Being Still

“Be still, and know that I am God.”—Psalm 46:10a

I don't know about you, but I know all too well about me, that I am rarely still before my God. My prayer life is very weak. It's a struggle to pray for me in the morning. Reading my Bible and asking God to open my eyes that I might understand His precepts and principles better in His Word comes easy. But prayer and resting in His presence is difficult. I could easily blame the ailment of our age—busyness—and its ripple effects in my life, but the truth is I am just not a very still and patient person. I am so busy with all the activity of my day that I find it sometimes “slow” work just to spend quality time with my precious daughter as she explores every rock, leaf, and branch on our walks together around our block. Sometimes I like concentrating on her explorations because in it I do find rest. I am struck with the awareness that there is much about this life that begs slow and easy exploration, the kind my daughter exudes.

But being still also has another meaning in the presence of our Almighty God. This application came to me the other day in the quiet of my heart when I was meditating on a particular prayer request. Because I didn't quickly see how this particular request could be answered and I was contemplating another of my own ideas to try to quickly achieve the result I was praying for, God had stopped my thoughts in their tracks. In that moment, while I was reading Psalm 46, the Lord clearly, gently, and pointedly told me to “Be still, and know that I am God.”

Again, I don't know about you, but when my eyes don't see what my heart is begging to see, I have a tendency to work in my flesh (not walking in the Spirit) toward accomplishing what I believe and perceive to be God's will. The result being that I often find elusive the rest and the stillness this verse addresses. So, it was nice to be reminded at just the right time that God is in control. No matter how big or small my worries and concerns are I can trust God. He wants me to be still from my own works and ideas, and to know that He is in control. He can turn my burdens and my cares into the directions He wants them to go, and all I need to do is just rest in Him.

I know I've often discussed this in previous posts, but I wanted to mention again that I am so grateful for a God who wants to and does communicate to my heart's needs through His word. This is why I try to avail myself of His counsel daily in the morning before all the day's activity begins. I hope I don't come across self righteous or somehow laudatory when I say I really do love reading God's word for this very reason, as if I am somehow better than those who don't or don't even have these kinds of moments with God while reading His word. That's not my hope. My prayer is all who read this do have those very sweet times of fellowship with the Lord, and if they don't, that somehow they may be encouraged to ask God for them. With that said, God's counsel may come in other ways, but it will never contradict His word. So it is still wise to read His word to familiarize yourself with it so that you will not be tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine (Ephesians 4:14).

In the end, I believe God is asking us all to be still, and know that He, and He alone is God, and that every care, every worry, can be placed in His hands. He knows what He is doing. Sometimes, He may guide us in such a way to be a part of His work, but sometimes I believe He simply calls on us to rest in Him, as He takes care of our heart's desires and needs.

This was such a timely lesson for me in all my busyness, in all my assumptions that somehow my prayer requests need to be answered by me and my plans in my way. To use a modern phrase, we can sum it up with, “God's got this.”

He does. So, let's honor Him by trusting our needs and hopes and all of our despair and care into His precious hands.

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”—Matthew 11:28-30

An Easter Weekend - 14 Years Ago

I think that's me in the middle. Not 100% sure though.

Much of the blogosphere this week, especially the Christian blogosphere, is full of our Savior and meditating on His glorious resurrection (Praise His Name!), but I wanted to take a different track. As I was pondering what kind of “devotion” I can give to my readers this week, the memory of celebrating Easter learning to scuba dive almost 14 years ago came to my mind. It was for college credit, and it was during the semester I was studying abroad in Thailand through Cal Poly. 

And so, I present to you a letter I wrote home to my dear family and friends after this wonderful experience. For your sake, I did edit it and massage it in some areas, but about 95% of what follows is the exact letter I wrote to my family on April 29, 2000, after I came back from spending time under the sea.

I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did rereading it.

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Hello everyone! It’s time for another one of those mass email letters. As I sit and scratch my mosquito bites, I ponder over which tale to tell. Which story to focus on. How many words to write. And how much energy I have to write those words.

I guess the only way to start is to begin, so here goes.

I came home today at four o’clock in the morning. Tired? Yes. So, to bed I went, with my mind filled with the last six day’s events. What did I do, you ask? I scuba dove!

When my head connected to the pillow this morning I kept having these mini flashbacks.

The turquoise color of the ocean and its glass-like perfection when looked through.

I saw fish swim by. Two angel fish, always two together, swimming near my mask – beautiful yellow, white and black.

I saw little fish dive into holes in the sand and wondered again in my mind, where on earth could they have gone?

I also recollected my encounter with Mr. Mean and Nasty Triggerfish, with his trigger way up and his teeth way clamped on my fins. Bye-bye Mr. Triggerfish, as fast as I can.

But most of all, with my head on the pillow and my body on the bed, I still felt that magical weightless feeling of being in the water. Of swimming with fins side by side with all kinds of life I have never seen before. Floating, floating … off to sleep.

The Thai island of Ko Toa was gorgeous. I saw the ocean and said to myself, “Yes, this is going to be a vacation.” Wrong. This was going to be the prettiest P.E. I’ve ever had. But P.E., nonetheless.

My bungalow was one of the ones closest to the ocean, with a dungeon for a bathroom. It was connected about seven steps down from the room and was a bit scary, with bugs lurking in every corner.

If memory serves, my bungalow is the one pictured here on the bottom left.

In front of my bungalow, there were boats on the water swaying peacefully under the hot Thai sun. Gorgeous stones lined the island giving it a sense of independence from all other tropical locations. And I can’t forget the towering palms, indigenous and well-nourished from the tropical climate. It was simply gorgeous, despite the creepy crawlies.

But the whole reason I was there was to take the Open Water Diving class. When I saw we had to do homework and actually read a book, I’m not going to lie, I was a little bummed. When you’re halfway around the world in such a gorgeous location, the last thing you want taking up you’re precious discovery time is homework.

The first day in the water was the day after I arrived. That was a little intimidating. You are wearing so much weight; my weight belt alone weighed six kilos. I can’t tell you how much my 12-liter aluminum tank on my back weighed but I imagine it was a lot. Getting in the water with all that equipment on for the first time was bizarre, but I immediately loved that weightless feeling of floating in the water. I remember little fish, an all of two species, would swim by and I thought WOW! Little did I know I had many more amazing visuals in store for me!

We learned some scuba diving skills. Confidence building they call it. I won’t bore you (or me) with the details. Just know that despite my awe under the water, I was a little anxious. You know that whole air-and-what-if-it-runs-out thoughts? Yeah, those thoughts. But, I pressed on.

The next two days were the same. Only the skills were a little harder and the destinations were a little deeper.

The open water diver is qualified to dive 18 meters or 56 feet. With much lazy studying and barely passing the final test, I was certified. Yay! And I had fun despite the homework.

So when they offered a two-day Advanced Open Water diving course after that, I decided to stay, albeit a little reluctantly. You see, an Advanced Open Water Diver is certified to dive to 30 meters, which is about 100 feet below the ocean. That was a little daunting to me—to have 100 feet of water above my head—but I thought, okay, I'll give it a try.

The fact that there would be no homework for this certification happened to be a strong selling point. Not to mention, that in order to do any other diving, Ocean Photography being one of those, I had to take the advanced class. 

We had five dives to accomplish: a deepwater (30m), and multi-level (which we plan), a night dive (a little freaky), a peak performance buoyancy dive (where you go through loops with all of your gear under water much like a circus animal – this one I had the most fun with and did the best—impressing both my instructor and my learning mates), and a navigation dive (using a compass).

They were actually more fun than the dives in the previous certification class, and by the time I was done with them all I was one exhausted person. So, as of right now, I’m a forever-certified advanced open water diver! I would never have thought I would ever do something like this, let alone in a location halfway around the world I know.

And now, the more interesting stuff: what was under that gorgeous crystal clear ocean? I have to be honest, I think I spent more time under water watching where my buddy was and looking at how much air my air gauge said I had. But when I wasn't preoccupied with those things, I saw some spectacular sites.

I saw this school of fish (of 50? 100? or more?) so close together, not really moving in any direction, but still enough to be organized in such a way as to look as if it were some larger fish, a whale maybe – just suspended in the water for the eyes to see.

The cutest things I saw were these clown fish in their “homes,” their homes being these gorgeous anemones. How to describe these anemones? Well they were kind of Dr. Seuss-like. They were clothed in bright turquoise and beautiful blue colors and had these Raggedy-Ann-like hairs coming out of the top, a kind of mustard yellow. And the clown fish resided in them, played tag around them (I would have liked to watch that more) and even cleaned them. When our instructor dropped a shell in the anemone, a clown fish would pick it up and throw it out. So precious.

I think if I were to come out of this with a main thought in mind it would have to be that I was swimming in God’s fish tank, and it was a marvelous site to behold, not to mention just as fun to be in. If you like the idea of flying – you can do that in the water. If you love fish – this is the best way to see them. If you like to try new things – this is an adventure worth having.

So, when my days were over, my nights would begin, and I would sit on my balcony, listen to the ocean waves, and reflect about the days spent in such beauty both inside and alongside the Thai ocean. Peace would fill my soul with each breath of wind, and my closing thoughts melted onto the pages of my journal beneath my candle-like lighting. My eyes would absorb the ocean’s reflection of the many lights on the island, and my heart would fill with joy.

One of the most peaceful and relaxing views ... a boat on the water.
(Ko Tao Island, Thailand)

Truly, this was an adventure given to me by God, and it was a very unique way to celebrate Easter with my Savior. Here, He was showing me a little more of Himself in His artistic and majestic ocean and the beauties within and beside it.

What a privilege to travel with God. You never know where He might take you when your days end, your nights begin and your sleep becomes just the beginning of what's ahead.

Jesus Paid It All

“The law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.”—Romans 7:12

“The law of the LORD is perfect.”—Psalm 19:7

I have a dear friend who I crossed paths with before many years ago and today we are attending the same church. One get together and one phone conversation after another, she has been discipling me. Many of you who know me may think that I already have learned so much about God and His Word over the years. And you would be right. I say that not to highlight my achievements in studying (which are really a far cry from what others have to study for degrees and so on) but to emphasize, we never stop needing to learn and grow in Christ. Like most relationships, my relationship with the Lord has its ups and downs. And lately, my general fellowship with Him in His Word and among His people can be compared to someone wandering in a desert in desperate need of an oasis. My soul craves to know something more about Him. To enter that next step in my relationship with Him. We see Peter encouraging us, through God's Holy Spirit, to do the same: “Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).

That growing in grace is no casual statement for me either because it is this topic that my friend has been discipling me on. God knew exactly how to encourage me to grow in His grace and in the knowledge of Him by using someone who is as intense as I am about studying the Bible. It is fun for us to read great doctrinal truths and to go deeper into the knowledge of God's Word. Now, lest it sound like I'm looking for new revelation or truth, like the Gnostics of the New Testament days, I assure you this is not the case. The knowledge I am seeking is always there and changes not. But what has changed has been my readiness to receive this next level of growth in Him. And it has been a marvelous thing!

So, why do I open this post with verses on the law above? Well, one of the books I was encouraged to read by this friend was Alva McClain's Law and Grace booklet. I own his The Greatness of the Kingdom book, which is his theological masterpiece on the doctrine of the Kingdom in Scripture. It is a book I was highly recommended to read many years ago (and one I'm still in the process of reading) while I was an intern with the Fundamental Evangelistic Association when it was located in Los Osos, Calif. All that to say, I knew Law and Grace was a book that could be trusted because of who the author was. I read this 80-page booklet, and what impressed me most was just how holy and perfect God's law is. McClain shows how the law cannot be separated into three parts (ceremonial, civil, and moral) like it is generally done in Christendom and has been done down through the ages. His argument is that this separating of the law into parts and believing that only some of the law has been fulfilled in Christ (as in the ceremonial and the civil), has been the cause of much confusion and false teaching, especially resulting in the various forms of legalism we see and experience in every generation.

Below are three quotes that encapsulate how God's law relates to His grace, which is the truth that I wanted to share with you today. But first, I think it's helpful to understand that God's law was given because of man's transgressions (Galatians 3:19). This shows me that the law was given for protection against ourselves, which also shows us that God is gracious and loving. This was yet another eye-opening understanding for me, even though that truth was always in Scripture. 

Now, the quotes from "Law Unable to Save Men," Chapter 3 of Law and Grace.

“The law's demands could not be relaxed to accommodate the weakness of men. This is the curious idea that some people hold. Grace, to them, is God's tolerance in lowering the absolute demands of the law to the point where sinners can keep it. Such a misconception dishonors both the law and grace” (pg. 21).

“It was necessary, therefore, for God to devise a plan for saving sinners without any relaxation of the law. This brings us to the very heart of the gospel … the Son of God incarnate at Calvary paid man's obligation to broken law to the last farthing … Jesus paid it all” (Emphasis mine-pg. 22).

“The law of God can do nothing to save sinners. It cannot save us from the guilt of sin. It cannot keep us from the dominion of sin. It cannot provide a sufficient motive for obedience to the law. It cannot supply the power necessary to keep its requirements. It cannot recover us when we break the law. May God open our eyes to understand that our 'help cometh from the LORD' (Ps. 121:2). Our only hope is in Him” (pg. 23).

I just can't articulate these truths better than McClain. The law was fulfilled at the cross, and since then, all of God's children are free from the weight, burden, condemnation, and judgment of the law. We, who are His children, walk in grace today...not a grace that minimizes God's law but a grace that looks to Jesus, and with adoration and weeping, we fall down at His feet and say, thank You, Jesus, for what You did on my behalf. Thank You for saving me and giving me Your Holy Spirit to walk in newness of life.

What I have been learning in bits and pieces about His law and His grace has been a tremendous blessing to my heart, and it has given me a tender heart for His children who want to go back under God's holy and perfect law. It's not necessary. Jesus paid it all. We are free from the law!

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that is was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: The righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Romans 8:1-4).

Is that not a gorgeous section of Scripture in light of reading about the perfection of the law and how we are now set free in Christ? It's glorious! The way to tell if you are then walking in the Spirit or in the flesh is to read Galatians 5:16-26, where God reveals to us the difference between the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit.

If we are walking in the Spirit, it is not because of any goodness in ourselves. We need to understand that it is Christ in us, that gives us the power to walk in His Spirit, not our will or the works of our flesh. I believe many Christians are religious and think they are walking in the Spirit, but when one considers the results of their religion and religious teachings, they can be summarized by works of the flesh. Namely these—wrath, strife (contention, fighting, dissension, friction, rivalry, conflict are all synonyms of strife), seditions, heresies, and such the like.

My Christianity of the past was rife with these works of my flesh. Through this step in my growth in Him, in learning more about God’s law and His glorious grace, I now see how wrong I was.

Moving forward, I pray that my Christianity and my walk with Him and in Him permeates this glorious truth, that Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe.

(From Wikimedia Commons)

Praise Ye the Lord

“Praise ye the LORD.”—Psalm 150:6b

The last phrase in the entire Book of Psalms is an exhortation to praise the Lord, which is an exhortation in itself as this verse segment ends a book filled not with just spiritual highs, but also many lows. 

I believe further revelation about the idea of praising the Lord can be summed up in Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” I believe God is telling us in this passage that we aren't to focus on the negative, but on the positive all around us. We are to think on the things that are lovely, of a good report, and that are virtuous, to name a few things that verse describes. And when we do think on these things, the end result can only be praise to our Lord.

As I go about my day, I am encouraged to be in constant communion with the Lord in praising His name and thinking on all the good I see in the world around me. For example, I can either concentrate my thoughts on the eczema spot that is developing on my daughter's forehead or I can praise the Lord that she can walk around the house, when so many children cannot. It's not that I shouldn't address the patch of dry skin on my child's forehead, but I must not let the negative aspects of such a condition overshadow all the good I can be thankful to God for about her health. I also shouldn't let it overshadow my hope and trust in God to clear this up somehow, when I bring this issue to Him in prayer. (For the sake of full disclosure, this last sentence convicts me because I haven't prayed for His guidance to either lead me to a product that will bring its healing or His power to heal it without my help!)

Work is a great spiritual testing place as it draws out either our praise or our complaints. I can be under so much pressure at work, with more and more paperwork stacking onto the already massive piles on my desk and start wondering if it will ever end. I can be grumpy that I don't have an assistant who can help me with my tasks as I assist others in my job. Or I can praise the Lord for giving me such a wonderful opportunity to be able to work part-time from home, while my daughter is young, even though I may not get everything done in a manner I would if I went into work every day at full-time hours.

Then, there is the guilt that comes so naturally to mothers. I can choose to be weighed down with guilt about not being able to give my daughter my full and undivided attention throughout the day, or I can praise God that while I'm working at home, she often plays near me and that we are at the very least in each others' presence. I can feel insecure for putting in a long  DVD for her to watch so that I can work at length on time-sensitive projects with little to no interruption. Or I can be grateful that I get to spend quality time with my daughter in the middle of my days by going to story times in the library, going on walks around the neighborhood, or even reading books together and playing tea time with her and her several Sesame Street plush dolls.

My favorite middle-of-the-day activity lately has been visiting a park and walking around with her as she discovers new sights, sounds, and textures. I enjoy listening to my daughter say hi to little girls her age and dogs her size. I savor the look in her eyes as she walks across a field 100x larger than anything she's traveled on with her own two feet before. I love the wonder in her expression as she takes in the largeness of the park fenced in with beautifully tall trees. I love the look of independence on her face as she follows her own path. What a treat that is! I may not get all the work done I thought I needed to complete in a day, but I get to experience my beautiful daughter as she discovers her world. So, what should I say? You got it, praise the Lord!

So, if I start feeling weighed down or guilty about what I'm doing or not doing or how I am or how I am not, I should ask God if there is any sin in what I'm doing. If there is, I need to ask Him to forgive me (1 John 1:9) and to gently correct my walk (Psalm 139: 23-24). If there is no sin, I then need to get my thoughts out of the guilt pit and onto the good that is happening all around me in every moment of every day. It may take some time at first to get my vision on the things God wants me to think about, but I believe with prayer and practice, thinking on the good and all that's mentioned in Philippians 4:8 will eventually become habit.

One final thought. If I am having a hard time thinking on the good right in front of me, that is the good in the temporal or physical realm, I am without excuse because the ultimate praise I have for Him is simply because He is and that I am His child.

So, just as the Book of Psalms ends, let us all be encouraged to redeem our time wisely by seeing something to praise Him for throughout our days on earth. While the natural man is not wired this way, thankfully, praising Him in Heaven will come naturally. Because only then, will we be freed from our sinful bodies and see Him as He is.

Praise ye the Lord!

Our Backyard (Spokane, WA)
March 26, 2014

Without Me You Can Do Nothing

“For without me ye can do nothing.”—John 15:5

I have yet to read a book written by Andrew Murray, but I know he is well known as someone who teaches on prayer very well. During a sermon about a year ago, God spoke to me about three stages of a Christian’s life he defines in his book “Absolute Surrender.”

The first is “I can do it.” This stage is full of our pride, our accomplishments, and our selves. Here is where we fail and then move into the second phase “I can’t do it.” While true, God doesn't want you to stop here. Unfortunately, though, this is where a lot of Christians stop in their walks with God. Through various battles of discouragement, the cares of this world, and frankly, the lies of the devil they come to believe, many Christians stop here and never go further, as they wait on this side of Heaven for their call up. They never reach the Victorious Christian Life on this plain. Instead, they remain on the outer fringes of the Promised Land never tasting the milk and honey of a land where our relationship with God is full and free and our affections for the things of this world die daily.

The last stage is “God can do it through me.” In the sermon, I was again reminded that it is in this stage God can use us. It does not matter if we have skills or talents. I think it could also be added that it doesn’t matter if we have a willing heart because that, too, can be a source of pride. We cannot be fully used of God until we absolutely surrender to Him. I think of my gifts and abilities. My willingness to be used of God. And I have to be honest that I feel like I’m in that first stage again.

I believe throughout the history of my walk with Jesus, He has brought me through these stages over and over. I do not think, at least for me, that this Christian walk is so black and white that once we have crossed over into the Promised Land, that we cannot go back and spend time in the previous stages. Just in reading the Old Testament, the history of the Kings of Judah, for instance, we can see the many ups and downs of God’s people.

I also believe one area of our Christian life may have gotten to the Promised Land, but there are other aspects of our lives that God is still fine-tuning so that He can use us for His glory … for His Kingdom … for that heavenly city where the fruits of His work will reside.

Lord Jesus, you know my arrogance. And you know my willingness. You know my fleshly pride. And you know my desire to be closer to you. I am all mixed up on this plain, believing a lie that to surrender my life to You, which would make an end of me, would be a negative. In one sense it will be. I know my flesh won’t like it. But I know my spirit will thrive and learn of its purpose, and it is only when this happens, that I begin to understand without You, I can do nothing.

Manito Park Rose Garden (Spokane, WA)
September 2007

Ponder the Path of Thy Feet

“Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.”—Proverbs 4:26

“Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.”—Proverbs 4:25

“Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well.”—Proverbs 5:15

In a most tender and loving way, God encourages me in these verses to look to my own path before Him - to rejoice in my own walk with Him.

Simply, He is telling me to concentrate on my relationship with Him.

Too often, my walk gets distorted by my judging others, either in a loving or a critical way, and how they are or are not walking with the Lord, and I get side-tracked from my own walk.

It’s like this. I am walking down the road God has for me. I am walking with joy in the closeness I feel toward Jesus, I am feeding on the Word, and I am rejoicing in the knowledge it gives me about Him. And then, all of a sudden, I see someone struggling in life because I perceive they are not walking with the Lord. I see them perhaps making a foolish decision and then I allow it to affect my walk in Christ. I think, if they would only [fill in the blank], they would be right with God.

Unfortunately, because of that direction of my thoughts, I soon lose focus on my own walk. And it is a struggle to find my way back to basking in the sunshine of His love on my own path!

So Lord, when my vision gets a little distorted, please teach me to pray for those who are struggling in You, and help me leave them in Your perfect care. If You decide to use me to help assist them in their struggles, then, please grant me the grace and love to speak Your truth into their hearts, giving You all the praise and glory for the insight. Or should You decided to use my actions to help and serve them while they are in this phase of their lives, please help me surrender my will to Yours that they may see my good works and glorify Our Father in Heaven.

Then, Lord, help me me go on to perfection – a maturity in You – because that is what You are encouraging me to do in these verses above and in other passages of Your Word.

In Your precious Name I pray, Amen.

Onesti, Romania (June 2005)

Words of Knowledge

“Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the 

words of knowledge.”—Proverbs 19:27

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”—Hosea 4:6a

Christianity is a belief system in which its adherents are encouraged to study. That does not mean we need doctorate-level (or even college-level) studies in order to practice our faith more perfectly. No. All of God's children have varying degrees of intelligence and varying degrees of interest. One believer may have a moderate level of education, for example, and loves to delve into the Scriptures by way of word studies. This believer may know he needs to understand God's view of patience more clearly, so that he may apply that quality to his own life. He would then seek out verses that use this word, read and memorize those verses, and then read those verses in context to the verses surrounding it for a deeper perspective and a clearer understanding of how patience applied in each of those circumstances.

You may also have a believer that just can't get enough of theology and how individuals down through history approached their faith. She would study the lives of great theologians and learn the concepts they defined and then learn the concepts of others (contemporary or not) who may or may not agree with this theologian's concepts, and then begin to study what they believe. From there, through her own knowledge of Scripture and by way of much prayer that God would guide her into all truth (John 16:13), she would seek God and ask Him to show her what He thinks of these rich theological concepts by way of His word.

There are Christians who love studying the end times and can't get enough of learning about current and future events and how they relate to biblical prophecies. There are Christians who love poetry and wisdom and so want to read the poetic books of the Bible, over and over and over again, so that the truths in these passages (of Proverbs for example) just start to become his own thoughts as he goes about his days. There are Christians who love to read missionary tales of current and past individuals who lived their faith out loud to a lost and dying world. Simply said, there is so much we can be fascinated with about God and His word that would encourage us to study deeper.

Studying God's word also protects us from the lies that we come across in false doctrine and false teachings. God expects us to study to show ourselves approved unto Him so that we can rightly divide the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). This is key in our age of too much information because there are many voices and many ideas out there in our world that are clamoring for our attention. In order to clearly maneuver in these waters, we need to make sure our ship and our sails are without damage, and that our anchor is sure. That ship, sail, and anchor can be said to be God's holy and precious word and the basic truths He communicates to us through His word. Without knowledge of His truth to steady us, we will be like children, the Bible says, “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine” (Ephesians 4:14).

So, how do I cease from hearing instruction that leads to my destruction? I feel very fortunate because I happen to love studying. I love learning and diving deeper into subjects that interest me, and I am blessed with a thirst to know God's ways and to know His word. He has blessed me over and over in my own personal life with deeper understandings on this or that subject. But that thirst is not constant and it does change as far as what subjects I want to study or that He’s leading me to study.

For example, in my earlier walk with the Lord, I loved studying other religions and all the different views even within Christianity. That changed into a desire to know and understand my Bible better, and then led me into the discipline of reading my Bible every day. As time went on, I was then led to take a three year Bible college course that taught on every book of the Bible and how each book fit into the other to make the whole Bible. That was a beautiful and enriching study. I also love preaching, so I am someone who actually likes to attend church and listen to the biblical messages God has given His man to speak on in the pulpit. Today, though, I haven't been as thirsty, and I began to ask God to revive my thirst to know Him more and to live for Him better according to His word. I can speak honestly that God has given me a couple lessons this week alone that have begun quenching a newly growing thirst for Him and His ways.

But even if I'm not thirsty, I try to read my Bible every morning. It may be a chapter or two or several chapters. Lately, I have been reading one chapter in the Old Testament, one chapter in the New Testament, my daily Proverbs chapter, and as many as five chapters in Psalms. Before I read my chapters, I pray Psalms 119:18, “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.” With that prayer comes an expectation that God will bring to light any subject my spirit needs to feed on before I begin my day. And I think that's why I have a love for His word. He has used my morning Bible readings over and over to speak truths to me that I desperately needed or didn't even know I needed until He showed them to me.

So, as God's people, we need to study His word. This is a truth we see throughout the Bible. We need it so that we understand our place in the world and so that we understand His will for our lives better. But, perhaps most importantly, we need to study His word because if we don't, our knowledge of Him will slowly fade away and we will be setting ourselves up for destruction.

Let us be Christians who study God's word. But more than that, let us be Christians who love His word.

"This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”

—Joshua 1:8

John 6:13 in my Bible

Long Enough

“And the LORD spake unto me saying, Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward.”—Deuteronomy 2:2-3

Reading the Old Testament can be such a faith boost. The story of Israel's wandering in the wilderness for 40 years captures that spirit for me—how that God was with them and guiding them each day through the pillar of fire by night or of cloud by day.

“He spake unto them in the cloudy pillar”(99:7a).

“And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys: But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the LORD was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys” (Exodus 40:36-38—Emphasis mine)

The story of Moses receiving God's Ten Commandments is another great example of God's divine direction—how God gave us His Law so that we may obey it and live the consequences of our obedience or disobedience to it. (Not for justification before God but for an unburdened conscience before Him along with a freedom to be in fellowship with Him.)

God also spoke through Moses, as was the case in the featured passage above. I love the clarity of direction in this passage. I love the phrase “long enough.” It's as if God is saying, My child, your trials, your journeys, are finished. You are now going to the next phase of your walk with Me. Oh, this phase, too, comes with its trials and battles, but this is the phase I have had for you all along. See, you are now going into the promised land. Despite your little faith, doubting the plan I had for you all along, I was always guiding you to this place in subtle and non-so-subtle ways. You may not have always had the sight to see it afar off, but nevertheless, your promised land was always there for you.

So it is when God speaks to me through my devotional Bible reading from His word with the teaching of His Holy Spirit, guiding me into all truth. It is as if I'm Israel with my own personal pillar of fire by night and of cloud by day, where He is guiding me to the right or left, but always into the direction I should go. When a verse strikes me in its clarity, I trust God is using that verse to guide and comfort me.

There were many years I had pined for a husband and of a family of my own. Upon giving my life to the Lord in my early twenties, God had planted that desire in me. Before then, I had it in my mind that I was going to be a career woman. I told myself I was allergic to men.

I believe getting married and having a family was God's promised land for me, but I had to wander in the wilderness for 14 years while I waited. During that time, God slowly changed my heart and made me ready to receive the man He had for me. God, in effect, at the end of my journey, had said I had been in my wilderness long enough!

So, dear reader, whatever your trial, whatever your waiting, whatever your journey, take comfort in the fact we have a God Who guides our steps along the way, many times despite our lack of faith in Him or despite our grumbling along the journey. He has a promised land He's leading you to. It may not be the promised land you were hoping for or expecting, but He wants you to trust Him that it is the promised land He has for you.

Someday, the promised land He has for all of us who call upon Him for salvation, will be Heaven, itself, where we will forever be in His presence. He will in effect say to all of His children, You have wandered long enough. It's time to come home.

View on Drive Home to Spokane from Seattle
(September 2007)

Sparing Your Words

“He that hath knowledge spareth his words: and a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit. Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.”—Proverbs 17:27-28

Have you ever desired to be wise and have a mouth full of wise words? I sure have and I still do. As I began to acquaint myself with the Bible soon after surrendering my life to the Lord, my first favorite Bible character was Solomon. Even today, he holds a special place in my heart. I love how when asked by God for any wish, he asked God for an understanding heart to rightly judge God’s people. And God gave him that and more. (1 Kings 3)

It could be said that because of this prayer request, we have the book of Proverbs, which was largely written by him. Tradition also ascribes the Song of Solomon and Ecclesiastes to him as well. In thinking about that, those portions of Scripture don’t even account for a large section of the Bible. In that, we can see the truth of these words above. 

Knowledge and wisdom are not necessarily found in grand words, lengthy speeches, or long pontifications about this or that point but are found in salient and direct thoughts that apply to all generations. Or in silence.

Think of it this way. Have you ever thought to yourself that the Bible should be a bigger book? The last verse of the Gospel of John even alludes to this thought: “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.” (John 21:25)

Wisdom, knowledge, and truth do not need large shelves or many volumes in which to be placed. It’s a beautiful thing that we have many books written from different perspectives to help us understand truths better. But I believe all we need to know can be found in Scripture, which has just the right number of pages and just the right amount of words to accomplish God’s desire to pass His wisdom to His children.

In application to my own life, Lord, help me to understand my own thoughts and words in light of this truth, that sparing my words – and holding my tongue – is often the wiser and more knowledgeable choice.  

Sibiu, Romania (December 2005)

Five Minute Friday: Encouragement

It’s funny how little things encourage me. A sudden, sneaky joke from my husband, that just makes me laugh over our dinner table. When all seems so somber and serious and quite frankly, a little dull, in came my husband with a statement that just made me laugh and laugh.

Or how about when I go upstairs to get my daughter from her crib. The way she looks at me as I walk through the door, with a kind of gleeful anticipation, and how she will be silly or serious, depending on her mood, and hand me her blanky, because you know mom, I can’t go anywhere without this.

Or how a simple thank you from your boss, because he knows he’s been so busy the last several weeks, and how I may have allowed some insecurity to creep in and wonder, are we okay? Which I did ask him, and he said yes, and then he said, he must be busier than he should be … and so today, a deliberate thank you from him to me.

Or a verse and how it will sing gloriously off the pages of Scripture when you are waking up with your tea and your daughter is faithfully watching the morning cartoons, with the sound off, as mommy needs to “hear” her Savior … and how that verse just lifts off the page into your mind and down into your heart.

Those things, and more, are great examples of encouragement in my life.

He Crowns Our Years with His Goodness

“Thou crownest the year with thy goodness.”—Psalm 65:11a

My heart is not always effusive with joy. What I mean is, sometimes it is not easy for me to be thankful to God. Of course, in the general sense, I am thankful for Him and what He’s done in my life. I am even thankful for the hardships He has allowed me to go through because, not only has He brought me through my hardships, but He has taught me beautiful truths through the trials that are etched on my soul today.

But a general sort of thankfulness? No, that is not my natural state. I tend to examine the flaws of myself and of others, and study our deficiencies and what the Bible says are the solutions for them to satisfy my need to feel correct in my judgment.

While going to Scripture is a wonderful thing, the purpose I use Scripture for may not always be used with a “1-Corinthians-chapter-13” kind of love. You know, a love that is long-suffering and not prideful. A love that is not self-serving. A love that is hopeful. A love that is kind.

Truthfully, when I examine myself, I know I could use more of this kind of love toward myself and others. I know I could have more of a hopeful viewpoint from which to see the world.

This verse above simply says God crowns the years (and I believe we can rightly say “our” years) with His goodness, and what follows is how it speaks to my heart about thankfulness. I believe it is through the lens of God’s goodness from which I need to view the world. So, instead of seeing faults and getting bitter about those faults in myself and others, I see Him and His goodness. In everything.

See, He really does have the power to turn every situation into His glory, albeit for those that love Him (Romans 8:28). He can turn the ashes of our lives into a beauty we would have not thought possible (Isaiah 61:3). I believe these statements are true because they are found in Scripture, but I also believe these are true statements because they have happened to me.

Where I falter, and where my fears and doubts begin to arise, is in trusting that they will happen to me in the future, and prayerfully, in the lives of my loved ones and others I may be praying for. This is the essence of faith, really. A faith in Him that He can and will perform these truths. And is that not one of the major truths of Christianity? That we have a God Who we trust in not only for our salvation but with our lives—past, present and future?

My sweet, precious and loving Savior, as this verse says above, You crown the years with Your goodness, and it is not always easy for me to see Your goodness. I often fear, falter, and doubt that Your Hand is moving in my daily life. These are sins of my heart, and I confess that to You. Please cleanse me and heal me of these sins and then lead me to see things through Your goodness so that I may be thankful to You for all You have done, are doing, and will do.

 “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

—1 Thessalonians 5:18

My Street in Spokane, WA
(December 2010)

Evazatu and Its Pictures of Poverty

“Mine eye affecteth mine heart.”—Lamentations 3:51a

What follows was part of a newsletter I emailed home to my family and friends, on occasion, while I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Romania. This was written about eight and a half years ago, and this particular newsletter was about the gypsy community who my church ministered to in Onesti (pronounced “oh-nesht”). I decided to keep this article written in the present tense. The verse above is an apt summary of how God used these pictures of poverty to affect my heart and teach me lessons that I continue to process today.

__________________

EVAZATU is the name of the bloc apartment building (above) that is located across the street from the church I am a member of while I lived in Romania. What distinguishes it from the other blocs (as these Communist-era buildings are called) in Onesti is the fact that it houses mostly gypsies. It is also notoriously known as the worst place in Onesti because it is also the location of many thieves and prostitutes, as well as individuals and families who just cannot afford to live anywhere else.

From what I know, the rent for a one-room apartment runs about 200,000 lei, or roughly $6 a month. There are one and two-room apartments, and as of the writing of this newsletter home, I have only seen what a one-room apartment looks like.

I have personally nick-named it the ghetto of Onesti. Many people are afraid to enter the bloc, as it is perceived, with validity, as a dangerous place.

For those familiar with the way many immigrants live together crammed into a small apartment or house in America, Evazatu’s brand of housing is no different. My friend and fellow church member, who is pictured below on the right holding her niece, lives in her room with her five sons, not to mention probably about 100 cockroaches. Two of her boys sleep on the bed/couch with her, and her other three boys sleep on the floor.

You can’t see it very well, but her “stove” is under that black pot of rice soup on the right in this photograph. It is a brick that is wrapped with a piece of metal coil that heats up when plugged in. This is a very dangerous contraption, having already caused a small fire, which burned her curtains in the background, and at the same time, it is a precious commodity, many in Evazatu having to share the use of one to cook their daily meals.

They have one sink in the room, which is also shown below, and that sink is the kitchen, bathroom, and laundry sink, all in one. Above her sink is her family’s “medicine cabinet.”

The toilets are shared in Evazatu and are located at the end of the halls (pictured below).

At the end of the halls garbage is swept into a pile, as if to keep it out of sight.

Many of the children and church members that go to my church live in Evazatu, so I have gotten to know some of its stories very well. Probably one of the saddest stories is about a four or five-year-old boy who would show up to church from time to time. His father has been in jail for a while, and his mom was just arrested for prostitution. He is terribly abused by his mother, the signs of which have been observed in my church frequently. He just stays with a neighbor (I hope), but he should be picked up by the state, as he no longer has parents that live there. He is treated like one of the stray dogs in Romania, abused by both children and adults that live in Evazatu. He loves my dear friend and sister in Christ, who teaches the children’s class at my church, and who also gave him a piece of her cake the night before writing this. It was probably the best thing he ate that day. I have reported him to the authorities, and now we are just waiting, and praying, that he will be cared for soon.

It is my opinion that poverty looks the same everywhere, and Evazatu is only one glimpse into its face—the poor being always with us.

“For ye have the poor with you always, 

and whensoever ye will ye may do them good.”—Mark 14:7a

_____________________________________________________________________________

UPDATE: Many years later, while I was settling back into my American life, tragedy struck the family I featured in this update. There was a fire in her apartment in which two children died, one of whom I know was her youngest son at the time I lived there. We may never understand fully why such tragedies happen, but I thank God that He can turn the ashes of our lives into beauty and that He has faithful servants throughout the world able to minister to the needs of the communities they have been called to serve. The biggest need—salvation in our Lord Jesus Christ.

The little boy in the middle was the one who died in the fire.
One of his brothers is on the left, and his mother on the right.

Five Minute Friday: Fight

If there is one word that represents what I do not want 2014 to be is a year full of “Fight.” This word, unfortunately, has many roots in some memories from a time before I would rather not think on.

So, with the dawning of a new day, a new year, or even a new moment, I have hopes for peace, comfort and rest. I believe I am experiencing all those things and more in each and every day. I believe I receive the opposite of “fight” each time I hold my daughter in my arms. It's the same feeling of when I lay in my husband's arms. It's the feeling of family, of warmth, of closeness, of a general feeling of belonging that I rest in almost every day.

As the years have added to my life these new experiences and warm feelings, I am filled with such thankfulness for a Father in Heaven, Who has walked with me through the winding roads of my past, and Who is straightening those paths in front of me as we walk into a future I only dreamed of before.

I look up at Him, my precious Father and Friend, and I say thank you, Jesus, for leading me out of my “fight” and into my peace.

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”—Jeremiah 29:11

Sinaia, Romania (2005)

Herein is Love

“Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us,

and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”—1 John 4:10

“We love him, because he first loved us.”—1 John 4:19

Snowflakes on the ground. Colored lights on frosted windows. Wreaths hung and trees decorated.* Families visiting. Cookies baked. Presents wrapped. Fires lit. Dinners cooked. And hot chocolate sipped.

‘Tis the Season of this annual festival of joy that brings back warm memories of times spent in laughter, wonder and closeness with those who are nearest our hearts. (I know this may not be the case for everyone, and I hope that for them, each year, their hearts heal a little more.)

It has also come to be the time in which Christians traditionally reflect on our Savior’s birth. How He was born of a virgin, wrapped in swaddling clothes and placed in a manger—a scene that is illustrated in myriad ways across the globe, in church plays, humble scripture readings, and in simple crèches in homes and on lawns. 

This is the true meaning of the season for many. With that said, I recently read an article about how Christ was not really born on this day (something I have heard before), but that He was most likely incarnated in Mary’s womb around this time (something I have not heard before). So, December 25 could have been the moment that God became flesh for us. What a tremendous thought and a glorious thing to celebrate!

There is yet another theme I am reflecting on this particular season: love, specifically God’s love for us and our love for God and others. God’s love for us can be summed up upon reading the passages I chose to begin this devotion above, in addition to probably the most popular verse in the New Testament:

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”—John 3:16

The best section of Scripture, in my estimation, about how our love should be toward others is found in 1 Corinthians chapter 13.

We can be the most eloquent of speakers proclaiming the truth, and yet, if we have not love in the proclamation, we speak as the clinging of brass instruments. Not a pretty sound at all! (1 Corinthians 13:1)

We can have the gift of prophecy, understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and have all faith, and yet without charity, we are nothing and our works are nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:2)

We can sell all that we have to feed the poor and we can sacrifice our bodies to be burned, and yet, without love, those things do not profit us. They become empty sacrifices. (1 Corinthians 13:3)

And then, if those things are not convicting enough, there is more we ought to know about how charity is expressed through us:

“Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.”—1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Two areas resonate to me especially: “Charity suffereth long (or is long suffering) … [and] is not easily provoked.”

Goodness, how just those two descriptions of charity convict me and show me I have a lot to learn in my Christian love. See, I know I am often impatient with others, and I get mad hastily, often with the slightest provocation.

I know I have grown much in this area, mainly because of and through my relationship with my husband. He has been a great teacher and guide for me in these areas. But I don’t want to stop growing. I want to be more loving, more charitable, toward others than I have ever before.

Would not that be the greatest present I could give to my family and loved ones during this season of giving?

It would simply be a small reflection of the love Christ has shown all of us when He became flesh and bore the penalty of our sins upon Himself through His death on the cross, so that we could be justified freely and fully to live eternally with Him.

Lord Jesus, may those same words You used Paul to write in 1 Corinthians 13 be written on the tablets of my heart, so that You may ever and always be glorified in me, not just this one time of the year, when many of us gather together to celebrate the moment You became flesh or the day You were born.

 (*I mean no disrespect to my brothers and sisters in Christ who believe strongly against decorating trees based on their reading of Jeremiah 10. I respect their freedom of conscience. I also respect the freedom of conscience of those who do not have that belief.)

Cal Poly Poinsettias (San Luis Obispo, CA)