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Monthly Archives: March 2012

My God is…the Alpha and Omega Rev 1:8

29 Mar

Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Α and ΩJOY

It’s possible that you’ve heard this phrase before, “I am the Alpha and Omega”, but didn’t know what that was exactly. Alpha and Omega are letters from the Classical Greek alphabet. The Alpha letter comes at the very beginning of the alphabet and Omega comes at the end.

So why did Jesus describe Himself this way?

I believe it was because He was revealing Himself as eternal, with nothing coming before Him or after Him. He reinforces this concept in the second half of verse 8: “Who is, and who was, and who is to come”.

Nothing coming Before or After Him

Jesus may have been describing Himself as eternal, but today it came to my mind that it’s also how I should be thinking of Him in my daily life. When my boys were attending a Christian school in Tucson, they were taught the JOY method – Jesus – Others – Yourself. They were encouraged to put the Lord first, others ahead of themselves, and also to respect themselves. If I think of Jesus first thing when I wake up, and the last thing before I go to bed, I’m well on my way to having a stronger relationship with Him.

What if I take that a step further and each time I make a decision or consciously act while putting God first and last in my thoughts? I wonder how my life would be different. If I could live the JOY method more truthfully, I would guess that my friends and family would start to see more of the fruits of the Spirit presenting themselves in my life.

Are you a believer in the JOY method?

 
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Posted by on March 29, 2012 in My God is the Alpha and Omega

 

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My God is…the Vine John 15:5

27 Mar

John 15:5 I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

I am the Vine

I am the Vine; you are the branches

Out here in Oregon, there are a lot of vineyards. It makes for some fantastic wines in the area. Quite a few years ago (the 60’s?) someone figured out that the soil in Western Oregon was good for producing Pinot Noir. Since that time this area has been booming with vineyards.

In the verse above, Jesus compares himself to the vine, and us to the branches. If Jesus is the vine, what was His soil? I think it’s God the Father. Jesus was always making sure his behaviors pointed back to the Father, and always wanted to do His will.

Nutrition is important

How do you get your nutrients? The branches on the vine get all the nutrients they need from the vine. When they’re separated from the vine, they wither and die. What you put into yourself is important. What do you nourish yourself with? Maybe you eat really well, and don’t have any of the struggles with weight and eating that I’ve had, but let’s think of a different kind of nourishment. What are you feeding your soul? Do you listen to the lies of the devil as he tells you you’re not worthy of forgiveness. The truth is we’re not. And that’s ok, because Jesus, our Vine, is, and has taken your place so even if we don’t deserve it, we’re given salvation. Why? Because He wants us to have everlasting life with Him. Because of that amazing love He has for us, we’re able to be changed and grow. He provides everything we need to produce fruit. He changes us. He gives us the nutrients that each of us needs individually. He meets our Spiritual needs.

A bit malnourished

This week I’ve been feeling a bit malnourished. I’ve been focusing on myself. Worrying about something the Lord has proven over and over again that he’ll take care of…Money. Funny thing is, I don’t even know if it’s a problem or not yet. My husband and I still need to let the dust settle and see if we’re able to make a go of it on his salary alone. While I love that idea, I have not been enjoying the possibility. Instead I’ve been worrying about the money. How is it going to stretch? How are we going to pay the bills at the right time. I’m not opposed to working, but would love to find something as flexible as I have had up to now. During all this fretting, I turned to the Lord at every turn. HA! No I didn’t. If I had turned to God every time I was concerned, He would have provided me with comfort and direction, but for some reason, instead I find myself lingering in the problem instead of the solution, Christ Jesus.

A New Diet

So feeling a bit malnourished, because I haven’t “remained in Him”, I need to start on a new diet plan. A plan that refocuses me on my Lord. I need to spend more time with Him through His word and His people. I need to allow the Lord to meet my needs, and not fret. Will that be through a new job opportunity or the opportunity to stay home, I don’t know, but I know that my nourishment will be found in Jesus, so I need to get healthier with Him.

Apart from me you can do nothing.

Instead of continuing to try to cling to my own ways, focusing on the negative, I need to find the blessings from the Lord in my family, His word and the life He has given me. I have big plans for myself. I want to be a writer and speaker, but apart from God I can do nothing. I must trust in Him to give me the strength, sanity and opportunity. Time to spend some time in His word and in prayer.

Are you malnourished?

 

 


 
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Posted by on March 27, 2012 in John, My God is the Vine

 

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My God is … The Good Shepherd John 10:14

21 Mar

John 10:14 – I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me

John 10:14 - I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me

John 10:14 - I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me

He knows me

So being called a sheep may not be the most flattering thing in the world. They’re not the brightest animal on the farm, and I’m not super in love with their smells either. I am grateful for the wool, and there’s almost nothing as sweet as seeing little lamb-i-kins bouncing across the British Countryside (Right Rachel?). But when being a sheep means that Jesus is your Shepherd  Good Shepherd, everything changes.

Not the brightest animal on the farm

We may not always make great decisions, say the right thing, or do the right thing, but like a Shepherd, God is watching over us, herding us back to safer ground. Ground filled with blessings and closeness to Him. When I’m in the midst of bad behavior (insert sin of choice here), I find myself lost, confused and unsure of myself. It’s in  weakness and insecurity that I’m no longer stubborn and going my own direction. I start looking around for a way out, a safe place to go, and I realize my Shepherd has been near by at all times, ready to lead me home.

Going my own direction

Have you ever made a wrong turn? You were sure you knew your way, but still ended up someplace other than where you wanted to be? In the song “The Good Shepherd” By Dave Horn (find it here #23 on the list), Dave sings about the Good Shepherd from the devil’s perspective. The devil says everything the Good Shepherd does; knowing their name and carrying their blame, shows how he, the devil, has lost this game. That’s a comforting thought.

God knows my name and carries me and my blame

The Good Shepherd lays down his life for His sheep. We are not in a relationship with a God who sets things in motion and then leaves us there floundering. He is there to help guide us out of trouble. He’s come to keep me from being separated from Him for eternity because of my sin. He’s laid down his life so that I can be free from blame. When we are weak, we find Him when no one else cares about us anymore. When we have burned all our bridges, Jesus became the Bridge to God the Father, allowing us a way to salvation, when all we deserve is utter destruction. Not only does he keep us from harm, keeping away the devil, but he also leads us towards His Father, while drawing us closer to Him. He seeks us out when we’re straying away from Him.

Embracing my Sheepishness

I said it earlier, I don’t think the description of us as sheep is very flattering, but it is accurate. I do make mistakes and end up taking the wrong path. Sometimes I don’t listen to my God and I end up in deep do-do. I find myself floundering, having separated myself from my support system, and ignoring the warnings of friends and family. I hear the devil trying to lie to me, telling me I’m not worthy of being used by the God I love, but like the Good Shepherd that He is, Jesus is right there to guide me back to safety in His arms, His word and His church.

Are you Sheepish?

 
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Posted by on March 21, 2012 in God is my Shepherd, John

 

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My God is … God Psalm 46:10

16 Mar

Psalm 46:10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”

Be Still

How often are you still? Do you stop? Ever? Many of my friends hardly ever stop. Even when they do stop physically, their minds are still racing, and they don’t truly get any rest from their hectic lives. Being still takes focus. It’s not easy at all. You can start to feel guilty, wiggling around thinking about all of the things not getting done while you’re “being still”.

What do we miss in our hectic lives

In Psalm 46:10, God says to “Be still and know that I am God”. What a blessing of being still! For many years I had worked a 40 hour a week job. I actually worked a lot more hours than that, because I had a virtual commute. It always sounds so wonderful. I got to work from home! But that has its pluses and minuses. Yes I could run and get my boys when I needed to, and if something came up I could take care of it. The truth is, usually those things didn’t come up, but instead I would be more likely to allow my work to impede on my family time. I would be doing fine, playing a game or watching a movie with the boys when I would think of one more thing that I could get done before tomorrow (so that day would be “easier”). I would work on that while I was “with” my boys. I would not be fully present in either, not accomplishing anything of value in the end. The next day was not easier, as I had plenty more to worry about that day.

Each day my minds raced. I wanted to be sure that my work was visible even though I wasn’t in the office. I wanted to make my work successful for the business, my bosses and myself. I wanted to do well, so I could feel good about my work. What really happened, because I never took down time for my brain is I was not my best. When I would over work myself, in the name of dedication, I would push myself beyond what was useful for any of us.

Clearing your mind

I don’t know about the other women out there, but clearing my mind is a foreign concept to me. Even when I am sitting still in a quiet room, my mind is not clear. I may be having 25 different thoughts in less than a minute. My mind is all over the place. Do you remember the scene in Ghostbusters when they’re told to pick what will destroy them by what they think, and their plan is to clear their minds so that nothing will destroy them? That was always such a ridiculous scene to me, because I couldn’t even conceptualize emptying my brain. Is that a man/woman thing, or just a problem I have? I’m not sure, but if it had been me out there, we would have had 20 or more things to fight off with our proton streams.

 

And Know that I am God

Being still, clearing our minds takes practice. One of the great benefits of having the hours you spend for work reduced is you have time to practice being still. Since I reduced my hours (and recently had them reduced again for me), I have been given the opportunity to work towards being still and knowing He is God. I have started to use the prayers I learned at the prayer retreat I went to (the Jesus Prayer and Lectio Divina) to get me closer to being still. Then I will sit after those prayers and just try to “be” in God’s presence. I’m not saying I’ve perfected it, but the promise to know God better is one worth doing.

Do you know how to be still?

 
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Posted by on March 16, 2012 in My God is God, Psalm

 

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My God is … My Supplier 2 Corinthians 9:6-11

13 Mar

2 Corinthians 9:6-11 – Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written:

“They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor;
their righteousness endures forever.”

Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

Now he who supplies seed to the sower & bread for food will also supply & increase your store of seed 

Have you ever lost a job? Have you ever wondered where your next meal will come from? Where your concerns valid? The past year has been a year of change for my husband and I. His job is quite secure, but I have gone from having the highest paid job in my life to basically no job at all. At first the reduction of hours was a decision I made to spend more time with my boys. It’s been blessed to say the least. We’ve been having great conversations, more time together and enjoying who the Lord made each of us to be.

Losing your income sucks

Yep, I said it, losing your income sucks. Yesterday my main client told me she couldn’t afford me anymore and would have to put our work on hold. She’s happy with my work, but because of the way some things are working out on her end, she won’t be able to keep me employed for a while. I feel like I should be worried, and to be honest, part of me is, but then I keep hearing “The Lord will Provide”.

Is this an opportunity

My sister said that she felt that this time might be an opportunity to even further explore my wish to be a writer and a speaker. To be honest that scares me, and to make it a profitable venture also seems daunting. But I will pray that the Lord will reveal to me what He wants me to do.

You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion

So I got my last paycheck for a while, and part of me is struggling with the idea of putting some of that money in the offering plate. 10% sure looks like a huge amount today. But in the verse above I’m reminded that the Lord is the supplier of my lively hood and my food. I need to trust Him today, tomorrow and always. I need to be reminded that my Lord can be trusted. To keep my focus on Him, and allow Him to direct my paths. Stay tuned as we see what the Lord has in store for me now. How will He turn this challenge into a blessing for this girl who loves Him so much.

Have you ever lost a job?

 
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Posted by on March 13, 2012 in 2 Corinthians, My God is My Supplier

 

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My God is…Wise Romans 11:33

01 Mar

Romans 11:33: “Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand His decisions and His ways!”

Hindsight is 20/20

Hindsight is 20/20

This wasn’t how things were supposed to turn out.
When I was young, I wanted to be a teacher. I think it was mainly because my Dad was a teacher, and a really good one. I had my eye on the prize. And I did become a teacher. I had great students, parents and the other teachers were wonderful. But after a year and a half, my husband and I were sent to England with his job in the military. In England I would have had to take a year of classes to even teach there, and we were only staying for three, so I didn’t pursue it any further. It didn’t really work out the way I expected. I actually thought about teaching more years than I taught.

But in retrospect

Hindsight is 20/20 they say, and while I wouldn’t say we always get the reasons clearly revealed to us, I would say that the Lord has certainly used my short stint as a teacher for my best. You see as a trained church teacher, I was sent to Idaho. Now this girl was not even thinking about going to Idaho. But if that’s where God wanted me, I was willing to go. While I was there (for that whole year and a half). I met my husband. He’s 8 years older than me, and if I had met him before this time, I wouldn’t have been old enough to really be considered as someone he would want to date. But now I was a young woman. I had a career, and loved my job. These are things he found attractive about me (maybe not the only things).

Again God did things differently than I expected

My husband had been stationed in Idaho for 8 years when I met him. He thought they had forgotten about him. Our plan was to stay and have me teach there for as long as we could. As soon as we got engaged (a mere nine months after meeting) he got orders to England. Amazing. I had always hoped to go overseas, but until meeting my husband, I didn’t have any reason to think I would get there. Now I was going to live there. Amazing.  But that also meant leaving a place I had grown to love in a very short time. But it did feel like God was moving us along, not really our own will.

Some things we may never understand (until we get to heaven)

Shortly after we were married, we found out that we were pregnant. It was quick. I was so worn out, and feeling sick. I didn’t know what was going on with me. I could hardly stay awake at staff devotions (this is when the pastor and his wife knew I was pregnant). A week or so later, I took the test. We were shocked. We really hadn’t expected to start a family so quickly, but if that was God’s will we were going to go with it. Unfortunately a few weeks later I suffered a miscarriage. I was only seven weeks along, and some would say it’s not even a baby yet, but we were in love with our little one already. I don’t know if I’ll ever know why we didn’t get to meet that little one, but God knows, and though I don’t understand, I know He is wiser and more understanding than I ever could be and I can trust He can use it to work for my good.

What have you understood more looking back?

Is there anything that became clearer for you with the 20/20 hindsight view? Have you seen the Lord’s work after the fact? Maybe you’re going through something now. Hopefully the verse above will bring you some comfort knowing that the Lord is wise and that it’s natural for us not to understand his ways sometimes. That doesn’t mean we don’t necessarily have to stop believing when His ways don’t make sense to us.

 
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Posted by on March 1, 2012 in God is Wise

 

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