What do people see when they look at you?

Ezra 7:10 (LB) This was because Ezra had determined to study and obey the laws of the Lord and to become a Bible teacher, teaching those laws to the people of Israel.

Ezra's hearts desire was to learn God's word and then apply and obey the commands he discovered therein. Because of this desire, he had a direct effect on how God used him to lead the 2nd group of exiles from Babylon to Jerusalem. Ezra made a personal commitment to serve God "today" even before knowing what God would request of him.

A skilled scribe (Ezra 7:6), Ezra taught the Jews of his day through speaking and by the way his lived his life (obedient to God's word). I want to influence the people around me just like Ezra influenced the people of his day. To follow his example, I need to make sure I am:

• Learning the Word of God, obeying and applying it to my daily life,
• and teach others to do the same not only by what I say...but by the way I live my life (the things I do).

Even if you don't have a desire to be a bible teacher, the way you live your life is influencing someone. People are always watching the way you live your life. So the question becomes, how are you choosing to walk out your Christian faith? Are you getting into God's word, learning what it says and then changing your life so that it aligns with the commands therein? Or, are you reading the word and choosing to remain unchanged?

 

Related reading: Mark 4:1-20 (The parable of the sower)

 

  

Do you have a "trusted other"?

Proverbs 9:6 Leave your simple ways and you will live; walk in the way of insight.”

Proverbs 9:10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

Proverbs 9 looks specifically at both wisdom and foolishness. Reading through the entire book of Proverbs I have “heard” wisdom’s voice – but did I apply the wisdom I heard to my life?

In the very first verse of this Proverb I read “Wisdom has built her house.” Meaning I can’t expect to be wise all of a sudden. It’s a continual process that takes time. Wisdom begins by stopping my foolish ways (v. 6) and starting to respect the Lord (v. 10).  I have to grow in Him; learn from Him; listen to Him and to the advice of trusted others. 

It is important to stop here and define who a “trusted other” is. A “trusted other” is someone who has gained wisdom themselves by putting their faith, hope and trust in the Lord.  I urge you not to go to “friends” seeking guidance for your life when they themselves are not walking in the light of Christ. It is so important to seek out friends that have already obtained the wisdom we desire. Friends that haven’t obtained the wisdom we desire can lead us astray.

Proverbs 9:17 warns “stolen water is sweeter, and food eaten in secret tastes better.” I know that I can get wrapped up in the “things” of this world. After all, if sin wasn’t so much fun no one would do it… right? Take a look at what the very next verse, verse 18has to say. “But these people don’t know that everyone who goes there dies, that her guests end up deep in the grave.”

Well meaning friends who don’t know Christ can lead us down a worldly path to death and destruction. I am trying to live a life that honors Christ, so it is up to me to seek out those friends who give me Godly counsel.

Proverbs 9 verse 11 says when we live wisely; we will live life to its fullest – because wisdom adds years to our lives (v. 11).

Related reading: Matthew 7:13 – 14, Matthew 7:21 – 23, Galatians 6: 7 – 8, Matthew 6:24, Romans 6:23

Jesus meets our needs not our wants

One of the things I’m learning as I read through the book of John is how Jesus interacted with people while he was here on earth. In John’s gospel, we see Jesus as he meets the needs of people where they are. In John 5, Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem for a special feast. The Bible doesn’t tell us that it was necessary to take the route through Bethesda in order to get to the fest but that is the route he and his disciples had chosen to take. In Bethesda, there was a pool with five covered porches where sick people were lying.

What is written throughout the verses is that Jesus saw a need and went to meet that need. Verse 5 tells us that there was a man who had been sick for 38 years. Can you imagine? The Bible doesn’t tell us what his illness was. But can you see the struggle of this man? He wanted to get into the pool but there were others who beat him to the punch. This man had to be tired and worn down by his illness. Jesus sees his struggle and asks “do you want to be well?” I know if I had been sick for 38 years I would have probably been a puddle of tears trying to get the word “YES” out. But this man said “there is no one to help me get in the pool.” My human response to that is “what?!?” 

Someone asks you if you want to be well and all you come back with is “I just want to get in the pool.” I didn’t really understand the man’s response at all. Maybe it’s because he had been sick and overlooked/outcast for so long the thought of being “well” was a mere pipe dream; something too good to be true.

In an instant Jesus changed this man’s life forever. “Stand up. Pick up your mat and walk.” I don’t know about you, but have you ever put yourself there at the scene? Would you have thought Jesus was for real? What do you think your response may have been? Perhaps something like:

“Come again? You want me to just get up? Ummm, I’ve been lying here for 38 years!”

Can you hear that inner voice?

Scripture says that IMMEDIATELY the man was well and he picked up his mat and began to walk. Whoa! This man acted WITHOUT HESITATION and was made whole. Did you notice that this guy knew something miraculous had just happened and he acted immediately? He didn’t second guess what had happened; he was well for the first time in 38 years.

Jesus met the needs of many people when he walked this earth. Everything he did was to give us an example of how we should live and walk through our lives.

Even today, He can meet the needs of our lives. Pick up your mats and walk! He doesn’t want us paralyzed by our doubt and fear. He wants us to be free to live the abundant life He has given us to live.

If you are struggling to “pick up your mat and walk” I encourage you to find a Christian friend or mentor you can share your burden with and pray for healing in this area of your life. Jesus will meet us where we are when we call on His name.

Don’t need healing in a specific area at the moment? Are you helping to meet the needs of those people in your community? Can you see where Jesus is working? The needs around us are great. When given an opportunity consider doing something to meet a need for someone in your community. Jesus came to serve; so it is up to us to be his hands and feet and serve as he did. Who knows, you just may point someone to Jesus in the process. 

Growing in our Faith

1 Corinthians 3: 1 – 4 (MSG) But for right now, friends, I'm completely frustrated by your unspiritual dealings with each other and with God. You're acting like infants in relation to Christ, capable of nothing much more than nursing at the breast. Well, then, I'll nurse you since you don't seem capable of anything more. As long as you grab for what makes you feel good or makes you look important, are you really much different than a babe at the breast, content only when everything's going your way?

Paul urges believers in Corinth to grow up in their faith in the third chapter of 1 Corinthians. Before I go more into that point, I want to give you a glimpse of the city. Paul planted this church in 51 AD. The first members of the church were representative of the diversity of the city itself. A major multi-ethnic city, Corinth was the connecting link between Rome and the East. People flocked there to participate in the gambling, legalized temple prostitution, business adventures and all the “fun” that came from being a seaport town.

When we come to Christ, we are new creations in Him (2 Cor. 5:17). He washes away the sins of our “old self” and makes us white as snow… clean. We are no longer muddied by the sin He pulled us out of; in fact, we are citizens in Heaven. Our journey with Christ begins. We begin learning more about Christ through His Word we begin to see the world differently; our perspective begins to change. We no longer live as we once did, where we often gave into the desires of our flesh. Now it’s His desires that matter… not ours.

As we “grow up” in our faith, we learn His ways and we submit to His authority in our lives. The Bible, not the world, becomes the standard by which we live our lives. As we continue to follow, we grow from being an “infant” in Christ to being a mature believer – depending more on Christ in every circumstance and less on ourselves and the world around us.

As Paul writes this letter to the Corinthian church, he is asking them to stop focusing on the “world” around them. Even though they lived in a very “worldly” city, once they became followers of Jesus Christ they were called to be different. Different in the way they lived their lives, conducted business, and raised their families. The same is true for us today.

As Christians we are not suppose to “blend-in” to the world around us. We can be a light in the darkness that surrounds us no matter where that may be; in our jobs, with our extended families and friends, or even in our own homes. As we grow up in Christ, our “worldly” view changes so that we see the things of this world through the lens of the Bible.

As maturing Christians, we should strive to be different in every area of our life… at home, at work, and especially in how we handle difficult situations. When we have our faith and trust grounded in Christ, we depend on Him to navigate us through the churning storms. Christ will change our lives BUT we have to do our part too. We have to take steps in faith knowing that Christ is out in front leading the way.

Remember Peter’s walk on water? He didn’t see the waves crashing all around him, He saw Jesus. When his focus was on Christ nothing else mattered. He didn’t see the world around him. (Matthew 14:28 - 29)

Are you growing in Christ or are you just “blending in” to the world around you? Growth in Christ is up to us. One of the best places to start is by having a daily quiet time. Get away with just you, your Bible and Christ. You will be glad you did.

Related scripture: Titus 3: 4-6, Romans 8: 1 – 14, Phil 2:12 – 13, 1 John 3: 4 - 10

Do you consider yourself to be a planner?

Are you a planner? I know people who carefully consider each step of their life. They went to school, graduated from college, and then got a great paying job. They made plans to get through each stage of their life, financially as well as personally. It’s like “life’s little to-do list”. School – check; Job – check; Spouse – check; Kids – check. They have planned everything from the time they left school to retirement. They knew what their goals were for the next 5 to 10 years and even 15 to 20 years down the road.

Ok – before your mind starts racing and you think that I’m suggesting it’s bad to plan, let me just add this…I wonder in all of the planning we do if we ever stop to considered what God’s plan was for our life? You know He does have one for us right? (Jer. 29:11). All too often we make our own plans and then either ask God to bless them or don’t we even include Him at all. Proverbs 19:21 says “People can make all kinds of plans, but only the Lord’s plan will happen.”

Only God has a “plan A” for our lives…the very best for us – a prosperous future – an eternal home. Does this mean we shouldn’t plan? NO – we should – we just need to include God in the planning process. We serve and AWESOME God. He put the stars in place and created every living thing, yet He still wants a close and personal relationship with us. Isn’t that wonderful to know?

What are you planning that you haven’t talked to Him about yet? Remember NOTHING is too small.

Related scripture: Matt. 6:33; Habakkuk 3:17 - 19

There will always be weeds to pull

1 Samuel 16:7b (NCV) “God does not see the same way people see. People look at the outside of a person, but the Lord looks at the heart."

Yesterday turned out to be gorgeous spring day. Not too cold, not too hot… it was absolutely beautiful. After returning home from church, I spent most of the day pulling up weeds and cleaning flower beds in our back yard. While working, I took the opportunity to talk to Jesus and ask him to reveal those things in my life that I needed to work on “cleaning out.”

Each year I feel like the task of cleaning up our back yard gets to be more and more of a challenge because it’s usually the last area we focus on. At the first sign of spring, my husband typically gets out in the front yard and makes sure the beds are nice and clean and all unwanted growth is cleared away. This process typically takes a few weekends to accomplish so by the time we get to the back yard, the weeds have taken over and it seems to take forever to see actual process.

I had just started working on my second flower bed when God revealed the words of 1 Samuel 16:7 to me. “God doesn’t look at what people can see… God looks at the heart.” [paraphrase mine] Just like my yard, many more people see the front as they drive or walk by, but only a few see the back. As I thought about this verse in 1 Samuel, I thought about what people saw when they looked at me. People see who I was on the outside. But God doesn’t look at that, He looks at my heart.

I had to ask myself the question “what does my inside look like?” Since God looks at the condition of my heart, does it match my actions (outside appearances)? When people look at me, can they see a reflection of Jesus? I certainly hope so. I do recognize it’s a continual process. Just like the flower beds each spring, there will always be “weeds to pull” in my life.  Yesterday I was reminded that being shaped by Jesus is a continual process. The more Jesus chips away at the things in my life that are not of Him, the “cleaner” I become.

Praise God that He is continually at work in us, weeding out the bad so the beauty of His handiwork can be revealed.

When you "run for dear life", who do you run to?

Psalm 7: 1-8

In the opening verses of Psalm 7, David is writing in response to being falsely accused of trying to kill King Saul and seize the throne for himself (1 Samuel 24:9-11). David knows the accusations are not true. It is mere slander directed at him. But take a look at how he decides to handle his current circumstances. David is stirred with emotion as he cries out to God here in the first few verses of Psalm 7 (MSG):

“God! God! I am running to you for dear life (emphasis mine); the chase is wild. If they catch me, I'm finished (emphasis mine): ripped to shreds by foes fierce as lions, dragged into the forest and left unlooked for, unremembered. God, if I've done what they say betrayed my friends, ripped off my enemies. If my hands are really that dirty, let them get me, walk all over me, leave me flat on my face in the dirt. Stand up, God; pit your holy fury against my furious enemies. Wake up, God. My accusers have packed the courtroom; it's judgment time. Take your place on the bench (emphasis mine), reach for your gavel, throw out the false charges against me. I'm ready, confident (emphasis mine) in your verdict: "Innocent."”

The Message paraphrase says it all doesn’t it? How many times have you felt like you have “run for dear life” from situations that are going on in your life? I know I can name a few. But look what David does. He doesn’t take matters into his own hands when he’s falsely accused. He realizes who has the final say and submits the issue to him right off the bat as if to say “Here God. This is my problem and it’s bigger than me. I didn’t do anything wrong but if I did let me know and I will pay the consequences. If not, I know you will judge me as…Innocent.” Awesome isn’t it. He knows what I’ve done and will judge me accordingly. Now, how many of you when falsely accuse can say you’ve done the same thing?

I can honestly say I have failed to run to God when I've been falsely accused. Praise God it’s never too late to start over with God. He gives us second, third, fourth even forty-fourth chances. Have you ever been falsely accused of something? Did you turn everything over to God and let him handle it or did you try to take matters into you own hands?

The next time you’re falsely accused, give it to God – He is the only perfect judge.