In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.” Exodus 16:2-3
Here are a few words that captured my attention as I read today’s verses:
“Grumbled” “If only” “There we had…” “But YOU” “Have brought us out HERE” “…to starve”
Honestly, tsk, tsk, tsk. I wag my finger in judgment and disapproval at these obstinate, whiny people.
And then, I realize, “Hmmmm, that’s me, sometimes, too.”
I say those same things in my thoughts, I daydream about what could have been, and I even have the audacity to actually, sometimes, say the words out loud in complaint. Get a bunch of us complainers together, and it feels like the whole world is coming a part at the seams! And boy does it feel like it on many of those days!
Yet, pulling back and looking at the bigger picture of the children of Israel and their lives, I see that God was truly trying to save them. He was offering Himself, the best gift He could possibly give.
They just didn’t see it.
They couldn’t.
The Israelites hadn’t yet learned to make space for Him…not any, not at all!
They had only learned to applaud Him when He showed up and gave them things.
Yesterday, the house was quiet in the evening, I purposefully turned out the lights and looked out at the stars. I talked with God and sat in His presence. I said to myself, “This is good to make space for Him.”
Space, is another way of saying taking time or giving room. Creating space for someone means emptying that spot of its contents. So, when I made space for God, I emptied myself: of chores, tasks, phone calls and all other stuff with which I fill my life. I also turned away from worries or anxieties, anger or fears.
I wasn’t expecting anything big. I just wanted to BE with Him. I talked about some of the issues of my day and how much I loved Him. I enjoyed the view of the stars and thanked Him for several gifts He had given me that day.
However, if I had spent my time…grumbling, if-onlying, dreaming (about the good old days) and blaming God, I wouldn’t have had room for Him, His word and His gifts. And if I had complained about all things I lacked, and not even tried to see the goodness of the Lord, I would have, like the Israelites, not seen it.
Yes, I tell the Lord every good and bad thing that’s on my heart. We all do and should!
However, once the words are spoken, we learn to leave it with Him. We make room for His presence, meditating on who He is and what He is already doing, perhaps in hurt and tears, but those are a natural part of the space we create for God.
The last thing the children of Israel said in today’s verse is the whole reason I stopped for a little while and sat in the words that grabbed my heart: “…but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death…”
When I think of starving, I think of hunger, and then I think of thirst, and at this point in my life, ALL of it points to the deserts we experience (see last week’s blog).
And that’s exactly where God had them, right where He wanted them.
The bold, clear blinking lights came to me and spoke, “Of course, He was trying, in a sense, to starve them (not from food). He wanted them to be spiritually hungry…starving for HIM!!
Yet, even more, He was trying to fill them with Himself!
If He withheld (for a few days) the most basic needs that humans have: food and water, He must have been after something deeper than even those needs.
When we narrow down to the basics for our bodies (and hearts and souls) to just a few desperate necessities, even then, God truly is the largest demand of it all.
What do I do with that…for the rest of my life?
Father, if I desire more than anything else that YOU are to be my Master and my Leader, I have to trust you with EVERYTHING that’s going on in my life. ALL of what my brain tells me is a must, I lay at your feet and wait for you to provide what you wish for me. Your ways are so much higher than my mind can fathom in my own deepest but feeble thoughts. I cannot possibly know how to choose the most appropriate circumstances for myself, though I try so hard. Your thoughts are so much higher, and I want to ask you to help me release my life into your hands in pure, raw hunger for you. In Jesus name, Amen.
Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Eph. 4:30-32
Today we will look into another aspect of steering away from our wrong choices (even when we are antagonized). We will learn more about how discernment is really a strong desire to hear God’s Holy Spirit.
This past week my family lost a dear loved one, 89 years old, and of all people who exemplified this strong desire for the Spirit of God, it was her. Her whole life she followed Him. In this, I too, want to take in all I can to grasp how to follow the same path.
The first point I’ll make according to today’s verse is that sadly, we all have it within us to grieve or even quench (I Thess. 5:19) God’s Spirit and thus make terrible decisions. Today’s verse explains some of the ways we do that through our bitterness and anger.
When I use my emotions to hurt or discourage God’s people, the Spirit may be even more grieved than when I fail to perfectly carry out His guidance in discernment (which we’ve studied all this time). In fact, how we spend our time discerning the way we treat His people is probably more important than any other decision.
Before going further in this post, take a moment to read through the entire fourth chapter of Ephesians. List ways the Holy Spirit guides us in discernment in our relationships with others. Write down what discernment is and is not and list qualities you discover that would better define the word itself.
Here is ‘my’ list:
Discernment is urgent, humble, gentle, patient, loving, unified, peace-filled, grace-filled, works- of-service-oriented, joined, building each other up; not dark, not hardened; puts on the new self; not false but true, not speaking unwholesome things; doesn’t grieve the Holy Spirit; not bitter, raging, angry or gossiping, but kind, compassionate and forgiving.
The chapter you just read is all about relationship. In our connections with each other, wisdom tells us that the Spirit may prompt us like He did in the past. But, He may also lead us to take an alternative path, way out of our comfort zones. In other words, yesterday’s discernment in a situation may be different from today’s discernment and then a whole new way of handling it tomorrow. Knowing this helps us to be flexible with how the Spirit leads us in relating to each other and in emptying ourselves of expectations of what we think God wants us to do.
We ask ourselves questions like, how much is too much to speak? What is the right amount of confrontation or revealing of my feelings? Sometimes, the less words the better. We learn to want, more than anything else, what the Spirit wants because of our faith in His goodness. Once we make a decision through the Spirit of God, we don’t look back. In faith, we keep our eyes on Him and go forward.
The second point is simply a few links to help us better understand the Spirit of God. The following links will take you to a few of the devotions in the words of Oswald Chambers – My Utmost For His Highest. They both speak of our desire to follow God’s Spirit.
Of course, there are wrong reasons to desire God’s Spirit. This is my third point. In Acts 8:9-25, Simon wanted the gift of the Holy Spirit so he could learn more magic. He wanted power. He was pursuing miracles more than he was pursuing God. Acts 8:18 speaks of how Simon wanted to buy the Holy Spirit for the excitement of the miracle.
Is it possible to confuse my desire for discernment with my desire for a magical experience so that I can gain attention? It is very right to share testimonies, but for only one reason, to glorify God.
We must ask ourselves what our motive is when we share our stories.
Fourth, in the times we feel ‘called’ by God’s Spirit, it is not a moment to enjoy (though we will have pleasure in following the Him), but to work. It is not an opportunity to be comfortable.
When you receive a birthday gift from your best friend, what does that look like? The kindness brings a smile to your lips and makes you feel special and loved. However, the Holy Spirit is not a birthday gift to make you smile. His gift is calling you to a higher plane.
This leads us to the fifth point. After writing in I Corinthians 12 about gifts of tongues and other such things, Paul ends in verse 31 by saying, “Now eagerly desire the greater gifts.” What follows is the famous chapter on love. I Corinthians 13 says that the gift of tongues and prophecy are great, but greater still is the gift of loving one another.
As we become aware of our God-given talents, we must remember that the greatest way to expend our energies is to love what is unlovable. We are choosing to be on a higher plane when we love what is hard to love.
We are most alive when we are loving and actively giving. It is the way God made us. When we choose such lives, the Spirit of God moves and acts in and through us in ways that, on our own, we are not capable. Love is our purpose for living. Love promotes godly discernment.
As we continue to fervently feed our desire to become more like Christ and bend with His Spirit for the sake of God’s kingdom and not for our own benefit, Gal. 5:22,23 reveals to us, through the Spirit’s fruit, a way to know that we are truly listening, which is the sixth point. The fruit that speaks of our oneness with Him is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (many of the things we just listed from Eph. 4). Every moment we live, when we lean on the Holy Spirit for truth, His fruit will be brought about in our lives.
The seventh point in the Christian walk and of the Holy Spirit’s presence and fruit within us is to come clean about how much we really want, deep in our souls, to have His rule over our lives. When we are at our wit’s end for guidance, the Holy Spirit can show us the way. But how can He lead us when we are still well-supplied with all sorts of answers of our own.
Our hearts are full of self. They must be emptied.
Discernment is the willingness to start over, start from scratch, to be flexible to hear something different or new and be empty so we can be filled with His wisdom.
When I have no more answers and have come to the end of my rope, it is time to stop thinking, to sit before my Father and simply cry out His name and worship.
Here are the new additions to the Discernment Wheel from last week:
Discernment is:
Luke 18:31 Following this verse as an example of Jesus calling His disciples to a new place Using love to cast out a spirit of fear Knowing that some confrontations or truth may better be heard from others, not me Overseeing a heart of faithfulness vs gossip Not a promise of great results (or calm), yet I know that I have done his will Not free from battles (Jesus quoted scripture) *Doesn’t mean passive; it is important during a conflict to pause (for a time to regroup) in order to have a chance to come to truth and then relay it; then, I speak it with passion *Not my ability to figure it out *Not followed through by my power *Not necessarily about having good feelings
[*These additions aren’t in previous lessons, but added through comments.]
Father, in all my dealings with people, whether loved ones or strangers, lead me through your Spirit. Show me the way to love. Give me the fruit I need in order to show everyone who you are. In my decisions, help me to pause and consider your Holy Spirits guidance in all things. In Jesus name, Amen.
Hear my cry for mercy as I call to you for help, as I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place. Psalm 28:2
Have you ever wanted your voice to be heard by a loved one and you found yourself shouting, “Just LISTEN to me!”
I picture King David doing something similar in today’s verse, except he was crying out to His Father God.
For David, to experience the silence of God was a frightening thing, as it is for us all. At this point, nothing else mattered, “Just help me to feel your presence. Forget everything else I thought I wanted. I just want YOU!“
Notice that David isn’t crying out to his possessions or to a person or thing. He is earnestly calling on the name of the only One who can save him. A spouse cannot rescue him. Riches are fleeting and don’t satisfy his deepest needs.
In I Kings 18, Elijah uses a live example to show who the Israelites should turn to. He said, “How long will you waver between two opinions?” He gave the people a chance to prove that their ‘gods’ could save them …or not. After much drama and tears, their gods remained silent and unhelpful. Elijah then proceeded to make it virtually impossible for the One True God to arise and show Himself strong. The Bible says, “Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.”
In a sense, Elijah was saying, “This is the God you should turn to, not some piece of wood carved into an animal.”
When the ten commandments speak of not having any other gods before me, God knew that our hearts would constantly be seeking after others. What we don’t realize is that it is of no use to bow down and follow these luring idols of our lives.
So David cries, “I lift up my hands toward your Holy Place.”
Back in his day, the people would pray toward the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle because the ark of the covenant was in this place. Today, Jesus Christ is our Holy Place. He is the One who hears and answers our prayers.
Like a child reaching for his daddy, we continually reach for the Lord. We want His touch, His blessing and His saving hand to rescue us from our trials.
As we hold out our hands for His help, what do our hands have to offer Him? Pull out our pockets and the emptiness of the contents is startling. We come with nothing but a humble, repentant heart. And He draws us into His everlasting love.
Lifting hands used to be ‘the thing’ back in those Bible days. However, I grew up in a church where any emotion was thought to be over-the-top or too much, even raising my hands. About a decade ago, I stopped caring what people thought about me and simply and freely began to express my desire and love for God in public assemblies. Many others did to.
The gesture is natural to our hearts, just as it is natural for a small child to reach out to his earthly father. Reaching out always has a goal that takes confidence and energy.
I will lift up my hands to God knowing that I will not be turned away; knowing that my effort will be rewarded by His loving arms around me.
Lord, truly, I lift up my hands to you, sometimes in public, sometimes in the privacy of my home and sometimes in the secret places of my heart. You are my Father, and I look to you to know your will for me. How I long for you and your precious presence. In Jesus name, Amen.
The Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream, “Ask for whatever you want.” Solomon answered, “You have made your servant king. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Give your servant a discerning heart to distinguish between right and wrong.” So God said to him, “I will give you a wise and discerning heart. I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor. And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life. I Kings 3:1-15 (shortened)
Early one morning, during the week, the above story came to mind. I imagined God saying to me, “Ask for whatever you want.”
It is my practice to come to Him in prayer, praise and confession. I thank Him for His bountiful blessings. And then, typically, I pray a long list of specific things I want. There’s nothing wrong with that. We’re told to come to the Father with our burdens and requests.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God (Phil. 4:6).
I also imagined myself being in Solomon’s place, likely surrounded by irritating circumstances that could have been taken care of at a snap of God’s finger had he simply asked.
Yet, what he requested was narrowed just to one thing: wisdom, “a discerning heart to distinguish between right and wrong.”
The story came alive in my head with continual taps on my shoulder. Pay attention!
But, I didn’t want to. I didn’t like the conviction wrapping itself around my heart. I wanted to tell God all my desires and then start my day, leaving it all to Him.
What bothered me was that wisdom is what I needed, but wisdom takes work on my part. My flesh told me to be overwhelmingly needy, unhappy, possessive, jealous, and demanding of stuff.
Yet, in my prayerful requests for God to change me or to change this or that person or to give me my heart’s desire, the best quality I could possess is wisdomto deal with that person or that desire.
God can move ME to be a part of the answers to my own prayers. Wisdom is more valuable than I think.
Now go to the next part of the verse. God does fulfill Solomon’s request, but He also gives him wealth, honor and long life. He gives him what most people would have requested.
If you know anything about Solomon, he messed up his life, big time (like we all have a tendency to do!) He wrote the beautiful, wise Proverbs. He also wrote Ecclesiastes in which he described the accumulation of stuff, the fulfillment of all his passionate desires for women, food and drink. None of these things satisfied him. He called the whole thing, meaningless. In the very end, Solomon appears to have learned his lesson. He returns once again to wisdom.
“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).
Sometimes God provides a gift in order for us to walk through it, learn from it and, in the end, place value in a whole different area of life than before.
When I ask for wisdom, with what will God supply me to teach me these valuable lessons? Will I sink in sin or will I rely on His strength to carry me through events of over-abundance, under-abundance or whatever He chooses for me?
My choices dictate much of the outcome.
In the verse above, God told Solomon that if he obeyed His commands, He would give him long life. Yet, even with all the awesome God-given WISDOM, a long life and all the wealth and honor, he ended up marrying pagan wives and participating in pagan worship. These choices were his downfall.
I want a discerning heart. I want to know if what I do and say is in tune with God’s will, including what I ask for on my request list for the day.
James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”
Father, I give you my highest praise! I open my arms wide and emptied to ask for wisdom and understanding. I am only a little child. I need Your help. My gaze is fixed. I humbly turn from other distractions. You alone are God, my glorious King. Lead me not into wayward ways, but into godly, straight paths. I pause a moment to listen and allow you to speak to my mind and heart. I listen for your commands for me this day. And armed with your wisdom, oh, Mighty Warrior, I bring my requests before You. Protect me and go before me in power. Reign in my life, forever.In Jesus name, Amen.
“They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit” (Jeremiah 17:8).
This week I’ve been thinking about the famines of Bible times. People had to move far away to sustain their lives. Famines can be an upheaval in a person’s life, not just famines of food scarcity. There can be famines of the mind through depression and famines of health through disease.
Today, I want to talk about the famines of the spirit, the drying up of sacred places where God wants to dwell.
It may be easier to spot spiritual famine in other people. But I am so grateful when the Holy Spirit breaks through to my wayward heart, holds up a mirror to my face, and all at once I see the plank in my eye. Conviction is not an easy thing, but acting on truth is so much more peaceful than living a lie.
“You think that you are better than your brother. But you are not. First, you must take the big piece of wood out of your own eye. Then your eyes will be clear and you will see well. After that, you can take the small piece of wood dirt out of your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:5 Easy English Bible).
In a drought, if a person discovers a rare source of high quality food and water, he will want to share it with his community so all can partake of the bountiful provisions.
If a person finds a source of spiritual sustenance (Jesus), he will want to share his findings with others. Not everyone will listen. Not everyone will come and drink of the life-giving water.
Sometimes, I am the one who doesn’t listen. It’s why I caution myself. Because of the nature of my flesh, I am endlessly tempted. Sin attracts me, so subtle, at times, that I can’t see my own sin. I picture myself handing Christ out to others as I would food and water in a famine. Yet, I still have that big piece of wood in my eye. I can’t afford to stop looking for the famine of the Spirit within me. In my humanity, I’ll always be susceptible to sin’s power.
Question I ask myself: What is my famine of the Spirit?
“The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one” (Psalm 14:2-3).
While I ask God to open my ears, reveal my sins and repent of them, there is a natural tendency to seek others who will listen to my pitiful story. My story is born of weakness and pain, and sometimes, blindness to what’s in my heart. It is covered with the heroic event of Jesus’ death on a cross, but the enemy still lingers near to make me forget the holy event and shrivel, wither and die in my famine.
As I share my life’s circumstances, I feel the winds of drought attempting to blow hard on the Spirit within. God is helping me see my pride and arrogance. I am recognizing too many words from my mouth and a know-it-all attitude. I repent of these things out in the open for all to see. I accept Jesus’ blood and Holy Spirit working in me. The opposite of what the enemy wants happens every time I yield to my Father, and I begin to bloom and flower in the midst of what seems dry.
The biggest phenomenon in my heart is the desire to know God! I want to lean on Him to win all my battles for me. I want to be a humble woman. I want to share what I have in purity and reverence before the Father, even in times of drought.
That is the first thing I am learning about famines.
The second idea is this: There are some famines from which God moves me away to a land of plenty. I am feeling His bounty more than I’ve ever felt it before. In part, it is because HE is my land of plenty. Everything around me feels lush and overflowing. Yet I am also physically in a place of blessing and rest. In this, I am aware that rest doesn’t last forever, and I must use this time to be ready to deal with the famines that are to come (in me and in others).
This leads to the third idea. Joseph was forced out of his home and away from his family to take on slavery in Egypt (Genesis 37). This terrible event happened for the purpose of eventually promoting him to become second in authority to Pharoah himself. During the seven years of plenty, he was to prepare for the seven years of famine that would follow. Among the many he rescued from death included his own family, who came a long distance to live near him.
“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Genesis 50:20).
Question for myself: What if I KNEW that seven years (or seven days) of spiritual drought were coming (in me or in someone I love) and there was nothing I could do to stop it? How would I prepare for it?
What about the season of drought YOU are experiencing now? How might your mindset change from panic, anger, and fear to one of strong trust in the Lord, forgiveness for your offenders and intentional time spent in preparing for the worst possible conditions life can throw at you?
There is a difference, for example, between how my flesh wants to treat a rude person and how God moves my thoughts to prepare me for a FAMINE through that person. The former makes me feel controlled and powerless. It causes me to want to react more than respond. The latter promotes something entirely different. I am empowered with energy to seek God and His ways. I see the rude person with new eyes.
In all this, first of all, the famine isn’t really a person. The famine is a naturally occurring evil that I need to face and address within the realities of the situation.
I need to prepare for upcoming interactions with the rude person as Joseph prepared for the seven years of famine.
I ALWAYS have access to what I need in Christ. The granaries are full to the brim and overflowing. God is moving in the situation. I need to be aware of what He wants me to do and how He wants me to respond.
Perhaps this person is on the verge of a breakthrough in Christ, and my kind, frank or silent response (as God leads) is the only example he will have that will open him to commit to a life with Jesus the Lord.
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you (James 4:7-8).
Second, his rudeness is not the result of something ‘I’ did wrong. Sometimes, in other people’s famines, I begin to think that because of their attitudes towards me, I am the one who messed up or am lacking in something they should have received from me. The guilt can be paralyzing.
In reality, the famine is the culprit. Not me and not him. There is nothing I can do to stop the famine. The fact of its presence results in seeking wisdom to be armed and prepared and to treat people separate from their “famines.” Hate the famine, not the person. Get up and fight the famine. Don’t let IT hinder your work in the Lord.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12).
Daily, I go to God for my food and water, and He equips me for what is to come. I am supplied for all my needs ahead of time to face the famine in me and in others.
Lord, rain on me and help me to grow as a flower in the midst of the deserts around me. Let me brighten a dull world. Let me smile when others frown. Give me provisions that I may freely pass on to others. And help me to receive the provisions you pass on to me from them. Help me to hold up my head in confidence and joy. Forgive me when I allow the dryness into my own soul. I turn to Jesus, the spring of life, and drink always from his quenching well. I pray in His name, Amen.
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:12-13).
I look out over the fields of green. My needs are MET (not in small portions,but in abundance).
At the beginning of each day, I make a mental or physical list of things to do and how I think the day should go. On my list are my most important projects and tasks. This is a reasonable and great practice. However, my heart remains alert and aware of what God wants altered that day for His will.
Sometimes, in the chaos of the hours I spend, I watch as some of my fields seem to dry up as the day or month or year progresses. This world takes from me. It is sometimes harsh, cruel, and unfair. I feel like I am somehow being robbed of (health, identity, dreams, longings, love). It is humiliating to find myself in the outsider’sbox when there was a time I had a place at the table. The fields before, behind and beside me seem wilted and barren.
What the world takes from me, I realize, in God’s eyes, apparently isn’t something I need. What green pastures wither, He has something greener, in the restoration of what was lost or in other provisions, but mostly within His presence.
The undersized green patch on which I stand appears to be my only source of blessing: time and space have cut everything else away (or so it seems).
Yet, on my one square of plenty (where my toes hang off the edge), I find contentment. God knows how to multiply His blessings from miniscule beginnings. He knows how to make something from nothing. The square is, in fact, overflowing, though I may not see it. His provision is enough for now. And now is all that matters.
This field is not my home. It is only the temporary place where I dwell. Yet, I hear the Father call my name. Not only does He ask me to be content, He asks me to share my little piece of green field, wholeheartedly with others.
Not only does He ask me to share, He asks me to contribute my square to the very world that takes all the pieces of green from me. He asks me to give of myself as He did on the cross.
How? Here’s what I’ve come up with:
My expectations of the green fields to yield its fruits to me are not where my expectations should be. (The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want (Psalm 23:1).)
I am to go with the flow of having a lot or a little (money, food, support, attention), and I know that God has purposes in either situation. The secret of being content is to place my expectations on Him alone.
I must seek to be flexible with the ups and downs of my life, people’s flaws and my own limitations.
I am not their judge. I am a lover sent by a Loving God (a God who shows by His actions that He means business; after all, He sent His only Son to die for me). God made me to love.
There is good that comes from training myself not to become agitated over much of anything. When something disturbs my composure, it is an opportunity for me to grow. It is a chance for me to represent God in patience, kindness and forgiveness. The disturbance is my ticket to ride on the breath of God while He shows off his greatness.
Somehow, there seems to be the need for a sort of holy detachment from this world (and what it has to offer) that keeps me focused on the Lord.
Jesus had this quality when He walked the earth. He had to in order to prioritize His Father’s will and not get sucked in by the pulls or temptations of the world.
This holy detachment is not emotionless and robotic. It is a choice to be all in, but also to let the heart be replenished by an utmost care for God’s kingdom. It is a chance to extravagantly love Him more than all else that is held dear (usingactions).
Feelings are real and they matter. Yet, when I worship Him, the feelings don’t seem as big and scary.
The pains of life never completely go away. I will always struggle within my trials or hurts. However, I wonder what my life would be like without Him? I can’t imagine. Not having my Lord would be worse than not having everything else.
Most of the time, the tiny square is how I live my life (though, in reality, I truly possess acres of fields of green from God’s hands). On earth I just don’t always feel it. I’m learning to feel it in a deeper place of my heart. In the meantime, I’m learning to have faith to enjoy things I do not physically see.
Last week, as I was severing myself from the wants of this earth, finding contentment and joy in my life and pouring out my love to those around me, I received an astonishing gift.
The package came in the form of words that deep down, I longed to hear, words that I thought had been set in stone on the opposite side. I had relinquished this gift long ago and my eyes filled with tears the moment the words were spoken.
I didn’t weep because the gift was solid, sure, nourishing, or filling. My tears happened because the gift showed me that hearts of our people can soften and that God’s love is deep and broad and high. It showed me that miracles still occur today! It reminded me not to depend on the gift but to adore the giver, who ultimately is God.
At the same moment another package came. Two days later yet another arrived, and then another.
My pasture wasn’t any greener because of these gifts. In fact, my fields are always bright and thriving. Yet, God allowed the gifts to help me feel His undying love. The seeming desert of earth I had learned to cherish and enjoy came alive, and now I could see the fountains flowing. I could taste the clear cool water on my tongue.
I was overwhelmingly amazed to my core. That’s the way gifts should be: unexpected and breathtaking.
The reason why earthly gifts are not solid and sure is because they can be hindered or withheld the next time around. They can change colors in an instant, be broken or lost.
The only sure gifts we have are from God, and they can never be taken from us. As I think about what I received this week, my mind isn’t on those gifts at all, not anymore. My mind is on what heavenly offerings I have in the green fields around me. Here are some of God’s gifts as shown in his word:
James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. (His gifts are perfect.) I Peter 4:10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace. (The gifts Peter is referring to are special talents God has given to each of us.These gifts aren’t to be hoarded but shared.) Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (His greatest gift is eternal life with Him.) Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God. (God gives us grace when we have sinned. Thank you, God!) John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (God gave His own Son.) Matthew 7:11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! (God’s gifts are far better [on a different level] than our attempts at giving.) James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. (Wisdom is a gift from God.) Acts 2:38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (The Holy Spirit is a gift.) Psalm 127:3-5 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. (Children are a gift from God.) Psalm 84:11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. (God doesn’t withhold good things from us.) Psalm 37:1-5 Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. (God knows what we need, and He provides.)
Father, I know you will provide everything I need when you ask me to give. My patch of green is a holy place where you support me with your strong hand. You are my God, and I am your child. I do my work of the day as if I am doing it for you alone. Forgive my attitude when my thoughts take me elsewhere. Help me to be grateful for all the blessings you bestow. Make me aware of your presence and your gifts of love. Thank you for salvation and grace and for giving me your Holy Spirit forever. Thank you for never leaving me alone and for your perfect gifts. I love you, Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.
The following song tells of our need to GIVE ourselves wholly to the Father of us all and keep our days completely open to what he wants us to do.
Search me, Oh God, and know my heart Psalm 139:23 (ASV) 