Good morning Zebras,

Today is the last day of 2017. Tomorrow is the day many people like to make resolutions to live “better” next year.  It is not a biblically based tradition, and I have found it to be more harmful than helpful.

The Bible is very clear that we should not lightly make promises to God.

Numbers 30:1–2 Moses said to the heads of the tribes of Israel: “This is what the Lord commands:  When a man makes a vow to the Lord or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said.

Ecclesiastes 5:4–5 When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it.  He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow.  It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.

Deuteronomy 23:21–23 If you make a vow to the Lord your God, do not be slow to pay it, for the Lord your God will certainly demand it of you and you will be guilty of sin.  But if you refrain from making a vow, you will not be guilty.  Whatever your lips utter you must be sure to do, because you made your vow freely to the Lord your God with your own mouth.

I know these are all Old Testament verses, but God hasn’t changed.  Here is what Jesus had to say about making oaths. 

Matthew 5:33–37 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.’  But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King.  And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black.  Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

We are God’s people.  Our word should be our bond.  We shouldn’t be making oaths lightly.

James 5:12 Above all, my brothers, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else.  Let your “Yes” be yes, and your “No,” no, or you will be condemned.

I love you Zebras, please do not make any grand resolutions this year, they only take the emphasis off God and put it on you.

Instead consider spending today in prayer asking God what changes He would like you  to make and then wake up tomorrow resolved to yield to His Spirit.

Love,

Jill

Good afternoon Zebras,

I have been giving a lot of thought to Christmas as the celebration of Jesus’ “birthday,” and I have decided his “birth” cannot be separated from His life, death and resurrection.  We celebrate His birth because of the life He lived.  

If He had lived a normal life, or an evil life, like Hitler, the “world” would not still be celebrating it 2000 years later.  So, when you share Jesus with your friends at Christmas, make sure to tell the whole story.

With that in mind, here is a fun fact Nick learned at Moody this semester.  On the cross Jesus is recorded as saying: “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?”

Matthew 27:46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”—which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

It caused confusion among the bystanders, some of whom thought He was calling for Elijah. But the Pharisees and Sadducees in the audience would have known exactly what Jesus was saying.  He was quoting Psalm 22, which starts out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

They would’ve also known the rest of the Psalm, which reads like a description of the crucifixion:

Psalm 22:14–18 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death.  Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet.  I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me. They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.

We use so many words and sometimes say so little, Jesus used so few words and even at the end said so much.  

Partly I think, because He always knew who He was talking to. Of course, He was God, and He had all of God’s words at His disposal, but Jesus never was a “one message fits all” kind of person. He tailored His words to the audience He was trying to reach. And with His help I believe we can do the same. 

I love you Zebras, pray before you speak this Christmas and make it your goal to share only the words given to you by God for the people He knows are listening.   

1 Corinthians 2:2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

Love,

Jill

Good morning Zebras,

For a week I have been watching the last of the leaves on the tree across the street.  I noticed them last Monday and every day I look at them and wonder how they are holding on.  We’ve had some crazy wind and yet every morning they are still there, hanging on refusing to let go.  Just like the love of God.

I have to admit the love of God was not the first thing I thought of as I watched those leaves.  Originally, I thought they might be an encouragement to hang on till the end, to continue to follow Christ even when others start to turn away.

Revelation 2:26: “To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— “

Then I thought it might be a reminder that there’s always a remnant of people who are passionate about God.  God’s encouragement to Elijah when he thought he was all alone:

1 Kings 19:18: “Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him.”

Then I thought it was an encouragement to not give up hope.  A reminder that the things I’ve been praying, although seemingly impossible, are not impossible to God.

Mark 10:27: Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

But none of them seemed right because I kept thinking about those leaves.   

This morning the first thing I did was check to see if those crazy little leaves were still clinging to the tree and as I watched them fluttering in the wind the phrase “love never fails” popped into my mind.

1 Corinthians 13:8: “Love never fails.  But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.”

At the end of the day, the only thing that is strong enough to overcome all the evil in the world, is the love of God and that is what we are celebrating at Christmas.

John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

I love you Zebras, I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season loving on others as you have been loved.  Expecting nothing, giving everything and living in a way that looks miraculous. 

Love,

Jill

Good morning Zebras,

Thank you to everyone who said a prayer for my health, I woke up this morning and my throat and ears are back to normal.  From raw meat to regular overnight feels miraculous, so I know someone prayed. 

Luke 8:45–46 And Jesus said, “Who was it that touched me?” When all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you!” But Jesus said, “Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me.”

And if you read the post and didn’t say a prayer, don’t feel bad.  One thing God has taught me about prayer over the last few years is it works best when He is the one who tells us what to pray.

Oswald’s thoughts on intercessory prayer:

“People describe intercession by saying ‘It is putting yourself in someone’s else’s place.’  That is not true! Intercession is putting yourself in God’s place; it is having His mind and His perspective…Our work is to be in such close contact with God that we may have His mind about everything, but we shirk that responsibility by substituting doing for interceding. And yet intercession is the only thing that has no drawbacks, because it keeps our relationship completely open with God.”

After years of doing ministry, of fussing and fighting about things that really didn’t matter, I finally got to the end of myself, and realized the best thing I could do for the kingdom of God was pray. 

Ephesians 6:16–18 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints

I love you Zebras, do not let the enemy distract you with the “rulers” and people of this world. If you look past them you will see the real battle is a spiritual one, between the power of darkness and light.

And although we don’t all have to be praying and "doing" the exact same things, we should all be praying and "doing" exactly as God leads.

Love,

Jill

Good morning Zebras,

I’ve been battling a virus since Sunday. It came with a killer sore throat, the kind that hurts so bad you can feel it in your ears.  So, for the last few days I have been overly aware of my ears and spoken only when necessary.

My head feels like an object lesson reminding me to “be quick to hear, slow to speak.”

James 1:19a: Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak

One of the things I learned when Katherine went to Moody was this verse is not talking about how we should interact with one another, but how we should interact with God.  Logos lists Ecclesiastes 5:1-2 as supporting verses for James.

Ecclesiastes 5:1–2 Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil.  Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth.  Therefore, let your words be few.

Sometimes I find it difficult to hear God through all the hubbub of the season, but my sore ears are serving as a reminder to keep searching for the still small voice of God.     

Love,

Jill

Good morning Zebras,

Gary and I wanted an outside storage box to store birdseed, garden tools, etc., so I went on Amazon and picked out three that would work.  But Gary didn’t like any of them, so I kept looking.  I finally found one at Home Depot that was attractive and the right size, so I ordered it.

But when it came I realized immediately it wasn’t water proof.

We had gotten sidetracked from the original objective and ended up with something that was really attractive, but wouldn’t work.

People do the same thing.  God’s primary objective:

Matthew 22:37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. “

That should be the reason for everything we do. We do what we do because we love God and we want to honor Him with our lives. 

We slip into dangerous territory when we start worrying about how we look to others. 

Matthew 23:27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness.

I love you Zebras.  One of the things that you need to get rid of if you want to live a life totally devoted to God, is your concern over how others view you. 

If you have a clear conscious before God, if you are doing everything He asks of you, if you love Him with every fiber of your being, He is pleased with you. (1Cor 10:5) And at the end of the day, that’s all that matters.

Love,

Jill

Good morning Zebras,

As suggested I purchased something to make my artificial tree smell “real.”  It didn’t work. Maybe if you had never smelled a real tree, it would fool you, but if you know what a real tree smells like, this thing smells like a cheap imitation. 

The same is true of the Spirit of God, if you have never experienced the power and presence of the Holy Spirit you can be satisfied with something less.  But once you have talked to God “face to face” as a man speaks to his friend, nothing else will do.

Tozer's thoughts on the same subject:

“The average Christians’ progress today is not sufficient to satisfy the longings of the seeker after God. They want something better than that.  The average Christian today does not make much spiritual progress at all.  He is converted, joins the Church, and five years later he is right back where he started…That is not satisfactory to those who seek and thirst and hunger after God.

Such seekers after God are impatient with the substitutes being offered today.  When you do not have anything real inside of you, you try to get something on the outside that suggests something real.  It is a well-known fact that when the fire goes out in the furnace, they paint the outside to make it look as it the

fire was still there.

Unfortunately, the Church is the same.  And this even includes evangelical and so-called gospel churches.  Something from its heart has been lost, so bangles and dangles are used on the outside to pretend there is something real on the inside.  But you cannot fool seekers after God with kind of thing.  They know better.”

I love you Zebras, and I love God’s Church and I pray for the day when the men of God take the pulpit and preach with such power that the entire congregation falls to their knees and exclaims with one voice: “The LORD He is God! The LORD-He is God! (1 Kings 18:39)

Love,

Jill

Good morning Zebras,

A Tozer thought for a Sunday morning:

“Some people might say, ‘Pastor, I would be a better Christian if I had a better pastor.’ I wish it could be so. But you know that would not be the case, because the better pastor you had, the more you would become a spiritual parasite and lean on him. Often the most spiritual people attend churches where the pastor cannot preach his way out of a wet paper bag. The reason is because they have no help from the pulpit, so they have to learn to lean on God. If you get too much help from the pulpit, you tend to become a parasite and lean on your pastor. I believe in the priesthood of believers.”

We can’t blame our pastors or our church for our own lack of spiritual growth because God has given each one of us everything we need for life and godliness. (2 Peter 1:3-12) It is our responsibility to put it to use.

Love,

Jill

Good morning Zebras,

I woke up this morning after a night of no nightmares, grateful to be alive, confident God is in charge and ready to live another day in a way that honors Him.  I hope you did too.

I am really enjoying Tozer’s book, because it’s great confirmation that I’m not off track.

Living a crucified life which Tozer defines as “a life wholly given over to the Lord in absolute humility and obedience; a sacrifice pleasing to the Lord”, is lonely business, at the end of the day it comes down to just us and God. 

We must decide, in the loneliness of our own heart, if we want to follow God completely, holding nothing back but giving everything to Him or not.  No one can help us make that decision because it isn’t an intellectual decision it’s a yielding of the spirit.

A paragraph to ponder:

“The teacher can teach a student to read, but that is really as far as she can go.  What that student reads is really up to him.  The teacher can help him so far; then he is on his own.  This is true throughout life.  There are some things in life that must be done by ourselves. 

Nobody can help us.  Nobody can assist us along the way.  That is why there is a breakdown in evangelical circles today.  We want to rely on each other.  We want to exercise the ‘ministry of helps.’  We are nothing unless we have a crowd around us, not realizing that to penetrate into the very presence of God is a very lonely journey.”

Lonely, but never alone because on this journey the presence of God becomes your constant companion.

Love,

Jill

Good morning Zebras,

Nancy’s Tozer quote the other day prompted me to the buy “The Crucified Life,” a Tozer book I hadn't read yet.  Gary decided to read it as well and we were both struck by the introduction to the chapter titled: “The Loneliness of the Crucified Life.”

“The man who wrote Psalm 27 was David, David sought after God because he knew that “they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.’ (Ps 34:10). He said, ‘My soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land’ (Ps 143:6).  Further, David said, ‘Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation… My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him’ (Ps 62:1-5).  David also said, ‘O God, thou are my God; early I will see thee; my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is’ (Ps 63:1).  David continually says, ‘My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand doth upholdeth me’ (Ps 63:8).

That is the language of the man David. You will find this same tone going back to Abraham and reaching all the way through the Old Testament. Today we seek God and stop searching, whereas the early saints sought God, found Him and continued to seek more of Him.”

That hunger for God is what I see missing in God’s people.  We hunger for so many things, but not for Him. 

The quote that hangs on the wall of my office, right beside my “Be Still and Know God” plaque is “what consumes your mind, control your life.”

The saints of God were consumed by God and God controlled their lives. What my friend is consuming you?  If it is anything other than the LORD Himself kick it to the curb.

I love you Zebras, none of us should settle for living anything less than the crucified life of Christ. 

Jill

Good morning Zebras,

I told you the theme in my life is the power of hidden sins.  So, I wasn’t surprised to find that a mouse and/or rat has moved into the walls of the house.  I heard the scurrying around yesterday and called out the pest guy.  This is my house I do not plan to share it with rodents.

We are God’s house and He will not share us either.

Rodents and secrets live in the dark.  Jesus and His followers must live in the light as He is in the light which means we need to search our own lives and ruthlessly get rid of the things that love darkness,

I know many of you may be concerned about what is going on in the Middle East, but you should be equally if not more concerned about what is going on here, in Gods’ House.  God brought judgement down upon Israel for the idols and abominations they allowed into the temple. (Ezekiel 8)

I can’t do anything about the lukewarm state of God’s Church and/or world politics and neither can you, except (and this is a big except) honor God with your life and pray.

James 5:16b–18 The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

Exodus 17:11–13 Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword.

I love you Zebras, but we talk too much, sin too easily, and pray too little.

Jill

Good evening Zebras,

There was no post this morning because my computer fell down the stairs and broke.  It’s a very long story but suffice it to say, God very clearly told me if I don’t share what He has told me to share, I won’t be sharing anything at all.

Yesterday I told you the theme for Christmas is “Give Thanks,” today I’m supposed to share the “Welcome!” letter I plan to hand out at the first meal. 

Love,

Jill

Thank you all for coming.

It is our hope that God is going to use this house as a place where His people can come and rest in His presence.  So, it is only right that the first “event” be for the people that we love most, our family.

We have hosted many Christmases at this house, it’s our prayer this is not just another one, but a time where the love of God will so penetrate your soul that you’ll go away from here forever changed.

Biblically, we know change is possible.  And that’s also the message of “The Christmas Carol.”   But the first step in both cases is a desire to change.  A desire to live life differently. A desire to live a life with God.

Romans 10:9 “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Then God’s Spirit will give you the power to live differently, to love as you are loved, serve as you have been served, and forgive as you have been forgiven.  The impossible becomes possible with God.

Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

And if you already honor Jesus as Lord, God still has something for you.

Moses once asked God to reveal more of His glory, so he could be encouraged and empowered to continue the work God had given him to do.  And we can do the same. 

Exodus 33:13, 18: “If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know You and continue to find favor with You” … “Please (Lord) show me Your glory.”

We never get to the point where we have enough of God, we need to be always striving for more and if it is your heart’s desire to see more of God, He will come.

We love you all and pray these next three days will be the best Christmas of your lives.

Love,

Gary and Jill

Good morning Zebras,

As I shared, my mind has turned to the upcoming Christmas Event I am hosting at my house.  Since we are electronically “walking together”, and if you were here, I would be sharing these ideas with you, I’ve decide to share as God leads, just in case you want to use any of the ideas yourself.  So... here’s what I’m up to

The whole event will go under the banner of “Give Thanks.”  The 24^th will be “Give Thanks for Jesus,” the 25^th “Give Thanks for God’s Material Blessings,” and the 26^th is “Give Thanks for Family and Friends and the Unifying Power of the Holy Spirit.”

In my mind the 26^th is the most important day, at least for the believer’s who are coming.  People are thankful for Jesus, and they are thankful for the things He gives us, but there is a huge blind spot when it comes to understanding the Holy Spirit.

When I was first saved, back in 1981, I had a few encounters with the Holy Spirit, but since no one really talked about Him, or explained what it meant to be filled with the Spirit, and therefore required to live a life that honored Him, I drifted away and the Spirit inside me was quenched.

I didn’t run into Him again until 2012.  It took years to battle my way back to where I was when I first believed because I had to throw out what I had been “taught”, and read what the Word said. 

Revelation 2:1–5 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands: I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.  You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.  Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.

God does not want a bunch of busy little workers, who go to church every Sunday and tithe the correct amount.  He wants a bunch of people so madly in love with Him that they desire to be in His presence all the time.  People who know that the Spirit is quenched when we ignore God.  People who are willing to do anything, give up anything, say anything to remain in the presence and power of God.

I love you Zebras, praying for all our sakes, that this is not just another Christmas.

Love,

Jill

P.S. And I can hardly wait to see how everyone reacts when I ask them to sing “Give Thanks” at the opening tea! Hahahah.  

Good morning Zebras,

I tend to read books not quotes, but Nancy started me down the road of Tozer quotes yesterday and I found a few I wanted to share.

“To desire revival and at the same time to neglect personal prayer and devotion is to wish one way and walk another.”

“Most Christians don’t hear God’s voice because we’ve already decided we aren’t going to do what He says.”

“We must allow the word of God to correct us the same way we allow it to encourage us.”

“A true disciple does not consider Christianity a part-time commitment.  He has become a Christian in all parts of his life.  He has reached the point where there is no turning back.”

And the one that started it…

“There are rare Christians whose very presence incited others to be better Christians.  I want to be that Christian.”

Dear Heavenly Father, please let your Zebras be people who listen to Your voice, who read Your word to be encouraged and convicted, people who have decided they will obey You before You have even spoken, because our faith isn’t a part-time commitment, it is who we are.   Help us to be the people who work and pray for a revival, following hard after you and inciting others to do the same always remembering we need to start with our own lives.  We love you Lord, and desire to see Your name lifted-up and honored throughout the world.  In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Love,

Jill

Good morning Zebras,

For the first time, in my entire adult life, I’m almost ready for the “man side” of Christmas and it’s only Dec 1^st.  The tree and decorations are up and the presents are bought and wrapped.  Which leaves me three wonderful weeks to do nothing but pray.

As I shared the other day I’m praying this is going to be a different Christmas, in fact it’s the prayer that’s constantly in my head, “Please Dear God, don’t let this be just another Christmas.”

To that end I’ve taken everything we do to prayer.  Is this something that can stay, is this something that should go?  Does this point people to You?

One of the things that had to go was the traditional Christmas Eve dinner.  My guests may not put up with every meal being about Jesus, but they will tolerate at least one.  So instead of eating tamales and decorating the table in red and green, we are eating simple fare and decorating the table in purple and gold.

Too much emphasis is put on “holiday” food, at least in this house, and since I want to move the emphasis to Jesus, I am going to downgrade the food for one meal.  I’m praying canned soup and bread, eaten with an eye towards God, will be more powerful than tamales and beans eaten with an eye towards our stomachs.

And I threw out the red and green color scheme because it has nothing to do with Jesus. Red and green scream “Christmas” but they don’t scream “Christ!”  So, I bought an inexpensive purple table cloth and gold runner from Amazon and I’m going to set the table in the colors of a king!

When I’m preparing for an event I pray over every detail, every word, every PowerPoint slide, because I want everything to be about Him.  God told me I needed to do the same with this.  I can’t approach Christmas with the same old attitude and expect different results.

So, in my mind, this isn’t really “Christmas” anymore, it’s an event, hosted at my house, that is going to be attended by family.

Love,

Jill

P.S. I am luckier than some, my company arrives on the 23^rd and stays until the day after Christmas. That gives me three full days to plan.   Each day and meal will have a theme and hopefully by the time they leave, everyone, including those who already love the Lord, will have heard from God.  Exodus 33:13, 18: “If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know You and continue to find favor with You” … “Please (Lord) show me Your glory.”

Good morning Zebras,

I have a friend who is looking for a house to rent.  I told him I would be praying God would bring him “the perfect house.”

He replied, “It doesn’t have to be perfect, I’m not perfect.”

So, I said “No, you’re not, but God is, and He likes to give perfect gifts to His children.”

Nothing in this life is about us, nothing, everything is about Him.

He doesn’t give us good gifts because we are good, He gives us good gifts because He loves us, and He is good. His gifts reflect His nature not ours.

Matthew 7:11: “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”

But as God once pointed out to me, the best gift He can give to anyone is the Holy Spirit.

Luke 11:13: “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

We live in a culture where good behavior is rewarded with “stuff” and we have translated that mentality to God, but it isn’t Biblical. The kings in the Old Testament may have gotten rich but the disciples lost everything.

The reward of following God is not “stuff,” it is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control and the privilege of being used by God.    

Love,

Jill