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“Am I a God at hand,” declares the Lord, “and not a God afar off?”
“Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him?” declares the Lord.
“Do I not fill heaven and earth?” declares the Lord. . .
“Is not my word like fire,” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?”
(Jeremiah 29:23,24,29 ESV)
As much as these questions comfort my heart and strike me with awe at God’s majesty, they also sting with conviction.
This voice rest stuff has been really tough! Today, though, the hammer of God’s word broke the hard pieces of rebellion around my heart and I saw my “fudging” on talking for what it really is — a refusal to submit to God’s plan for my life. If I’m on voice rest right now because talking causes my vocal cords to swell, and the muscles in my neck and back to spasm, any reasonable person would conclude that I’m on voice rest for a reason. Don’t talk, and the spasms and the swelling subside. End of story. No need for debate.
However, I’ve been “playing around” with the voice rest stuff for several weeks. Talk some here, but not there. Don’t actually teach Bible study, but lead another group. Sure, I can talk when someone needs me. Yes, I can take that telephone call. It’s going to hurt, but this time of talking is worth it. All bargaining; all refusal to submit; all sinful rebellion.
My “life illustration” was when my kids were little and it was bedtime.
“Can I have another story?” “I need a drink of water.” “I have to go to the bathroom.” “Mommy, can I tell you one more thing?”
All various ways of refusal to submit to “it’s bedtime.” All with smiles. All still trying to coerce their own way.
God is not far off. He hasn’t forgotten that my vocal cords don’t work correctly. He isn’t surprised or frustrated or upset or disappointed that I’m not teaching now. My not teaching, not speaking, not leading groups, all of my “not-ness” is by His design and is part of His plan.
I can’t hide in any “secret places” of bargaining or procrastinating so that God won’t notice that I’m resisting His plan.
God fills heaven and earth; He can certainly take care of me and meet the needs that must be met. Whether I can speak or not does not alter His accomplishing His will in the earth. How arrogant and prideful for me to think otherwise.
In an earlier lenten post I mentioned that I wanted God to clean out and show me any places where I am still resisting Him. I want this season to be an opportunity for me to eliminate any hindrances from my intimacy with Him. Praise Him, He is so faithful.
And though it stings, I am grateful.
I would sing praises, but I’m on voice rest (I can still read and type though).
Yep, the big day is tomorrow. Boy howdy, it can be a day of joy and fond memories; it can be a day of sadness and loneliness that knows no bounds. It can be a day of generosity and grace; it can be a day of resentment and bitterness. Who knew a day of hearts and flowers could be so complicated?!
This last month (really, since around Thanksgiving) has been tough on me physically. I’ve had to resign from most of my obligations because my health makes my schedule so unpredictable. I’ve been spending more time in bed again, and less time up and about. Currently I’m on voice rest much of the time; feeling lonely is easy to sink into; self-pity is a constant temptation. I’ve been spending some concentrated time in the Word, and just talking and listening to God (He can still hear me even on voice rest!)
I was thinking about love, and listening to the quiet “voice of God” in my spirit (no, I don’t hear audible voices), and this passage came to mind. . .
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us. . . ” (Ephesians 1:3-8a ESV)
God chose me because He wanted to. . .
In love He predestined me to adoption. . .
He lavished His grace on me and forgave all my sins . . .
That’s an incredible, indescribable gift, and it’s not just once a year, but it’s always and all the time. Whether I’m on voice rest, or able to speak and teach; whether I’m in bed or able to be up and about and doing housework and cooking meals and serving guests. . .
I guess that indescribably wonderful, lavish love is what Mary of Bethany was experiencing when she chose sitting at the feet of Jesus, rather than being “distracted by much serving” like her sister Martha (see Luke 10)
As I think about it, being on voice rest and in bed more makes it a little easier to sit at my Savior’s feet and listen to what He says, without all the distractions. . .
He really has blessed me with every spiritual blessing in Jesus Christ.
That’s the best Valentine’s Day gift anyone could ever have. . .it’s even better than chocolate!
Enjoy God; Love Him; depend on Him; let Him love you. Have a blessed day.
This is a little off the beaten path, but nevertheless. . .
I looked at the calendar and realized that Valentine’s Day is next week. My husband and I normally don’t make a big deal out of the day, but most of the time we will go out to dinner. One year I surprised him with a night at a nice hotel (he had been working extra hard and we both needed some pampering). This year, though, we have some obligations to fulfill that require we be more frugal, and I was pouting a bit until . . .
I thought, and then I said, “you know what I want for Valentine’s Day?”
“No, what?” (he says with the no, we can’t already coming out in his voice)
“I want this,”
“That I can do,” he said with a relieved smile.
Now I just have to be patient and wait until Thursday (and really be careful so somehow I can justify the 610 (!!!) calories . . .
Romans 6
“6 We know that our old self was crucified with him [Jesus] in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
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.” (ESV)
Today, according to the traditional church calendar, begins the Lenten season leading up to Good Friday, and then Resurrection Sunday. These 40 days (or so) are an opportunity for self-examination, rearranging of priorities, and adjusting personal schedules in order to devote more time to the reading of the Scriptures and to prayer. Isn’t that a good thing? Doesn’t that sound like an opportunity to draw close to the Savior, to listen to Him, to hear His heart?
Growing up, I never attended a church that observed Lent, but I had friends that did, and went to school with those who did. It didn’t make much sense, to be honest. For 40 days my classmates complained of not being able to eat junk food, or watch television, or purchase records or tapes, or whatever luxury they temporarily gave up until Easter. School lunches always served fish sticks on Fridays. Teens couldn’t wait until Friday night, because you got weekends “off” to party. We always got Good Friday off from school, and then the Easter weekend. The church I attended always sang songs with ‘Hosanna’ in them for Palm Sunday, and then “He Arose” on Easter Sunday. It was the first week to wear white shoes, and they always got a little muddy, standing in the grass for the sunrise service. There was always a new dress, and a new hat or hair clip. For some reason, though Easter was clearly on the calendar since January, it just wasn’t Easter unless Mom was up until midnight finishing my Easter dress. It just wasn’t Easter without a chocolate bunny and jelly beans. It just wasn’t Easter without . . . maybe the reason why all the surroundings of Easter and Lenten season didn’t make much sense is because it all really . . . just wasn’t Easter. . .
Romans 6 gives a clear picture of this season in our year. What would our lives look like if we really considered ourselves dead to sin and alive to Christ? What if we consciously refused to present our members to sin? I really don’t believe our world would look boring and self-righteous, but. . .
we wouldn’t waste time worrying because we would honestly believe that God is Sovereign, He is good, and He is in control;
we wouldn’t speak unkindly, or gossip or slander another, because we would present our members (namely, our tongue and our brain) to God as instruments of righteousness, and we would remember that sin does not any longer have dominion over us;
we would forgive, and refuse to be bitter or hateful, because our old self is crucified with Christ and sin no longer has dominion over us;
we would not waste time being easily offended, and would look to how we can serve others rather than how we can be served, because we would consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus;
we wouldn’t be judgmental, Pharisaical, critical or mean-spirited, because we choose to present our members to Christ and not to sin;
we would be truly joyful because we are no longer under law but under grace. Sin no longer has dominion over us!
we would be so ready and eager to share the opportunity for true joy with a hurting, broken world that is truly enslaved to sin.
So, should this season be so much about deprivation and gloom, or should it be more somber, reflective, and leading up to joy? Jesus Christ paid the penalty, so sin no longer has dominion over me; I can choose Christ!
It just isn’t Easter without . . . Christ!
“Deal bountifully with Your servant, that I may live and keep Your Word.
Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Your law.”
(Psalm 119:17,18 ESV)
“And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.”
(1 Thessalonians 2:13 ESV)
I thought of these Scriptures as I read these quotes this morning. Having God’s Word so easily accessible to us is a profound privilege. We should regard our time in the Word as precious time with the God of the universe who loves us so much and wants a personal, love relationship with me, His creation! I still have trouble wrapping my brain around that. . .
But do we really understand the responsibility and the accountability that living in a Scripture-saturated country brings? It isn’t enough just to say that I learned the Bible stories when I was a kid, or that I’ve read through the Bible this many times, or that I’ve memorized “x” amount of verses. The true test of whether or not the Word is “in me” is in what flows out of me. Does my life match up with what I know? Do I do what the Word says, or am I content to just read it and walk away unchanged? Do I approach my time in the Word as a duty to be accomplished, or do I cling to His Word as my life?
Here are the quotes that I read this morning that sparked this reflections. . .
“If you would follow on to know the Lord, come at once to the open Bible expecting it to speak to you. Do not come with the notion that it is a thing which you may push around at your convenience. “
