IMPATIENCE WILL ALWAYS BIRTH AN ISHMAEL

Gr’ma, Gr’ma, Gr’ma, GR’MA!!!! Caleb’s impatience was coming through. I had promised him that we would go downstairs and play after I put Baby Nathan down for his morning nap. Caleb has the patience of a 3 year old and although he may understand the word “later,” later occurs to him much sooner than it does to Grandma. He did not want to wait until I had given Nathan his bath and bottle and snuggled him into bed for a couple hour nap. Caleb’s experience tells him that Grandma has never broken a promise and in just a little while he will enjoy all the fun and personal attention that Grandma wants to bestow upon him, but there is one minor detail missing, Grandma is still upstairs. His little mind reasons, Grandma has promised to play with me downstairs maybe I can help make her promise a reality. Caleb has a plan. He will open the basement door, turn on the light, go down the stairs and then he will receive the promise.

PROBLEM!!! Caleb has birthed an Ishmael!! By taking matters into his own hands, he has what he perceives to be the most important ingredient;”being in the basement.” Caleb is downstairs in the play room but the JOY of the promise was spending time, playing with Grandma and she is still upstairs. The predictable response of a 3-year old is a loud cry for Grandma to join him, which I did after Nathan was soundly asleep. Have you ever become focused on the “missing ingredient” of a promise and birthed an Ishmael? You are not unique; faithful Abraham tried to assist God before “natural circumstances” would prevent even God from performing what He had promised.

In Genesis 12:2-3, at the age of 75 years, God promised Abraham that he would make of him a great nation and that in him all the nations of the earth would be blessed. In verse 7, God promises to give all the land to Abraham’s descendants. In Genesis 13:16, the promise expands from a great nation to so many descendants that they could only be numbered if one could number the dust of the earth. A few years pass and Abraham becomes a little anxious. In Genesis 15, he reminds God that he still has no offspring. God replies by showing him the stars and assuring Abraham that his offspring will be in number as the stars. The years continued to roll by until finally Abraham and Sarah, at the age of 85 and 75, decided to help God out with the missing ingredient and Ishmael was birthed.

I have heard it preached that Abraham sinned, but sin is rebellion against the Word of God and it was not out of rebellion that Abraham acted. We read where God bestowed a blessing on Ishmael and God will NEVER bless sin. I believe that Abraham was so full of faith in the promise of God that he convinced himself that God had just opened the door of opportunity to the fulfillment of that promise. The missing ingredient was not a son, as Abraham supposed, but a much more important detail. Abraham had forgotten who “I” was!!! Ten years prior to the birth of Ishmael, God had promised, “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you; I will make your name great.” The only input God required from Abraham to fulfill His promise was Abraham’s faithfulness.

Many times, I have impatiently or impulsively attempted to fill in a few details that seemed to be missing in the plan God was working in my life. I convinced myself that the action I was about to take was a door of opportunity that only God could have opened. Every time I have forgotten that while it may be MY life, it is GOD’s plan, an Ishmael has been birthed. My life has been blessed and often God continues with the plan to bring the promise to fruition, but not without negative consequences to my actions. Like Caleb waiting in the basement, I have felt the frustration of having all my plans in place only to realize God didn’t have His plan in place yet. As Abraham and his descendants have lived with the consequence of Ishmael’s birth, I have lived with regret over the results of my impatient actions. Oh, I was still saved, I was still blessed, the promise would still come to pass but I had to carry all the baggage of my Ishmael along the journey toward the promise. When God makes you a promise, learn to wait patiently for Isaac, you will not only have the blessing of God birthed in you but you won’t have an Ishmael to deal with before you achieve victory.

BORN TO SERVE THE LORD

Tim Tebow was born Aug 14, 1987 and is the Heisman-winning quarterback for the Florida Gators. His parents were missionaries to the Philippines when Tim was conceived. His mother suffered a life-threatening infection while pregnant and her unborn baby suffered a severe placental abruption. Doctors recommended that his mother abort the baby to save her life but she refused. Tim was carried to term and both he and his mother survived. This is the subject of a controversial commercial produced by Focus on the Family that will be aired once during the Super bowl pregame and once during the actual game. The protests are from Pro-Choice groups who argue that this commercial is trying to take from women the choice to have an abortion. Once again they have ignored Mrs. Tebow’s CHOICE to give her son life because the only valid choice to this Liberal group is TERMINATION!!!

Famous pro-abortionists such as Richard Dawkins will argue that Tim Tebow is on this earth by chance and a stupid decision by his mother to risk her own life that her son’s life might be preserved. Dawkins argues that Tim’s life occurred because his parents just happened to come together on a specific night at a specific time and that specific sperm was the one that survived to fertilize the egg. While the facts, as Mr. Dawkins state them, may be true, a new life is so much greater than scientific fact. God may have set the scientific order of reproduction in place and left it up to mankind’s emotions and actions to start the process, but our life comes from the breath of God. Jeremiah 1:5 says, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou came forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” We are all born for a specific purpose and God has a plan for each precious life. We are all “BORN TO SERVE THE LORD.”

Tim Tebow and his family understand the great responsibility each life is given by God. Tim isn’t just a good football player or a popular quarterback; he believes in living his faith. Antonya English, a staff writer for the St. Petersburg Times reports that on his rare time off, Tim works in prison ministries, travels to foreign countries to give his testimony, holds Bible studies and volunteers to help those less fortunate. Tim states, “For me, every day includes four things: God, family, academics, and football, in that order.” Tim Tebow gets it; “HE WAS BORN TO SERVE THE LORD.”

I love the song, “Born to Serve the Lord” by Evangelist Bud Chambers, which has been recorded by several musical groups. It captures the very purpose of life. Here are the lyrics of that God-inspired song:

From the dust of the earth my God created man- His breath made man a living soul; And God so loved the world He gave His only Son, And that is why I love Him so!

My hands were made to help my neighbor; my eyes were made to read God's word. My feet were made to walk in His footsteps; my body is the temple of the Lord.

I was made in His likeness, Created in his image, for I was born to serve the Lord. I will not deny Him; I will always walk beside Him, for I was born to the serve the Lord.

You may not be called to be a missionary, a preacher or a great football player. Maybe God’s plan for your life is ministering to your family. Let God make you the best wife or husband, mother or father the world has ever known. There is nothing more important to God than raising children who love and honor God with their lives and pass that heritage to the next generation. Perhaps you are single and God’s plan for you is to be a Godly employee, a “missionary” in your workplace or a loving friend to someone who feels unloved. If God has called you to sing; sing praises unto Him; write; write something to glorify His Name; pray; pray with fervor for those who don’t know God; if it is to show kindness, you will have plenty of opportunity every day. Whatever plan God has laid down for you from the moment you were formed, embrace it and move into your destiny because “YOU WERE BORN TO SERVE THE LORD!!!”

GOD WANTS YOU TO SUCCEED

God wants you to succeed!!! Many Holy Ghost filled people live their lives in fear that God is just waiting to pull the rug out from under them or slap them upside the head at the slightest provocation. Lip service is given to God’s amazing grace and His infinite mercy but we seem to think those attributes only apply to salvation and do not include our continuing faith journey. Is it because we don’t really know God or don’t believe God?

2 Peter 3:9“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” 

If we believe this verse, perhaps we just have a hard time substituting “I” for “any” and “all”.

I am the oldest child in a family of six children. My dad was a hard worker and provided all the necessities of life and as many extras as possible for his family. I enjoyed a wonderful childhood and never felt poor or underprivileged. I always felt loved and had built-in playmates; something was always happening at our house. Many of my friends, however, enjoyed some of the luxuries that I was well aware were not available to “people like us.” My best friend in high school would spend weekends at her cottage in Baraboo, WI and she had a beautiful brick fireplace in her living room. We lived in a 3 bedroom, 1 bath ranch, 4 bedrooms, counting the one dad fixed up in the basement. If I ever attained the status of my friend, I thought I would have made it because “people like us” lived in 1200 sq. ft. ranch homes with 1 bathroom and gravel driveways. Many times, I have needed God to reassure me that, because of His grace, I am “one of those people.” God wants ME to succeed!

The book of Exodus relates the saga of the deliverance of the Children of Israel by the hand of God. The Israelites had come to Egypt during the days of Joseph to escape a great famine. They had lived in the land of Goshen for 430 years and were now enslaved to the Egyptians. Their tasks became more and more burdensome until they began to cry unto the Lord for deliverance. God raised up Moses to lead them to freedom and deal with Pharaoh. It was God’s desire to deliver his people then just as it is today. This verse in Exodus illustrates how far God will go to deliver and protect us even when our hearts aren’t exactly true.

Exodus 13:17  “And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt.” 

God wanted freedom for His people so badly that he led them in a way that would not tempt them to return to a foreign land and live as slaves. God wanted them to succeed!

You are one of God’s people and He will go to any length necessary for you to be successful in your journey with Him. When He filled you with the Holy Spirit, He endowed you with the necessary power to walk into a life of liberty. If you will follow the path God has laid for you, He will lead you out of the reach of the pull of Egypt and into freedom. You can live a wonderful, fulfilled life today and be assured of eternal life tomorrow. God wants YOU to succeed!

GOD, COULD YOU SPEED UP THE PERFECTING?

Once I learned how to read there was no stopping me. The library was only a couple of blocks from our house and in the summer, my brother and I would walk to it almost every day. I would check out a pile of books in the morning and bring them back that afternoon. This was before computers, so a very irate librarian would sift through unfiled cards to check in the books. She finally made a rule that we could not return books on the same day; I just checked out a bigger stack. When my babies were little, I would read at least one romance novel while they were taking an afternoon nap. My reading list has matured somewhat, but my love for the written word has not diminished.

While not exactly a speed reader, I am a fast reader. I have trained my eyes and brain to pick out all the key words on the page so that I don’t have to read every word. If something suddenly just doesn’t make sense I reread the last paragraph. Consequently, I miss some of the insignificant details but I can always tell you the plot and conclusion of the book. This is usually the way I watch television also. I can watch TV, read a magazine and carry on a conversation with my husband at the same time. I’m not sure if Steve is listening but he has learned to nod at the appropriate times. Again, if I miss a key element, the DVR allows me to replay the scene or I just ask Steve. I may miss a few details but the movie always ends with the good guy winning.

SO LET'S GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD!

As you can guess, I am not the most patient person in the world and I am usually anxious to move on to the next book, task or project. Sometimes, I fear that this character flaw shows up in my walk with God. Many times God has put a desire or a dream in my heart and immediately, I am off my knees and ready to “get the show on the road.” I may miss a few details but if God gave the dream to me, it will turn out ok because He always wins. And God says, “Yes, I always win, but you, on the other hand, need a little perfecting.”

Genesis 12:2 I will make you a great Nation; I will bless you and make your name great.

Abraham was given a promise if he would follow God to an unknown land. God promised Abraham that he would be a father of a great nation. Now Abraham was a very detail-oriented person and God had forgotten one very important detail or so he thought. Abraham and Sarah were approaching old age and not one child had been born. Being a man of superior intelligence, Abraham reasoned you can’t exactly have a nation if you can’t even have a child. Abraham decided to help God with this very important detail and fathered Ishmael by Sarah’s maidservant.

God had not forgotten His promise or any of the details and although God blessed Ishmael and made a great nation of him, Ishmael’s descendants continue to cause Isaac, the true son of promise, all kind of problems to this very day. How much smoother life would have been for his children if Abraham had only waited until God was ready to fulfill the promise.

Genesis 37:5 Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers and they hated him even more.

As a young man, Joseph dreamed two dreams. God revealed the meanings of the dream to Joseph but kept the time frame of fulfillment a secret. Joseph, being the favorite son, suffered much teasing and torment from his 10 older brothers. Now he saw his chance to get even. “God has shown me in a dream that one day all of you will have to bow down to me,” Joseph told his brothers. Once his tongue began “flapping” it wouldn’t stop, he included his father and mother in those that would one day bow to his superiority. Yes, God had given him the dream but Joseph needed a little perfecting before he could rise to the place of service to his people. It included being betrayed by his brothers, sold into slavery, falsely accused, spending some time in prison, forgotten for a time and finally having a “do or die” moment in front of Pharaoh. Joseph had been perfected! 

This is reflected in his words to the butler and baker regarding their dreams; “Do not all interpretations belong to God?” And again when his brothers did in fact bow at his feet; “So now it was not you that sent me here, but God.” It had taken more years than Joseph would have thought necessary, but God had perfected him and brought him to the point where he was able to handle the realization of the dream. Joseph realized the dream was not about him but about the great God that not only held the interpretation of dreams but had guided his every step.

1 Peter 5:10  “But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.” 

Like Abraham and Joseph, God has made me some promises and given me some dreams. As I look back to the starting point, I see some of the perfecting that God has worked in my life. Sometimes, I have wearied in the waiting and thought I would help God out with a few of the details. With gentleness and great mercy, He takes me by the hand and continues the perfecting process.


Philippians 3:12 Not that I have already attained or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 

Once again, I am encouraged; God is not slack concerning his promise. He hasn’t forgotten me or neglected any of the details; I just need a little more perfecting.

GOD IS NOT IMPRESSED!!!

Do you ever find yourself trying to impress God? If I get that promotion, buy my dream home or drive the right automobile, surely God will see how important I am! OK, I know material things don’t impress God, but if my congregation reaches 500 or I get to sing at the Ladies Conference; after all those things are “for God,” then everyone will know I have the favor of God on my life. My achievements will be a great platform to share Jesus with unbelievers and my big name will draw many to His love. GOD IS NOT IMPRESSED!!!!

It is fashionable today to proclaim your faith in Christ in whatever situation you have put yourself into. We are convinced that our actions do not matter as long as we invoke the Name of Jesus. A few years ago, in a Bible study situation, Steve remarked that he didn’t understand how beauty pageants could bring glory to God. It offended someone in the group and later that evening, Steve received a call from the pastor. If we are honest, we have to agree that beauty contests are about glorifying the flesh and the creation more than the Creator. The producers have put in a talent segment and an “intellectual” question at the end, but everyone knows that is really about the contestants’ beauty, hence the name. I have a hard time believing that it is pleasing to the nature of God for a contestant to parade her scantily clad body in front of the world as she gives thanks to God. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 10:17 “But he that glories, let him glory in the Lord.”

We are so impressed when a worship leader, pastor’s kid or church benchwarmer makes it big on American Idol. The music obviously doesn’t move God as He has choirs of angels serenading Him constantly. What does the contestant really expect from their performance? To be recognized, make a lot of money, have millions of adoring fans, be the next American IDOL? What about that little verse in Exodus regarding other gods? God gave you the talent for praise and worship unto Him not to impress Simon Cowell. Also, if you are going to point to the sky after the touchdown or thank your “Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” when you win the MVP award, make sure your mouth glorifies Him when you get sacked or strike out on a bad call.

Our achievements mean nothing to God; it is His work that is performed in us that matters. God doesn’t need to stand on our platform to shine, He desires to shine through us, that “men may see our good works and glorify our Father in Heaven.” God is not impressed by our talents and beauty, since He is the Giver and Creator. The Bible tells us that He owns the cattle on a thousand hills and paves His streets with gold; do we really think our possessions and riches could impress God? Micah 6:8 gives us a clue as to what might impress God, “He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” If you really want to impress God, be faithful and submit your will, time, and talents to HIS plan.

WRISTBANDS, RIBBONS AND BUMPER STICKERS

It is official, all of America is aware! Yesterday, millions of women across the United States told their friends, acquaintances, and the world the color of a particular undergarment and in the process, broadcasted the fact that there is a disease called Breast Cancer. Now if you have survived this disease or know of someone that is a cancer survivor, one of the least important pieces of information you need is the color of someone’s bra, but now we all feel we have done our part in the fight.

In 1973, Tony Orlando recorded a song written by Irwin Levine and L. Russell Brown titled, “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree.” Then in December 1979, Penelope Laingen, wife of one of the Iran hostages, tied a yellow ribbon around a tree at her Maryland home. The ribbon symbolized that we had not forgotten the American hostages and that we were praying for and working toward their release. We were helpless to participate in rescuing the hostages but we could all tie on a yellow ribbon and feel better. This started the “Awareness Ribbon” craze.

My research turned up an unbelievable number of color and color-combinations of ribbons, all with several meanings and causes attached. Some of the most common are Pink-breast cancer awareness, Yellow-support our troops, Red-the fight against HIV and heart disease awareness, Purple – domestic violence awareness and victims of 9/11, Blue-victims of drunk driving and child abuse, Green-environmental awareness, White-Right to Life, and of course the Rainbow ribbon for gay rights. If you are not into wearing ribbons then slap a bumper sticker on your car, make a statement with a t-shirt or flash a wristband, it won’t accomplish anything for your cause but we will all know how much you care.

As Christians, we have bought into the whole “Symbolism over Substance” philosophy. It’s much easier to wear a WWJD bracelet, an inspirational t-shirt or a cross lapel pin than actually speak to someone about Jesus. Have you ever “honked because you loved Jesus,” only to have that person cuss you out or flash an obscene gesture? “I don’t get involved in any of that symbolism,” you may say, but have you ever told a needy person, “I’ll pray for you” as you walk swiftly past? Another of my favorite feel-good phrases is, “If there is anything I can do, give me a call.” Have you ever received a call? Probably not, but at least you offered.

Here’s a novel idea that just might work if anyone would dare give it a try. Instead of telling the world your bra color, call your local cancer center and volunteer to be a support person. If you know someone suffering through chemo, put some legs on your prayers and clean their house, prepare dinner for their family, hold their head as their puking out their guts, then loving wash their face and help them back to bed. Instead of picketing an abortion clinic, help out a confused young girl by assisting her in keeping or adopting out her baby by providing infant essentials, support or mentoring. I know from experience that the local homeless shelter and soup kitchens are always looking for donations and volunteers. Although flowers may be a lot easier, a person who has just lost a loved one can always use a simple meal, someone to clean up after the visitors or a sympathetic listener.

The Bible tells us that Jesus went about DOING good. It’s laughable to think that His disciples could have evangelized the world by wearing a red, white or purple ribbon. It may be easier, give you a warm, fuzzy feeling because you “care,’ and make your neighbor more aware, but there is still no cure, many children went to bed hungry last night, another baby was eliminated because a mother felt there was no alternative, and your neighbor still doesn’t know that Jesus loves her. The next time someone asks me to wear a ribbon, share the color of my underwear or post something on Facebook to declare my faith, I think I will examine the cause and put a little substance to the symbolism by actually getting involved. On second thought, why wait until someone asks?

2010 RESOLUTIONS

Yes, I stayed up last night to watch the ball drop in Times Square, welcome in the New Year and share the first kiss of 2010 with my sweetheart. This morning I awoke to the real start of the New Year. The time for excuses is over and the future is now! I have suddenly arrived at the wall of everything I should be doing but put off until the New Year. It’s time for action!

The dictionary defines “Resolution” as a resolve or determination. The top 10 resolutions for 2010 are: stop smoking, get fit, lose weight, enjoy life more, quit drinking, get organized, learn something new, get out of debt, spend more time with the family, and help others. Many were also on the list for 2009 and probably all prior years. Number three, six, eight and ten are usually on my list of resolutions. Losing weight is a resolution I tend to make every Sunday night, the last day of every month and after every holiday. True it is usually broken sooner than I plan, but that only brings me back to where I started and the opportunity to start again.

Many people are averse to declaring a New Year’s resolution because they are afraid of failing or from past experience know the difficulty of keeping the resolution for an extended period of time. I prefer to look at resolutions as goals and I have been setting goals every year since I was old enough to understand that January 1 started a new year. A person who refuses to set goals will never accomplish anything. I would rather set a goal and have to start over or change it, than wander aimlessly with no focus.

I can guarantee you that my list will include losing weight, exercising more, becoming more organized and helping others, but my soul yearns for something deeper. This verse in Colossians is my 2010 New Year’s Resolution. Colossians 4: 2-6 “Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; 3meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, 4that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak. 5Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. 6Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.”

2010 Resolutions: 1. Pray earnestly, always careful to be thankful. 2. Ask God daily to show me the hearts hungry to hear His word. 3. Seek for wisdom toward unbelievers and those who are wavering in their faith. 4. Be careful to not waste the limited opportunities I have to share truth with people stumbling in darkness. 5. Let the Grace of God overshadow my words that I may not cause an offense.

As I look forward to the year that lies before me, I realize I have 365 days, 52 weeks, 12 months or as my nephew Michael pointed out, 525,600 minutes to walk in any direction and to accomplish anything that I choose. The goals I set and my efforts in completing the goals will determine what I have allowed God to accomplish through me and who I have become on December 31, 2010.