Getting Dirty for the sake of The Calling

As I cover the book of Leviticus with my fifth grade students, we discuss just how “bloody” the covering of our sin really is.  We look at the sacrifices.  We look at the detailed requirements.  We look at the One True Lamb and are grateful for His once-for-all sacrifice.

All that to say, I never really considered the work of the priest in all of that, at least I didn’t until today.  When reading Exodus 29, I was struck with the sacrifice that Aaron and his sons made to serve as priests.  There is nothing pretty or glamorous about their job.  Even their consecration required them to take the blood of their offering and  “sprinkle it on Aaron and his garments, and on his sons and his sons’ garments with him.”

Wow!  Never was there a clearer picture of how important it is that we who serve the Lord be willing to “get dirty” for the sake of The Calling.  We can’t just stand idly by and expect the Lord’s work to get done.  We have to have ourselves cleaned, and then get busy getting dirty in order to help others get clean!

 

But I don’t see Him. . .

Have you ever known God was with you – known that God was in control – known that God is working all thing for your good – known all these things, and yet when you go to look for God, you just can’t see Him?

In my reading of Job, I found he expresses those exact sentiments:

“But if I go to the east, he is not there;    if I go to the west, I do not find him. When he is at work in the north, I do not see him;    when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him.   (Job 23:8-9)
 

I felt that way when my mom passed away.  I felt that way when my dad passed away.  I felt that way when I got the call from my doctor with an “It’s cancer.”  I felt that way when my husband lost his job.  As I read those verse, my heart could only think – Oh, Job, I’ve felt that way too!!

 

But the key is in the next verse:

But He knows the way that I take:  when He has tried me, I shall come out as gold.  (Job 23:10)

 

It’s almost as if Job is saying I don’t see Him – but He sees me. . .

 

I felt that assurance when I realized in God’s perfect timing, my mom had been alive to see me marry a man who would truly love me and care for me.  I felt that assurance when I stood alone by the casket at my dad’s funeral – alone, but surrounded by so many prayers and so much support.  I felt that assurance when Steve and I had our first meeting with my cancer surgeon and her professionalism and ready smile put us both at ease.  If I felt that assurance all those times, what would make the loss of Steve’s job any different?

 

Sure, I can say But I don’t see Him! When in reality it doesn’t mater if I can see Him,  because no matter what – He sees me!

 

Dear Lord,

Thank you for being my El Roi – the God who sees me!

 

Happy New Year!

Well, it’s official!  The year 2010 has wrapped up and 2011 lies open before us – just waiting to be explored!  For me, part of the “exploring” is going to be reading through the Bible (from Genesis to Revelations) for the very first time, or at least for the first time as an adult.  Keeping up with devotions has always been a challenge for me, so I’m getting a Good Morning, Girlfriends group together – see link on the side of this blog for additional information.  If you’d like to join us, let me know!

Another part of this new year’s “adventure” is going to be working to establish helpful habits. I have my nifty little app called Habit Factor set up and ready to go for the new year.  Habits can be really small, and yet can make such a huge impact on our every day life as well as our future.    I’ve got mine listed, and I’m ready to tackle them!

The Lord was so good in 2010, I can’t wait to see what He has in store for 2011.  My theme for the first quarter of the year is “Living to Make God Smile.”  I’m looking forward to a closer relationship that will come from focusing on that theme and digging more intentionally  into God’s word.

This year may we truly  have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, (Ephesians 3:18) and may we live out that love every day!

 

Thank you for the privilege of honest complaints

As my Sunday School teacher continues to lead us through a study of The Twelve in Sunday School, it has been both exciting and encouraging to learn something more every time we meet.

Last week we looked at the fact that Habakkuk is the only prophet who actually has a dialogue with God regarding his complaints and frustrations.  Amazing!  Hosea was told to take a wife who was a prostitute and to love her as his own – he willingly accepted and obeyed.  Jonah on the other hand was told to go preach to the city of Ninevah – he hopped a boat in the opposite direction.  And then there is Habakkuk.  We don’t meet him by first finding out what God told him to do, rather we meet him as he begins emotionally, and yet systematically, laying his frustrations and complaints out before the Lord.

“How long, O LORD, must I call for help and You do not listen?”

Question after question Habakkuk pitches straight to the Lord.  No hesitation.  No pause for responses.  He has an issue, and he’s taking it directly to the One who can take care of the problem.

God does respond to Habakkuk’s barrage of questions – and that was where I learned the most.  Not with the response that God gave; but merely the fact that He responded at all.

He must have known Habakkuk’s heart.  He must have sensed that these questions and complaints were coming from a man of God who just didn’t understand – but who wanted to.  God saw Habakkuk’s desire for dialogue, and He gave him exactly what he needed.

Thank you, Lord, that you allow us to pour our hearts out before You.  Thank you, that you truly don’t mind when we throw down our frustrations before you – as long as we are coming with a heart that is willing to listen to your response.  Thank you, Lord, for the privilege honest complaints.  Lord, help us to come to you.

 

“Therefore I am now going to allure her”

In our Sunday School class we are studying the “The Twelve” (another way of saying ‘The Minor Prophets), and we have been challenged to read through all the books during the course by reading just one chapter a day.  Today I was reading Hosea 2 and came upon the most wonderful of statements by the Lord:

“Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her.”

How utterly amazing!

In the context of the story, the Lord is talking about the very adulterous Israel who has turned from Him so many times.  He has given her all she could ever need, and yet she insists upon throwing herself to other gods.   There would be punishment and her way would be “hedged with thorns,” but it wouldn’t end there.  It would, however, end as He “allures her” into the desert – not to punish her further, not make her desire Him in contrast to the desolation all around her, but He would “allure her” to the desert to “speak tenderly to her” – to get her alone with Him, to get her focus off all that she thought she had from the other gods and help her get her heart back in line with His.

So often we do the same thing.  We look to the world around us for our satisfaction.  We admire all we have and give credit to ourselves for getting it.  We are the bride of Christ, but have we been faithful to our covenant relationship?  Most of us would have to admit – not fully.  By every right, God could make us miserable to get our attention and then fiercely walk away.  He could drag us out into the desert to give us a firm talking to and then abandon us there.  But instead of those things, He choses to “allure” us to a quiet place where He can “speak tenderly” to our hearts.  What an amazing God!

 

One Year and Counting

Today I was doing some customary post-Christmas / pre-school restarting cleaning, and I came upon my journal which I started last year on December 31st.   I knew what was in it, but I didn’t really want to read it – well, part of me wanted to read it, and part of me didn’t.  I knew it would stir up some emotions that frankly I’ve been working very hard to put aside, but I opened it up and began reading anyway. . .

The journey that was recorded on those pages started the day after Thanksgiving 2009, when I found a lump in a place where there shouldn’t be a lump.  The pages blasted me with the emotion of hearing “It’s cancer.”  They plopped me again in the oncologist office listening to her state determinedly that she would recommend both chemo and radiation.  They abandoned me once more in the pre-op waiting room on December 29th – exactly one month and a day from when I first found the lump.

I’d be lying if it I didn’t tell you that it was a little overwhelming to re-read what I had tried to put out of my mind, but, you know what, it was exactly what I needed today as I sit on the cusp of a brand new year.  On each and every page God’s fingerprints could clearly be seen.  A sincere peace flowed over every word and a true joy doodled itself around every page.  With that stomach turning emotion came a comforting reminder of all God had done for me in those very difficult times.  I want that peace and joy again. . .

I read once that we need to have God-posts in our lives much like the Children of Israel had the rocks by the Jordan River.  (Joshua 4:1-9)  Well, today, I was blessed to find, yet again,  my stack of stones, to ask “What do these stones mean?”, and to find a clear reminder of the immesurable greatness of  my God.

 

Living to Make God Smile

I was reading today in preparation for next week’s Sunday School lesson when I came upon the statement, “Living to make God smile,” and for some reason it really stuck in my head – or better put, it really stuck in my heart.

What would life be like if I truly lived to make God smile?  What would my reaction be to the duffus who just pulled out in front of me and slammed on his breaks?  What would my response be to my dear husband who has called me for the third time while I’m in the middle of working on my Sunday School lesson?

It’s pretty thought provoking to look at my every thougth and action and wonder, “Did God just smile at that?”

I want to live my life in a way that makes my Abba Daddy look down at me and say, “That’s my girl.”

 

I Am Lost. . .

Have you ever felt lost? I don’t mean the “Did I miss my turn?” kind of lost; I mean the lonely, desperate, overwhelming lost you can feel only in your heart. For me those lost moments can be anything from a fleeting emotion to a staggering realization that I feel completely alone.

In Jeremiah 31, the Lord is speaking to the exiles who have spent so many years under the weight of their punishment that they have actually begun to give up hope. They have been disciplined, but it has come from a heart of love; actually it has come from Love, Himself. However, their time in the “desert” of discipline hasn’t been wasted, in fact, it has caused them to yearn for rest – a rest they can find only in God. I loved how The Message translated Jeremiah 31:2 – 3.

Israel, out looking for a place to rest, met God out looking for them!

God told them, “I’ve never quit loving you and never will.

Oh, if we could only hold those thoughts in our hearts. He loves us. He never has quit loving us. He never will quit loving us. And no matter how far we wander and how lost we feel, our Abba Father will be there waiting for us. When we are “out looking for a place to rest,” may we meet “God out looking for” us.

 

All We Have Accomplished. . .

While working on a Bible study, I just came across the neatest verse!

Isaiah 26:12
LORD, you establish peace for us;
all that we have accomplished you have done for us.

Isn’t that a fantastic thought! In the midst of the craziness of my life, the Lord has the goal of peace for me, and the BONUS part is that even when I feel like I have to frantically work to get everything done, I can rest and be at peace because the Lord is ultimately the one that will accomplish it through me!

It’s kind of like reading the last sentence of a really good book! You know the end and now you just get to sit back and enjoy the ride.

I love knowing God has it all worked out – even when I feel clueless!

 

If It Is Repeated – It Must Be IMPORTANT!

My students know that when I repeat something in class, it’s probably pretty important; and if I should repeat it another time after that, it’s definitely important, and they had better pay extra close attention. Well, today I felt like I was in God’s class of special students who don’t quite get it the first or second time (or even the third or fourth time), so He has to continue to repeat Himself until I finally go “Oh…. I get it now.”

Last Friday was not a good start to my weekend. I don’t think I could even fully explain to anyone why, but in retrospect, I think I was just feeling at a loss – I don’t know exactly what I was at a loss for, but I was definitely at a loss. My poor husband tried his best to be a loving encouragement, but I actually found myself getting pretty comfortable wallowing in the misery of my mind. That night on date night, I picked up a book at Borders and began reading about how much God loved me, just the way I was. He loved me with all of my faults and imperfections, and desired nothing more than for me to enjoy His love. That caught my attention, but God knew I would need to hear it again. In Sunday School we are going through a study on “Managing Your Moods.” After the lesson on having a “Happy Heart,” my reply was, “Okay, Lord. I got it. Lesson learned! I need to stop my heart’s whining and just get on with life.” BUT, the lesson wasn’t really learned. . . I had just put a band-aid on a gaping wound and thought it would just go away.

Today, one week later, my personal devotions asked the question “Is God really enough for me?” My pat answer was, “Of course He is, what a silly question!” But then it began to hit home. WAIT, was God really enough for all my needs, or was I just saying what I thought would be the thing to say? [See, God knows I’m a very slow learner!] In chapel at school, we sang the song “Enough” – forcing me to once again ask myself – am I really seeing God as “enough?” And then tonight the Lord showed Himself once again as a patient and loving school master when the Heartsong group from Cedarville sang a song called “Only Satisfied.” Finally, the Lord had caught my attention – and it only took Him repeating Himself five times!

Yes, I can, at this moment say that “All of You is more than enough for all of me – for every thirst and every need. You satisfy me – with your love – and all I have in You is more than enough.” How long will I remember this lesson learned? I don’t know for sure, but I am confident that the Lord will lovingly and persistently bring be back to this place again if my heart should ever wander too far.  He is so good, isn’t He!