Friends

There is a campaign called "Rewrite Your Day," in which you can apply to relive a special occasion you missed because of a migraine. My migraines can be disruptive; I was unable to go home for Thanksgiving once, and I missed out on was my birthday party 2 years ago. Yes, I had planned to have a joint birthday party with a friend, and had to miss it. This was the worst migraine I've ever had, and it eventually landed me in the hospital for 5 days.

However, I don't need to enter some contest to relive my birthday party. Because my friends threw me another one, about 2 months later! It was a 70s disco theme party, and it was a blast! I am indeed very much loved and cared for. :)

^{John 15}

⁹ “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. ¹⁰ If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. ¹¹ I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. ¹² My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command. ¹⁵ I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. ¹⁶ You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. ¹⁷ This is my command: Love each other.

Garlands and Pendants

Photo Source: Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

Proverbs 1:8, 9

⁸Hear, my son, your father’s instruction,
and forsake not your mother’s teaching,
⁹for they are a graceful garland for your head
and pendants for your neck.

I love how God teaches us about Himself through His word. Here we have both a father and a mother giving advise to their son, whom they love. Parents are a good gift from God; they are the people who are supposed to love you most. Your mother gives birth to you, your father helps provide for you. They both make sure you have a roof over your head and food in your belly.

In this, they reflect God's love and care for you. But even more so, it is He who created and cares for you (Psalm 139:13, Job 10:12).

Now I know that no one is perfect, parents included. You may be reading this and thinking 'My parents aren't like that at all.' I want you to know that God, through His son Jesus Christ, has adopted many as His own. Me included! If you are Christian, please bask in this truth (1 John 3)! If you are not familiar with the thought that if you are in Christ, then God is your Father, a good source to read is J.I. Packer's Knowing God, the chapter entitled 'Sons of God.' If you have been hurt by your earthly parents, trust that God, our Heavenly Father, is near to those who are brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18). He knows the number of hairs on your head, and He can be trusted.

Regardless of your relationship with your parents, it is absolutely true that those who love you, warn you. They care for your well-being.

This father and mother give both instruction and teaching; which are likened to a graceful garland and a pendant. Their faithful instruction and teaching are lavish gifts to their son! And a wise child will take heed to such guidance.

And just what are they teaching him? The difference between foolishness and wisdom (Proverbs 1:7).

As of late...

As of late...

I feel vulnerable.

Discomfited.

I don't quite know what it is, except I feel as though it's the Lord doing His work in me.

His good and faithful work that He delights in.

Abundant mercy.

Pouring out on me.

Matthew 7:25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house,

but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.

Philippians 1:6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you

will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Lord, please be my shade.

Isaiah 4:6 There will be a booth for shade by day from the heat,

and for a refuge and a shelter from the storm and rain.

Help me to press on to know You more.

Hosea 6:3 Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD;

his going out is sure as the dawn;

he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth."

Short and Sweet Saturday - Looked Upon

Image source: Google images search for cupcake. (random pic chosen, because cupcakes are short and sweet, get it? And this one is extra cute. Carry on.)

Goodness, I write long blog posts. My thanks to anyone who actually sits and reads them all the way through. Would really like to learn how to write my feelings in a more concise way. Seriously, I know how to tell a short story long.

Today, I just want to share a few great blog posts that I've come upon lately:

*Do you realize? by Ray Ortland.

I had been listening to "The Prodigal" (posted last night), and thinking about how God loves us - weak and sinful as we are. It really is amazing that He would want us for His own. How He fights for us. How He forgives us through His son. Ortland's blog post is a quote from John White, and beautifully details our serious condition before/without Christ.

Which made me think of the song "All I Have is Christ." The lyrics say "You looked upon my helpless state/and lead me to the cross." What a truly helpless state that is. Love it that the name of the album is "Looked Upon." :)

*11 Ways God Works for Us by John Piper

Hint: the Giver gets the Glory. A compilation of some of his latest tweets. Seriously, go read it.

*The Gift of Friendship and the Godliness of Good Friends by Kevin DeYoung.

This is the first of a 4 part series. He asks: are you a fake, foul, or faithful friend? All 4 parts are posted on his blog.

*Why I'm taking a leave of absence by C.J. Mahaney

The man who wrote "Humility: True Greatness" displays it beautifully here. Please pray for him, his family, and his ministry.

*Why Christ May Not Be Enough For You by Barry Cooper

Made me stop and think. Is my relationship with Christ causing me to a) love God, and in turn b) love others? If I fall into the trap of thinking that my earthly relationships are about my perceived need of love and affirmation, then what am I saying about my relationship with Christ? It's funny how we define our needs, and if we hold those definitions up to scripture - well, they do indeed crumble.

Have a grrrrrreat weekend!

Mandi

It is the LORD who keeps me

YOU GAVE ME LIFE AND SHOWED ME KINDNESS,

AND IN YOUR PROVIDENCE WATCHED OVER MY SPIRIT.

JOB 10:12

"Lord, please provide some shade in this desert."

I found myself praying this just a few days ago. The past 3.5 years I have had - what at least seems to me - incessant physical problems. Nothing life-threatening, so I don't want to seem dramatic. But migraine after migraine, then back pain, and just recently a nasty cold that coincided with an allergy flare-up that left me feeling a fiery ache all over. It felt as though my own body was fighting against me... Exhausted. I am physically exhausted.

And this is all subjective, really, because I know that others go through much worse. It just seems relentless. And at these times - times like the fiery ache or migraine, I turn to the Lord and ask for relief. I more recently find myself fighting for joy. And by His grace, I am driven to God's Word. Thankfully He does give that relief, and rather quickly now that I think about it (although at the time, it doesn't seem soon enough! - ahem, sound familiar?).

I often think of the Israelite's during their time in the desert. What did it look like for a single woman in that wilderness? At any rate, every person was going through a hardship. They groaned and complained, and God sweetly provided for them. Maybe not just as they wanted Him to, but He always did. His love for them was so big, they couldn't comprehend it.

Amazingly, His care was such that their clothing never wore out and their feet didn't swell. Throughout their time in the wilderness, they had everything that they could ever need. (Nehamiah 9:21, which coincidentally one of the men on my church's pastoral staff posted this verse on Facebook shortly after I thought about it :) he said that this is a reminder that God does not treat us as we deserve, that during their rebellion, God still cared and provided for them - AMEN!).

It's funny that the only scripture I could think of with shade in it was from Jonah. And I definitely felt as though I was being just as petulant as he. But I wanted to see if there was any comforting scripture that mentions "shade," so I decided to do a word search on my trusty ESV iPhone app and found this:

Psalm 121

My Help Comes from the LORD

A Song of Ascents.

¹I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
²My help comes from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.

³He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
⁴Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵The LORD is your keeper;
the LORD is your shade on your right hand.
⁶The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.

⁷The LORD will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
⁸The LORD will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore.

What a sweet balm to my soul this was! It is the LORD who keeps me. He is a God who doesn't need sleep! His care for me is constant, 24/7, never failing. I will say that as I was sick this past week, I was thankful that God doesn't get sick. I felt so useless, and was grateful that He is never useless! And strange enough, I knew that even in times like that, He is still doing His good work in me.

This God: He keeps my very life. With Him, I will meet no harm. Even when it feels as if I will, even when physically I feel any degree of pain. The Creator of all the universe, who sent His son to die for my sins, so that I can be forgiven, that same God keeps me. He alone is my refuge. He has provided that shade in the person of His son, Jesus Christ. Why is it so easy to lose sight of this? (Grumble, grumble, grumble - says this sinner in this desert).

After reading this Psalm, I was reminded of Revelation 7:

¹³Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?" ¹⁴I said to him, "Sir, you know." And he said to me, "These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
¹⁵"Therefore they are before the throne of God,
and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.
¹⁶They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;
the sun shall not strike them,
nor any scorching heat.
¹⁷For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of living water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

(emphasis mine)

This is where God is leading me. And while He is leading me, He is changing me - readying me for that Day when I will see Him face to face, and these earthly trials will be no more. He is keeping me for this endless Day, eternity. Such great mercy! Of which, He has endless supply.

And it's certainly not just for me. Beloved Christian, it is for you, too! It is part of His redemptive plan for the church, Christ's bride. He is displaying His glory through the church to the heavenly realms (Ephesians 3). Surreal mystery.

Speaking of mercy, I was listening to this song on my morning commute:

The lyrics say "such favor undeserved." So good, definitely take a listen!

Sweet note resurfaces!

I have made it a habit to use thank you notes and birthday cards as bookmarks. It feels like I’m "saving" a kind thought by practical use.

Well, lo and behold, after picking up A Severe Mercy, by Sheldon Vanauken again, I came across the above card! It’s from a dear friend, probably 3 birthday’s ago. She has moved to Austin, TX, and it’s been over a year since we’ve seen each other. BUT she will be at church THIS Sunday!

How cool is that?

J

Count it all joy - no really - all joy

James 1:2Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,

3for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

4And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

I think this may sound weird, but bear with me. Why is it that when someone is going through a trial, we don’t tell them to "count it all joy?" You lost your job? Praise the Lord! Your illness is back? Great is His faithfulness! Struggling through fill-in-the-blank? You should be so JOYFUL right now!

Trust me, I don’t think this is easy to do. And done in the wrong way could be disastrous. Much discernment is needed, and the word of God should be central in the conversation. But I was jarred a few months ago, when I said to a friend – who had struggled with singleness, but had gotten married and pregnant before their first year was over – “wow, God is so faithful to you!” And yes, I was able to tell her that He was faithful during those years that she struggled. But just not in the same way as I did when He had so sweetly answered her prayers.

So yes, He was (and still is) faithful to her. Just as He had been every day of her life. Just as He had been with me through my unemployment; as He is now through ongoing migraine issues. Faithful.

But back to my first (weird) point. As I read the Holy Spirit inspired words of James, I see that:

1) He is telling believers (my brothers), to count it all joy when;

2) We meet various kinds of trials.

Why?

1) Our faith is being tested so that;

2) Steadfastness (perseverance, NIV) can be produced.

Why would we want steadfastness/perseverance in our faith?

1) So that that steadfastness/perseverance in our faith will take its full effect (finish it's work NIV), therefore;

2) We may be perfect (mature, NIV) and complete, lacking in nothing.

Count it all joy? When I meet trials? Really? YES! Why? Because your faith is being tested. But why? Why is it being tested? Because the testing produces steadfastness/perseverance in your faith. So what, why should I care? I don't want to be tested! So that steadfastness/ perseverance will have its full effect/finish it's work, which is that we may be perfect/mature and complete, lacking in nothing.

What does it mean to be perfect/mature and complete, lacking in nothing? The only thing I can think of is that when we are glorified. When we are finally with Him. Without sin. Perfectly and completely made like His Son. Home.

Going further: God uses trials to test our faith, and when put to the test, we must turn to God (James 1:5-8) when we don't know what to do. We must have faith that when we ask, He will give us wisdom. We must be humble enough to know that we can't do it on our own. He wants us to realize our utter dependence on Him.

It seems to me that these "various kinds of trials" are the means by which God prepares us for glory.

We Christians are strange creatures, are we not? Born in sin, saved by His grace. But still not seeing the point. This life that we live in this fallen world is brief. It is fleeting. We are in the wilderness, making our way Home. And this life is not all about us. Not all about comfort or "good things" (which, let's face it, are really just things that we want). This life is readying us for Heaven. To be in perfect relationship with God, which is what we were created for. And all for His glory. Our good, yes, but ultimately for His glory. And He knows what "our good" is so much better than we do.

Hopefully when a dear friend in Christ is going through a trial, I will be able to point him or her to the words of James. Count it all joy! Trust the Lord through this. You are being prepared for glory.

We Rest on Thee lyrics:

We rest on Thee, our Shield and our Defender!

We go not forth alone against the foe;

Strong in Thy strength, safe in Thy keeping tender,

We rest on Thee, and in Thy Name we go.

Yea, in Thy Name, O Captain of salvation!

In Thy dear Name, all other names above;

Jesus our Righteousness, our sure Foundation,

Our Prince of glory and our King of love.

We go in faith, our own great weakness feeling,

And needing more each day Thy grace to know:

Yet from our hearts a song of triumph pealing,

“We rest on Thee, and in Thy Name we go.”

We rest on Thee, our Shield and our Defender!

Thine is the battle, Thine shall be the praise;

When passing through the gates of pearly splendor,

Victors, we rest with Thee, through endless days.

Words: Edith G. Cher­ry, cir­ca 1895.

Music: Fin­land­ia, Jean Si­bel­i­us, 1899

* blogged after praying this morning "all that matters is that You love me." John 3:16