Do You Ever Feel As Though The Bible Is Talking Directly To You?

Hello!  According to Facebook, it’s been 13 days since I have last written a blog.  Facebook assures me that my 2435 followers would love to hear from me so, without any further ado, here goes!

What have I been doing these last 13 days, you might wonder?  Hmn.  Good question!  Well, I’ve been enjoying the beautiful October weather our Good Lord has been providing.  I got a new vehicle.  I have been celebrating my 53rd birthday, went shopping for craft items that may or may not ever get used {Sidebar:  I asked my gson the other day as we gazed upon my closet of supplies if he ever thought I’d use them all.  “Maybe if you stop buying more, you could use what you have, and then in a few years, maybe then you could buy some more.”}.  I’ve been doing a lot of pondering, plotting, and planning.  I’ve even done some Bible studying in the Book of Jeremiah that has had me considering--but more about that later.  

So, long story short, I’ve been wandering about.  Imagine then my surprise when today’s reading from Jeremiah 31:22 seemed to jump right out at me.  Can you believe that God would use His Word to speak to me?  I know, right?  Hey, I may have just turned 53 but there are still some things that have the power to blow my tiny little mind!

How long will you gad about,
O you backsliding daughter?

Another verse that jumped right out at me this morning while reading was this one from Jeremiah 30:2 that states:  “Thus speaks the Lord God of Israel, saying: ‘Write in a book for yourself all the words that I have spoken to you.’”  It was as if an affirmation for me to get back to blogging was being spoken to me by God Himself!  Ha!  So it wasn’t just the couple of folks who let me know they’d been missing my writing:  God too was telling me to write.  

So, just to be clear, let’s review for a moment.  I’m to stop gadding about and I am to write in a book.  Does that sound right to you out there?  I think so too!  Now, before you get to reaching for that mouse to delete this (because you think I am going to write that book right now) or move on to your next great adventure, I assure you that I am almost through for this blog. Hang with me one more moment or two?  Thanks!

Sometimes a word will strike a chord with me and keep resonating in my mind.  For the past couple of weeks that word has been “consider.”  Consider means “to think carefully about (something), typically before making a decision.”  Synonyms for consider include:  think about, contemplate, reflect on, examine, review, mull over, ponder, deliberate on, chew over, meditate on, ruminate on, assess, evaluate, appraise, size up (thanks Google for the assist there!).  Another reiteration that I am on to something is the fact that another verse from Jeremiah that I read this morning stated:  In the latter days you will consider it (30:24).

Consider what, you might ask.  Me too!  But then...then instead of asking, I’ve been taking moments--several of them!--and...considering.  I’ve been considering the beauties the Lord has provided.  I’ve been considering the upcoming presidential election.  I’ve been considering my church and the people in her and the pastor who preaches there.  I’ve been considering my family, my purpose, myself.  I’ve been considering so many things and while it may seem to the outside world that I have just been gadding about, the truth of the matter is that I am trying to be more considerate about what I write, consider who is reading these blogs, and mostly?  Mostly I’ve been trying to consider if the words I write are honoring God or promoting my own agenda--which I didn’t really think I even had but (you guessed it!) I’ve been considering that too!

As I close this blog today, I ask you to join me in considering.  Remember the definition I wrote above?  Consider means to think carefully about (something), typically before making a decision.  Friends, sometimes we act too hastily and we just need to take a minute, a breath, a prayer and consider whatever is on our hearts and minds and think carefully before it comes out of our lips (and fingertips, in my situation).  We need to pause, to be still, to contemplate, and to seek the Lord’s guidance in all that we do--even the things that seem harmless and not worth bothering Him over.  Typically, those are the things that come back to bite us, aren’t they?  Mmn hmn.

Let’s pray!

Dear Father, as I consider so much of what is billowing through my head, I can’t help but again ponder on what the psalmist wrote so long ago:  

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You visit him?
For You have made him a little lower than the angels,
And You have crowned him with glory and honor.

How You took the time for me still is a mystery, Lord, and I shall spend the rest of my life considering the love that You have for mankind.  My prayer today is that I may look at the world through the eyes of Christ.  May I see Your people the way He looks at them.  May I appreciate the beauty You Three created.  May I love in a manner that reflects that not only do I consider the example set before me, that I am a doer of that example and not just one who writes about it.

Thank You for Your love, tender mercies, and the infinite longsuffering You extend to me, Father God.  I love You and yearn to please You.  In the name of Jesus Christ, may I seek You before making my own plans is my sincere desire today.  Amen.

I Need A Drink!

This morning when I went to the kitchen to make my love's breakfast, I was...greeted(?) by the sad sight you see on the left. My poor plant was in dire need of some refreshment and was just not in its usual glory. As I made my way to the sink to get some water, I thought about how often I wake up feeling this way: in need of some boost to get me feeling peppy and pretty and ready to fulfill my daily obligations.

Just a little spiritual, living water can be the cure for what ails me and when I take the time to drink from the cup before life has its chance to make me feel draggy, my day is off to a brighter beginning. One sip helps but when I drink the whole cup? Oh yeah, sisters: I start feeling better and before too long, start rising, start looking better, and am better able to achieve my purpose.

So, before you go to bed tonight, look around and see if there is any watering you need to do before calling it a day. Check to see if you have nourished what is under your care. Don't let the heat and cares of this day go unnoticed and thereby make something droop that should be standing proudly. After all, when you look at the picture on the right, you can't help but notice the difference. Right? Whether you take just a drop or two or the whole cup,drink from Jesus and let this spring of water that He provides flow freely throughout your parched being. May your thirst for Christ never be satisfied but may the nourishment He provides be enough to fill your soul with joy that runs over.

Wrestlemania

Did you ever have one of those moments--or days, or weeks, perhaps even months--when it seemed all the cosmic forces were fighting against you to keep you from accomplishing either the most simplest of tasks or maybe to keep you from doing something monumental, earth-shattering, and possibly life-changing--or just what is expected of you on any given day?  If so, you may relate to what I am writing today.

On Monday, I started reading the book of Jeremiah and oh my, the notes I wrote to myself, the sticky tabs I put in the Bible itself, and the discussion I later had with Steve set me on so much fire that I could hardly keep from scorching the chair I was sitting in.  Well, maybe it wasn’t that drastic but it certainly got my wandering mind going off on a myriad of directions and I could just see the future blogs, the memes I would make, and the encouragement that these words  had given me could be shared with you who read this page.

Tuesday came and I was ready to write to you all about it.  Or, at least about some of the things I discovered and that were revealed to me.  However, some certain something kept me from coming in here to my Pretty Purple Room and before I knew it, six hours had passed and it was time for my weekly appointment with the gals at Card Ministry.  Boy, was I mad!  I knew I should have put first things first and I was ill and sick at myself for once again putting my studying and devotions on the back burner.

Wednesday?  Well, Wednesday is Bible Study morning and although I could have hurriedly come in here for a few minutes and written something, my heart just wasn’t in it.  My thoughts were being filled with a new space consumer as I was overcome with helplessness and dismay and anger at finding out about one of my oldest friend’s plight with cancer and the effects it was having on her husband.  Although I was able to quasi-comfort her with some words, a prayer, and a link to possible avenues that might assist her, I still felt incomplete.

So, here we are now.  Today.  Thursday.  Oh, I was wise to these distractions and was not going to keep them from coming in here to my PPR and blogging.  Until…

Until I got that email.  You know the type.  They come dressed up as something you just must address and then as you ponder the words in it, you find yourself--once again--off task.  Angry even.  Perturbed.  And questioning.

The words written in it--on the surface--were fine.  But it was as I got in the flesh and pondered them more thoroughly that the devil started whispering his lies, starting trying to make me angry at what was indirectly said, and getting all Stef-righteous about it.  I could feel myself starting to seethe and then I wondered:  how does one go from being angry to not sinning about it?  How do I keep myself vindicated (if only in my own mind) and not let evil result from it?  When does anger become sin and what was I going to do to not let that happen?

Sigh.

Can’t you just choke on my piousness?  Can’t you just feel yourself squirm in discomfort as you see that my heart’s intents so often don’t align with what is true, right, noble, lovely, and admirable?  Yeah, I too just threw up a little inside of my mouth.

In closing, I could have just continued to sit there, continued ignoring the problem while it was privately, subconsciously, kindling in the back of my mind.  Or...or I could just stop.  Stop!  Stop the negative thoughts.  Stop the listening to the wicked one’s whispers.  Stop trying to think of ways to correct the individual who ticked me off.  I could be better today and practice what has been preached and teached to me (sorry former English teacher friends and/or Grammar Nazis but I needed this to rhyme).  I could keep the anger from turning into sin all in one easy step.  I just had to stop.

So I did.  Woo hoo:  go Stef!  A problem is as hard as I allow it to be and while I can’t solve them all, this one was doable.  Or don’table (see note above about grammar).  My behaviour and my actions are in my control and I do have the right to choose if I am going to be mad or if I am going to choose the better part.  

Oh, in case you were wondering why I couldn’t write at other times during the day, I’ll tell you.  Most of my best work is done in the mornings when my mind is fresh and unconvoluted, before too many of the cares of this world sneak in.  So, if you are reading this today, thanks!  I hope it helps you to see that we aren’t in this alone and that even though we try to have the best of intentions, we don’t always succeed and while that’s not great, it is okay.  Don’t beat yourself up over what you didn’t do.  Instead, focus on the now and what you can do to be better.  Find your special time when you are at your peak and use it.  Don’t let it be stolen from you, or--even worse--don’t so blithely hand it over to ol’ Slew Foot.  He’ll take and take and take and steal and steal and steal.  Christ came that we might have the abundant life and that our joy might be full.  Don’t walk around half-empty.

Let’s pray!

Dear Lord, first off I want to apologize for not seeking You first.  I know that the mornings are when I should put You above all else and when I don’t, I am lesser for it.

Thank You for mercies that are new each day.  Thank You for forbearance and for not trying to guilt me into doing things but instead allowing me to do them when I can joyfully do so.  Free will is Your gift to me, to Your children.  

As I strive to use the gifts I have to serve You, I ask that You bless those efforts and keep my Stefishness out of the way.  I ask You to take away my Stef-righteousness, and I ask You to continue working in me and prompting me to believe truth over lies.  I need You and Your direction, Father God.  May I shine today and get out from behind the clouds is my prayer, asked in the name of Jesus Christ.  Amen!

Satisfaction

Satisfaction.  Contentment.  Happiness?  Entitlement.  Instant gratification.  Do any of these words describe your current sense of self?  Wander with me for a few minutes as I explore this thought.

Yesterday I started reading the book The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins.  It’s been made into a movie and it looked intriguing so I thought I’d read the book first because, well, it also seemed a bit... odd.  Right up my alley!  I was only able to read the first few chapters but one of the quotes in it really got me to thinking.  It goes like this:

“I have never understood how people can blithely disregard the damage they do by following their hearts.  Who said that following your heart is a good thing?  It is pure egotism, a selfishness to conquer all.”

This is in reference to how the main character’s husband had left her for another woman.  I think most of us have at one point or another been the victim of unrequited love, whether it was as a kid in the throes of puppy love or perhaps of the more serious version that involves disillusionment and left us with a broken heart that maybe still has a crack or two in it later on in life.  But that’s not what I want to write about this morning.  No, I want to discuss the issue of self.  

Nearly two months ago, my pastor was laid low due to a sickness that literally had him pondering if his end was near.  He’s just a wee bit older than me and obviously in the world’s eyes, this means one still has a little bit of life left to live.  While in the hospital, he spoke of contemplating his end and wondered if his affairs were in order, if there was any unconfessed sin in his life that he needed to deal with before standing before God.  This in turn got me to thinking about my own accountability and um, did I too need to do a spiritual check-up?  Couldn’t hurt, right?  I mean, after all, none of us are promised our next breath and considering he spoke these words while preaching a funeral of one of our beloved church members, it seemed only appropriate that I too consider this issue.  

So I did.

Obviously, we all know that God knows our thoughts before we think them.  We know He is aware of every hair of our head, each ache in our bones, and all those “things” we do when we think that no one is looking.  Sometimes it seems unnecessary to talk to God about things of which He is already well aware of but to maintain a good relationship with Him, this is something we should do in order to stay on good speaking terms with Him.  As I pondered my life and what stage I am in it, I thought about a couple of things that I might not have been conversing with my Dad about.  Why?  Hmn.  I mean, as long as I just am considering something that doesn’t mean action has to be taken, right?  It’s not like I would really do them.  Probably.  Maybe. And honestly:  does thinking about something equal actual sin?

Uh, yeah, Stef.  Do you remember what Jesus taught long years ago on this topic?  Here’s a quick reminder from Mark 7:18-23:

“And He saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him; Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?
And He said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.
For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”

Uh oh.  This indeed proves those thoughts can bring destruction.  Thankfully though, there are other verses to help us out in times like these, verses such as these from Ephesians 4:22-32 which tell us:

“That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.  Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:  Neither give place to the devil.  Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.  And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.  Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:  And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.”

So now that we are aware of this, what are we to do?   A lot!  Let’s begin with taking our thoughts captive, as is strongly advised in 2 Corinthians 10:5-6.  I was just going to say verse 5 but as I re-read it, verse 6 really seemed to stand out to me:

“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.”

When “my obedience is fulfilled”?  What’s that supposed to mean?!

I think it’s pretty clear.  “Having a readiness to revenge all disobedience” is a flesh issue.  Oh sure:  I could go on about my way, seeking comfort, satisfaction, pleasure, and doing whatever I deemed necessary to ensure my life is that of being all about Stef.  But...you know what?  It’s not.  It’s not about me.  It’s not about me being spoiled here on earth, being catered to, and having every wish come true.  

Gulp.

That’s a jagged little pill to swallow but swallow it I must if my true desire is to be more like Christ.  And I assure you that it is--that this is my heart’s intention.  But if I am going to profess that, then I must confess it as well.  Confess that I am impure, vile at times, selfish, stingy, rude, hateful, and so many other unChristlike things that I think I must stop writing now and go to my secret place and have a little talk with Jesus.  I heard a song once that told me that doing this “would make it right.”  Another instance in The Girl on the Train was when Rachel mused about wishing she was Catholic so she could go tell a priest all of her thoughts and get that absolution she desired for her ruminations.  While not a Catholic myself, I can relate to my own High Priest that can be talked to at any time, not just in a confession booth.  So, if you need to chat with me, that’s where I’ll be for a little bit!  The Lord and I have quite a few things to discuss.

Let’s pray!

Dear Lord, once again You have used secular things to point me back to You.  From Pastor Dale’s illness to this novel I am reading and to, well, life itself with its day in and day out occurrences.  Father?  I must confess to You that--yes, again--it’s me, it’s me, Oh Lord, who stands in the need of prayer.  

God, my thoughts can be so wicked!  I flush now as I remember some of the things that I have allowed myself to think about.  Lord, I have allowed too much time to be wasted thinking on these things.  Remind me, Dad, that You have a better way.  May I reflect on the “whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”  This is my heart’s desire, Lord, and with Your guidance and my obedience this can be achieved.  I’m ready to start now!

Thank You for this lesson, Lord God.  May my life honor You is my earnest prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, the only One Who got it right the first time.  Though it’s taking me a bit longer, may I too excel at this soon. Amen.