James 5:16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working (ESV).
I just finished having one of the most amazing weekends of my life. I got to have a mini-reunion with several of my former roomies from my Flower Mound house. I was struck by the ease at which we moved from laughter to deep sharing and finally to prayer. There really is something divinely built about being in community. We are so wired in this society to feel that we have to face things alone. The strength of the individual is so exalted, that we really do place an expectation on ourselves to handle our struggles alone. But something really does happen when we practice sharing our struggles and asking others to bear our burden with us. As someone who has just been freshly reminded of how freeing this is, I just want to say risk it and share yourself. If you aren't in community, ask God to give it to you and go seek it out. God's provision for you today is in community. Who are the people with whom God has surrounded you? Let them be His hands and feet to you. There is healing to be found. You are not alone.
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Sunday, May 5, 2013
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Ruth: And All These Things Will Be Added Unto You
My Bible reading for today was the entire book of Ruth. I have read it many times before. Today, I read it in the New Living Translation. I feel like sometimes reading an old text in a different translations lets me experience it freshly. Something hit me this time as I was reading it. I don't believe Ruth left Moab simply as an act of loyalty to Naomi. She left her country and her people because she was a true convert to the God of Israel. She wanted to stay in this life of the worship of Yahweh. Ironically, her mother in law Naomi--wanted her to stay so that she could have a life with another husband and children. It never occurred to Naomi that her pledge of devotion to follow her back to Bethlehem would be the means of her salvation. Naomi had felt so burned by the death of her husband and sons, she couldn't imagine that God had any good in store for her. She had lost faith in the God of her hope.
What's beautiful to me in this story is to see this an as true example of God's promise to His people. Jesus tells us in the gospels two principles which play out beautifully in this story of Ruth. The first is in Matthew 6:33. Jesus tells us: So don't worry about these things, saying, 'What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear? these things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need. What a beautiful promise this is. And this is exactly what happens for Ruth. She doesn't think about or even consider these things. She makes an impractical decision, based on her devotion to Naomi and her God.
Which brings me to my second observation. Jesus tells His disciples in Luke 17:33 If you cling to your life, you will lose it, and if you let your life go, you will save it. Isn't this the exact picture of Ruth? She let go of her life, of what looked like a hope for a normal future by staying with her own people. Naomi encouraged her to think practically about her future. But she didn't. She surrendered her life to a covenant promise.
The ways of God and the promises of God aren't Old and New Testament. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. If we want to experience God's faithful love in our lives, let's take a lesson from Ruth. She became the great-grandmother of King David, from who the Messiah was born. God is serious about keeping His promises to those who seek Him. In her wildest dreams she never would have imagined that her faithful promise to Naomi and her God would result in her being in the lineage of Christ. It reminds me of what Paul says in Ephesians 3:20-Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. (NLT) What would my life look like if I didn't cling to it in all its security, but really sought first the things of God? Something for me to really ponder. I would love to see God write such a redemptive story in my life as well.
What's beautiful to me in this story is to see this an as true example of God's promise to His people. Jesus tells us in the gospels two principles which play out beautifully in this story of Ruth. The first is in Matthew 6:33. Jesus tells us: So don't worry about these things, saying, 'What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear? these things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need. What a beautiful promise this is. And this is exactly what happens for Ruth. She doesn't think about or even consider these things. She makes an impractical decision, based on her devotion to Naomi and her God.
Which brings me to my second observation. Jesus tells His disciples in Luke 17:33 If you cling to your life, you will lose it, and if you let your life go, you will save it. Isn't this the exact picture of Ruth? She let go of her life, of what looked like a hope for a normal future by staying with her own people. Naomi encouraged her to think practically about her future. But she didn't. She surrendered her life to a covenant promise.
The ways of God and the promises of God aren't Old and New Testament. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. If we want to experience God's faithful love in our lives, let's take a lesson from Ruth. She became the great-grandmother of King David, from who the Messiah was born. God is serious about keeping His promises to those who seek Him. In her wildest dreams she never would have imagined that her faithful promise to Naomi and her God would result in her being in the lineage of Christ. It reminds me of what Paul says in Ephesians 3:20-Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. (NLT) What would my life look like if I didn't cling to it in all its security, but really sought first the things of God? Something for me to really ponder. I would love to see God write such a redemptive story in my life as well.
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Leaning Into It: The token of His affection
Leaning Into It: The token of His affection: This may not be earth-shattering to anyone else, but it rocked my world a little tonight. Do you have a stone of remembrance? I mean somethi...
Saturday, April 27, 2013
The token of His affection
This may not be earth-shattering to anyone else, but it rocked my world a little tonight. Do you have a stone of remembrance? I mean something God does that might be small or insignificant to others that rocks your world? I know I'm speaking too metaphorically still. Do you remember the story in the Old Testament when Israel first crossed the Jordan into the promised land? God had the priest begin walking into the raging river Jordan, holding the art of the covenant. The amazing thing is, the minute their feet touched the bottom of the river bed, the waters on either side "stood up in a heap" the Bible says. Yes, just like the Red Sea. And all of Israel crossed over. As soon as they had crossed, God told them to go gather from the bottom of the river bed some stones. Stone of remembrance. To never forget the miracle of God's presence that day.
Ok, here's mine as silly as it sounds. I have a bottom retainer I have had since high school. For some reason my bottom front teeth seem to keep moving out of place if I don't wear it, and so here I am 30 years later, at night wearing the dumb thing. But since I have had it, I can't tell you how many times I have lost this stupid little retainer. It costs 500 dollars and it's such a small thing to spend so much!! The first time I lost it, it was in the backyard. It was missing for a month and I was desperate. We finally found it in the backyard. Somehow it had survived both the dogs and the lawnmower. It was missing a very small piece of plastic in the back, but overall it was in great shape. I couldn't believe I found it in the backyard.
Tonight, years later it had been missing again, and once again, I had asked the Lord if He would graciously let me find it, just as a sign that He has His eye on me. Do you know He let me find it? Once again, He didn't have to. I certainly didn't deserve this little token of His affection for me. But for some reason He seems to keep delighting in giving it back to me. Maybe its because its speaks to me of His attentive care, that He would bother Himself to show me again where it is. I mean isn't that the difference between those we know intimately, and those who are in our outer circle? It's when we love someone closely, that we are involved in the details of their lives, because they matter to us. It's hard for me to fathom that I matter that much to God. But I do. And for some strange reason He is pleased to use this silly little piece of plastic and my prayers to find it, to remind me year after year, that His lovingkindness reaches to the skies.
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me:)
Ok, here's mine as silly as it sounds. I have a bottom retainer I have had since high school. For some reason my bottom front teeth seem to keep moving out of place if I don't wear it, and so here I am 30 years later, at night wearing the dumb thing. But since I have had it, I can't tell you how many times I have lost this stupid little retainer. It costs 500 dollars and it's such a small thing to spend so much!! The first time I lost it, it was in the backyard. It was missing for a month and I was desperate. We finally found it in the backyard. Somehow it had survived both the dogs and the lawnmower. It was missing a very small piece of plastic in the back, but overall it was in great shape. I couldn't believe I found it in the backyard.
Tonight, years later it had been missing again, and once again, I had asked the Lord if He would graciously let me find it, just as a sign that He has His eye on me. Do you know He let me find it? Once again, He didn't have to. I certainly didn't deserve this little token of His affection for me. But for some reason He seems to keep delighting in giving it back to me. Maybe its because its speaks to me of His attentive care, that He would bother Himself to show me again where it is. I mean isn't that the difference between those we know intimately, and those who are in our outer circle? It's when we love someone closely, that we are involved in the details of their lives, because they matter to us. It's hard for me to fathom that I matter that much to God. But I do. And for some strange reason He is pleased to use this silly little piece of plastic and my prayers to find it, to remind me year after year, that His lovingkindness reaches to the skies.
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me:)
Friday, April 26, 2013
This is a gem from my friend Angela Temples recent prayer letter
Beating a Path
“The Lord is with you when you are with Him. And if you seek Him, He
will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.”
2 Chronicles 15:2b
Recently I took time to really look at this word “seek”. Here and many
other times in scripture this seek means “to tread or beat a path, to
frequent”. That is how I want my relationship with the Lord to be. My
desire is to not have a path that is covered over with vine and hardly
recognizable. I desire to seek the Lord in such a way that the path to Him
is one that I could take with my eyes closed because it has been
frequented it often.
Will you join me in seeking the Lord this way?
Angela Temples
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