Good morning Zebras,

I love you!  Tuesday, I got to spend some time with two zebra sisters, you have them and God to thank for the next two posts, hopefully you will find them as encouraging as I did.

Kathy is reading the book, “Boys in the Boat,” and she was telling us how many God analogies can be seen in the sport of rowing.  How everyone in the boat needs to be rowing together for them to succeed.  Then she said she had heard “fellowship” defined as “everyone being in the same boat.”

I had never heard that definition before and it was like a light went off in my head.

If true fellowship happens when everyone involved is in the same boat rowing in the same direction I can see why we struggle to find it.

First, everyone in the boat should have a saving faith in Jesus Christ and then they all must want to row in the same direction. 

I have one goal in life, to please Jesus Christ, and I find I have wonderful encouraging fellowship with others who share that goal.  I also find I can have fellowship, although on a much lower level, when we are all gathered for a specific ministry or event because the event or ministry become the unifying force.  I can even “fellowship” with nonbelievers by focusing on what we have in common. 

But if everyone in the boat has different goals and concerns, even if we all having a saving faith, we are out of “synch.” Everyone is “rowing as they see fit” and the resulting fellowship can be stressful, especially when it isn’t obvious you don’t share the same goal until they turn and hit you with their oar. :)

If one person goes to fellowship to pursue God, another to make friends, and a third to have a few laughs and forget their troubles for the night, the resulting fellowship is going to be a bit choppy. 

I love you Zebras I’m glad I have you to “row “ with.

Jill

Good morning Zebras,

I love you.

I’ve heard people say if they could have back all the hours they spent looking for things, they would be at least a year younger.  I think if I had back all the hours I’ve spent thinking about why people have behaved in a certain way, I would be five years younger.

Tuesday I told you I spent some time in the Psalms seeing exactly what David wrote and I noticed David didn’t spend a lot of time thinking about “why” people acted like they did.  He just acknowledges what they are doing and then refocused his energies on God.

Maybe he thought about it in private during those long nights he spent running from Saul and hiding in caves, there’s no way to know, but it isn’t what’s recorded for us to read.  Instead he tells God what others are doing, proclaims his innocence before God and then asks God to take care of the situation.

Psalm 35 is the perfect example because it was written while David was being pursued by Saul: “Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me!... Let them be put to shame and dishonor who seek after my life!  Let them be turned back and disappointed who devise evil against me!  Let them be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the Lord driving them away!  Let their way be dark and slippery, with the angel of the Lord pursuing them!  For without cause they hid their net for me; without cause they dug a pit for my life….”

“Without cause” is important and why we need to strive always to keep our conscience clear before God and man.  (Acts 24:16)  If your conscious is clear before God then when you suffer it is counted to you as righteousness.  But if you are suffering because of something you have done, that is a whole different story.

1 Peter 2:20: For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure?  But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.

1 Peter 4:15: But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler.

Isn’t it interesting God places meddling in the same category as murder? (Sidenote: Minding your own business is a great way to cut down on friction with others.)    

1 Thessalonians 4:11–12 Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

People do what people do, trying to figure out why doesn’t really change anything, it just uses up time that could be spent focused on God. We do need to ask God if there was anything we did to cause the situation and take the necessary steps to rectify it. But when we have done that, then we need to let go.  Nothing good will come from continuing to try and figure out why it happened.

Love,

Jill

Good morning Zebras,

Oswald from Monday:

“When the devil elevates you to a certain place, he causes you to fasten your idea of what holiness is far beyond what flesh and blood could ever bear or achieve. Your life becomes a spiritual acrobatic performance high atop a steeple. You cling to it, trying to maintain your balance and daring not to move. But when God elevates you by His grace into heavenly places, you find a vast plateau where you can move about with ease.”

When you decide what holiness “looks like” and try and attain it, you will find yourself atop of that steeple.  When you give up and admit all of this is more than you can do, God will do it for you through the power of the indwelling Spirit and you will find that vast plateau.

I know I said this Monday but it bears repeating-quit trying so hard and just yield, give-up, admit defeat.  Nothing good lives in you except what has been put there by God and when you admit that and are willing to quit trying to prove how smart, kind, loving you are, you will become smart, kind and loving.

We are never going to be Jesus, we aren’t supposed to be, because He was both man and God.  We are Adam, man made in the image of God.  And there is a difference. 

God has so many things to think about and take care of, He is after all running the world.  We aren’t.

Think of how Adam was before the Fall.  In the Garden, with all of his needs taken care of, spending time with God.  Wouldn’t getting back to that be wonderful?

Matthew 6:31–34  So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

A big thought from an old dead guy:

“It is a Biblical truth that the nearer man comes to God, and the more he reflects the likeness of God, and the more he hears and obeys the divine Word, the more he becomes truly “human” i.e. man in the image of God, man as God made and intended him to be.”

I love it.  I don’t have to be Jesus, I just need to be “man” as God intended Him to be, man made in God’s likeness, filled with His Spirit, and obedient to His Word. 

Jesus’ death and resurrection put us back into the right relationship with God, the relationship Adam had before the Fall and gave us the indwelling Holy Spirit to maintain that relationship.   Adam messed up once and he was thrown out of the Garden, when we sin we are forgiven and given a second, third, fourth chance.  Not to keep sinning but to live in harmony with God.

1 John 2:1 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.

Living in the “Garden” in complete peace is possible but worry, pride, greed, fear, envy and jealousy are just some of the sins that keep us from getting in.

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Love,

Jill

Good morning Zebras,

I love you!  I love how God works to show Himself when that’s the desire of your heart.

Yesterday in my journal I wrote: “I am willing to wait” and then I stopped.  “Willing to wait” sounds like I think I have the upper hand and I am condescending to wait for God to give me what I want.  If my kids had said they were “willing to clean their room,” it would sound like they thought they had a choice.

So, I thought, David and Abraham both waited and they “journaled,” especially David, did he ever use the phrase “willing to wait?”  Turns out he didn’t, at least not that I could find, but he did use the word “wait” a lot.

Psalm 25:5: Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.

Psalm 27:14: Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!

Psalm 38:15: But for you, O Lord, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.

Psalm 62:5: For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.

Wait, wait, wait and not one mention of whether or not he was “willing.”

Love,

Jill

Good morning Zebras,

Yesterday I mentioned a portion of Scripture entitled “Marks of a True Christian” in the ESV. 

I changed it into bullet form for easy reading.  It is a very challenging list that cannot be accomplished without the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Romans 12:9–21 (ESV) and (NIV84) a bit of a mix and match. 

•         Love must be sincere.
• ·        Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.
• ·        Love one another with brotherly affection.
• ·        Honor one another above yourselves.
• ·        Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
• ·        Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
• ·        Share with God’s people who are in need.  Practice hospitality.
• ·        Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
• ·        Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.
• ·        Live in harmony with one another.
• ·        Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.
• ·        Do not be conceited, or wise in your own sight.
• ·        Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.
• ·        If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
• ·        Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God…
• ·        Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

If you find that you fall short, don’t beat yourself up, don’t resolve to be “better” because neither of those things help.  Do what we talked about last week and spend more time watering yourself so the Spirit inside grows.  And you will the find entire list becomes part of who you are because this isn’t a “to-do list,” it’s a “Christ-has-already-done-it” list.”

Love,

Jill

P.S. Today’s Oswald: …when God elevates you by His grace into heavenly places, you find a vast plateau where you can move about with ease.  vs “a spiritual acrobatic performance high atop a steeple” If you try to “do” this list you are living atop the steeple, good one day, bad the next.  If you recognize Jesus has “done” this list and it is simply a matter of yielding to the Holy Spirit, you will find the plateau.

I can’t explain it any better than that, but I have lived the difference.  And the key is obedience and understanding the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit.  

Good morning Zebras,

I love you.  Hopefully you read the Oswalds I suggested, they were great.

There was so much in them but the point I want to highlight is that If people only see us, then we can be a hindrance in leading people to the Lord.

When I was still working, a fellow teacher said to me they’d seen a bumper sticker that reminded them of me.  It said, “Jesus loves everyone, but He likes me best.”  She didn’t mean it as an insult, she just felt Jesus liked me better than He liked other people.  Obviously not true.

And when I was taking over a position at my church the person resigning said it would be better for me to be running it anyway because God seemed to bless the things I did more than He blessed her efforts.  Which made me sad.

I thought of both of those things as I read this yesterday. 

“If my holiness is not drawing others to Him, it is not the right kind of holiness; it is only an influence which awakens undue emotions and evil desires in people and diverts them from heading in the right direction.”

There’s nothing special about any of us, and we need to be very careful when we are sharing the blessings God has given us because instead of pointing people to Jesus they can cause others to stumble with jealously and envy.

Under a lovely section of Scripture, Romans 12:9-21, labeled as “Marks of a True Christian” you will find this:

Romans 12:15: “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.”

Being able to rejoice when God blesses another person without envy and jealously is as important as being able to share in their sadness.  But not everyone can do it, so we have a responsibility not to share our “happy news” when we know it is going to cause a brother or sister to stumble.

1 Corinthians 10:31–11:1:  “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.  Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God—  even as I try to please everybody in every way.  For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.  Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”

Everything we do and say needs to pass through the filter of “Will this bring this person closer to Jesus Christ?”  If it won’t, even if it’s something wonderful, keep it to yourself.

Love,

Jill

Good morning Zebras!

It is an Oswald day, starting with yesterday's entry. But don't stop there read todays too because they are related.

I love the line, "Sometimes there is nothing to obey and our only task is to maintain a vital connection with Jesus Christ, seeing that nothing interferes with it."

That is what should top every to-do list. "Maintain vital connection to Jesus Christ."

Love,
Jill

My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers

Good morning Zebras,

I love you!  God has been using the weirdest things to teach me about the importance of worshipping in Spirit and Truth. 

John 4:20–23: “Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”  Jesus declared, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.  You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.  Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.”

Notice what she thought was important, where they worshipped.  Notice what Jesus thought was important, WHO they worshipped.

“The point in Jesus’ words is that the specific place of the worship is a secondary question, whereas the true worship itself is the essential.” The Interpretation of St. John’s Gospel (p. 319)

Isn’t it funny then how much time we spend talking about our church and our ministries instead of the reason they exist?

Knowing what you do or where you go to worship isn’t going to save anyone, knowing about Jesus might.  And although it might be more comfortable saying “My pastor said...” it does not carry the same weight as saying, “God’s Word says…”

Plus, sadly, church buildings label us and divide God’s people into little groups. When you tell someone where you go to church that is what they focus on. And ministries within churches, done without the Spirit, can divided us even further.

1 Corinthians 1:11–13: “My brothers, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you.  What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.”  Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?”

1 Corinthians 3:4–7: “For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere men?  What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task.  I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.”

Of all the divisions is the world, the ones within the Church must grieve Jesus most.

John 17:20–21: “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in Me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that You have sent Me.”

I don’t think the question is, “Where do you go to church?” I think it is, “Do you daily worship God in Spirit and in Truth?” Because that is what will unite us into a people who loves, honors, and serves the Lord Jesus Christ.

Love,

Jill

Good morning Zebras,

I love you.

Hebrews 6:7–8: Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.

We are the land, the Holy Spirit is the rain, others are the reason we are farmed.  Another illustration that all of this is not about us.

As I was reading this the other morning the window in my office to started pouring water.  It is a long story, but basically the window leaks when there is an extended period of rain.  It seems like the house soaks up water and when there is more than it can handle it has to find a way out so it comes in the window.

It seemed like perfect timing considering the verse I was reading.

If you soak yourself in the Word of God, if you encourage His presence by listening and obeying what you hear, you will find the Spirit inside grows until He pours out of you without you even realizing it and the crop you produce will be useful for others.

But if you are always struggling to produce a crop, or it feels like you produce more thorns than flowers, quit trying so hard and spend more time watering yourself.  Be like the land that drinks in the rain and seems to effortlessly produce things that benefit others.

Love,

Jill

Good morning Zebras,

I love you.  Five years ago, at Founders week, a lesson I have not forgot:

John 20:1–13:  Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.  So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”  So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb.  Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.  He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in.  Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus’ head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen.  Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed.  (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)  Then the disciples went back to their homes, but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.  They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”

“Mary was a simple woman who would not let Jesus stay in the tomb.” - Ravi Zacharias.

And that is who God has called me to be, a simple woman, with no recognized Biblical training, who loves Jesus Christ and refuses to let Him remain buried in the tomb that has been created for Him by people who want a comfortable faith.

There a lot of wonderful things about following Jesus Christ but I wouldn’t list “comfortable” as one of them.  Exciting, challenging, life-changing, wonderful? Yes!  Comfortable? No. At least not when you see Jesus as He really is. “Comfortable” is probably reserved for the lukewarm. For those who still have Jesus outside waiting to get in. 

Revelation 3:14–19: “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation.  I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!  So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.  You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.  I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.  Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”

Jesus Christ is God and once you see that there is no way to stay lukewarm. He deserves and demands the same respect and obedience that God demanded from the Israelites.  The fact that He came in the form of man and demonstrated love and grace does not change that.

1 Corinthians 8:6:  yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.

One God, the Father, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, equal yet different, but both the reason we live.  And hopefully all God’s Zebras said “Amen”

Love,

Jill

Good morning Zebras,

I love you, and I’m concerned God's people are so far off-track these days they can’t even see the rails. When I look at what’s passing as Biblical teaching, I start to wonder if I’m crazy.  Doesn’t anyone else see that it’s wrong?

God’s love does not exist to make you feel better about yourself.  That’s the influence of psychology and all the self-help books.

God’s love exists to transform you into a different person who loves Him back with all their heart, mind and soul and is compelled to live a life that brings honor and glory to Him.  God cares more about your holiness than your happiness and when you understand that, that’s when you will find permanent joy.

Of course, when I start to feel crazy all I’ve to do is get off Facebook and open the Word of God.

2 Corinthians 5:13–21:  “If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you.  For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.  And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again…”

God did not send His Son to die on the cross to make us feel better about ourselves, He sent Him to reconcile the world to Himself and He revealed Jesus to us so that we can be His ambassadors to the world.

God loves us, that’s a fact, a fact that should be internalized and believed.  A fact that transforms us, sets us free, and compel us to move on because we understand it isn’t the only thing we need to learn.

Hebrews 5:12–6:3:  “You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food.  For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right.  Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.  So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God.  You don’t need further instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.  And so, God willing, we will move forward to further understanding.”

1+1=2 and God loves you!  Both foundational truths to build on.

Jill

Good morning Zebras,

I love you.  This is a topic I’d rather not even address, but knowing God, He isn’t going to give me anything new to say until I do.  I know this is a sensitive subject for lots of people so please know any conviction you feel is not coming from me.  It is not my job to judge the world, and I have no right or desire to throw stones at anyone. But I do have an obligation to God to say what He tells me to say.

However, if this z-mail encourages one person who is alone and waiting for the “right person” to wait a little longer or prevents one person from making a mistake they’ll later regret then it was worth writing.

Yesterday some of you might have noticed Sue invited me to go to the Disney Museum with her.  It is sort of a running joke between us because she loves Disney and I am ambivalent at best.  I told her she deserved a better companion because the things we treasure are enjoyed best when they are shared with people who really understand.

That’s one reason why I think God has told us not to be yoked together with unbelievers, not because they are “bad people” but because their lack of faith in something so important to us will end up dampening our joy.  They won’t mean to, but they will.

Of course, the main reason, cited in the Bible, is because believers and nonbelievers don’t share the same goal.  If your goal is to live a life that’s honoring to God, if your heart loves God more than anything else in the world, what do you really have in common with a person who doesn’t even believe He exists?

2 Corinthians 6:14: Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?  

The answer of course is lots of things, but not the thing that matters most, our faith in Jesus Christ.  And the thing about true faith is it affects everything we do, including how we spend our money and our time.

Paul loved God so much he chose not to marry rather than be distracted from his ambition to please God.  He seemed to think remaining unmarried made life simpler.

1 Corinthians 7:32–35: “I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs—how he can please the Lord.  But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife—  and his interests are divided.  An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit.  But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband.  I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.”

Paul wished all people were like him but he acknowledged his ability to remain unmarried and focused on God was a gift. 

1 Corinthians 7:7 I wish that all people were just like me. But each has his own gift from God, one person in this way and another in that way.

Most of us aren’t like Paul, we want to have someone to share our lives with.  But if you have a passion for Jesus Christ, for your own sake, think long and hard before you get involved with a non-believer or even with someone who is obviously lukewarm because whoever you marry will influence your walk with God.

Genesis 2:24: For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.     

Love,

Jill

Happy Sunday Zebras,

I’m taking a “flop” day.  A full day of rest in the presence of God.

Exodus 16:29–30 Bear in mind that the Lord has given you the Sabbath; that is why on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Everyone is to stay where he is on the seventh day; no one is to go out.”  So the people rested on the seventh day.

Mark 2:27 Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 

Resting is God’s gift.  If you are so busy running around doing “God stuff” on Sunday that you end the day wiped out, perhaps you need to schedule in a different day for just being still.

Love you Zebras, I’ll talk to you tomorrow. 

Jill

Good morning Zebras,

I love you, it’s Saturday so I’ll keep it short but hopefully it’s still an encouraging truth.

Living our faith involves flopping into the soft bed of Jesus’ love and then getting up, filled with His love and the power of the Holy Spirit, putting on the full armor of God, and going out to slay the dragons of lies and unbelief that live in the world.

And even if we prefer one over the other, we need to do both.

If we only flop we’ll become like a stinky sponge, soaking up but never giving out because the things God gives us He intends for us to share.*   If we only fight eventually we’ll get discouraged and wiped out, sustaining serious damage that takes a while to heal.**

Healthy, fruit bearing Christians learn how to “flop and fight” with Christ, to be still and know God and then go out and impact their world.***

Love

Jill

P.S.  This might seem like a fluffy post but after I found the picture of the knight I realized I had glued one on to my "coming out" art project at school. And just recently God gave me the visual of flopping back into Him like I would on a soft comfy bed- it is something we can do mentally-not just when we are having our quiet time. Flopping back in faith is just another way of saying take every thought captive. I don't know about you but the battle with lies often starts in my head, so rather than engage and get wiped out, just give in to the truth of God's love, quote Scripture if you know it, and rest in faith knowing God is in control. Love you Zebras-when your brain feels like it is on fire: "Stop, flop, and pray"

*Matthew 24:14-30, the parable of the loaned money and the foolish servant who buried the talents instead of investing them.

**1 Kings 19, the story of Elijah and his flight to Mt. Horeb to see God after his successful ministry of calling down fire and praying to end the drought

***Psalm 46:10, Hebrews 4:12, Matthew 28:19

Good morning Zebras,

I love you.  Of all the posts this week Tuesday’s was my favorite, but it was also the least “liked.”  It was such a freeing truth that I want to make sure you heard it because until you can get over yourself there is always going to be something between you and God called pride.

So, at God’s request, I am going to repost the unedited version of Tuesdays z-mail with additional insight.  (If this was a movie it would be the Directors’ Cut.)

Psalm 51:15–17: “O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.  You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”

Can you see how encouraging those verses are?

God does not want us to busy ourselves trying to “do things for Him,” nor does He want us making big sacrifices just to prove how much we love Him.  What He wants is our broken and contrite heart. He wants us to quit thinking so highly of ourselves and start thinking more highly of Him.  He wants us to realize we are dust.

My husband once said to me, “You don’t realize how bad you are.”  And he was so right!  I didn’t!  I probably still don’t but I’m closer.

Job 42:5–6 My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.  Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.”

Giving up your “self-esteem,” your need to “prove yourself” and your desire to always be right is so freeing!

You’re a mist that’s here today and gone tomorrow (James 4:14,) everything you do without the Spirit of God is dirty rags; wood, hay, and stubble, or at best incomplete (Isaiah 64:4, 1 

Cor 3:12, Rev 3:2) and God is the only one who is always right. I’m not thinking this one needs a backup verse.

Years ago, I had a friend who suffered from infertility.  She adopted her daughter about the same time I had Katherine.  I always felt she treasured Maggie more because she knew she had been given something she could have never gotten for herself.

In the same way people who were saved as adults, especially those who were saved from addictions or other horrible circumstances seem to treasure Jesus more.  They realize that He gave them something that they could never been able to get for themselves.

But all of us have been given something we could have never gotten for ourselves because the distance between sinful man and Holy God was far too great for us to ever overcome.  Only Jesus, the perfect lamb of God, was able to close that gap.

When you understand that and you are willing to quit striving to earn the grace and love you already have, God gives you everything including a sense of peace and self-worth unrelated to the world and its values.

Psalm 8:3–9 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.  You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.  O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!  

Oh, if all of us would only have eyes to see that truth and remember it, because it’s a truth that will set us free to just abandon ourselves to the task of loving God, from which every other action will flow.

I love you Zebras, talk to you tomorrow.

Jill

Good morning Zebras,

Yesterday we chatted about suffering allowed by God to perfect our faith.  Today we’ll tackle the suffering we cause ourselves.  I had a long lovely z-mail written with lots of wonderful backup verses, but it really came down to this:

Paul, like Jesus, suffered for obeying God.  Jonah suffered because he didn’t.

Paul wrote three-quarters of the New Testament and has inspired millions of people who live for Jesus.  Paul has lots of “fans” and people who are looking forward to seeing him in heaven.  Jonah was used to save Nineveh, but he’s also the perfect example of “what not to do when God calls.”  I’m not sure what his “fan base” looks like…

Paul wrote this in the last days of his life:

2 Timothy 4:6–8: “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure.  I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”

Who knows what Jonah wrote because the last time we saw him he was sitting under a dead tree, angry and wanting to die.

Jonah 4:8:  When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.”

Some suffering, like we talked about yesterday, comes to everyone and it’s how we handle it that matters, but some suffering we cause ourselves.  Like Jonah, the Israelites caused their own troubles when they refused to go into the Promised Land.  (They probably complained for forty years about how harsh God was.)

And some suffering comes from following Jesus, but it isn’t from God it is from men. Paul 

again: 

2 Timothy 4:16–18   At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them.  But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth.  The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Fortunately, it’s our choice.  Do we want to suffer as an Israelite, doomed to lap the same stupid desert until we die, or as a disciple of Jesus Christ filled with the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit, boldly going where no man has gone before?

Love,

Jill

Good morning Zebras,

There is a difference between the suffering of Job and the suffering of Paul.  One was thrust upon a righteous man to test his faith and to give him the opportunity to glorify God by going through a horrible trial. The other was caused by the humbling of a proud man who was chosen to suffer along with Christ.  

None of us want to be Job, but truthfully most of us, if we are honest with ourselves, aren’t in danger of God offering us up to Satan as the most righteous person on earth.

Job 1:8 Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”

But that doesn’t mean we don’t have trials, we do, everyone does and how we handle them says a lot about our relationship with God. 

James 1:2–4 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

When we lived in Chicago a pastor’s car was hit on the expressway and engulfed in flames.  He and one other member of his family got out but at least five others were killed.  When they interviewed him on the news he was still giving glory to God.

We all know stories like that, people who have handled BIG tragedy in such a way that they brought glory to God.  But, blessing be to God, we don’t have to lose our families in a fiery car crash to glorify God because it isn’t the size of the trial that matters it is the way we handle it. 

Even the smallest trail handled with faith brings honor to God.

John 14:1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.”

1 Peter 3:15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,

Philippians 2:14–15 Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe

Peace, hope, and a humble/compliant attitude make God’s people shine.

Love,

Jill

Good morning Zebras,

If you didn’t read yesterday’s post, go back and read it before you continue.

Yesterday’s post originally contained this:

God doesn’t “need” anything but He deserves everything.  And even if He never gave us another thing He has already given us more than we deserve when He rescued us from hell.

It felt right on Sunday afternoon when God wrote it but it felt a little “harsh” in the cold light of Monday morning.  I wouldn’t have wanted to get up and read it, so God had me go back and soften it just a little to this:

God doesn’t “need” anything but He deserves everything, including our gratitude and worship for having given us eternal life.  

Which Illustrates so many wonderful things about God that I don’t have time to go into because what He wants me to talk about is Psalm 51:15-17, a verse that got cut from yesterday’s post. 

Psalm 51:15–17: “O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.  You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”

Can you see how encouraging those verses are?

God does not want us to busy ourselves trying to “do things for Him,” nor does He want us making big sacrifices just to prove how much we love Him.  What He wants is our broken and contrite heart. He wants us to quit thinking so highly of ourselves and start thinking more highly of Him.  He wants us to realize we are dust.

My husband once said to me, “You don’t realize how bad you are.”  And he was so right!  I didn’t!  I probably still don’t but I’m closer.

Job 42:5–6 My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.  Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.”

Giving up your “self-esteem,” your need to “prove yourself” and your desire to always be right is so freeing!

You’re a mist that’s here today and gone tomorrow (James 4:14,) everything you do without the Spirit of God is dirty rags; wood, hay, and stubble; or at best incomplete (Isaiah 64:4, 1 Cor 3:12, Rev 3:2) and God is the only one who is always right. I’m not thinking this one needs a backup verse.

But on the flip side, when you really understand that you are nothing, God gives you everything including a sense of self-worth unrelated to the world and its values.

Oh, if all of us would only have eyes to see that truth and remember it, because it’s a truth that will set us free to just abandon ourselves to the task of loving God, from which every other action will flow.

Love,

Jill