Dry. Parched. Scratchy. Useless. Leave a sponge sitting out overnight, and when you come back to it in the morning, it's fairly useless. Dried out. Scratchy. It is actually so dry, it won't even wipe up the smalles amount of milk spilled on the counter. It's really useless. Believe me, I've tried. Groggy and bleary eyed waking up at 6:00 in the morning, spilling coffee. I grab the dry sponge and try to clean it up, and am almost irritated that it won't work. Ugh, I have to turn on the faucet and get it wet first. Then, TADDAA! Transformation. Get the sponge damp and suddenly its amazingly useful, cleaning up messes just like that!
Kind of like us. What? Are you scratching your head, thinking, "What IS Heather talking about this morning? She must not have had her coffee yet." Really, think about it, though. It struck me this morning as I read Psalm 119. It is a LONG pondering of thought from David about the regenerating, joy-filling, strength-giving power of God's Word, His commands. David is hiding out in the dessert, being pursued by his enemies. He's been lied about. He's been pursued. He's hungry. His life is in-danger, BIG time. And yet, he still writes this beautiful poetry about how much he loves God's commands, how he finds joy in following God's commands. "As pressure and stress bear down on me, I find joy in your commands." Psalm 119:143
David gets up early in the morning to ponder and think about God's commands. "I rise up early, before the sun is up; I cry out for help and put my hope IN YOUR WORDS." Psalm 119: 147
He sets his mind on God's precepts throughout the day (Psalm 119:97).
He lays awake at night thinking about God's promise. (Psalm 119:148) Take note of that... David doesn't lay awake at night worrying about the hoard that is fine-coming the dessert searching for him, swords drawn and ready for action. He lays awake at night thinking about God's promise.
David is sustained by the powerful, saturating, life-giving words and commands of the sovereign Lord. Is he tired? You bet. He cries out for the blessing God has promised him. But David makes himself useful to God, a leader of the many people who are under his protection even as he hides in the dessert. How does he make himself ready and useful to God? By being saturated in God's word, in God's thought. He thinks on them. He ponders them and let's them transform his heart, his mind. David LOVES God's commands, His words, His laws, His thoughts. David is hungry for God. So, that's where his focus is. Without God, David would be dried up, useless (as we see later in his life when he stops focusing his heart and mind on God).
So, be like David. Don't be a dry, useless sponge sitting all crackled and scratchy on the messy counter of life. Ask God to give you a discerning mind, as David did (Psalm 119:169). As God to saturate you with HIS mind. Dive into His presence. Spend time in His Word. Spend time pondering His word. Set your heart on His word, His thoughts throughout your day. At night, don't let your troubles take over your mind. Rather, focus your thoughts on God's Word and His promises. Ask God to transform your heart and mind. And He will. It takes focus on your part. Rise early. Ponder at night. Ponder throughout the day. "Be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Romans 12:2
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Heavy loads
"Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.". Matthew 11:28-30
This scripture passage was on my heart when I woke up this morning. God knows that I have been carrying a heavy load these past weeks, trying to make a way on my own out of the storm of unemployment and financial concerns we carry right now. Working and laboring to make the solutions come for the call Todd and I feel on our hearts. It's time to get back to a life of ministry, a vocation of ministry for Todd. When we are used to pulling in close to $90,000 a year, paying student loans, a mortgage on a house that is worth less now than when we bought it 6 1/2 years ago, paying off a life lived on credit cards 2 years ago during 8 months of unemployment and lots of medical bills, it seems an impossible move. Do you hear the stress? Feel the tension? It's a heavy load...for me. But not for God who made me and is larger than all of this.
Does He have a plan for you? You can count on it. Does He have the way mapped out to make it happen? You bet! Can He move the mountains? No problem for Him! So He says to you, and to me, "Stop struggling. Come under my leadership and let me guide you, and you can stop your feeble and stressful attempts. My yoke is easy. I won't whip you or wear you down as we plow on through. My way is so much easier. Rest your weary heart and mind."
"The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary.... He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might, He increases strength. Even youths will faint and be weary, and young men will fall down. But those who wait on the Lord will find new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not be weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:28-31
Did you catch that? "Those who wait on the Lord...." We need to wait for Him, rather than trying to plow on through ourselves. Can you picture what a newly plowed field would look like if the oxen were left to pull the plow on their own, unguided? Talk about a mess! You'd have patches of grass that they missed, tough areas that the plow skipped over, a haphazard random meandering. But, when the farmer gets behind the oxen and directs the plow, no area is missed. He helps push through those rough patches. He sets the perimeter, and completes the job so that a good field sits ready for a bountiful harvest.
How awesome is that? God is waiting for me to put on His yoke, come under His leadership, and work under his direction to plow a field ready for a bountiful harvest. So, do it His way. Wait on Him. He's got a plan and a direction for getting there. Follow his prompting. Don't be afraid. He's not going to whip you or work you down to exhaustion. Just like a good farmer, God cares deeply for you and your well being. He will take care of you and nourish you, and help you.
"For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, 'Fear not, I will help you.". Isaiah 41:13
Give up your heavy load today. Hand it over to the Lord who loves you. Take on His yoke and His direction, and you WILL find rest for your weary heart and mind. He promises it will be so. And our Lord is a faithful God. No empty promises. You can count on Him. So let's plow through those mountains with Him!
This scripture passage was on my heart when I woke up this morning. God knows that I have been carrying a heavy load these past weeks, trying to make a way on my own out of the storm of unemployment and financial concerns we carry right now. Working and laboring to make the solutions come for the call Todd and I feel on our hearts. It's time to get back to a life of ministry, a vocation of ministry for Todd. When we are used to pulling in close to $90,000 a year, paying student loans, a mortgage on a house that is worth less now than when we bought it 6 1/2 years ago, paying off a life lived on credit cards 2 years ago during 8 months of unemployment and lots of medical bills, it seems an impossible move. Do you hear the stress? Feel the tension? It's a heavy load...for me. But not for God who made me and is larger than all of this.
Does He have a plan for you? You can count on it. Does He have the way mapped out to make it happen? You bet! Can He move the mountains? No problem for Him! So He says to you, and to me, "Stop struggling. Come under my leadership and let me guide you, and you can stop your feeble and stressful attempts. My yoke is easy. I won't whip you or wear you down as we plow on through. My way is so much easier. Rest your weary heart and mind."
"The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary.... He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might, He increases strength. Even youths will faint and be weary, and young men will fall down. But those who wait on the Lord will find new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not be weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:28-31
Did you catch that? "Those who wait on the Lord...." We need to wait for Him, rather than trying to plow on through ourselves. Can you picture what a newly plowed field would look like if the oxen were left to pull the plow on their own, unguided? Talk about a mess! You'd have patches of grass that they missed, tough areas that the plow skipped over, a haphazard random meandering. But, when the farmer gets behind the oxen and directs the plow, no area is missed. He helps push through those rough patches. He sets the perimeter, and completes the job so that a good field sits ready for a bountiful harvest.
How awesome is that? God is waiting for me to put on His yoke, come under His leadership, and work under his direction to plow a field ready for a bountiful harvest. So, do it His way. Wait on Him. He's got a plan and a direction for getting there. Follow his prompting. Don't be afraid. He's not going to whip you or work you down to exhaustion. Just like a good farmer, God cares deeply for you and your well being. He will take care of you and nourish you, and help you.
"For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, 'Fear not, I will help you.". Isaiah 41:13
Give up your heavy load today. Hand it over to the Lord who loves you. Take on His yoke and His direction, and you WILL find rest for your weary heart and mind. He promises it will be so. And our Lord is a faithful God. No empty promises. You can count on Him. So let's plow through those mountains with Him!
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Marinate. Ponder. Mull it over. Let it steep.
Life is busy. Did I just hear a few amens? It seems there is never enough time in the day to accomplish everything on our lists. Sometimes, life becomes all about the list. Feed the dog. Check. Write a note to the teacher. Check. Pay the bills. Check. Call a friend. Check. Exercise. Check. Read my Bible. Check.
Did that last "check" cause you to pause? Am I really looking at spending time learning at the feet of Jesus as just one more to do in my list for the day? Ouch. If that is our view on time in the Word, we need tweak our perspective.
When we view time in God's word as one more thing on our daily checklist, we are not giving it the importance it deserves. Chances are we also are not allowing it the time it requires to transform our hearts and minds.
David, God's golden boy, LOVED God. In his life, we see so many times the focus he had on God, as he was battling Goliath, as he was hiding in the dessert. The Psalms reflect David's desire to truly know God's word, and to be changed by being steeped in His principles.
"Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your law.... Teach me, O Lord, to follow every one of your principles. Give me understanding and I will obey your law; I will put it into practice with all my heart." Psalm 119:18, 33-34. Don't for a minute think that your eyes will be opened and your heart and mind transformed by simply reading a few verses or listening to a sermon, but not allowing time to ponder. You need to spend time mulling God's word over. Think on it. Ponder it. Ask God questions and wait for the answer.
Seems a challenge, doesn't it? You've got lots to do, a schedule to keep. I know. I'm right there with you. So, make time. Get up earlier. Use your lunch break. Do your reading, and then ponder and talk to God while you exercise. Your time and your reverence for learning God's character, His heart, His will for you will result in fruit in your life. A changed heart. A transformed mind.
As a working mom, one of my challenges is cooking. I like to make good, healthy, yummy meals for my family. My husband and son love meat! A good piece of steak or a nice juicy chicken breast. I'm told a secret to a good piece of juicy meat is marinating. So often I am so rushed and cooking dinner is not a thought until its dinner time, that I don't allow time to marinate. So my meat is dry and not nearly as tasty as my cousins, who is fantastic at marinating his meat, preparing it to be great.
Take a lesson from that. Do you want dry faith and a mediocre mind for God's word? Or, do you want a fantastic, juicy faith that tempts everyone around you with its aroma? Well then, allow time to marinate in God's word. Think on it. Ponder it. Ask God questions and listen. Truth needs time to settle deep into our soul. Meditate on God's word. Let it transform your heart, and so change your mind.
Did that last "check" cause you to pause? Am I really looking at spending time learning at the feet of Jesus as just one more to do in my list for the day? Ouch. If that is our view on time in the Word, we need tweak our perspective.
When we view time in God's word as one more thing on our daily checklist, we are not giving it the importance it deserves. Chances are we also are not allowing it the time it requires to transform our hearts and minds.
David, God's golden boy, LOVED God. In his life, we see so many times the focus he had on God, as he was battling Goliath, as he was hiding in the dessert. The Psalms reflect David's desire to truly know God's word, and to be changed by being steeped in His principles.
"Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your law.... Teach me, O Lord, to follow every one of your principles. Give me understanding and I will obey your law; I will put it into practice with all my heart." Psalm 119:18, 33-34. Don't for a minute think that your eyes will be opened and your heart and mind transformed by simply reading a few verses or listening to a sermon, but not allowing time to ponder. You need to spend time mulling God's word over. Think on it. Ponder it. Ask God questions and wait for the answer.
Seems a challenge, doesn't it? You've got lots to do, a schedule to keep. I know. I'm right there with you. So, make time. Get up earlier. Use your lunch break. Do your reading, and then ponder and talk to God while you exercise. Your time and your reverence for learning God's character, His heart, His will for you will result in fruit in your life. A changed heart. A transformed mind.
As a working mom, one of my challenges is cooking. I like to make good, healthy, yummy meals for my family. My husband and son love meat! A good piece of steak or a nice juicy chicken breast. I'm told a secret to a good piece of juicy meat is marinating. So often I am so rushed and cooking dinner is not a thought until its dinner time, that I don't allow time to marinate. So my meat is dry and not nearly as tasty as my cousins, who is fantastic at marinating his meat, preparing it to be great.
Take a lesson from that. Do you want dry faith and a mediocre mind for God's word? Or, do you want a fantastic, juicy faith that tempts everyone around you with its aroma? Well then, allow time to marinate in God's word. Think on it. Ponder it. Ask God questions and listen. Truth needs time to settle deep into our soul. Meditate on God's word. Let it transform your heart, and so change your mind.
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