Looking Forward

2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT)

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

Good morning Zebras,

Each year it seems God gives me a verse that becomes the focus of my life for the following year.  It isn’t something I choose, but something God chooses for me and it usually builds on the verses He has given me before.

When I first started teaching women at the Awana conferences a few years ago the passage I used most often was Philippians 4:8:  “Whatever is true, whatever is noble…think on these things and the peace of God will be with you.”  My focus was to encourage women to learn God’s word and apply it to their lives, to quit taking their value from the things of the world but from God Himself who has created them in His image for His purpose.  And also that women needed to learn to get along and support one other because Satan is tearing us apart. It was the beginning of Zebras.

The next year I taught what I considered to be my first women’s retreat.  The retreat was centered on Psalm 46:10a, which tells us to be still and know God.  I learned so much as I prepared for that retreat about what it means to be still before the Lord and even more about who God really is. It became the foundation for my life.

The next retreat was on pursuing God, God promises in Psalm 34:10b that those who seek the Lord will lack no good thing.  It was eye opening and very challenging to study the lives of men like Abraham, Moses, David and Paul and to see what it really looked like to live a life totally dedicated to honoring God. I learned, among other things that God’s work must be done God’s way; that God does ask us to sacrifice those things we love most to Him; and that real faith means believing what God says and acting on it.

For the last year my passion has been on resting in Christ and the promise found in Matthew 11:28. This year I didn’t do just one retreat but a series of mini retreats at various churches.  I think God had me to do mini-retreats because every time I did one I learned more.  I still don’t think I know everything there is to know about who Jesus is, but I know A WHOLE lot more than when I started.

So this coming year, in preparation for the Walking in the Spirit retreat scheduled for next September, it’s time to focus on the Holy Spirit.  I can’t teach what I don’t practice and recently God has allowed me to see how often fear keeps me from doing what I am supposed to do. But God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, love and self-discipline and I am VERY excited to learn what that really means.

Love,
Jill

Omnipresent

Psalm 139:7–12 (NLT) 
 

“I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence!  If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there.  If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me and your strength will support me.  I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night— but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you.”

Good morning Zebras,

Today’s attribute is omnipresent; the attribute that means God is all-present.   He is with me while I am writing this and He is with you while you are reading it.  He is not limited by time or space so only God has the ability to be EVERYWHERE all the time. And it’s an attribute God had to help me to understand.

Some Christians use God’s omnipresence like parents use Santa.  “Don’t do anything you don’t want God to see because He is right there with you.”  So, for me God became a police officer in the sky, the enforcer whose presence keeps you under control, which made God’s presence oppressive and unpleasant.

The first time I read today’s verses I thought David agreed.  Poor David, I knew exactly how he felt, no matter where you go you can’t get away from God. But obviously that isn’t what David is saying at all. David isn’t complaining because he was trying to hide from God and couldn’t.  He was praising God because David understood that everywhere he went God’s guidance and strength went with him.

The other thing Christians do sometimes is to pray for God’s presence.  So I started doing the same thing.  It was a case of “Monkey see, monkey do,” until recently.  About a year ago I was praying for my son during my morning quiet time.  Nick was on a mission trip so I was praying what every mother prays when their child is on a mission trip “that God would be with Nick and the rest of the kids on the trip."

And God stopped me for a little clarification.

“Jill,” He said, “you do not need to pray for me to be with Nick and the others, I am already there.  My presence does not depend upon your prayers.  Pray instead that Nick and the others would be aware I am there.”

It was one of those light bulb moments where your understanding of God grows. So now I no longer pray for God’s presence.  Not because it is a bad prayer, but because it seems to shrink God and could be a stumbling block to others.

Dear Heavenly Father, I do thank you for Your omnipresence, Your ability to be everywhere at the same time and I pray each of us would have an increased awareness today of Your presence not only in our lives but in the lives of those we love.  

Love,

Jill

Infinite

1 Kings 8:27 (NLT) 

“But will God really live on earth? Why, even the highest heavens cannot contain you. How much less this Temple I have built!”

Good morning Zebras,

Today’s attribute is infinite.

I know I have written about this before but I couldn’t find it.  I went through the older postings on the zebra website but when I couldn’t easily locate it I decided God wanted me to write it again.

Infinite is the very first attribute Tozer covers in his The Attributes of God books.  When I first read them I thought that was a very odd place to start.  If we were explaining God to someone we would start with His love, or maybe His holiness, but we would never start with that fact that He is infinite.

But knowing that God is infinite, that He exists beyond space and time is important if you are trying to understand how great God is. Because God is infinite He cannot be measured.  We talk about endless wealth or boundless energy but there is really no such thing.  Everything we have and do is finite and can be measured except for God. 

Which means every time we try to explain God, we limit His greatness.

Recently I have felt the strain of trying to explain God with mere words.  Words cannot do justice to something that is beyond our understanding, but since it is all we have, they will have to do.

The fact that God is infinite also means that every attribute He possesses, He possesses infinitely.  Therefore there is no end to His wisdom, His love or His power.   They go on and on, into infinity, never reaching an end.  That too is beyond our understanding.  We have a limit on our knowledge, abilities, and love.  God because He is infinite does not.

But still sometimes we don’t realize how great God is until we put it into perspective.

Think about an ant.  It is a great little insect, one which I hope we can all agree is inferior to man.  Yet an ant is a finite creature, it can be measured.  There is a limit to physical characteristics and abilities.    As humans, we too are finite creatures who have limits and can be measured.  But God, because He is infinite, does not.

This means, God, in His infinitude, is more superior to humans than humans are to ants.  For, although the distant between us and an ant can be measured the distance between us and God cannot.  We were created in the image of God, and we have many of His characteristics but the difference between us and He is infinite.

Which when you think about it is very, very comforting.  Because I don’t know about you, but I don’t want a God who I can fully explain or understand.  Nor do I want a god whose powers and abilities are as limited as my own. I want my God to be the infinite, perfect, all-knowing, all-wise, all-loving, infinitely boundless, perfect God that is found in the Bible. Don’t you?

Love,

Jill

Omnipotent

Matthew 28:18 (NLT)

Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.”

Good morning Zebras,

Today’s attribute, omnipotent, dovetails so nicely with yesterday’s attribute of goodness that I know God planned it that way. The fact God has all power is one of the reasons why Christians have to understand that God is good.  If God was good and didn’t have all power He would be like Santa, a nice guy but rather useless in the crunch.  And if He had all power and was mean, that would just be scary.  Men like Hitler and Stalin had limited power but evil hearts and they wreaked havoc in the world.  Can you imagine what an evil all-powerful God could do?

God is good and God has all power and the combination is something that every Christian can rejoice over.

The Bible Dictionary says there are four aspects to power as explained in the Bible.  There is the unlimited power of God, the limited power that God gives to His creatures, the power of God as displayed through Jesus and the power of God working in the lives of His people.

A beautiful summation of the unlimited power of God is found in 1Chronicles 29:11-12.   “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength.”

And from that power God grants limited power to His creation. Since all power comes from God no one can have power unless God gives it to them He is the one who sets up rulers and brings them down.  No government exists unless God has allowed it.

Jesus knew that.  He knew that everything that was happening to Him was under the power of God. Look at His response to Pilate as recorded in John 19:11a (NLT) Then Jesus said, “You would have no power over me at all unless it were given to you from above.” Understanding that all power is given by God can give you peace in even the worst situations.

Then there is the power God gives to believers through the indwelling Holy Spirit.  The Bible Dictionary explains it like this:  The gospel itself is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith.” In that life, as children of God, power is received from the Holy Spirit, inner strength to live in his service, power to be his witnesses, power to endure suffering, power that enables for ministry, power in the face of weakness, power through prayer, and power to be kept from evil.  Pretty much all the power we need to accomplish what God has called us to do but too often we don’t utilize it.

The power of God is like a present that remains unwrapped under the tree, useless unless you open it, understand it, and put it to work.

Jesus replied, “Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God.  Mark 12:24 (NLT)

Love,

Jill

Good

John 10:11 (NLT)

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.”

Good morning Zebras,

Today’s attribute is good.

Whether or not God is good is a question every Christian needs to settle for themselves and one I have written about before.  Because of my own personal experiences reconciling the goodness of God with the reality of my life was a necessary task before I could begin to grow spiritually.

Reconciling Psalm 119:68 (NLT) “You are good and do only good; teach me your decrees,” with the realities of life is sometimes difficult but absolutely necessary.  It’s imperative as Christians that we understand God is good because the Bible says so, not because of the circumstances of our life.  If God is good only because our life is good then what happens when things turn bad?

In the beginning God made everything good.  Adam and Eve messed it up.  They introduced sin into God’s perfect world.  But God in His goodness did not destroy them.  He punished them for their sin by sending them from the Garden but He did not kill them as they deserved.

Instead He continued on with His plan.

In His goodness He sent His son to pay the penalty for our sins and to reconcile us to Himself.  Jesus is the ultimate expression of the goodness of God.  And yet people still accuse Him of being unkind or unfair when He doesn’t do exactly what they want.

It is rather silly when you think about it.

What we want is a “happy” life.  But God has bigger plans.  He wants us to have a “holy” life.  He wants us to be transformed into the image of His son so that we can reach the world for Christ.  Christians who blame God and whine when their circumstances are unpleasant do not advance the kingdom.

I know because I’ve been there.

God has us on a journey. He has told us the destination, He has paid the price of our admittance but He hasn’t told us everything that is going to happen along the way.  He has reassured us that He is in charge and He has asked us to trust Him.  He has even warned us the road will be difficult but He has promised us it is worth it.

But sometimes, like spoiled kids whose father is taking them to Disneyland, we complain and malign the goodness of God because He won’t stop and get us a soda.

Love,

Jill

Fah Who Foraze! Welcome Christmas, Christmas Day!

James 1:17 (NIV)

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

2 Peter 1:3 (NLT)

By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life.

Good morning Zebras,

As Christmas approaches it gets harder and harder not to focus on what is going to be under the tree on Christmas morning, at least for me.

What I want for Christmas is something that can’t be bought.  It is the privilege of continuing to do ministry, especially Zebras.  I love going out and encouraging God’s women to grow in their relationship with God and with one another.

Obviously, that isn’t something that can be wrapped up and put under the tree.  It is something that I have to wait upon God to provide.  He has to open the doors and provide the opportunities for me to speak.

Though the more I thought about it, the more I realized there are a lot of people who want things for Christmas that can’t be bought.  People who are ill want their health, infertile women want children, unemployed people just want a job and grieving people want their loved one back.

Then I realized even those people who want things that can go under the tree are dependent upon God.  God is the one who provides the money to buy the presents that sit under the tree on Christmas morning. Which is easy to forget when you have enough money or credit to buy whatever you want, but it is painfully clear when you don’t.

And in all of this the meaning of Christmas can easily get lost. And self-pity can set in.

When Dorothy and her friends appeared before the wizard in the Wizard of Oz, he pulled from his black bag things that helped everyone but Dorothy. They each received a worldly token that gave them what they needed. The lion felt brave, the scarecrow felt smart and the tin man began to cry.  But Dorothy knew there was nothing in the little black bag for her because all she wanted was to go home.

Lately I have been feeling like Dorothy but when I shared my feelings with my daughter she threw cold water on my pity party and reminded me of something I’d forgotten.

The reason the wizard didn’t have anything for Dorothy in his black bag was because she already had everything she needed.  The ruby slippers she had worked so hard to protect had the power to take her home.  She just didn’t know it.

So after a rough few days, I think God has me refocused. God has already given me so very much that if He never gave me another thing it would still be more than I deserved. And the focus of Christmas should not be the excitement of what is to come, but the gratitude for what has already been done.

Love,

Jill

Stop and Chew

Galatians 5:22–23 (NLT)  

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

Good morning Zebras,

I wasn’t going to write a z-mail this morning because my brain is starting to hurt. Thinking a lot about God’s attributes, as revealed in scripture, is putting me into information overload and I decided I need a day or two to process what I have already learned.  But then I realized that should be the subject of the z-mail.

When I was little my mom used to tell me to chew my food thirty-two times before swallowing.  Personally, I think chewing your food that much turns it into disgusting goo, but it is probably better for my digestive system than the chew, chew, swallow I normally do.

So today I need to slow down and chew on God’s word thoroughly before I swallow and move on to the next bite.

Let’s start with patience. I used to think I was being patient when I could endure, without complaining, rush hour traffic or a long line at the grocery store.  But after studying the Biblical definition of patience I realized I am so far from God’s goal it isn’t even funny.

The type of patience that Jesus displayed was not silent suffering through situations He could not change, but an active choice not to change a situation that He could.  He didn’t have to be patient, He wasn’t “forced” to wait, He chose to wait knowing that God’s will would prevail.

And He waited knowing that what the people were doing was wrong and evil.

Then there is gentle, the attribute we talked about yesterday.  The Bible says to “let your gentleness be evident to all.’  To ALL, not just your family not to just a select few friends but to everyone you meet or interact with though out the day.

Wow!  That is a lot of gentleness!

But what is gentleness.  It is not something we are born with.  It is not a quiet nature or a soft voice. It is a way of interacting with others we have to cultivate because it is one of the nine fruits of the Spirit and a character displayed by Christ.  It is an attitude which allows us to deal with others in a way that benefits them. 

It means I have to think more of you than I think of me. And it means that I have to deal kindly with everyone, even those people who I sinfully judge to be inferior, because that is what Christ did for me.

Love,

Jill

Gentle

Matthew 21:5 (NIV)

 “Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ”

Good morning Zebras,

Today’s attribute is Gentle. 

My first reaction when Nick picked “gentle” from the Christmas tree ornament box was, “Well, that explains it.  Gentleness combined with patience explains a lot about how God deals with me.  If God was a violent, impatient person things would be a lot different.”

But then I started thinking.  Is gentleness really an attribute of God?  It isn’t listed in any of my attributes of God books and just because it is written on an ornament doesn’t make it true so I decided to do a little research.

Turns out there are a few Greek and Hebrew words that get translated as gentle.  And there are other closely related words which get translated humble or meek.   In the ESV and ISV today’s verse is translated “‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey” But the NASB agrees with the NIV and uses the word gentle.  So which is it? Is God humble or gentle or both? Are humble and gentle the same?  

Obviously at this point I was in over my head so I sought the advice of my pastor. 

One of the questions I asked him was could Jesus possess an attribute that God the Father did not have.  It is easy for me to see the gentle nature of Jesus, but gentle is not the first thing that comes to mind when describing God.

He responded with:  I would go the route that Jesus suggests - "If you know me you know the father." Therefore - if Jesus is meek, God has meekness as a quality.

But I still wanted to find a reference to the gentleness of God in the Old Testament.  This morning I found two. The first is when God speaks to Elijah on Mt. Horeb in 1 Kings 19.  God could have spoken through the wind, the earthquake or the fire, but He didn’t, He chose instead to speak to Elijah through what the Bible describes as a gentle whisper.

But the second one was a verse that I had never really seen before.  Written by David and recorded twice, it says “your gentleness made me great.”

Isn’t that encouraging?!  God’s gentleness can make us great. 

My first thought was “Oh goody, through the gentle instruction of God I can become great,” but then I realized that was probably not right.  What makes us great is not what we do but our faith in the gentleness of God as revealed in Jesus.

Love,

Jill 

Wise

Isaiah 11:2 (NLT)

And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

Good morning Zebras,

Today’s attribute is Wisdom.  And boy, am I glad!  I didn’t realize it but my mind was getting full of the wisdom of men and needed a good washing.  Spending the morning reading some great verses about the wisdom of God did the trick.

For me the quintessential passage on the wisdom of God is Proverbs 3. In my study Bible, it is titled “Further Benefits of Wisdom,” and it contains the following verses:

Proverbs 3:5–7 (NLT)

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.”

I love that!  Do not be impressed with your own wisdom. Most translations say “do not be wise in your own eyes.”  Basically, do not think you are so smart, when the Bible says “the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom”

But that sure isn’t how people act, even Christians sometimes get tripped up.

For example, finding balance in our life is a popular Christian topic, and it sure sounds good when we talk about it, but man’s version is figure out how much time you have and divide it up.  Give so much time to God, so much time to work, and so much time to family.  But that isn’t what God says.  God says to pursue Him first, to love Him most, and to count everything a loss compared to knowing Him.

If you do that God will bring balance to your life. He will give you time to spend with your family, He will make you successful at your job and He will provide the opportunities to serve the kingdom. He will get your life in order if you wholeheartedly put Him first.

Or think money.  Man’s wisdom says, “Be wise, save up, you need to make sure you have enough to last you through the “Golden Years.” But again I don’t see that in the Bible.  What I believe God says is, “Trust ME!  Trust Me to take care of you today and trust Me to take care of you tomorrow.  Use what I give you to advance the kingdom and trust that I will give you more. Trust me enough to test me on this.”

Or how about how we spend our time?  Man’s wisdom says, “I don’t have time to serve God, I don’t have time to study my Bible, I’m too busy.  Maybe later, when the kids are grown or when I retire, then I will have time to focus on God.”  But that’s not what God says.  God say, “Follow me now, obey me now, you don’t even know what tomorrow holds. This very day your life might be demanded of you and it’s “Game Over.” 

And the list goes on; education, our children and how we define success have all been tainted by the wisdom of men.  In fact I am struggling to think of one good example where the wisdom of men agrees with the wisdom of God, which is why we so desperately need the wisdom of Christ.

Dear heavenly Father, thank you so much for Your word, Your wisdom and Your Son.  Thank you for reassuring us that the world’s ways and Your ways are not the same.  Thank you that you do not judge the success of a man based upon outside appearance and material wealth, but upon the heart. Thank you for sending us your Son, not only as our Savior, but as the human embodiment of Your wisdom.  A flesh and blood example of what it looks like to live a life that is completely pleasing to You.

Love,
Jill

Long Suffering

2 Peter 3:9  

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

Good morning Zebras,

I have always struggled with doing Advent-related activities.  I start off really well, but after about a week I miss a day and fall behind.  Then the pressure to “stay on track” takes the joy out of whatever it is I’m doing.  I have resolved not to let that happen this time.

Last Thursday I fell behind.  I had intended to write two on Friday to “catch up” but I didn’t get them done.  Now I am faced with a few choices.  I can give up, I can write two a day until I catch up, or I can accept the fact that I am not going to get through all the attribute ornaments by Christmas and keep going anyway. 

I have chosen option number three because God will still be worth discussing  on December 26, and because His attributes shouldn’t be gobbled down two at a time, like chocolates from an advent calendar, just to stay on track.

So, thanks for waiting, our next attribute is long suffering.

I think we can all agree that God is very patient. He puts up with a lot before He finally blows.  At least that is how it appears, but as I pondered patience in light of His immutability I knew that couldn’t be the way it worked.  In humans patience is something that comes and goes, something we can “lose.” But it can’t be that way with God.

The Bible Dictionary defines patience as:  The ability to take a great deal of punishment from evil people or circumstances without losing one’s temper, without becoming irritated and angry, or without taking vengeance. It includes the capacity to bear pain or trials without complaint, the ability to forbear under severe provocation, and the self-control which keeps one from acting rashly even though suffering opposition or adversity.

That certainly describes Jesus. Jesus had all the power to stop what was happening to Him but He didn’t. He suffered through everything they did to Him without raising a finger.  He was the perfect example of what patience looked like in human form.

But it describes God the Father also.  What God showed me as I prayed over His patience for the last few days was that He doesn’t “blow” and act out of anger.  He doesn’t get tired of dealing with His people and lose control.  And He did not discipline the Israelites because He lost His patience and couldn’t take their nonsense anymore. He was simply doing what he had told them He was going to do. 

All of which is very good for us. 

Love,
Jill

Unchanging

Hebrews 13:8 (ISV)

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today—and forever!

Good morning Zebras,

Today’s attribute is “Unchanging.”  Actually, that was yesterday’s attribute.  I struggled all day trying to write a z-mail about the unchanging nature of God but if never felt right.  This morning I think I know the reason why.  God’s Immutability, the big Biblical word for the unchanging nature of God is more head knowledge for me than an attribute I have pondered on and internalized.

As a woman I am anything but “unchanging.”  I change from day to day and sometimes from hour to hour.  I am influenced by other people and by what I eat.  I can be happy one minute and mad the next.  And I know I am not alone.

Things change too.  Take this z-mail for example.  When I wrote it this yesterday it said one thing, now it says another.  Or think about life in general.  Kids grow, people move, friends die, trees change.  Change is the natural order of our lives.  And because of that it is difficult for me to grasp the fact that God doesn’t.

God has always been and will always be exactly as He is right now.  He doesn’t have bad days and good days.  He doesn’t evolve.  He doesn’t get better because He started out perfect.  And He doesn’t get worse because then He wouldn’t be God.  And that sounds simple until you really start thinking about it, then it makes your head hurt. 

God does not change ever.  From the beginning of time, for all of eternity God has been and will always be the same.  He has always existed in the form He is right now.  He has always possessed the exact same qualities and attributes that He has right now.  They haven’t improved and they haven’t decreased, and they haven’t increased.

I have heard people refer to God as the “Old Testament God” and the “New Testament God,” as if God changed between books.  But He didn’t.  Who He was in the Old Testament is who He still is. He didn’t quit being holy and righteous when He revealed His mercy and grace through Christ.  He couldn’t and still be a God worth worshipping.

If God could change, we would never know what to expect.  We would not be able to approach the throne of grace with confidence because we wouldn’t be sure who was sitting there when we went.

And God’s immutability is why He can be our rock and our foundation.  It is why we can confidently build a life on the truth of Jesus Christ.  Because God’s immutability also means He won’t be changing His mind. 

Love,

Jill

Unity

Deuteronomy 6:4 (ESV)

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.

Good morning Zebras,

Last night Nick drew “Unity” out of the ornament box.  My first reaction was “Unity?  How I’m I going to write an encouraging z-mail about that?” But this morning things looked a little different.

First, obviously, unity is an attribute of God.  The Father, Son and Spirit exist in perfect harmony.  They never argue they never disagree.  They are one united team that works together to accomplish what needs to be done.

Wouldn’t that be great if that could be said of God’s church as well? 

With the exception of what I call the big three, omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence, God’s attributes are imparted to us as well.  We are gracious because God is gracious; we love because He is love, etc.  And we are to have unity because He has unity.

Read Jesus’s prayer recorded in John 17:20-23 (NLT)

 “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one.  I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.”

If you look at it that way, unity becomes hugely important.  We are commanded to be unified so we can reach the world.  I don’t think God ever intended for there to be 38,000 different Christian denominations.

Nor do I think He intended for us to argue amongst ourselves about the best way to do ministry. Unity cannot exist unless everyone is focused on what honors God instead of what honors them.  In Matthew, Jesus warned that a house divided against itself would not stand and in Galatians Paul wrote them to warn them that if they kept arguing they were going to destroy themselves.

And it cannot exist if we continue to talk behind one another’s back.

So the next time you are tempted to complain about a fellow Christian worker stop, and pray for them instead. A spirit of unity has to start somewhere. Personally I think it would be great if it started with us.Love,



Jill

Creative

Colossians 1:16 (NLT)

for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him.

Good morning Zebras,

I hope yesterday’s z-mail on holiness was as encouraging to you as it was to me.  All day I was thanking God that my holiness does not depend upon my actions, but upon His. Focusing on God’s work instead of mine made for a very joy filled day.

Then, this morning as I was getting dressed, I noticed a list of “I am’s” that has been hanging in my closet for a long time.  It was given to me by someone who wanted to encourage me by letting me know who I am in Christ.  But I never really found the list that encouraging and today I realized why.  Knowing who you are in Christ doesn’t really mean a lot until you know who Christ is.

The ornament we drew out last night said “Creative.”  Not Creator, but Creative.  The difference sparked a lively discussion at my house.

Nick and I think creative is a different attribute than creator. One is the ability to imagine things; the other the ability to make things.   Creative people can explain their ideas to others who can do the work. Or, as in the case of Michelangelo, who imagined the modern tank, they can have an idea but not have the resources to bring it about.

Gary disagreed. He thinks that creative and creator is the same thing.  That to be a creator you must be creative because implicate in creator is the ability to make something from nothing. And if you are creative, you create. 

All of this caused me to do a little research which I must say was incredibly unhelpful.  I couldn’t find a single book that talked about the difference between creative and creator, not that it really matters because both are attributes of God.

God made everything we see, and everything we cannot see from nothing.  Nothing existed before God spoke it into being.  No earth, no angles, no heaven. Nothing.  And nothing was made that wasn’t made for Him. We only have to look to nature to see the creative ability of God. But that is not what I wanted to talk about.

What I wanted to talk about was the creative nature of God as it applies to problem solving.  When we have a problem we often try to find a “creative solution.”  We brainstorm ideas with others in an effort to think “outside the box.” 

But what I have seen recently in my life, and what has totally blown me away, is that if I take my concern to God in prayer and wait upon His answer He comes up with the most amazing solution, solving my problem in a way that I hadn’t even considered. 

For example, last May Gary and I were trying to decide whether or not I should return to work.   After two years off, Gary thought maybe it was time for me to go back. Since he wasn’t sure about God’s leading he took the stand that if God wanted me to quit work He would fire me. But I didn’t want God to fire me. I wanted to sacrifice my job up to God so I would get the blessings I knew would follow.  We both prayed and waited until God provided a solution that made both of us happy.

The school district fired me and then offered me a job which I politely declined.

Love,
Jill

Omniscient

Hebrews 4:13 (NLT)

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.

Good morning Zebras,

Today’s attribute is omniscient.

According to R.A. Torrey’s book What the Bible Teaches, God’s omniscience means God’s knowledge is infinite.  He sees all that occurs everywhere.  He sees all the good and all the bad.  He knows everything that happens in nature He knows what each of us are doing.  He knows all our deeds, experiences, thoughts, words, and sorrows.  He knows from eternity to eternity everything that has happened and everything that will happen.  And He knows not only what each one of us will do, He also knows our part in His plan of the ages.

It is an attribute that belongs uniquely to God and it is one of my favorites because knowing God knows everything that has happened and everything that will happen is incredibly comforting.

Last night Nick, my son, drew an ornament out of the box, looked at it and put it back.  Instead of giving me the one he had chosen at random he threw it back in and picked a different one.  When I asked him why he had done that he said he didn’t really like the one he had picked first. 

But the one he had picked first was one I wanted to write about today.  It was an attribute that went nicely with yesterday’s attribute of Just.  So I couldn’t  deciding which attribute to write about.

Nick’s input was I should write about omniscient since God, being omniscient, knew he was going to put the first ornament back and pick this one instead. This morning God confirmed that Nick was right.

God woke me up this morning at 5:00, with what I thought was my cell phone ringing downstairs.  But when I got up to check my phone was turned off.  I turned in on just to make sure that I hadn’t missed a call.  Since I was up I went to the bathroom taking my phone with me.  Sitting there half asleep I decided to check Facebook. (Let me say at this point I have NEVER checked Facebook at 5:00 in the morning on the toilet before and have NEVER had any desire to do so.)

This was what my friend Amy had just posted:  It was the Holy Spirit. A very clear indication to wait after the light turned green, just to make sure other drivers saw their red. I waited. The other driver didn't even slow down. Straight through. But not into me because God had me wait. Really.

And that’s one reason I love the omniscience of God.  He knows what is going to happen and sometimes, when we need to know, He tells us.

Love,
Jill

Just

Romans 3:25–26 (NLT)

For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.

Good morning Zebras,

A few years ago my husband told me that I didn’t know how bad I was. At the time I was offended but eventually I had to acknowledge he was right.  So last night, when we chose our attribute ornament for the day and it said “Just” it was almost reassuring that my first reaction was fear.  To think about a Just God giving me what I deserve, apart from Christ, is a scary thing.

God is just and therefore He cannot say one thing and do another.  He cannot say the wages of sin is death and not follow through.  But He also can’t say all who believe in Jesus will be saved and then change His mind.  He is the one who established the rules and He will carry them out with impeccable justice.

Romans 5:1 states we have been justified by faith, and because of that we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.  And 1 John 1:9 promises that if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  He doesn’t hold grudges.  He doesn’t stay angry.  We confess and He forgives, that’s God’s justice for us.

But it is not God’s justice for those who reject Christ.

Some people wonder “Would a good God really condemn a person to hell?’’ The answer is yes.  Not because God wants to send people to hell, in fact the Bible says that God wants everyone to be saved, but because God is just and people have free will.  They have the right to accept or reject God’s free gift of salvation. But they will suffer the consequences of saying no. That’s justice for them.

Tozer in his book The Attributes of God explains it this way:

When God looks at a sinner and sees him there unatoned for… justice says he must die.  And when God looks at the atoned-for sinner… justice says he must live.  The unjust sinner can no more go to heaven than the justified sinner can go to hell.

The fact that God is just should give us confidence that we are saved.

Love,

Jill