One of my high school teachers used to say a phrase that still echoes in my head today. After he’d finish teaching his lesson, he’d add the statement, “It’s sooooooo easy” using his patronizing voice. The tiny word “so” was never as long as when his low voice would drag it out. That phrase always made me feel like I was in idiot if I didn’t catch on to what he was teaching that day.
I was reminded of this phrase the other day when I was reading in 1 John. I came across one simple verse that epitomizes the Christian life. “And this is His (God’s) command: to believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as He commanded us (1 John 3:23).” You can see why I fell in love with that verse! In that one verse, we have the essence of what it means to be a Christian. I thought to myself, “It’s sooooo easy!” Even though living the Christian life isn’t always easy, God made it easy for us to understand what being a Christian is all about.
The first part of that verse says that we become a child of Christ by believing in the name of God’s Son, Jesus Christ. John 6:40 tells us that “Anyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life.” Believing in Jesus is not always easy or simple for some people. There are many reasons that people use for not believing in Jesus. However, to those who do choose to believe in Him and are willing to trust and serve Him, He has promised eternal life.
The second part of the verse says to love one another as He commanded us. This is where the rubber meets the road. This is where we show we are true disciples of Christ. After we accept Christ, we are instructed to love one another. Notice that there are no stipulations to this verse. (I kind of wish there were!) What about the co-worker who has it out for us? What about the Christian friend who has hurt us? What about that family member who works on our last nerve? What about people who have done despicable things? Are we really supposed to love them?
The end of this verse makes it clear that we are called to love everyone. Sometimes it’s not soooooo easy to love certain people. It’s easy for me to love people in my life who are kind to me. It’s a lot harder to love people who are difficult.
God set the ultimate example of love by sending His only Son to die for a sinful world. That sinful world includes you and me. We have done nothing to deserve God’s love, yet while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Loving others can mean different things for different people. Some people love others by helping those in need. Some people show love by participating in a missions trip. Some people show love by choosing to forgive someone who’s hurt them. Other people show love by reaching out to people in their community. There are many ways to show God's love.
No matter how God wants you to show love, the important thing is that you are doing it. It’s not always soooooo easy to show love. Take God for example. I’m sure it wasn’t sooooo easy for Him to give up His Son and watch Him suffer, but He did it out of love. After God’s ultimate sacrifice, all He asks of us is that we believe in Jesus and love others. That doesn’t seem like much to ask!
Scripture reading: I John 3
Prayer: Lord, I believe in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ. I want to obey Your command by loving others. Please show me how to love others around me and in other parts of the world. Thank you for Your sacrifice of love for us when You sent Your Son to die on the cross for my sins.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Friday, June 11, 2010
Shut up and Listen
Being still is a foreign concept to many of us. I know I often have a hard time quieting my mind. Sometimes when I pray or read my devotions, my mind wanders off to a hundred different places. What do I need at the grocery store? What do I have on my agenda today? I haven’t called my friend back yet. There are so many thoughts going through my mind during devotions, but not all of them pertain to God!
Our world today offers such a wide variety of conveniences that we don’t feel we should ever have to be still and wait for anything. I can get a hold of people in a flash through my cell phone, e-mail or facebook. Sometimes, if I don’t need an immediate response, I actually send a letter through the mail (how archaic) or use my landline to make a phone call. If the person I call isn’t home, I can leave a message for them to call me back as soon as possible.
In less than 5 minutes I can get a pizza, sub sandwich, fresh salad, burger, chicken dinner or a loaded burrito. At home I can make a skillet meal in 15 minutes and then put the dishes in my dishwasher, which will clean & sterilize an entire load of dishes in less than two hours. I can microwave leftovers in one minute and heat up my coffee in 20 seconds. Yesterday I actually stopped the microwave after 19 seconds because I couldn’t wait any longer!
It’s hard to practice the discipline of being still in a world where we don’t have to wait for anything. Sometimes we even use multiple modern conveniences at once. For instance, I can talk on my phone at home (through my “Madonna” headset) while I wash & fold laundry, clean my house or cook dinner. I like to call it multitasking! However, when I multitask, I’m not 100 percent focused on any one task.
In Psalm 46:10 the Bible says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” When I was reading this verse, I realized something. God doesn’t want a percentage of our attention. He wants all of it. When I spend time with God, I need to be fully devoted to Him. I need to be still and listen.
Sometimes I pray about the same request over and over. I wonder why God is not answering my prayers. Then I think about how much time I’ve actually spent with Him being still, reading the Scriptures and listening. It is possible to pray and yet not listen to God. There are poignant words to a Christian song that say, “I try to hear from heaven, but I talk the whole time.” Those lyrics hit me hard because I am guilty of praying and not hearing. I talk to God, but I don’t listen quietly for His response.
A big part of seeking God involves being still. It’s a discipline. We need to practice being still and restructure our devotional time to include quietly listening. Keep a notebook nearby so that when your mind wanders, you can write down your thoughts (like your grocery list and who you forgot to call) and deal with them later.
If we want to hear from heaven, we need to shut up. Please don’t tell my kids I said shut up or I’ll get in big trouble! I’m going to conclude by rephrasing Psalm 46:10-11 into a prayer.
Prayer:
Lord, I am going to shut up and listen. I acknowledge that You are God. You are more than enough for any situation I encounter, so I will trust You. Part of trusting You is presenting my requests to You and then sitting quietly to listen for Your response. You may not answer immediately, but I realize that You can’t answer at all if I’m not listening! You will be exalted among the nations and You will be exalted in the earth. You are that amazing! The Lord Almighty is always with me, He is the God of Jacob and He’s my fortress. You have always been around and You will protect me through any storm in life.
Scripture reading: Psalm 46
Our world today offers such a wide variety of conveniences that we don’t feel we should ever have to be still and wait for anything. I can get a hold of people in a flash through my cell phone, e-mail or facebook. Sometimes, if I don’t need an immediate response, I actually send a letter through the mail (how archaic) or use my landline to make a phone call. If the person I call isn’t home, I can leave a message for them to call me back as soon as possible.
In less than 5 minutes I can get a pizza, sub sandwich, fresh salad, burger, chicken dinner or a loaded burrito. At home I can make a skillet meal in 15 minutes and then put the dishes in my dishwasher, which will clean & sterilize an entire load of dishes in less than two hours. I can microwave leftovers in one minute and heat up my coffee in 20 seconds. Yesterday I actually stopped the microwave after 19 seconds because I couldn’t wait any longer!
It’s hard to practice the discipline of being still in a world where we don’t have to wait for anything. Sometimes we even use multiple modern conveniences at once. For instance, I can talk on my phone at home (through my “Madonna” headset) while I wash & fold laundry, clean my house or cook dinner. I like to call it multitasking! However, when I multitask, I’m not 100 percent focused on any one task.
In Psalm 46:10 the Bible says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” When I was reading this verse, I realized something. God doesn’t want a percentage of our attention. He wants all of it. When I spend time with God, I need to be fully devoted to Him. I need to be still and listen.
Sometimes I pray about the same request over and over. I wonder why God is not answering my prayers. Then I think about how much time I’ve actually spent with Him being still, reading the Scriptures and listening. It is possible to pray and yet not listen to God. There are poignant words to a Christian song that say, “I try to hear from heaven, but I talk the whole time.” Those lyrics hit me hard because I am guilty of praying and not hearing. I talk to God, but I don’t listen quietly for His response.
A big part of seeking God involves being still. It’s a discipline. We need to practice being still and restructure our devotional time to include quietly listening. Keep a notebook nearby so that when your mind wanders, you can write down your thoughts (like your grocery list and who you forgot to call) and deal with them later.
If we want to hear from heaven, we need to shut up. Please don’t tell my kids I said shut up or I’ll get in big trouble! I’m going to conclude by rephrasing Psalm 46:10-11 into a prayer.
Prayer:
Lord, I am going to shut up and listen. I acknowledge that You are God. You are more than enough for any situation I encounter, so I will trust You. Part of trusting You is presenting my requests to You and then sitting quietly to listen for Your response. You may not answer immediately, but I realize that You can’t answer at all if I’m not listening! You will be exalted among the nations and You will be exalted in the earth. You are that amazing! The Lord Almighty is always with me, He is the God of Jacob and He’s my fortress. You have always been around and You will protect me through any storm in life.
Scripture reading: Psalm 46
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Because God Says So!
A few years ago I was walking in Minneapolis with some friends. As we walked, we passed a homeless man who was asking for spare change. While most of us looked away and ignored him, one of my friends walked over and gave him some money. I think her act of kindness touched our hearts and also taught us a valuable lesson. God wants us to help others, not walk by them.
I can only speak for myself when I say I was humbled by that experience. In the past I have walked or driven past people who ask for money. It’s not that I don’t care about them, it’s more that I don’t care enough to do anything to help them. My heart would feel bad for them, that they had no place to live and that they were surviving on spare change. My hands, however, did not bear any of the fruit from my heart.
When I graduated from college I worked in the city and saw people asking for money every day. I became callous to their needs. I began to justify the fact that I walked right past them by telling myself these people with their tin cans or guitars looked perfectly capable of getting a job. Maybe they were just lazy. They probably didn’t make good use of their money while they had it, so why should I be responsible to help them out of their crisis?
Why? Because God says so!
Psalm 41:1 says, “Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; the LORD delivers him in times of trouble.” My study Bible says that God wants our generosity to reflect His own free giving. As He has blessed us, we should bless others. Now that’s something to wrap my little brain around! He has given me so many earthly blessings and on top of that I have the promise of eternal life with Him. With that in mind, I feel humbled when I think of how many needy people I’ve walked by in my life.
This weekend my husband and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary in downtown Minneapolis. We took a little time to “people watch” after dinner. I may seem like a redneck for even saying this, but I have to admit it was fun to sit and watch all the “city folk” and see the diversity of people enjoying the city that evening. As we sat on a bench, a homeless man came up to us and asked us for a quarter. At first we said we didn’t have a quarter, but as he walked away I felt the Holy Spirit convicting me.
I quickly decided that it was time I stop feeling bad for people in need and actually do something about it. I called to him, “Sir!” As he turned around, I reached into my purse to find some money. It was only a couple of dollars, but he seemed grateful. I realized that it didn’t matter why he was homeless or how he got to that place in life. What matters is that God wants us to have regard for the weak and needy.
Prayer: Lord, help me to not only see the needs of others around me, but to do something about their needs! Please show me how I can help someone today.
Scripture: Psalm 41
I can only speak for myself when I say I was humbled by that experience. In the past I have walked or driven past people who ask for money. It’s not that I don’t care about them, it’s more that I don’t care enough to do anything to help them. My heart would feel bad for them, that they had no place to live and that they were surviving on spare change. My hands, however, did not bear any of the fruit from my heart.
When I graduated from college I worked in the city and saw people asking for money every day. I became callous to their needs. I began to justify the fact that I walked right past them by telling myself these people with their tin cans or guitars looked perfectly capable of getting a job. Maybe they were just lazy. They probably didn’t make good use of their money while they had it, so why should I be responsible to help them out of their crisis?
Why? Because God says so!
Psalm 41:1 says, “Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; the LORD delivers him in times of trouble.” My study Bible says that God wants our generosity to reflect His own free giving. As He has blessed us, we should bless others. Now that’s something to wrap my little brain around! He has given me so many earthly blessings and on top of that I have the promise of eternal life with Him. With that in mind, I feel humbled when I think of how many needy people I’ve walked by in my life.
This weekend my husband and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary in downtown Minneapolis. We took a little time to “people watch” after dinner. I may seem like a redneck for even saying this, but I have to admit it was fun to sit and watch all the “city folk” and see the diversity of people enjoying the city that evening. As we sat on a bench, a homeless man came up to us and asked us for a quarter. At first we said we didn’t have a quarter, but as he walked away I felt the Holy Spirit convicting me.
I quickly decided that it was time I stop feeling bad for people in need and actually do something about it. I called to him, “Sir!” As he turned around, I reached into my purse to find some money. It was only a couple of dollars, but he seemed grateful. I realized that it didn’t matter why he was homeless or how he got to that place in life. What matters is that God wants us to have regard for the weak and needy.
Prayer: Lord, help me to not only see the needs of others around me, but to do something about their needs! Please show me how I can help someone today.
Scripture: Psalm 41
Monday, May 10, 2010
Spuds and Studs
A Story About Mother’s Day
When my husband told me that he was taking care of Mother’s Day dinner, I felt like I was in heaven! I think most women enjoy a day off from cooking and this was going to be my lucky day! In my mind I was planning all of the ways I would be relaxing while my husband slaved away in the kitchen. It was going to be great!
We traveled to Barry’s brother’s house on Saturday and I was already salivating in anticipation of the food that would be prepared the next day. I was picturing the dinner table in my mind. However, when I closed my eyes, all I could see was grilled chicken and potato chips. I imagined a beautiful table set with placemats, nice dishes, chicken and chips.
Why did this picture keep coming to mind? Maybe it’s because reality had sunk in. It’s a known fact that my husband doesn’t like to cook. He is great at grilling, but he doesn’t cook. The only things I’ve seen him make are frozen pizza’s and grilled cheese.
I started to panic. Maybe I wasn’t going to have my lavish Mother’s Day dinner after all.
My fears were confirmed on Saturday night as my husband and brother-in-law prepared the grocery list. My sister-in-law and I were telling them we’d like to have grilled chicken and baked potatoes. We suggested they should buy a five-pound bag of white potatoes. “Do you know where to find them?” she asked. “Yeah, we’ll just buy baked potatoes,” answered my husband (who only bakes frozen pizzas).
This is where the panic really set in.
After a trip to two grocery stores and the Dairy Queen (to get me a Blizzard), they returned home.
Before we turned in for bed, we asked my brother-in-law how he was going to prepare the baked potatoes. “We’re going to grill them,” he replied. My sister-in-law explained there wouldn’t be room on the grill with all the chicken. “Then we’ll put them in the microwave,” he said.
More panic.
Just then Barry walked in the room and we asked him if he knew how to cook a baked potato. He seemed very sure of himself as he answered, “You chop them up and cook them in a pot.” Hilarious laughter ensued as we asked them what part of baked potato they weren’t understanding! So far they were going to grill, microwave and boil our baked potatoes! When Barry asked if he should peel the potatoes before he boiled them, I was laughing so hard I almost lost it.
I’m not a fortune teller, but I could see a trip to McDonald’s in our future!
In the end we didn’t make a fast food run, and our meal was great. Barry cleaned the potatoes and my sister-in-law wrapped them in foil and baked them.
After dinner it was time for a dessert of angel food cake topped with strawberries and whipped cream. We snuck in the kitchen to find Barry frosting the angel food cake with the whipped cream. He had the whole cake almost covered by the time we got there. I guess it all gets mixed up in your stomach regardless of how it’s presented!
As I thought about the events of this weekend, the words of Ephesians 5:25 came to mind. It says, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” My husband showed he loved me by making an effort to do something that’s out of his comfort zone. The man who only cooks pizza and grilled cheese did his best to make me a special Mother’s Day lunch.
We dined on grilled chicken, baked potatoes, dill pickle chips and Cool Whip-frosted angel food cake. My husband set the table with the good dishes (and some dusty water glasses he didn’t know he was supposed to rinse out). The point is that he tried very hard to make it a special day.
When I close my eyes I can still picture the beautifully-set table. I can still taste the lemon-pepper chicken. I can hear the unmistakable laughter of family. The memories of this Mother’s Day will last forever, thanks to my husband, the stud who dared to cook a spud!
If you want to know more, read Ephesians 5.
Questions: What have you done lately to bless someone else? Is there something the Holy Spirit is telling you to do that you know will stretch your faith? Pray that the Lord will give you strength and courage to follow His will.
When my husband told me that he was taking care of Mother’s Day dinner, I felt like I was in heaven! I think most women enjoy a day off from cooking and this was going to be my lucky day! In my mind I was planning all of the ways I would be relaxing while my husband slaved away in the kitchen. It was going to be great!
We traveled to Barry’s brother’s house on Saturday and I was already salivating in anticipation of the food that would be prepared the next day. I was picturing the dinner table in my mind. However, when I closed my eyes, all I could see was grilled chicken and potato chips. I imagined a beautiful table set with placemats, nice dishes, chicken and chips.
Why did this picture keep coming to mind? Maybe it’s because reality had sunk in. It’s a known fact that my husband doesn’t like to cook. He is great at grilling, but he doesn’t cook. The only things I’ve seen him make are frozen pizza’s and grilled cheese.
I started to panic. Maybe I wasn’t going to have my lavish Mother’s Day dinner after all.
My fears were confirmed on Saturday night as my husband and brother-in-law prepared the grocery list. My sister-in-law and I were telling them we’d like to have grilled chicken and baked potatoes. We suggested they should buy a five-pound bag of white potatoes. “Do you know where to find them?” she asked. “Yeah, we’ll just buy baked potatoes,” answered my husband (who only bakes frozen pizzas).
This is where the panic really set in.
After a trip to two grocery stores and the Dairy Queen (to get me a Blizzard), they returned home.
Before we turned in for bed, we asked my brother-in-law how he was going to prepare the baked potatoes. “We’re going to grill them,” he replied. My sister-in-law explained there wouldn’t be room on the grill with all the chicken. “Then we’ll put them in the microwave,” he said.
More panic.
Just then Barry walked in the room and we asked him if he knew how to cook a baked potato. He seemed very sure of himself as he answered, “You chop them up and cook them in a pot.” Hilarious laughter ensued as we asked them what part of baked potato they weren’t understanding! So far they were going to grill, microwave and boil our baked potatoes! When Barry asked if he should peel the potatoes before he boiled them, I was laughing so hard I almost lost it.
I’m not a fortune teller, but I could see a trip to McDonald’s in our future!
In the end we didn’t make a fast food run, and our meal was great. Barry cleaned the potatoes and my sister-in-law wrapped them in foil and baked them.
After dinner it was time for a dessert of angel food cake topped with strawberries and whipped cream. We snuck in the kitchen to find Barry frosting the angel food cake with the whipped cream. He had the whole cake almost covered by the time we got there. I guess it all gets mixed up in your stomach regardless of how it’s presented!
As I thought about the events of this weekend, the words of Ephesians 5:25 came to mind. It says, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” My husband showed he loved me by making an effort to do something that’s out of his comfort zone. The man who only cooks pizza and grilled cheese did his best to make me a special Mother’s Day lunch.
We dined on grilled chicken, baked potatoes, dill pickle chips and Cool Whip-frosted angel food cake. My husband set the table with the good dishes (and some dusty water glasses he didn’t know he was supposed to rinse out). The point is that he tried very hard to make it a special day.
When I close my eyes I can still picture the beautifully-set table. I can still taste the lemon-pepper chicken. I can hear the unmistakable laughter of family. The memories of this Mother’s Day will last forever, thanks to my husband, the stud who dared to cook a spud!
If you want to know more, read Ephesians 5.
Questions: What have you done lately to bless someone else? Is there something the Holy Spirit is telling you to do that you know will stretch your faith? Pray that the Lord will give you strength and courage to follow His will.
Friday, April 30, 2010
24-Hour Prayer Power
What a difference a day makes! I’ve heard this saying before, but this weekend I realized just how true it is. Although the saying should be, “what a difference a day of prayer makes!” From Saturday morning to Sunday morning God showed me just how much power there is in prayer.
The reason behind my fervent prayer was the fact that I was playing the drums on the worship team at church on Sunday. We’d had worship team practice on Thursday night and to say that it hadn’t gone well would be an understatement. I had messed up many times and couldn’t seem to get some of the song endings right. My negative thoughts convinced me I’d ruin worship and make a fool of myself in the process.
To top it off, my seasonal allergies kicked into high gear. I felt miserable! By Saturday the need for prayer was undeniably evident. During these types of situations, the only thing that calms me down is talking to God by writing in my prayer journal. As I settled down before the Lord, I wrote Him a desperate prayer.
4.24.10
Lord, my throat hurts, my head hurts, my eyes are watering and I can’t sleep. Please help my body to function! Lord, I want to glorify You on the drums tomorrow. I need You to take my meager ability and multiply it! I can only do this though Your strength. I am claiming Philippians 4:13, “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”
Writing that prayer helped calm my fears and get me through the day. There was only a little time for practicing on Saturday, so I needed to trust God for musical ability that could only come from Him! Judging from Thursday’s practice, He’d have to pull off a miracle! I woke up early Sunday morning and decided that time would be best spent in prayer. I remembered the encouraging words of Psalm 33 and decided to read it again. Then I wrote another prayer in my journal.
4.25.10 (a.m.)
Psalm 33 says to “Sing joyfully to the Lord … Praise Him, Praise the Lord with the harp (I inserted the drums), make music to Him on the ten-stringed lyre (again, drums), sing to Him a new song, play skillfully and shout for joy.”
Lord, I don’t feel well today. I really need You! I want to honor You on the drums today. Please guide my hands and feet so that others may worship You. Please help me to play skillfully. I don’t want my mistakes to distract others. I will give You all the honor and glory.
The only way I was going to play skillfully was if God took over. There was absolutely no way anyone was going to “shout for joy” if I played like I did in practice. I was depending on God to take my drumsticks and use them for His glory.
He answered my prayer in a big way! On Sunday evening I took a few minutes to think about how God had made His presence known in my life that day and I made another prayer journal entry.
4.25.10 (p.m.)
Lord, thank you for being my hands and feet today. Worship time was awesome! I could feel Your presence. Thank you for answering my prayers. You showed Yourself through the music, communion and through Pastor’s message. You are an amazing and awesome God!
Sometimes I try to live my life in my own strength and I don’t rely on God. Then things start going wrong and I wonder why my life is a mess. This weekend’s 24-hour prayer power experience has helped me realize that God deserves to take charge of everything in my life. Why am I still holding on to things, thinking that I can do a better job handling my life than He can?
Playing the drums is one of my steps of faith. On my own I cannot make a joyful noise, but He has the power to make a joyful noise through me. I’d rather have my life planned out and scheduled so that there are no surprises or unknowns, but the Lord knows that I need experiences like playing the drums so I’ll depend on Him.
What drumsticks (areas of your life) to you need to hand over to God? Let Him take over those areas and use them to play skillfully.
If you want to know more, read Psalm 33.
The reason behind my fervent prayer was the fact that I was playing the drums on the worship team at church on Sunday. We’d had worship team practice on Thursday night and to say that it hadn’t gone well would be an understatement. I had messed up many times and couldn’t seem to get some of the song endings right. My negative thoughts convinced me I’d ruin worship and make a fool of myself in the process.
To top it off, my seasonal allergies kicked into high gear. I felt miserable! By Saturday the need for prayer was undeniably evident. During these types of situations, the only thing that calms me down is talking to God by writing in my prayer journal. As I settled down before the Lord, I wrote Him a desperate prayer.
4.24.10
Lord, my throat hurts, my head hurts, my eyes are watering and I can’t sleep. Please help my body to function! Lord, I want to glorify You on the drums tomorrow. I need You to take my meager ability and multiply it! I can only do this though Your strength. I am claiming Philippians 4:13, “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”
Writing that prayer helped calm my fears and get me through the day. There was only a little time for practicing on Saturday, so I needed to trust God for musical ability that could only come from Him! Judging from Thursday’s practice, He’d have to pull off a miracle! I woke up early Sunday morning and decided that time would be best spent in prayer. I remembered the encouraging words of Psalm 33 and decided to read it again. Then I wrote another prayer in my journal.
4.25.10 (a.m.)
Psalm 33 says to “Sing joyfully to the Lord … Praise Him, Praise the Lord with the harp (I inserted the drums), make music to Him on the ten-stringed lyre (again, drums), sing to Him a new song, play skillfully and shout for joy.”
Lord, I don’t feel well today. I really need You! I want to honor You on the drums today. Please guide my hands and feet so that others may worship You. Please help me to play skillfully. I don’t want my mistakes to distract others. I will give You all the honor and glory.
The only way I was going to play skillfully was if God took over. There was absolutely no way anyone was going to “shout for joy” if I played like I did in practice. I was depending on God to take my drumsticks and use them for His glory.
He answered my prayer in a big way! On Sunday evening I took a few minutes to think about how God had made His presence known in my life that day and I made another prayer journal entry.
4.25.10 (p.m.)
Lord, thank you for being my hands and feet today. Worship time was awesome! I could feel Your presence. Thank you for answering my prayers. You showed Yourself through the music, communion and through Pastor’s message. You are an amazing and awesome God!
Sometimes I try to live my life in my own strength and I don’t rely on God. Then things start going wrong and I wonder why my life is a mess. This weekend’s 24-hour prayer power experience has helped me realize that God deserves to take charge of everything in my life. Why am I still holding on to things, thinking that I can do a better job handling my life than He can?
Playing the drums is one of my steps of faith. On my own I cannot make a joyful noise, but He has the power to make a joyful noise through me. I’d rather have my life planned out and scheduled so that there are no surprises or unknowns, but the Lord knows that I need experiences like playing the drums so I’ll depend on Him.
What drumsticks (areas of your life) to you need to hand over to God? Let Him take over those areas and use them to play skillfully.
If you want to know more, read Psalm 33.
Monday, April 12, 2010
What Do You Expect?
My husband once told me that I expect too much out of people. When he said this to me, it was one of those comments I didn’t want to hear because it was painfully true. I am definitely guilty of putting unrealistic expectations on my friends, my family and even my husband.
Some expectations are fine. I expect my kids to work hard in school, do their chores at home and show respect to others. However, I can’t expect them to be perfect. They are going to fight with each other. They are going to fail. They are going to do things that make me want to crawl into a hole. I cannot have unrealistic expectations for them and I need to love them even when they let me down.
When we were first married, I had lofty expectations of my husband. He needed to have a good job, treat me like a queen, be frugal with money and spend all of his free time with me. How hard could that be? I wanted him to give me the world on a silver platter, and when that didn’t happen (imagine that!), I was disappointed.
When I raised my expectations of him to such a high level, there was no way he could reach them. Not even with an extension ladder or a ten-foot pole. It caused a lot of tension in our marriage when he wanted to golf on Saturdays instead of spending time with me. What I didn’t realize was that since he excelled at golf, playing 18 holes was a way for him to do something he was good at and to blow off steam. Steam that may have come from the weight of my expectations!
In the end, I decided to take up golf myself so we could play together. Now our whole family can golf and it’s a fun way to spend time together. It still gets a little tense when golf season rolls around, but I’m working on being supportive – or at least tolerant of the time spent golfing. I’m trying to accept my husband and encourage him, even if it includes golf!
In the book “One Month to Live” by Kerry & Chris Shook, there’s a section about accepting others. They say, “One of our greatest problems in relationships is that we’re always trying to change the people we’re relating to. To accept others means that we stop trying to change them and we start trying to understand them.” They cite Romans 15:7 which says, “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.”
My daughter and I recently saw the movie, “Tooth Fairy” starring Dwayne Johnson (previously known as “The Rock”), who plays a washed-up professional hockey player. After one hockey game, Johnson meets a little boy who idolizes him. The little boy looks at his idol and says, “One day I’m going to play in the big leagues just like you!” However, instead of encouraging the kid, Johnson tells him how hard life is as a hockey player and that only a small percentage of kids who play hockey ever end up playing it professionally. He goes on and on with his tirade and then ends by saying, “Lower your expectations.” I’m pretty sure that’s not what the boy wanted to hear from his hero.
However, it may actually be a good concept for relationships. Maybe if we could lower our unrealistic expectations of others, we would enjoy our relationships more. There are some things like honesty, trust & loyalty that are essential to relationships, but there are other things that are not. If we’re looking to others to meet needs that only God can meet, then our expectations will always fall short.
Prayer: Lord, I want to look at others through Your eyes. I don’t want to judge others or put urealistic expectations on them. Just as You accept me as I am, please help me to accept others. I want to bring You praise by accepting others as a beautiful creation You made.
If you want to know more, read Matthew 7:1-5 and Romans 15:7-13.
Some expectations are fine. I expect my kids to work hard in school, do their chores at home and show respect to others. However, I can’t expect them to be perfect. They are going to fight with each other. They are going to fail. They are going to do things that make me want to crawl into a hole. I cannot have unrealistic expectations for them and I need to love them even when they let me down.
When we were first married, I had lofty expectations of my husband. He needed to have a good job, treat me like a queen, be frugal with money and spend all of his free time with me. How hard could that be? I wanted him to give me the world on a silver platter, and when that didn’t happen (imagine that!), I was disappointed.
When I raised my expectations of him to such a high level, there was no way he could reach them. Not even with an extension ladder or a ten-foot pole. It caused a lot of tension in our marriage when he wanted to golf on Saturdays instead of spending time with me. What I didn’t realize was that since he excelled at golf, playing 18 holes was a way for him to do something he was good at and to blow off steam. Steam that may have come from the weight of my expectations!
In the end, I decided to take up golf myself so we could play together. Now our whole family can golf and it’s a fun way to spend time together. It still gets a little tense when golf season rolls around, but I’m working on being supportive – or at least tolerant of the time spent golfing. I’m trying to accept my husband and encourage him, even if it includes golf!
In the book “One Month to Live” by Kerry & Chris Shook, there’s a section about accepting others. They say, “One of our greatest problems in relationships is that we’re always trying to change the people we’re relating to. To accept others means that we stop trying to change them and we start trying to understand them.” They cite Romans 15:7 which says, “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.”
My daughter and I recently saw the movie, “Tooth Fairy” starring Dwayne Johnson (previously known as “The Rock”), who plays a washed-up professional hockey player. After one hockey game, Johnson meets a little boy who idolizes him. The little boy looks at his idol and says, “One day I’m going to play in the big leagues just like you!” However, instead of encouraging the kid, Johnson tells him how hard life is as a hockey player and that only a small percentage of kids who play hockey ever end up playing it professionally. He goes on and on with his tirade and then ends by saying, “Lower your expectations.” I’m pretty sure that’s not what the boy wanted to hear from his hero.
However, it may actually be a good concept for relationships. Maybe if we could lower our unrealistic expectations of others, we would enjoy our relationships more. There are some things like honesty, trust & loyalty that are essential to relationships, but there are other things that are not. If we’re looking to others to meet needs that only God can meet, then our expectations will always fall short.
Prayer: Lord, I want to look at others through Your eyes. I don’t want to judge others or put urealistic expectations on them. Just as You accept me as I am, please help me to accept others. I want to bring You praise by accepting others as a beautiful creation You made.
If you want to know more, read Matthew 7:1-5 and Romans 15:7-13.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Easter Fortune Cookie
Have you ever sung a song over and over in your head and then later realized you’d been singing the wrong lyrics? It’s happened to me before, and it’s also happened to my daughter. Once, she was convinced Taylor Swift’s lyrics “Didn’t kiss him and I should have” were “Didn’t kiss him on the shoe head.” No matter what we said, we couldn’t convince her otherwise.
We sang a song at church last Sunday called “Lead Me to the Cross.” I’ll list some of the real lyrics and then I’ll explain how I was singing them wrong. The song begins:
Savior I come, quiet my soul, remember
Redemption’s hill, where Your blood was spilled
For my ransom
Everything I once held dear, I count it all as lost.
Lead me to the cross, where Your love poured out
Bring me to my knees, Lord I lay me down
Bring me to my knees, I belong to You
Oh lead me, lead me to the cross.
I realized I had always sung the wrong lyrics to this song. I was singing, “lead me to the cross, where your blood poured out” instead of “where your love poured out.” Literally, Jesus’ blood poured out, but in reality, it was His love that was pouring out for us. As we sang that song, I pictured Jesus on the cross, blood spilling down, love flowing out. Love for a human race that he chose to die for, regardless of whether we loved Him back or not.
Philippians 2:7-11 explains how Jesus took the nature of a servant in human likeness, humbling Himself to die on a cross. He was the perfect sacrificial lamb, and He took on our sin when he died. Romans 6:23 says, “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” All we have to do is receive the gift He’s offering.
As I was thinking about Easter and the significance of celebrating this holiday, a funny thing happened. I was eating at my favorite Chinese restaurant with my mom and I opened my fortune cookie at the end of our meal. It read, “You will soon receive an unusual gift freely given. Accept!” If that isn’t a good fortune for Easter, I don’t know what is! Who knew the fortune in a cookie could hit the mark so perfectly?
What about you? Have you accepted? Will you accept? It’s a gift freely given, and it’s yours for the taking. Thank goodness the gift of eternal life God gave us by sending His Son is not just a fortune; it’s a reality.
If you want to know more, read John 19:16-30.
We sang a song at church last Sunday called “Lead Me to the Cross.” I’ll list some of the real lyrics and then I’ll explain how I was singing them wrong. The song begins:
Savior I come, quiet my soul, remember
Redemption’s hill, where Your blood was spilled
For my ransom
Everything I once held dear, I count it all as lost.
Lead me to the cross, where Your love poured out
Bring me to my knees, Lord I lay me down
Bring me to my knees, I belong to You
Oh lead me, lead me to the cross.
I realized I had always sung the wrong lyrics to this song. I was singing, “lead me to the cross, where your blood poured out” instead of “where your love poured out.” Literally, Jesus’ blood poured out, but in reality, it was His love that was pouring out for us. As we sang that song, I pictured Jesus on the cross, blood spilling down, love flowing out. Love for a human race that he chose to die for, regardless of whether we loved Him back or not.
Philippians 2:7-11 explains how Jesus took the nature of a servant in human likeness, humbling Himself to die on a cross. He was the perfect sacrificial lamb, and He took on our sin when he died. Romans 6:23 says, “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” All we have to do is receive the gift He’s offering.
As I was thinking about Easter and the significance of celebrating this holiday, a funny thing happened. I was eating at my favorite Chinese restaurant with my mom and I opened my fortune cookie at the end of our meal. It read, “You will soon receive an unusual gift freely given. Accept!” If that isn’t a good fortune for Easter, I don’t know what is! Who knew the fortune in a cookie could hit the mark so perfectly?
What about you? Have you accepted? Will you accept? It’s a gift freely given, and it’s yours for the taking. Thank goodness the gift of eternal life God gave us by sending His Son is not just a fortune; it’s a reality.
If you want to know more, read John 19:16-30.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)