joy

The book of Nehemiah is one of those books in the Old Testament I don't turn to very often. But, I spent a little time there this morning and I was touched by what I read. The book of Nehemiah recounts the third return to Jerusalem after captivity and tells of the rebuilding of the city walls. Chapter 8 brings us to a gathering of the people where Ezra, the scribe is reading to them from the Book of the Law. Verse 9 says, "Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, 'This day is sacred to the Lord your God. Do not mourn and weep.' For the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law."

I can symapathize with their weeping. I can imagine what they were feeling. Here they are, listening to God's word, God's law and they had not been living up to it. Have you ever been there? Have you ever been confronted with God's perfect standard only to realize you come up short, very short? Doesn't it make you want to weep at times? Have you felt that conviction deep in your soul and felt ashamed? I have.

But Nehemiah tells them it is not a time for mourning and weeping, this is a sacred day. He tells them to "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks." He says, "Do not grieve for the joy of the Lord is your strength." He speaks of joy when they are reeling with guilt. It's a good lesson.

Guilt is such a powerful tool of satan. He loves to take that conviction, that prompting from the Holy Spirit to make a positive change, and turn it into something which cripples us. He wants us to dwell on the thing we've done wrong, reminding us how awful we are, what terrible sinners we are. Maybe if he gets us thinking all those negative thoughts we won't have the time or the inclination to work on the change part.

But Nehemiah reminds us the joy of the Lord is our strength. We don't have to weep and mourn because God provides the way to salvation. And we have it so much easier than these Old Testament Jews because we have the rest of the story, we have Jesus. Romans 8:1 tells us "there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ." We have freedom from the law and freedom from our sinful nature. Does that mean we no longer sin? Of course not, but our sin should not be our focus, our relationship with God should be and in Him is forgiveness and love and joy.

So the next time you feel that tug on your heart, that conviction from the Holy Spirit urging you to change in some area of your life, I want to encourage you to find the joy in that. Don't turn to the guilt satan will try to fill you with. Be joyful that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. It is a sacred day. Let the joy of the Lord be your strength.

snow

I've been thinking alot about snow lately, probably because I have been completely surrounded by it for almost 2 weeks now. I grew up in Southern California so snow is not something I am terribly familiar with. Now that I live where it snows, I am hoping the novelty of it never wears off. Snow amazes me. I am bewildered by the fact that something can be at once so delicate yet so powerful. But the thing I am intrigued by the most is a single snowflake. I was 19 years old before I actually saw snow falling from the sky. As I looked at my glove that first time, I was surprised by what I saw. I had no idea that snowflakes really look the way we are taught to cut them from paper in school. I now have a book sitting on my coffee table filled with the most beautiful pictures of snowflakes. I could look at it all day long. But the thing that touches me the most is that of all the billions and billions of snowflakes that fall, no two are alike. Is there any better evidence for the existence of God? Who but the Master Creator could come up with all of those amazing designs?

But there is something else about snow that blows me away and that is it's pure whiteness. There is nothing so breathtaking as looking out the window after a snowstorm and viewing the untouched snow. When the sun is shining you have to shield your eyes from the brightness. Isaiah 1:18 says, "Come now, lets us reason together," says the Lord. "Though your skins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are as red as crimson, they shall be like wool." And as I look out at the vastness of the snow surrounding me, I imagine that each little snowflake that falls is one of our sins which God has transformed. And not only has He turned them white, but He has turned each one into something new, something beautiful. No longer is it a red mark against us to condemn us. It has been transformed to reflect His glory. He takes our weaknesses and shows the world His power through His forgiveness.

I see this reflected in my own life. I was a sinner. I did some things I am ashamed of. And though I still sin, that is not what defines me anymore because Jesus died for those sins and He has made me a new creation. It continues to astound me. The person I am now would be unrecognizable to the person I once was. It is something I could never have done on my own. Only the Master Creator could have done it. Just like the snowflake, I am unique. He has given me gifts and talents that nobody else has and just like that snowflake, they are beautiful when used for his purpose.

lists

I love lists and schedules. For me, there is little as satisfying as seeing my to do list at the end of the day with everything crossed off. I love that visual evidence of a productive day. Sometimes, if I complete a task that wasn't on my list, I will add it just so I can cross it off. I know, it's kind of a sickness. But, sometimes in my quest to get things done, I forget there is more to a job than its completion. Sometimes the satisfaction of a task is in the task itself.

Jesus' main complaint with the Pharisees was that they were simply going through the motions of following the law. There was no true motive beyond their zealousness other than the satisfaction at the end of the day that they had done what they were supposed to do. But there was so much they were missing. They were missing the intent behind the law. They were missing the love behind the law and they were missing the fact that the law was designed to change their hearts and make them see their need for a savior. As a result, they missed Him when he was standing right in front of them.

This makes me wonder how much I miss with my zeal to cross things off my list. Sure, I get my Bible Study done, but do I take the time to really absorb what I am studying? I feed my family dinner, but am I feeding their hearts and their souls? The house gets clean but am I cleansing my soul daily? There are many days I need to slow down. I need to throw out the list and remember what is important. Maybe we will eat pizza for dinner, but my son will know he can come to me anytime for homework help. Maybe the dishes will sit in the sink but my daughter and I will enjoy some cuddle time. And maybe I won't get my Bible Study done today but my husband will feel he is a priority.

I will always love my lists and schedules. They are the things which help me maintain control. But as I write these words, I realize that is the very thing God is trying to teach me. He is in control, not me. I need to trust that and look for the ways I can serve Him, even if it's not on my list.

ready

Over and over in scripture we read the Lord will come back like a thief in the night. The gospels show Jesus telling his disciples and all of us to be on our guard and be ready.

Are you ready? If the Lord were to show up on your doorstep this minute would you be ready or would you be thinking, "Wait, I was going to work on this problem and I was going to forgive that person before you came." My answer to the question is, "It depends on the day." Sometimes it depends on the hour. I may be ready one minute and not ready the next. But Jesus tells us we should always be ready.

In Luke, Jesus uses a parable about a servant overseeing his master's property. When the master is long in coming back, the servant becomes complacent and begins to slack off on his duties. I can so relate to that story. Sometimes, I honestly forget the Lord is coming back and I get consumed with the things of this world and neglect the things I should really be working on. But I don't want this attitude. I want to be ready.

As I thought about this, I thought of a person who always has a clean house. Surely you know someone like this. You can show up at her house with no notice and everything is spotless as if you called weeks ago to announce your visit. These are the same people who take your glass and put it in the dishwasher before you've even set it down after your last sip. You know what these people have going for them? They're always ready. It may be alot of work to keep their house clean but they are willing to do the work because the payoff is huge. They can entertain on a moment's notice. They can relax on the weekend because there isn't an entire house to clean.

I want to be like that with my spiritual life. A couple of years ago, I studied the book of Acts. Before studying this book, I was a bit put off by Paul's attitude. I thought he was arrogant and proud, always telling us we should act like him. But after studying Acts I realized the reason for this. Paul was always ready. That doesn't mean he was perfect, but he was always examining himself and asking God where he could improve. He kept short accounts with God.

Keeping short accounts with God is like the woman with the eternally clean house. Why is her house always clean? She is constantly cleaning up small messes. Something spills, she cleans it up. The mail comes, she sorts it and throws out the junk. We can answer Jesus' call to always be ready if we will apply the same concepts to our spiritual lives. When we tell a lie, we immediately ask for forgiveness. When we disobey God, we go to Him right away. We are going to screw up from time to time, not one of us is perfect but if we will remember to spend time each day, confessing our sins to God and asking Him to show us where we can do better, we will keep those short accounts with God and we will be ready.

mistakes

At the National Postal Museum, there is a collection of rare and valuable stamps. The stamps which hold the most value are the ones which are mistakes - an airplane or a ship printed upside down, perforations in the wrong spots - all of these mistakes make the stamps worth more money. This got me thinking, what makes the mistakes more valuable? Frankly, I had a hard time seeing the beauty in the mistakes and I think if I were to have possessed one of these rare finds, it might have found its way to the trash, considered useless. Yet it is those very mistakes which hold collectors in awe. For in the mistakes, we are able to see the beauty of perfection.

It is the same with us. Some of my most valuable times with the Lord have been after I have made a mistake. In my mistakes, I see the beauty of His perfection. In my mistakes, He comes to me and teaches me and lifts me up ever so sweetly and shows me the way to go. For in my weakness, He is strong. In my failures, I learn valuable lessons. In my fall, I see His grace and the mistakes become very valuable.

Not that I should keep on sinning as Paul points out so well in Romans 6. But I am glad to have these stamps in my collection to remind me of God's love for me. I was speaking to my daughter this morning about the story in Luke of the sinful woman who washes Jesus' feet with her tears and dries them with her hair. The Pharisee whose home Jesus is visiting is appalled at this display and the fact that Jesus would allow this sinful woman to touch him. Jesus rebukes him with a parable about two men who owe a debt. One is substantially larger than the other yet both debts are canceled. Jesus asks who will be more grateful and the answer of course is the one whose debt was larger, the one with the most messed up stamps in his collection.

So what does your stamp collection look like? Do you push the mistakes to the side because looking at them causes pain and guilt? Or do you see them for what they are, opportunities to thank God for his amazing gift of forgiveness. Do you look at your mistakes and marvel at the greatness of God? Are you amazed that a holy and righteous God loves YOU and wants to have a relationship with you? Well he does, mistakes and all.

reputation

In High School much was said about someone's reputation. You certainly didn't want to be someone with a bad reputation. And it was always comforting to have friends you knew would defend your reputation.
What about God's reputation? Do we ever think about defending God's reputation? Moses thought about God's reputation. This is probably the thing which sticks out the most to me in Moses' relationship with God. When the Israelites rebelled against God for the umpteenth time God responded by saying, "How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed among them? I will strike them down with a plague and destroy them, but I will make you into a nation greater and stronger than they." (Numbers 14:11) Moses had several options at this point. He could have thought about himself saying, "You know what God, I'm getting kind of tired of these people too? Let's start all over with a fresh batch we can mold the way we want." He could have even been compassionate and thought of the people, begging God's forgiveness and mercy. Instead, Moses thinks of God. He tells God he is worried what will happen if God destroys His people and the Egyptians hear about it. He was worried they would think God was not powerful enough to do what He promised and so He wiped the people out instead. In short, Moses was worried about God's reputation and because of this he convinced God to relent and not destroy the people but to forgive them.
How do you protect God's reputation? Do you stand up for Him? Do you talk about the great things He has done in your life? Do you defend Him when you hear someone speaking a falsehood about Him. When there is a major earthquake destroying thousands and people say, "How could a loving God let something like this happen," do you have a response?
In a world filled with those who are looking for every opportunity to discredit God, what will you do today to stand up for Him?

prayer

The Lord's Prayer has been at the forefront of my mind lately. I am involved in two separate Bible Studies right now and it just so happens this was the week's topic for both studies. The Lord's Prayer is one I grew up reciting, but I am sad to tell you that was all it was, a recitation. I never really thought about the words I was saying. When I got serious about my relationship with God, I shunned all the recited prayers I had learned as a child, including The Lord's Prayer. I wanted my prayers to come from my heart, not mindless words that just flowed from my mouth. I don't think I was wrong in my general sentiment but I was wrong to discount the significance of this most precious prayer Jesus shared with his disciples.


Luke 11 recounts Jesus' disciples asking him, "Lord, teach us to pray." How many times have you heard this or even said this? Maybe we don't say those words exactly but our meaning is the same. We say, "I don't know where to begin," or "I don't know what to pray for." Maybe we are worried that we don't have eloquent enough words or we don't know enough about the Bible. In all these things what we are saying is, "I don't know how." Well lucky for us, Jesus' disciples asked him how. How can I ignore His answer, especially when it is so sweet and perfect and completely unlike the answer I expected?


The thing which strikes me most about Jesus' prayer is its simplicity. Many times I feel I must fill my prayers with beautiful, holy sounding words so God will know how serious I am. The prayer Jesus offers is short. Just 8 little lines in the NIV version of Luke, 34 words. Oh but what is said in those 34 words!!! In 8 lines we are shown the heart of God.

The prayer starts with intimacy. Jesus acknowledges God as Father. This not only speaks to our relationship with God but it places the focus of our prayer where it belongs, on God. How many times do I start my prayers with I? I need, I want, I can't.

Then Jesus acknowledges God's sovereignty. "Your kingdom come." Not my plan, Lord, but yours. The key to my favorite subject - contentment.

The rest of the prayer points to three aspects of God's character. He is our provider, our savior and our protector. God loves us and wants to be these things for us. He wants to provide our daily needs. He knows what they are before we even ask. He promises to forgive us of our sins and He will give us the power to forgive others. And He promises to protect us from evil and to guide us in the path of righteousness. Jesus shows us through His prayer that we should be bold in coming before the Lord and asking for these things.

I am so grateful for the perfect timing of God in having these two studies coincide with each other and showing me The Lord's prayer in a new light. I am so grateful for His Word which provides all the answers for life. Thank you Lord for showing me so plainly how to pray. Funny, I never thought to ask. I am glad the disciples did.