Simplify

My house is a disaster right now. I have black garbage bags and old diaper boxes scattered throughout every room. They have become the catch-alls for dozens of items that I’ve decided to give away.

Because God has wrecked me.

A few weeks back He revealed to me just how selfish I am. I live in abundance. I have four extensive, different wardrobes (my “regular” clothes, my maternity clothes, my postpartum clothes, and my work clothes). I keep them all…just in case I need them. I have an extra set of pots and pans. I keep them…just in case I need them. I have twenty extra towels in our linen closet. I keep them…just in case I need them. But the fact is that I don’t need them. I haven’t used them in years. By holding on to them, I was depriving others of something they may need, and I was depriving myself of the blessing of giving to others.

Generosity has been an area of confusion for me since I became a follower of Christ. How much am I supposed to give? Should I be living on next-to-nothing so that I can be more generous? Or is it ok to have some things? Where do I draw the line?

There’s a story in Matthew of a man asking Jesus what he must do to receive eternal life. He wasn’t just an average guy. He was good. Some may even say he was righteous. Scripture tells us that he had kept all of the commandments. But that wasn’t enough. Jesus responded to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” The man left sad.

Can you imagine if God told you to sell all your possessions? I can assure you that if He told me that, I too would walk away sad!

I have always read this passage, questioning if it is a biblical mandate to sell all of my possessions. As I have spent time studying it, and praying about it, I have come to realize that it is not a broad mandate. The root of this message (as with most messages in the Bible) is the purity of the individual’s heart. Jesus was pointing out that although the man had kept all of the commandments, his heart was still gripped by material possessions.

I share the same struggle with the man in the story. Hence the hoarding. J While God has not told me to sell all my possessions, one day He might. Right now, He is just telling me to simplify.

So I am.

What is God telling you? Is He telling you to be more generous? Is He telling you to simplify? Is He prompting you to be a blessing to another?

Heavenly Father, thank you for your generosity. Thank you that You meet my needs. Thank you that You are my provider. Lord, I pray that you will use me as your vessels to provide for another. That I will not be gripped by the materials of this world, but that I will choose to demonstrate your love by being generous. For I know that it truly is more blessed to give than to receive. I love you Lord.

Follower of What?

"For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.”

Matthew 18:20

I was so blessed to have lunch with a friend this week. As we visited about what was going on in our lives, I realized the conversation was consistently focused on God. That wasn’t the goal of us getting together. We were just getting together to catch up. But as we spoke, it became evident that God has permeated every area of our lives. We shared what He is teaching us. What He is bringing us through. What He is convicting us of.

As I drove home, I was reminded of Matthew 18:20. "For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.” I have heard this verse countless times. And honestly, I have used it casually when leading prayer. But as I meditated on the verse, I realized I am just now understanding what it really means.

"For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.”

The key is “followers.” When followers gather together, God is there. What does it mean to be a follower of Christ? A true follower of Christ is obsessed with Him. Followers think about Him constantly. Followers are in continual conversation with Him. Their entire existence revolves around Him. They have eternal perspective. They walk in moment-by-moment obedience. So naturally, when followers gather together, they can't help but radiate Him. He is there with them.

What do your conversations reveal about what you are obsessed with? What do you spend your time thinking about? Are you a follower of Christ, or a follower of this world?

Heavenly Father, oh how I long to be your follower. I know it is not an easy path, but I also know that my reward in heaven far outweighs any reward this world can offer me. I pray that my hunger and thirst for righteousness is never satisfied, that I am obsessed with You for all of my days, and that I radiate Your love to everyone I encounter. I love you, Lord.

Godly Imitation

"I want to take your word and shine it all around.
But first help me just to live it Lord."
Oh Lord, You're Beautiful

Adalyn got her first baby doll a few weeks ago. She held it for a few moments, tried to eat it's nose, and then tossed it aside. Caleb, on the other hand, swooped in and can often be found toting it around. He hugs it, kisses it, comforts it, changes it's diaper, sings to it, brings it toys to play with, the list could go on and on. He does all these things because he is imitating what he sees. Both Brian and I are constantly loving on and caring for our children. We strongly believe that the first step to our children truly understanding the love of Christ, is to understand our love for them. We try not to miss an opportunity to demonstrate that love through our actions. So it warms my heart when I see him being so loving, compassionate, and nurturing. It's such a beautiful example of the power of our actions.

Ephesians 5:1 says, "[i]mitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children." What does that look like? The Bible calls us to love our neighbors (and our enemies). To treat others like we would like them to treat us. To only speak words that are helpful in building others up. To give to the needy. To be slow to anger. To be humble.

What are you demonstrating by your actions? What does your husband see? Your children? Coworkers? Friends? The cashier at the grocery store? What do your actions say about you? What do they say about your Father? Do they see someone who speaks encouragement and truth, or someone who gossips? Do they see someone who gives generously, or someone who is tight-fisted. Do they see someone who gives glory to God, or someone who boasts in their own glory? Do they see someone who extends grace, or responds in anger?

We have a duty to be a light in this world. To share Christ's love. To share His grace. To share the hope that can only be found through Him. The best way to do that is by living as an example. By honoring God with our actions. By imitating Him in everything that we do.

Lord, thank you. Thank you for loving me. For caring for me. For teaching me. Heavenly Father, help me to imitate you in everything that I do. In the big things, and the small things. In all things, everyday. Lord, I am so grateful that I am your dear child, and that I have you to show me how to live. I love you, Lord.

A Look at the Inside

"For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:20

I heard a beautiful testimony a few weeks back. During one of the darkest times in this woman's life, when her marriage was falling apart, she found the Lord. She had been living as a Christian her whole life. She grew up in the church. She was baptized as a young girl. She went to church every week. But she never truly got it. Until she was forced to her knees in desperation. In that moment, she saw that she had been living for herself, not for Christ. In that moment, she realized that all of the good works she had done, were worth nothing, if she didn't fully surrender herself to Him and begin living in His will. What I love about her testimony is that her salvation moment came when she realized there is so much more to be a follower of Christ than just living an outwardly Christian life. She had been doing all the "right" things, but without a heart change, it meant nothing.

In Matthew Chapter 5, Jesus says, "[f]or I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven." What did he mean? The Pharisees were religious people. They followed all the rules. If we were to see them today, they would go to church every week, serve, be in a lifegroup, read the bible, pray, fast, etc. But they did it out of the wrong motivation. They did these things because they were "supposed" to, not because they were lead to, not because they longed to know God more, not because they truly desired to live in His will. They were externally obedient, but internally disobedient.

God demands righteousness of us. To be righteous is to conform to the revealed will of God. To be righteous is to walk in moment-by-moment obedience. To be righteous is stand humbly before God, realizing that we are spiritually destitute without Him. To be righteous is to acknowledge God's sovereignty and accept all of His dealings with us as good. To be righteous is to wholly surrender you heart - the center of your being, your mind, will, emotions, motivations, actions - to Him.

Righteousness has nothing to do with external obedience. It has nothing to do with doing what Christians do. It has nothing to do with legalistic compliance. It has everything to so with a change of heart.

Where are you today? Is your heart surrendered to God? Or are just going through the motions?

Heavenly Father, forgive me when I get caught up in external obedience and forget that what really matter is my relationship with you. I pray that you will help me daily to be wholly surrendered to you. That you will reveal your will to me, and give me the strength to walk in obedience to you. That I will have an insatiable hunger and thirst for righteousness. I love you Lord.

Context is Everything

I recently read a tweet that intrigued me. “God doesn’t hear all of our prayers.” That was it. No scriptural basis. No explanation. Merely a statement. I immediately went into research mode. I could point you to dozens of scriptures that speak to the fact that God does in fact hear our prayers, but I have never come across support for the idea that God doesn’t hear all of our prayers. In fact, after spending a couple of hours scouring the Bible, I still could not find scriptural basis for such a statement (though I did find a few about what prayers He ignores – more about that another time). What I learned through my goose chase is the importance of context. The statement above was taken from a talk given at a Christian conference. I’m familiar with the man who spoke those words, and am confident that he did not just make up such a statement without some sort of basis. But I was not privy to the context. I merely got a 140-character-snapshot. Without knowing the context, the statement means very little to me.

How often do we look at scriptures like tweets? Merely a small snapshot. How often to we latch onto a verse without truly understanding the context, and therefore, truly understanding it’s meaning?

Let’s take one of my favorite scriptures for example. Psalm 37:4. “Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Many people take that verse and read it to mean that if we love God, He will give us what we want. Not true. When we research the verse, and understand the context, we learn that the result of “delighting ourselves in the Lord” is that our desires align with His. It’s not about getting what WE want, it’s about getting what HE wants. A significant and crucial difference.

I challenge you to take reading the Bible one step further. Read it in context. Research the history and the original language. Use cross-references. When I incorporate all of these aspects into my Bible study, I glean so much more.

Lord, thank you for giving us Your Word. Thank you for giving us your Holy Spirit to help us interpret your Word. Lord, give me the discernment and wisdom to read your Word with your eyes and pure motives. I love you Lord.

Internal Wisdom

“For the LORD grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.”

~ Proverbs 2:6

I am in a difficult season. My sweet boy has entered the infamous terrible-twos. “No,” “Stop it,” and flying hands and feet have become a norm in our household. So what do I do? Stock up on parenting books. Books about child-rearing, books about discipline, books about navigating these trials. As I was worshiping this weekend at church, I realized I was going about it all wrong.

Give me wisdom

You know just what to do.

As I sang those words, I realized that first and foremost, I should be going to God. I should be asking Him for wisdom in raising my children. I should be scouring His Word for guidance on how to discipline my children. I should be seeking Him for insight into how to navigate these trials. “For the LORD grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.”

All too often we seek direction from external sources. Whether it be books, or blogs, or friends, or our pastor. Whatever it may be, when we turn to external sources, we are short-changing ourselves. While there is nothing inherently wrong with those sources, they will never be able to grant you the wisdom, guidance, peace, and assurance that we can get by going to our Heavenly Father.

If you are a believer in Christ, you have a guide that is far more valuable and wise than any external source. You have the ability to speak personally with the Creator of the Universe. You have the Holy Spirit dwelling within you, interceding on your behalf. You have the gift of the Word of God at your finger tips. The precious gifts are far more valuable than any external source could ever be.

Lord, give me wisdom. You know just what to do. Remind me of the precious gift of the Holy Spirit you bestowed upon me when I gave you my life. Prompt me to seek you first, and trust that You are the source of wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. I love you Lord.

Grace

This past weekend, my sweet husband took the kiddos out so I could have a couple of hours to get some things done around the house. It is AMAZING how much more I can get done without a toddler at my knee and infant calling for attention! As I scurried around the house with a dozen tasks on my mind, I had my iPod on shuffle. On came Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol. It’s actually a secular song, but as I listened to the lyrics, I was inspired.

I need your grace

to remind me

to find my own

So simple, yet so profound. When I truly sit back and think about what God has done for me, about the ultimate sacrifice, I can’t help but be humbled. The God of the Universe sent His only Son to pay the debt for my sin. The sin that I committed before I believed in Him, and the sin that I have committed since. When I realize that despite the fact that every single day I grieve Him, the Almighty God still loves me, still walks beside me, and still welcomes me into His home, I can not help but be overwhelmed with inexplicable emotion.

I need Your grace to remind me to find my own.

If the Sovereign God can show us such grace, who are we to withhold it from those He has placed in our lives. Maybe it’s our children who seem to be continually defiant, or our husband who has disappointed our expectations again, or our friend who we see making poor choices despite the wisdom we spoke into her life. While the world around us may encourage us to write them off, or scorn them, or dwell on their insufficiencies, as believers we are called to react differently. When we truly understand the grace that has been extended to us, it reminds us to extend grace to those around us.

Heavenly Father, I pray that you give me a heart like Yours. A heart to love people, where they are. A heart to extend unmerited favor, even when my flesh tells me not to. Lord, I pray that I never forget or get numb to the grace you have given me. That I remember daily that You are my Savior. I love you Lord.

Details

One of the things I love most about Bible study is how God speaks through His word, whispering different things to different people, through the same text.

The other night, as Brian and I were downloading about our day, he began to share about what God has been showing him in his daily Bible reading. Brian is doing the One Year Bible reading plan, and had just read through Exodus. If you haven’t read Exodus before, here is a little taste.

“Make a table of acacia wood—two cubits long, a cubit wide and a cubit and a half high. Overlay it with pure gold and make a gold molding around it. Also make around it a rim a handbreadth wide and put a gold molding on the rim. Make four gold rings for the table and fasten them to the four corners, where the four legs are. The rings are to be close to the rim to hold the poles used in carrying the table. Make the poles of acacia wood, overlay them with gold and carry the table with them. And make its plates and dishes of pure gold, as well as its pitchers and bowls for the pouring out of offerings.”

Wow. Talk about details. It may be easy to gloss over those words, after all, they aren’t quite as captivating as, say, the drama of Genesis that you know I love so much, but God used that text to speak to both Brian and I, in very different ways. You can read about what God showed Brian HERE.

As for me, as I pondered the inclusion of all those minute details, I had a moment of clarity. God cares about the details. God cares about all the different facets of our lives. He cares about what we do with our time. What we watch on television. The music we listen to. Who our friends are. What we wear. What we read. What we talk about. What we think about. How we care for our bodies. How we treat each other. How we spend our money. He cares about EVERY detail in our life.

Being a fully devoted follower of Christ means that every area of our life is His. In means we must ask Him daily to show us areas of our lives where we are not honoring Him. It’s not easy. It is sacrifice. The Bible calls us to choose to deny our fleshly desires every day (Luke 9:23). Certainly, that’s not easy. But we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13). What are you holding back that you need to sacrifice to Him?

Heavenly Father, I know you love me so much that you care about every detail of my life. I desire so deeply to honor you in every area of my life. Lord, I pray that you reveal to me where I am not glorifying you, and give me the wisdom and strength to sacrifice those areas to You. Thank you for your patience and grace, as I strive to align my life with your guidance. I love you Lord.

Know Him, Love Him, and Live Life with Him

We recently went on vacation with my family. As we were leaving for the airport, I ran back inside to get a book. I haven’t read a whole book since, well, since before Caleb was born, but I figured with built-in babysitting for the week, this might just be my chance. I grabbed “The Shack.” I’m sure some of you have read it. It was very popular a few years ago...with good reason. It’s a really interesting book, peppered with lots of biblical principals and thought provoking conversation. But what stuck with me the most was the re-iterance that being a follower of Christ is about relationship. It’s not about routine. It’s not about tasks. It’s not about a checklist.

Being a follower of Christ is about knowing, loving, and living life with Christ.

All too often people think, “if I read my Bible everyday and pray before meals, I’m being a good Christian.” Or, “if I attend and serve at church every weekend, I’m doing what I should be doing.” But that’s not what it’s about. That is not what Christ wants from us. He wants relationship with us. And relationship doesn’t look the same for every person, or every day.

Some days, for me, living life with Christ means that I spend an hour in Bible study first thing in the morning. Some days it means that I listen to worship music throughout the day. Some days it means that I’m in prayer throughout the day. Some days it means that I spend extended time teaching my children biblical principles. Some days it means being still during nap time, and just listening to Him. Some days it is all of those things.

Being a follower of Christ is about knowing, loving, and living life with Christ.

The point is that it is organic. It changes. It is Spirit prompted, not “to do” list prompted. Bible study, prayer, fellowship, corporal worship, and serving are all very important. They help us grow. They help us know Him more. They are each forms of worship. But what is most important is that we live in concert with Christ. Follow Him.

Heavenly father, I pray that I don’t get caught up in the things that I think I should do, and instead, focus on having an authentic relationship with you. Help me to avoid being complacent and stuck in a routine of worship, but rather, show me daily how to truly know You, love You, and live my every moment to glorify You.

Choose to be Righteous

I was recently talking with a dear friend of mine. She was distraught about a broken relationship. As I sat there hearing her side of the story, I couldn’t help but notice the statements of justification peppered throughout. I was instantly reminded of a nugget of wisdom that has changed my life.

Choose to be righteous, instead of just right.

In her case, she was completely justified in the things that she did and said in the situation. The things she said were true, and her actions would be widely considered appropriate. But what did that leave her with? A broken relationship and piercing heartache. Sometimes we must choose to be righteous instead of just right.

God commands us to choose the righteous road. “If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles.” Conventional wisdom would say that we would be perfectly justified in choosing to react differently. But we are not judged by conventional wisdom. We are called to be righteous, instead of just right.

Lord, give me the self-control to seek your wisdom and guidance before speaking and acting. Give me the clarity to recognize the righteous road and the strength to choose that road, even when my flesh is urging me elsewhere.

You are Needed

I experienced something new today. As I was holding Adalyn, staring in the mirror making faces at her, I noticed crow’s feet. I’m sure they have been there for a while, but I’ve never noticed them. In that moment, it became apparent to me that I’m getting old. Yes, I know at 30 years old, I’m still young. But I’m getting old. Time is flying. I suddenly became gut-wrenchingly aware that before I know it, I am going to be standing before our Lord, accounting for my life. Morbid, I know. But true. It really got me thinking about how I am using this life God has given me.

It’s probably not a coincidence that these thoughts came on the heel of Vision Night with Craig. If you joined us for Vision Night last week, you heard Craig say repeatedly that we are all ministers. We are all needed. We are needed to serve in our church. We are needed to serve outside the church. We are needed to pour into children. We are needed to pour into other women. We are needed to share the freeing news of Jesus Christ with those who don’t know him. We are needed to intercede for others.

Everyday the Lord places before us opportunities to serve him by serving others. I know I am missing opportunities. All too often I get caught up in daily activities (yes, I suffer from Martha syndrome) and don’t have eyes to see the opportunities He has blessed me with. People he has placed in my path. Situations He has placed me in.

So what should I do to stop missing the opportunities? For me, the first step is to pray for eyes to see. Before my feet even hit the carpet, I need to have my heart and mind focus on God. Maybe that means waking before the kids and doing my quiet time first thing in the morning. Whatever it means, it needs to happen. I am only given one life to live and I want to make my Heavenly Daddy proud of how I used it.

What about you? You are needed. What is God calling you to do? How are you using the life God has given you? What steps can you take today to start living in His will?

Lord, give me eyes to see the opportunities you place before me. I long for my life to honor you. Reveal to me the areas where I am not being a good steward of the gifts, experiences, and opportunities you have given me. I pray that one day you will look at me and say, “well done, good and faithful servant.”

Moment-by-Moment Obedience Part II

A few weeks ago there was a sermon at our church about generosity. Although the pastor was mainly talking about financial generosity, it really got me thinking about being more generous in every way of my life. Of course, with our money, but more importantly (for me anyway), with my time. I immediately began recognizing all the times I missed opportunities to show God's love. Sometimes it was out of pure selfishness (i.e., "I don't feel like taking the time."), but more often it was out of procrastination and busyness. I would get so caught up in whatever I was doing, and would think, "oh, I'll do it in a little bit." But before I knew it, I would either forget or miss my opportunity.

I was convicted.

I wrote a blog not long ago about moment-by-moment obedience. Yet, here I was, not being obedient. I needed to change. This change was two-fold. First, I decided that I from here on out I was going to act (so long as it is a godly action, of course), assuming that every time I am prompted, it is a prompting by God. I think it is better to act with a heart of obedience than constantly questioning whether it is God or not, and missing the opportunity to walk in faith. Now, let me just clarify, I'm not talking about drastic actions. I'm talking about things like giving when I see a need, inviting a stranger to church, emailing someone when I think of them, reaching out to someone who may need a friend.

The second change I have made to live in moment-by-moment obedience, is to act immediately upon prompting. This means I now stop what I'm doing and send that email, or talk to that person, or write that check. Not only has this change helped me not to miss opportunities, but it has also helped me to shift my thoughts outwardly. Instead of constantly being consumed with what I have to do, I am more in tune with what God would have me do.

You would not believe what an incredible difference these two changes have made in the short time that I have been doing them. There is no doubt in my mind that I am acting in obedience. I am more in tune with the needs and people surrounding me than I have been in a long time (perhaps ever). I truly see what a blessing it is to live in obedience to Him.

Lord, thank you for opening my mind and heart to the areas where I need to change. Help me to live in moment-by-moment obedience to you, not concerned with my fleshly apprehension and selfishness, but abandoned to a walk in faith. Amen.

My Treasure

"But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart" Luke 2:19

I have a 17 month old little boy. He is amazing. He's kind and gentle, fun and loving, smart and helpful. The list goes on and on. I love everything about him. I relish in each of his new discoveries. I remember his first smile and laugh. His first word. The first time he kissed me. When he learned to feed himself with utensils. When he learned to do a puzzle by himself. I beam with pride every time he starts dancing when his daddy plays a song. When he raises his little hand during worship. When he replies "God" when we ask him who loves him the most.

I treasure all these things in my heart.

Can you imagine what it was like to be Jesus' mother? The pride and joy she felt? When Jesus was born, and the shepherds shared all that had been revealed to them about the precious baby that was lying in the manger, Mary's response was to "[treasure] up all these things and pondered them in her heart." How amazing that must have been; to hear affirmation that the child she was blessed with is the Messiah!

Then later, when Jesus was a young boy, he went missing from his parents for three days. They eventually found him, with the teachers in the temple courts. "Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers." Again, Mary couldn't help but be filled with pride and joy, and "[treasure] all these things in her heart."

I love these two passages. What I love even more, is that the Bible goes on to say "[a]nd Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man."

This simple sentence speaks volumes to me. It is a reminder of what an honor and responsibility raising children is. Sure Mary was irritated that it took 3 days to find Jesus, when he "should" have been with them the whole time. But she didn't dwell on it or punish him, breaking his spirit. Instead, she saw the big picture. She saw the value in what he was doing, and she treasured it. As a result, she helped enable Jesus to grow into the man he was sent here to be.

Lord, help me to see the big picture. Help me not to get caught up in the daily tasks and challenges that face me, but see eternally. Give me the strength and wisdom to raise my children in a way that enables them to grown in wisdom and stature, and in favor with You and man. Help me to teach them in your way, not just my words, but by my actions. Help me to prepare them to lead a legacy that loves and lives for you. Amen.