-handed”, but to protect us and guide us. His presence is desirable and when we acknowledge that Presence in our lives, it is then that we find peace and comfort. We can “curl up on His lap” and find that sweet, warm embrace—like a small child and his mother or father. It is a sweet, sweet place.
“Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.” (Mark 10:15)
Sunday, January 7, 2007
Set in your ways
“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:1-2).
Have you ever noticed that as people get older they tend to get “set in their ways”? They may eat the same food at the same time every day. They may drink coffee every day out of the same mug. They may insist on certain brands of products and shop the same day every week at the same store. Every night might be sitting in the same chair watching the same TV shows weekly. If they are church-goers, they will definitely sit in the same pew week after week! Their yearly vacation is always taken during the same week every year—perhaps during deer season?
It is in our human nature to fall into a schedule or routine of some sort. I think it helps us function without thinking so much. For instance, I have a normal nightly routine before bed and if I do something different one night, I have a tendency to forget something—most often taking out my contacts. I then wake up the next morning with “miraculous sight” only to realize something went awry in my nightly routine.
Because of this “human phenomenon” of routine seeking, I think it is important to note the beginning verse where it says, “SET your affection on things above, not on things on the earth”. We can use this fixation on routine to help us grow spiritually by becoming SET in godly habits. Daniel 6:10 says, “he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.” We can make it routine to pray daily just as Daniel was in the habit of doing. In January of every year, many of us make resolutions concerning our health and becoming organized, but incorporating godly habits should be first on the list!
Along with that thought, we also need to un-SET our minds concerning bad habits that we have formed such as cigarettes, weekly gambling, or going to the local hangout to gossip. SET your mind on things above and rise above those bad habits. One trick is to replace an old habit with a good habit. Perhaps one could replace the gambling with giving to a worthy cause? Change your gossip habit to sending encouraging cards weekly? I do not know about quitting cigarettes since I have never experienced it, but I did see a worthy suggestion recently—for thirty days walk 30 minutes per day no matter what the weather. After accomplishing that goal, one builds confidence and is able to accomplish the intended goal of laying down cigarettes. Most important of all is drawing strength from God—after all, the Holy Spirit indwells Christians. The power of the Holy Spirit lies untapped within many Christians.
Our perfect example that we are to follow is Jesus Christ. In Luke 9:51, it says, “he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem”, even though He knew that He would be crucified in Jerusalem. The language used in this verse denotes an unshakable determination. Quitting a bad habit is hard, but when you “steadfastly set” yourself to accomplish that by setting your mind on God and things above, it will be possible for you this January! Jesus said in Matthew 19:26, “with God all things are possible.” Become unmovable in your godly routine! “I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved” (Psalm 16:8).
Heavenly Father, forgive me for my selfish ways and bad habits. Help me to establish godly habits to glorify You. My purpose in life is to glorify You. Mold me into that godly woman that shines her light for You. I praise You for Your mercy and grace; You are a God of a million chances! Let this year be a year of spiritual growth and learning. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Have you ever noticed that as people get older they tend to get “set in their ways”? They may eat the same food at the same time every day. They may drink coffee every day out of the same mug. They may insist on certain brands of products and shop the same day every week at the same store. Every night might be sitting in the same chair watching the same TV shows weekly. If they are church-goers, they will definitely sit in the same pew week after week! Their yearly vacation is always taken during the same week every year—perhaps during deer season?
It is in our human nature to fall into a schedule or routine of some sort. I think it helps us function without thinking so much. For instance, I have a normal nightly routine before bed and if I do something different one night, I have a tendency to forget something—most often taking out my contacts. I then wake up the next morning with “miraculous sight” only to realize something went awry in my nightly routine.
Because of this “human phenomenon” of routine seeking, I think it is important to note the beginning verse where it says, “SET your affection on things above, not on things on the earth”. We can use this fixation on routine to help us grow spiritually by becoming SET in godly habits. Daniel 6:10 says, “he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.” We can make it routine to pray daily just as Daniel was in the habit of doing. In January of every year, many of us make resolutions concerning our health and becoming organized, but incorporating godly habits should be first on the list!
Along with that thought, we also need to un-SET our minds concerning bad habits that we have formed such as cigarettes, weekly gambling, or going to the local hangout to gossip. SET your mind on things above and rise above those bad habits. One trick is to replace an old habit with a good habit. Perhaps one could replace the gambling with giving to a worthy cause? Change your gossip habit to sending encouraging cards weekly? I do not know about quitting cigarettes since I have never experienced it, but I did see a worthy suggestion recently—for thirty days walk 30 minutes per day no matter what the weather. After accomplishing that goal, one builds confidence and is able to accomplish the intended goal of laying down cigarettes. Most important of all is drawing strength from God—after all, the Holy Spirit indwells Christians. The power of the Holy Spirit lies untapped within many Christians.
Our perfect example that we are to follow is Jesus Christ. In Luke 9:51, it says, “he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem”, even though He knew that He would be crucified in Jerusalem. The language used in this verse denotes an unshakable determination. Quitting a bad habit is hard, but when you “steadfastly set” yourself to accomplish that by setting your mind on God and things above, it will be possible for you this January! Jesus said in Matthew 19:26, “with God all things are possible.” Become unmovable in your godly routine! “I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved” (Psalm 16:8).
Heavenly Father, forgive me for my selfish ways and bad habits. Help me to establish godly habits to glorify You. My purpose in life is to glorify You. Mold me into that godly woman that shines her light for You. I praise You for Your mercy and grace; You are a God of a million chances! Let this year be a year of spiritual growth and learning. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Light Breaking Forth as the Dawn
This blog is for my spiritual writings. Over the past few months, I have been filling in for my father writing articles in my hometown newspaper. He has written the article for 25 years. This past year, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and has been very ill. I felt God's leading to offer to fill in for him writing the articles. Surprisingly, he was thrilled at the offer. I say "surprisingly", because we do not agree on everything when it come to Bible matters. Namely, he is KJV only and I use NIV. For the articles though, I use KJV--after all, it is HIS weekly column.
Since I have been into blogging lately, I though why not start posting my articles. I am already ahead of it since I have been filling in for a couple months now. I do not claim to be a great author, but I know that the thoughts written are given to me by God. It is like I am an observer and when I read the articles myself, I feel like that they really did not come from me--like I am just one of the readers also. Since I am a stay-at-home mother, many of my insights come from that viewpoint. I use my children as examples in things that God is teaching me.
The name of this blog came from Isaiah 58:8-9. NIV reads, "Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and you healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear-guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say; Here am I."
Since I have been into blogging lately, I though why not start posting my articles. I am already ahead of it since I have been filling in for a couple months now. I do not claim to be a great author, but I know that the thoughts written are given to me by God. It is like I am an observer and when I read the articles myself, I feel like that they really did not come from me--like I am just one of the readers also. Since I am a stay-at-home mother, many of my insights come from that viewpoint. I use my children as examples in things that God is teaching me.
The name of this blog came from Isaiah 58:8-9. NIV reads, "Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and you healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear-guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say; Here am I."
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