Oh, the things you learn when seeing the teen years the second time around through your child's experience. I remember applying for college and part time jobs with fairly light hand and many fields left blank on the form. I simpy didn't have much experience to put down. Nor did I really need any since I was young and starting out. It seems that is no longer how it's done. Now they have something called a, "Brag Sheet," which must be filled out. I guess it's a resume of sorts, listing all those things in which you've been active and involved with a few references tacked on. This gives you something to hand to the college recruiter or job interviewer if you have no concrete expereince, but have been on committes, in organizations, finished projects, or received honors or awards. It's a list of things you brag about. Different day, different culture. I guess I'm just still stuck in the days of self doubt. Because... I have a hard time getting past being told not to brag on myself. But this is a new culture of self-confidence which replaces those days of self-doubt. I wonder if these types of things cycle through again... kind of like fashion. Will self-doubt come back into style in another 30 years? I wonder what the image culture of the day was back in Jesus time? Or even Paul's day? Boy could they have written great Brag Sheets! Have you ever read about the big boast list Paul displayed? It actually seems a bit sarcastic. But there were some false teachers on his day who paraded around handing their "Brag Sheets" to the newly established churches These men boasted of all they knew, had been taught. Paul saw these men as trying to lead the churches away from the truth that he had taught them; the true gospel of Jesus. And Paul realized that he was a better write, than he was a speaker. So he actually made light of himself after these men stood about boasting in all their amazing credentials. This is how he compared himself... But whatever they dare to boast about... I’m talking like a fool again, I dare to boast about it, too. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? I know I sound like a madman, but I have served Him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm. Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak without my feeling that weakness? Who is led astray, and I do not burn with anger? 2 Corinthians 11:21-29 NLT What?! This doesn't sound like any Brag Sheet I've ever seen which would get someone noticed. Not in a good way at least. And it's not like Paul is looking for sympathy. For when we get down to the very last few sentences... I am completely blown away. As if none of those are bad enough to be his burden... as if none of those have caused him enough pain, or suffering, his DAILY burden is for the people in the churches which he planted. Who IS this man? If I had suffered even one or two of those things, I'd have milked it for all it was worth. I'd have gone home, sat in my pity party crying out to God... Why don't you love me anymore? But Paul is bragging, even boasting, of these things which have happened to him. He knows it is because of persecution. He knows it is for the cause of Christ. If I must boast, I would rather boast about the things that show how weak I am. God, the Father of our Lord Jesus, who is worthy of eternal praise, knows I am not lying. 2 Corinthians 11:30-31 And he is so very sincere. Who does that?! Who? Do you know anyone like this today? Have you ever encountered a single soul like this? The more I read of him, the more I'm amazed. That's when I consider how weak I am. But not in a godly way. In becoming weak for Christ... I have far to go. In learning to be faithful, I have much to learn. When I read of Paul's willingness to suffer, then brag humbly about it in order to boast of our Lord, I am astounded. Word of God train me today... To remain humble always in my service to You. To brag only about my weakness, giving You glory for providing strength through me.
0 Comments
Did you ever have a dream that went unrealized? Now, I don't mean the kind of dream you have while sleeping. Rather, a deeper sort of passion which stirs within... tumbling, bumbling, whirring and whizzing about when it's all you can think of for a time in your life. Maybe it was when you didn't have the time or the money to put it into place. Maybe it was when you didn't have the independence or the freedom to make your own choices. Maybe you began it and somewhere along the way got distracted, or bogged down with life's many daily drudgeries. And your dream just lost it's tumbling, bumbling, whirring and whizzing fervor, when it got stuffed into a dull gray dusty corner somewhere. I know the disappointment, I know the loss and feel of lack. Believe me, I've got more dusty dreams than I care to count. I try to tell myself I'll get them all done someday. But the tomorrows just keep rolling past me. I know all the pep talks, I've given them to myself. I've read all the self-help blogs and tried all the goal setting tips. Why am I the one who can't finish? I want to encourage you to pick up your dream, dust it off and start dreaming again. But if I don't do the same for mine, then what kind of friend am I? I'm certain that God planted within each of us seeds of dreams which were meant to be grown into the fullness of purpose. And I know these are not just for our own selves but for those whose lives we can influence around us. So when I came across this word from Paul today, I was hit smack between the eyes... And in this I give advice: It is to your advantage not only to be doing what you began and were desiring to do a year ago; but now you also must complete the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to desire it, so there also may be a completion out of what you have. For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have. 2 Corinthians 8:10-12 NKJV I really think Paul is telling me... telling those of us who have dropped our dreams, is to stop listening to the lie which says that we missed our opportunity; the lie that it's too late for us to begin again. I think he is encouraging us to dig up our dream, to consider it again... even if we didn't finish before. Good Heavens! We've grown since then, we've learned things, and become more prepared. If God has given us a willing mind and the passion within... He can provide all we need to fulfill our purpose. And if we are destined to serve His kingdom, then what He planned for us to do, what He planned for us to give... will serve the needs of others. For His plan in our lives always gives room, not only for grace to us, but grace through us. Hard work. Action, Gratitude. Grace, grace and more grace. Yes toward others, but also to ourselves. These are things we need to build within our daily practice. But we must realize our hard work will come with a price. We will need to serve others without reward or notice. For their approval is not why we were given a dream in God's plan. But God always provides in His own way... When God took care of the Israelites in the wilderness for the forty years He provided the miracle of manna. It was this white puffy substance that appeared on the ground like dew in the morning and the people were to gather only one day's worth. If they gathered more and tried to store it up, any that remained would spoil... or corrupt. There was no hoarding, no stashing, no selfishness, nor greed. No one could think only of themselves, nor profit from it. It simply wasn't how God intended manna to supply their needs. God wanted them to rely completely upon Him, DAILY. So it is. when God gives us ideas, when God plants a dream in us. They are to be gathered now, for our daily supply. We may not be stepping into the Promise Land of the Dream yet, but we must gather daily what He gives, putting the thoughts and ideas into some form of action. If we try to store them up, or stash them away, they will spoil. They won't mean the same later, They won't have the same impact the same purpose, even the same intended audience God planned for us to reach... later. Remember... as there was a readiness to desire it, so there also may be a completion out of what you have. For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have. If God tilled the soil of our heart, this readiness for the dream, it is the seed of desire. He also then, already created within us the strength and determination to fulfill it... our purpose for His kingdom's sake. I say it's time we started stirring tumbling, bumbling, whirring and whizzing about until everyone knows that our dream is about to come true! Let's dig up that dusty dream and renew the fervor we once had. Word of God train me today... To never give up on the dream You planted in me. To constantly till the soil of my heart, nurture and fertilize the plantings, so that You grow me into the fulness of purpose planned for me in the Kingdom of God. There are some who would say that the Bible doesn't make sense. Others who claim that it is no longer applicable to our culture of today. And still those who believe it is a holy book, but don't feel qualified to open the pages and dig into it. But truth be told, it has been said that the Bible was written and can be understood on 5th grade reading level. So it's not the words themselves that are difficult to grasp, rather the intimidation of the concepts... the mystery behind the text, that seems to cause us to leave it on the shelf increasing layers of dust. Well, long ago, we did need people to help us interpret these sacred texts. So there was a Tabernacle, housed with holy and anointed priests who were the only ones allowed behind the veil into the place of God. But when Jesus came, all that changed. At the moment of His death, the veil was torn, and now we all have access to the holy place of God. Including the understanding of the wisdom in His word. And there is no better way to explain it that simply to read about the veil directly from the Bible itself... It began actually, after Moses encountered God on the mountain gathering the Ten Commandments on tablets of stone. Moses came down to the people and his face was so radiant from being in the presence of God that they could not look at him directly. He had to place a veil over his face to shield them from the glory of God. The same was true when the Tabernacle was built. The veil was to protect the people outside the Most Holy place from being exposed to God's glory if they were not properly cleansed as were the priests. And so here we begin to read why it is that many people feel they can not understand what the Bible stays to them... We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so the people of Israel would not see the glory, even though it was destined to fade away. But the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ. Yes, even today when they read Moses’ writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand. But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord... who is the Spirit, makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image. 2 Corinthians 3:13-18 NLT And it's not just about the ability to read the Bible. Unfortunately, there are many who have decided not to believe in God at all... who have chosen to live life on their own as if He doesn't matter, or doesn't exist. That too, is due to a veil, a type of blindness... If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing. Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 Now this is not meant to point fingers, to accuse. Rather to enlighten, to lift veils. This is to bring awareness to those who may not realize that lack of understanding is not a form of ignorance. It's not a sign of stupidity. There are many very intelligent people who simply cannot reason their way through the scriptures simply because their eyes are covered. This is not a physical or mental matter, rather one more spiritual. There is a distortion that exists between their eyes, between their hearts, that causes the message of God to be misunderstood, even distorted. This is an act of God's enemy, the god of this world, satan. So what is the answer? How is this remedied? Why do some see and others don't? How was their veil lifted? The first set of verses said... But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. The Lord is willing and wanting to lift the veil from our eyes. But it takes action on our part. Even Moses needed to take action. He was the first one to wear a veil. Before he led the people of God out of slavery in Egypt, God had to get his attention. God appeared to Moses in a burning bush. The bush had fire within it, but it was not being consumed. That got the attention of Moses. Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.” So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Exodus 3:3-4 Moses had to turn to God. He turned toward God and away from his flock, away from that which was his current world. Moses had to give his attention to God and consider his beliefs. You see, God is always there, waiting for us to do the turning, wanting for us to do the turning. Then He will lift the veil. Then He will reveal His truth to us. Then we will see and understand. Even those of us who already know God, who know Jesus as Savior, can have a partial veil because we simply are not seeking God; because we have believed the lie of our enemy that we cannot understand the Bible. All we need to do is turn aside. Turn away from what distracts, turn aside from the lie that we cannot understand, that it's over our head and beyond our comprehension. All we need to do is ask. Whenever someone turns... that is an action on our part, turning to the Lord, He is there to take the away the veil. And since He is the Spirit, He gives us freedom. Freedom to see, freedom to hear, freedom to understand, freedom to share and freedom to express praise for this newfound light that shines forth wisdom. When I have felt blinded, veiled from truth in the past, I have claimed these verses which Paul wrote, as a prayer over myself. This has been my prayer... And I pray that the eyes of (my) heart... the very center and core of (my) being, may be flooded with light by the Holy Spirit, so that (I) will know and cherish the hope, the divine guarantee, and the confident expectation to which He has called (me), in the riches of His glorious inheritance as (one of) God’s people. Ephesians 1:18 AMP (personalized) Let it be yours as well. God does not desire that we stay far from Him. He created us for relationship with, and near Him, turned toward Him, unveiled, seeking His truth and glory. Word of God train me today... To turn toward You always with unveiled face. To never cease from seeking light and wisdom, which brings You glory, receiving Your blessings. |
categories
All
published
January 2019
Check out more: |