Take Courage .

John 16:33 NASB

These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.

This is one of my ‘hallmark’ verses. I believe so strongly and completely in the truth of these words that I have them as part of the banner at the top of the page of this site!

A dear friend “gave me” these verses for Christmas one year. Actually she gave me a loaf of delicious bread with this verse printed on a little card attached to the ribbon. The story behind it is quite amazing. The women’s covenant group to which we both belonged had agreed to meet at my house to exchange Christmas gifts several years ago. My friend was running later and later and we began to wonder if she was actually going to come.

She finally arrived to our relief and we began the festivities of the evening. It was always a glorious time to be together to share the love of our Savior and be in the company of our dear sisters in Christ. Christmas is my absolute favorite time of year, so I was quite pleased to be able to offer hospitality this particular year. We opened gifts and talked and laughed. We ate and laughed and opened more gifts.

We each received our loaf of bread and read the Scripture that was attached. My friend told us she was late because she had all the cards in a pile on the table and she was waiting to discern who should receive which passage with their loaf of bread. Each passage was so appropriate for the sister who received it. When I read mine it caught my breath! This passage—John 16:33—is the one she had chosen for me. She told us that actually she had discerned I was to receive a different passage, but she kept feeling drawn to this one; she gave me both!

She shared that she kept thinking to herself that “Mary doesn’t need courage.” She’s already quite courageous. What she didn’t know is that I was living through a deeply troubling and spiritually challenging situation in my life regarding some events at our church. Courage is exactly what I needed—of the divine kind!

Are there situations in your life that are troubling—even overwhelming and fearful? Does merely watching the evening news fiss you with dread? Is your life in turmoil? Is there a problem or a situation that you can’t deal with on your own? Give it to your Savior. He has overcome this world and all its woes. He can carry your burden. He will be your strength and fortitude when you come to the end of your own.

This verse, received from a devoted friend who gave the gift out of obedience to God, is but one example of the many ways God has guided, reassured and uplifted me! This gift gave me an even greater one, that my friend had no way of knowing about: it let me know I was doing what was right even though it was very difficult to do so. God did sustain me through it. Christ carried my burden for a long time and I am sure beyond any doubt that is the only way I have come out the other side a stronger, more faithful and more faith-filled person.

In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; He has overcome the world.

Mary  ¶ 7:22 AM

  By Him and For Him .
Colossians 1:16-17 KJV

For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

Just in case we begin to think we deserve the credit, glory and praise for all we have and all we have accomplished in this life; just in case we believe our lives are our own to do with as we will: read these two verses to be reminded of the true source of every good thing in your life!

“By him all things consist.” My RSV version of this reads, “and in him all things hold together.” Our lives belong to God and our purpose is to praise him for all we have and for all he’s made. This life, this day, this hour are His and His alone. Framing our lives that way gives things a little different twist doesn’t it?

The flip side of this scripture is that He will care for us in every circumstance. God created all things in heaven and on earth – that includes you and me. The Creator doesn’t just forget about his work and put it aside – he lovingly cares for it, preserves it, protects it from harm. We are so much more valuable to our Maker than we can ever imagine!

When I read “all things hold together,” I’m reminded of the song He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands. I even picture Earth resting in the palm of his hand. Some may cast of the image of control that presents. I find it very comforting and feel secure and cared for when I form that image. The God who created heaven also created me. The God of all things seen and unseen sees me and knows every aspect of my being.

How can we live any other way than to honor and praise him? How can we not strive to reflect His glory and His love? How can we even imagine squandering a single day of our lives? He created us for himself. He wants us to seek him and to rely upon him; he also wants us to worship him and remember he is the source of all things.

Don’t worship kings and moguls. Don’t idolize the rich and famous. Give your life to God. Worship Him. Praise Him. Devote your life to thanking him for the gift of your life and the unspeakable blessing of his grace.

My prayer today is that you bow down before him, casting aside any earthly hold upon your life and your heart. And that you speak His name with gratitude and thanksgiving.

Mary  ¶ 6:14 AM

  Simple Faith .

1 Timothy 3:16 MSG

This Christian life is a great mystery, far exceeding our understanding, but some things are clear enough: He appeared in a human body, was proved right by the invisible Spirit, was seen by angels. He was proclaimed among all kinds of peoples, believed in all over the world, taken up into heavenly glory.

Matthew 28:18-20 NKJV

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Amen.

Sometimes I think we get all caught up in defining and expounding upon our faith—we make it very complicated and so difficult to live out and live into. These two passages pretty much break it down to the bottom line. Jesus Christ is the Lord and Savior of every Christian. It really is that simple! As I often say, not simple but not easy!

Timothy concedes that we could not possibly understand the mystery of Christ sent to earth to walk among mankind. It’s just inconceivable on so many levels! We have a choice to disbelieve because it is so unimaginable or to believe because we need a Savior so desperately. My choice is to believe. Most days, just to get through I need my Savior already having interceded in history on my behalf.

Our salvation was granted at no cost to us whatever! God’s grace is free and without requirements to achieve it. How can we not share that news with everyone we meet? How can we remain quiet? We see the world spinning seemingly out of control and we know that only Christ can save us. As individuals we have little hope to offer the world except the Risen Christ. He is powerful where we fall short.

I guess one would call that ‘simple faith.’ I know some individuals with that kind of faith – unshakable, uncomplicated and unwavering. I know my own life would be so much less stressful if I relied upon that unshakable, uncomplicated trust and faith that Jesus Christ is the savior not only of the world but of me. Why is it we trust him with the big problems of the world, but not the everyday issues in our little lives?

My prayer today is that before you let yourself get all twisted and tangled up in a stressful situation that you breathe in the breath of God. And that you allow the beauty and strength of Christ to fill your mind and heart.

Mary  ¶ 6:01 AM

  The Bread of Angels .
Deuteronomy 8:2-4

Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years.

Psalm 78:23-25

Yet he gave a command to the skies above
and opened the doors of the heavens;
he rained down manna for the people to eat,
he gave them the grain of heaven.
Men ate the bread of angels;
he sent them all the food they could eat.

Manna: the food miraculously supplied to the Israelites in the wilderness; any sudden or unexpected help, advantage, or aid to success; divine or spiritual food.

This topic is a little challenging for me to write about because I don’t want the focus to be on me or my family but rather on God. Yet to describe our feasting on manna, I must share a bit of the background story.

Like so many others we have struggled over the last couple of years due to job changes and the increasingly dire economic situation in our country. We’ve made some pretty dramatic changes in our lifestyle. Keep in mind we weren’t by any stretch of the imagination extravagant people! I’m talking we’ve gotten down to bare bones, what do we absolutely need to survive mode!

Through all of this time we have felt the hand of God upon us. Each month we have had exactly enough to pay the bills and meet our other financial obligations. Every time an anticipated extra expense would be necessary – car inspections that would yield the bad news of costly repairs, appliances that make funny sounds yet keep on running, etc. we are the beneficiaries of God’s manna.

Our cars have not broken down (a miracle in and of itself). Our cupboards are not bare, though a bit sparser. We have adequate clothing and all the other necessities we need. Heck, we still have cable tv! Why do I share this with you? Well, this is not about how good and strong we are in our faith and so God is “rewarding” us. This has been about our trusting God that He will provide for us. There is a subtle difference.

The other day my husband’s car needed to be inspected. He asked me what he should do if the repair bill ended up being more than a hundred dollars or so. We decided how we’d pay for it and waited for the call. The car passed with flying colors and that is when my husband exclaimed that “It’s like manna in the desert!”

I give my husband the credit here because it is his faithfulness and his absolute dependence upon God and his provisions that have sustained us. We have both grown in our faith so much over the past months. We have had to humble ourselves before God, proclaiming and acknowledging him as our source of life.

We’ve put aside pride and exchanged it for abject humility at being loved and cared about so much by a God who provides everything, absolutely everything, we need.Are we more deserving than others who may not have fared so well? I don’t think that’s what is in play here at all! I think God intends us to share our story and our message. Not the story and message of job loss and financial challenge – the story of God’s provision and sustenance in spite of and throughout it all.

God is the bread of life. He will sustain you and provide for you-wherever you are and whatever you need. My prayer today is that you feast upon the bread of angels. And that you humble yourself before God because of his great mercy and love.

Mary  ¶ 6:19 AM

  He is Worthy .
Isaiah 45:5-7

I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me, so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting men may know there is none besides me. I am the LORD, and there is no other. I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things.

Revelation 4:9-11 NASB

And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying, " Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created."


When we finally come face to face with God I’m pretty sure we won’t be able to look Him in the eye. One reason will be that we are so ashamed of ourselves. I don’t mean in a self-loathing, self-pitying way, rather as a result of our discovery of who and what God really is! The glory and grandeur will be so breathtakingly unbelievable that we will prostrate ourselves before him—in gratitude, in awe, in abject humility and reverence.

I’ve wondered what it would be like to stand before the throne of God. Many have wondered. One of my favorite songs is “Imagine.” The writer says he can only imagine what his heart will see. He wonders if he will fall to his knees in the presence of Christ. It’s a beautiful song and expresses, I think the wondering of all our hearts—our deepest, most ardent desire.

I imagine that upon arrival in heaven, our minds and hearts and souls will be transformed to those of Christ himself. We will understand all things and our understanding will surpass the limits of our current humanity. I’m rambling a bit this morning. I think what I’ve gleaned from these two passages is that God has already revealed himself to man. What I wonder is that how we can turn away, how we can forget His majesty, how we can NOT strive tirelessly and relentlessly to join Him at the end of time.

It’s all a puzzle to me! I spent a glorious 36 hours at the ocean last week. Much of my time I sat on the sand and gazed out at the ocean. I had no “burning bush” revelations or discoveries! I did though reconnect with the eternal source of life. I sloughed off the world of man and opened myself up to sea and sand, sun and air. I was revived and refreshed in my soul.

The tide comes in and goes out. Every day. Ever single day. No matter what. God planned it that way. He is that constancy. He is that assurance. He is the creator and master of it all. I felt very close to God as I sat in the sand and breathed in the salt air, watched the white caps, heard the crash of the waves on the beach. I felt at the same time very small and very significant. I am one of the living creatures God created! He planned me before he even called the ocean into being. He covets me. He longs for me.

My prayer today is that you take some time to experience God in nature. He will meet you there if you open your mind and your heart to his glory.

Mary

Labels: Christ, darkness, glory, God, heaven, honor, Jesus, light, nature

  ¶ 8:14 AM

  The Holy Nudge .
This used by permission from Jon Walker with Purpose Driven Life Ministries.

The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:14 NIV)

It’s a book I’d been searching to find, so when I located it on the library shelf, I was jazzed. But as I approached the front desk, I felt the Holy Spirit check me.

You know what I mean? That “holy nudge” the Newsboys sing about: “It’s like a circuit judge in the brain … a Spirit thing … There to guard my heart but hard to explain ….”

We know the Spirit of Christ is working within us, teaching us to think and act like Jesus, and so this Counselor nudges, prompts, rebukes, and protects us as God writes the law on our hearts instead of stone tablets.

Responding to the Spirit’s nudge, I looked at the book in my hand. The cover didn’t give a clue as to why the Spirit was prompting me. In fact, my motive for reading the book was a very good one, related to ministry.

Yet I was certain the Spirit thing meant I wasn’t supposed to read the book. I admit I thought for a few seconds about ignoring the Spirit’s direction. I mean, I couldn’t see anything wrong with it.

Then, like a child who has weighed the pros and cons of disobedience, I turned around and put the book back on the shelf. My hesitant obedience emerged, not so much from an attempt to be pious, but from my memory of standing too many times on the wrong side of God’s direction. This child has burned his fingers enough that it seems futile to argue with God over how hot the stove really is.

Isn’t that what faith must be? Trusting God when he tells us the burner is hot enough to hurt us – even if we don’t agree. Trusting God when he tells us that reading what appears to be a harmless book will take us somewhere he doesn’t want us to go.

Becoming like Jesus means we develop discernment in spiritual matters: “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Corinthians 2:14 NIV)

Spirit warning – A Spirit nudge may be a warning against impending danger, a Holy Ghost flare to guard your heart. Once, a friend of mine was driving toward a green traffic light, but he sensed an extraordinarily strong prompting from the Spirit to hit his brakes. My friend did, just as a semi-truck ran a red light into the intersection. Had it not been for his instant obedience, my friend probably would have been killed.

Spirit stop sign – A Spirit nudge may be a red flag from God telling you, “Don’t go there.” A dog I owned years ago helped me understand this: He was used to being on a leash, and when I would take him to a neighbor’s field to run, I would simply say “No” when he approached a place he shouldn’t go. The dog had done nothing wrong, and my warning wasn’t a rebuke – it was a caution for his own protection.

Spirit “shush” – My experience is that, if we listen, God will give similar warnings when we’re in conversations. He may prompt us when were stepping too close to a sinful topic, an unfair comment, or gossip.

Spirit timing – Sometimes the Holy Spirit may be telling you the timing isn’t right. When I was in graduate school, I planned to buy a computer through an educational discount offered by the university. When I turned in my paperwork, however, they told me the program had been discontinued for a few months. I was very angry at God.

About two months later, the university re-opened the discount program and the computers available for purchase that time were upgraded models bundled with software that cost extra two months earlier – and the whole package was priced cheaper than the previous one.

Can you say, “Spiritual egg on my face?” Turns out God does know what he’s doing!

We have this Spirit inside us, and God wants us to listen to him. When we ignore him, there’s little difference between us and non-believers who live their lives disconnected and independent from God: “But people who aren't Christians can't understand these truths from God's Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them because only those who have the Spirit can understand what the Spirit means.” (1 Corinthians 2:14 NLT)

What now?

· Be sensitive to the Spirit – Ask God to teach you to hear his still, small voice and to be sensitive to promptings from the Spirit. Then believe he will guide you through the many decisions and details of your life.

· Start an obedience list – For the next few weeks, keep a list of all the times you sense the Spirit prompting you. This will help you learn to be sensitive to the Spirit, but it also will strengthen your resolve to obey God’s guidance.

· Align with God’s Word – As you learn to walk in the Spirit, God will never ask you to do anything that violates his Word. His promptings will always line up with the Bible, but they may not square with your traditions.

· Blow it? Remember grace – If you miss the prompting or disobey it, confess it to God and he will be faithful to forgive. Fall upon his grace and remember that you are in the school of Christ. He knows you’re learning, and he wants to teach you.

© 2007 Jon Walker. All rights reserved.  ¶ 9:37 AM