Now this here's a blog about two sets of Joneses, which one will you be? :) (haha, name that tune!)
"Do not keep the alabaster box of your love and friendship sealed up until your friends and family are dead. Fill their lives with sweetness, speak cheering words while their ears can hear, and while their hearts can be thrilled and made happier by them. The kind things you mean to say when they are gone, say before they go." --George William Childs
What do you think of when you hear the phrase, "GET A LIFE!"? Someone recently said this to me and the following verses from God's Word come to mind:
"As a prisoner of the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received." --Ephesians 4:1 (NIV 1984)
"In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life." --1 Timothy 6:19 (NIV 1984)
Let me show you that one again in context:
"Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith. Grace be with you." --1 Timothy 6:18-21 (NIV 1984)
Ever since I turned 33, I feel a sense of urgency. I am in a Book of Ecclesiastes state of mind. By that I mean I am asking myself the huge question that is asked all throughout that book, "What is the point?" What is the purpose of this life? More importantly, what is God's purpose for my life? I feel that I have no more time to waste. When pondering the phrase "GET A LIFE!" these verses strike me in the heart more than any other:
"Now listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.' Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, 'If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.' As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins." --James 4:13-17 (NIV 1984)
I wrote the following verses at the very beginning of one of my personal journals:
"Show me, O Lord, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man's life is but a breath. But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you." --Psalm 39:4-5, 7 (NIV 1984)
NOW oh Lord...right now...what am I looking for? What am I doing? I don't want to waste any more time! I've said before the phrase from a song, "I want to live like I'm leaving..." The song is an old song from a band that may not even be around anymore, East to West. Anyway, did you know anyone personally who left the Earth this year? For me, one of the greatest tragedies sometimes is not that the person passed away, but how my relationship was with them at the time they passed away. What could I have done that I never did? What could I have said that I never said? What walls did I build between us that made their way to the grave? What grudges did I carry to that person's dying day? Read the first quote I posted at the top of this page again.
There's no more time...no more time to waste. Every day we have a choice to make about the type of person we are going to be.
Am I going to be the kind of person who creates drama or the kind that refuses to take it on?
Am I going to be the kind of person who maliciously gossips ("godless chatter") and tears people down with my words or the kind that lifts people up with God's Word?
Am I going to be the kind of person who is two-faced and speaks evil behind your back or the kind that is honest, truthful, and transparent?
Am I going to be the kind of person who is selfish and self-centered or the kind who is selfless with a servant's heart and looks to the needs of others?
Am I going to waste my time and money on material garbage that I can't take with me in a U-HAUL or lay up treasures in heaven by sharing the Gospel with the lost?
Am I going to let other people raise my children for me or step up and be the wife and mother that God has called me to be?
These are the questions I ask myself. For me, the choice is clear. Time is running out. So, the next time I hear the phrase, "GET A LIFE!" I am going to do what I did the first time I heard it and take comfort in God's Word and have peace about the new thing that God is doing in and with my life. Am I living a life worthy of the calling I have received? Am I laying my treasure up in Jesus, the only true Firm Foundation? God did not give me this life to waste on anything else.
How about you? Which one will you be?
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Monday, January 2, 2012
The Deep
So, I am reading through the entire Bible again for the 4th time. The first time I did it, it was in a year with my very first Bible, a Women's Devotional Bible. It is still the Bible I have marked in and underlined the most. The second time I did it, it was over a summer...well....like....May to September. Then, last year I did the Bible in 90 Days reading plan off of YouVersion after I read the book "Radical". In the book, David Platt challenged the readers to have a hunger for God's Word like never before. So, I took it on.
Now...I have a brand new ESV Study Bible. I LOVE IT! Quick story if you didn't already hear it. I got this Bible from my parents for my 33rd birthday on Christmas Day. Yes, my birthday is actually on Christmas Day. Anyway, I went to the local Christian bookstore and picked it out. My Dad went and got it for me and had it gift wrapped and embossed with my name and all. Anyway, so I took it home fresh out of the box on Christmas Day...it had never been opened before. You know how every Bible has that bookmark ribbon inside? Well, the bookmark ribbon was already inside and folded in and I wanted to see where it was. Guess what I opened to? "If not, listen to me; be silent and I will teach you wisdom." --Job 33:33 Did ya get that? Job 33:33 on my 33rd birthday.......HOW AWESOME IS THAT? So, basically the theme of my new Bible is "Shut up and listen." :) It wasn't actually God talking to Job, it was Elihu, but still...a good message.
So anyway, about this Bible. So far...this is the best way I can explain how I feel about this Bible. There are a ton of Bibles out there. A ton of different translations, types, for different age groups, different languages, etc. I've had a lot of different Bibles over my life. I've heard a lot of God's Word over my life....for the first time ever in my Christian life......reading this Bible makes me feel...............knit into the story. I wish I could explain what I mean but I feel more connected to history and HIS-STORY while reading this Bible. I feel pulled in...I feel like I'm a part of it and it's a part of me. I feel like I have a cable attached to me and I'm locked in tight. It's weird...probably sounds weird, wish I could explain it better. I feel more included and it's more personal to me than ever before. That's the best I can do...
So last night I was doing my Bible reading for the day according to the ESV yearly plan and it was in Genesis 1:2 where it says, "The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep." When I checked out the Study Bible notes, this is what it said: "In any event, there is no conflict in Genesis or in the rest of the Bible between God and the deep, since the deep readily does God’s bidding." and then it cited a bunch of verses about "the deep". So here I am sitting and trying to wrap my mind around "the deep." It talked about the flood and Noah and about how God held the rains in the "fountains of the great deep". In Psalm 33:7 it says, "He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; he puts the deeps in storehouses." Ugh, trying to comprehend the deep is like trying to comprehend how the universe is always expanding. It's unfathomable!
The theme of my new ESV Study Bible is "to understand the Bible in a deeper way"...I mean, how else would you want to understand it and know it if it wasn't deeply? It's like...there are levels....like the Holy of Holies....you can go so far, but sometimes you reach a point where you can't go any further. Well, let me tell you I'm going there. That's where I want to go! I don't want to sit on the outskirts anymore worshipping God from afar...I want to be where He is! My heart longs to search the mind and heart of Christ and the deep things of God. I'm 33 years old now...what have I done with my time? Christ's ministry lasted only 3 years. Well, it continued when He ascended and when the Holy Spirit came and it continues today, but His earthly ministry was only 3 years. What can I say I have done for Him with my life?
While I contemplate that question....time to do some more reading...."I'm divin' in, I'm goin' deep, in over my head I want to be, lost in the flood, tossed in the flow, duh duh duh duh..." I forgot the rest...I'm tired.
'Night all!
Now...I have a brand new ESV Study Bible. I LOVE IT! Quick story if you didn't already hear it. I got this Bible from my parents for my 33rd birthday on Christmas Day. Yes, my birthday is actually on Christmas Day. Anyway, I went to the local Christian bookstore and picked it out. My Dad went and got it for me and had it gift wrapped and embossed with my name and all. Anyway, so I took it home fresh out of the box on Christmas Day...it had never been opened before. You know how every Bible has that bookmark ribbon inside? Well, the bookmark ribbon was already inside and folded in and I wanted to see where it was. Guess what I opened to? "If not, listen to me; be silent and I will teach you wisdom." --Job 33:33 Did ya get that? Job 33:33 on my 33rd birthday.......HOW AWESOME IS THAT? So, basically the theme of my new Bible is "Shut up and listen." :) It wasn't actually God talking to Job, it was Elihu, but still...a good message.
So anyway, about this Bible. So far...this is the best way I can explain how I feel about this Bible. There are a ton of Bibles out there. A ton of different translations, types, for different age groups, different languages, etc. I've had a lot of different Bibles over my life. I've heard a lot of God's Word over my life....for the first time ever in my Christian life......reading this Bible makes me feel...............knit into the story. I wish I could explain what I mean but I feel more connected to history and HIS-STORY while reading this Bible. I feel pulled in...I feel like I'm a part of it and it's a part of me. I feel like I have a cable attached to me and I'm locked in tight. It's weird...probably sounds weird, wish I could explain it better. I feel more included and it's more personal to me than ever before. That's the best I can do...
So last night I was doing my Bible reading for the day according to the ESV yearly plan and it was in Genesis 1:2 where it says, "The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep." When I checked out the Study Bible notes, this is what it said: "In any event, there is no conflict in Genesis or in the rest of the Bible between God and the deep, since the deep readily does God’s bidding." and then it cited a bunch of verses about "the deep". So here I am sitting and trying to wrap my mind around "the deep." It talked about the flood and Noah and about how God held the rains in the "fountains of the great deep". In Psalm 33:7 it says, "He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; he puts the deeps in storehouses." Ugh, trying to comprehend the deep is like trying to comprehend how the universe is always expanding. It's unfathomable!
The theme of my new ESV Study Bible is "to understand the Bible in a deeper way"...I mean, how else would you want to understand it and know it if it wasn't deeply? It's like...there are levels....like the Holy of Holies....you can go so far, but sometimes you reach a point where you can't go any further. Well, let me tell you I'm going there. That's where I want to go! I don't want to sit on the outskirts anymore worshipping God from afar...I want to be where He is! My heart longs to search the mind and heart of Christ and the deep things of God. I'm 33 years old now...what have I done with my time? Christ's ministry lasted only 3 years. Well, it continued when He ascended and when the Holy Spirit came and it continues today, but His earthly ministry was only 3 years. What can I say I have done for Him with my life?
While I contemplate that question....time to do some more reading...."I'm divin' in, I'm goin' deep, in over my head I want to be, lost in the flood, tossed in the flow, duh duh duh duh..." I forgot the rest...I'm tired.
'Night all!
Sunday, January 1, 2012
A New Beginning
Happy New Year everyone! Wow...a fresh start. I'm not huge on New Year's resolutions and trying so hard to keep a list of things my imperfect self can't keep no matter how hard I try. It's nearly 11:00pm on this first day of the New Year and if you're like me, you've probably already blown it. I told myself I wasn't going to curse or cuss in the New Year and I muttered a few words under my breath in the frustration of the morning heading to church. Come on, I know I'm not the only one. I also told myself I was going to have more patience with my children and I wasn't going to yell at them anymore, and I blew that on my way home from church when I told Isaac to "Shut up and quit your whining!"
Ugh...I have to take a step back and simply ask myself, "Who am I living for?" When I am alone and it's just me and God, like it is right now....I see myself more clearly from His perspective and when He shines His light into my sinful soul, I truly see that there is NOTHING I CAN DO in my own strength. The harder I try (emphasis on "I") the more I will surely fail. I have goals and things I would like to accomplish in this new year for sure, but again, the more I do it in my own power the more critical I become of myself. Once again, "Who am I living for?" For me? For God? For the world and their opinion of me? Who am I trying to impress? Whose opinion matters the most?
I really have to challenge myself to take an introspective look, which is actually a look up heavenward, and ask, "God, what goals do YOU have for me in this new year?" What do You want to change in me? What do You want me to get rid of? What do You want me to put on? It's just a simple question with a few words and the Lord answered me.
I was doing my daily Bible reading in my new ESV Study Bible online (again, something I hope to stick with) and one of the four sectional readings was from Genesis 1. Fittingly, we did Bible study with Isaac and Jenna tonight before bed through their Toddler Bible and DVD and we also started from the beginning with Creation. What a perfect place to start...putting God in His place and me in mine. When you really, sincerely, truly stop to view, imagine, and hold the Lord in your gaze as the Creator of the Universe and YOU...wow...it sure puts things in perspective. Who am I? Who am I?
I sang a song for church this morning called, "What Do I Know of Holy?" that addressed this very question and it's one of those mind-folding concepts when you try to wrap your mind around it. "What is man that You are mindful of him?" is basically the theme of it all. It's one of those fall-prostrate-on-your-face type concepts that I don't think we're really meant to be able to handle.
Justin and I just returned from Winter Retreat at Falls Creek this past weekend and our youth minister was speaking about the theme of the weekend...Is HE in you? The theme verse was speaking 1 Corinthians 3:16 which says, "Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?" and on to 17: "If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple." When he spoke about the very essence of God and God Himself DWELLING inside of us and making us holy....I just cried. I can't really comprehend it....that God would love me that much. Who am I that the Almighty Creator God would literally LIVE in me?
Yet....He does. I still don't think I really know what that means. I've been a Christian for over 14 years now and I do not think I have a handle on this concept or a realization of this Power that I have....or this access to the Power. In another part of our devotions this weekend, our youth minister spoke about the Holy of Holies...about how the high priest would enter the Most Holy Place or the Holy of Holies and they would wrap a rope or cord around him with bells attached to it so they could hear him and know if he was okay or still alive. They could not enter the Holy of Holies...only the one mediator, or intercessor could. When Jesus died, He gave us access to that........mind-fold.....beyond my comprehension. Jesus became the ONE MEDIATOR and the ONLY WORTHY INTERCESSOR to grant us that same access into the Holy of Holies.
When I think of knowing Jesus like that...........that intimately.......on one hand I feel..........passionate and my attitude and the song that comes to mind is a new one I've heard that says, "I wanna know You like that..." but on the other hand I feel.........shame. I feel sinful. I feel unworthy. Who am I? Who am I that God would love me that much? I know that God came to set me free from sin and guilt and shame. I know that His desire is not for me to live in sin and guilt and shame and to be held down by it.....but I think I need to be mindful of it and when I say that I mean I need to be ever and always mindful of WHY He came and WHY He died. I can't take it for granted. I can't take advantage of it. It's not, "Ooo, thank You for my free gift now let me go live my life for me..." kind of a deal...NO WAY. It's more of a...."How do I let go of me and get myself out of the way so You can dwell in me? How do I make myself a clean vessel for You daily? How do I die to myself so You can live in me?"
Think about it....is my heart, mind, soul, and body any place that the Lord would want to live? Is yours?
Ugh...I have to take a step back and simply ask myself, "Who am I living for?" When I am alone and it's just me and God, like it is right now....I see myself more clearly from His perspective and when He shines His light into my sinful soul, I truly see that there is NOTHING I CAN DO in my own strength. The harder I try (emphasis on "I") the more I will surely fail. I have goals and things I would like to accomplish in this new year for sure, but again, the more I do it in my own power the more critical I become of myself. Once again, "Who am I living for?" For me? For God? For the world and their opinion of me? Who am I trying to impress? Whose opinion matters the most?
I really have to challenge myself to take an introspective look, which is actually a look up heavenward, and ask, "God, what goals do YOU have for me in this new year?" What do You want to change in me? What do You want me to get rid of? What do You want me to put on? It's just a simple question with a few words and the Lord answered me.
I was doing my daily Bible reading in my new ESV Study Bible online (again, something I hope to stick with) and one of the four sectional readings was from Genesis 1. Fittingly, we did Bible study with Isaac and Jenna tonight before bed through their Toddler Bible and DVD and we also started from the beginning with Creation. What a perfect place to start...putting God in His place and me in mine. When you really, sincerely, truly stop to view, imagine, and hold the Lord in your gaze as the Creator of the Universe and YOU...wow...it sure puts things in perspective. Who am I? Who am I?
I sang a song for church this morning called, "What Do I Know of Holy?" that addressed this very question and it's one of those mind-folding concepts when you try to wrap your mind around it. "What is man that You are mindful of him?" is basically the theme of it all. It's one of those fall-prostrate-on-your-face type concepts that I don't think we're really meant to be able to handle.
Justin and I just returned from Winter Retreat at Falls Creek this past weekend and our youth minister was speaking about the theme of the weekend...Is HE in you? The theme verse was speaking 1 Corinthians 3:16 which says, "Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?" and on to 17: "If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple." When he spoke about the very essence of God and God Himself DWELLING inside of us and making us holy....I just cried. I can't really comprehend it....that God would love me that much. Who am I that the Almighty Creator God would literally LIVE in me?
Yet....He does. I still don't think I really know what that means. I've been a Christian for over 14 years now and I do not think I have a handle on this concept or a realization of this Power that I have....or this access to the Power. In another part of our devotions this weekend, our youth minister spoke about the Holy of Holies...about how the high priest would enter the Most Holy Place or the Holy of Holies and they would wrap a rope or cord around him with bells attached to it so they could hear him and know if he was okay or still alive. They could not enter the Holy of Holies...only the one mediator, or intercessor could. When Jesus died, He gave us access to that........mind-fold.....beyond my comprehension. Jesus became the ONE MEDIATOR and the ONLY WORTHY INTERCESSOR to grant us that same access into the Holy of Holies.
When I think of knowing Jesus like that...........that intimately.......on one hand I feel..........passionate and my attitude and the song that comes to mind is a new one I've heard that says, "I wanna know You like that..." but on the other hand I feel.........shame. I feel sinful. I feel unworthy. Who am I? Who am I that God would love me that much? I know that God came to set me free from sin and guilt and shame. I know that His desire is not for me to live in sin and guilt and shame and to be held down by it.....but I think I need to be mindful of it and when I say that I mean I need to be ever and always mindful of WHY He came and WHY He died. I can't take it for granted. I can't take advantage of it. It's not, "Ooo, thank You for my free gift now let me go live my life for me..." kind of a deal...NO WAY. It's more of a...."How do I let go of me and get myself out of the way so You can dwell in me? How do I make myself a clean vessel for You daily? How do I die to myself so You can live in me?"
Think about it....is my heart, mind, soul, and body any place that the Lord would want to live? Is yours?
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