You're Going to Be Ok

So many things have happened lately.  We had a huge debacle with some work being done in our home.  People claiming to be Christians came in and did the bathrooms for us.  And it is just a big mess.  The more I look the more problems I find.  We actually have to pay someone to come in a do some major fixing, like ripping out the tile shower floor and replacing it major.  

Yesterday, as I was driving home from Bible Study Fellowhip (highly recommend joining one of these if you can...next study starting in the fall is on the book of John), I stopped for some medicine because I haven't been feeling good and thought I needed to test for a UTI.  Turns out I just may have a back issue.  We'll see.  But anyway, while I was backing out of a parking space, I backed into another car.  Thankfully it's a minor scratch, but still.  UGH.  My mind was on fuzzy that morning and just worrying over life...I guess I just wasn't concentrating on my driving.  

Top this all off with the fact that I feel like I'm losing a dear friend.  This person has been a friend for such a long time and it breaks my heart.  I don't know what is going on but they don't seem to want to talk with me.  I don't know if I did something or if something is wrong...but whatever it is I just know I hurt.  

And God has been dealing with me regarding my habit of closing myself off.  Compartmentalizing, hardening my heart to hurt.  I've been praying about why I have such a hard time connecting with Him and with those around me.  He has revealed to me that years and years ago I started the process of hardening my heart in order to protect myself.  In high school, "you had to be tough to not be a victim." After a bad relationship..."no on was ever going to hurt me again."   After the death of my fiance, "I wasn't going to get attached anymore."  So on and so on, I built my wall, my shell.  The Lord has revealed to me that over the years I've developed a stony heart and it was time to break it apart.  So this has been a fun exercise in emotionalism.  LOL  It's still my go to to shut down when something hurts instead of allowing the pain to come and work through it with the Lord.  He wants me to seek Him as my hiding place, my comfort and my stability, not hide from life.  

So on and on the "hits" have been coming.  And as I drove home from the doctor today, mostly thinking about my friend and how I missed them a beautiful song came on that I knew was God reaching out to dry my tears and hold me in His arms.  What a loving, kind Father we have.  

What is your fiery furnace today?  What are you walking through that you want to run from?  I know how much life can hurt.  From the mundane to the mountains....It's going to be ok.  We are not alone.  God promises purpose in our pain.  We just did a study in Isaiah in BSF about how God was using suffering to refine the people of Israel.  One of the things I learned is that sweetness of spirit can exist along side the hurt.  It is my choice whether I get bitter or walk in the fruit of the Spirit.   And that is where I want to be.  I want to remain sweet even through the tears.  I don't want hardness and bitterness to take over my heart.  I'm done with that way of living.  But it's a moment by moment choice..  

Lord, take our pain and make it Your tool for Your purpose to glorify Yourself and a make us a blessing to others.  Help us through the hurt.  It's so hard Lord.  It hurts so much.  Life hurts so much.  Some days feel unbearable.  But they are not when we run to You.  Lord, shine through my tears.  Work through the heartache.  Work through the big and the small  And help us to hang onto You.  You are our refuge and our fortress.  In Jesus Name.  Amen. 

Zephaniah 3:17 For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”

Ten Commandments, from Mom

I haven't been in Mom's journal for a while so I thought it was time to dig back in.  Her next entry was on the Ten Commandments.  She took the time to write out the whole of them.  Not a bad idea as it helps cement things in our minds when we write them out.  

Meditate on the Ten Commandments to learn God's moral nature and character. 

1.  I am the Lord your God Who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. 

2.  You must not have any other God but me.   “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. 5 You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. 6 But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.

3.  You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.

4. Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 You have six days each week for your ordinary work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.

5.  Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

6.  You must not murder.

7.  You must not commit adultery.

8.  You must not steal.

9.  You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.

10.  You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.

From me.

Good words work, even today.  God's commands to do not go out of style, they do not become old and stale, they apply today just as they did when He gave them.  Jesus summed it up when He said in Matthew 22:37-40 37 "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”  And in Luke 6:31 "Do to others as you would like them to do to you."  These words are still relevant today.  The more we meditate on them and make them part of ourselves, the easier it will become to walk in them.  And the closer we will be with our Lord and Savior.

Lord, make these commands of Yours the barriers in our lives.  Let them hem us in on all sides so that we stay safe on the road we walk with You.  These commands keep us on the narrow path, in your sheep pen where we can clearly hear Your voice.  Your commands make us wise, bring us peace and keep us close to You.  Give us hearts to obey and strength to keep these words.  It is in Jesus Name I pray, amen.

Take time to go over the Ten Commandments again.  Let it become a habit to read and think about them.  

God's Best

Isaiah 55:8-9 “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.  “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.  9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

This verse brings comfort and conviction.  We are comforted to know that God knows so so much more than us and has plans and purposes that we couldn't begin to imagine.  We are in His good hands.  Conviction comes because we allow fear to overwhelm our faith.  Doubt and concern couples with pride, causing us to take things into our own hands thinking we know better.  

We have a dear sister at our church who has been given a discouraging diagnosis.  And even though her faith is strong, she is still apprehensive about what will come when the treatments start.  Facing the unknown is difficult even for Christians.  Knowing God is in control and has her in His loving arms is carrying her and her family right now.  

We had a prayer service for her on Monday night.  We all prayed for her healing.  We prayed for God's hand to be upon them, upholding them and comforting them.  All these things are good and right prayers.  In James 5:13-15 we are told: 13 Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. 14 Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.  It is Biblical to pray for healing.  

But sometimes God doesn't bring instant healing.  Sometimes we need to walk through the darkest valleys in order to gain His best in our lives, both for ourselves and for others.  2 Corinthians 1:3-7 3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. 4 He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. 5 For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. 6 Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. 7 We are confident that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God gives us.

If we don't walk through trials, we would never have need of God's comfort.  If we don't walk through difficulties we would never find His strength is sufficient.  2 Corinthians 12:7-10 7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.  It is in the valleys that we find God.  It is in the hardships that we seek Him most.  

James 1:2-4 2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.  For some reason, us humans grow most when we are in the fire.  

So I've now taken to praying for my friend God's best.  Yes, I would love to see her healed instantly, not having to go through any suffering and sickness from the effects of chemo and other treatments for her illness.  But if God deems those things beneficial for her to experience for reasons beyond our knowledge, then I pray that He will have His perfect way.  And I will believe that His heart is not only all knowing, but kind and filled with complete love.  If David never went through the valleys He would have never had the deep, close, abiding relationship with His Lord that he had.  And above all healing I pray that my friend would come into a deeper place with her Father and Savior and come out on the other side of this knowing she was never without Him and He held her the whole time. That she would fully know the truth of  Isaiah 43:2 When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.

Lord, I do pray from our dear sister.  I pray for her healing.  I pray that Your hand would be upon her and her family and they would know that You are with them.  I pray that however and whenever You choose to take this awful disease from her that Your perfect will is done and that she will receive all that You have for her through this time.  You are her Savior and sustainer.  Let her sense Your strong Presence and be her mighty fortress through this time.  I also pray this for her family.  You are the One we count on and turn to and trust.  Thank You Lord, that no matter what we have to go through here on earth, we know that it comes through Your heart of kindness and love.  No weapon formed against her will prosper.  She belongs to You.  Thank You Lord that we have You to run to, to hide in and to find shelter and safety in.  What a blessed people we are.  Lord, let those of us around her know how we can help, encourage and care for them at this time.  It is in Jesus' Name I pray.  Amen. 

The Lord is my shepherd;

    I have all that I need.

2 He lets me rest in green meadows;

    he leads me beside peaceful streams.

3     He renews my strength.

He guides me along right paths,

    bringing honor to his name.

4 Even when I walk

    through the darkest valley,

I will not be afraid,

    for you are close beside me.

Your rod and your staff

    protect and comfort me.

5 You prepare a feast for me

    in the presence of my enemies.

You honor me by anointing my head with oil.

    My cup overflows with blessings.

6 Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me

    all the days of my life,

and I will live in the house of the Lord

    forever.  Psalm 23

Loved

We've all heard about God's love.  It's all over the Bible.  Complete.  Fully.  Eternally.  Unconditionally.  Agape love.  

"'Agape' is one of several Greek words for love. When the word "agape" is used in the Bible, it refers to a pure, willful, sacrificial love that intentionally desires another’s highest good."  This is the love God has for us.  

People like to say God is love.  And love is part of God's character.  He cannot stop Himself from loving because it is who He is.  

In a podcast from Joyce Meyer I listened to today, she spoke how God can't help but love.  It's what He does.  I started thinking about that and thought to myself, but God also hates.  He hates sin.  The Bible tells us so.   There are a lot of things the Bible tells us God hates.  All of them involve some kind of sin.  For example: Proverbs 6:16-19 These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him:17 A proud look, A lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, 18 A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, 19 A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren.  

So as I thought about this I concluded that even God's hate is born out of love.  Sin separates.  It causes a chasm between us and God, and us and others.  And this chasm between us and God can be eternal if we don't repent and accept what Jesus did on the Cross for us.  God hates sin because He knows how damaging it is to those He loves, us.  Our Father knows how it breaks our hearts, causes chaos in our lives, brings consequences, sometimes severe ones, even eternal ones.  He sees how it divides His church, marriages, friendships and families.  And most of all it separates Him from us, those whom He dearly loved so much that Jesus willingly and in love chose to die to bring us back into fellowship with our God.  Ultimately, it's the sin of unbelief in Jesus' redeeming work on the Cross, that final decision of rebellion and rejection of God that separates us forever from our loving Creator.  

Since I've been spending so much time in the Old Testament, seeing how God dealt with His rebellious, wayward nation Israel, seeing His discipline of them, I come to a new understanding about His relationship with them.  While He was angry and punished them, the bottom line was that it was done in love to draw them back to Himself, back to holiness and safety.  

Hosea 11:1-9 “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son.  2 As they called them, so they went from them; They sacrificed to the Baals, and burned incense to carved images. 3 “I taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by their arms; but they did not know that I healed them.  4 I drew them with gentle cords, with bands of love,  and I was to them as those who take the yoke from their neck. I stooped and fed them. 5 “He shall not return to the land of Egypt; But the Assyrian shall be his king, because they refused to repent. 6 And the sword shall slash in his cities, devour his districts, and consume them, because of their own counsels. 7 My people are bent on backsliding from Me.  Though they call to the Most High, none at all exalt Him.  8 “How can I give you up, Ephraim?  How can I hand you over, Israel?  How can I make you like Admah?  How can I set you like Zeboiim?  My heart churns within Me; My sympathy is stirred. 9 I will not execute the fierceness of My anger;  I will not again destroy Ephraim.  For I am God, and not man, the Holy One in your midst; And I will not come with terror.

God's love compels Him to discipline us for our sin.  He wants us to live in harmony and safety.  He wants us to stay in His boundaries.  He wants the absolute best for our lives.  This is how He loves.  

Revel in this love.  Enjoy the fellowship of our Lord and Savior by being obedient.  Stay within His boundaries, secure in His love.  Rest in Jeremiah 31:3 The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying:  “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.  And know that even in discipline God loves.  

Lord, I am so grateful and amazed at Your love.  Even when You hate, it's born out of Your great love for us.  Lord, help us to stay in the boundaries of that love and enjoy the sweet communion that it brings.  Help us to love You with all our heart, mind, and strength.  In Jesus' name, amen.

Spend some time reading Isaiah.  See God's love in action.