Beauty Does.

Credit: thertyone.com

“Beauty is as beauty does.”

Yesterday morning I had a vision of a lovely woman decked out in a long, beautiful dress. She was glamorous and beautiful, walking gracefully across the room toward her destination. The scene was a ball, and I had the sense that she was en route to (or arriving at) a heavenly place.

Upon closer inspection, I realized her dress was made of – wait for it – moving machine parts including spinning wheels. So random!

But do you know what instantly flashed through my mind as I watched her dress move in many directions?  That the good works she’d accumulated in her lifetime – symbolized by moving machinery – made up the fabric of her stunning ball gown!

She was literally adorned by her good works, the beautiful things she’d set in motion during her life on earth. 

The lady wore her good acts like a gown, and they covered what would’ve otherwise been her nakedness – her shame.  Without each beautiful machine working its magic, this lovely woman would’ve been nude or wearing far too little to cover her properly. She would’ve been walking around embarrassed by her lack of clothing, her failure to display true beauty to those in her life. [Have you ever felt like that girl at a party, dressed all wrong for the occasion? That's what I'm picturing here.]

Beauty isn’t a look; it’s an action.  Put another way: Beauty is as beauty does. 

The most beautiful, lovely, feminine woman – physically well-manicured or not – is one whose beautiful deeds are so plentiful that they could be knit together and worn as a garment!

Such a woman busies herself making the world around her a better place. She brings beauty into her world!  She creates it with her own two hands, the words of her mouth, the way she treats people, the special things she does for those around her, by listening with her own ears.

Isn’t that a neat way to think of us ladies?  I loved it.

So where do we turn to learn what our “beautiful deeds” should look like?  How can we best gauge our progress in becoming increasingly more attractive women?

The best mirror we can look into every day as our “Beauty Barometer” is God’s word, which describes the lovely edible fruit all Christian women can bear with Jesus living in us.  This fruit can be enjoyed by both ourselves and the people around us!

Proverbs 31 may be one of Scripture’s most famous passages for its amazing description of a Godly wife & woman.  The famous Proverbs 31 woman sounds incredible in every way!  But the passage mentions next to nothing about her physical appearance except her buff arms (which enable her to work effectively) and her lovely lips (with which she speaks wisdom & kindness).  When we read her description, we can’t help but hope someday someone will say the same about us.

Here are a few excerpts from this passage:

“[An excellent wife] does [her husband] good, and not harm, all the days of her life. She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands.”  Verses 12-13

“She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy.  She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet.”  Verses 20-21

“Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.  She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.”  Verse 25

“She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.”  Verse 27

“Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.  Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.”  Verses 30-31

What will praise the virtuous woman in the gates?  Her works!  What will she be given one day as her reward?  The fruit of her hands! 

Don’t you want to enjoy a sweet harvest after spending your life sowing good deeds? Don’t you want to be praised citywide for the beauty you’ve brought into the world?

I know I do.  But I must remember what it is that makes me beautiful.  I want to be beautiful on the outside, yes, but I cannot forget that my BEST assets are those I use to help others and to create a world that is a more lovely, more loving, more beautiful, more gracious, more heavenly place.

These will make up the fabric of my life, the ball gown I’ll wear one day when I reach heaven’s gates.

My final thoughts…

Let’s remember this when we look in our mirror every day (& maybe spend less time focusing on it?).

Let’s remember this when we encourage our girl friends why they’re amazing people.

And let’s remember this when we sit down to teach our daughters what it means to be godly women.

Credit: Katie Rhoads, The Educated Owl (Etsy)

The Human Condition (Pt. 3)

Guys, I’ve left you hanging for a month! Are you biting your nails over there or what?! ;) I have tons of great things to share with you, so let’s complete this series shall we! It’s a good one.

In Part 1 we learned God’s view of our “Human Condition” (in Jeremiah 17): We have hearts drawn to evil… persistently. Ugh.

In Part 2 we discovered sin’s incredible power to destroy lives (including our own) and its long-lasting consequences i.e. The wages of sin is death. Something or someone had to DIE to pay for our wrongs – or else we die.

In Part 3 I am grateful to share with you God’s solution to our pressing need to be saved… from ourselves and from others! This is some weighty stuff, so I hope I’ve written clearly about this subject. I so wish someone had written something like this for me long ago.

~~

Have you ever wondered why Jesus is such a big deal to Christians? Or have you been like me (til age 22, when someone explained the full Gospel to me) & never understood why some guy you didn’t know had to die for sins you didn’t think you had, when you never asked Him to in the first place?

Or are you a Christian who doesn’t understand this Christ-dying-for-you thing? You may have prayed for Jesus to save you years ago yet still not grasp your daily need for His help & what He accomplished for you. It’s hard to appreciate a gift without knowing how much it cost, so I’ll try to explain what the Bible teaches us about this wonderful gift we’ve been given :)

I’ve been a Christian since I was 3 or 4 years old. I distinctly remember saying “Yes” when my parents asked if I wanted to give my life to God, going upstairs & kneeling beside my bed to pray for His forgiveness. It’s one of my earliest memories, yet it’s taken me several decades to begin to understand why this was the most important decision of my life.

The Bad News: Our Broken Condition

Like everyone else, we believe ourselves to be “good people” (who sometimes do stupid things), so this sin business is a bit far-fetched. Ridiculous even.

Yet when we make mistakes – especially big ones – we can’t help but feel weighed down. We wanna cover up what we did because it’s ugly. 

We can live in this state of “Hide & Seek” with our sin our whole lives, pretending bad decisions away and sweeping them under the rug.  Hebrews 3:13 says this: “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called ‘Today,’ so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.”

Sin is, by its very nature, deceitful. And it hardens us to its terrible impact on our lives, if left unchallenged.

Sin says what you’re doing is “no big deal”, that “God loves & forgives me anyway”, and that the consequences aren’t as bad as they seem. This is a very slippery slope, and Scripture says one of the antidotes is other believers in our lives who can encourage & challenge you so you don’t slide down this path. The Bible adds the word “daily” – that’s how often our lives need examining! Every day sin is trying to dominate us. We must be vigilant & we need the help of others :)

It’s very easy to talk ourselves into doing something morally wrong and calling it “Okay” when we’re the only ones aware of it. Don’t let sin fool you!  I can tell you firsthand I did this for years, and no amount of justifying myself in my mind or “do-gooding” could remove the stain I felt on my conscience.

Because I was wrong. And I needed to be made right again.

We can give all we have to charity, but it won’t pay back the enormous debt we have to our Creator! If it did, philanthropy would be our answer… so why, despite our good deeds, do we have a lingering need to “make up” for our errors?

Our own hearts betray us, warning that we’re still indebted to God.

Scripture says “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”, so this applies to every one of us. Without help, none of us escape punishment! One day He will rightfully judge all of our wrongs, so we need to get right with Him before that day.

The Bible also says all our righteous acts are like filthy rags to God. Nothing we do makes us right in His eyes. Many religions offer a way to “right ourselves” with the divine and “undo” what’s been done via religious exercises like meditation, prayer, fasting, or helping others.

But Christianity acknowledges that we’ll never be able to pay back how much we’ve hurt others or God or ourselves. We can never take back what we did. Trying to atone for our sins is like covering mounds of mud with tiny strips of cloth – they couldn’t possibly absorb such a giant mess!

I am very thankful God was “long-suffering” and patient with me to endure my repeated sins. 2 Peter 3 says,

“In the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? …

But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men… 

The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”

This passage details the earth’s future & today’s common phenomenon: Mockers saying “There is no God!“ without fear of imminent punishment if they continue rejecting Him.

Yet God is patient. He’s graciously giving people plenty of time to repent, which explains why people make continued poor choices and don’t appear to reap the consequences. Their judgment awaits if they don’t repent. God is awaiting the appointed time when everything we see will be destroyed.

The Good News: A Free Gift!

So what hope do humans have, who are daily drawn to evil & need to be washed clean of their actions? They need a Savior.

In light of God’s need to execute absolute justice on Judgment Day – my only pardon as a Christian will be that my penalty, the “death wages” I accrued in my lifetime, was paid for by someone else.

This someone had to be perfect – sinless – or their sacrifice would be meaningless. Their very kind gesture would still amount to “filthy rags” as far as earning righteousness is concerned.

However, Jesus was God’s Son & He was perfect! He didn’t have the same sinful human nature we have that draws us to sin – He was born of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, not of man’s “seed” but of God’s. That is why Jesus was able to overcome the temptations He experienced and the dreadful death He had… because He wasn’t subject (or enslaved) to our HUMAN CONDITION: the fallen nature. As a man with human limitations, Jesus was still vulnerable to our same temptations, yet the Spirit of God within Him helped Him withstand them.

Jesus single-handedly overcame the death, despair, and brokenness that people brought into this world through our fallen nature. He defied the devil and gave His life on our behalf so that we, too, could have a “rebirth” spiritually – a new nature like He had!

Because Jesus was the perfect sacrifice (“covering”) for our sins, God’s wrath over our wrongs was satisfied, and thus His Holy Spirit was able to coexist in human flesh. That is why we are now able to receive the Holy Spirit into our lives, and the reason we can invite Jesus into our hearts!

Before Jesus died, God’s people had to sacrifice animals to atone for their sins & they had to keep doing it. Jesus only had to die once because He was perfect.

This is what we call a very big deal! :)

Jesus bought me back from spiritual death because He paid for me Himself. He did this while I was still a sinner – and He did it for every person on earth.

The reason I have hope is that I ACCEPTED Jesus’s sacrifice. If I rejected it, I’d be as hopeless as if He’d never died for me.

Jesus alone was in the unique position to stand in my place because He hadn’t sinned. When He assumed my debt, He paid my costly entrance fee (Holiness) into heaven so I could be with God forever… but I had to accept His offer.

Many of us carry pride with us every day. We don’t wanna believe we need anyone, especially some gracious divinity who rights our perceived wrongs. If we did, we’d have to ADMIT we were wrong in the first place then LEAVE our bad path. Some of us aren’t willing to do that.

For years I sincerely didn’t see a need for God in my life either. I thought the idea was silly & not worth my time. Coming from a Christian girl who grew up in Christian circles. 

When Judgment Day comes, our good & bad deeds will be publicly revealed. Based on what we did with Jesus’s gift to us, we’ll receive a ticket “up” or “down”. Our forever-future hinges on our answer to this question: Did we receive Jesus’s gift or reject it?

The sad reality is that people go to hell every day because they refuse to face the truth about who they are inside & most importantly, about their great need for a Savior. They live their lives “proving” their worth – a total sham – and then face God after life is over with no valid excuse for their behavior. So He must punish them.

Many people succeed in this life yet fail in the most important one: Our future, eternal life. Mark 8:36 says,

“What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?”

We should never be so proud to admit we fail or that we need help because once we accept this, we open ourselves up to receiving Jesus, our salvation! But we must believe we’re sinners & that God made a way for us to become saints (in His eyes). 

I am so thankful for this next passage of Biblical truth! 1 John 1:9 states: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

YAY! God’s only requirement for salvation is that we CONFESS our wrongdoings to Him, accept Jesus’s sacrifice – our need for Him to cover us with His purity & innocence, and declare that He is now Lord (“ruler”) of our life. God then promises to purify us from all unrighteousness, making us right with Him.

“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” Romans 10:9.

When I said “yes” to Jesus, God was able to balance my spiritual checkbook & declare I no longer owe Him or anyone else anything. 

I now stand debt-free before God with unhindered access to Him!

This wasn’t a “Get Outta Jail Free” card: My debt was paid, just not by me! And now I have great peace every day because I’m not living with the guilt of my past or the pain of what others did to me. I’m free!

Once you & I become believers in Jesus, we must keep in mind that He is our righteousness – “the One who’s made us right with God” – not anything we do or how well we perform as Christians. When we rest in what Jesus did, we are then free to live our lives loving people with His Spirit working through us. We don’t have to waste our lives “making up for” sins that have already been atoned for. We live in freedom and forgiveness.

Jesus set us completely free, even from our old lives! He saves us not only the first day we welcome Him into our lives, but every day we face temptation to return to our old ways. Jesus said in John 8:

“Truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

We must realize that we are either SLAVES TO SIN or SLAVES TO GOD. There is no other one you can be enslaved to… but “slavery” to God is really true freedom! He loves us dearly and, by honoring Him in each area of our lives, we open the door in that area to be set free from what used to entangle us in our past.

If the Son sets you free (from sin), you will be free indeed (and IN DEED)! :)

And… My Favorite Part!!

One of my favorite aspects of our redemption is this: Jesus paid for the trouble I caused… and He HEALS the very same people I broke through my sin.

This also means that Jesus heals YOU & ME from the brokenness others gave us!

That is HUGE! Our Savior redeemed us from death in eternity… and He restores what sin destroyed in our lives (& in other people’s lives around us). We don’t have to live with the weight of what we did to someone else. We can apologize, release it to God, and ask Him to heal them because He is our healer. What more could we hope for in a God?

At the end of all this, God remains true to His character as the Good & Just Judge! And because of our Savior, we are free to be with our Father in heaven forever! We don’t have to experience separation from Him because of what we’ve done, and we don’t have to live with the guilt and shame and pain we caused others with our bad choices.

That is a miracle. That is why it’s called grace, or “unmerited favor”. We did nothing to merit grace, but by it we have favor with God nonetheless.

And to bring our 3-part series full-circle…. when we say ‘yes’ to Jesus, He CHANGES OUR HUMAN CONDITION!!

This is what people call being “born again” – having a new spirit different from your old sinful one! Jesus rebirths us by bringing His spirit into our hearts. His spirit within us gives us power to make better choices & gives us new, good desires in place of evil desires.

We are made “alive with Christ” and become “dead to sin”. IT IS AWESOME. We’re no longer slaves to our appetites, lusts, sins, pride & ego. We’re no longer powerless to overcome temptation. We are FREE to obey God because our sin doesn’t cling to us like it once did.

If you’ve ever struggled with habitual sins, addictions, or very bad patterns of behavior (like so many of us have), this is one of the greatest freedoms we receive in Christ. We are no longer enslaved to eating disorders, drugs, pornography, anger or depression. Christ set us free.

Yes, we must still battle our earthly flesh, but we have a heavenly spirit that makes us “more than conquerors” (as Scripture calls us). We must read God’s Word – which tells us His many promises He’s given to us – and claim them as our own when we become His child. We can then take a stand on God’s promises to experience freedom from every earthly temptation.

A lot changes when we surrender to Christ. The Bible is full of wisdom and truth about this change of state. It’s so important to read it regularly to understand the freedom we have in Jesus – the truths that set us free from our struggles & this world.

So my friends, this is the drastic measure God took to make us right with Him & secure our future with Him forever. Because that’s how much He loves us.

“At one time you Gentiles in the flesh… [were] separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in His flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that He might create in Himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.

And He came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.

For through Him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.  In Him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”

~Ephesians 2

The Human Condition (Pt. 2)

Without further adieu, here is the “much anticipated” second part to my post The Human Condition (Pt. 1).

In Part One, we learned from Scripture that we have 3 enemies: Satan, the world, and our own wicked hearts. Yet the only one we can control is ourselves!  The problem we face is that we can’t “fix” our wicked inclinations ourselves – we need supernatural help.

And with that, let’s begin Part Two… because this is VERY important to the rest of our lives!

“God is tough on our sin, but tender on our hearts.”

God doesn’t entertain or coddle our bad habits. He vehemently opposes them.  If you don’t think God dislikes sin, you haven’t read the Bible long.

The question we must ask ourselves is: Why does God hate sin so much?  This is a VERY important question to ask – I promise I’m not wasting your time!  If we fail to understand why sin is so bad, we won’t discipline ourselves to oppose it.

Sin has huge consequences:

1. Sin hurts people and separates us from each other.  When we steal, lie, cheat, gossip, hate people or groups of people, we hurt ourselves and others.  Our sin has consequences – for them and for us!
2. Sin creates a debt that has to be paid.  God LOVES us. He loves you and the people you’ve hurt.  Because He’s Just, He must punish us when we harm others. We either must complete our “death” sentence or someone else must bear it in our place.
3. Sin blocks us from God. Because God is perfect, He can’t coexist with our sin.  This creates a huge dilemma for Him – He loves us and wants to be near us, but our sin makes that impossible.  It creates a chasm between unholy us and holy Him.
4. Sin hurts us and will destroy us if we don’t deal with it.  Have you ever met a person in “self-destruct” mode?  There’s often unaddressed sin and guilt involved (a debt that needs to be paid).  The good news is, even what others do to us can be restored in our lives if we forgive them and give our pain to God (release the debt for Him to deal with).  If we keep rehashing it, we prolong our pain and bring it into each new day. We must LET IT GO or eventually be DESTROYED by it.
5. Sin wreaks havoc in our world!  Have you noticed our world has some jacked-up things happening in it?  Yeah, me too.  This wasn’t God’s design.  He has a perfect plan for every area of our lives, but as soon as sin enters that area, His design begins to unravel.  “Design” means “established order” or “under control”.  When we throw out God’s design (by sinning), we’re left with only “chaos” and “disorder”!  Yet we often blame God for the chaos WE create in our lives.
6. Sin leads to death.  The Bible says “the wages of sin is death”, meaning that when we sin, we literally EARN death as our paycheck.  We worked for it, but instead of reaping a positive wage like money, we reap destruction and death!  It’s not always a physical death though – it’s often the death of relationships, our health, our good reputation, our company or finances, our happiness, our peace of mind.  As we persist in sin, we destroy all that is good in our lives – with our own hands.  Biblically, the ultimate death is eternal separation from God, which is NEVER God’s plan for anyone.

What makes these truths about ourselves inconvenient?  THEY MUST BE DEALT WITH in all of our lives.  We cannot simply pretend them away in eternity.

A favorite quote of mine is: “Ignoring the facts doesn’t change the facts.”  We will reap what we sow, even if we tell ourselves otherwise.  Dreams are fun ‘til we wake up to reality unprepared.

Years ago, my awesome college pastor Jake English said this:

“Sin will take you farther than you want to go,
Keep you longer than you want to stay,
And cost you more than you want to pay.”

Isn’t that the truth?  This is “The Human Condition” – our struggle with sin.

So how do we undo what we’ve done?  How do we make ourselves right with God and with everyone we’ve hurt?

Clearly, God can’t pardon us without consequence.  To do so would mean He would rob someone ELSE of their vindication.  Justice wouldn’t be served, and the scales would forever be tipped unfairly.  God’s very character demands justice – that the scales be balanced!

Imagine us walking up to God in heaven and explaining away everything bad we’ve ever done.

“God, I was hurting that day. That’s why I lashed out and said that.”

“I cheated on him, but he was SUCH A JERK to me!”

“I fudged on my taxes but everyone’s done it. The IRS takes too much of my money as is.”

“I slept with her, but we both agreed to it and we really cared about each other.”

The problem in every scenario is that we believe our sin doesn’t impact others… that what we do is our business alone.

Guess what?  It’s not.

My sin does impact everyone around me.  Your sin does, too!

In fact, your own “private” sin can impact people you’d never expect – your spouse, children (and their future spouses), your neighbors and coworkers, even your grandchildren.

Sin is a serious disease, and it’s contagious!  But we spend more time “explaining ours away” than owning it and giving it to God in repentance.  When we cling to it, it begins to consume and suck the life out of us and our world.

Imagine for a moment what it’s like for God to hear the other side of the stories above:

“God, I can’t believe she said that. Her words hurt so bad that I keep replaying them in my mind years later. She’s right about me – I’ll never amount to the person I wanna be.” 

“God, I can’t trust women since she cheated.  I gave her my heart, and she betrayed me.  I’ll never trust a woman again, and I’ll never get married.  All women are cold & heartless.”

“Lord, we were so young when we slept together!  I didn’t know it then, but we formed a bond I can’t break on my own.  Now I think of her when I’m with my wife, and I can’t stop comparing the two!  But I love my wife, and I don’t want to destroy the purity of what we have.  Will I ever be free of her memory?”

Is it no small matter when a father abuses his child?  When a person steals another’s hard-earned money?  When slander costs someone their reputation, job, or friends?

Make no mistake: These are very big deals to God.  Scripture says every word we utter will be up for review when we face Him one day. He is deeply interested in our daily choices – including ones we say only impact us.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

Even our addictions – which we claim affect only us – GREATLY impact our families and people in our circle!  Ask anyone who’s attended an “Adult Children of Alcoholics” meeting, adults still recovering from a tumultuous upbringing.  Those closest to an addict often suffer the most.

Addiction blocks us from being the whole person God created us to be!  We rob the world of God’s gifts in us when we’re desperately feeding our appetites, and we can’t give our families the love they need when we’re consumed with satisfying our cravings.

God created us to be solutions in this world… so we steal our world’s blessing when we live for ourselves, caring for our needs at their expense.  We say, “This is MY life.  I can do whatever I want!”  What a lie.

• We are all connected.
• We don’t sin in a vacuum.
• What I do affects you. What you do affects me.
• We either make the world a better place, or we tear it down choice-by-choice.

God will never justify our sin!  Ever!  In fact, He can’t.

He doesn’t wipe our slate clean without recompense. Someone MUST pay for the wrong I did yesterday because every time I sin, I create a void… a debt.

This isn’t a scare tactic.  It’s a wake-up call!  Our lives matter, and what we choose to do (or NOT do) has serious, long-lasting effects on us and our world.

But… I’m so thankful to tell you that God has a solution to our human condition!  We’ll discover it in Part Three.

You’re Not Alone

Friendsies,

I have something special I wanna share tonight! And no, Part 2 of The Human Condition isn’t looking good right now… it’s been written (but in really rough draft form). So another day :)

Today’s big news: I have a new girl crush, and she’s adorable!  Meredith Andrews is a worshipper of the same God I serve & I just HEART her.  I think you will, too.

I hope you enjoy her beautiful song as much as I do.  It’s about God’s presence ALWAYS being with us, wherever we are & whatever we’re going through.  

For real – just for me – give it a listen okay?  It’ll be the best few minutes you’ve spent today.

Thanks & enjoy!
Summer

 

 

“I searched for love,
When the night came and it closed in.
I was alone, 
But You found me where I was hiding. 
And now I’ll never ever be the same
It was the sweetest Voice
That called my name, saying: 

‘You’re not alone for I am here
Let Me wipe away your every fear
My love, I’ve never left your side
I have seen you through the darkest night
And I’m the One who’s loved you all your life
All of your life.’ 

You cry yourself to sleep, cause the hurt is real
And the pain cuts deep.
All hope seems lost
With heartache your closest friend
And everyone else long gone.
You’ve had to face the music on your own
But there is a sweeter song that calls you home, saying: 

‘You’re not alone for I am here
Let Me wipe away your every tear.
My love, I’ve never left your side
I have seen you through the darkest night
And I’m the One who’s loved you all your life
All of your life.

Faithful and true, forever
Oh, My love will carry you! 

You’re not alone for I – I am here.
Let Me wipe away your every fear, oh yeah
My love, I’ve never left your side
I have seen you through the darkest night
Your darkest night
And I’m the One who’s loved you all your life
All of your life’…”

 

“You Do Not Have Because…”

“You do not have because you do not ask.” ~James 4

“Ask, and it will be given to you.” ~Jesus in Matthew 7

“If you don’t ask for His blessing, you forfeit those that come to you only when you ask.  In the same way that a father is honored to have a child [ask] for his blessing, your Father is delighted to respond generously when His blessing is what you covet most.” ~Bruce Wilkinson, “The Prayer of Jabez”

I’ve already written about “Ask” (My Word for 2013), but I wanted to share this little message with y’all after today’s bold-faced reminder that I need to be “Asking” more. Oops! :) 

I wanted to remind you in case – amidst the ‘Twenty-Thirteen’ noise – you’ve also forgotten to seek our Father’s hand & blessing in your life each day.

There’s no need to turn this biblical idea into an entire doctrine, as many have done. Yet – with that in mind – let’s remember simply that God wants us to ask Him for divine help. 

For favor. 

For guidance & wisdom. 

For blessings in our lives. 

For His hand of protection.

For His love to shine in our hearts so we truly believe He loves us.

We don’t ask so we can spend our God-given blessings on the wrong things. 

We ask so we can serve Him more faithfully. So that our needs (& our family’s!) will be provided for. So that we don’t succumb to temptation because we’re empty & have unmet legitimate needs. 

We ask so that we can walk in His perfect grace & will for our lives. So that we can fulfill His plan for our lives – to know Him more and to freely share our gifts with the people around us! :)

In light of this, are you & I beginning to see more clearly why He loves when we ask Him to meet all our needs?

Jesus taught us in The Lord’s Prayer to ask His Dad for our daily bread!

And guess how often we should seek this bread from Him? Yep, daily! (I know, mind blown).  

God’s assigned each of us a portion for every single day we’re living on earth. Wouldn’t it be a SHAME to forfeit His provision simply because we didn’t believe it existed… or because we doubted that something so good & so craved by us could actually happen? And happen every day at that!

This, my friends, is called doubt. Doubt is our enemy.  

In Hebrews 11 we learn that, 

“Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”

God is daring us to believe that He has what we need. He’s even daring us to believe that He’s real! We can’t please our heavenly Father or receive His full benefits without first believing in Him AND His goodness.

So… are you in need?  Then what are you waiting for – pray for God to take care of it! 

“And my God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” ~Philippians 4

Love, Summer

 

The Cocoon

Before I post Part 2 of “The Human Condition”, I want to post this incredible word of encouragement from a lovely Georgia lady named Judy Bauman.

I’ve been receiving Judy’s “Jewels” (as she calls them) for several years, and they’ve encouraged me immensely!  I hope she encourages you, too.

This post reminded me of last year, when I wrote about God highlighting “butterflies” to me randomly. He’s continued to do so. I sense He’s saying that He’s turning me into a butterfly after a long, dark, challenging struggle in the cocoon.

Boy, am I looking forward to it! :)

The beautiful thing once you come out of a cocoon? You transform from an unattractive, earth-hugging caterpillar to a beautiful, flying butterfly!

It’s a miracle. I imagine those who witness such a change find it hard to recognize the old creature in the midst of the new one’s beauty. That’s what I’m hoping for in my life.  

“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Cor. 5).

xoxox, Summer

~~~

The Cocoon
Judy Bauman

About a year after surrendering my life to the Lord, I was sitting in my room when all at once I saw a white scroll roll half way down the top, right corner of the wall. This scene played on it like a movie:

I saw a man who was distraught and weeping bitterly. He was bent down on one knee and his face was buried in his hands as he wept bitterly. He writhed in grief, despair and self-loathing. His sobs were heart-wrenching. I felt desperate to help him, but I didn’t know what to do.

Suddenly, a hand appeared above him holding out a Bible. The man looked up in his broken state and with hope in his eyes he reached up and accepted the gift being offered to him. As he opened the Book, the words came off the pages like silk thread. The beautiful strand began to wrap around the man and encircled him until I couldn’t see anything but a large white cocoon. The cocoon was very still for a period of time. Then it slowly began to rock back and forth, and soon there was more and more movement. I could tell there was a struggle going on inside. The cocoon began to split and then suddenly it tore open. A huge butterfly adorned in stunning, heavenly colors came bursting out; it quickly flew across the room in front of me and out my window! It was bigger, more vibrant, exquisite and beautiful than anything I could have ever imagined. I looked back at the screen in the right corner of my room hoping for an instant replay, but the scroll rolled up and disappeared.

This experience spoke deeply to me. The silk thread is symbolic of how God’s word can ‘cocoon’ and transform us from a wretched state of being to a new creation. The butterfly represents our being reborn of the Holy Spirit and our ability to take flight in Him.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17

This is not possible without having a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus and accepting the gift offered to us by the Father. When we receive Jesus, the word made flesh, as our Savior we have promises that the Father will fulfill in us. Like the butterfly, our transformation is unmistakable!

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:2

Without God’s Spirit working to transform us, we are broken, naked, wretched, miserable, poor, blind and lost. When we allow ourselves to be transformed by His word, we become whole, clothed, joyful, loved, and rich with wisdom and hope!

Until we come to that broken place, we can never know how much we truly need God. When the Word of God is opened up to a broken heart, then the Lord can make miraculous changes in even the most miserable of souls. His Word will accomplish the purpose for which He sent it.

“Therefore, if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” John 8:36

It takes time to make a transition into a life IN CHRIST, but the beauty of being a new creation is worth the struggle that occurs on the inside of the ‘cocoon’. Without the struggle, the butterfly, like us, would not be made strong enough to take flight.

As we invest in other people’s lives by ‘handing’ them a Bible in God’s timing, may we bring the transforming power of the Father’s love into their lives. It is well worth it to invest our own resources to get Bibles into the hands of those who need it.

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will also be.” Luke 12:34

Will we be ready and willing to give what is needed to bring the Father’s prodigals home when they have ‘come to themselves’? If we do, we might just see the transforming power of God’s cocoon!

Scriptures to Ponder: Link2Scriptures

Acts 10:11; 2 Corinthians 5:17; John 1:1-4, 3:16; 6:44; 14:6; Luke 15:11-32; Psalms 107:10-16, 19-22; 119:105

~

May you be blessed in the Father’s love! Sincerely your sister and co-laborer in Christ Jesus,
Judy Bauman

Photo: I took this snapshot of a Monarch Butterfly in 2011.

www.thefathersloveim.org
The Father’s Love Int’l Ministries
P. O. Box 1573
Flowery Branch, GA 30542

The Human Condition (Pt. 1)

Hey friends!

Just to preface, I’ve had this topic on my heart for a year now.  I can’t seem to shake it, even after writing in vain about it 7-8 times.

So here is my *crossed-fingers* final attempt.  I’ve divvied it up into three segments for easier reading.  I hope you enjoy it & learn something like I did :)

~Summer

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

One day, I was laughing with my coworkers about the mysterious “Human Condition”.  We thought it hilarious that we could apply the phrase to anything:

“Getting on the subway is The Human Condition.  Dealing with incompetent jerks on the road is The Human Condition.  Having to slave all day to earn a paycheck is The Human Condition. Eating crappy tacos is The Human Condition.”

It was very funny and thought-provoking.  We hear so often about this part of our lives, yet none of us can define it.

Thankfully… God has given us a peek into our condition to help us understand!

We learn from His Word that we face 3 common enemies in life: Our rebellious nature (the “flesh”), Satan, and the world.  We could say, then, that The Human Condition is battling all three in our quest to know & emulate God.

But two of these threats are external (Satan & the world) – two things largely beyond our control.

Let’s focus on the one we do have authority over, with God’s help: The inward battle with our flesh.

What does God say about our flesh nature, or our “condition”?

“The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately sick;
who can understand it?
I the Lord search the heart
and test the mind,
to give every man according to his ways,
according to the fruit of his deeds.

Like the partridge that gathers a brood that she did not hatch,
so is he who gets riches but not by justice;
in the midst of his days they will leave him,
and at his end he will be a fool.

A glorious throne set on high from the beginning
is the place of our sanctuary.
O Lord, the hope of Israel,
all who forsake You shall be put to shame;
those who turn away from You shall be written in the earth,
for they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living water.”

~Jeremiah 17

Our hearts are wicked!  I’ve found that many people spend their entire lives running from this truth.

Why don’t we like to believe this?  Why do so many people explain away ‘bad behavior’ with paltry excuses?

Because we can’t fix our sinful hearts ourselves… and by accepting this, we’d have to give up doing whatever we want and give up proving our “goodness”, which many find unthinkable.

So instead, when we’re faced with mass shooting sprees, child molestation, & corporate fraud, we are quick to blame things that have no control over crime (guns, knives, medications, our mental state, moms & dads, lack of education) – instead of the perpetrators.

But bad childhoods don’t hurt, rob, and kill people - PEOPLE DO.

We can’t blame “politicians”, “corporations”, “gang members”, “black people”, “feminists” or “creepy old men”.  We, and our fellow humanity as a whole, are to blame.

Can we accept the fact that we’ve done wrong?  Maybe not to the level of some people, but no honest person can say they’ve always chosen good over bad.  Even as adults, we must discipline ourselves to do the right thing (& it doesn’t always happen).  It doesn’t come – dare I say it – naturally!  It goes against the grain of our natural state, the condition we’re all in.

We gain great FREEDOM and wisdom when we admit this about ourselves & about each other, and when we quit running from reality.

Many educational programs require ethics courses.  My question is, can you force people’s moral behavior?  These classes have their place, no doubt, but *at best* they encourage people to do right by threatening consequences for unethical behavior (or promising benefits when we abstain from it).

Ethics classes don’t make people more ethical, any more than bribing kids with cookies keeps them from throwing future tantrums.  They simply entice people to play nice for a reward/to prevent punishment.  A class can’t change people’s desires – or the condition of their hearts.

As they say, You don’t have to teach kids to be bad. You have to teach them to be GOOD. 

So why are we surprised when kids grow up to be adults who continue being bad?  And why are we surprised when we find OURSELVES behaving badly?

Many people talk about seeing the “good” in everyone, which was my default mode growing up.  I loved my rose-colored glasses because it made my world a much happier place. “You see what you wanna see,” I’d think about pessimists.

Then life comes along & clobbers you in the face. The people you trust backstab you. You go into business with a person of ill repute, ignore the raging red flags, and are surprised when you’re ripped off.

“A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on & suffers the consequences.” ~Prov. 27

“The prudent sees the evil and hides himself, But the naive go on, and are punished for it.” ~Prov. 22

There are inconvenient truths I don’t wanna face about people and MYSELF every day.  I can turn a blind eye, but that would make me a fool and an easy target.  There are people in the world who do not have our best interests at heart.  Sometimes we don’t have their best interests at heart either.  If we refuse to believe this, we will walk a rocky road of consequences.

There’s no need to be skeptical of everyone, but to continue skipping through the meadows with people bent on doing evil is to invite destruction into our lives.

We need to be cautious when we see warning flags about other people, and we must acknowledge that we aren’t above any temptation or sin either so that we can be on guard against falling into their behavior ourselves.

I’d like to leave us with two action items:

1. Accept that we share a common enemy: Ourselves.  If you need help overcoming something, seek God’s help and other people’s assistance to overcome it – don’t try to do it on your own!  There’s a reason you haven’t overcome it alone: You need someone stronger than yourself.
2. Accept that some people choose to NOT restrain themselves and do evil things!  Heed any “red flags” you see in other people’s lives, and guard yourself accordingly.

I’ll post Part Two soon.

In Repentance & Rest You Shall be Saved!

“In repentance and rest is your salvation,
    in quietness and trust is your strength,
    but you would have none of it.” (Isa. 30 NIV)

For a long time, this scripture has kind of haunted me.  

Have you ever read the Bible and – suddenly – a verse jumps out at you like it’s alive & you realize God is speaking directly to you?  

This was one such verse for me… but what made it a lot freakier was that I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT IT MEANT.

Clearly, God is not one to waste our time (or His).  If there’s anything I’ve learned in my years of following Him, it’s that God doesn’t mince words - so when He speaks something, I sit up taller & listen. 

So tonight when I read an “assignment” on Beth Moore’s blog (an adorable & wildly popular Christian teacher), I did what any good teacher’s pet would do: my homework!

Her assignment?

1) Read Isaiah 30:15-18 (in 3 versions).
2) Write which one spoke most to you & why!
3) Look up Webster’s definition of a “threat” [which pertains to the Scripture]. 
4) Reflect on what’s threatening you most in your life lately.
5) Then consider how you’re “fleeing” said threats you’ve been faced with.

So, guess what her assigned passage was?  Yup, the scary one that’s been following me around for years.

After reading each version, my favorite was this one (New Living Translation):

“This is what the Sovereign Lord,
    the Holy One of Israel, says:
‘Only in returning to Me
    and resting in Me will you be saved.
In quietness and confidence is your strength.
    But you would have none of it.
You said, ‘No, we will get our help from Egypt.
    They will give us swift horses for riding into battle.’
But the only swiftness you are going to see
    is the swiftness of your enemies chasing you!
One of them will chase a thousand of you.
    Five of them will make all of you flee.
You will be left like a lonely flagpole on a hill
    or a tattered banner on a distant mountaintop.’

Blessings for the Lord’s People

So the Lord must wait for you to come to Him
    so He can show you His love and compassion.
For the Lord is a faithful God.
    Blessed are those who wait for His help.”

My friends… do you realize what God’s seemingly been saying to me all along?

Come to Me for help.  Quit running to those you think can help you or the solutions you THINK are the answer - because they will only turn out to be your enemies!

If there’s a word I can delicately use to describe me, it might be the word “stubborn”.  Those who know me well might agree (and then we may throw down in fisticuffs :)

When I think I have something figured out, I HAVE IT FIGURED OUT GUYS!!  So you can get outta my way now!  (I think Solomon had a few choice words – or chapters – for know-it-alls).  

But for reals, stubbornness is NOT a beautiful or godly trait [though it's served me well at times!].

Maybe, just maybe, God has been longing to be gracious to me for many years… but I’ve tied His hands.  Maybe my own stubborn streak – me thinking I had it all together (which a casual observer of my life could challenge) & that I had the solution figured out – is what’s kept me from finding the rest & peace I’ve been seeking.

I have to honestly ask myself this question ~ & maybe you can, too:  

Have I really been chasing my own solutions, convinced they’d bring me peace & rest, when I only needed to wait for GOD to help me & give me HIS solution to find the peace I’ve been desperately seeking?

“In repentance and rest is your salvation,
    in quietness and trust is your strength,
    but you would have none of it.”

And that’s the part that’s haunted me most: But you would have none of it.

I’ve rejected His help, so I didn’t receive it.  I forged ahead, sure of my stubborn self, and chased away any semblance of peace & rest I could’ve received!

I can’t count how many times I’ve struggled over an issue & continued to diligently peck at it, push & press against it, trying to whittle it away to nothingness – equivalent to me spinning my wheels or jogging in place.  

Yes, I had plenty of activity going on & appeared to be moving forward – but I was staying put. I haven’t actually been going anywhere, but I’ve been exhausting myself trying so hard.

It’s me flipping out on the bow of the boat, trying to keep from capsizing, when I’ve forgotten Jesus is on board peacefully sleeping through the tempest without a care.  It’s me forgetting He’s there until the crisis is so acute that I’m spent on my own – and I remember to go WAKE HIM UP. Jesus climbs up to the bow with me and says peace be still.  And only then does my storm cease.

God’s solution is for us to REST & let Him handle the problem.  We still work hard, but we must cease trying to make life happen on our own terms, or without His hand to guide & lead.

My favorite part of the Isaiah passage, one that I never noticed in connection to the first part until tonight, is the ending… it’s soooo SWEET!  And so like our loving God!  (In NKJV):

“Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you;
And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
Blessed are all those who wait for Him.”

God is WAITING to be gracious to me. 

He’s WAITING with His solution to every problem you & I have.

He’s WAITING to take that burden off our shoulders & replace it with a lovely, much-needed vacation from the stress of carrying it.

Rest simply means we trust Him to handle it – we don’t fret, worry, push, pull or drive it forward when it’s the wrong answer, or the wrong timing, or the wrong everything.

We are blessed people when we wait on God’s help, not conjure up the answer to our problem ourselves.  STRIVING is the opposite of rest.  

Beth Moore’s whole point of this exercise was for us to identify what THREATENS us in our lives to take action apart from God?  What tempts us to “take matters into our own hands” (and how’s that workin out for ya, haha)?  

I know what mine are.  Do you?  

And now our biggest question is – God, what does it look like to wait on You with this?

I’m curious what your thoughts & ideas are!  How do we wait on the Lord for His answers, instead of chasing after our own?  

What does ‘waiting on the Lord’ look like?  I pray He shows us how.

xoxoxox
~Summer

 

Finding Vision in Your Life

Jimmy Evans of Marriage Today Ministries may be one of my new favorite heroes in Christian circles!

After attending Jimmy & his wife Karen’s marriage retreat last fall then laughing my way through their marriage study last semester, I can attest to the incredible wisdom (and fun) they have!

This message is so powerful. Whenever we’re struggling to find motivation in our lives or lack a sense of purpose/fulfillment, it’s because we need a vision for what we’re doing.

I’m reminded of the gym! Why would we put ourselves through painful miles of running or pools of Insanity-induced sweat without cause? We’d be CRAZY to – unless we had a vision for better health & a fitter body.

I pray we ask God for His vision for why we’re here, toiling every day at work, in relationships, & in play.  Pray that He gives you the vision for what He created you for… so that you may chase after it with passion & joy!

My Word for 2013

Confession.  I’ve totally jumped on the “Word of the Year” bandwagon, & I love it!

If you’re new to this concept (like me last year), the idea is to choose 1 word at the beginning of each year to focus on for the next 12 months - a new spin on “New Year’s Resolutions”.

Last year, I heard people choose words like Simplify. Breathe. Save. Focus. My word was a little less ‘Zen’ haha.

I decided to ask God what He’d have me focus on in 2012, and what He spoke to my heart became the very best advice I could’ve heard: Hope in God.

All year I kept returning to that phrase when life got out-of-focus & crazy.  I am so glad I had something to help me regain perspective whenever I lost it.  My word centered me all year.

So as I entered 2013, I decided to try this again. And the word I heard was simple.

ASK.

I loved it right from the start (I can’t say the same for 2012!).

As I turned it over in my mind, I realized this is a wholly biblical concept.  Many scriptures tell us that God wants to bless us and give us what we need – if we’ll ask Him!

I believe this is His challenge to me this year.  Instead of spending 2013 in a state of “want”, longing for things I wish I had or staying in perpetual lack of my legitimate needs… why don’t I ask Him for help?

Novel idea.  Divine, actually.

One of the names God gives Himself in the Bible is “Our Provider”.  He has an abundant supply of riches, i.e. everything in the world & beyond what our eyes can see!  And He – unlike anyone else we’ll ever meet – has the power to give us what we need when we need it.

We just need to ask Him.

The key with all this asking business is the word NEED.  We may not get everything we WANT from God, but I absolutely believe He supplies everything we need & that He also gives us the desires of our hearts!

So ask for it.  In faith.  Don’t doubt His ability (or willingness) to give you what you need!  He’s our Dad & wants to give us good gifts, as long as we ask with right motives.  I’ll be doing this with you.

Read these awesome promises from Him, many which Jesus Himself gave us:

Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. (Ps 37)

Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Mt 6)

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. (Mt 7)

Whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive (Mt 21)

If anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. (Mk 11)

You may ask Me for anything in My name, and I will do it. (Jn 14)

If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. (Jn 15)

Whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. (Jn 16)

My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Phil 4)

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts… must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord. (Ja 1)

If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us… whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. (1 Jn 5)

Are you sensing a theme here?  Instead of stressing over things or trying to “fix” situations beyond our control, ask for God to do what we cannot.

There’s no better way to test Scripture than to apply it and watch it work!  This isn’t testing God; faith (as one wise man taught me) is simply taking God at His word and expecting Him to keep it.

When we ask for God’s help, we do 4 things:

1. Admit Our Need (Humility) – God’s a big fan of this.  Our humility moves Him to act, not us standing on our own pretending we can do it alone.
2. Seek the Source (Faith) – We give God the opportunity to come through for us.
3. Release Anxieties & Worries (Peace) – God shoulders our burdens.
4. Open Ourselves Up to Miracles & Blessings (Provision) – God then responds!

When we witness God coming through for us, we realize His incredible power & love for us.  Asking is how our faith in Him grows!

Every day, invite Him into your world & ask Him to act on your behalf. Ask for the things you’ve been needing or trying to get on your own.  Ask without doubting.  Faith is what stirs God to move, not unbelief.

Am I gonna trust His promises and believe He’ll give me whatever I ask 1) in Jesus’ name, 2) in full faith, and 3) in accordance with His will?  Or will I spend another year in the land of lack because I refused to believe Him?

I wanna change my world – and one of the best ways to make this happen is by first INVITING GOD INTO IT (into areas I need Him to be!), then doing whatever He asks me to do to help change it.

So what am I waiting for?  And what are you?  Let 2013 be the year we ASK… so that it becomes the year we receive.  Thank You, God, for daring me to believe!  :)

“God is more eager to answer than we are to ask.” -Smith Wigglesworth