I WILL ARISE

Micah 7:8 Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; when I fall, I will arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me.

During my “Return to health” journey, I have found so many spiritual applications.  I really believe God put calories into all the “tempting” foods to help us practice discipline.  When we do, we feel victorious, when we given in to temptation, we feel the consequences of our lack of discipline.

After a week of travel, family, late night eating, lack of exercise and WEDDING CAKE, my body doesn’t feel so good.  I am tired with no energy, my stomach hurts and I want a donut with my coffee BUT, I am too far on my journey to let a curve in the road turn me back to the old habits. 

YEP, that’s usually what has happened.  I am walking happily down the road to health and I go on vacation or a holiday happens, maybe it is a birthday party or a wedding.  I indulge, wish I hadn’t, then, think one more day won’t hurt…but it does because that one day turns into two days, then a week and suddenly 5 years later, I have walked back further than my starting point.

Isn’t that just like the Spiritual Journey in our relationship with God?  We are walking with joy and faith, following God and all of a sudden we hit a curve, stub our toe on a rock or step in a hole and stumble; maybe even fall.  Jesus doesn’t keep walking ahead as we struggle to regain our footing.  No, He stands there with His hand extended to lift us up and guide us back to the smooth path. 

SO WHAT HAPPENS?  Sometimes the “stumble” is a hurt that is hard to forgive.  Perhaps you get tired and just sit down to rest for a little while.  You finally wake up only to find everyone has left you behind and you’re not sure how to get going again.  Maybe it is a temptation that you give in to and think, “Just one more time then I’ll repent.”  That one day turns into another, the temptation turns into “full-blown” sin and you realize you are in dangerous, unfamiliar territory that pulls you further away from God.  You feel God dealing with your heart; you know what you need to do but you think, “I don’t know if I can.”  “What will people think?”  “Will they condemn me; always remember I failed?”  “What if I repent, then, stumble again?”  “Maybe I can CONTROL this sin and “taper” off, then repent and get it right.”

STOP!!!! You CANNOT control sin no more than I can control my craving for sugar.  TODAY WILL BE SUGARLESS and so will tomorrow and the next day.  I will finally get victory over the sugar as I put good things into my body, washing the toxins out.  If you want to get victory over the temptations along your spiritual journey, you CANNOT slowly taper down on giving into the lure of sin…You have to go COLD TURKEY!!!!

It begins to saying NO to sin and YES to God’s forgiveness.  Then you take the hand that God extends and allow Him to fill you with the goodness of His Spirit and wash away the toxins of sin.  It is true; YOU CANNOT DO THIS, BUT GOD CAN!!!  

We have no idea what each day holds for us, so don’t put repentance off for another day.  When we come to God in true repentance and let His Grace cover us, there is no irreparable damage that sin can do…God will restore us with His righteousness and we will once again be on the path to Spiritual Healthiness.

Praying for you as you make the decision to have a SUCCESSFUL DAY IN GOD!

SUCCESS IS UP TO YOU

A parent can provide you with a good foundation with which to build but cannot build a life for you upon that foundation…that is up to you.

A school can provide you with the information necessary to be successful in a career but cannot implant your brain with knowledge of the information or instill you with ambition to use that knowledge and get a job…that is up to you.

A government can guarantee you with the right to “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness” but even if they provide you with “free stuff” through government largesse, that same government cannot guarantee the outcome of your pursuit or guarantee that you will pursue…that is up to you.

The Church can provide you with spiritual instruction of God’s plan for salvation and encourage you to make choices to follow God as you journey through life but the Church cannot confer salvation upon you or guarantee your eternal destination…that is up to you, God and your relationship with Him.

Success in any area is entirely dependent on what you do with what you have and the opportunities you encounter.  

NEVER ENOUGH

Psalms 42:1 As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God.

If only I had a million dollars, my life would be perfect.  I would put half in the bank, pay off my house, give a nice check to my favorite charity and go on a fabulous vacation with Steve, my kids and grandkids.  But….would that be enough?  Maybe 2 million or 5 million would be better.  I am almost certain the person who has 5 million, hopes someday to grow that sum to 10 million, than 100 million and maybe a billion….It seems the desire for money is never satisfied; THERE IS NEVER ENOUGH!!!

Eight months ago, I just wanted to lose 50 pounds.  Even before I reached that goal, I increased it to 60 pounds, then 65.  I finally lost 65 pounds, my clothes fit, I feel great and I said to Steve, “If I could lose just 5 pounds more.”  My sweet husband, a citizen of “Realville,” replied, “Would that be ENOUGH or would you want to lose another 5, then another?”  Well, OF COURSE, I would be satisfied…but would I? OR would I continue to concentrate on the flaws instead of the success?

Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor has been credited with saying, “You can never be too rich or too thin.”  Most of us will never find out the truth or the fallacy of that statement, but we believe it contains just enough truth to keep us striving to acquire just a “little more” wealth or starting the latest fad diet, drinking the latest “miracle” meal replacement drink or downing a newly discovered S. African “Fat Melting” pill… at least for a couple of weeks.  But, IT IS NEVER ENOUGH…until it comes to our relationship with God!

Psalms 34:8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him.

Too many times, we have an encounter with God; we get just a “taste,” then walk away satisfied.  We continue living our lives, existing on that single “taste” as if IT IS MORE THAN ENOUGH! 

STOP!!!!  You are leaving a WHOLE MEAL on the table.  That “taste” is meant to merely STIMULATE your appetite not SATISFY your desire.  Pull up a seat, Jesus has “the table spread;” dig in!  Take a big bite; now we’re talkin’.  The longer you linger at the “table;” the more time you spend in His presence, the bigger your appetite for God will grow…you will NEVER HAVE ENOUGH.

Isaiah 12:3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

Isaiah declares that God has a “WELL” from which we can draw.  Not just a holiday meal that we enjoy once a year, then exist on the memory of that experience until the next holiday get together…there is a WELL!

Don’t allow yourself to be satisfied with just a “TASTE” when you can draw from the “WELL.”  GET FAT IN GOD!!!  Refuse to be satisfied; God has another GOURMET MEAL prepared including DESSERT; dig in.  After lingering at the table, you will be saying, “THERE IS NEVER ENOUGH; I WANT MORE!”

SPIRITUAL SUPERIORITY

1 Corinthians 10:12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.

"SPIRITUAL SUPERIORITY WILL EXCLUDE YOU FROM YOUR PART IN THE PLAN OF GOD."

When God opens your eyes to awesome revelations in His Word, it is easy to begin to feel “Spiritually Superior.”  Spiritual Superiority is nothing more than the embrace of the Sin of Pride. Spiritual Superiority says that God’s Grace gives me the advantage and sets me above anyone who has not yet experienced Grace or is not as far along the journey as I think I am.

 A person becomes so proud of their understanding of the Word of God that they began to define and codify Godly principles for themselves and others into law.  With the advent of laws come penalties for violators and Enforcers only too happy to point out the “sin” and shun the “sinner.”  But what if our interpretation, laws and behavior are the real violations…think about these two ladies and what if they had been shunned by some people of God who instead decided to show grace.

Rahab, was a harlot from Jericho; a Canaanite woman.  Jericho was a city that would be absolutely destroyed as Joshua led the Children of Israel on their quest to the Promised Land.  But because of a choice to show kindness and mercy, made by a “less than desirable” woman, Rahab not only saved her family but married a man named Salmon and they became the parents of Boaz, the Great-Grandfather of King David.

Ruth was a Moabite; a people shunned by the Jews because they were descended from an incestuous relationship between Lot and his daughter.  Yet she was accepted by, Boaz, a Kinsman Redeemer and the son of Rahab, who not only married Ruth, but together, they became the parents of Obed the Grandfather of King David who would be listed in the lineage of Jesus Christ.

Be careful who you exclude from your little circle, who you shun because they were not born to the right family, don’t follow your rules or have your highly-vaunted revelations; you may be excluding YOUR part in the plan of God.  

AUTHORED AND FINISHED BY GOD

THIS UPDATED BLOG WAS FIRST POSTED IN 2012

Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith

I have heard numerous sermons on this verse during my 58 years of sitting on a Pentecostal pew.  The sermons ranged from “Jesus started it, He’ll finish it,” to “There is one God and His name is Jesus.”(If you are Apostolic, just about every scripture has been preached as a “One God” message.)  I’m sure the pastor preached a wonderful message; I did try to concentrate and I do remember brief “amen” moments.  On this Sunday morning, however, the scripture sent me to memories of my Dad. 

My dad loved to work with wood and the smells of freshly sawn boards and piles of sawdust still evoke memories of a happy time.  Dad always dreamed of living in a house built with his own hands.  Some days he would go help a friend who built houses, framing the shell, nailing shingles or hanging doors.  I’m not sure if he did it for the experience or the satisfaction of seeing something come together he had helped build.  Many years later, this friend’s daughter told me her dad always said there was no better “Finish Carpenter” than Deloy Hawks.

A “Finish” carpenter is the important crew member that adds the last little touches to complete the project.  There may be a few inconsequential gaps between the drywall and the floor but once the finish carpenter nails the last bit of baseboard in place, who would know.  The posts on the porch may be just rough wood poles until the finish carpenter surrounds and trims them turning the porch into an elegant, inviting portico.  The home or project may be just as serviceable without the finishing touches but not as appealing or valuable to the occupants.

How did all of this come from Hebrew 12:2?  It took me back to a special project my dad was building many years ago.  It was a gun cabinet for a friend.  This was not a self-assembly kit with numbered pieces and detailed instructions.  OH NO, my dad was clearly the AUTHOR of the project; it was his design. His hands shaped and lovingly fitted every board into its precise place. Even beautiful oak boards can have flaws but that was no problem for the “author.”  I watched my Dad as he took a “hand or block planer” and slowly shaved away the flaws until he could run his hands smoothly over the surface.  Once Dad had assembled the gun cabinet, the finish work began. 

If you have always purchased furniture from a furniture store, you have no idea the hard work that goes into the rich finish.  It takes layers of stain for just the right color, then a layer of polyurethane, sanding, more polyurethane, more sanding and more polyurethane until the desired depth and richness is attained.  I still remember the way the felt-backing was painstakingly glued to the inside and the Amerock hardware was installed on the doors and drawers.  Finally, the day came when Dad took a step back and with pride announced “She’s finished!”  Dad was the Author and the Finisher of that gun cabinet from the first nail to the last hinge on the door; it was his creation.

As, the memories faded and the sermon became more clear, suddenly, Hebrews 12:2 took on a whole different meaning to me.  I’m not just an old lump of clay that someone had formed into a pot then sent to the finisher to be glazed and fired, nor am I an ugly rock picked up to be cut and polished into a valuable diamond.  I AM A SPECIAL CREATION, AUTHORED BY GOD.  He formed me with great plans in mind.  As I matured and the pieces began to fit into place, each part of my life was lovingly orchestrated for my good, according to His plan.  At times a rough spot has to be planed, a bubble in the varnish has to be sanded or the lining has to be repaired, but I am in the capable hands of the “Master Finisher.”  There is still a little finishing to be completed to fulfill God’s ultimate plan but as is so eloquently stated in Hebrews 12:2,

I’m “looking unto Jesus the AUTHOR and FINISHER of my faith.”