Worry

Worry is simply imagining our circumstances and our future without God's presence and help.  

It is a result of doubting how valuable we are to God!

Luke 12:22-32

Rejoice!

Habakkuk 3:17 - 19 (amplified)  says ,

"Though the fig tree does not blossom and there is no fruit on the vines,

Though the yield of the olive fails and the fields produce no food,

Though the flock is cut off from the fold and there are no cattle in the stalls,

Yet I will [choose to] rejoice in the Lord;

I will [choose to] shout in exultation in the [victorious] God of my salvation [deliverance, rescue, victory]!

The Lord God is my strength [my source of courage, my personal bravery, and my invincible army];

 He has made my feet [steady and sure] like hinds' feet And makes me walk [not stand still in terror but to walk forward] and make [spiritual] progress upon my high places [of trouble, suffering, or challenge and responsibility]."

I must choose joy!   I need to choose to celebrate in the Lord.   A negative mindset and complaining can start small, but left unchecked, it  becomes a bad habit.  It is a downward spiral that brings death.  The opposite of that is also true, a mind fixed on the Spirit brings absolute fullness of life; active, vigorous life and peace!  (See Romans 8:6).  My confidence is in God and I should celebrate in that with gratefulness.   I shouldn't overextend my gift of imagination into negative thinking, complaining, or worry but use it creatively for God's glory.  I need to determine to set my mind on the Holy Spirit, come into agreement with Him that ALL things work together for good, to "rejoice in the Lord and shout in exultation in the victorious God of my salvation!"  

Choosing to praise, worship, and rejoice in the Lord during difficult times is a very strong warfare move.  This response of rejoicing confounds the enemy and leads to forward progress, advancement in the kingdom, and victory! 

I need to trust that God is actively working.

I  want to choose Life.  I want to choose Joy!

Singing my Song

"The LORD is my strength and my song;

He has become my salvation"

Psalm 118:14

You, Lord, are my strength:  my power, might, boldness, my firm foundation.

And my song: ( Forgive my lack of musical knowledge, but I would like to break down at least some of the structure of a song!)

Title:  I carry Your name, I'm made in Your image!!  With Your name, Father, I can declare You to others.

Lyrics:  You are The Word.  You give me words to speak Your truth.

Overture:  You are my beginning (my Alpha!) You are my climb, You heighten my anticipation in life.

Melody:  You are the principle part of my life, You make my life to be filled with beauty.

Harmony:  You not only lead, but you work with me and make me sound good.

Tempo:  You alone decide the timing, Your are the beat, the rhythm of my life.

Chorus/refrain:  You give me structure and are willing to continue to patiently repeat so that I can learn.
Dynamics:  You, Lord, give me a higher level of dynamics and activity.  You lead me to times of being "fortissimo" - strong and loud and yet You also bring me to times of "pianissimo", being soft, quiet, and gentle.  

Verse:  You are the details of my life, my story, my image, my emotions, and my support  You give me insight (You ARE my insight!) and move my story forward.   

Bridge:  You are my connection and build me up.  You give me a new harmonic pattern, You give me contrast and transition, freshness, and new life!

Rest:  You lead me beside still waters and give me rest.

Pitch:  You keep me in tune.

Treble Clef:  You take me to to high mountain tops to meet with You, and give my life joy!

Bass Clef:  You plunge me to the depths of Your love and wisdom and give me strength.

Keys:  You are my most significant chord, my Triad and tonal center.  You are my major notes and also my minor notes to balance out my melody.  

Coda:  You are not only my beginning but you are my end (my Omega!) You expand me.

You have become my salvation:  You are my deliverance, my prosperity, my success, my victory!!

Help me, Father, to sing my Song well! 

"Have You Considered..."

  " Have you considered My servant Job?  No one else on earth is like him, a man of perfect integrity, who fears God and turns away from evil." (Job 1:8)

As I read the story of Job again, I began to ask the age-old question of  why God brought Job to Satan's attention.  Why did He??   Satan had been busy roaming about the earth and enters into God's presence when God asks Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job?"  Where was God's protection when he bragged on Job before Satan?   It looks as if God is setting Job up for an attack, so how is God guarding his favored servant, Job, in that?

So I began digging a little. 

 The Bible gives us a little background information on Job before his suffering begins.  It tells us that he is a man of perfect integrity, a man who feared God and turned away from evil.  Job was a family man, a father that showed love and care for his children by offering burnt offerings for them. He was a man of wealth and influence.  In fact, the Bible says "Job was the greatest man among all the people of the east."  I looked up the meaning of "the greatest man" and it can mean that he was the oldest man but it can also mean that he was a man of importance, distinguished, influential.  He was the man who had the greatest influence of all the people in his society! 

 Job's name means "hatred".  I think what Job hated most of all was evil!  God pointed out to Satan in Job 1:8 that he was a man that "turns away from evil".  So, again, I used my handy dandy app and looked up "turns away from evil"  and one definition for cuwr (turns away from) is "to abolish".   So, here's what I think.... Job  was not only a good man who feared God, he was a man who was claiming territory for God.  A father using his influence to claim territory for God at least in the mountain of family - and probably in other mountains as well.  He was abolishing evil!!   He already had Satan's attention.

When God asked Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job?"  He was bragging on Job, delighting in who Job was.  He loved Job deeply!  In God's omniscience, he knew the answer to the  question he posed to Satan was yes!   Yes, Satan HAD considered Job. In fact, Satan immediately responds with information he already knows about Job.  He knew that there was a hedge of protection against Job; how would he know that unless he had already tried attacking him?   I think in essence God was saying, "I KNOW you have considered my servant Job, let's deal with this once and for all."  I think God was calling Satan out on his attempts to take Job out!  

After this, God allowed Satan to attack Job, but put limits in place for Job's protection.  Job was already a man of influence, but God allowed Satan to attack, allowed  the pain and suffering because he wanted to increase his influence even further.  God had a plan for Job's good!  (Romans 8:28).  In fact, the end of the story tells us that the Lord blessed the last part of Job's life more than the first.  He died old, and "full of days" (Job 42:17)  He experienced abundant life, seeing not only his children, but their children to the fourth generation!  

Basically, Job was under hardship not because he had done something wrong, but because he had done something right.  He was living life well, conquering evil. It was hard for Job to see purpose during the hardships, but eventually he was rewarded for his faithfulness.

Next time you feel under attack, consider the possibility that your influence (and blessings!) may be straight ahead!   

30!

Did you know that in the Bible 30 is a significant number?  It often symbolizes the beginning of a ministry and God's redemption.  It is the age of maturity, a time that you are ripe for leadership.  Here are a few examples of  30 being used that I found by searching the Bible at biblegateway.com:

•Jesus started His ministry at about the age of 30. (Luke 3:23)
• Elizabeth was 6 months pregnant when the angel came to Mary, so, John the Baptist was about 6 months older than Jesus.   Since Jesus started his ministry at 30, John was probably right at 30 when he came out of the wilderness to prepare the way for Jesus. (Luke 1:36)
• Joseph was 30 years old when he became second in command to Pharaoh in Egypt. (Genesis 41:46)
•Priests did not enter into service until age 30 (Numbers 4:1-3)
• David became King over all of Israel at the age of 30 (2 Samuel 5:4)
•Ezekiel was 30 when the windows of heaven were thrown open and he saw visions of God and began his ministry as a prophet. (Ezekiel 1:1)

It's interesting to me that Joseph was so mistreated right up to the age of 30.
He was sold into slavery by his brothers, falsely accused of rape and thrown into prison. There had to be days he was pretty discouraged and wondering where God was.  His life had been confusing, hard. He was in prison one day and suddenly remembered by a fellow prisoner who commended him to Pharaoh.  The next day Joseph is second in command in Egypt. Instant transformation!

David was anointed king by Samuel at a young age (some believe as young as 8 to 12 years old at his first anointing.) but spent a lot of years waiting to sit on the throne.  He earned Saul's jealousy by simply trusting God.  He faced Saul's rage while working in the king's service and finally had to run and live life as a fugitive before becoming king. He faced many hardships and trials before his coronation.

It is compelling that these men and  others had such a big change in their lives at the age of 30. One minute discouraged, feeling beat down and wondering if anything good could come from their lives then suddenly, in an instant, God steps in with power and authority and completely changes their direction giving them favor, blessing, and power.

Today, my husband and I are celebrating our 30th anniversary.  We've been through some tough times but many more incredible times in our journey as husband and wife.  We've been richly blessed with five remarkable  children and an awesome daughter-in-law.  Together we have watched God work miracle after miracle in our lives.  Yet, we've spent the last few months in a season of uncertainty wondering what will come next in our adventures.  Today I was reminded of the importance of  the number thirty.  I don't know what things lay before us in our 30th year, but I'm convinced they will be incredible!  I'm hoping for that instant transformation, looking for that role of leadership or change of direction.  What will happen?  Only God knows, but I can say with certainty that I'm blessed to be able to face this coming year with Mark!  I love you, Mark Alan.  Happy 30th!!!

God is....Immanent & Active!

I am so thankful that God is at hand actively working  through even the small, minor details of my life.  He is interested in even the trivial, nitty-gritty details that bore others - down to knowing the number of hairs on my head.  He doesn't just sit back on His throne twiddling His thumbs, observing. He is present and actively participating.  There is absolutely no place or situation that is beyond the reach of His  protecting, helping hand!  

Jeremiah 23:23-24The Voice (VOICE)

Am I only a God who is close by, and not a God of the farthest reaches?  Am I a God anyone can hide from? Do I not see what happens in secret? Am I not everywhere, filling heaven and earth?

God is Love

Sunday morning as I taught the beautiful story of redemption pictured in Ruth's life, the essential doctrine in our Sunday School lesson was "GOD IS LOVE".  The curriculum,which is geared toward high school students, had a short paragraph on that doctrine concerning God being the essence of love.   So I asked God "how can I say this in a way my 6th grade girls can understand?"  and this was the answer:  "God is NOT a picture of love; love is a picture of God!"  God can't be limited He is the immeasurable "I AM" and therefore isn't defined by the interpretation of any concept - He is not a picture of love - He is love!   

I John 4:7-10

My loved ones, let us devote ourselves to loving one another. Love comes straight from God, and everyone who loves is born of God and truly knows God.  Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

 Because of this, the love of God is a reality among us: God sent His only Son into the world so that we could find true life through Him.  This is the embodiment of true love: not that we have loved God first, but that He loved us and sent His unique Son on a special mission to become an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

So You're a Pastor's Wife

My sister asked me to be a guest on her blog "So You're a Pastor's Wife".  The purpose of this GREAT blog is to encourage and support pastor's wives.  You can read my post here.   I highly encourage you to check out the site especially if you are a wife to or are someone on staff at a church!