Blessed among women...

Morning 15 December

Ruth 1:14
Orpah kissed her mother-in-law; but Ruth clave unto her.

Both of them had an affection for Naomi, and therefore set out with her upon her return to the land of Judah. But the hour of test came; Naomi most unselfishly set before each of them the trials which awaited them, and bade them if they cared for ease and comfort to return to their Moabitish friends. At first both of them declared that they would cast in their lot with the Lord's people; but upon still further consideration Orpah with much grief and a respectful kiss left her mother in law, and her people, and her God, and went back to her idolatrous friends, while Ruth with all her heart gave herself up to the God of her mother in law. It is one thing to love the ways of the Lord when all is fair, and quite another to cleave to them under all discouragements and difficulties. The kiss of outward profession is very cheap and easy, but the practical cleaving to the Lord, which must show itself in holy decision for truth and holiness, is not so small a matter. How stands the case with us, is our heart fixed upon Jesus, is the sacrifice bound with cords to the horns of the altar? Have we counted the cost, and are we solemnly ready to suffer all worldly loss for the Master's sake? The after gain will be an abundant recompense, for Egypt's treasures are not to be compared with the glory to be revealed. Orpah is heard of no more; in glorious ease and idolatrous pleasure her life melts into the gloom of death; but Ruth lives in history and in heaven, for grace has placed her in the noble line whence sprung the King of kings. Blessed among women shall those be who for Christ's sake can renounce all; but forgotten and worse than forgotten shall those be who in the hour of temptation do violence to conscience and turn back unto the world. O that this morning we may not be content with the form of devotion, which may be no better than Orpah's kiss, but may the Holy Spirit work in us a cleaving of our whole heart to our Lord Jesus.

3 December 2010: "Jesus Paid It All" - today's gchat status

Quick note as to today's gchat status:

Woke up singing this in my head this morning - And when before the throne/I stand in Him complete/Jesus died my soul to save/My lips shall still repeat/Jesus paid it all/All to Him I owe/Sin had left a crimson stain/He washed it white as snow!

This was STUCK in my head this morning. On repeat. Oh, and I should stay delightfully stuck. :)

And it just made me think of all times I've woken up with a hymn or praise music stuck in my head. Made me think of this:

Lamentations 3:22-24

²² Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
²³ They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
²⁴ I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.”

What a great mercy that the Holy Spirit reminds me truths about God and Christ and the Gospel, and He does so often first thing in the morning!

Oh yeah, and it was a great reminder to read the whole chapter. Here it is for you!

Lamentations 3

¹ I am the man who has seen affliction
by the rod of the LORD’s wrath.
² He has driven me away and made me walk
in darkness rather than light;
³ indeed, he has turned his hand against me
again and again, all day long.

⁴ He has made my skin and my flesh grow old
and has broken my bones.
⁵ He has besieged me and surrounded me
with bitterness and hardship.
⁶ He has made me dwell in darkness
like those long dead.

⁷ He has walled me in so I cannot escape;
he has weighed me down with chains.
⁸ Even when I call out or cry for help,
he shuts out my prayer.
⁹ He has barred my way with blocks of stone;
he has made my paths crooked.

¹⁰ Like a bear lying in wait,
like a lion in hiding,
¹¹ he dragged me from the path and mangled me
and left me without help.
¹² He drew his bow
and made me the target for his arrows.

¹³ He pierced my heart
with arrows from his quiver.
¹⁴ I became the laughingstock of all my people;
they mock me in song all day long.
¹⁵ He has filled me with bitter herbs
and given me gall to drink.

¹⁶ He has broken my teeth with gravel;
he has trampled me in the dust.
¹⁷ I have been deprived of peace;
I have forgotten what prosperity is.
¹⁸ So I say, “My splendor is gone
and all that I had hoped from the LORD.”

¹⁹ I remember my affliction and my wandering,
the bitterness and the gall.
²⁰ I well remember them,
and my soul is downcast within me.
²¹ Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:

²² Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
²³ They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
²⁴ I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.”

²⁵ The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;
²⁶ it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the LORD.
²⁷ It is good for a man to bear the yoke
while he is young.

²⁸ Let him sit alone in silence,
for the LORD has laid it on him.
²⁹ Let him bury his face in the dust—
there may yet be hope.
³⁰ Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him,
and let him be filled with disgrace.

³¹ For no one is cast off
by the Lord forever.
³² Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,
so great is his unfailing love.
³³ For he does not willingly bring affliction
or grief to anyone.

³⁴ To crush underfoot
all prisoners in the land,
³⁵ to deny people their rights
before the Most High,
³⁶ to deprive them of justice—
would not the Lord see such things?

³⁷ Who can speak and have it happen
if the Lord has not decreed it?
³⁸ Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
that both calamities and good things come?
³⁹ Why should the living complain
when punished for their sins?

⁴⁰ Let us examine our ways and test them,
and let us return to the LORD.
⁴¹ Let us lift up our hearts and our hands
to God in heaven, and say:
⁴² “We have sinned and rebelled
and you have not forgiven.

⁴³ “You have covered yourself with anger and pursued us;
you have slain without pity.
⁴⁴ You have covered yourself with a cloud
so that no prayer can get through.
⁴⁵ You have made us scum and refuse
among the nations.

⁴⁶ “All our enemies have opened their mouths
wide against us.
⁴⁷ We have suffered terror and pitfalls,
ruin and destruction.”
⁴⁸ Streams of tears flow from my eyes
because my people are destroyed.

⁴⁹ My eyes will flow unceasingly,
without relief,
⁵⁰ until the LORD looks down
from heaven and sees.
⁵¹ What I see brings grief to my soul
because of all the women of my city.

⁵² Those who were my enemies without cause
hunted me like a bird.
⁵³ They tried to end my life in a pit
and threw stones at me;
⁵⁴ the waters closed over my head,
and I thought I was about to perish.

⁵⁵ I called on your name, LORD,
from the depths of the pit.
⁵⁶ You heard my plea: “Do not close your ears
to my cry for relief.”
⁵⁷ You came near when I called you,
and you said, “Do not fear.”

⁵⁸ You, Lord, took up my case;
you redeemed my life.
⁵⁹ LORD, you have seen the wrong done to me.
Uphold my cause!
⁶⁰ You have seen the depth of their vengeance,
all their plots against me.

⁶¹ LORD, you have heard their insults,
all their plots against me—
⁶² what my enemies whisper and mutter
against me all day long.
⁶³ Look at them! Sitting or standing,
they mock me in their songs.

⁶⁴ Pay them back what they deserve, LORD,
for what their hands have done.
⁶⁵ Put a veil over their hearts,
and may your curse be on them!
⁶⁶ Pursue them in anger and destroy them
from under the heavens of the LORD.

Flirting, Revisited

This and another post on the same topic are merely reflections on a personal conviction.

I am laid up today, recovering from a migraine (booooo - haven't had one in awhile - yuck).

I have been sitting at my computer, waiting to hear back (or read back in the form of an email) from my colleagues about missing work today. And yes, I realize that sitting in front of a computer with a migraine isn't the best thing to do. But as I was waiting, I decided to do a biblegateway.com word search on 'flatter.' Let me explain why:

I had a conversation a few weeks ago with two guy friends about flirting. Then they both went on to say that guy's need a girl to flirt with them, in order to know if they should ask them out. As in, they need to know if the girl likes them, and flirting obviously answers that question. One guy did note that this doesn't include the 'batting of eyelashes,' although I'm not sure what it does mean to him. And I didn't ask. My bad. Well, to be fair, he did say that the girl needs to show interest in the conversation. I just can't help but wonder what that looks like. But what I didn't try to get across to them at the time (my bad again), is that just because a girl is showing interest doesn't always mean she's interested. Or at least for the right reasons. She may be more interested in getting married to anyone than in the particular guy she is talking to.

And it's so funny, because I wrote about this a few months ago, which can be read here: Flirting=Harmless? To summarize, my answer to this question is NO. I'd even venture to say that it is harmful. But even bringing up Proverbs 7 couldn't dissuade these guys. And what's a girl to do? Let it go. That's what this girl did. Because honestly, I'm not going to flirt or flatter. And I'm not going to be attracted to a guy who wants that from a girl. Wisdom vs. Folly, and all that.

(Flattery defined: insincere or excessive praise. Flirting defined: to show superficial or casual interest or liking. I do want to note that flattery goes beyond flirting in the "normal" guy/girl sense.)

Psalm 12

For the director of music. According to sheminith. A psalm of David.

¹ Help, LORD, for no one is faithful anymore;
those who are loyal have vanished from the human race.
² Everyone lies to their neighbor;
they flatter with their lips
but harbor deception in their hearts.

³ May the LORD silence all flattering lips
and every boastful tongue—
⁴ those who say,
“By our tongues we will prevail;
our own lips will defend us—who is lord over us?”

⁵ “Because the poor are plundered and the needy groan,
I will now arise,” says the LORD.
“I will protect them from those who malign them.”
⁶ And the words of the LORD are flawless,
like silver purified in a crucible,
like gold refined seven times.

⁷ You, LORD, will keep the needy safe
and will protect us forever from the wicked,
⁸ who freely strut about
when what is vile is honored by the human race.

Psalm 78 (excerpt)

A maskil of Asaph.

³⁵ They remembered that God was their Rock,
that God Most High was their Redeemer.
³⁶ But then they would flatter him with their mouths,
lying to him with their tongues;
³⁷ their hearts were not loyal to him,
they were not faithful to his covenant.
³⁸ Yet he was merciful;
he forgave their iniquities
and did not destroy them.
Time after time he restrained his anger
and did not stir up his full wrath.
³⁹ He remembered that they were but flesh,
a passing breeze that does not return.

Proverbs 26 (excerpt)

¹⁸ Like a maniac shooting
flaming arrows of death
¹⁹ is one who deceives their neighbor
and says, “I was only joking!”

²⁰ Without wood a fire goes out;
without a gossip a quarrel dies down.
²¹ As charcoal to embers and as wood to fire,
so is a quarrelsome person for kindling strife.
²² The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;
they go down to the inmost parts.

²³ Like a coating of silver dross on earthenware
are fervent lips with an evil heart.
²⁴ Enemies disguise themselves with their lips,
but in their hearts they harbor deceit.
²⁵ Though their speech is charming, do not believe them,
for seven abominations fill their hearts.
²⁶ Their malice may be concealed by deception,
but their wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.
²⁷ Whoever digs a pit will fall into it;
if someone rolls a stone, it will roll back on them.
²⁸ A lying tongue hates those it hurts,
and a flattering mouth works ruin.

Proverbs 28:²³

Whoever rebukes a person will in the end gain favor

rather than one who has a flattering tongue.

Proverbs 29 (excerpt)

⁵ Those who flatter their neighbors
are spreading nets for their feet.

⁶ Evildoers are snared by their own sin,
but the righteous shout for joy and are glad.

Romans 16

¹⁷ I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. ¹⁸ For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. ¹⁹ Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.

NOTE: Flattery=bad. Wisdom=good. Compare Proverbs 1-7 and 31.

Dear Heavenly Father,

In the end, I want to be wise not foolish, innocent not evil, wise about what is good. I want to trust only You and be faithful to You. I want a man to be attracted to that which you have worked in me and to that which you are working out in me, through the power of your son Jesus Christ, the work You have promised to do to completion. I am in Christ. Help me to remember that. I do not need to flatter or flirt or attempt to put myself in situations, because You are Sovereign. And I trust You. Lord, help me trust You more. Help me not be discouraged by those that make me doubt for a second that doing things on my own strength is better than trusting in You and in Your will for my life. You have shown me in countless ways how You work, and all without my supposed "help."

Lord, please help me make my speech be out of the overflow of my heart. Please help me to speak with wisdom and let faithful instruction always be on my tongue. Not empty words or meaningless praise. But let my words be ones that honor You in all that I do, in every situation. Let my words demonstrate my trust in You. And if any of that is possible, it is through Your Holy Spirit. I praise You and thank You for Him. It's in Your precious Son's name that I pray, Amen.

Mrs. Spurgeon : "make my daily life a proof that you are working your own will in me"

What is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe (Ephesians 1:19).

Come, my heart, satisfy and delight yourself, this morning, with the thought of what your mighty God can do for you - the grace he is able to give you now - the glory he is reserving for you - the uplifting, upholding, strengthening, and preserving power which is all invested in his loving hands on your behalf. Here is a store house of riches on which your largest demands can make no perceptible diminishment, and all this is yours!

'Exceeding greatness.' Yes, Lord, more vast and wonderful than my poor finite mind can conceive. Your power bids the sun pour forth his radiant light and heat - your power holds the stars in space, and hangs the earth upon nothing - your power rules the universe with a word! Is it not exceeding great? All nature shows your handiwork, and your wondrous power is as much seen in the lowest forms of life and growth as in the higher developments of your creative hand. All the discoveries of science, all the revelations of its secrets which have of late so surprised and delighted us, are but glimpses of the infinite might and wisdom of the God whose 'love is as great as his power, and knows neither measure nor end.'

But, Lord, it is not on the majesty of your omnipotence as shown in your material world that would meditate at this moment; it is the 'power to us-ward who believe' that enchains my heart, and thrills my soul with joy. Help me draw near to you, dear Lord, humbly and reverently, that I may 'see this great sight'; for though this is holy ground, and the bush burns with fire, there is no barrier as of old, to prevent a near approach to you, seeing that, now, we are 'made nigh by the blood of Christ'.

If I have true faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, then the exceeding greatness of the power of the Most High God, 'according to the working of his mighty power', is to me-ward, is on my side, or - I say it with deep reverence - at my service, always at hand to help, to guard, to defend, and to provide for me. My pen pauses as I ask myself, 'Do I believe this? Do any Christians really hold this faith? Is it possible that there can be among the feeble, doubting, self-engrossed, and half-hearted people that I see and hear of, any who possess the assurance that the power of the living God dwells in them, and that they 'can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth' them? If there be any such, why, oh! Why do they not walk worthy of the vocation wherewith they are called?

Look to yourself, my soul. Is the exceeding greatness of your Lord's power manifest in you as it should be? Blessed be his Name, you can say, 'He has redeemed me from death and hell, pardoned my sins through the shedding of his precious blood, and given me a promise of life eternal in his presence.' But what more? Those are the cardinal gifts of his grace, the cornerstones of his mercy and love. What do you possess of the details of his mighty working, the filling up, as it were, of the great plan of his will and design concerning you? What does 'the effectual working of his power' produce in your heart and life? Are you wholly consecrated to his service? Have you given yourself and all that you have into his loving hands? Are you filled with his Holy Spirit? Does he control every thought and word and deed? Are all the powers of your being and all the possessions of both soul and body subject and surrendered to his absolute sway?

Ah, Lord! Your poor child sorrowfully confesses to falling very far short of the high standard of Christian life to which your Word expects us to attain. In common with so many others, I seem to live at a 'poor dying rate' when I might have 'life most abundantly'. I know the possibilities of conformity to Christ are only to be measured by the exceeding riches of your grace, and the exceeding greatness of your power, and yet I sometimes seem content without a full participation in the glorious experience which your love offers. Lord, enlighten and quicken me, I beg you! Put forth in me the mighty grace which will make my daily life a proof that you are working your own will in me, and giving me to know at least in some measure, 'what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe'.

Susannah Spurgeon, 1832 - 1903

Morning Devotions by Susannah Spurgeon: Free Grace and Dying Love, pg 22.

Praise God!

As of 1 November 2010:

1 year, 3 months, 2 weeks - since being told I would be laid off 3 jobs ago.

1 year, 2 days - since being laid off 3 jobs ago.

7 months - since losing my next to last job.

6 months, 1 week - since losing my part-time (and last) job.

6 months of living off of unemployment.

Countless job applications.

Seemingly countless babysitting jobs.

1 week of cleaning a really big church.

A few weeks of working with a fun lady on a children's ministry project and other cool things.

Random times of volunteering for my church office and 9 Marks.

About a month of volunteering at the Smithsonian!

What felt like not enough interviews, and feeling the weight of the absolute silence from most of them.

What seemed to be closed doors turning out to be huge blessings.

Feeling misunderstood by many people.

Being driven to read God's Word about encouragement, and feeling convicted in how I am lacking in the area of encouraging others.

Praying like I've never prayed before.

Trusting the LORD

Learning about His character:

How He provides,

Loves,

Disciplines,

Loves,

Rebukes,

Loves,

Teaches,

Loves,

Is patient,

Loves,

Is sufficient,

LOVE.

Back to 1 November 2010:

I start a job! YES! God has answered the prayers of so many people. At just the right time! It's a 3 month contract, at the end of which I will be evaluated for a full-time position. BUT I have a job! God has provided! :) And I am not anxious about the end of January. God has certainly taught me how to trust in His provision. I pray that I will not forget.

:) :) :)

Encouragement Shout Outs - LB

After I posted my Encouragement post, I put it on my Facebook status. Not long afterward, my friend Lindsey posted on my Wall this passage:

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words! (1 Thes 4:16-18)

:)

Babysitting & Bumps & Honeysuckle

Babysitting. Lots and lots of babysitting.

Last week

Monday from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm (Paige, Maggie, William & 'Sizie' - really good, fun, imaginative kids!)

Tuesday from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm (Beckett's day changed because of the Federal holiday)

Tuesday through Friday from 7:25 am to 8:00ish am (Will & John - easy and fun and earrrrrly)

This week

Monday from 8:30 am to 2:30 pm (Becks!)

Tuesday from 9:45 am to 1:00 pm (Adelaide!) & 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm (Benjamin!)

Thursday from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm (Drew & Evelyn - two cutie pies)

And I've turned people down. Mainly because I had other plans set already. But also because it's tiring. For me it really is. I think it's partly because:

1. Babysitting different kids from different families is so interesting. I'm trying to learn how each child is. And they certainly are all wonderfully different! :)

2. It's humbling, which is easy to ask for, but hard to realize. Seeing my pride hurts. Kinda like growing pains - hopefully.

3. It's difficult, because I really do want my own children some day (which means the hubby first, naturally).

But it truly is the LORD's provision for me through His people (all families from my church). It's sweet to know that they trust me with their children. It's sweet to get to know their children. It is overall FUN. So it's worth being tired over.

Funny thing is, I eat better at houses where I babysit!

Just this week

Monday lunch - Butternut Squash Soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwich.

Tuesday lunch - Carnita Burrito Bowl from CHIPOLTLE(!) and I was sent home with frozen brisket chili (YUM!).

Tuesday dinner - short ribs and baked potato

Lessons learned:

1. God is in control of my life. Even when there are big bumps ahead, He is leading me home. :) And I can trust His leading implicitly, because I trust in His Word.

2. Stop and smell the honeysuckle.

Oh and PS: I had a phone interview for a job today!! :)

Encouragement Shout Outs - AA

I've decided to share when people are encouraging;

1. Because I really do intend to study the Bible more on this and share what I learn on this blog, and;

2. Because I'm sinful and forgetful, and need to be reminded - and to continue to be grateful.

This is from my friend Alexis.* She let me know that she sent this before reading my encouragement post. And that's just awesome!

* I just googled the title of her blog, it's Yiddish for hopelessly lost. You're welcome.

Encouragement Defined

By man (aka Websters Dictionary), because words matter:

Definition of ENCOURAGEMENT

1: the act of encouraging : the state of being encouraged

2: something that encourages

Related to ENCOURAGEMENT

Synonyms: boost, impulse, goad, impetus, incentive, incitation, incitement, instigation, momentum, motivation, provocation, spur, stimulant, stimulus, yeast

Antonyms: counterincentive, disincentive

Definition of ENCOURAGE

1 a : to inspire with courage, spirit, or hope : hearten

b : to attempt to persuade : urge

2: to spur on : stimulate

3: to give help or patronage to : foster

— en·cour·ag·er noun

Synonym Discussion of ENCOURAGE

encourage, inspirit, hearten, embolden mean to fill with courage or strength of purpose. encourage suggests the raising of one's confidence especially by an external agency. inspirit, somewhat literary, implies instilling life, energy, courage, or vigor into something. hearten implies the lifting of dispiritedness or despondency by an infusion of fresh courage or zeal. embolden implies the giving of courage sufficient to overcome timidity or reluctance.

I feel as though my legs would dangle from a throne

Ephesians 2:⁶And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, ⁷in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

Colossians 3:¹Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. ²Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. ³For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. ⁴When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

The Ephesians verses are just after a description of our former selves, and how God saves us. The Colossians verses are right before a description of how to live a holy life.

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Life is hard. No really, LIFE.IS.HARD. It's hard for everyone. And I would venture to say that we are all tired. Every single one of us; the newlywed, the widower, the single person, the barren, the parent of a newborn (or really, a child or children of any age), etc. If we are Christians, we are all fighting the SAME good fight; we are all persevering to the END of the SAME race. We're all sinners saved by grace. And we are all tired. If we aren't tired, then maybe we are too happy with this world.

Here is a facet of the most recent of my "being tired" story

It's been over a year since I was told I would be laid off - that was three jobs ago. I've had over a year of employment uncertainty. I've been unemployed for 4.5 months. I'm single. I'm 33. I'm exhorted to - serve more serve more serve more - to help all of this. That is my prescription. Service. Trust the Lord and serve others.

And the little Pharisee in me loves service! The little Martha in me loves serving others! But I really feel like I have a bigger Mary in me. I want to sit at my Savior's feet. And it's funny how the servant (Martha) and the sister (Mary) are at war within me.

Luke 10:³⁸As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. ³⁹She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. ⁴⁰But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"

⁴¹"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, ⁴²but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

SERVANT:

Look at all of this time I have! I can volunteer at my church, and read my Bible plus other great books, I can go and spend time with stay-at-home Mom's! Woo hoo free time! Oh what fun it will be to find other things I can do!

SISTER:

Look at all of this time I have. I can sit Jesus Christ's feet. Now... How do I do that? Quiet times, books, listen to sermons, singing worship music. Let's see... oh yeah! I can pray! And... Let's face it - I'm attempting to do this all alone. And that's hard. But you know what's easy? Serving! Do do do, go go go!

Is this war becoming a little clearer to you? By God's grace I think it is to me.

It is so easy to forget what I've been saved from. One of those things is a futile mind. Now what is a futile mind, you ask? Good question! In Ephesians 4, Paul teaches us to put off the old self, and put on the new self.

Ephesians 4:²²to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires,²³and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, ²⁴and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

According to God's word, the new self no longer has a futile mind (v. 17), which is marked by being deceived by desires. Our minds are to be renewed. But we are still sinners, and are easily deceived by every little thing. And I really do think that one big desire for me it to look to my works. To depend on the Law and forget that Christ came to fulfill it. To think that if I am 'good' enough, God will bless me. Which is funny when thinking about the BIGGEST blessing God has given me - being saved from His eternal wrath and spending eternity in complete and joyful reconciliation with Him - had nothing to do with any 'goodness' in me. I didn't do one thing to deserve that. It is only through Christ's work that God blesses me with my salvation. So why in the world would I think that He would bless me with any other thing because of my works? Do you see the problem here? The problem is that I am a sinner. And I want to do do do. Because that's easier than sitting.

Thank the LORD that He redeems everything! Because it was after my extended quiet times and reading Genesis + doing the hard and humbling work of cleaning my church that I had this thought (that I conveniently typed in my trusty iPhone on 6 October while I was vacuuming the 4th floor):

God uses His people as a picture of His faithfulness. Do you see how He is using you?

This thought was so comforting! It called to mind the story of Ruth (although let's face it, her labor was harder than mine). For about two days, that is. But here I go again, sliding into "how long oh Lord... will it be until you bless me." And yes, that can be a call for Him to return and for Heaven to be my home, but invariable it is a call to well-if-you're-not-going-to-return-any-time-soon- (according to my timetable) -then-please-make-this-life-easier-for-me. And let's face it, that's lame. It reeks of unfaithfulness to my God. To His good plans. To His sovereignty. To His love for me. It showcases my distrust of Him.

And that's so frustrating! I KNOW all that He has done for me in Christ! And yet I keep going back to these old ways of thinking. Is this a futile mind, or one that has been renewed in spirit? Yeah...

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Back to those two passages from the top of the post. Being raised with Christ suggests something that's already happened. Being raised with Him. Where He is now. Which is at the right hand of the Father. For real? Because I feel as though my legs would dangle from a throne, so... Really? I'm already there? But I'm such a mess down here! Another thing I wrote on 6 October (along with the picture of God's faithfulness) is this:

Whole new level of trust.

This life on Earth is my childhood.

Apparently the thought of my life being a picture of God's faithfulness gave me a whole new level of trust of Him, and made me think that my life on this planet is my childhood. It's funny to think about eternity, and that our years on earth (no matter how short or long) seem like an eternity, but are a mere drop compared to the reality of eternity. I mean, why do you think God keeps disciplining us? Because we need it. Because we are His children. And I don't have a clear picture of what Heaven will be like, but I do know that it will not be like this life. This hard life. That I do know is true. Thank you Jesus! But what I do know is that through this life, God seems to be readying us for our inheritance. And one day we will reach that full maturity in Christ. So yes, my legs are dangling, but it won't always be that way. Come, thou long expected Jesus, come!

12 October 2010

I had two, count em 2 babysitting gigs today!

The first was about 40 minutes, so I almost feel as though it doesn't count. I got to hold smiley little John and watch cutie-pie Will be a "soldier" in his knight costume. :)

Then I had Becks again, such a cutie! I think it's pretty awesome that I will be learning from him. Take today for example. He wasn't happy at all. It was so pretty outside that I decided to take him for a walk. His crying stopped as soon as we stepped out the door. Then about halfway through our walk he got fussy again. As we walked home, I kept saying "we're almost there. Then you can take your nap (REST!)" It made me think about how God knows exactly when I will make it home to Him. About how He's guiding me there. And how I groan about it - and for the most part don't even realize I'm complaining!

Now, I realize that's he's 3 months old, and doesn't understand, but it made me think of the sermon that was preached last Sunday at much church. Click here for the audio. He uses the illustration of kids on a car trip saying "are we there yet?" as how we are as we are on our journey to heaven. Keep in mind he's a lay member of our church, a full time lawyer! We have such depth in our pulpit, such a blessing!

And I think Becks likes "I Will Glory in My Redeemer." :)

Oh yeah, and here is my lunch from Em, beef stew yummmmmm!

And FYI, here is what 4 hours with Becks looks like. He's only awake for about an hour or so. But keep in mind (especially if you don't know much about newborns), this schedule is repeated over and over again almost 24/7. Let me repeat, 24/7. Two-Four Slash Seven. I only do it 4 hours a week. Sheeesh...

Oh yeah, and check out the Encouragement in there. I have a sweet small group! :)

8 October 2010

Lovely day.

After volunteering at the Air & Space Museum,

I saw this:

Sailboats in the reflecting pool! Could it be that tiny humans were sailing on this fine day?

Nope, just some folks sailing by remote.

And here is a picture from my walk tonight:

Yep, lovely day. :)

Studying Encouragement

Thinking about my post last night (which was pretty late, I was tired, and wish I would have thought it through more), I have decided to do a biblical study on encouragement. I really want to know what God says about it. So I will be putting my read-through-the-Bible-during-quiet-times on hold, and concentrating on encouragement passages.

And I do want to reiterate how grateful I am for practical help. Of course it is appreciated, and is ultimately a provision from the LORD. But just as God has been teaching me about how to trust Him as my Father, He is teaching me oh so much more! I've realized that maybe I don't do all that I can with encouraging others. That sometimes I feel like there isn't much I can do, and may not do anything at all. And that's not as it should be. Especially with fellow Christians. Reading Hebrews 3 last night just really hit that home for me. (as for non-Christians, I'm convinced that sharing the hope of the gospel is the best that I can do as far as encouragement).

Any thoughts or suggestions on this matter would be greatly appreciated! :)

Encouragement

I've been thinking lately about encouragement. Being unemployed and needing it is an interesting place to be. I've found that people either tell me that they've been praying for me or they try to fix my problem by giving me advice on job searching, thinking of ways to help me financially, etc. The former is great, the latter is not so helpful* (see below for more about that, here's a preview - it's not so great if that's all you get).

So I decided to look up the verse about 'encouraging one another daily.' Here it is:

Hebrews 3:13

¹³But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.

Then I read the surrounding text:

⁷So, as the Holy Spirit says:

"Today, if you hear his voice,
⁸do not harden your hearts
as you did in the rebellion,
during the time of testing in the desert,
⁹where your fathers tested and tried me
and for forty years saw what I did.
¹⁰That is why I was angry with that generation,
and I said, 'Their hearts are always going astray,
and they have not known my ways.'
¹¹So I declared on oath in my anger,
'They shall never enter my rest.' "

¹²See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. ¹³But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. ¹⁴We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. ¹⁵As has just been said:

"Today, if you hear his voice,

do not harden your hearts,

as you did in the rebellion."

¹⁶Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? ¹⁷And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the desert? ¹⁸And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? ¹⁹So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.

It seems to me that encouragement is a means to help one another keep from disbelief, which points to there being a danger of this happening. Therefore, our encouragement to one another is to keep us from turning away from God. It's to keep us from being hardened against sin and its' deceitfulness.

As I think of this, and of needing encouragement at this time of my life, and how the most helpful is when I'm reminded of God's promises - through His word. Trying to fix my 'problem' is fruitless, because I don't see unemployment as my biggest problem. My biggest problem has already been fixed - through the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Christ - who died for my sins - taking on Himself the eternal wrath that I deserve. I now have an inheritance of an eternity with Christ. Praise the LORD! However, there is a danger for me personally, through this on-going trial, that I may start to be hardened towards my God. That I may start to believe the lies of this world and of Satan. This is what I need most help with. And by God's grace and through His Holy Spirit, I'm persevering! But as I just read in Hebrews, we are to help each other with that.

Where God has me in my life right now is not a problem at all. It's a privilege! It's right where He has planned** for me to be. Where is the problem in that?***

Psalm 16

⁵ LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup;

you have made my lot secure.

⁶ The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.

⁷ I will praise the LORD, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.

⁸ I have set the LORD always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.

⁹ Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,

¹⁰ because you will not abandon me to the grave,
nor will you let your Holy One see decay.

¹¹ You have made known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

I think from now on I will seek to encourage others in the gospel, in the hope of their salvation, using God's word and pointing to them how He works.

Think I will be looking into encouragement some more. Stay tuned...

*I do want to stress that offering to help is great! But I thing that sometimes it's just easier for us to offer solutions to a problem, instead of maybe giving more of ourselves for someones spiritual good. I think a balance of both is good. Personally I'm getting more of this kind of help, and would really appreciate more encouragement for my heart.

**Psalm 33:11 But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purpose of his heart through all generations.

+

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

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:)

***The answer is the hazards to my heart.