A Useful Life

In preparing to go through a Life Plan Facilitation with Kelly Thorne of Blooming Ministries I’ve discovered something. I’m lazy.

God has given me circumstances and people to confirm his useful plan for my life. Yet I keep coming back to “Why would God want me to do that? Maybe I should just enjoy life as it is.”

Two weeks ago at a writers conference, Jim Watkins said “If I'm going to be a faithful Christian, I must write.” It was one of those times when I felt like there was a megaphone aimed right at me.

Yesterday Greg McNichols at Newstart Community Church made this comment: “If you are not doing what you are created to do, then you are useless.” Greg was speaking on Matthew 5:13-16.

Let me tell you why you are here. You're here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You've lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.

Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill.

If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand.

Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand - shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:13-16 (The Message)

Greg pointed out the Greek for “shine” in verse 17 indicates active participation. We are not a shiny piece of silver for God to display. One of my favorite verses, 2 Peter 1:3-4, also reminds us that we are given everything we need to participate in God’s divine nature. This is not about staying busy. It’s about doing what we are created to do.

A hidden light is of no use at all. Salt that is contaminated is thrown out as useless.

I can sit back and blend in, or share my thoughts in circles that create more havoc than peace. Or, I can do what God created me to do and be useful in this world. I don’t want people to look at me as a wall flower. I want to be useful in making others thirsty for truth and light the path to Christ. That requires active participation with God.

How about you? Are you allowing the “just enjoy life” culture to render your life useless. Being busy isn’t always useful and being useful is not generally the easiest path.

Here’s the choice as I see it. Do you want to just exist (busy or not) until you die? Or do you want to experience life as it is intended to be?

I’m choosing Life.

Quit Striving

Are you frustrated with life? Maybe you are frustrated with your boss or a family member? Have you thought about the real reasons for your frustration?

I’m not a full blown Type A. But I used to get frustrated when I wasn’t getting things done on my to-do list. Or when others wouldn’t do what they needed to do so that I could accomplish my goals. Another major frustration was being interrupted. Children are very good at interrupting life in small and big ways.

Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven Life begins with a powerful phrase. The first sentence in chapter one reads “It’s not about me.”

All Christ followers know that, right? Our frustration is because we want the best for others or the best for God’s kingdom, isn’t it? I’ve learned when I’m frustrated, I’m not trusting God.

Luke 1 tells about the angel’s news of John the Baptist and Jesus. John’s father and Jesus’ mother had very different reactions.

The Greek words for “how” in Zachariah’s and Mary’s questions are not the same. (search Luke 1 using the NAV with Strong’s Numbers at http://www.crosswalk.com/ for more on the Greek)

Zach wanted to know the full game plan and proof that it was going to work before he believed. Mary was in awe and recognized that it couldn’t be in her power.

Zach is like many of us. We want to get the details from God so we will know what we are supposed to do. After all, God has gifted us to do things. Surely he will give us the game plan so that we can get started and get the task accomplished.

Can you imagine Zach at home after that? Headache? You can’t have a headache tonight. He can’t talk but he is doing everything he can to make this happen. He’s striving.

Mary left town immediately. She wasn’t thinking about her part in accomplishing this goal. She was anxious to get to someone who would understand God’s way of controlling the situation. She was living, not striving.

Our Type A personalities drive us to think life is about accomplishing tasks. Our only goal is to love God and love others. God gives us gifts to do that successfully. Most of the time, the circumstance is insignificant. The key is to remember that accomplishing God’s will for your life is not about you.

In John 14:6 “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”

Quit striving. Be excited about what God has revealed to you. Don’t try to take control of his goals. You can’t change people. You are not the way to God. You may know truth but you are not the truth. Enjoy the life of letting Jesus manifest all the truth he wants in exactly the way he desires. Our giftedness, personality, circumstances are God’s tools, not ours.

Who Moved?

Have you ever felt distanced from God only to hear someone say “well, if you don’t feel close to God like you once did, he’s not the one who moved.”

Hmmm, I’m pretty sure I’ve said that to others but I’m not so sure it’s true. Numbers 9:15-23 talks about the visible presence of God in the cloud by day and fire at night. This is how God guided the Israelites in their travels. Verse 22 says “Whether the cloud stayed above the Tabernacle for two days, a month, or a year, the people of Israel stayed in camp and did not move on. But as soon as it lifted, they broke camp and moved on.”

My first thought after reading this section of scripture was wouldn’t it be nice to have the visible presence of God like that now? I was quickly reminded that we have even better than that. We don’t have to open our eyes to see God; we have his presence inside us. We are the Tabernacle.

The Israelites moved as one body. God’s presence is now spread all over the world but he still leads one body for one purpose.

God’s purpose is not about finding a place for us to be physically comfortable and stay put forever. His presence is in our lives so that we may carry on the work of Christ.

In Luke 4 we find the people amazed with Jesus’ teaching and healing. They don’t want him to leave their town. But Jesus says “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.”

Numbers 9:21 says “Sometimes the cloud stayed only from evening till morning, and when it lifted in the morning they set out.” A generation of Israelites wandered through the wilderness being taught by God how to live in peace. The next generation entered the Promised Land after being raised to move from place to place as God leads even if it isn’t where you really want to be.

Has God’s peace lifted from you? Maybe he is the one who moved.

Put on your shoes so that you are ready to spread the Good News that gives peace.

Ephesians 6:15 (GWT)

Personal note:

I told someone recently that God would show them the right decision. The nonverbal response said that’s easy for you to say. I laughed thinking of the times I was in her shoes. But the truth is, I’m learning this day by day right now. I have discovered that every day can be peaceful if I simply stay focused on God for directions. I used to have a schedule for everything. Now… my house is a mess and I’m not up-to-date on bookkeeping which caused some finance charges on credit cards. Those things would once upon a time have sent me into hysterics. But last night I had so much fun passing Frisbee with my kids and earlier this week we hit golf balls. I spent all of Wednesday at my son’s Pioneer Day and he even allowed me to be his square dance partner. My daughter and I have gone for walks without me ending up irritated at her (that happens when I have other things on my schedule that I want to get to) and I’ve even let the kids stay up a little later. Life is so much easier when I remember that I really don’t have as much control over tomorrow as I think I do. I’ve come to love Proverbs 16:9 “We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.” If I try to step according to my plans, there will be an awkward struggle. I’m becoming much more graceful (pun intended) in my walk with God. And it makes life so beautiful.

Distractions

A few weeks ago during a Kairos team formation meeting, we built a rock altar. As we entered the prayer room, we each picked up a rock. These weren’t pretty rocks. They were various shapes and sizes, lots of rough edges.

Through the meditation time we were instructed to symbolically place on that rock anything in our lives that may be a distraction to doing God’s will throughout this Kairos experience.

Many of the team members had family issues and illness that could have easily given them reason to quit the team. I didn’t feel I had anything major going on in my life distracting me from God’s purpose for me on this Kairos team.

Then I heard that whisper. You know the one when God quietly gets our attention and then lays out something huge.

Only this didn’t sound huge. He simply said, “Quit trying to figure out why you are here.”

Ok, I can handle that. I was enjoying the team formation and looking forward to every aspect of the experience. So, I agreed. Yes, you can laugh. You know you do it too. God gives you instruction and you act as though you have the power and wisdom to veto his plan.

I took my rock up and placed it on the altar with everyone else’s rocks. Some had chosen very large rocks. They knew they had big stuff distracting them. Then I realized… “God, you didn’t just mean for this Kairos stuff, did you?”

Many of you know that I have a dream to write and speak. I also believe that every event in our lives makes an impact on our future. That belief leads me to spend a lot of time trying to see what God is up to in some of the most unusual situations.

Since the rock altar experience, I have been enjoying one day at a time. I know God has a plan for my life but there is not one bit of analyzing that can make that plan happen any smoother or faster. That doesn’t mean that I don’t dream and make some practical plans. It simply means I surrender the dream completely to God. It was his dream to begin with. The gift was that he revealed a glimpse of it to me.

I could spend a lot of time and money trying to develop this dream the way I think God intends for it to happen. I’m sure I would learn some valuable lessons along the way. But I’m choosing to take on the motto my husband came up with from his Walk to Emmaus, “Listen to the Spirit and do what he says.”

We really aren’t promised a tomorrow. Total surrender to the Holy Spirit is the most peaceful and enjoyable life imaginable.

What’s distracting you from the life God has for you today? Place it on a rock and carry that rough edged chunk of creation to a place of surrender and worship. Enjoy the peace of realizing you are not in control.

"What I'm trying to do here is get you to relax, not be so preoccupied with getting so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Don't be afraid of missing out. You're my dearest friends! The Father wants to give you the very kingdom itself. Luke 12:29-32 (The Message)

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." Luke 10:38-42(NIV)

Wisdom

Do you want to be wise? Think about your life. What circumstances have helped you most to have the wisdom you have?

James 1:2-4 and 5-8 have been favorite verses of mine for a long time. But I had never put them together until recently. Verses 2-4 talk about our trials. Verses 5-8 are about gaining wisdom.

When I look at all the verses together it makes me hesitate when I think about asking God for wisdom. Oh, yes, he gives generously without finding fault but it’s verses 2-4 that tell how that wisdom is disbursed.

Well, the book of Proverbs gives plenty of examples of the fool. I think I’ll accept the generous wisdom that comes with the trials.

Here’s the prayer that stirred these thoughts:

“Dear Lord, help me to realize my wisdom emerges as I accept and integrate all that has happened to me.” from DailyGuidepost.com Daily E-mail

I recommend that you go to http://www.crosswalk.com/ and read James 1:2-8 in a few different versions. One of them will hit home with where you are today.

Grow!

Did God plan the fall?

Now that’s my kind of question! This is my response to the question posted at http://forums.crosswalk.com/ (forum: [Theology] Christian Doctrine):

This question just recently began occupying my contemplative mind. Here's a scripture that seems to apply. Exodus 20:20 "Moses said to the people, 'Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.'"

I'm not going to try to say yes or no to whether God planned the fall but it is a new concept for me to consider that the "fall" as I have always considered to be "evil" or "bad" may have been exactly what God wanted to use to teach us to fear him - not our circumstances - from the very beginning.

I've recently began viewing everything in scripture as relationship issues rather than dos and don'ts (good/evil). It's been fascinating.

We claim that God loves us unconditionally. I have discovered that my relationship with God is greatly enhanced more by my struggles, trials/tests etc than by perfect obedience without questions. I'm not saying that disobedience is good. I'm saying God allows us to be maturing children so that we can grow into deeper relationship with him.

I've seen children who are so compliant that they don't know what to do away from "normal" situations. They don't question and attempt to reason because they fear consequences more than they fear the authority figure over them. When we have a healthy fear of the authority over us rather than merely avoiding consequences, we strive to get to know the person so that we can understand the consequences.

I also wonder if the "fall" was a test to teach us how male and female must work together. Looking at the events that took place seems to represent the same way men and women communicate today.

Is it possible that Eve failed to express all her thoughts - assuming that Adam comprehended her reasoning - while she acted more out of emotion than logic? Is it possible that Adam misunderstood Eve's intentions because he failed to enter into conversation with her - he assumed she was processing information the same way he did - without emotion - therefore he could not encourage her appropriately.

Emotion and logic are equally significant in decisions. God calls us to be full of compassion as he is and he will give us the wisdom to administer mercy, grace and encouragement. We must consider the relationship aspect of our decisions along with the logic for each circumstance.

I find the story of Job and the response of his wife to be a very similar lesson. We cannot throw out emotions. They are part of God's design for us. We are limited in our ability to reason, therefore human logic is not always accurate. The question is how do we use our God given emotions along with God given ability to reason logically to discover the wisdom he offers in each situation we face.

Just my perspective - not conclusive.

Just Watch and See!

Mark 16:16 “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”

Without reading that again, do you believe that means you must be baptized to be saved?

Ok, read it again. What if you believe but aren’t baptized? Are you saved or condemned?

Next question, what do you picture in your mind when you think of baptism? Infant baptism or believer baptism? Sprinkled, poured, immersed? Bathtub looking thing in a church, a swimming pool, a lake or river? Maybe speaking in unknown languages, healing services, snake handling. (If those last few are a bit too charismatic for you, please read the verses following Mark 16:16.)

The Bible can be tricky when we try to read it as an instruction manual. What if we read the above scripture as an involuntary act of human existence?

John the Baptist is quoted in Luke 3:16 saying “I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”

When Jesus was baptized, Luke 3:22 tells us that the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. Have you ever seen that happen when someone gets baptized today? I haven’t. I haven’t even sensed a significant moving of the Spirit at a water baptism. There may be a warm fuzzy feeling. Maybe even shouts of joy. But not the Holy Spirit descending in bodily form like a dove. That would be cool. If you’ve seen that, please let me know.

John 4:2 indicates that Jesus didn’t baptize with water. Only his disciples did.

Perhaps Jesus is simply informing us in Mark 16:16 of something we can observe. When someone believes in him, the Holy Spirit comes upon them – they are changed through the immersion of the Holy Spirit into their lives. It is a natural response to believing in Christ. The natural response to not believing is being condemned.

So we don't need to discuss whether someone should or shouldn't be baptized. We should be able to watch and see for ourselves. Forms of water baptism may be outward signs of inward experiences but unless a dove shows up at a water baptism, it could just be someone playing follow the leader.

Just so you can rest assured that I’m not totally off the wall here – or at least I’m not alone, here’s a note from http://www.crosswalk.com/ The NAS New Testament Greek Lexicon for Strong’s number 907 Baptizo which is the word translated as “baptized” in Mark 16:16.

Not to be confused with 911, bapto. The clearest example that shows the meaning of baptizo is a text from the Greek poet and physician Nicander, who lived about 200 B.C. It is a recipe for making pickles and is helpful because it uses both words. Nicander says that in order to make a pickle, the vegetable should first be 'dipped' (bapto) into boiling water and then 'baptised' (baptizo) in the vinegar solution. Both verbs concern the immersing of vegetables in a solution. But the first is temporary. The second, the act of baptising the vegetable, produces a permanent change. When used in the New Testament, this word more often refers to our union and identification with Christ than to our water baptism. e.g.Mark 16:16. 'He that believes and is baptised shall be saved'. Christ is saying that mere intellectual assent is not enough. There must be a union with him, a real change, like the vegetable to the pickle! Bible Study Magazine, James Montgomery Boice, May 1989.

It seems to me that God sent his son not to show us how to obey laws but to allow us to live in the Spirit. Because of Christ, we are given the Spirit to do his work until he returns.

“No one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows. And since you don't know when they will happen, stay alert and keep watch. The coming of the Son of Man can be compared with that of a man who left home to go on a trip. He gave each of his employees instructions about the work they were to do, and he told the gatekeeper to watch for his return. So keep a sharp lookout! For you do not know when the homeowner will return – at evening, midnight, early dawn, or late daybreak. Don't let him find you sleeping when he arrives without warning. What I say to you I say to everyone: Watch for his return!”

Mark 13:32-37