Major Changes

Galatians 5:22–26 (ESV)

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.  And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Good morning Zebras,

I hope you all are doing well.

I am having a repeat summer, and trying not to make the same mistakes.  Last summer I used the blog to vent some frustrations under the guise of teaching God’s Word.  What I’d said was true but it wasn’t kind or respectful and a few months later God had a small chat with me and I had to delete quite a few of my posts.

It was an unpleasant experience and one I don’t want to repeat, so this summer I am following the advice of Thumper…”If you can't say something nice... don't say nothin’ at all.” Of course that is found in the Bible as well.

James chapter three has a very disturbing discourse on the use of our tongues which starts with, “Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.”  It goes on to call the tongue a fire, a restless evil that can set the course of our life, an untamable evil that is full of deadly poison with which we praise God but curse people who are made in His image.  But, James says IF you can learn to control your tongue, you can learn to control your whole body as well.

So that is what I have been doing, learning to control my tongue.  And what I have learned is the best way to control my tongue is to let Christ change my heart.

Out of anger, jealousy, and self-centeredness come unkind words and thoughts.  They are simply a symptom of an ugliness that lives inside.  And controlling the symptoms is never as good as curing the disease.

Acting patient is not the same as being patient, acting loving is not the same as being loving, and acting humble is not the same as being humble.  One takes a lot of work, the other takes Christ.  For only God can impart to us the gifts of the Spirit.  But if we act patient, loving and humble and pray for God to make us that way, He will.

To be honest, I’m not sure how it works.  I just know that it does. 

Love,

Jill

God's Training

1 Timothy 4:8 (NIV)

For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

Good morning Zebras,

Katherine, my daughter, is on her summer mission trip to South Korea, but before she could go to South Korea, she had to spend a week Washington where she and the other students who were going underwent some training.

Since I was at camp during her training week, I didn’t get to talk to her until I got home.  At that point she had a whole week’s worth of stories to tell me about what Youth Missions International had been doing to get them ready for their trip. After she finished with her “training” stories, she started sharing about what was going on with her.  Her own personal struggles completely unrelated to the training that YMI had developed.

Maybe it was because she was immersed in a training situation but as I listened to her I could tell the situations she was experiencing were also training.  They were God’s personal hand-picked training for Katherine.   Only God knows what Katherine needs to learn to be able to do the job He has called her to do.  And He was training her accordingly.

As I was talking to her a thought crossed my mind- “Maybe”, I thought, “that’s how we are supposed to look at all the situations in life.  As training from God”

A week later I watched Secretariat.

Secretariat is considered the greatest race horse ever.  He won the Triple Crown in 1973 and his time in the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes are still the fastest on record.  But what caught my attention was the training Secretariat went through to win.

While the other horses were resting between races, or training at a leisurely pace, Secretariat’s trainers continued to train him hard.  According to the movie, people thought they were training him too hard, they thought that they were going to “ruin” the horse.  But they knew Secretariat loved to run so they let him run.

The last scene in the movie where Secretariat is flying down the track and heading for the finish line is inspirational.   He was obviously crafted by God to be a runner, but the hard training paid off and he won the last race by a record-shattering thirty-one lengths.

It was so spectacular for a minute it made me wish I was a horse.  But then I thought…no, I’d rather be a well-trained Zebra.

Love,

Jill

Under Repair

Daniel 2:21–22 (ESV)
He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding; he reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him.

Good morning Zebras,

I’ve got a friend who bought a mobile home she knew was a “fixer-upper,” but it has turned out to be a little more than she or her husband had bargained for. Everything they do seems to reveal something else that needs to be done.  But she never complains, in fact her prayer is that God will bring to light everything that is wrong so they can fix it.

Since this is currently her life prayer, it is not a surprise that God would use her to uncover a “dark and hidden thing” in my own life.

Tuesday, as planned, I headed off to the school district office to resign and although I KNEW it was what I was supposed to do, I still was a little nervous. I didn’t want to do something that made me look foolish and I didn’t want to do something that was “crazy.”

I really wanted to talk to someone before I went, but it seemed rather wimpy.

But God was gracious and my friend came out of her house just as I was driving by.

After I shared with her my concerns and she reassured me that I was doing the right thing she prayed for me.  Part of her prayer included a request that God would reveal whatever it was inside of me that made me afraid of resigning.  Something in me was at war with my desire to obey God and she prayed God would bring it to light.

Later that day God answered her prayer. Not only did He show me what it was, He fixed it.

I think we all have things inside that no one really knows about, things that happened in the past, things that we may or may not even think about anymore.  And those things, if left hidden can prevent us from being all that God would have us to be.  

Remember little Zebras God is not defined by our circumstances, past or present, He is defined by His Word and His Word says He is completely worthy of our trust.

iHisLove,

Jill

Nothing to Give

Romans 12:1 (ESV)
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

Good morning Zebras,
As I continue to contemplate the privilege God has given me of sacrificing something to Him, I am struck by the thought that IF we could really grasp that obedience and sacrifice are privileges our lives would be transformed. 

God does not need anything.  He created everything and all of it belongs to Him and He is pleased when we give something back.

When my kids were little and I would buy them a treat, they were always quite excited until I asked for a little bite.  Then they would clutch it to their chest and say that it was "theirs."  Heck, I'd just bought it for them two seconds ago, how could they already be so possessive of it?  Didn't they know I could buy them more if they needed it?

But isn't that what we do with God?

He gives us everything and when He asks for a little back we clutch it tightly and say it is "ours."  Why do we want to limit God's blessings by holding on to what He gives us?  Giving freely to God allows Him to give freely to us. It is not a hardship it is a blessing and a privilege.

But it is actually even more than that.  It is the very least we can do.

Last week at camp the middle school students studied Romans.  On Thursday, after three days of learning about God's grace they were challenged with the question "What is a reasonable act of service for the great gift God has given us?" 

The answer of of course is, we have the privileging of giving our lives.

Love,
Jill

Privilege of Sacrifice

Genesis 22:14 (ESV)

So Abraham called the name of that place, “The LORD will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided.”


Good afternoon Zebras,

I love God’s word. I think one of the reasons I love it is that I can always find a person or situation to encourage me in my own walk. Never do I go “where no man has gone before,” instead I try to walk in the footsteps of those faithful men and women who have gone before me.

And no one was more faithful than Abraham.

When I was preparing for retreat I was struck by the account of Abraham’s offer to sacrifice Isaac. We have all heard the story a bunch of times, yet when you really stop and think about it you can’t help but be inspired.

For the last two years, I’ve been toying with my work situation. In June 2009, after much prayer, I asked for and received a year’s leave of absence from my job. Last June my leave was extended. This year was the year I had to decide. No more extensions were available. I have only two options quit or go back to work.

So Gary and I prayed.

Gary wanted a clear sign from God that writing e-mails and encouraging women was indeed the path God wanted me on. I wanted to be like Abraham and sacrifice my job to God and trust Him to provide something else. Because we all know Abraham wasn’t given the ram until he was willing to sacrifice Isaac and I didn’t want to miss my ram.

Only God could provide both.

In March I received my lay-off notice. Like many teachers around the state “My services were no longer required.” But that’s not that unusual, lots of teachers receive pink slips in March only to have them rescinded in May

But this year was different. I actually got fired. I lost all of my seniority and my position at the school. It was a very strange feeling to no longer have the option to go back to work but it was a very clear answer to Gary’s prayers. God wanted me to quit.

Yesterday I received an e-mail saying they have a job for me. Tuesday I am heading to the district office to sacrifice the opportunity.

Love,
Jill

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