"Is anyone thirsty?
Come and drink—
even if you have no money!
Come, take your choice of wine or milk—
it’s all free!
Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength?
Why pay for food that does you no good?
Listen to me, and you will eat what is good.
You will enjoy the finest food.”
-Isaiah 55:1-2
I have a phrase with Terri that we share all the time. Why do we call the Lord wise and then don’t do what He says? He tells us to do things a certain way, we do them another, and then end up in a big mess. Let’s think about this. We have the creator of the universe, who by and through which everything in the world was made. Not only did He create everything tangible, i.e. trees, animals and the earth, but He also created things intangible, i.e. radio waves, wave currents, and man’s intelligence. Given this, maybe He knows a little bit more about the world than we do. Not only is He the perfect creator, He is also the perfect communicator. He has chosen to communicate with us about how we can live our lives so that we maximize the efficiency of everything He has created for us. If a cookie recipe calls for you to use ½ cup of sugar, you wouldn’t use a whole cup would you? So when the Lord (the author of the spiritual recipe of life) asks us to trust Him, why do we lean on our own skills, talents, and abilities?
In this passage, the Lord asks a simple question. Is anyone thirsty? Have you been thirsty? If you have, you probably didn’t go to the cupboard and reach for peanut butter, did you? No, you went right to the refrigerator and got some water. Well, that’s the Lord’s response. If you’re thirsty, come and drink. Are you thirsty for the Lord? Then why are you drinking gossip instead of wholesome talk? Jay-Z instead of Donnie McClurkin? That gritty romance novel instead of God’s Word? If you’re really at a point of thirst that is life-threatening, drinking the wrong thing can be worse for you than not drinking at all.
The thing I love about God is the drink that He offers is not only free, it’s the choicest drink. We can come and drink of whole milk and fine wine without paying for it. Jesus told the woman at the well that the water He offers would cause her to never thirst again. The more we drink of things that temporarily satisfy, the more we long for those things. It’s like a fly being caught in a web. Once he’s in the web, the more he wrestles to try to get out the more entangled he actually becomes. At that point only a complete diffusion of the web or an indulgence from the spider will save the poor fly. One option brings life, the other death.
Are you caught in a web of addiction? A web of negative talking? A web of distractions? A web of sin even? My question to you is why spend your money [or resources] on food that does not give you strength? Come and buy of the Lord. Not only is his food free but it tastes better!
~Jake Greene
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Saturday, September 26, 2009
A Good Thing, But Not a God Thing
As we look at the world today, we can see a lot of things that need to be done. The homeless needs shelter and to be fed, abandoned children need loving homes, and even our churches need people to fold the programs and clean the facilities. All these tasks are admirable through which we could show forth the love of Christ to a lost generation.
However, these tasks take time out of your busy schedules. Time is precious; it’s more precious than diamonds and sometimes worth more than what is in your bank accounts. So instead to cleaning your home, you take your valuable time to care for the homeless, the fatherless, and the church…surely you’ve done a good thing in God’s eyes. You’ve sacrifice your time as an offering to the Lord…this has to be a good thing.
But what about the things He has His thumb on and demanding that you change? What about the things that God reminds you of in prayer or when you enter into His presence? It could be something very minuscule, but the fact that God pointed it out demands your utmost attention.
We could busy ourselves doing good things, but miss God’s purpose for our lives. The more busy work we do and ignore God’s demand for change, the more we drift off track from our target. We become distracted and bumped slightly to the left or right until we miss the goal completely – pleasing the Lord.
Galatians 1:6b-7a says, “You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News but is not the Good News at all” (NLT). Yes, doing those things mentioned in the opening paragraph has the possibility to bring God pleasure, but obedience is His method. God did away with the sacrifice system. 1 Samuel 15:22 says, to obey is better than sacrifice. Don’t get caught up in the worldly system of doing good things.
So what’s the difference between good things and God things? Good things are temporal. Their situation may have drastically changed, but it lacks the Creator’s power to become new. Sometimes doing the good thing can have an adverse effect on a person’s Christian walk. But God things are eternal. Once a person comes in contact with God, their life is changed permanently as God exposes Himself and redirects their path. So I challenge you to do the God thing even when it’s difficult and seemingly fruitless.
Abrian Haynes
However, these tasks take time out of your busy schedules. Time is precious; it’s more precious than diamonds and sometimes worth more than what is in your bank accounts. So instead to cleaning your home, you take your valuable time to care for the homeless, the fatherless, and the church…surely you’ve done a good thing in God’s eyes. You’ve sacrifice your time as an offering to the Lord…this has to be a good thing.
But what about the things He has His thumb on and demanding that you change? What about the things that God reminds you of in prayer or when you enter into His presence? It could be something very minuscule, but the fact that God pointed it out demands your utmost attention.
We could busy ourselves doing good things, but miss God’s purpose for our lives. The more busy work we do and ignore God’s demand for change, the more we drift off track from our target. We become distracted and bumped slightly to the left or right until we miss the goal completely – pleasing the Lord.
Galatians 1:6b-7a says, “You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News but is not the Good News at all” (NLT). Yes, doing those things mentioned in the opening paragraph has the possibility to bring God pleasure, but obedience is His method. God did away with the sacrifice system. 1 Samuel 15:22 says, to obey is better than sacrifice. Don’t get caught up in the worldly system of doing good things.
So what’s the difference between good things and God things? Good things are temporal. Their situation may have drastically changed, but it lacks the Creator’s power to become new. Sometimes doing the good thing can have an adverse effect on a person’s Christian walk. But God things are eternal. Once a person comes in contact with God, their life is changed permanently as God exposes Himself and redirects their path. So I challenge you to do the God thing even when it’s difficult and seemingly fruitless.
Abrian Haynes
Monday, September 14, 2009
Be the Snow
Most of the employed people I know hate their jobs. They don’t exactly hate what they do; many of them enjoy the field their in. But they hate their office environment and most of all, their bosses. And I’ll admit that I’ve been in their position a time or few. I started working at 15 and since then, I’ve only had one boss I would consider “good”. She was fair and level-headed. She knew how to motivate us to produce quality work without treating us like slaves. She was a rare gem.For all the others, not so much. The interesting thing is how people respond to their difficult bosses. I know some Christians who are not shy about engaging in negative behavior concerning their bosses. Christians insult their boss’ intelligence, admit that they sometimes ignore instructions and pray that their bosses would be terminated. This is not your normal “I need to vent” stuff. This is Christians willfully being bad employees because of their personal feelings towards their bosses.
I believe that this kind of behavior grieves the heart of God. We don’t portray a good picture of God’s loving-kindness to the people who rule over us. But the bigger tragedy is that Christians don’t discern the needs of another fellow human being. They are so caught up in their negative feels about difficult bosses that no thought is given to their bosses feelings and needs. Bosses need love, too.
The worse bosses I’ve had were very unhappy people. They were often suffering from job stress and challenging home situations. I’m not saying this as an excuse for their behavior, but I say it to point out their pain and struggles. I had someone tell me about a horrible boss they had and later found out that the man had suffered deep trauma. This person almost missed an opportunity to be a blessing because the boss’ behavior. But once she found out about his pain, she was able for form a relationship with him and God opened up the door for her to talk to him through some of his pain. She became a blessing to her boss.
That statement may cause you to squirm, but it’s true. Good employees should strive to be a blessing to their bosses, no matter how infuriating they could be. Proverbs 25:13 gives us powerful words about messengers (employees) and their bosses. It reads, “Faithful messengers are as refreshing as snow in the heat of summer. They revive the spirit of their employer.”
When was the last time you refreshed the spirit of your employer with your faithfulness? Have you ever done that? If you haven’t, today is the day to do it. Put aside your dislike for your boss and be the snow in the heat of summer. Everyone needs refreshing from time to time and the pressures of managing employees can wear a person down. Refresh your boss’ spirit with your good work and faithfulness to God. Maybe they won’t be so horrible anymore.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Hide & Seek
One of the worse feelings in the world for me is to lose something. I lose lots of things. Sometimes I feel like misplacing everything has made me lose my mind. I often lose my glasses, keys, lists and pens. And looking for these lost items is not fun. Sometimes I find them quickly because I’ve lost them in an obvious place. But it rattles my nerves when weeks go by and I still haven’t recovered my lost item.
It should be pretty easy to find my lost things. I normally misplace my things at home, which makes it more challenging. Home is familiar. I see the things in my house every day, several times a day. But when it’s time to look for something lost, I need to pay attention to things that, by habit, I don’t really pay attention to anymore.
I don’t enjoy the process of looking. I know it’s crazy, but some days I feel like my lost item is playing Hide and Seek with me. I feel that as soon as I get close to where it is, it grows legs and runs somewhere else. Or I feel like it’s sitting right in front of my face. And once I’ve searched and searched and still haven’t found my lost thing, frustration comes and I give up. And I am normally not in a good mood.
I don’t know which is more frustrating, the fact that I’ve lost something or the process of looking for it. But if I had to rate them, it would be the process of looking. I often feel I’ll never find what I’m looking for. That I will be perpetually searching for it. I know it’s somewhere but in order to find it, I have to put some effort into it.
But what if you were looking for God? Not that God is lost, but sometimes, because of our human flesh, He’s hard to spot. And just like losing a lost item, you feel like He’s right in front of your face but you can’t see Him. Talk about frustration. One of the most challenging seasons that Christians have to go through is the season of God’s silence. You feel like no matter what you do, God cannot be found.
And to make matters worse, these seasons seem to come when you are facing something that you desperately need God to respond. You turn your face to heaven and say “God, where are you? I need you.” But there doesn’t seem to be an answer. So you get frustrated and give up. You know He’s there. You just can’t find Him.
But Psalms 105:3 give a very different response to seeking the Lord. It reads, “Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.” (TNIV). Rejoice? Now that takes some shifting in your perspective. Lord, I don’t feel like I can find you but yay! That seems like an oxymoronic statement. How can I rejoice about seeking you when I can’t find you?
We can rejoice in seeking Him because He can be found. Yes, it may take a little time, but if you continue to seek Him, He will reveal Himself to you. God is not playing Hide and Seek with us. He is right in front of our faces. It’s just that our emotions don’t always line up with that truth.
The problem is our idea of the process of seeking Him. In our carnal looking, the goal is to find whatever we are looking for, almost to the point of obsession. But when seeking the Lord, the joy is in seeking Him. The joy is in how the process of seeking Him changes you. When you seek the Lord, especially when it seems He hiding from you, teaches you how to discern what is Him and what is not. It increases your love Him and your desire to be with Him. It makes you passionate about your relationship with Him. And it makes you realize how much you need Him.
So rejoice when you’re seeking the Lord. Celebrate the process of seeking Him. And you will find Him. I promise.
~Terri J. Haynes
It should be pretty easy to find my lost things. I normally misplace my things at home, which makes it more challenging. Home is familiar. I see the things in my house every day, several times a day. But when it’s time to look for something lost, I need to pay attention to things that, by habit, I don’t really pay attention to anymore.
I don’t enjoy the process of looking. I know it’s crazy, but some days I feel like my lost item is playing Hide and Seek with me. I feel that as soon as I get close to where it is, it grows legs and runs somewhere else. Or I feel like it’s sitting right in front of my face. And once I’ve searched and searched and still haven’t found my lost thing, frustration comes and I give up. And I am normally not in a good mood.
I don’t know which is more frustrating, the fact that I’ve lost something or the process of looking for it. But if I had to rate them, it would be the process of looking. I often feel I’ll never find what I’m looking for. That I will be perpetually searching for it. I know it’s somewhere but in order to find it, I have to put some effort into it.
But what if you were looking for God? Not that God is lost, but sometimes, because of our human flesh, He’s hard to spot. And just like losing a lost item, you feel like He’s right in front of your face but you can’t see Him. Talk about frustration. One of the most challenging seasons that Christians have to go through is the season of God’s silence. You feel like no matter what you do, God cannot be found.
And to make matters worse, these seasons seem to come when you are facing something that you desperately need God to respond. You turn your face to heaven and say “God, where are you? I need you.” But there doesn’t seem to be an answer. So you get frustrated and give up. You know He’s there. You just can’t find Him.
But Psalms 105:3 give a very different response to seeking the Lord. It reads, “Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.” (TNIV). Rejoice? Now that takes some shifting in your perspective. Lord, I don’t feel like I can find you but yay! That seems like an oxymoronic statement. How can I rejoice about seeking you when I can’t find you?
We can rejoice in seeking Him because He can be found. Yes, it may take a little time, but if you continue to seek Him, He will reveal Himself to you. God is not playing Hide and Seek with us. He is right in front of our faces. It’s just that our emotions don’t always line up with that truth.
The problem is our idea of the process of seeking Him. In our carnal looking, the goal is to find whatever we are looking for, almost to the point of obsession. But when seeking the Lord, the joy is in seeking Him. The joy is in how the process of seeking Him changes you. When you seek the Lord, especially when it seems He hiding from you, teaches you how to discern what is Him and what is not. It increases your love Him and your desire to be with Him. It makes you passionate about your relationship with Him. And it makes you realize how much you need Him.
So rejoice when you’re seeking the Lord. Celebrate the process of seeking Him. And you will find Him. I promise.
~Terri J. Haynes
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Rivers of Living Water
"On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." By this He meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified" (John 7:37 - 39).
This is one of my all time favorite verses; I'm happy that I have the opportunity to write about it. One of the reasons I love it is because Jesus is so intense and passionate in His delivery. The other reason that I love it is because it is so symbolic. The context for His discourse is the Feast of Tabernacles which commemorated God's provision and care for the Children of Israel during their 40 years in the wilderness, during which they constructed temporary booths or shelters; it also is a harvest festival. In later times of celebration, the Jews added another aspect to this feast: On the last day, the priest and worshipers traveled from the Temple to the Pool of Siloam. The priest then collected water in a golden pitcher and returned to the Temple. Afterwards, the priest poured the water along with a mixture of wine through a silver funnel which flowed down to the base of the altar symbolic of the refreshing water that flowed from the struck rock at Horeb (see Exodus 17:1 - 7).
The power of this scripture for me is that it is an invitation -- an invitation to the authentic reality of true life -- of the Holy Spirit's overflow pouring out of us. Jesus, evoking the symbolic act of the outpouring of water informs His audience that if they are thirsty for real life and believe in Him "as the scripture says," that out of the depths of their inner selves rivers, not streams, not trickles, not creeks, but RIVERS of living water will flow and overflow out of them. This was important, especially within a desert culture, where water was scarce and was a precious resource, so when Jesus made this announcement, the people had a historical context in which to place this statement.
The other thing that's interesting about this scripture is that, from a purely geological standpoint, rivers are not stagnant waterforms -- they move -- some gently flowing, others rushing and rapid. Whatever their speed, because they are in constant motion, they are made to kick up dirt, debris, and other things that pollute them and carry them downstream (perhaps not the East River or the Potomac, but most). They also tend to shape anything that is within close proximity to them such as rocks or the land. Just look at how God commanded the Colorado River to dig up earth for millions of years. Now we have the magnificence of the Grand Canyon that testifies of God's glory and power to witness!!! Awesome!!! Consequently, rivers don't just affect the rivers themselves. They affect everything that surrounds them.
How does this all apply to us? Jesus is on a daily basis inviting us to come to Him and to gulp down the life of His person; He desires to be the only One who satiates our thirst. His rivers are alive and life-giving! How many times do we knowingly or unknowingly look at everything except for Jesus in order to quench our parched hearts and souls. We can do this with anything -- it may be a job, our own ideas, food, TV, the Internet, shopping, the quest for a mate or even the mate himself or herself. We can even do this with ministry and spiritual gifts (mooooo! I hear the slaying of sacred cows!). But Jesus is crying out in a loud voice that He desperately and passionately wants to be the One to satisfy our thirst; we need not look for other things or try to compensate for what we, from our limited thinking, feel we need or don't have. So why don't we allow Him to fill every dry place, and in the filling, the Holy Spirit will be uncontainable within us. He will be a river that brims over and spills on the outside. Flowing through and out of us, He will transform and shape the dry places in our vicinity -- our homes, places of employment, the grocery store, Borders (yea!!), etc. Then we can step back and rejoice with the Lord over the beautiful shaping of the world around us.
Kimberly Rae Ross
This is one of my all time favorite verses; I'm happy that I have the opportunity to write about it. One of the reasons I love it is because Jesus is so intense and passionate in His delivery. The other reason that I love it is because it is so symbolic. The context for His discourse is the Feast of Tabernacles which commemorated God's provision and care for the Children of Israel during their 40 years in the wilderness, during which they constructed temporary booths or shelters; it also is a harvest festival. In later times of celebration, the Jews added another aspect to this feast: On the last day, the priest and worshipers traveled from the Temple to the Pool of Siloam. The priest then collected water in a golden pitcher and returned to the Temple. Afterwards, the priest poured the water along with a mixture of wine through a silver funnel which flowed down to the base of the altar symbolic of the refreshing water that flowed from the struck rock at Horeb (see Exodus 17:1 - 7).
The power of this scripture for me is that it is an invitation -- an invitation to the authentic reality of true life -- of the Holy Spirit's overflow pouring out of us. Jesus, evoking the symbolic act of the outpouring of water informs His audience that if they are thirsty for real life and believe in Him "as the scripture says," that out of the depths of their inner selves rivers, not streams, not trickles, not creeks, but RIVERS of living water will flow and overflow out of them. This was important, especially within a desert culture, where water was scarce and was a precious resource, so when Jesus made this announcement, the people had a historical context in which to place this statement.
The other thing that's interesting about this scripture is that, from a purely geological standpoint, rivers are not stagnant waterforms -- they move -- some gently flowing, others rushing and rapid. Whatever their speed, because they are in constant motion, they are made to kick up dirt, debris, and other things that pollute them and carry them downstream (perhaps not the East River or the Potomac, but most). They also tend to shape anything that is within close proximity to them such as rocks or the land. Just look at how God commanded the Colorado River to dig up earth for millions of years. Now we have the magnificence of the Grand Canyon that testifies of God's glory and power to witness!!! Awesome!!! Consequently, rivers don't just affect the rivers themselves. They affect everything that surrounds them.
How does this all apply to us? Jesus is on a daily basis inviting us to come to Him and to gulp down the life of His person; He desires to be the only One who satiates our thirst. His rivers are alive and life-giving! How many times do we knowingly or unknowingly look at everything except for Jesus in order to quench our parched hearts and souls. We can do this with anything -- it may be a job, our own ideas, food, TV, the Internet, shopping, the quest for a mate or even the mate himself or herself. We can even do this with ministry and spiritual gifts (mooooo! I hear the slaying of sacred cows!). But Jesus is crying out in a loud voice that He desperately and passionately wants to be the One to satisfy our thirst; we need not look for other things or try to compensate for what we, from our limited thinking, feel we need or don't have. So why don't we allow Him to fill every dry place, and in the filling, the Holy Spirit will be uncontainable within us. He will be a river that brims over and spills on the outside. Flowing through and out of us, He will transform and shape the dry places in our vicinity -- our homes, places of employment, the grocery store, Borders (yea!!), etc. Then we can step back and rejoice with the Lord over the beautiful shaping of the world around us.
Kimberly Rae Ross
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
But...
"To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the reply of the tongue" (Pro 16:1)
"In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." (Pro 16:9)
Over the past few months, years really, the Lord continues to bring me back to these two scriptures and others like them. There are three words that each of these scriptures share: man, the Lord, and BUT. The word that God has recently been dealing with me about is but. In His grace, God gives us the plans of our heart. He clearly says that our plans belong to us. He also gives us the power of choice and will by allowing us to plan our own courses. BUT, the reply of the tongue, the answer to all of our plans comes from the Lord. Our steps are determined by our God.
I think it's high time we take a step back and evaluate how we've allowed God's buts to be involved in our lives. Have the deepest desires of our hearts been surrendered to Him? You thought you'd be married by 30 BUT... You thought you would get that promotion BUT... You thought you would be working for the government until retirement BUT... You thought that gas prices would stay below $2.00 BUT... Let us be confident that God's buts are for the greater good of His kingdom.
~Jake Greene
"In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." (Pro 16:9)
Over the past few months, years really, the Lord continues to bring me back to these two scriptures and others like them. There are three words that each of these scriptures share: man, the Lord, and BUT. The word that God has recently been dealing with me about is but. In His grace, God gives us the plans of our heart. He clearly says that our plans belong to us. He also gives us the power of choice and will by allowing us to plan our own courses. BUT, the reply of the tongue, the answer to all of our plans comes from the Lord. Our steps are determined by our God.
I think it's high time we take a step back and evaluate how we've allowed God's buts to be involved in our lives. Have the deepest desires of our hearts been surrendered to Him? You thought you'd be married by 30 BUT... You thought you would get that promotion BUT... You thought you would be working for the government until retirement BUT... You thought that gas prices would stay below $2.00 BUT... Let us be confident that God's buts are for the greater good of His kingdom.
~Jake Greene
Friday, April 24, 2009
Good Job!
I had the pleasure of babysitting Isaiah Cooper last week. Isaiah is Benjamin and Cindy Cooper's one year old (almost two). Isaiah reminded us of what it was like having a toddler in the house again and how old we are (LOL). He sat at the table with my family and ate dinner, talking in his Isaiah language the whole time.
Isaiah is at the age were children discover what they can do and developing their motor skills. So with great concentration, Isaiah lifted spoonful after spoonful of rice to his mouth. And when he managed to get it there without dropping every grain off the spoon, I cheered "Good job!" Of course, that spurred him on to do the next one right to earn another "good job" from me.
Very cute and appropriate behavior for Isaiah, the one-year old. But how crazy would have been if I would have cheered Brian each time he ate a spoonful of rice? That would have been strange. Brian is supposed to be able to get the food in his mouth without dropping it all over the table. He's in his mid-thirties. If he can't eat by now, I'm afraid.
But unfortunately, that's what exactly what some of us expect when we do what we are supposed to do. You paid your tithes? Good job! You were polite to your co-workers? Good job! You prayed? Good job! You came to Bible study? Good job! You honored your mother and father? Good job! You forgave? Good job!
Yeah, that gets real old real fast.
Luke 17 shows us what our attitude is supposed to be. Verse 10 says,
"So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.'"
No one is going to congratulate you for living right. That's your duty as a Christian. No one is going to throw a party for your obedience. It's what your supposed to do, you unworthy servant you. Do you duty whether you get kudos or not. You are not Isaiah, the one year old.
Isaiah is at the age were children discover what they can do and developing their motor skills. So with great concentration, Isaiah lifted spoonful after spoonful of rice to his mouth. And when he managed to get it there without dropping every grain off the spoon, I cheered "Good job!" Of course, that spurred him on to do the next one right to earn another "good job" from me.
Very cute and appropriate behavior for Isaiah, the one-year old. But how crazy would have been if I would have cheered Brian each time he ate a spoonful of rice? That would have been strange. Brian is supposed to be able to get the food in his mouth without dropping it all over the table. He's in his mid-thirties. If he can't eat by now, I'm afraid.
But unfortunately, that's what exactly what some of us expect when we do what we are supposed to do. You paid your tithes? Good job! You were polite to your co-workers? Good job! You prayed? Good job! You came to Bible study? Good job! You honored your mother and father? Good job! You forgave? Good job!
Yeah, that gets real old real fast.
Luke 17 shows us what our attitude is supposed to be. Verse 10 says,
"So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.'"
No one is going to congratulate you for living right. That's your duty as a Christian. No one is going to throw a party for your obedience. It's what your supposed to do, you unworthy servant you. Do you duty whether you get kudos or not. You are not Isaiah, the one year old.
Everything is Not About Cattle
I hate when scripture is misappropriated. Drives me bananas. Mainly because when people do this, they take away the real power of the scripture.
For instance, Psalms 50:10 is often misappropriated. It reads “for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.” People often pray this prayer as God’s promise for provision, but that’s not what this scripture really means. We pray this scripture like cattle can solve our provision problems. Yeah, I’d like to see you try and pay your bills with a cow. Ridiculous.
The other thing that upsets me about the misappropriation of scripture is that it’s often very easy to figure out what the passage is talking about. This can be accomplished by doing one simple thing: reading the rest of the passage. Context is a beautiful thing.
If you go back to verse 7, it becomes clear that the Lord is rebuking Israel for their behavior concerning sacrifice, namely the right sacrifice. Basically, the Lord is saying that they perform the perfect sacrifice. But in verse 12, He says something interesting. He says “If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it.” Basically I don’t need your stinking sacrifices.
So what is the Lord pointing out in this passage?
“Give Me what I really want.”
“What’s that, Lord?”
“True thanks and fulfill your vows. Specifically, gratitude and obedience.”
The children of Israel were putting so much focus on performing the rituals right that they forgot the real reason for the ritual. They forgot that all they did was to be in right relationship with Him. That’s the real power in this scripture. This scripture is not about God’s provision. And we fall into danger when we switch the polarity of this passage, making it about receiving and not giving.
When we make this about God giving us stuff instead of his giving Him what He desires, we miss out on the real promise in this passage, listed in verse 15: “…and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me." Isn’t that so much better than getting some cattle?
~Terri J. Haynes
For instance, Psalms 50:10 is often misappropriated. It reads “for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.” People often pray this prayer as God’s promise for provision, but that’s not what this scripture really means. We pray this scripture like cattle can solve our provision problems. Yeah, I’d like to see you try and pay your bills with a cow. Ridiculous.
The other thing that upsets me about the misappropriation of scripture is that it’s often very easy to figure out what the passage is talking about. This can be accomplished by doing one simple thing: reading the rest of the passage. Context is a beautiful thing.
If you go back to verse 7, it becomes clear that the Lord is rebuking Israel for their behavior concerning sacrifice, namely the right sacrifice. Basically, the Lord is saying that they perform the perfect sacrifice. But in verse 12, He says something interesting. He says “If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it.” Basically I don’t need your stinking sacrifices.
So what is the Lord pointing out in this passage?
“Give Me what I really want.”
“What’s that, Lord?”
“True thanks and fulfill your vows. Specifically, gratitude and obedience.”
The children of Israel were putting so much focus on performing the rituals right that they forgot the real reason for the ritual. They forgot that all they did was to be in right relationship with Him. That’s the real power in this scripture. This scripture is not about God’s provision. And we fall into danger when we switch the polarity of this passage, making it about receiving and not giving.
When we make this about God giving us stuff instead of his giving Him what He desires, we miss out on the real promise in this passage, listed in verse 15: “…and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me." Isn’t that so much better than getting some cattle?
~Terri J. Haynes
Son of a Prositute
Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior. His father was Gilead; his mother was a prostitute. Judges 11:1 (TNIV)
What an introduction. Short, sweet and to the painful point. A great warrior born of a prostitute. That simple caveat seems to contradict everything before it. And in verse two, it is clear that people identify him as the son of a prostitute more than they do as great warrior.
Gilead's wife [not the prostitute] also bore him sons, and when they were grown up, they drove Jephthah away. "You are not going to get any inheritance in our family," they said, "because you are the son of another woman." Judges 11:2 (TNIV emphasis added).
My heart went out to poor Jephthah. He was being punished for his father’s indiscretion. He had no choice in the circumstances he was born into, but alas, the deck is stacked against him at birth. He is treated like an outcast, disowned by his family, even though it is partial family. His status as a great warrior didn’t prevent him from being treated badly.
I think I’m so moved by Jephthah’s introduction because so many people have similar stories as his; born into the world with issues that we have no control over. They have gifts and abilities but no one sees that. They only see the offspring of a prostitute. Sadly, this chips away at self-worth.
Even for believers, it’s hard for people to see the greatness God has placed in us. They only see who we were before God’s saving grace found us. Especially family. And extra especially if you were a blazing heathen before. It seems we can’t rise above the box people put us in.
But just as Jephthah, God knows who we are. We are still the great people He created. Later in chapter 11, Jephthah is recognized as a great warrior and the very people who threw him out come begging him to be their commander. Jephthah agrees and defeats the Ammonites by himself. Would you be able to respond like Jephthah did? If the very people who tried to put you down come and beg for your help, will you do it? Or will you gloat?
That’s a hard pill to swallow, but it exposes the level of bitterness in your heart. When you are bitter, you want people to “get what they deserve”. And when we do that, we don’t walk in the calling God has placed on our lives. Remember, Jephthah was a great warrior. That is the first thing mentioned about him. If Jephthah had said “Let the Ammonites kill all those bamas. That’s what they get”, he would have not fulfilled the purpose for his life. But he agreed to defend the very people who hurt him.
Check the bitterness in your heart against those who see you as a son (or a daughter) of a prostitute. They may be the very people God has called you to defend.
~Terri J. Haynes
What an introduction. Short, sweet and to the painful point. A great warrior born of a prostitute. That simple caveat seems to contradict everything before it. And in verse two, it is clear that people identify him as the son of a prostitute more than they do as great warrior.
Gilead's wife [not the prostitute] also bore him sons, and when they were grown up, they drove Jephthah away. "You are not going to get any inheritance in our family," they said, "because you are the son of another woman." Judges 11:2 (TNIV emphasis added).
My heart went out to poor Jephthah. He was being punished for his father’s indiscretion. He had no choice in the circumstances he was born into, but alas, the deck is stacked against him at birth. He is treated like an outcast, disowned by his family, even though it is partial family. His status as a great warrior didn’t prevent him from being treated badly.
I think I’m so moved by Jephthah’s introduction because so many people have similar stories as his; born into the world with issues that we have no control over. They have gifts and abilities but no one sees that. They only see the offspring of a prostitute. Sadly, this chips away at self-worth.
Even for believers, it’s hard for people to see the greatness God has placed in us. They only see who we were before God’s saving grace found us. Especially family. And extra especially if you were a blazing heathen before. It seems we can’t rise above the box people put us in.
But just as Jephthah, God knows who we are. We are still the great people He created. Later in chapter 11, Jephthah is recognized as a great warrior and the very people who threw him out come begging him to be their commander. Jephthah agrees and defeats the Ammonites by himself. Would you be able to respond like Jephthah did? If the very people who tried to put you down come and beg for your help, will you do it? Or will you gloat?
That’s a hard pill to swallow, but it exposes the level of bitterness in your heart. When you are bitter, you want people to “get what they deserve”. And when we do that, we don’t walk in the calling God has placed on our lives. Remember, Jephthah was a great warrior. That is the first thing mentioned about him. If Jephthah had said “Let the Ammonites kill all those bamas. That’s what they get”, he would have not fulfilled the purpose for his life. But he agreed to defend the very people who hurt him.
Check the bitterness in your heart against those who see you as a son (or a daughter) of a prostitute. They may be the very people God has called you to defend.
~Terri J. Haynes
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Dead Man Walking
Luke 16:30-31
30 “The rich man replied, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God.’ 31 “But Abraham said, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t listen even if someone rises from the dead.’”
So the rich man wants Father Abraham to send Lazarus to his equally self-absorbed brothers in order to save them from joining him. Abraham gives him a most quizzical reply that seeing Lazarus would not change their attitudes and actions. Most people would say that seeing a ghost or spiritual apparition would impact their life and they would probably change. It worked for Ebenezer Scrooge didn’t it? However, Abraham pointed out that seeing Lazarus would not change the brothers’ perspective since they’re ignoring the readily available truth they have daily access to.
People are funny, always looking for a sign or trying to make the gospel harder. We (the church) want miracles and God explosions so people will change. Yet God knows that if the everyday things we have access to like His Word doesn’t cause a change a miracle wouldn’t either.
We have daily proof of this phenomenon. Every time there is a natural disaster or a gnarly accident and the bystanders/survivors are thanking God for a miracle you can tell who is a believer and who is unredeemed. Other believers can easily see the hand of God in the situation. The non believers not so much. They easily explain the circumstances away as nature reacting or they downplay the exuberance of miraculous talk by attributing the responses to people unbalanced by an adrenaline rush or just choosing to believe like the cosmos are in charge since it makes them feel better.
Even funnier than God knowing that unbelievers wouldn’t listen to the dead is the fact that He calls believers to do just that. Be dead. Romans 6:7-11 tells us:
7 For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. 8 And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. 9 We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. 10 When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. 11 So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.
So as believers’ we’re dead. We are to emulate Jesus in our everyday lives. Yet, sadly unbelievers probably won’t be changed though it’s our job to be dead men walking. We live dead for God’s pleasure and He is the one that brings change to the lives of the unredeemed.
Linda D. Sothern
30 “The rich man replied, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God.’ 31 “But Abraham said, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t listen even if someone rises from the dead.’”
So the rich man wants Father Abraham to send Lazarus to his equally self-absorbed brothers in order to save them from joining him. Abraham gives him a most quizzical reply that seeing Lazarus would not change their attitudes and actions. Most people would say that seeing a ghost or spiritual apparition would impact their life and they would probably change. It worked for Ebenezer Scrooge didn’t it? However, Abraham pointed out that seeing Lazarus would not change the brothers’ perspective since they’re ignoring the readily available truth they have daily access to.
People are funny, always looking for a sign or trying to make the gospel harder. We (the church) want miracles and God explosions so people will change. Yet God knows that if the everyday things we have access to like His Word doesn’t cause a change a miracle wouldn’t either.
We have daily proof of this phenomenon. Every time there is a natural disaster or a gnarly accident and the bystanders/survivors are thanking God for a miracle you can tell who is a believer and who is unredeemed. Other believers can easily see the hand of God in the situation. The non believers not so much. They easily explain the circumstances away as nature reacting or they downplay the exuberance of miraculous talk by attributing the responses to people unbalanced by an adrenaline rush or just choosing to believe like the cosmos are in charge since it makes them feel better.
Even funnier than God knowing that unbelievers wouldn’t listen to the dead is the fact that He calls believers to do just that. Be dead. Romans 6:7-11 tells us:
7 For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. 8 And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. 9 We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. 10 When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. 11 So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.
So as believers’ we’re dead. We are to emulate Jesus in our everyday lives. Yet, sadly unbelievers probably won’t be changed though it’s our job to be dead men walking. We live dead for God’s pleasure and He is the one that brings change to the lives of the unredeemed.
Linda D. Sothern
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
The Sign of Repentance
"As the crowds increased, Jesus said, "This is a wicked generation. It asks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation'" (Luke 11:29 - 30).
Humans are obsessed with spectacle . . . if you don't believe me, just think about the last accident that you witnessed. By the time people were finished rubbernecking, you probably arrived at your destination later than planned. How about America's sick penchant for reality shows? Especially the ones in which people are being confrontational (like violent talk shows or chicks fighting over Flava Flav? Yuck! Are you serious?). Yep, it's all about the spectacle, the sensational.
In the passage above, Jesus is rebuking the people about this issue of yearning for sensationalism. As the crowds grew larger, they clamoured around Jesus just to see miracles. Jesus called them wicked, not because He was opposed to miracles. As we know, Jesus performed miracles throughout the Gospels. He even said that, "These signs shall follow them that believe: In my name, they will drive out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands . . . they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well" (Mark 16:17 - 18). Therefore, it wasn't the miracles that Jesus confronted them about
-- it was the lusting after miracles -- the lusting after the spectacle, the hype that He condemned.
To support His argument, Jesus used the prophet, Jonah as a model. Both Jesus and Jonah were sent to their generations to speak a word of repentance -- a change of heart, a transformation of life. Both spent three days and three nights in a realm of "burial" -- Jonah in the belly of a fish (although he didn't die) and Jesus in the heart of the earth. Both emerged from those places of darkness. After Jonah was spit out of the fish's belly, he obeyed God by preaching repentance to the Ninevites. As a result, the Bible tells us that, "they believed God" (Jonah 3:5). Herein, Jesus is saying, lies the difference. The Ninevites went into mourning over their sins, declared a fast, and even the king of the city joined in by declaring a national time of repentance. These people weren't looking for hype. The Ninevites concluded that judgment was imminent, and they determined that a heart-change, a transformation was what God was looking for; they aligned themselves with this. Unfortunately, the crowds trailing after Jesus didn't share this vision. They were only looking for what tantilized their senses, what felt and looked good; they weren't looking for the real Jesus. Jesus even said that He was greater than Jonah! . . . the living Messiah was in their presence in flesh and blood, but they still didn't get it.
What about us? Have you ever wanted to go hear this preacher or that preacher because of the spectacle? Because of the hype? Admittedly, there was a time when I was there. It's easy to get lost in the Church of the Sensational -- it's exciting, dynamic, and appeals to our flesh. It's actually interesting sit and watch people blow on or lay hands on other people and see them fall to the ground, only to, many times, awaken in their original state. Or how about the people who stand in a line that stretches around the church to hear a speaker without any real substance or correct theology hyping up the congregation to the point in which the people are timed during a praise break (cough!). Or lastly, how about the people who fly across the world to watch the latest "miracle" preacher lay hands on them or knock other people's teeth out in the name of miracles?
But the essence of our walk with Jesus is about the transformation -- the change. That's what repentance is all about. It's allowing God to deal with our hearts and allowing Him to revolutionize our mindsets and our lifestyle. What difference does it make if I solely seek after miracles, I see them, and still I end up with the same stubborn, rebellious, hardened ground in certain areas of my heart and life? Jesus said that that mindset is wicked. I am now at the point in my walk with Jesus where if it doesn't birth repentance and transformation, I'm not interested. I want the one who is greater than Jonah and every other human put together. I'm not clamouring after Jesus for His miracles, I'm clinging to Him for Himself and because He is.
Kimberly Rae Ross
Humans are obsessed with spectacle . . . if you don't believe me, just think about the last accident that you witnessed. By the time people were finished rubbernecking, you probably arrived at your destination later than planned. How about America's sick penchant for reality shows? Especially the ones in which people are being confrontational (like violent talk shows or chicks fighting over Flava Flav? Yuck! Are you serious?). Yep, it's all about the spectacle, the sensational.
In the passage above, Jesus is rebuking the people about this issue of yearning for sensationalism. As the crowds grew larger, they clamoured around Jesus just to see miracles. Jesus called them wicked, not because He was opposed to miracles. As we know, Jesus performed miracles throughout the Gospels. He even said that, "These signs shall follow them that believe: In my name, they will drive out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands . . . they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well" (Mark 16:17 - 18). Therefore, it wasn't the miracles that Jesus confronted them about
-- it was the lusting after miracles -- the lusting after the spectacle, the hype that He condemned.
To support His argument, Jesus used the prophet, Jonah as a model. Both Jesus and Jonah were sent to their generations to speak a word of repentance -- a change of heart, a transformation of life. Both spent three days and three nights in a realm of "burial" -- Jonah in the belly of a fish (although he didn't die) and Jesus in the heart of the earth. Both emerged from those places of darkness. After Jonah was spit out of the fish's belly, he obeyed God by preaching repentance to the Ninevites. As a result, the Bible tells us that, "they believed God" (Jonah 3:5). Herein, Jesus is saying, lies the difference. The Ninevites went into mourning over their sins, declared a fast, and even the king of the city joined in by declaring a national time of repentance. These people weren't looking for hype. The Ninevites concluded that judgment was imminent, and they determined that a heart-change, a transformation was what God was looking for; they aligned themselves with this. Unfortunately, the crowds trailing after Jesus didn't share this vision. They were only looking for what tantilized their senses, what felt and looked good; they weren't looking for the real Jesus. Jesus even said that He was greater than Jonah! . . . the living Messiah was in their presence in flesh and blood, but they still didn't get it.
What about us? Have you ever wanted to go hear this preacher or that preacher because of the spectacle? Because of the hype? Admittedly, there was a time when I was there. It's easy to get lost in the Church of the Sensational -- it's exciting, dynamic, and appeals to our flesh. It's actually interesting sit and watch people blow on or lay hands on other people and see them fall to the ground, only to, many times, awaken in their original state. Or how about the people who stand in a line that stretches around the church to hear a speaker without any real substance or correct theology hyping up the congregation to the point in which the people are timed during a praise break (cough!). Or lastly, how about the people who fly across the world to watch the latest "miracle" preacher lay hands on them or knock other people's teeth out in the name of miracles?
But the essence of our walk with Jesus is about the transformation -- the change. That's what repentance is all about. It's allowing God to deal with our hearts and allowing Him to revolutionize our mindsets and our lifestyle. What difference does it make if I solely seek after miracles, I see them, and still I end up with the same stubborn, rebellious, hardened ground in certain areas of my heart and life? Jesus said that that mindset is wicked. I am now at the point in my walk with Jesus where if it doesn't birth repentance and transformation, I'm not interested. I want the one who is greater than Jonah and every other human put together. I'm not clamouring after Jesus for His miracles, I'm clinging to Him for Himself and because He is.
Kimberly Rae Ross
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Enemies in-a-me
So you're in the mall and somebody in a rush bumps you and keeps rolling without saying a thing. Or you're in the parking lot and pedestrians are walking right in the middle of the street. Or your best friend borrows your favorite shoes and brings them back to you with holes in them. What would you do?
I was listening to a contemporary christian radio station on Sunday and a hispanic pastor was on giving his testimony about his life and how he came to the Lord. Long story short, he grew up in the projects in Southern California. He and his brother were really heavy into gang activity and eventually he gave his life to the Lord but his brother continued to gangbang. Well unfortunately, at 37 years of age, his brother was shot and killed. Why? Because one of his 'friends' slipped and gave away a drug deal secret that this pastor's brother was not supposed to hear. The result, a random guy off the street was paid $300 to shoot this pastor's brother in cold blood. Devestated by the news, this pastor's family literally fell apart. On top of the family being confused and mad at God, the police closed the case without investigation because it was 'gang-related' and not worth solving. To this day, this pastor's brother's killers are still on street.
Years after the incident the pastor hired an investigation team to find who killed his brother. Since the case was basically immediately closed and there was no investigation to find his brother's killer, he asked this private investigation firm to step in. The firm found out who the killer was and this pastor anonymously confronted the gangbanger who killed his brother. This gangbanger not only admitted that he did it but he proceeded to describe the gruesome details of the murder. After finding out the pastor told his mother and the rest of his family and the funniest thing happened. Immediately, all of them began to pray for the salvation of this gangbanger and all of his accomplices to the murder. Not one of them turned the guy in or proceeded to go to the police. They prayed for this unrepentant fiend.
Luke 6:27-28, 32, & 36 says: "But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most high, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked."
After all their turmoil this family chose to forgive and bless the enemies of their household. Do you know that Jesus actually encourages us to lend to our enemies without expecting a return. I see best friends, husbands & wives, and family members in court all the time fighting for money owed to them from those they love. Jesus says something different though. He says even the person whom you can't stand, that's the one you are not only to lend to, but lend and not ask for a return from. This pastor and his family not only spent hundreds of dollars hiring this investigation firm, they also had mercy on this gangbanger by not turning him in to the police. Then they turned around and prayed for his salvation and continue to do so today. THAT is kingdom activity!!
So how will you react when somebody cuts you off in the parking lot the next time? Or they don't signal in front of you? You know Jesus says that the reward for those who bless their enemies is sonship of the Most High (vs. 35). Are we sons of God? We can tell by how we have reacted not to those who love us, but those who despise us and mean us harm.
~Jake Greene
I was listening to a contemporary christian radio station on Sunday and a hispanic pastor was on giving his testimony about his life and how he came to the Lord. Long story short, he grew up in the projects in Southern California. He and his brother were really heavy into gang activity and eventually he gave his life to the Lord but his brother continued to gangbang. Well unfortunately, at 37 years of age, his brother was shot and killed. Why? Because one of his 'friends' slipped and gave away a drug deal secret that this pastor's brother was not supposed to hear. The result, a random guy off the street was paid $300 to shoot this pastor's brother in cold blood. Devestated by the news, this pastor's family literally fell apart. On top of the family being confused and mad at God, the police closed the case without investigation because it was 'gang-related' and not worth solving. To this day, this pastor's brother's killers are still on street.
Years after the incident the pastor hired an investigation team to find who killed his brother. Since the case was basically immediately closed and there was no investigation to find his brother's killer, he asked this private investigation firm to step in. The firm found out who the killer was and this pastor anonymously confronted the gangbanger who killed his brother. This gangbanger not only admitted that he did it but he proceeded to describe the gruesome details of the murder. After finding out the pastor told his mother and the rest of his family and the funniest thing happened. Immediately, all of them began to pray for the salvation of this gangbanger and all of his accomplices to the murder. Not one of them turned the guy in or proceeded to go to the police. They prayed for this unrepentant fiend.
Luke 6:27-28, 32, & 36 says: "But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most high, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked."
After all their turmoil this family chose to forgive and bless the enemies of their household. Do you know that Jesus actually encourages us to lend to our enemies without expecting a return. I see best friends, husbands & wives, and family members in court all the time fighting for money owed to them from those they love. Jesus says something different though. He says even the person whom you can't stand, that's the one you are not only to lend to, but lend and not ask for a return from. This pastor and his family not only spent hundreds of dollars hiring this investigation firm, they also had mercy on this gangbanger by not turning him in to the police. Then they turned around and prayed for his salvation and continue to do so today. THAT is kingdom activity!!
So how will you react when somebody cuts you off in the parking lot the next time? Or they don't signal in front of you? You know Jesus says that the reward for those who bless their enemies is sonship of the Most High (vs. 35). Are we sons of God? We can tell by how we have reacted not to those who love us, but those who despise us and mean us harm.
~Jake Greene
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Death, Slavery...or Faith
Numbers 20:2-5 (NLT)
2 There was no water for the people to drink at that place, so they rebelled against Moses and Aaron. 3 The people blamed Moses and said, “If only we had died in the Lord’s presence with our brothers! 4 Why have you brought the congregation of the Lord’s people into this wilderness to die, along with all our livestock? 5 Why did you make us leave Egypt and bring us here to this terrible place? This land has no grain, no figs, no grapes, no pomegranates, and no water to drink!”
The children of Israel get a bad rap from us Christians. Hindsight is 20/20. It’s so easy to see all that God has done and wonder why they didn’t get it and just trust Him. They had the plagues to set them free, they got a fireworks show at the foot of the mountain and Moses shined like a glow worm. Yet they reached a place with no water and seemingly forgot all God had done. Had He deserted them? Of course not, but the children of Israel were so caught up in their immediate problem that it seemed bigger than God.
Yes, water is vital for survival. This was a perfectly valid concern. Their response however was not warranted. The lack of water caused the people to long for death in a previous plague or to wish for slavery again. After all God did for them, plague death or slavery with fruit seemed to be better options than trusting God. The lack of water caused panic and the people took their eyes off of God and put them on the issue at hand. God had a miracle in store for them but they could only see humanly solutions: death or slavery.
Fast forward a couple thousand years. I have the benefit of the entire Bible, all of church history and miracles from my own life. Yet I grumble and complain. I look back to the state of slavery to sin and sometimes even wish for death. Like the children of Israel, I’m human and when confronted with life’s problems I look to human solutions. What’s the lesser of two evils? What can I do in my own power? After that usually comes a time of hopelessness and despair. Then I come to myself and realize I serve a God whose thoughts and ways are higher than mine. God always has a planned destination for me but I get sidetracked and mired in the wilderness of my humanity.
Sadly, I’m not alone in my response to problems. Let’s learn from the Children of Israel. Instead of reacting in fear, let’s commit to act in faith. When valid problems seek to grab our attention, let’s focus on the One who has miracles in His plan. Slavery and death should never be viable options. God is our option. God is my option and that’s my final answer.
~Linda D. Sothern
2 There was no water for the people to drink at that place, so they rebelled against Moses and Aaron. 3 The people blamed Moses and said, “If only we had died in the Lord’s presence with our brothers! 4 Why have you brought the congregation of the Lord’s people into this wilderness to die, along with all our livestock? 5 Why did you make us leave Egypt and bring us here to this terrible place? This land has no grain, no figs, no grapes, no pomegranates, and no water to drink!”
The children of Israel get a bad rap from us Christians. Hindsight is 20/20. It’s so easy to see all that God has done and wonder why they didn’t get it and just trust Him. They had the plagues to set them free, they got a fireworks show at the foot of the mountain and Moses shined like a glow worm. Yet they reached a place with no water and seemingly forgot all God had done. Had He deserted them? Of course not, but the children of Israel were so caught up in their immediate problem that it seemed bigger than God.
Yes, water is vital for survival. This was a perfectly valid concern. Their response however was not warranted. The lack of water caused the people to long for death in a previous plague or to wish for slavery again. After all God did for them, plague death or slavery with fruit seemed to be better options than trusting God. The lack of water caused panic and the people took their eyes off of God and put them on the issue at hand. God had a miracle in store for them but they could only see humanly solutions: death or slavery.
Fast forward a couple thousand years. I have the benefit of the entire Bible, all of church history and miracles from my own life. Yet I grumble and complain. I look back to the state of slavery to sin and sometimes even wish for death. Like the children of Israel, I’m human and when confronted with life’s problems I look to human solutions. What’s the lesser of two evils? What can I do in my own power? After that usually comes a time of hopelessness and despair. Then I come to myself and realize I serve a God whose thoughts and ways are higher than mine. God always has a planned destination for me but I get sidetracked and mired in the wilderness of my humanity.
Sadly, I’m not alone in my response to problems. Let’s learn from the Children of Israel. Instead of reacting in fear, let’s commit to act in faith. When valid problems seek to grab our attention, let’s focus on the One who has miracles in His plan. Slavery and death should never be viable options. God is our option. God is my option and that’s my final answer.
~Linda D. Sothern
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
From Despair to Dancing
"You did it: you changed wild lament into whirling dance; you ripped off my black mourning band and decked me with wildflowers. I'm about to burst with song; I can't keep quiet about you. God, my God, I can't thank you enough" (Msg. Bible, Psalm 30:11 - 12).
This psalm actually represents part of a testimony for me. And I must say, that I absolutely love David because he is one of the most authentic characters in the Bible. David expresses such a wide range of emotions -- from joy to anger to despair to joy again, to despair again -- that he makes the psalms tangible and so very real. He just puts it all out there, regardless of what anyone thinks about his issues, weakness, sorrows, or circumstances. I totally understand where he lives; probably all of us at one time or another do, and if you don't, keep on living.
Last year, at about this time, I was in the middle of a trial that was about to get worse; I had been through storms before, but this one was particularly difficult because I had been walking through it for a few years. It was an extremely dark time for me. There were moments when so much was weighing upon me until getting up out of bed was a chore. When the circumstances turned, a few months later, and it looked as if everything would be resolved -- things were in "place," I had a chance to breathe, I thought that the trial was over . . . but it wasn't. Since the commencement of the trial, I had taken on a specific role. But when that role was no longer required, instead of feeling this incredible sense of elation and relief, I felt empty, useless, guilty, and, as a result, I sank into a short-term depression. I was so used to caring for others, praying for others while neglecting myself, that I consequently fell into an abyss. This says so much about us as humans; ritual and routine tend to give us meaning, I guess.
The only thing I can say about depression is that you feel a sense of emptiness, hopelessness and at times worthlessness. It's as if a dark cloud is hanging over your head. Sure, there were moments of joy, but they were short-lived in the face of running errands for others and feeling lost and not myself. Prayers seemed to hit a brass ceiling and go nowhere. Even though, I was determined to worship God through it all, it was gut-wrenching because I was battling for my life. There were days at work that my co-teacher had to turn the lights on in my office because I preferred the dark to illumination. She even asked me one day if I cared about my appearance because I guess I wasn't looking so great (and I am not one to come out of the house looking messy and slovenly). However, even in the midst of my confusion and despair, I still heard the still, small voice of God saying, "I'm right here, Kim. I'm with you every step of the way." This gave me the strength to keep going. Step-by-step, God led me out of the darkness.
As the Lord walked me through the process, He invited me to confront and to embrace my feelings honestly. If I was angry or felt guilty, it was OK to say that. If I felt like yelling or crying uncontrollably, God was able to handle that as well. As I sought Him, slowly, there was a piercing in the night sky and I began to dream again. I think the night the residue of the depression fled was when I began to go into spiritual labor with Terri acting as my midwife, Brian as my lamaze (spelling!) coach, and Linda, Jake, and Janese as the encouragers! Oh, what a night! I sat in the birthing position and yelled my head off! It was dramatic and weird, but my passion for God and for life was solidly rekindled that glorious night!
Today, the Lord is restoring my vibrancy and I once again, wake up with worship songs in my spirit. I feel youthful, radiant, and dare I say, attractive? God has vanquished the darkness with His unconditional and insanely faithful love. He has poured the oil of joy into my existence. He knows how to choreograph the steps of restoration and true life, and to create a beautiful composition out of our pain. He also knows that a hippy like me proudly displays her wildflowers (real and metaphorical). They are the symbols of His matchless grace and his splendid, larger-than-life heart. He is my God and I can't thank Him enough!
Kimberly Rae Ross
This psalm actually represents part of a testimony for me. And I must say, that I absolutely love David because he is one of the most authentic characters in the Bible. David expresses such a wide range of emotions -- from joy to anger to despair to joy again, to despair again -- that he makes the psalms tangible and so very real. He just puts it all out there, regardless of what anyone thinks about his issues, weakness, sorrows, or circumstances. I totally understand where he lives; probably all of us at one time or another do, and if you don't, keep on living.
Last year, at about this time, I was in the middle of a trial that was about to get worse; I had been through storms before, but this one was particularly difficult because I had been walking through it for a few years. It was an extremely dark time for me. There were moments when so much was weighing upon me until getting up out of bed was a chore. When the circumstances turned, a few months later, and it looked as if everything would be resolved -- things were in "place," I had a chance to breathe, I thought that the trial was over . . . but it wasn't. Since the commencement of the trial, I had taken on a specific role. But when that role was no longer required, instead of feeling this incredible sense of elation and relief, I felt empty, useless, guilty, and, as a result, I sank into a short-term depression. I was so used to caring for others, praying for others while neglecting myself, that I consequently fell into an abyss. This says so much about us as humans; ritual and routine tend to give us meaning, I guess.
The only thing I can say about depression is that you feel a sense of emptiness, hopelessness and at times worthlessness. It's as if a dark cloud is hanging over your head. Sure, there were moments of joy, but they were short-lived in the face of running errands for others and feeling lost and not myself. Prayers seemed to hit a brass ceiling and go nowhere. Even though, I was determined to worship God through it all, it was gut-wrenching because I was battling for my life. There were days at work that my co-teacher had to turn the lights on in my office because I preferred the dark to illumination. She even asked me one day if I cared about my appearance because I guess I wasn't looking so great (and I am not one to come out of the house looking messy and slovenly). However, even in the midst of my confusion and despair, I still heard the still, small voice of God saying, "I'm right here, Kim. I'm with you every step of the way." This gave me the strength to keep going. Step-by-step, God led me out of the darkness.
As the Lord walked me through the process, He invited me to confront and to embrace my feelings honestly. If I was angry or felt guilty, it was OK to say that. If I felt like yelling or crying uncontrollably, God was able to handle that as well. As I sought Him, slowly, there was a piercing in the night sky and I began to dream again. I think the night the residue of the depression fled was when I began to go into spiritual labor with Terri acting as my midwife, Brian as my lamaze (spelling!) coach, and Linda, Jake, and Janese as the encouragers! Oh, what a night! I sat in the birthing position and yelled my head off! It was dramatic and weird, but my passion for God and for life was solidly rekindled that glorious night!
Today, the Lord is restoring my vibrancy and I once again, wake up with worship songs in my spirit. I feel youthful, radiant, and dare I say, attractive? God has vanquished the darkness with His unconditional and insanely faithful love. He has poured the oil of joy into my existence. He knows how to choreograph the steps of restoration and true life, and to create a beautiful composition out of our pain. He also knows that a hippy like me proudly displays her wildflowers (real and metaphorical). They are the symbols of His matchless grace and his splendid, larger-than-life heart. He is my God and I can't thank Him enough!
Kimberly Rae Ross
Thursday, February 26, 2009
His Way
Psalm 25 has a special place in my heart because from it I wrote my first song. It was called "O Lord I Lift Up My Soul." Being a songwriter, your first song always has a special place in your heart. I think the reason why this song is so special to me is because the theme of it speaks to the heart of my desire for songwriting and for ministry in general. The song essentially is Psalm 25: 1 - 2a, 4-5: "O Lord I lift up my soul, in you I trust. Lead me in your truth and teach me, O Lord, teach me your way." Another verse that we read this week which speaks so mightily to the same thing is Psalm 27:11: "Teach me your way, O Lord; lead me in a straight path."
These scriptures express the true desire of my heart. Lord, I seek you for your way of doing things. Here's the problem, living on earth we're exposed to the exact opposite of the way that the Lord does things. We're caught up in the way our economy does things, the way our society does things, the way our generation does things, the way our country does things, the way our families do things, even the way our churches do things. I don't want all of those ways. I want the way of the Lord because His way is a straight path.
Today I was talking to my sister about a situation that's really been rocking me over the past couple of weeks. While I won't get into the details of the situation, my observant and wise older sister pointed out that I haven't been myself lately. She noted that I have not been as joyous as I usually am. It seemed like I had been carrying around weight for the past week or two. As we talked about the situation I found myself saying "you know sis the only way I see myself getting out of this situation is by doing this." (I won't mention what this specifically was but I did in our conversation). After saying this she said something so profound. She said "what about the Lord? Why are you not resting in Him?" In all of my processing I forgot the original cry of my heart which was Lord, I lift my soul to You. What I should be doing is walking in the rest and the ways of the Lord. I was so concentrated on the resolve of this situation being this one thing I was thinking about. Not only did I not see other ways out, but I didn't even seek the Lord about teaching me His way in this situation.
So what other situations in our lives are we stuck in our way of thinking and not the Lord's?? Remember God told us that His ways aren't ours. They're actually higher. If you want to get really technical, Jesus said that He was the way. If you find yourself battling in your mind saying what should I do, ask the Lord for His way because the way you're thinking about it is probably not the way the Lord wants to resolve it. His resolve is higher than ours!!
"Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path" Psalm 27:11
~Jake Greene
These scriptures express the true desire of my heart. Lord, I seek you for your way of doing things. Here's the problem, living on earth we're exposed to the exact opposite of the way that the Lord does things. We're caught up in the way our economy does things, the way our society does things, the way our generation does things, the way our country does things, the way our families do things, even the way our churches do things. I don't want all of those ways. I want the way of the Lord because His way is a straight path.
Today I was talking to my sister about a situation that's really been rocking me over the past couple of weeks. While I won't get into the details of the situation, my observant and wise older sister pointed out that I haven't been myself lately. She noted that I have not been as joyous as I usually am. It seemed like I had been carrying around weight for the past week or two. As we talked about the situation I found myself saying "you know sis the only way I see myself getting out of this situation is by doing this." (I won't mention what this specifically was but I did in our conversation). After saying this she said something so profound. She said "what about the Lord? Why are you not resting in Him?" In all of my processing I forgot the original cry of my heart which was Lord, I lift my soul to You. What I should be doing is walking in the rest and the ways of the Lord. I was so concentrated on the resolve of this situation being this one thing I was thinking about. Not only did I not see other ways out, but I didn't even seek the Lord about teaching me His way in this situation.
So what other situations in our lives are we stuck in our way of thinking and not the Lord's?? Remember God told us that His ways aren't ours. They're actually higher. If you want to get really technical, Jesus said that He was the way. If you find yourself battling in your mind saying what should I do, ask the Lord for His way because the way you're thinking about it is probably not the way the Lord wants to resolve it. His resolve is higher than ours!!
"Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path" Psalm 27:11
~Jake Greene
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Hypocrites
Jesus is an interesting person. Every time I feel like I know His character well, I read something that awes me. I have been captivated by Matthew 23 for a couple of days now. In this passage, Jesus is addressing the crowds, namely the religious leaders, about hypocrisy. I giggle each time I read verse 3, because Jesus is being a little sarcastic. He says to the crowd, “So you must be careful to do everything they [the religious leaders] tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.”
I think that is funny because this was a good thing/bad thing situation for the religious leaders. On one hand, Jesus was telling the people to obey their commands, which was what they wanted. The religious leaders wanted people to stop following Jesus. But on the other hand, Jesus was pointing out their faults and their lack of faithfulness. I love Jesus.
But His tone turns serious for the rest of the chapter. Verse 23 reads:
How terrible it will be for you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest part of your income, but you ignore the important things of the law – justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but you should not leave undone the more important things.
And my favorite passage in this chapter is verse 24:
“Blind guides! You strain your water so you won't accidentally swallow a gnat; then you swallow a camel!”
Ouch! This scripture struck home for me. There are times where my focus is so locked on some little, minute, insignificant gnat but I’m eyeballing a camel for lunch. Like staying in my comfort zone instead of standing up for justice. Or holding a grudge when I should be showing mercy. And, of course, trying to control every little detail instead of living by faith.
Now when you read a scripture like this, it’s a good idea to identify your water straining efforts and then look for the important stuff. In this passage, tithing is something we should be doing and that’s good, but it’s not more important than justice, mercy and faith. These things are important to God, second to a religious behavior.
Often, we need to ask God to search our hearts like David did in Psalms 51. There is some gnat straining and camel swallowing going in us. Besides, we don’t want Jesus to say the world “Do what they say, but not as they do.” How do we know that’s why more people haven’t come to Christ? Selah.
-Terri J. Haynes
I think that is funny because this was a good thing/bad thing situation for the religious leaders. On one hand, Jesus was telling the people to obey their commands, which was what they wanted. The religious leaders wanted people to stop following Jesus. But on the other hand, Jesus was pointing out their faults and their lack of faithfulness. I love Jesus.
But His tone turns serious for the rest of the chapter. Verse 23 reads:
How terrible it will be for you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest part of your income, but you ignore the important things of the law – justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but you should not leave undone the more important things.
And my favorite passage in this chapter is verse 24:
“Blind guides! You strain your water so you won't accidentally swallow a gnat; then you swallow a camel!”
Ouch! This scripture struck home for me. There are times where my focus is so locked on some little, minute, insignificant gnat but I’m eyeballing a camel for lunch. Like staying in my comfort zone instead of standing up for justice. Or holding a grudge when I should be showing mercy. And, of course, trying to control every little detail instead of living by faith.
Now when you read a scripture like this, it’s a good idea to identify your water straining efforts and then look for the important stuff. In this passage, tithing is something we should be doing and that’s good, but it’s not more important than justice, mercy and faith. These things are important to God, second to a religious behavior.
Often, we need to ask God to search our hearts like David did in Psalms 51. There is some gnat straining and camel swallowing going in us. Besides, we don’t want Jesus to say the world “Do what they say, but not as they do.” How do we know that’s why more people haven’t come to Christ? Selah.
-Terri J. Haynes
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
It was in the Bible first
"I am the Lord thy God."
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear this? Honestly, what is it? Sadly, for me it’s a reflex to duck so I don’t get water thrown at me. (You would have had to been there to understand). But I need to remember that it was in the Bible first and regardless of my previous experience this is a good thing to know.
The Ten commandments (Exodus 20) are so pervasive in our society that even blazing heathens can name at least half of them. We all have this checklist of “the big sins”. I haven’t killed anyone today (though tempted) so I’m good. But that is so not the point. Yes, we’re not supposed to murder but it’s bigger than that. Why aren’t we to murder? Why aren’t we to steal? Why aren’t we to lie? It’s not just so we can get cool points from Jesus in heaven and maybe some cash on earth. It’s because He is the Lord our God.
I am a complete why person. I like to know the answers and reasons for things. It’s so much easier to comply when you know why. God doesn’t work that way. He wants me to obey just because He said so. There are reasons, yes, but He doesn’t choose to explain them all. Honestly, I know I couldn’t handle all of the answers if He gave them to me. For example Exodus 20:18-21 provide a glimpse into the conundrum of understanding God’s plan. God had Moses prep the people to meet Him. They get ready and then He comes down and scares the mess out of them. On purpose. Verse 20 says “for God has come in this way to test you, and so that your fear of him will keep you from sinning!” (NLT). God knew He was going to scare them. As He knew they would back away from personally knowing Him. And He also knew that it would not keep them from sinning as most of the Bible points out. Even knowing that Israel would turn from His ways while still in the wilderness God still desired to commune and relate with them. Try thinking about that paradox for awhile and see how much of a headache you get because it doesn’t make sense… God’s ways are not our ways.
Back to the commandments. "I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. You must not have any other god but me”. Egypt is a type (person or thing that foreshadows) of sin or the world. My question to you is what is your place of slavery? Think about it beyond the “big ten”. Where are you being held captive in your life that even your worship and devotion to God is regulated. God removed the Israelites from Egypt so they could be devoted to Him on His terms not Pharaoh’s. What things control your Christianity? Is it your job? Your family? Friends? Television? Food? Low self-esteem? Other faulty thinking? The American Dream?
Anything that alters your relationship with God has become your god. Let’s learn from Israel. I personally do not want God to come down and scare the mess out of me only for me to continue in sin. Since Jesus died for our sins we have been released from Egypt. So, as soon as I post this I’ll be having a repent session for my other gods because I don't want to remain in slavery. Jesus has "give us free" (Amistad). So don't punk out and run from God and only connect with Him through Terri. God wants to relate to you personally without a go between because He is the Lord our God.
-Linda Sothern
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear this? Honestly, what is it? Sadly, for me it’s a reflex to duck so I don’t get water thrown at me. (You would have had to been there to understand). But I need to remember that it was in the Bible first and regardless of my previous experience this is a good thing to know.
The Ten commandments (Exodus 20) are so pervasive in our society that even blazing heathens can name at least half of them. We all have this checklist of “the big sins”. I haven’t killed anyone today (though tempted) so I’m good. But that is so not the point. Yes, we’re not supposed to murder but it’s bigger than that. Why aren’t we to murder? Why aren’t we to steal? Why aren’t we to lie? It’s not just so we can get cool points from Jesus in heaven and maybe some cash on earth. It’s because He is the Lord our God.
I am a complete why person. I like to know the answers and reasons for things. It’s so much easier to comply when you know why. God doesn’t work that way. He wants me to obey just because He said so. There are reasons, yes, but He doesn’t choose to explain them all. Honestly, I know I couldn’t handle all of the answers if He gave them to me. For example Exodus 20:18-21 provide a glimpse into the conundrum of understanding God’s plan. God had Moses prep the people to meet Him. They get ready and then He comes down and scares the mess out of them. On purpose. Verse 20 says “for God has come in this way to test you, and so that your fear of him will keep you from sinning!” (NLT). God knew He was going to scare them. As He knew they would back away from personally knowing Him. And He also knew that it would not keep them from sinning as most of the Bible points out. Even knowing that Israel would turn from His ways while still in the wilderness God still desired to commune and relate with them. Try thinking about that paradox for awhile and see how much of a headache you get because it doesn’t make sense… God’s ways are not our ways.
Back to the commandments. "I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. You must not have any other god but me”. Egypt is a type (person or thing that foreshadows) of sin or the world. My question to you is what is your place of slavery? Think about it beyond the “big ten”. Where are you being held captive in your life that even your worship and devotion to God is regulated. God removed the Israelites from Egypt so they could be devoted to Him on His terms not Pharaoh’s. What things control your Christianity? Is it your job? Your family? Friends? Television? Food? Low self-esteem? Other faulty thinking? The American Dream?
Anything that alters your relationship with God has become your god. Let’s learn from Israel. I personally do not want God to come down and scare the mess out of me only for me to continue in sin. Since Jesus died for our sins we have been released from Egypt. So, as soon as I post this I’ll be having a repent session for my other gods because I don't want to remain in slavery. Jesus has "give us free" (Amistad). So don't punk out and run from God and only connect with Him through Terri. God wants to relate to you personally without a go between because He is the Lord our God.
-Linda Sothern
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Real Change: The Act of Laying It Down
I am fascinated with change — with transformation; I am uncertain about the reason for this fascination. I am just fascinated. When my students and I study and dialogue about a novel, one major thread that runs through our discussions is this business about static vs. dynamic characters. Static characters in literature or film are one dimensional at best; they are the same throughout the story, while dynamic characters go through definitive changes. Perhaps it is the process, although not always a pleasant one for the characters, that enthralls me. Your guess is as good as mine.
I suppose it is important to state that change can be beneficial or it can be destructive. So I want to emphasize that I am talking about good change. One character in the Bible who is striking to me and who goes through a change for the better is Judah, the son of Jacob (a former grifter —manipulator, and con artist who goes through an amazing transformation himself). In Genesis chapter 37, we find that Judah is the mastermind behind selling his brother, Joseph into slavery, “Come let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites” (37:27). By Chapter 38, he’s sleeping with his daughter-in-law, Tamar, which results in the pregnancy of twins. Judah is a certified mess.
But something happens to Judah throughout the years. The Bible is not explicit in terms of the Judah’s metamorphosis, but by Chapter 44, Judah is willing to trade his freedom for that of his younger brother’s, Benjamin. Is Judah’s change due to being around his father, Jacob, whose life was so dramatically changed by God that his transformation influenced the very character of his sons? Is it the fact that Judah had traveled down some difficult roads? Learned some hard lessons as a result? Was it maturation? Maybe it was all the above. What we do know is that the crimes of Judah’s past – jealousy, hatred, and thoughtlessness are replaced by selflessness, humility, and ultimately, sacrifice. It is no coincidence that his gracious act foreshadows that of his descendant's, none other than Jesus Christ.
What about our transformation? What about the change that God seeks in us as His kids? As I’m typing this, I am reminded of a conversation that I had with the Lord as I drove to work one glorious fall day. The school where I teach is located in the country. It’s nothing to see cattle blocking the road as you speed (God help!) in order to get to work on time. As I was driving, I looked up to admire the beautiful reds, oranges, and golds that seemed to hover like a canopy. I expressed to God how beautiful I thought the leaves were, and He so gently responded, “Yes, but they’re dying. And as you die to yourself, I see it as beautiful.”
So perhaps this is really the key to Judah’s transformation — day-by-day, little-by-little, year-by-year he learned to die (thanks, Terri) —to lay it all down on the altar of God. During life’s difficult seasons, he laid it all down. In the daily processes of life, when nothing was really going on, he laid it all down. When he felt like it and when he didn’t feel like it, down it went. Eventually, God's ways became Judah's ways. In the process, in a time when he could have remained silent and reverted to his former behavior, Judah was willing to lay it all down for the freedom of his own brother, because laying it down is what he'd been practicing all those years. That’s true character transformation. When we get to that place, God cheers with delight and says, “That’s so beautiful!” That’s real change – that’s something you can really believe in.
-Kimberly Rae Ross
I suppose it is important to state that change can be beneficial or it can be destructive. So I want to emphasize that I am talking about good change. One character in the Bible who is striking to me and who goes through a change for the better is Judah, the son of Jacob (a former grifter —manipulator, and con artist who goes through an amazing transformation himself). In Genesis chapter 37, we find that Judah is the mastermind behind selling his brother, Joseph into slavery, “Come let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites” (37:27). By Chapter 38, he’s sleeping with his daughter-in-law, Tamar, which results in the pregnancy of twins. Judah is a certified mess.
But something happens to Judah throughout the years. The Bible is not explicit in terms of the Judah’s metamorphosis, but by Chapter 44, Judah is willing to trade his freedom for that of his younger brother’s, Benjamin. Is Judah’s change due to being around his father, Jacob, whose life was so dramatically changed by God that his transformation influenced the very character of his sons? Is it the fact that Judah had traveled down some difficult roads? Learned some hard lessons as a result? Was it maturation? Maybe it was all the above. What we do know is that the crimes of Judah’s past – jealousy, hatred, and thoughtlessness are replaced by selflessness, humility, and ultimately, sacrifice. It is no coincidence that his gracious act foreshadows that of his descendant's, none other than Jesus Christ.
What about our transformation? What about the change that God seeks in us as His kids? As I’m typing this, I am reminded of a conversation that I had with the Lord as I drove to work one glorious fall day. The school where I teach is located in the country. It’s nothing to see cattle blocking the road as you speed (God help!) in order to get to work on time. As I was driving, I looked up to admire the beautiful reds, oranges, and golds that seemed to hover like a canopy. I expressed to God how beautiful I thought the leaves were, and He so gently responded, “Yes, but they’re dying. And as you die to yourself, I see it as beautiful.”
So perhaps this is really the key to Judah’s transformation — day-by-day, little-by-little, year-by-year he learned to die (thanks, Terri) —to lay it all down on the altar of God. During life’s difficult seasons, he laid it all down. In the daily processes of life, when nothing was really going on, he laid it all down. When he felt like it and when he didn’t feel like it, down it went. Eventually, God's ways became Judah's ways. In the process, in a time when he could have remained silent and reverted to his former behavior, Judah was willing to lay it all down for the freedom of his own brother, because laying it down is what he'd been practicing all those years. That’s true character transformation. When we get to that place, God cheers with delight and says, “That’s so beautiful!” That’s real change – that’s something you can really believe in.
-Kimberly Rae Ross
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Peace on Earth?
"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword." Matthew 10:34
I love scriptures like this because they challenge our perception of our Lord. When we think of Jesus, one of the first things we think of is peace. Here Jesus says, "wait a second. Don't automatically assume I came to bring peace to the earth. I came to bring peace to the extent that it will bring glory to my Father. Sometimes however, my sword is needed to accomplish my Father's will."
What does a sword do? It cuts, it divides. Wait, isn't Jesus supposed to unite and not divide. Yes!! Jesus is supposed to unite those who are on his team. But in addition to that, he has to determine who exactly is on his team! That means he has to divide his teammates from his opponents. Think about this: the Super Bowl is in 2 weeks. If Arizona and Pittsburgh both had the same colors and jerseys on, don't you think it would be a little difficult to distinguish who you needed to pass the ball to in order for the correct team to score? That's what Jesus is doing here. He is basically saying, I have to determine who is on my team and the only way I can do that is by dividing those on my team from those on the opposing team.
The unfortunate thing about Jesus' team is that (according to him) it divides mother against daughter and father against son. However Jesus is saying if you're playing on my team, no one can take priority over your coach and your teammates. Verse 37 of this same passage says "anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." In Luke's parallel passage (14:26) Jesus says 'if anyone does not hate his father or mother, son or daughter, he is not worthy of me.' Can you believe that? How can our great and glorious Lord be promoting hate?!?!?! Actually, he isn't. He's basically saying that your love for me has to be so great that in comparison your love for father, mother, son, and/or daughter should seem like hate. That's how strongly I want you with me and this team. Sticking with our football analogy, let's take two NFL quarterbacks who are very popular: Eli and Peyton Manning. Brothers who quarterback for different teams. In the past few years, they haven't had to compete against each other but if they did, guess what, their brother relationship would be cast aside once they get on that field. While in that game, Peyton's allegiance is to Indianapolis and Eli's is to New York.
So, whose team are you on? As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!
-Jake Greene
Monday, January 19, 2009
The Impossible Prayer Journal
This past Sunday, Linda Sothern taught on journaling as a spiritual discipline. She called me the Journal Queen and I am. But Linda talked about a type of journal that I don't have: the Impossible Prayer Journal. This journal is to record things that seem impossible. She talked about how Chaplin Black at the Senate has one and how he has seen God answer his impossible prayers.
Since I'm such a journal junkie and I have a pile of unused journals on my office table, I committed to start one. I wrote my first entry in it tonight. It wasn't fancy but the list was things I feel are impossible right now.
Here is the strange thing. After I finished writing, I realized that I was praying too small. Everything on my list was things God already promised to do or that are probable. For instance, one of my impossible prayers is to get a three-book contract. Well, if I keep writing and studying my craft, it's already possible for me to get one.
Sad to say, I see where I'm limiting God. I've been asking for things that I can already see happening, but not what is really impossible. Do you do that? Do you pray and ask God for things that are already probable?
My list revealed my faith in God. Why are my prayers so small if I believe that God is the God of the impossible? So I'm going to make another attempt. I'm going to pray that the AIDS epidemic in Africa stop. I'm going to pray that the people in China will be able to be openly Christian. I'm going to pray that the abortion rate go down and the adoption rate go up. I'm praying that every unbeliever that comes to National be saved.
What about you? How big are your prayers?
-Terri J. Haynes
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
The Hook Up
We live in a society where it’s not what you know, but who you know. Your forward progression is no longer based on your skills or ability to effectively perform a job. It’s based on a what clique you belong to.
Being in the military, I’ve seen this all too often. When my family and I lived in Belgium, Terri began looking for a job. Most US agencies used a software program called Resumix. It is a program that scans candidate's resumes for certain key words then forward these candidates to employers. Someone offered to give me the key words for Terri's resume – a “hook-up”. Though it was tempting, we felt convicted and didn’t do it.
Unfortunately, the same “hook-up” mentality has seeped into the church. It’s now called “networking.” Now don’t get me wrong, networking at its basic element is essential for churches. It fosters a sense of community and creates interpersonal relationships among the entire Body of Christ that allow them to operate on one accord. It also affords the leadership the opportunity to be held accountable, especially pastors who are charged with the weight of the ministry on their shoulders. But networking has replaced the reliance on the Holy Spirit…people are placed in positions based who they know and not necessarily on what right.
Genesis 23 opens with Sarah’s death and Abraham is negotiating with the Hittites for a burial plot. One of the Hittites told Abraham that he would give him the land free of charge. To some of us that would have been a “blessing from God!” Let’s update this scenario. While you were shopping, you’ve notice that the cashier didn’t charge you for an item or gave to too much change. Do you bring it to their attention or do you just “thank God for your blessing” and don’t mention it?
Abraham maintained his integrity and paid full price for the land. Yes, there are situations where God will cause people to bless you. But if employees are not charging you for services rendered without approval that isn’t a blessing – it’s stealing. Hook-ups cause us to subtly compromise our faith; we begin to look to man to bless us and label it godly. Maintain your integrity before man and, more importantly, God. Realize that the blessing of man is temporal, but God is permanent.
-Abrian Haynes
Being in the military, I’ve seen this all too often. When my family and I lived in Belgium, Terri began looking for a job. Most US agencies used a software program called Resumix. It is a program that scans candidate's resumes for certain key words then forward these candidates to employers. Someone offered to give me the key words for Terri's resume – a “hook-up”. Though it was tempting, we felt convicted and didn’t do it.
Unfortunately, the same “hook-up” mentality has seeped into the church. It’s now called “networking.” Now don’t get me wrong, networking at its basic element is essential for churches. It fosters a sense of community and creates interpersonal relationships among the entire Body of Christ that allow them to operate on one accord. It also affords the leadership the opportunity to be held accountable, especially pastors who are charged with the weight of the ministry on their shoulders. But networking has replaced the reliance on the Holy Spirit…people are placed in positions based who they know and not necessarily on what right.
Genesis 23 opens with Sarah’s death and Abraham is negotiating with the Hittites for a burial plot. One of the Hittites told Abraham that he would give him the land free of charge. To some of us that would have been a “blessing from God!” Let’s update this scenario. While you were shopping, you’ve notice that the cashier didn’t charge you for an item or gave to too much change. Do you bring it to their attention or do you just “thank God for your blessing” and don’t mention it?
Abraham maintained his integrity and paid full price for the land. Yes, there are situations where God will cause people to bless you. But if employees are not charging you for services rendered without approval that isn’t a blessing – it’s stealing. Hook-ups cause us to subtly compromise our faith; we begin to look to man to bless us and label it godly. Maintain your integrity before man and, more importantly, God. Realize that the blessing of man is temporal, but God is permanent.
-Abrian Haynes
Friday, January 9, 2009
Week One Devotional
I love New Years. There’s something about leaving your past disappointments, failures and hurts behind you that makes New Years more special. Not only that, but you’re still recouping from the Thanksgiving and Christmas season.
As I was preparing New Years dinner, I watched Terri roll out her home-made biscuit dough on the kitchen table. (Terri makes the best biscuits…anything baked out of the oven, for that matter.) Then she got a short drinking glass and cut the biscuits out. Usually, our kitchen is the most equipped room in the house. (This is not an indictment on the rest of our house.) We have all matter of gadgets and cooking spices – everything of course except for a biscuit cutter.
Then I heard the Spirit say, “That’s the same thing we do with our gifts.” We sometime chose a tool, natural ability or a method of resolving a situation that gets the job done, but it’s not necessarily the most effective means. Oftentimes, we get stuck on automatic – dealing with issues the same way we’ve always dealt with them in the past. Those methods have lost some effectiveness.
So how do we get back our effectiveness? Delight yourself in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night (Ps 1:2, NLT). When you delight yourself in the law of the Lord you get fresh directions on how to handle every situation. Engulf yourself in His presence and they will be no ineffectiveness…you’ll always know which tool to use.
-Abrian Haynes
As I was preparing New Years dinner, I watched Terri roll out her home-made biscuit dough on the kitchen table. (Terri makes the best biscuits…anything baked out of the oven, for that matter.) Then she got a short drinking glass and cut the biscuits out. Usually, our kitchen is the most equipped room in the house. (This is not an indictment on the rest of our house.) We have all matter of gadgets and cooking spices – everything of course except for a biscuit cutter.
Then I heard the Spirit say, “That’s the same thing we do with our gifts.” We sometime chose a tool, natural ability or a method of resolving a situation that gets the job done, but it’s not necessarily the most effective means. Oftentimes, we get stuck on automatic – dealing with issues the same way we’ve always dealt with them in the past. Those methods have lost some effectiveness.
So how do we get back our effectiveness? Delight yourself in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night (Ps 1:2, NLT). When you delight yourself in the law of the Lord you get fresh directions on how to handle every situation. Engulf yourself in His presence and they will be no ineffectiveness…you’ll always know which tool to use.
-Abrian Haynes
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Building Significance
Today's scripture reading came from Genesis 11. It's the story of the Tower of Babel. I've read this passage many times before, which is why I think going through the Bible in a systematic manner is so helpful. It gives an opportunity for my to revisit some passages with fresh eyes. And that's exactly what happened today.
Verse 4 reads:
And they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth."
The phrase "let us make a name for ourselves" resonated with me. I think Christians, including young adults are looking for a way to make a name for ourselves. We have dreams and plans of being the best at something or even famous. But what we are really trying to build is significance.
Everyone wants to feel significant. We want to feel important and unique in the sea of humanity in this world. As a matter of fact, longing for significance is a natural, human desire. No one wants to feel unimportant.
The problem arises when we attempt to create that significance for ourselves. When we bake bricks to build our own tower, trying to reach heaven with our own human self-effort. Our tower building efforts come from the fact that we need to be significant.
The sad reality is that we are significant. We are extremely important to God. He loves us and cares for us. He watches over us and protects us. And wants to bestow on us significance. He wants to give us meaning.
We have to actively resist building our own significance. It may be tempting and the fear of being scattered is high, but all our significance is in Jesus. Find your name in His kingdom, not with your own strength.
-Terri J. Haynes
Verse 4 reads:
And they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth."
The phrase "let us make a name for ourselves" resonated with me. I think Christians, including young adults are looking for a way to make a name for ourselves. We have dreams and plans of being the best at something or even famous. But what we are really trying to build is significance.
Everyone wants to feel significant. We want to feel important and unique in the sea of humanity in this world. As a matter of fact, longing for significance is a natural, human desire. No one wants to feel unimportant.
The problem arises when we attempt to create that significance for ourselves. When we bake bricks to build our own tower, trying to reach heaven with our own human self-effort. Our tower building efforts come from the fact that we need to be significant.
The sad reality is that we are significant. We are extremely important to God. He loves us and cares for us. He watches over us and protects us. And wants to bestow on us significance. He wants to give us meaning.
We have to actively resist building our own significance. It may be tempting and the fear of being scattered is high, but all our significance is in Jesus. Find your name in His kingdom, not with your own strength.
-Terri J. Haynes
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