First Things First

1 Timothy 4:16 (NIV)

Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

Good morning Zebras,

This weekend God had me show a time-lapse video of a radish seed growing. It was incredible to watch and once again I was amazed what God teaches from the smallest thing. 

For example, even though it is not obvious to us, a plant first grows roots before it grows leaves. Every single seed that sprouted grew a huge bundle of roots before one leaf popped through the soil. But that wasn’t even what I was trying to illustrate.

We were discussing the parable of the seed from the Gospel of Mark. In this parable unlike the other parables about seeds, there is no emphasis placed on the farmer. He simply throws out good seed and it grows. He doesn’t know why.

In the video, right in the middle where they couldn’t be missed, three seeds did not grow. No obvious reason, they just stayed seeds. And we all noticed.


It was the perfect illustration of a simple truth. We are called to throw out good seed, which is the truth of the Gospel, but the growth is really in the hands of God.

We can water and disciple and encourage, we can tear out our hair and scream, but ultimately whether or not a person grows in their relationship with God does not depend upon us. It depends upon God and them.

And in a strange way that should encourage us, because it isn’t about me and what I can do better. It is about God.

But that doesn’t mean we are off the hook. We are just on a different one. I am not in charge of your spiritual growth; I am in charge of my own.

This week as I ponder on Matthew 22:37-39, where we are commanded to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and soul and to love your neighbor as yourself, I am once again reminded that the relationship is vertical first.

I can’t give what I don’t have, and I don’t have anything without Christ.

Developing my own personal relationship with Jesus through Bible study and prayer must be my highest priority if I am to influence others for the kingdom.


Love,
Jill
Growing Radish

Everyday Miracles

John 2:11b  
He thus revealed His glory, and His disciples put their faith in Him

Good Morning Zebras,

The book of John was written to prove Jesus was the Christ the Son of the Living God.  And to that end John chose seven miracles to prove Jesus’ deity.

The first of these miracles was a "small" one.  Jesus, while attending a wedding, was approached by His mother to solve the problem of not enough wine. We all know what Jesus did. He miraculously took regular water and transformed it into wine.

In the overall scheme of miracles this is not a big one, it is hardly on the scale of parting the Red Sea, but it was enough for His disciples to put their faith in Him. 

Because for those of us who believe the in sovereign power of Jesus it does not take much to confirm what we already know to be true.

For example, this weekend I was teaching on the passage in Matthew about worry.  I was pointing out that the Bible says we are to seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness first, trusting that when we do God will provide everything we need.  We are not to be concerned with the worries of the world.  Pagans run after these things.

Then I used an example I have used many times before. I pointed out that God gave us two eyes that both face forward. It is difficult if not impossible to look in two different directions at the same time. Which should be a great reminder to us that if we are looking at God, we have to look away from the world.  And if we are looking at the world we have turned our eyes from God.

I went on to point out that if God had wanted us to look in two directions at the same time He would have given us eyes like the gecko.  Then I dramatically pressed the button to show my beautiful picture of a gecko sitting in the “not symbol.”

But all that came up was the red circle with the line through it.

Afterward, I went back to the sound booth and was laughing about my missing gecko graphic.  That’s when I found out I’d made an error, it is chameleons not geckos that can move their eyes in two different directions.  Somehow I’d gotten confused.

Now to the unbeliever that would be just a computer glitch, but to those of us who believe in Jesus and had prayed over that weekend it was proof of His presence and protection.

Because one thing we had prayed was that everything I said would be truth.

Losing the gecko’s picture was God’s way of answering our prayer.

Love,

Jill

Making Mistakes

Matthew 26:75 (ESV)

And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.

Good morning Zebras,

This morning I’m grateful God put Peter in the Bible.

Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to train Awana leaders at the fall conference in Fountain Valley.  I was really excited about going and spent time preparing what I was going to say.  But I made one fatal error.

I figured I knew Zebras so well that I didn’t really need to prepare for that workshop.  Heck, I’ve been encouraging women for a couple of years now.  I had just gone to Oroville and the presentation went great.  I was confident I knew what I was doing.  I was wrong.

I am now convinced that “I’ve got this one Lord,” is probably one of the stupidest things a Christian can think.

Saturday after conference I felt horrible, on Sunday God and I had a little talk.

First, every time I do ministry work I need to remember I am going into battle with Satan and act accordingly.  God may have me repeat a presentation I’ve already done, or He may want me to prepare a new one.  But I have to ask. Battle plans change based upon the circumstances and only God knows what is going to work.

And, secondly, it is not about Zebras.  It is about Him. 

Paul resolved to know nothing except Christ crucified and the power of His resurrection.  He never promoted a program or himself.  It was always about Jesus and what he had done.  And I knew that, but I forgot.

I was just so excited about getting the opportunity to share Zebras with a new group of women that I lost my focus.  I promoted Zebras instead of Christ and it wasn’t good

Last night when I shared my experience with my daughter her response was “But you learned.”  Then she told me about an assignment she had just done in her Spiritual Growth class.  They’d made a chart tracking the ups and downs of Peter’s life to illustrate the point that Jesus used Peter’s mistakes to teach him something.

So little Zebras, if you have recently made a mistake and you are beating yourself up over it--stop.  Learn what God wants you to learn and move on.  Allowing us to make mistakes is one way God makes us stronger.

Love,
Jill

I Don't Know...

Proverbs 3:5–6 (ESV)
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Good morning Zebras,

I have struggled all morning with this Z-mail.  It has been a while since I have written so I was thinking maybe I was out of practice.  Then I thought maybe I was writing about the wrong thing, but God confirmed the topic was correct. Eventually, he showed me the problem was my tone, because God cares about what I say and how I say it.

All of us have probably said “I don’t know what God wants me to do.” But is that true? Do we as Bible reading Christians really not know what God wants us to do?

Do we really not know God wants us to trust Him and live a life that honors Him?  Or that He wants us to love Him with our whole heart, mind, body and soul and show it by loving others?

Of course we do.  So why do we say it? 

I think we say it because we don’t know what God wants us to do tomorrow or because we don’t know “specifically” what we are supposed to do.

But, as my friend Janet often reminds me, God works on a need to know basis. Everything we need to know is written in His Word. Obey that and when He needs to tell you more He will.  Specifics eventually make themselves clear.

Other times we don’t know what God wants us to do because we are trying to do something He did not intend us to do.  For the last few months I have been struggling with a new ministry opportunity.  Over and over again I found myself saying “I don’t know what God wants me to do.” 

Just yesterday I figured out His silence was His way of telling me He didn’t want me to pursue that ministry.  When God wants me to do something He makes it very clear.  The Bible shows us walls fall and seas part when God is running the show.

And sometimes I think we say we don’t know what God wants us to do when we want others to reassure us that we are on the right track, or when we are reluctant to do what God is asking of us and we are hoping someone else will let us off the hook.  

Really, the more I think about it, saying “I don’t know what God wants from me.” may be one of those Christian clichés that we need to quit saying. Maybe what we should say instead is “I am obeying God today and trusting that He will make tomorrow clear.”

Love,

Jill

Just a Note

I love being a Zebra.  I was making dinner this morning, tossing some porkchops in the crockpot, and noticed I had four.  Could have been a moment of sadness realizing Katherine was no longer at home, but I immediately thought about my mother-in-law who LOVES to come to dinner, so I called and invited her over.  Later a Zebra sister told me God had prompted her to pray for me today and to pray specifically that I wouldn't miss Katherine. Amazing!  So Zebras, when God brings someone to mind, pray for them, and pray as God leads, because even if you don't know what they need God does, and even if you can't fix it, He can.  Love, Jill