Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Mushrooms or oaks?
I read this quote on Facebook this morning:
When God wants to make a mushroom, he does it overnight, but when he wants to make a giant oak, he takes a hundred years. Great souls are grown through struggles and storms and seasons of suffering. Be patient with the process.-Rick Warren
Such good perspective for me. I like things to be done quickly and seamlessly. Yet, from what I have gathered so far, life isn't like that. God could work that way all the time, but often times doesn't. He could have sent his people to the promised land the quick and direct way, but he chose to have them detour over and over again for 40 years. Jesus could have lived an easy and pain free life on earth, but he didn't. Instead, He was mocked, disregarded, tempted by satan in the wilderness, and persecuted to the point of death - for something He was not guilty of.
I heard a sermon the week before last. He said the life without struggle and pain would be easy. You would wake up, go to work, go home, do it again the next day. And that life would be boring. As much as we say we do, we don't really want a life free of trouble. Because then we don't experience the victory found only in Christ Jesus. In the struggle and pain, we see, we feel, we embrace the power of God. God's love is able to rescue us...even in the midst of trouble.
Isaiah 61:1-3 are some of my favorite verses.
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;
to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified.
Yes, I think I'll take the struggles and storms in order to become an oak tree rather than a mushroom.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Steady plodding
From my time with the Lord one day last week. No real reason to share other than vulnerability.
Lord. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. that there are so many things I have to be thankful for. Most of all for you. And for the many ways you love me. For bringing me out of the pit and setting me upon a rock - you. You've given me a firm foundation. You've given me yourself. You've given me everything.
I just want to sit in your presence. I'm grateful that I have the opportunity to do just that!
Prayer...
The lord asks: am I willing to risk everything for him?
Am I?
Lord: Am I willing to give up my dreams?
Tears stream down my face...
Lord: I have store houses of surprises for you!
Reminded of the rich young ruler. Bleh...
Lord: Elizabeth Ann. I know you want to GO and DO. I want you to learn to BE.
Lord am I not good enough? To go and do? (burst into tears)
Lord: KNOW THAT THAT IS NOT TRUE!
I want x and y and z...
Lord: I know you do. I know you. YOU ARE THE MOST PRECIOUS ONE TO ME.
Luke 11:9-13
9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent;
12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?
13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
Good gifts are more of the Holy Spirit...
1 Cor 13:
1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant
5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;
6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.
7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.
9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part,
10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.
11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.
12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
-- lord teach me how to LOVE
-- lord you ARE love
-- you are patient and kind etc
-- I see dimly now but in full in heaven or when you return.
Reminded of steady plodding:
Cassie mentioned the phrase "steady plodding" long ago and it has stuck. It is so easy for me to get frustrated that things aren't happening NOW. But i think the reality is we are called to move ahead one day at a time, steadily plodding forth with the lord, and then one day we look back and see all that he's done and are reminded of things that we may have taken for granted at the time.
KEEP trusting and following.
Monday, October 29, 2012
The Wilderness
Do you ever feel like you're in the wilderness? I have. Currently, I feel like I am.
It is easy for me to think of the wilderness as a place I'd rather not be. And, while that may be how I'm feeling, I also know the Lord can do a lot in the wilderness. I did a Priscilla Shirer Bible study a few years ago on the wilderness and how one in a million made it to the promised land. My best friend's doing it now and sent me one of the talks a week or so again. It was good to hear the teaching again...and reminded me all the more that this season I'm in could be labeled: wilderness.
In my huddle, we've just gone over "the circle." It's a tool that helps you work through kairos moments in your life. We were challenged to think through a current kairos and start working our way around the circle with it. My kairos is tied to my wilderness.
As I read scripture about kairos last night, I saw something cool about the wilderness:
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.
(Mark 1:9-13 ESV)
My Bible, breaks this scripture up between verses 9-11 and 12-13. So, I typically break it up in my head when I read it. But not doing that gave me such a cool glimpse into Jesus' life on earth.
We see Jesus being baptized. Then, the Holy Spirit (the dove) descends on him. And then the Father says that He is well pleased with his beloved Son -- note, this is before Jesus does any type of ministry. The Father's love is not earned, but given. THEN, and I love the juxtaposition here, the Holy Spirit immediately sends Jesus into the wilderness. In the wilderness, Jesus was tempted by Satan.
Two things became glaringly obvious. One. Jesus was in one of those "mountaintop places" and then immediately sent into the wilderness BY the Holy Spirit.
Can you relate? I know I can. Sometimes I wonder how I went from one place, that I deem "great" to another that I deem "gruesome." Yet, the Lord has is in both places. Now, in both places, He is there. As the Israelites wondered in the desert for 40 years, their clothes did not wear out, nor their sandals (Deut. 29:5); they lacked nothing (Deut. 2:7). I'm also reminded of Ecc. 7:14, "In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him."
Two. The wilderness was a time of testing and temptation.
This sheds so much light into a wilderness season. Satan is always lurking around, but sometime he seems more prevalent than others, huh? It is easy for me to forget that trials can be temptations from satan. Going back to my kairos, I am more freed to ask myself: what am I being tempted of? Am I letting the Lord in to fight this battle on my behalf? Or doing what I want to do? Or trying to fight myself?
In my current wilderness season, I can clearly see temptations; some I have fought off better than others.
I'm not sure if this read coherently or not, but I do know that time with the Lord was sweet last night and some fresh perspective was gained.
It is easy for me to think of the wilderness as a place I'd rather not be. And, while that may be how I'm feeling, I also know the Lord can do a lot in the wilderness. I did a Priscilla Shirer Bible study a few years ago on the wilderness and how one in a million made it to the promised land. My best friend's doing it now and sent me one of the talks a week or so again. It was good to hear the teaching again...and reminded me all the more that this season I'm in could be labeled: wilderness.
In my huddle, we've just gone over "the circle." It's a tool that helps you work through kairos moments in your life. We were challenged to think through a current kairos and start working our way around the circle with it. My kairos is tied to my wilderness.
As I read scripture about kairos last night, I saw something cool about the wilderness:
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.
(Mark 1:9-13 ESV)
My Bible, breaks this scripture up between verses 9-11 and 12-13. So, I typically break it up in my head when I read it. But not doing that gave me such a cool glimpse into Jesus' life on earth.
We see Jesus being baptized. Then, the Holy Spirit (the dove) descends on him. And then the Father says that He is well pleased with his beloved Son -- note, this is before Jesus does any type of ministry. The Father's love is not earned, but given. THEN, and I love the juxtaposition here, the Holy Spirit immediately sends Jesus into the wilderness. In the wilderness, Jesus was tempted by Satan.
Two things became glaringly obvious. One. Jesus was in one of those "mountaintop places" and then immediately sent into the wilderness BY the Holy Spirit.
Can you relate? I know I can. Sometimes I wonder how I went from one place, that I deem "great" to another that I deem "gruesome." Yet, the Lord has is in both places. Now, in both places, He is there. As the Israelites wondered in the desert for 40 years, their clothes did not wear out, nor their sandals (Deut. 29:5); they lacked nothing (Deut. 2:7). I'm also reminded of Ecc. 7:14, "In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him."
Two. The wilderness was a time of testing and temptation.
This sheds so much light into a wilderness season. Satan is always lurking around, but sometime he seems more prevalent than others, huh? It is easy for me to forget that trials can be temptations from satan. Going back to my kairos, I am more freed to ask myself: what am I being tempted of? Am I letting the Lord in to fight this battle on my behalf? Or doing what I want to do? Or trying to fight myself?
In my current wilderness season, I can clearly see temptations; some I have fought off better than others.
I'm not sure if this read coherently or not, but I do know that time with the Lord was sweet last night and some fresh perspective was gained.
Friday, June 22, 2012
Food for thought this morning.
On my drive to work this morning I was trying to be silent and let the Lord speak to me. My mind started rambling, as it tends to do. Somehow I landed on pre-nups and how one of my friends was asked to sign one. Then I heard the Lord say to me, "with me there is no need for a pre-nup because I have given you full access to everything that is mine. All that I have is yours. Yet, you still hold tightly to things...why?"
Then I read Jeremiah 7. Verse 11 stood out to me, "Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I myself have seen it, declares the Lord."
I couldn't shake the phrase "den of robbers." In Matthew 21:13, Mark 11:17, Luke 19:46, Jesus says, "My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers."
Then I went here...
Isaiah 56:6-7
“And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord,
to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord,
and to be his servants,
everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it,
and holds fast my covenant—
7 these I will bring to my holy mountain,
and make them joyful in my house of prayer;
their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
will be accepted on my altar;
for my house shall be called a house of prayer
for all peoples.”
to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord,
and to be his servants,
everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it,
and holds fast my covenant—
7 these I will bring to my holy mountain,
and make them joyful in my house of prayer;
their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
will be accepted on my altar;
for my house shall be called a house of prayer
for all peoples.”
I took a theology class at church last year and this NT story came up. It is most likely that Jesus was mad that people were selling things (for sacrifices) because that was of the custom. But they were selling things at too high of a rate/too harsh exchange rates. Therefore, those traveling far and wide got the short end of the stick financially so that a few could prosper. Jesus got angry over it.
All of this to say, I have been reminded today of how often I want to charge others too much so that I might gain. I do this with God, too. The Lord's house is to be a house of prayer. Our relationship is to be a prayerful one, an engaging one, a relationship constantly in
So, today I am challenged. Am I a house of prayer or a den of robbers?
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Come ye sinners.
About a month ago, as I thought about this trip to Nicaragua, I feel like I heard the Lord to prepare a sermon...just in case... I remember Jackie Pullinger telling us that we should show up to church with something/being ready to use the gifts God has given us. Church should be a place of giving rather than taking, which I know I am prone to do. Perhaps it was nutty to write something down, print it out, and be ready, just in case. But, I did it anyway. And, maybe it was just for me -- to get my thoughts down. To remind myself that the Lord is working in me.
Good morning, friends. I am beyond blessed to be here. I had the privilege of coming to Nicaragua for the first time in March and I fell in love with your country, your people, you. It is an honor that the Lord has brought me back. I’m going to speak from my heart, about what the Lord has been teaching me over the past month or so. It is my prayer that this will resonate with at least one of you. That God will use these words to pierce someone’s hearts as they come from Him and not me.
Let us pray.
You don’t have to raise your hands, but answer for yourself: do you have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus? What does it mean to KNOW Jesus? Sometimes it is easy to think knowing Jesus means being “good enough.”
Yet I don’t always feel good enough. Do you? Friends, sometimes I feel like I can’t move forward. Sometimes I feel like I keep getting stuck doing the same old things over and over again even though I know Jesus. Do you ever feel that way? Do you ever wonder if you’ve really been changed by the blood shed on the cross?
A lot of things that we do one day look different when we wake up the next morning. I shouldn’t have slept with my girlfriend. I shouldn’t have said that nasty thing to my friend. I shouldn’t have been mean to my mother. I shouldn’t have gotten drunk. I shouldn’t have stolen. I shouldn’t have gotten pregnant. I shouldn’t have walked out. I shouldn’t have stayed. There are so many “I shouldn’t haves...” out there...
How many of you just want to “get it together?” How many of your fight the battle in your head that you can fix yourself? I know I have.
What I want you to hear today...what I need to hear today is that Jesus offers GRACE.
John 1:14-17
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. ( John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
Verse 16, “For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.”
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has given us grace. BUT do you accept it?
John 20:30-31
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Jesus is the Son of God the Father. He gave His life for our lives -- that we might have eternal life in heaven and abundant life on earth. If we are living with Jesus, shouldn’t we be living abundantly?
Romans 6:12-15
12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. 15 What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!
It is one of me beautiful mysteries of being a Christian, of knowing and loving Jesus. That, yes, we are to fight our sin. But we don’t have to fight alone! We have been given a helper! We have been given the Holy Spirit!
Romans 5:5-6
and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. 6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
And, when we listen to the Spirit, when we walk with Him, we are able to be more obedient. Yet, we will fall down. And when we do, there is grace. Christianity does NOT tell us we have to be perfect. It does NOT tell us we have to get it together, that we cannot make mistakes. Quite opposite really. God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit tell us to come as we are.
Romans 6:20-23
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Friends, as you know, life is not always easy. We face money problems. We face people problems. We get heart broken. We do things we wish we could take back. We are sick. We lose loved ones. We wonder how we will survive.
And, yet, we have been promised life. Those who know and love Jesus have been promised abundant life. Jesus does NOT promise that our lives will be easy. We will endure hardships and troubles and pain. But we will endure those things. Because He has promised NEVER to leave us and NEVER to forsake us. He has promised to provide for all of our needs out of His glorious riches. He loves us. He loves us more than we can understand.
1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
So, yes, there are times when we make bad choices. Times when we do things we know are wrong and are not glorifying to the Lord Jesus Christ. However, we are NO LONGER slaves to those things. No, we have been bought by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. We are His. We are chosen! We are royalty! We are holy!
Is this how you perceive yourselves? If you’re a believer in Jesus, then you are royalty! It doesn’t mean that you will be perfect. It means something so much greater! It means that God sees you. He knows you. He thinks you are special. He loves you. It means that no matter what you do, He loves you. It means that there is nothing you can do to separate you from His love.
The Lord has spent the past year reminding me that I am royalty. He has patiently been telling me and showing me that I belong to Him. That I am his daughter, beautiful and beloved and anointed. He wants me to know those things; I want to live out of that truth -- to live a life that reflects the inheritance one can only receive through the cross. Living a life out of the love I have so greatly been given.
You don’t have to do enough. You don’t have to try to make yourself good enough. You don’t have to keep trying -- only to feel burdened from doing so. Someone told me a few weeks ago, “this is your identity; you can accept it or reject it.” So, I ask you: how do you see yourselves? Do you know who you are? Are you living like royalty? Are you accepting the identity that can ONLY be given to you by God?
Our earthly fathers are sinful just like each of us is. But our father in Heaven is perfect and he loves us perfectly. Because when we live as God’s children, we see God more clearly. We see Him providing for us and blessing us. We know that we can go to Him with anything. We know that He loves us. We know that He cares for us. We know that He delights in us. We know that we belong to Him.
And when we live out of that truth, when we know who we are and who we belong to, we are able to trust God. We are able to be thankful and grateful, even when life is not easy. We are able to live full and abundant lives. We come as we are, we come messy and dirty, and full of mistakes. We come and we let God love us and make us into the children He created us to be.
I am reminded of the hymn, “Come ye Sinners,” with the following words:
Come, ye sinners, poor and wretched,
Weak and wounded, sick and sore;
Jesus, ready, stands to save you,
Full of pity, joined with power.
He is able, He is able;
He is willing; doubt no more.
Come ye needy, come, and welcome,
God's free bounty glorify;
True belief and true repentance,
Every grace that brings you nigh.
Without money, without money
Come to Jesus Christ and buy.
Come, ye weary, heavy laden,
Bruised and broken by the fall;
If you tarry 'til you're better,
You will never come at all.
Not the righteous, not the righteous;
Sinners Jesus came to call.
Amen. Let’s pray.
Good morning, friends. I am beyond blessed to be here. I had the privilege of coming to Nicaragua for the first time in March and I fell in love with your country, your people, you. It is an honor that the Lord has brought me back. I’m going to speak from my heart, about what the Lord has been teaching me over the past month or so. It is my prayer that this will resonate with at least one of you. That God will use these words to pierce someone’s hearts as they come from Him and not me.
Let us pray.
You don’t have to raise your hands, but answer for yourself: do you have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus? What does it mean to KNOW Jesus? Sometimes it is easy to think knowing Jesus means being “good enough.”
Yet I don’t always feel good enough. Do you? Friends, sometimes I feel like I can’t move forward. Sometimes I feel like I keep getting stuck doing the same old things over and over again even though I know Jesus. Do you ever feel that way? Do you ever wonder if you’ve really been changed by the blood shed on the cross?
A lot of things that we do one day look different when we wake up the next morning. I shouldn’t have slept with my girlfriend. I shouldn’t have said that nasty thing to my friend. I shouldn’t have been mean to my mother. I shouldn’t have gotten drunk. I shouldn’t have stolen. I shouldn’t have gotten pregnant. I shouldn’t have walked out. I shouldn’t have stayed. There are so many “I shouldn’t haves...” out there...
How many of you just want to “get it together?” How many of your fight the battle in your head that you can fix yourself? I know I have.
What I want you to hear today...what I need to hear today is that Jesus offers GRACE.
John 1:14-17
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. ( John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
Verse 16, “For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.”
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has given us grace. BUT do you accept it?
John 20:30-31
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Jesus is the Son of God the Father. He gave His life for our lives -- that we might have eternal life in heaven and abundant life on earth. If we are living with Jesus, shouldn’t we be living abundantly?
Romans 6:12-15
12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. 15 What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!
It is one of me beautiful mysteries of being a Christian, of knowing and loving Jesus. That, yes, we are to fight our sin. But we don’t have to fight alone! We have been given a helper! We have been given the Holy Spirit!
Romans 5:5-6
and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. 6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
And, when we listen to the Spirit, when we walk with Him, we are able to be more obedient. Yet, we will fall down. And when we do, there is grace. Christianity does NOT tell us we have to be perfect. It does NOT tell us we have to get it together, that we cannot make mistakes. Quite opposite really. God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit tell us to come as we are.
Romans 6:20-23
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Friends, as you know, life is not always easy. We face money problems. We face people problems. We get heart broken. We do things we wish we could take back. We are sick. We lose loved ones. We wonder how we will survive.
And, yet, we have been promised life. Those who know and love Jesus have been promised abundant life. Jesus does NOT promise that our lives will be easy. We will endure hardships and troubles and pain. But we will endure those things. Because He has promised NEVER to leave us and NEVER to forsake us. He has promised to provide for all of our needs out of His glorious riches. He loves us. He loves us more than we can understand.
1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
So, yes, there are times when we make bad choices. Times when we do things we know are wrong and are not glorifying to the Lord Jesus Christ. However, we are NO LONGER slaves to those things. No, we have been bought by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. We are His. We are chosen! We are royalty! We are holy!
Is this how you perceive yourselves? If you’re a believer in Jesus, then you are royalty! It doesn’t mean that you will be perfect. It means something so much greater! It means that God sees you. He knows you. He thinks you are special. He loves you. It means that no matter what you do, He loves you. It means that there is nothing you can do to separate you from His love.
The Lord has spent the past year reminding me that I am royalty. He has patiently been telling me and showing me that I belong to Him. That I am his daughter, beautiful and beloved and anointed. He wants me to know those things; I want to live out of that truth -- to live a life that reflects the inheritance one can only receive through the cross. Living a life out of the love I have so greatly been given.
You don’t have to do enough. You don’t have to try to make yourself good enough. You don’t have to keep trying -- only to feel burdened from doing so. Someone told me a few weeks ago, “this is your identity; you can accept it or reject it.” So, I ask you: how do you see yourselves? Do you know who you are? Are you living like royalty? Are you accepting the identity that can ONLY be given to you by God?
Our earthly fathers are sinful just like each of us is. But our father in Heaven is perfect and he loves us perfectly. Because when we live as God’s children, we see God more clearly. We see Him providing for us and blessing us. We know that we can go to Him with anything. We know that He loves us. We know that He cares for us. We know that He delights in us. We know that we belong to Him.
And when we live out of that truth, when we know who we are and who we belong to, we are able to trust God. We are able to be thankful and grateful, even when life is not easy. We are able to live full and abundant lives. We come as we are, we come messy and dirty, and full of mistakes. We come and we let God love us and make us into the children He created us to be.
I am reminded of the hymn, “Come ye Sinners,” with the following words:
Come, ye sinners, poor and wretched,
Weak and wounded, sick and sore;
Jesus, ready, stands to save you,
Full of pity, joined with power.
He is able, He is able;
He is willing; doubt no more.
Come ye needy, come, and welcome,
God's free bounty glorify;
True belief and true repentance,
Every grace that brings you nigh.
Without money, without money
Come to Jesus Christ and buy.
Come, ye weary, heavy laden,
Bruised and broken by the fall;
If you tarry 'til you're better,
You will never come at all.
Not the righteous, not the righteous;
Sinners Jesus came to call.
Amen. Let’s pray.
We have the power of the Lord
As I'm preparing to head back to Nicaragua in a few days, as I've been thinking about my last trip there. I wrote a sermon and preached in a church the first full day we were there. Crazy. I cruised back over it this morning, almost in preparation of returning to a place I love. Having BIG expectations for God working while I'm there. Actually, I want BIG expectations of God all the time.
Hola! Como estas! Thank you so much for having me; it is truly an honor. If you told me a few years ago that I’d be giving this talk to you, I would have said that you were crazy. BUT the Lord is full of surprises! He has been teaching me -- in His word, through His power, and through personal experience, about the power of the Holy Spirit. While I got to meet and begin a relationship with Jesus when I was 16, I just got to meet the Holy Spirit about a year or so ago, and have been getting to know Him more and more. I am so glad! And I am honored to be sharing things that I’ve been learning with you.
(Open in prayer...Ephesians 6:19-20, “and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.”)
Who is God? He is the creator of all things, he transcends time, He is over all things, He knows all things, He is everywhere, He is the Father...He is our heavenly Father...
Revelation 4:8,11
“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” ...
“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
Who is Jesus? He is the Son of God, begotten of God. He walked the earth as a man: sharing truth with people, healing people, loving people. And then, he took on our sin, and died on the cross. BUT he conquered death and rose again from the dead. Those who know Him will spend eternity worshipping Him...
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Do you know Jesus? Not just about Him or what people say about Him? BUT do you really know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. Are you in relationship with Him? The name Jesus means to save people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). Jesus is the ONLY way to salvation. Do you know Him?
Who is the Holy Spirit? He is the very spirit of God. He has been from the beginning. He is the helper. He is the counselor. He leads and guides us. He lives in God’s people...
John 14:26, 20:22
[Jesus said] “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name,he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”
And when he [Jesus] had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
Do you know the Holy Spirit? Do you know His power? Do you want MORE? Do you want a revival? YES, LORD!
Matthew 3:16
And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the spirit of god descending like a dove and coming to rest on him.
The Holy Spirit came down on Jesus -- no where in the Bible do we see the dove ascending/leaving the earth! The Holy Spirit is still working on earth today! He is in God’s people now! And He is working!
That isn’t the only time we see a dove in the Scripture...
How many of you know the story of Noah and the arc? People were not obedient to the Lord and He decided to wipe out the people and animals on the earth -- but out of mercy, He spared Noah, his family, and two animals of each species. It rained for months and months and months. Y’all can relate with your rainy seasons. And throughout all the months, Noah, his family, and the animals remained safe and dry in the arc. And then, the rains ceased.
Genesis 8:6-12
At the end of forty days [after the rain stopped] Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made and sent forth a raven. It went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth. Then he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground. But the dove found no place to set her foot, and she returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her and brought her into the ark with him. He waited another seven days, and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark. And the dove came back to him in the evening, and behold, in her mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth. Then he waited another seven days and sent forth the dove, and she did not return to him anymore.
The dove goes out and looks for a place to land. When he doesn’t find anywhere, he goes back; this pattern repeats until he finds a place outside of the ark to make a home. When the dove is sent out today, what will it find? The dove represents the Holy Spirit of God. When God sends Him out, will He find a place to land in your heart? A place to make a home -- to dwell in?
John 16:7
Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the helper will not come to you [the Holy Spirit]. But if I go, I will send him to you.
Jesus Himself told us that it was to our advantage for Him to leave and for the Holy Spirit to come to us -- to live and make a home inside believers of Jesus Christ.
Our church has a Wednesday night service that is fairly small and intimate. I don’t get to attend the service very often. However, I was there one Wednesday this past October. During the worship, we were singing a song that says, "Jesus, my passion in life is to know you. May all other goals bow down to you..." I was praying and laying down my goals before the Lord AND all of a sudden, it was as if someone was blowing in my left ear. Wooshing past me. It was audible and my whole body shivered.
No one was sitting on either side of me. But you see, I am a skeptic, so just to be sure, I turned to look at the people behind me. The guy directly behind me was sitting down, bowed over in prayer. The guy behind me to the left was completely engrossed in worship.
I thought: wow, Holy Spirit, you are with me! Then I started laughing because of course He is. Was such a sweet and personal reminder of His presence.
THEN the pastor began talking and he read Acts 2:1-13. Verse 2 says, “And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.” Y’all, the Lord blew me away with His goodness! He blessed me with a tangible reminder that He is ALIVE! Very personal and very close to me! What a joy; what a gift! The ways of the Lord are not boring!
Acts 2:2-4
And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Jesus heals many in the bible which is awesome. But it doesn't end there. If you are filled with the Holy Spirit, then you are filled with the power of God. Let’s look at a few examples in Acts.
Acts 1:8
Jesus said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
God blesses us with the Holy Spirit so that we can be a witness to the world around us. Are you witnessing to those around you? Do those around you know that you are clothed in the Holy Spirit? I know that I have a lot of room to grow in this area.
Acts 3:2-8
And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. And leaping up he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.
In the name of Jesus, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, Peter healed a man! The Lord restored full use of a man’s legs who had been lame since birth! How incredible is that!
Acts 9:33-34
There he found a man named Aeneas, bedridden for eight years, who was paralyzed. And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed.” And immediately he rose.
Again! Peter speaks with the authority given to him. Jesus uses us to heal people! For those of us in Christ Jesus, we have been given the same power and authority! Are you using it? Are you blessing those around you? Do you believe that Jesus will use YOU to heal people in need?
A few weeks ago, I was talking with a some friends about some cool things the Lord has done. One friend had her leg grown in a time of prayer! The next day I was running and thought it would be cool if there was someone I could pray for their leg to be healed. But as part of this training I'm doing, I needed to do my full 20 minutes of running (always the practical one I am). After the run, I was walking back to my car.
A guy in front of me with a dog was limping. I passed him only to realize I'd be passing down an opportunity to pray with someone that I'd asked the Lord for! His name was Jake and he said his dog ran to chase another dog, he twisted his ankle, and it hurt and now he was limping. I laid hands on him and asked the Holy Spirit to heal his ankle in the name of Jesus. Jake said it felt much better but he was still limping again. So, I prayed again, and he was totally healed! I was overjoyed with the goodness of the God I serve!
As I walked away I asked Jake if he was just saying that...in disbelief that his leg had been healed, he assured me he was not just saying that. If the Lord used me, I know He will use you, too!
Peter brings Tabitha back to life in Acts 9:36-40. I haven’t been able to be a part of that experience yet, but I want to. There are so many ways the Lord works! He manifests Himself in all kinds of ways! I have been privileged to receive or witness others receiving the gift of tongues, laughter, healing, words of knowledge, interpretation of tongues, and more. I do not want to put a limit on what our God can do!
What do you think people think of when they think of Christians? It may be different in your culture/community. But in mine, the ones that love Jesus are often thought of as being nice and good. Friends, I’m tired of that! We are more than that! It doesn’t take the power of God to be nice. It takes the power of God to SHOW the world who our Lord Jesus Christ is. We have the power of God living in us! Let us ask our God to do big things in us! Not because of us, but because of Him -- because of who He is -- that we want the world to know Him for all that He is...He isn’t just a nice God; rather, He is a great and powerful God!
I’m paraphrasing the following from Bill Johnson:
Do you want a revolution?! Ask for the Lord for it and see what He does. See what He does through you! With God, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).
Revelation 11:15
The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.
(End in prayer.)
Hola! Como estas! Thank you so much for having me; it is truly an honor. If you told me a few years ago that I’d be giving this talk to you, I would have said that you were crazy. BUT the Lord is full of surprises! He has been teaching me -- in His word, through His power, and through personal experience, about the power of the Holy Spirit. While I got to meet and begin a relationship with Jesus when I was 16, I just got to meet the Holy Spirit about a year or so ago, and have been getting to know Him more and more. I am so glad! And I am honored to be sharing things that I’ve been learning with you.
(Open in prayer...Ephesians 6:19-20, “and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.”)
Who is God? He is the creator of all things, he transcends time, He is over all things, He knows all things, He is everywhere, He is the Father...He is our heavenly Father...
Revelation 4:8,11
“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” ...
“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
Who is Jesus? He is the Son of God, begotten of God. He walked the earth as a man: sharing truth with people, healing people, loving people. And then, he took on our sin, and died on the cross. BUT he conquered death and rose again from the dead. Those who know Him will spend eternity worshipping Him...
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Do you know Jesus? Not just about Him or what people say about Him? BUT do you really know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. Are you in relationship with Him? The name Jesus means to save people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). Jesus is the ONLY way to salvation. Do you know Him?
Who is the Holy Spirit? He is the very spirit of God. He has been from the beginning. He is the helper. He is the counselor. He leads and guides us. He lives in God’s people...
John 14:26, 20:22
[Jesus said] “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name,he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”
And when he [Jesus] had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
Do you know the Holy Spirit? Do you know His power? Do you want MORE? Do you want a revival? YES, LORD!
Matthew 3:16
And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the spirit of god descending like a dove and coming to rest on him.
The Holy Spirit came down on Jesus -- no where in the Bible do we see the dove ascending/leaving the earth! The Holy Spirit is still working on earth today! He is in God’s people now! And He is working!
That isn’t the only time we see a dove in the Scripture...
How many of you know the story of Noah and the arc? People were not obedient to the Lord and He decided to wipe out the people and animals on the earth -- but out of mercy, He spared Noah, his family, and two animals of each species. It rained for months and months and months. Y’all can relate with your rainy seasons. And throughout all the months, Noah, his family, and the animals remained safe and dry in the arc. And then, the rains ceased.
Genesis 8:6-12
At the end of forty days [after the rain stopped] Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made and sent forth a raven. It went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth. Then he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground. But the dove found no place to set her foot, and she returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her and brought her into the ark with him. He waited another seven days, and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark. And the dove came back to him in the evening, and behold, in her mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth. Then he waited another seven days and sent forth the dove, and she did not return to him anymore.
The dove goes out and looks for a place to land. When he doesn’t find anywhere, he goes back; this pattern repeats until he finds a place outside of the ark to make a home. When the dove is sent out today, what will it find? The dove represents the Holy Spirit of God. When God sends Him out, will He find a place to land in your heart? A place to make a home -- to dwell in?
John 16:7
Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the helper will not come to you [the Holy Spirit]. But if I go, I will send him to you.
Jesus Himself told us that it was to our advantage for Him to leave and for the Holy Spirit to come to us -- to live and make a home inside believers of Jesus Christ.
Our church has a Wednesday night service that is fairly small and intimate. I don’t get to attend the service very often. However, I was there one Wednesday this past October. During the worship, we were singing a song that says, "Jesus, my passion in life is to know you. May all other goals bow down to you..." I was praying and laying down my goals before the Lord AND all of a sudden, it was as if someone was blowing in my left ear. Wooshing past me. It was audible and my whole body shivered.
No one was sitting on either side of me. But you see, I am a skeptic, so just to be sure, I turned to look at the people behind me. The guy directly behind me was sitting down, bowed over in prayer. The guy behind me to the left was completely engrossed in worship.
I thought: wow, Holy Spirit, you are with me! Then I started laughing because of course He is. Was such a sweet and personal reminder of His presence.
THEN the pastor began talking and he read Acts 2:1-13. Verse 2 says, “And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.” Y’all, the Lord blew me away with His goodness! He blessed me with a tangible reminder that He is ALIVE! Very personal and very close to me! What a joy; what a gift! The ways of the Lord are not boring!
Acts 2:2-4
And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Jesus heals many in the bible which is awesome. But it doesn't end there. If you are filled with the Holy Spirit, then you are filled with the power of God. Let’s look at a few examples in Acts.
Acts 1:8
Jesus said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
God blesses us with the Holy Spirit so that we can be a witness to the world around us. Are you witnessing to those around you? Do those around you know that you are clothed in the Holy Spirit? I know that I have a lot of room to grow in this area.
Acts 3:2-8
And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. And leaping up he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.
In the name of Jesus, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, Peter healed a man! The Lord restored full use of a man’s legs who had been lame since birth! How incredible is that!
Acts 9:33-34
There he found a man named Aeneas, bedridden for eight years, who was paralyzed. And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed.” And immediately he rose.
Again! Peter speaks with the authority given to him. Jesus uses us to heal people! For those of us in Christ Jesus, we have been given the same power and authority! Are you using it? Are you blessing those around you? Do you believe that Jesus will use YOU to heal people in need?
A few weeks ago, I was talking with a some friends about some cool things the Lord has done. One friend had her leg grown in a time of prayer! The next day I was running and thought it would be cool if there was someone I could pray for their leg to be healed. But as part of this training I'm doing, I needed to do my full 20 minutes of running (always the practical one I am). After the run, I was walking back to my car.
A guy in front of me with a dog was limping. I passed him only to realize I'd be passing down an opportunity to pray with someone that I'd asked the Lord for! His name was Jake and he said his dog ran to chase another dog, he twisted his ankle, and it hurt and now he was limping. I laid hands on him and asked the Holy Spirit to heal his ankle in the name of Jesus. Jake said it felt much better but he was still limping again. So, I prayed again, and he was totally healed! I was overjoyed with the goodness of the God I serve!
As I walked away I asked Jake if he was just saying that...in disbelief that his leg had been healed, he assured me he was not just saying that. If the Lord used me, I know He will use you, too!
Peter brings Tabitha back to life in Acts 9:36-40. I haven’t been able to be a part of that experience yet, but I want to. There are so many ways the Lord works! He manifests Himself in all kinds of ways! I have been privileged to receive or witness others receiving the gift of tongues, laughter, healing, words of knowledge, interpretation of tongues, and more. I do not want to put a limit on what our God can do!
What do you think people think of when they think of Christians? It may be different in your culture/community. But in mine, the ones that love Jesus are often thought of as being nice and good. Friends, I’m tired of that! We are more than that! It doesn’t take the power of God to be nice. It takes the power of God to SHOW the world who our Lord Jesus Christ is. We have the power of God living in us! Let us ask our God to do big things in us! Not because of us, but because of Him -- because of who He is -- that we want the world to know Him for all that He is...He isn’t just a nice God; rather, He is a great and powerful God!
I’m paraphrasing the following from Bill Johnson:
The world has seen the church’s holier than thou attitude, and the world is not impressed. It is time the world sees a loyalty that is not based on genuine goodness or niceness. When the church, when Christians, when we, display the kingdom of God in purity and power -- it is revolutionary!#
God’s intent is grand. Instead of limiting ourselves by our imagination and experience, let us press on to a renewed hunger for things yet to be seen. As pursue the Lord God with reckless abandonment, we will discover that our greatest problem is the resistance that comes from between our own ears -- our own thoughts.#
Do you want a revolution?! Ask for the Lord for it and see what He does. See what He does through you! With God, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).
Revelation 11:15
The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.
(End in prayer.)
Friday, May 11, 2012
A series on evil...numero dos
ME:
James 1:13
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.
Just clarifying, does this go back to sovereignty v. control? I think the best picture of this would be with Job? In Job 1:8, God offers Job up; have you considered my servant Job? So, God’s not tempting Job directly, but he is directly allowing him to be tempted?
1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
God lets us be tempted, but he knows what we can handle.
Job 1:8
And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?”
He knew Job was capable of being tempted and suriving the temptations. I’ve asked myself some “why me” questions in the past month or so, and at one point, I heard, “because you can handle it.” For a moment, I became a cocky: “yes, yes, I can handle this!” That thought quickly fled as I aptly remembered I can only handle it with and because of the Lord.
Which brings me back to the purpose of Satan and evil is to ultimately point us to Jesus and our need for Him. God could defeat Satan at any moment, and eventually He will. Yet, He has not done so already because God is using Satan’s evil for His (God’s) good?
TODD:
This taps a bit into your other questions, but bottom line is God cannot tempt because God has nothing in his “personhood” or “character” with which to tempt us. God cannot tempt us with His holiness, His goodness, etc. Anything that temps us is other than God. However, He can (and does) choose to allow the evils of Satan or the world to tempt us.
If I gave up eating donuts, it would be really easy to give them up if there suddenly were no more donuts in the world. The only way to know if I’ve truly given up donuts is to be around an occasional donut. God allowing us to be tempted is actually an important part of our sanctification.
ME:
Regarding the Lord tempting us...good insight. Seems like I should go back to God's character more of the time. It's almost as if I want to make it harder than it is -- thinking about God, rather than who He is. Which, I think ties in to so many of our stories throughout Year Team -- getting bogged down in what's going on to us/around us/etc., rather than who we are. Obviously, who we are comes from who God is. But going back to the source of God's character helps other things "shake out."
James 1:13
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.
Just clarifying, does this go back to sovereignty v. control? I think the best picture of this would be with Job? In Job 1:8, God offers Job up; have you considered my servant Job? So, God’s not tempting Job directly, but he is directly allowing him to be tempted?
1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
God lets us be tempted, but he knows what we can handle.
Job 1:8
And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?”
He knew Job was capable of being tempted and suriving the temptations. I’ve asked myself some “why me” questions in the past month or so, and at one point, I heard, “because you can handle it.” For a moment, I became a cocky: “yes, yes, I can handle this!” That thought quickly fled as I aptly remembered I can only handle it with and because of the Lord.
Which brings me back to the purpose of Satan and evil is to ultimately point us to Jesus and our need for Him. God could defeat Satan at any moment, and eventually He will. Yet, He has not done so already because God is using Satan’s evil for His (God’s) good?
TODD:
This taps a bit into your other questions, but bottom line is God cannot tempt because God has nothing in his “personhood” or “character” with which to tempt us. God cannot tempt us with His holiness, His goodness, etc. Anything that temps us is other than God. However, He can (and does) choose to allow the evils of Satan or the world to tempt us.
If I gave up eating donuts, it would be really easy to give them up if there suddenly were no more donuts in the world. The only way to know if I’ve truly given up donuts is to be around an occasional donut. God allowing us to be tempted is actually an important part of our sanctification.
ME:
Regarding the Lord tempting us...good insight. Seems like I should go back to God's character more of the time. It's almost as if I want to make it harder than it is -- thinking about God, rather than who He is. Which, I think ties in to so many of our stories throughout Year Team -- getting bogged down in what's going on to us/around us/etc., rather than who we are. Obviously, who we are comes from who God is. But going back to the source of God's character helps other things "shake out."
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