Powerful Whisper

Matthew 10:28 (ESV)

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Good morning Zebras,

This morning right before I woke up I had the strangest dream.  I was speaking before a large group of Christians saying something they obviously didn’t want to hear because they were getting angry with me.  I think I was telling them that lukewarm wasn’t good enough.  That having the world in one hand and God in the other was not pleasing to God.  That it was time for Christians to step up and step out and quit amusing ourselves and focus on pleasing Christ.

I woke up when they started to throw me down the stairs.

At camp I taught high school girls about the importance of having a Biblical Worldview.  As I prepared for the lessons there were two truths that God made clear to me.  First, having a Biblical Worldview is a privilege.  Looking at the world through the eyes of God is a gift He gives to His people.  The ability to love others as we love ourselves only happens when we look at them through the eyes of God.

And second, having a Biblical Worldview is something worth working for.  Looking at the world through God’s eyes does not happen overnight and it requires work.  But it is so worth it.  God gave us the Bible for our protection and encouragement.  It is so much more than a list of “dos and don’ts” it is the guide book to life and to God. And it is the knowledge of who God really is, that changes everything.

God revealed Himself to Moses through a burning bush, to Isaiah in a vision, and to Paul in a personal encounter on the road to Damascus. Different circumstances, same reaction. Moses hid his face, Isaiah realized he was ruined and Paul fell to the ground.  When they got up they did what God told them to regardless of the consequences.

Then we have Elijah. In 1 Kings 19, Elijah fled in fear to Mount Horeb.  According to the passage after listening to Elijah’s fears the LORD encouraged him by passing by.  He sent a powerful wind, an earthquake and a fire.  But He was not in any of them. His presence was in the gentle whisper that came at the end.

That whisper was what Elijah hid from.  He did not run or hide from a tornado, an earthquake or a fire.  But he hid his face before he went out to speak with God. And after talking to Him he too got back to work.

Love,
Jill

Reset

Matthew 6:17–18 (HCSB)

But when you fast, put oil on your head, and wash your face, so that you don’t show your fasting to people but to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Good morning Zebras,

Books about fasting usually reference today’s verses.  They point out that Jesus said “when you fast” not “if you fast” which implies Jesus expected His disciples to fast.  And they also point out that verse eighteen says “your Father …will reward you,” a gentle reminder that fasting, when done to draw closer to God, carries a reward.

About three years ago God blessed our family with two goofy little dogs that we call Moodles. One reason I know they’re from God is because I have learned so many Godly lessons from watching them that is almost embarrassing.

Even though I walk almost every day I don’t always walk the dogs.  My normal walk is too far for them and I am often too lazy to take a short walk and a long one.

But Joshua, who is the most devoted creature I have ever seen, always wants to go with me. He loves his walks and he loves me and it’s his devotion and excitement that makes me give in and do both the walks.

Abbey on the other hand enjoys her pillow far more than she enjoys the great outdoors and although she doesn’t dislike walking she would be perfectly happy staying home.  She starts out strong, but about halfway through she is “done” and ready to quit.

The other day Katherine and I were walking the moodles together and Abbey started lagging behind.   Without saying anything Katherine stopped, scooped her up, kissed her on her head, cuddled her for a few minutes and then set her back down.

When I asked her what she was doing she told me she was “resetting” Abbey.

She went on to explain that Abbey gets tired of walking but that if you pick her up and love on her, when you set her back down she is ready to go again. And it was true.  When Katherine had picked Abbey up she had been dragging her little paws and walking with her head down, basically just enduring, but when she put her back down Abbey was rejuvenated.  She was all excited again and the spring had returned to her step.

Yesterday I realized that was one reason why God prompted me to fast. He knew I was getting tired and He wanted to reset me.  Fasting is His version of picking us up and cuddling us on the head so that we can joyfully get back to work.

Love,

Jill

What Lurks Inside?

Psalm 73:25 (RSV)

Whom have I in heaven but Thee?  And there is nothing upon earth that I desire besides thee.

Good morning Zebras,

Sorry, I haven’t written but I was fasting and I didn’t want to talk about it.  I couldn’t really think of anything else to discuss, so I thought it was best not to post at all.

A few months ago I felt God prompting me towards fasting. At first I wasn’t sure it was from God.  I thought maybe it was just me trying to figure out a quick way to lose a few pounds, but He kept bringing it up so I decided it was His idea and I obeyed.

In his chapter on fasting in Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster says, “More than any other discipline, fasting reveals the things that control us.  This is a wonderful benefit to the true disciple who longs to be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ.  We cover up what is inside of us with food and other things.”

The first thing that came out of me was anger.  My poor son took the brunt of it and as he and his sister left to go to out with their grandmother they both agreed “Mom really needs to eat something.”

The second thing was the sobering realization that although I love God, I love His blessings just as much--maybe more. As I was getting into bed after surviving the first day of fasting I started thinking about my quiet time in the morning. No matter how bad today was, tomorrow I could get up and have a cup of coffee with God. Then I realized there would be no coffee and I was disappointed.  The excitement I had felt deflated a little because even though God would still be there the coffee wouldn’t.  Ouch!  (Even I knew that wasn’t good.)

The third thing I learned was that I had some pockets of unforgiveness that needed to be dealt with.

When Jesus was on the cross He looked down at the crowd and said “Forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”  Can’t you just imagine Him looking down and seeing the screaming, jeering people all around Him and then looking beyond their behavior to the ignorant heart inside and feeling pity for them because they didn’t know what the consequences of their actions would be?

I don’t know about you, but I have a few things I would have done differently if I had known what the consequences were going to be, but at the time, just like the crowd who crucified Jesus, I thought what I was doing was right.  It is only in hindsight I realize I was wrong.  And I am grateful for God's forgiveness.

Being able to forgive others involves giving them the same grace.

Love,

Jill

Thoughts on Elijah

2 Timothy 2:15 (HCSB)

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth.

Good morning Zebras,

Every morning I start my quiet time with Oswald Chamber’s My Utmost for His Highest.  It is a great devotional but I’ve noticed that I’ve gotten into the habit of skipping the verse at the top and going straight to the “good part.” And although Chambers has wonderful insights I need to remember God’s Word is the good part and everything else is just words, even if it’s written in the margins of my own Bible.

2Timothy 2:15 is a verse referenced by many Christian organizations who place emphasis on learning and teaching the Word of God and it is one of my life verses.  When I first memorized it I had no idea what Paul was talking about, but fourteen years later I understand what it means to labor to understand the Bible and the importance of teaching it correctly.

Yesterday I was rereading the ministry of Elijah.  To be honest I was looking for some clue as to what Elijah did while he was sitting by the stream. Did he read, did he pray, how exactly did Elijah fill his time?  Unfortunately the Bible doesn’t say.

So I turned to man’s interpretation to see if I’d missed something and I read the one page profile of Elijah in my Life Application Study Bible.

In addition to a few paragraphs about the person’s life, each profile contains a list of what the author perceives as their “Strengths and Accomplishments” and “Weaknesses and Mistakes.”  Under the Mistakes list the author wrote:  (Elijah) chose to work alone and paid for it with isolation and loneliness.

What?  He chose to work alone?  That’s not how I read the text. I don’t see anywhere that God told Elijah to take a friend and he refused.  What I see is a man listening to God and doing what he was told, even if it meant he had to go alone.

We are used to doing things by committee; it’s how we were raised. And sometimes that is what God wants, but not always; God didn’t always send a group.

Sometimes He just sent one man who was willing to listen and obey. 

Love,

Jill

Read the Instructions

1 Corinthians 3:10–13 (HCSB)

According to God’s grace that was given to me, I have laid a foundation as a skilled master builder, and another builds on it. But each one must be careful how he builds on it... for the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire; the fire will test the quality of each one’s work.

Good morning Zebras,

A few weeks ago my daughter had a bridge project in physics where she had to build a bridge out of toothpicks. She was absent when the instruction sheet was given out so she relied upon information from friends to complete the project.

Her dad helped her with the design and she and her friend spent a lot of time gluing and cutting toothpicks.  When they were finished they had made an amazing looking bridge.

Unfortunately, when she took it in to be graded she found out it was too tall, too heavy and that she had built the loading plane in the wrong place.  Because she hadn’t read the instructions carefully herself, she got a “D” on a project she could have easily aced.

And a very similar thing happened to me the other night.

My son, Nick, got a Blendtec blender for his sixteenth birthday.  I’d never seen one of these machines in action, so I was totally impressed when Nick started obliterating things with it. When he went off the living room to read the instructions I decided I’d try to clean it.

I quickly glanced at the instructions, filled the blender with water, dumped in some soap and pressed a button.  It was an I Love Lucy moment.  Everything started out fine, then the blender kicked itself into high gear and a geyser of soapy water erupted into my kitchen.

When I finally quit laughing I had a bit of cleaning up to do.

Katherine and I had both made the same mistake-we disregarded the instructions we had been given.  Katherine did not read the instructions herself; she based her whole project on information given to her by someone else.  And I didn’t read them thoroughly. I figured I knew what I was doing and foolishly plowed ahead.

God too has given us instructions, in a book we call the Bible, and a wise woman reads it for herself and builds her life accordingly.

Love,
Jill

Cleans or Prunes?

John 15:1–2 (NIV)
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.  He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.

Good morning Zebras,

I recently heard a pastor say the easiest thing you can do to improve your understanding of the Bible is to read multiple translations.  If you are like me you have your favorite version and that is what you tend to read but his point was that even if you don’t know Hebrew or Greek you can gain greater insight into God’s Word by reading the work of others who do.

Today’s verse, John 15:2, is the perfect example.

This is a pretty popular verse and one most of us have learned, but to be honest it is one I have always struggled with.  Because of my own inability to garden the words “cut” and “prune” strike fear in my heart. 

 I remember one particularly horrible incident where I not only butchered the poor bush I was “pruning” I also sliced through the cord of the electric trimmer.

The idea of God coming after me with an electric bush trimmer cutting and hacking away at everything that does not bear fruit is disturbing.

But look how another translation says it:

John 15:2 (ISV)
He removes every branch in me that does not produce fruit, and he cleanses every branch that does produce fruit so that it might produce more fruit.

The Greek word that been translated “prunes” means, according the Greek English Lexicon of the New Testament, to cause something to become clean; to make clean

Now that I like.  Cleaning involves soft cloths and nice smelling products.  Cleaning involves gently removing the dirt from items that we cherish.  Occasionally we may have to use a scrub brush on a particularly difficult stain, but for the most part cleaning is a gentle activity.  And that fits with the context of the passage.

Jesus, as we abide in Him cleans and prunes us, not in a violent hostile manner but with loving care so that we will bear more fruit (NOT do more work) which brings glory not only to Him but to our Heavenly Father.

Love,
Jill

Not In Charge

Philippians 4:5b–7 (ESV)

The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Good morning Zebras,

I am having the most pleasant volunteer experience.  I signed up to help with Grad Night at the high school.  In theory, Alicia and I are in charge of setting up, but since I don’t really know what I am doing it is hard to feel in charge of anything.

Instead I just go where I’m told and do what I’m told, and I love it.  No responsibilities, no worries, just the joy of working with others to accomplish a worthwhile goal.

This morning, as I was reveling in the joy of not being in charge of something, I realized God has allowed me to have this experience so I can fully appreciate what life is supposed to feel like.

Jesus promised us a light burden, but when I look around that isn’t what I see.  I see people burdened not only with the cares of the world, but the cares of church as well. And I know that isn’t what God intended  

We know the Bible says that we do nothing in our own strength, instead it is God working through us that accomplishes the task. But is that how we act?  Do we act like we are carefree helpers of God, or do we act like the weight of the world is on our shoulders?

And I’m not just talking about ministry work.  I am talking about everything we do.

If we believe that the very hairs of our head are numbered; that every day we will live has already been written in the Book of Life; that God has promised to work everything for the good of those who love Him; that no plans of His can be thwarted; that He will equip us to do whatever He has called us to do; and all the rest of the amazing promises in the Bible, including that Jesus has promised never to leave us or forsake us.  Shouldn’t we live that way?

The reality is we are not in charge of anything-God is. And that is GREAT, because it means we can live day-to-day in joyful obedience just doing what we are told, leaving the results up to God. 

Love,

Jill