Overwhelmed? Tired? Confused?

Life is busy. I do not have to tell you that! Practically every single person I know has the same lament - "I am too busy!"  I have too much going on!" Even in the summertime when we could be relaxing and taking a break, we find ourselves busy trying to get "it" all in.  What is "it" anyway?

Today I find myself at home, alone, Cool!  This is going to be such a nice relaxing day.   I decide to start off with a little exercise, get the blood pumping and the steps for the day in, so I hook up the dogs to go for a nice long walk through our lovely quiet neighborhood.  Of course, Daisy pooped.  Yes, I always have poop bags with me.  The poop bags I recently bought and tied to the leash, however, were defective. (Exasperated sigh goes here!)  They were not sealed on the sides or the end. Just really cute sheets of plastic and not very helpful. So, after our walk, I had to go back and pick up the poop with a real bag. My conscience won't let me just leave it there.  Moving on.  When I got home, I sat on the side of the tub to take my shoes off and slipped off the side of the tub landing on my tailbone, ouch!!  How did I even do that?  Next on the agenda, making dinner for some dear friends.  I thought I had everything I needed. Nope. So I hop in the car to go get sour cream and flour tortillas only to find when I got home that I already had both. (Seriously???)  Why didn't I double check in the garage frig?  I need a drink! No, not that kind of drink...a drink of water...I need a drink of water! So I grab the bottle off the counter and looking forward to being refreshed, I gingerly place the water bottle to my lips and tilt it awaiting the cool refreshment and... low and behold, I haven't taken the top off the bottle.  Duh!!!

When goofy things like this start happening to me, I know I am very near the brink of something...like maybe I am about to self-destruct.  More than likely, my brain is on overwhelm. Sometimes it is trying to sort things out and is just distracted. At any rate, I have too much processing going on in my brain and it just keep going and going and going, thinking and thinking and thinking and this wreaks havoc. Unlike the Energizer Bunny, however, my batteries do run out.  I don't like it, but it's true.  Do your batteries run out, too?

There is hope for those of us that get overwhelmed, tired and confused at times and our batteries begin running out.  His name is Jesus.  So today, in the remainder of my home alone time, not to be confused with the movie of the same name, I pull out my Bible and land in Matthew, Chapter 11.

"Come to me, all 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

The yoke of Jesus here is meant as a spiritual aid. When we are in overwhelm mode, it is our very spirit, our soul, that is tired or distracted or confused and working overtime.  The function of a yoke was to couple the oxen to do the farmers work - the oxen working in tandem, side by side - together with the farmer.  Taking on the yoke of  Jesus couples us with Him to do the work He has for us - whatever and wherever it is. If we work, think and play or even spend time home alone in this way, the Bible promises whatever we do will be made easier and lighter.

Overwhelmed? Tired? Confused?  Head out to the barn and talk to Farmer Jesus.

Praying - anytime, anywhere, about anything

I believe it is God's desire for us to communicate with Him. Communicating with God verbally or in our thoughts is called prayer. His Word encourages us to talk to Him "without ceasing", and "at all times".

                                             I Thessalonians 5:17 "Pray without ceasing." 

Ephesians 6:18 "Praying at all times in the Spirit with all prayer and supplication to that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints."

I have charge of the Preschoolers in our church.  I can't imagine serving anywhere else. Preschoolers are so much fun and they learn through movement. Anyone with a 4 or 5-year-old, knows they love to move - A LOT!!  and practically all the time.  Anyway, one of the things we teach them when we are learning about prayer is that we can talk to God anytime (we point to our wrist, aka wristwatch) anywhere (we move our hands to each side of our body at about shoulder height) about anything (we reach our hands to the sky). This, of course, is a simple way to teach kids about talking to God and they totally get it.

But, as adults, prayer needs to go deeper still. Every occurrence, every occasion, every circumstance, every decision we need to make can become a stirring of the Holy Spirit within us to pray.  Prayer needs to become a habit. So much a part of ourselves that it is as frequent and natural as breathing.

I have read a book called The Practice of the Presence of God several times over the years. This book changed my thinking on prayer. The cover of the book invites us to read the spiritual secrets of a humble brother who enjoyed closeness with God.  Brother Lawrence was a Carmelite monk whose sole purpose in life was to remain always in the presence of God - no matter the task, no matter his circumstance - anytime, anywhere, anything!

In his 7th letter to an unnamed friend, Brother Lawrence wrote, "The least little remembrance will always be acceptable to Him. (God) You need not cry very loud; He is nearer to us than we are aware of."  God is always available - just a thought or even a whisper away.

The book goes on to talk about S. Clement of Alexandria. He was a gifted teacher of new Christians in the church at Jerusalem.  I can easily identify with Clement on several levels. You might want to look him up and read about his life. It is quite interesting.  Back to topic...around 190 A.D. Clement wrote the "Stromata" in which he described a man that might be very much like Brother Lawrence. He wrote, "the great business of a philosopher, that is, a wise Christian, is prayer. Such an one prays in every place, at every time, not indeed using many words, or thinking to be heard for his much speaking, but in secret in the depths of his soul, while walking or conversing with his fellow-man, or reading, at the table, when at work. His praises rise to God unceasingly; not only in the morning, and at noon, but in all his actions he glorifies God as do the Seraphim."  Anytime, anywhere, about anything!  Unceasingly in thought, word and deed!  

These types of prayers are called breath prayers; they are short, simple, heartfelt, meaningful, spontaneous, important and valuable. Examples might be when you are watching your child quietly play - you speak a blessing over your child, or pray for their future. When you see a beautiful flower, thank God for the gift of nature. When someone you know comes to mind, ask God to give them the desires of their heart. Short, simple prayers that keep us communicating with God, and in His presence all the time.  Breath prayers can be prayers of praise, worship, love, needs, thanksgiving, blessing, help and so on and so on. Anytime, anywhere about anything! 

Today might be a good day to begin practicing breath prayers and perhaps, like Brother Lawrence, they will become a habit in us leading us to remain always in the presence of God.  I pray it is so!

Breathe in - "Father", breathe out - "draw near to the persons reading this blog today."  

There are many good articles on Breath Prayer. Following is a link to just one.

Guideposts article on Breath Prayers

Looking in the Right Place

I watched a robin this morning as she searched the tall wet grass for a morning meal.  The sprinklers had been on and had very probably coaxed the little robin's breakfast near the surface.  She hopped here and there, then suddenly stopped, cocked her head, and with a swift jabbing motion, dove her beak into the ground and with two hard, fast tugs pulled out a fat worm that looked to be about 5 or 6 inches long.  If birds could talk, I am fairly certain she would have shouted what I did as an observer...SCORE!!!  (I really did shout SCORE I was so excited for her!)  She finished her first course and hopped to another section of the lush green lawn and promptly found the second course to her meal.  I watched her for quite some time repeat her search and find mission and then she happily flew off content and satisfied that she had relieved our yard of all the fattest and juiciest worms.  But was she done?  Had she met her fill? Nope!  She flew to the neighbors yard and began her search all over again.  I found this whole scenario quite fascinating.

As always, when I see something that amazes me, I try to find a way to see God in it.  This morning it was easy.  Oh, I could quote the likely scripture here found in Matthew 6:26 "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" The lesson being: God takes care of the birds, He'll take care of you.  But, I'd like to go much deeper today.  Let's think about our souls rather than our bellies, the heart of each one of us.

My little friend the robin, kept searching, kept filling herself with bugs and worms. (Ewwww!!) She needs to keeping filling herself.  It is a matter of survival and perhaps being able to feed her young.  I have to ask, what do we keep filling ourselves with?  What feeds the very heart of you -- your soul? What do you think you need to make you whole - to survive?  We often search for people we think will fill us up.  Perhaps for you it is traveling, or a lovely house, a boat, a motorcycle, a better job, more money - the list can go on forever.  We could go on searching tirelessly, but we won't find what we need.  My little robin was not always successful in her foraging. Sometimes she'd drive her beak into the ground and come up empty-beaked.  She hadn't looked in the right place.  We are the same. We can look and buy and go and do but we won't find what we need until we look in the right place - UP!

God made us so we could and would have a relationship with Him.  He made us in such a way that our souls long for Him.  He is what we need for survival.  He is the one who makes us whole.  "O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water." Psalm 63:1  "My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God."  Psalm 84:2

I have Psalm 62: 1-2 labeled in my Bible as "My Song".  "My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken."  God made each one of us so that He could be with us; so we could be filled up with Him. He even sent His Son, Jesus - Emmanuel - which means 'God with us" so we could be with Him eternally.  When my soul is filled up with God, - none of the other things matter, because it is all about God.  I have inner peace.  I am content.  I am satisfied.  I am whole.  I have looked in the right place and found what my soul needs - God with me!

Here's an idea - what if  the first thing we (you and I) do when we wake up - even before we fall out of bed - is ask God to walk with us through the new day.  Invite Him to just be with us.  Perhaps even ask if we can be with Him.
If we were to do that each and every morning and mean it, I imagine that each morning God would smile real big and say, "I'd like nothing more, my child."

SCORE!!

"Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him."  Psalm 62:5

Link to "As the Deer"  written by Martin J. Nystrom

Check out my latest release, Psalm 63 Expectant Prayer at www.roxannedrury.com or on Amazon.
 

Time to Plow

Just outside our neighborhood, there is a huge field.   Being new to the area, it took some fact finding research to discover what the crop even was.  Turns out it is a crop of sugar beets. I will tell you a little secret, because I am a curious soul, one time when we were out walking I plucked a plant to see if I could tell what it was --  I couldn't,  I just got roots.  (My apologies little plant!)   Last week, when we were out walking the dogs, we were surprised to find that finally, the farmer was plowing the field and gathering up his crop of sugar beets.  All spring and all summer we watched the sugar beet plants grow from tiny little shoots to huge bush type plants.  The field was a blanket of solid deep dark rich green.  When the summer was winding down in August, we couldn't understand why the field had not yet been harvested.  When September hit, we thought for sure the farmer would begin harvesting.  Nope!  October came and with it, chillier weather, surely now the farmer will harvest.  Nope!  It wasn't until the 3rd week in October that the farmer finally revved up his tractor and called in the big trucks to harvest his crop.  Day and night for 3 solid days he and his crew worked.   The machines they used looked ferocious - shiny wheels of sharp steel churning and turning - loosening the soil and pulling up the sugar beets.  The smooth flow of their system was like a well choreographed dance.  The giant tractor digger (I didn't know what it was really called, I just made that up.) moved slowly along the field digging up and spitting out the sugar beets into the tummy of its partner the sleek white dump truck that was waltzing along by the tractors side.  Once its tummy was full the dump truck sped off to unload and a new fresh dump truck took its place with precision and exact timing. Absolutely fascinating.  We watched for over 45 minutes so entranced were we in the Farmers Beet Harvest Dance.

Upon further research we learned that the timing for harvesting sugar beets must be perfect.   The farmer has to pay attention to the weather and to the temperature and the conditions in order to know when exactly it is time to harvest his beets.   He has to be prepared to go at it at the first sign of readiness.   Harvesting sugar beets begins with the first frost.  The day of the first frost that farmer must be prepared to harvest or all is lost.  And once harvested the sugar beets must be protected to prevent them from deteriorating before they can be delivered to the factory.  Such an amazing process and it is all centered on timing.   (By the way - I also learned that the "giant tractor digger" is actually called a beet harvester.)

I tell you this story of the Sugar Beets because it made me think of how precise and exact God's timing is as well as  how precise our timing must be in order that we do not miss a blessing.

In Hosea 10:12 God's Word declares, "Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until He comes and showers righteousness on you."

It is time to sow the things of God in our lives and the lives of others.
It is time to reap the fruit of His unfailing love.
It is time to plow through the things that prevent us from being and doing all God has planned for us.
It is time to seek the Lord with all our heart.
It is time to be prepared...
Until - in His time - He comes and showers righteousness on us.
Until - in His time - we receive His blessing.
Until - in His time - He comes again!

   

Gather, Scatter, Matter

Gather, Scatter, Matter.  3 little words that define life.

I first heard these words put together at a church meeting.  Leadership was sharing and encouraging the folks that come to the church to commit to partnering with the church by gathering regularly, scattering by engaging in the community inside and outside of the church and making a difference (mattering) by using our God-given time, treasure and talents through service, generosity and finances - again inside and outside of the church. This is a scriptural concept and not something that is new.  I had just never heard it summed up in this way and wrapped up in a nice neat package. Thank You, church!
              Gather: Hebrews 10:23-25     Scatter: Acts 2:42-47     Matter: Ephesians 4:1-16

As I thought about the concept of Gather, Scatter, Matter I saw so much more than just how this can apply to church life.  This concept applies to our daily lives as well.  Think about it...family life is all about Gather, Scatter, Matter.  As parents we gather our kids around the dinner table or we pile them all in the car to go on vacation.  Then when they are grown they scatter - going off to college, getting married, getting jobs and hopefully if we have done our job as a parent right, we have made a positive impact on their life and what we have done as a parent mattered.  And we see each child in turn gather, scatter and matter in their personal life, at their workplace and in the scope of their own little family as well as wherever they attend church.

In our home, when our children were growing up, we sat at the dinner table every evening.  This was a time of regrouping and reconnecting, touching base with each child.  This was our gathering time. It wasn't always pretty...there was spilt milk, and lap chops (that is our term for when a child cuts his or her meat and it lands in his or her lap - I use no names to protect the not so innocent!) and there were disagreements - "Mo-om he's looking at me!!!"  "Mo-om she is sitting too close!!!"  Sigh!!!  But I wouldn't exchange a moment of it for all the coffee at Dutch Bros. because there was also laughter and sweet times.  We would hear about how one brother stuck up for another brother.  Or how our boys were watching out for their little sister. We would hear about field trips and what they learned. We would hear about who likes who and all that the boy/girl drama.  We would hear about what happened when our children sang at the old folks home or served meals to the needy with the boy scouts.  We saw them scattering and making a difference (mattering) in the lives of each other and the lives of people outside our family.

In Matthew 13: 4-9, Jesus told a parable of a farmer who scattered seeds. The farmer first has to gather his seeds, then he can scatter them.  But once scattered, only some of the seeds landed on good soil - only some of the seeds mattered.  In verses 18 - 23 of that same chapter, Jesus explains the parable. What I see is that if the farmer never gathered or scattered, none of the seeds would have mattered.

Gather, Scatter, Matter are intertwined.  But it starts with Gathering.  Whether you gather at the dinner table, gather via Face time, gather with a group of friends or gather in the church, that's where it starts.

For once you Gather, seeds of life and love will be Scattered and it will Matter.


"The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God's Word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!" Matthew 13: 23

The Weight of the World

Did you ever have one of those days where you feel like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders?  Nothing seems right in your home, in your family, in the world and there is simply nothing you can do about it.  Those kind of days it is hard to power through when all you really want to do is climb back in bed and sleep... thinking maybe when you wake up things will be different.

I had one of those days recently.  I learned that a dear friend lost her husband to a massive heart attack.  I knew her husband, and I know that my friend is hurting and I am not there to love, comfort and support her.  But God is.  If I am honest, even though God is with her, I am still sad.

A little later on the same day, I spoke with my son who has been job hunting for a really long time. He finally had a good job locked in, he had a start date, things were good to go and then there was a hiccup in his paperwork, and with his cell phone - he missed an important call and the company terminated the hiring process and hired someone else.  Heartbreaking news.  When he and I spoke on the phone we decided God is in this and there is a reason.   Acknowledging that God is in control of this situation doesn't make it any less painful.  I am still sad for my son and his family because this didn't work out for them.

Does this mean that I don't trust God?  Does it mean that I have no faith?  No.  It means I have a heart.  A heart that hurts for the people I care about.  A heart that feels what they are feeling.  I like that!

So I did what I always do with my sad heart, I took it to the Savior.  I told Him what I was feeling and you know what He said?  He said, "I know.  I understand.  Be still, child, and know that I am God.  I am in control and I have a plan."  In other words - rest in me - I am with you (and your friend and your son) - I have you (and your friend and your son) securely in the palm of my hand - climb on my lap and feel my embrace."  And so, I did.  I climbed up onto his lap, and taking a deep breath and releasing it with a sigh, I laid the weight of my world at His feet.

Today is a new day.  I woke up with the same left over sadness but today I was granted a new perspective.  I laid in bed looking out the window to see the leaves on the colorful trees blowing gently in the wind.  I saw the glorious sun and felt such gratitude it was overwhelming.  I wondered, can sadness and gratitude fill a heart at the same time?  I suppose it depends on the capacity of the heart.  I believe God has given me much heart capacity because I feel so many different things - sometimes all at the same time - so deeply and so passionately - though probably people would never know that.  I know many people with this same huge heart capacity - and I love that I am surrounded by them. They are a gift as I hope I am a gift to them.

The weight of the world is not mine to bear.  Yes, I will be affected by it - I will feel sadness, I will get disgusted, I will feel pain and sorrow but I have a Savior that knows, that understands, that cares.

The weight of the world is not yours to bear either.  Do you know my Savior?
Let me introduce you...His name is Jesus.  He knows.  He understands.  He cares.  Rest in Him. Climb into His lap and feel His embrace.  Pour yourself out to Him.  Lay the weight of your world at His feet.
He invites you to do just that!

"Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest." 
Matthew 11:28   

    

A Little Faith, A Little Trust and it will all work out!

Remember our story of Jesus yesterday and the 5000+ people gathered to see and hear Him?  He was tired. He was hungry.  But He had compassion on them even after a long, long day, and He started teaching them, just like you would expect Jesus to do.  He ranks on the top of the list for self-sacrifice, wouldn't you agree?  Well to continue that story from the book of Mark -- it got to be late in the afternoon...now if you recall, even Jesus' disciples had not had a moments rest and they had not had a chance to eat.  All those hungry men...I can just imagine they were starting to get a bit ornery - hunger does that to folks.  So the disciples approach Jesus and suggest that He send all the people away so they (the people) can go to the town to buy something to eat.   But Jesus, has other plans..."Oh noooo," He says, "You feed them!"    Whaaaaat!?!?!?!  Right away the disciples start in with all the reasons they can't do that...we don't have enough money, where would we find enough food for all these people? "C'mon, Jesus, get real,"  they must have been thinking.  Jesus, the problem solver said something like this, "You are right this is a lot of people to feed, but how much bread do we have here among the people?  Go find out."  First of all, He hears what they are saying and then He tells them - don't assume you can't do this, go check...do your research.  So they do.  They come back and report that all they can find among the people are five loaves of bread and two fish.  In their minds, I imagine they are thinking - like this is going to be any help in feeding 5000+ people.  I am sure they were skeptical to say the least.  (Paraphrased by me from Mark 6:35-38)

I know there have been many times I was skeptical that God was going to do a work.  Take our move to Idaho for example.  We had prayed and felt certain we had God's blessing to move to Idaho.  We had our kids blessing to move.  Everything was perfect.  We worked night and day to get our home in California ready to sell.  We had help from friends and family.  Everything was blipping along exactly as we thought it was going to because we had confirmation from God that we were doing the right thing - doing what He wanted us to.  The real estate folks thought our home was gorgeous and would sell above market value and so we went with it.  Finally the day came and the sign went up - For Sale!  And then the house sat - For Sale!  No prospects for the first two weeks.  The 3rd week we had people come and see it - many thought it was perfect for them but we had no offers.  So we reduced the price.  Still it sat - For Sale!  1 month, 2 months...This is when the skepticism came in.  I prayed, "Lord isn't this what you wanted?  I don't understand."  He answered with the verses, "Be still and know that I am God."  Psalm 46:10 and "Call to me and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things which you do not know." Jeremiah 33:3  "Ok, Lord," I said, "I will keep trusting, I will keep waiting for the great and mighty things that I don't know about." But it was hard when everything was taking so long.  In looking back in my journal from that period of time, I prayed over and over that He would be glorified through whatever happened with our home.  In my journal I wrote, "Father do your thing - so that it is undeniably Your hand at work, Your will, Your desire for us, Your miracle."   And finally, at the 11th hour, He did.  We had made the decision that we were leaving town on March 30th whether the house was sold or not. This we felt was also ordained and directed by God.  So we went with it. Who are we to argue with God? Right?  On March 7th, we got an offer on the house - all cash - uh oh, I am getting goose bumps again...this is so amazing...all cash, nothing to fix, no added expenses, an 'as is' purchase to close on March 30th!!!  God's timing is always PERFECT!!!  And when everything was said and done, we walked away with more than we had even hoped for.  More than we could ever ask or imagine as the verse says.  "Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we could ask or imagine." Ephesians 3:20  In my Bible next to that verse I have written, 'Go to Him with positive expectations.'  Truly, He has never failed to keep His promises to me or my family.

Now, back to our Bible story: Just like in my families story, in this Bible story, Jesus does an amazing work...a miracle.  I am thinking He had this planned all along, just like with our house.  First He tells the disciples to have everyone sit down in groups of 50 or 100.  (He is so organized!!) Then Jesus takes the five loaves and two fish, and looks up to heaven and blesses them.  He then starts breaking the bread and handing it to the disciples so they could pass it to the people.  He does the same with the fish.  Everyone - all 5000+ people - shared the five loaves and two fish.  They all ate and ate and ate until they were full - kind of like a person feels after Thanksgiving dinner.  And afterward the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftover bread and fish.  TWELVE! They ended up with way more than they even needed.  (Paraphrased by me from Mark 6: 39 - 44) Way more than they could have asked for or imagined. (Ephesians 3:20 again)

When God is involved, and we know that He is guiding and directing, that He is in charge, why do we doubt, even for a moment?  Why did the disciples doubt that Jesus could feed all those people with what little food they had available?  They knew Jesus. They had first hand knowledge of His power.  Why did I doubt for a second that our house was going to be sold?  I think sometimes, when we doubt it is because we can't see the possibilities.   We are blinded by our human limitations.  I think this was true in the case of the disciples.  They were too busy thinking about why the people couldn't be fed.  Other times we doubt because we get impatient.  We don't see things happening as fast as we hoped or even see anything at all happening.  This was true in the case of me and our house.  Whatever the reasoning for your doubt, the important thing is to get past it. God understands. Talk to Him about it. Own up to it and let it go - release "it" to Him - what ever "it" is.  He has it covered - He is handling "it".

With a little faith and a little trust it will all work out!  I know from experience.


"Then Jesus said to His disciples, "Have faith in God.  I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, 'May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' and it will happen.  But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart."  Mark 11:22-23  

    

Just Like Jesus

Imagine a day that has been so tiring, so jam packed with activity that all you want to do at the end of the day is collapse in exhaustion on the couch or in your bed.  Here is an example of one of those days...You cart the kids to school in the morning, go to church to volunteer for a couple hours, stop at the post office, the grocery store and to get gas, pick the kids up from school, stop at home long enough for a quick snack for the kids and for them to change their clothes for their activities. You turn right around and head out the door for your daughters soft ball practice which is immediately followed by the boys baseball practices all done with a toddler in tow.   By the time you get home it is dinner time,  which you prepare.  By this time hubby is home and he helps clean up after dinner.  Way to go, hubby!!! But it is now bath time. As you go to gather up your little one for his bath, you find him sitting very content in his room drawing on the new dresser - and himself - with Sharpies. (Sigh!!!)  Good thing it is bath time.  Little one is now bathed and what we call in our house "Jammified" which means he has his pajamas on.  Now it is time to start encouraging the three older ones that it is time to shower.  "I don't need a shower!"  "Yes, you do, you are sweaty, " you say.  "No, I'm not...not any more."  Calmly (or maybe not so calmly) you reply, "Please, just go take a shower and I suggest you not say another word.  I am the mom and I say go take a shower so go - take -  a -  shower."  (Does this interchange sound in any way familiar?) They understand this tone of voice means we better go take a shower and so they go take their showers.  After teeth are brushed and everyone is all set, you head up the stars for good nights and call out, "Time for bed!" "I'm not tired!" is the reply. Needless to say, at this point "It" whatever "It" is, could easily hit the fan!!!   But instead, you climb the stairs and give your children an extra 10 minutes to stay up while you check on little one who is already sound asleep looking like a sweet angel.  You clean up the bathroom and gather a load of laundry before going to kiss your beautiful children good night.
I know you have had days like this.  Everyone has.  Whether it is at home or at the office we all have them.
And so did Jesus.

The apostles had been out doing ministry and they came to find Jesus to tell Him about all the things they had done and what they had taught the people. Jesus listened.  Jesus sensed that the apostles were tired and He knew what His day had been like and that none of them had time to rest or even eat. There had been so many people coming and going, so many people to talk to, so many people asking questions, so many people to heal.  So Jesus suggested they find a quiet spot off by themselves in order to rest a bit and perhaps grab a bite to eat.  This sounded like a great idea to all of them so Jesus and His followers climbed in a boat and left for a quiet place where they could be alone.   But wait.......the people - people from many towns - saw them leaving and they came running along the shore of the lake to meet them on the other side.  I could hear all those people saying to each other - "Let's head them off at the pass!" This was a huge crowd of people - like 5000 people!  

Jesus had already had a full day.  He had not eaten. He had not rested.  Nor had his apostles.  But, what does Jesus do?  He looks out at all 5000 of those people as He is stepping out of the boat and He has compassion on them.  He was hungry, He was tired.  But, He is thinking to himself, these people are like lost sheep, they have no shepherd.  And so, He begins teaching them many things.             (Paraphrased by me from Mark 6: 30-34)

So often, in our day to day lives we experience days like I described above.  It just seems like it is one thing after another and there is no time to rest and no time to eat and then our children push us to the limit.  And yet...from somewhere deep within us, we find strength to keep going; we find patience not to lose our temper; we find compassion to give an extra 10 minutes, just like Jesus.

And when we are just like Jesus, I like to think God our Father smiles and says "That's my girl!" or "That's my boy!"  "She/he is just like Jesus!"  And isn't that the goal?


Philippians 2: 4,5 "Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus."

Mark 6: 30-34 "The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to Him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, He said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, He had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things."   

Grace Abounds

Grace and peace to you my friends!

Grace allows me to be who I really am, warts and all!  God's grace accepts me exactly as I am.  I don't have to pretend.  I don't have to fake it!  And this knowledge is freeing.  It's hard work to pretend I am something I am not.  It goes against a person's natural inclinations.  I can relax.  "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not without effect..."   1 Corinthians 15:10
Grace - amazing grace! What is it?

Webster's New World Dictionary College Edition provides a theological definition of grace: "The unmerited love and favor of God toward man; divine influence acting in man to make him pure and morally strong; the condition of a person thus influenced."  There is nothing I can do or ever have done to earn God's grace.  It is a gift that God freely gives.  Grace prompted God to give - to send His Son.  This is God's love in action and it is transforming.

Louis Berkhof in his Systematic Theology refers to grace as a covenant between God and man.  He says it like this:  "The covenant of grace may be defined as that gracious agreement between the offended God and the offending but elect sinner, in which God promises salvation through faith in Christ, and the sinner accepts this believingly, promising a life of faith and obedience."  (Section 111 Nature of the Covenant of Grace, B. Par. 4)  Grace is God's love expressed to those who deserve it the least.  It is an offer of eternal life with Him through Jesus.  And those elect that have accepted the gift make a promise to be faithful and obedient.   Thus a covenant is made between God and man.

Keeping in mind that God is a Triune God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - the manifestation of grace would involve interaction with all three persons of the Trinity.  Grace is the gift of God - Ephesians 2:8, offered through the action of God's Son, Jesus - Ephesians 2:7 and worked in us through the Holy Spirit - 1 Peter 1:2.   In his article What Is Grace, John MacArthur states "Grace is not a dormant or abstract quality, but a dynamic, active, working principle: "The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation...and instructing us" (Titus 2: 11-12).  It is not some ethereal blessing that lies idle until we appropriate it. Grace is God's sovereign initiative to sinners. (Ephesians 1:5-6)".

In the covenant of grace, God takes the first step by offering it as a gift.  Once we accept that gift, it is our duty to wholeheartedly jump in as faithful, loyal, all-in followers of Christ.  I think of Billy Graham who had been preaching for 73 years and Chuck Swindoll who has been preaching for 53 years.  These are men like you and I that are sinners saved by grace and they are all-in followers of Christ.  Will you or I be a Billy Graham or Chuck Swindoll, probably not, but can we be all-in followers that serve regularly in our local churches and communities? Absolutely! Because you and I have the same grace bestowed on us that Billy and Chuck have.  Think about that.

We have looked at what grace is. For a moment let's look at what grace is not. Grace is not, a "Free Pass" to do as we choose.  Often as Christians, we fail to see that God's grace calls us to be better people - "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind..." Romans 12: 2a    About grace, the Bible says "It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age."  Titus 2: 12  One foot in the world and one foot on God's playing field just doesn't cut it with God.  Revelations 3:15 & 16 are words to heed, "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm - neither hot nor cold- I am about to spit you out of my mouth."  One foot in and one foot out is being lukewarm.  God knows that in our humanness - in our weakness - we often have trouble making commitments.  It is hard for us to make a commitment to the people we see every day.  This covenant is a commitment to be faithful and obedient to God whom we can not see.  But God, in His grace, promises to help us with this.  He tells us, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12: 9 God's promise is that He will make us strong and able to say "No" to the world and "Yes" to being all-in.

There is a very old song that I taught my Sunday School kids years ago.  I haven't heard it sung in a church setting in quite a while - unless of course it was my own Sunday School class - I love the old Bible songs... It is not sung in the more contemporary church settings because the tune isn't upbeat or catchy.  But the words speak volumes about being all-in for God. 

I Have Decided to Follow Jesus

I have decided to follow Jesus, I have decided to follow Jesus, I have decided to follow Jesus
No turning back, no turning Back

The cross before me - the world behind me, The cross before me - the world behind me, The cross before me the world behind me
No turning back, no turning back

Though none go with me I still will follow, Though none go with me I still will follow, Though none go with me I still will follow
No turning back, no turning back

God's grace abounds.  It is plentiful and unconditional - given freely to all who accept it.  Those who accept, are then filled with grace and able to give grace to others through works and words and love. "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." 2 Corinthians 9: 8

Yes, grace...amazing grace!  How sweet it is! Grace abounds!

Signed,
A sinner saved by grace



References:
Webster's New World Dictionary College Edition 1966
Berkhof, Louis, (1938). Systematic Theology. https://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/sdg/berkhof/systematic_theology.html. Section 111, Nature of the Covenant of Grace, B, Par. 4. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
What is Grace. MacArthur, John. http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/grace-to-you/read/articles/what-is-grace-10339.html.  Par. 13. Retrieved 5 September 2016.              

  

How He Loves Us

God looks for us - He searches us out and calls us by name.  He leaves the 99 to find the lost 1. He waits eagerly for us to come to Him.

He loves us in spite of our faults, in spite of our sin, in our brokenness.

God delights in us in spite of all of these things.

He understands.  He cares.  He grants mercy.  He forgives. He loves fully and completely.

He knows us inside and out because He created us - He thought us up and then spoke us into being.

Because He knows us so well He can love us perfectly.

He loves unconditionally as only He can.

He loves personally.

The only thing He wants in return – is fellowship - that we love Him back.  That we talk with Him and get to know Him. That we believe.

What do you do with a love like God’s?

You accept it. You bask in it. It's a gift.
You truly realize just how great His affection is for you - how He loves you so!

And then you share it. 

"We love because He first loved us." 1 John 4:19 

That's it...simple.

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Oh How He Loves