Necessary Doors

Recently, my husband and I encountered a tough situation that hurt our hearts and confused our minds.  In the midst of questioning why we were facing such a mountain, this comment was made:

“Why does it sometimes seem as if God is playing tricks on His children?”

You know the feeling – you are working hard at being an awesome spouse, a perfect parent, a faithful friend, and a hardworking servant in ministry.  Then BAM!  Something totally unexpected slams into your life, creating confusion and doubt and fear.  Sometimes anger rushes in, and you wonder why someone who has tried so hard to live for the Lord would be ‘repaid’ in such a way.  Why would a good and loving God choose to allow such heartache in a believer’s life?  The temptation to withdraw your faith in the Lord is strong; after all, He did not follow through with your plans.

Ahhhh….but it is not our faith, or lack thereof, that makes God faithful and good.  The Lord’s faithfulness never changes; His goodness never lessens.  He is GOD.  Our feelings do not change who He is.

For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect?  Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar.  Romans 3:3, 4

The hard things we go through serve as necessary doors.  It is so very easy to glorify the Lord when our bellies are full and our babies are healthy; it is another thing altogether when our children abandon Truth and our husbands are suffering from a horrible disease.  To honor the Lord fully and to glorify Him above all else, we must walk through that door of pain, hardship, or hurt.  Across the threshold is a greater knowledge of the faithfulness of the Lord as we look back and see how He guided us through those trials and tribulations.

Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy…. Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator. 1 Peter 4:12 & 13, 19

Job, the godliest man of his time, went through hell on earth.  If anyone had a reason to jump the faith ship, it was he.  And yet this man said: “Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” (Job 2:10b) and “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.” (Job 13:15)  Read the book of Job to see how his story ends.

Are you willing to walk through the necessary doors to increase your faith and bring glory to the One who deserves all praise and honor?  The Lord promises to never leave you or forsake you.  As you turn the knob, you can trust that He is there with you.

Prayer

Father, thank You for Your goodness and faithfulness.  You are righteous and holy and just, never failing and always kind.  You allow hard things in our lives to bring us closer to You, the only One with the answers.  Thank You for giving us Truth in Your Word.  Amen.

Challenge

Allow the Lord to show you His faithfulness. Ask Him to open your eyes to His presence in the midst of the hard things.  During this recent trial, my husband and I asked friends to pray for us as they felt the Holy Spirit leading. We gave them zero details, not even a hint of what we were battling.  As they laid their hands on us, guess what were the very first words spoken? “God does not play tricks on His kids!” (See the opening of this devotional if you do not see the significance of these words!) God cared enough to prompt our intercessors to use the very words we spoke privately to one another.

While walking through trials, big or small, keep the Word front and center in your life.  It is only the Truth that will keep you from falling into unbelief and discouragement.

Jen G 2012

From the Vault: The Lord is Here

I pray you will be blessed by this devotion that first posted in February of 2011.

In Genesis 28 Jacob realizes that even in his darkest hour, sleeping on the ground with a rock for a pillow, that God is there. After studying this passage in December as part of our Advent readings, the children and I each wrote the words The Lord is here on small scraps of paper and tucked them in our pockets. Whenever we touched our papers we would remember that, even in that moment, we were not alone.* This morning I found one of those folded up papers and it prompted me to write the words on my kitchen chalkboard.

And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever - the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. John 14:16-17

It is amazing to me how quickly I forget that the Holy Spirit is with me 24/7. It is as though I have given Him a time card and expect Him to clock out for a certain amount of time each day. My human mind can not comprehend that He would choose to be with me while I change a blow-out diaper. Or yell at my husband. Or deal with a child's bad attitude. After all, I certainly do not want to be there in those moments. Yet He has promised that He will be, no matter what and no matter when. The God of all comfort is with me all day and all night. No matter the circumstance.

(fast forward six days.....)

The day after I wrote the words above, four of my children became ill. For the first time in 17 years of parenting I had more than one child with the stomach flu at the same time.  I do not do the flu. But - the Lord does and He was here with us through the entire week.  Everytime I passed my chalkboard on the way to get more cleaning supplies, I was reminded that...  

The Lord is here. 

Prayer:

Lord God, I am so amazed at Your gift of Your Holy Spirit - ever present, ever helping, ever giving wisdom.  May I be mindful of Your constant presence with me in every part of my day.  I want to walk in Your wisdom and with Your heart towards those around me.  Amen.

Challenge:

Sketch your own little Jacob's ladder (Genesis 28) and write the words The Lord is here on a scrap of paper.  Tuck it in your pocket; each time you touch it remember the incredible truth that the God of the universe is there with you!  Get the strength, patience, wisdom and love you need for the moment from Him.

Good reads: I highly recommend the book Forgotten God by Francis Chan. 

*(Credit: Jesse Tree Advent Devotional from A Holy Experience.)

Jen G. 2011

Fleas

Flea-less Mazie

A couple of years ago I was doing the obligatory flea check on our poodle.  This is the dog that barely walks outside if she can help it, so I was not even remotely concerned. (I have caught Mazie doing her business in the garage under the truck to avoid getting her feet wet on a rainy day.)  Imagine my shock, horror, and overreaction when I saw one. 

A flea. 

On my dog... in my house.

I called the vet in a panic.  Seriously, I was so over the top I am sure the vet tech was scared.  I was willing to do whatever I needed to Mazie to get rid of this flea;  I was sure it was covering for a thousand more hiding in her doggy pits.  Everything slightly short of Mazie's death was an option.  The vet tech suggested a $40 medication that would kill all fleas, but not the poodle, within one hour of a single pill being ingested. This magic internal flea bomb would also kill any unborn fleas or new riders that hopped on and bit.  Sold!

I get a type of flea sometimes.  Lie fleas.  These little bugs jump into my thoughts and heart and take bites that create a small itch at first, but become more intense as I scratch.  Here are some common examples of lie flea bites:

1.  Someone thinks you are trying to get attention, so you back out of anything that puts you in front of others.  God gifted you in areas that require you be in front of others?  Oh well!

2. Your child is struggling in reading, math, science… or everything.  Obviously, you are a lousy homeschooling teacher and should send all your kids to a brick and mortar school tomorrow morning.  God called you to teach your kids at home?  Oh well!

3. Your friend and her husband just bought a new car and are taking their whole family on a trip to Disney World for two weeks.  If your husband took on another job, then you could do stuff like that.  God hasn’t directed your husband to get a second job and His Word says you should not nag him about it?  Oh well!

In each of the above scenarios, the Truth is being ignored. 

1. If God has called you or me to teach or sing or lead a Bible study and we decide to let someone else’s opinion of us direct our ministry, or lack thereof, then we are placing man’s opinion above God’s calling in our lives.  

The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe. Proverbs 29:25

2. If our child is struggling in a certain area academically and we feel God’s call to homeschool, then we are to push through.  Each child is unique with strengths and weakness that we as their parents are to help them grow and overcome as needed.  If you feel inadequate, call out to the Lord who promises to guide and give wisdom to those who ask in faith.   

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.  But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. James 1:5, 6  

I called on the Lord in distress; The Lord answered me and set me in a broad place. The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man [or my kid’s math lesson] do to me? Psalm 118: 5, 6 

If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, [or the depths of Apologia Biology] even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me. Psalm 139:9-11

3. Jealousy is a nasty thing.  It will eat away at our thoughts, affecting our words and interactions with others.  

Wrath is cruel and anger a torrent, but who is able to stand before jealousy? Proverbs 27:4  

We can become dissatisfied and bitter over the short stick we think we are getting.  In turn, we might pressure our husband to possibly step outside of God’s calling and direction for our family and end up playing Junior Holy Spirit in his decisions.  

A foolish son is the ruin of his father, and the contentions of a wife are a continual dripping. Proverbs 19:13 

The truth in Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to trust in the Lord with all our heart and lean not on our own understanding.  In all our ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct our paths – to Disney World or otherwise.

Just like that $40 internal flea bomb I fed to my poodle in a hunk of hot dog, we need to give ourselves a truth bomb when the lies of the enemy bite at us.  Don’t live with the itching, nip it in the bud!

Prayer:

Father, thank You for Truth.  Nothing else matters.  Amen.

Challenge:

Determine to speak truth to your self at every turn.  The minute you feel the itch to believe a lie of the enemy, combat it with Scripture that is applicable to the situation.  Jesus’ time in the wilderness is an awesome example of using truth bombs liberally.  Identify the most common areas in which the enemy lies to you.  Arm your self ahead of time with Scriptures addressing those areas.  Have the Scriptures on index cards, ready to read the truth into any circumstance.

Jen G. 2012

This Land is Your Land

Dwell: To abide as a permanent resident, or to inhabit for a time; to live in a place; to have a habitation for some time or permanence.  Webster’s 1828 Dictionary

When you move into a home, you would never consider only taking some of your furnishings inside and leaving the others outdoors.  If you did, dinner time might move you to the garage to eat at the table and bedtime might take you to the front yard.  When you move in to a new house, you move all the way in.  You make that house your home.  You invest in it and care for it; you dwell in that home.

“Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.” Psalm 37:3

The Lord has placed each one of us in a ‘land’.  That land is not just the country in which we are residing, it is the home in which we are living and the job where we might be working.  He tells us in Psalm 37:3 to trust Him and do good, dwell in the land and feed on His faithfulness.  We are not to halfheartedly, sort-of live there.  We are to jump in, do good, and enjoy the Lord’s provision and constant faithfulness regardless of the circumstances around us.

 “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4

I would venture to say that if I am unsatisfied in the land I have been placed, it is because I am not delighting in the Lord.  He promises that He will give me the desires of my heart if I delight in Him.  Therefore, if I am not satisfied it is because I am not delighting. 

If I am delighting in the Lord my home is large enough, my children are worth giving of my time and energy to homeschool, honoring my husband is a pleasure, and my days have purpose even if it means serving fries at McDonald’s or changing diapers over and over again.  And why is that? Because HE is my desire, and HE is completely satisfying. 

Dwelling in the land and doing good brings immense and true satisfaction when we are doing it for the glory of God.  The days might be hard and long, the people we have to be with might be highly irritating, and the paycheck might be small or even non existent, but His faithfulness abounds. When we desire Him, the desire is always met with more of Him.

Fully dwell in your land and be fully satisfied in the Lord.

Prayer:

Father, it can be so difficult at times to dwell in my land.  I want to pack up and go live at the coffee shop, surrounded by adults who all want to talk about stuff I am interested in and who clean up all the mess after I leave to go shopping for clothes that are not on sale.  Please focus my heart daily on the privilege of serving You where You have placed me.  You have a greater purpose in everything I do.  Let me delight in You!  Please give me more of You!  Amen.

Challenge:

Guard your thoughts and your words about the place the Lord has placed you.  It is incredibly difficult to delight in Him when you are crabbing about His plans for your life.  Search for Scriptures that draw your mind to His goodness and faithfulness.  Psalm 37:5 is a good one to keep in mind: Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.  What is the ‘it’?  I think it is the desires of your heart mentioned in the previous verses – Himself. 

Jen G. 2012

But God

A week ago this morning, the sounds of sirens and helicopters filled my neighborhood.  A young man opened fire at the high school one street over from our home, killing three boys and injuring two other children. In one single moment, the lives of the families of the murdered and injured, as well as the students and teachers in the school building, were changed forever. 

I ask that you continue to pray for Chardon, even as state and national attention refocuses on other tragedies and news. The world goes on, even when it seems as if it should stop.  For many in my beautiful town, their world has stopped for now.  Pray also for the ones who will continue to minister to these hurting people. 

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. BUT GOD, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ…

The words that most stand out to me in this passage are BUT GOD.  I was dead in trespasses and sins, I walked according to the course of this world, I lived for myself, I was like the world.  BUT GOD, who is rich in mercy, because of HIS great love…made me alive in Christ.  These beautiful words made me think of other times I can say, “BUT GOD!”

“I do not WANT to be kind to that person!  I can not BE kind to them!!”

I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Galatians 5:16

“I am beaten down by the words of others.  My heart hurts and I feel so unprotected and vulnerable.”

But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory and the One who lifts up my head. I cried to the Lord with my voice, and He heard me from His holy hill. Psalm 3:3, 4

“I CAN NOT homeschool anymore!  I want naps, lunch with friends, spending money and a clean house!”

Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content:  I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:11-13

“I am terrified that something will happen to my children, husband, parents...”

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7

“I am alone.  My husband has left my family.  How will we survive?  Who will provide for us?”

But You have seen, for You observe trouble and grief, to repay it by Your hand. The helpless commits himself to You; You are the helper of the fatherless. Psalm 10:14

“My sinuses feel like someone is jabbing hot pokers up my nose and my children are sharing pink eye with one another repeatedly.” (Real life for me right now!)

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

“All the horrible things that are happening in the world makes me wonder if God even cares?  Is He really good?”

This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 1 John 1:5

Man creates evil, not God.  If not for Jesus Christ, we would all remain dead in our sins, waiting to leave a sinful world for an eternal hell of death and suffering.  BUT GOD, who is rich in mercy gave us a way to Him.  Jesus took our sin upon Himself. He willingly came to earth, wrapping all of His glorious Deity in a frail, homely, human skin, and suffered lies and hurt and betrayal at the hands of the ones He loved.  He did all this to repair the damage done by Adam and Eve when they chose to reject the perfect goodness of God for a sweet lie presented by Satan. If the Lord cared enough to send His only Son to restore us to Himself, He surely cares about all the things that occur in our daily lives.

In what situations do you need to shout “BUT GOD!”?  The One who is rich in mercy has words for every circumstance and feeling.  Search them out in Scripture and use them daily.  Do not allow anything to rise above the awesome power and goodness of our God.

Prayer: 

Father, I need Your help.  I rely on my own strength to be good, to handle pain and fear, to provide.  Please remind me in every circumstance that in my own strength I am weak, but in You I have been given everything that pertains to life and godliness.  Amen.

Challenge:

Find the BUT GOD verses that relate to what you are facing in life right now.  Post them around your house, keep a spiral index card book in your purse to read over verses while waiting in line or at a doctor’s office.  Keep the truth of God before you at all times.  Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble. Psalm 119:165

Jen G. 2012

He Will Strengthen Your Heart

“I wish I could just crawl into a hole and pull it in behind me.”

Staring into a bottomless pit, numb, wrung out, heartsick and hopeless; these are all words that describe someone who has lost heart.  Losing heart is not something reserved just for those who experience traumatic events such as the death of a child or a divorce.  It can happen to anyone at any time for any reason.  For me, it comes most often with seasonal changes that impact my emotions.  For you it might be the result of a bad choice with your words or regrets in your parenting. 

I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. 

Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; 

Wait, I say, on the LORD!  Psalm 27:13,14

Whatever the reason for your heart sickness, there is but one cure.  Only One can strengthen your heart and give the courage needed to push through or wait it out.  Faith in the Lord and His goodness, regardless of your circumstances or feelings, can give the hope and the courage you need.  

One thing I have desired of the LORD,That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in His temple. For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock. Psalm 27:4,5

In the presence of the Lord you can find refuge and that secret place in which you long to hide away.  While in His presence you will be nurtured, refreshed, and restored!  Seek Him each day and when the dark, heart sick times come there will be shelter and encouragement in His secret place.  His Word will be hidden within your heart, reminding you of the truth you may not feel in the midst of pain, hurt, loss or depression.  

Regardless of our feelings or circumstances, the Lord's Word and His character never change; they are always faithful and true.  Do not lose heart - believe that you will see the goodness of God!  Wait on Him, have courage, allow Him to strengthen your heart.

Prayer:

Lord, You are constant, never wavering in Your faithfulness.  Please help me to cling to You when it seems I am sliding in a downward spiral of confusion, pain, fear, etc.  You promise to strengthen my heart.  Let me rest in You and be a testimony of Your joy in every circumstance.  Amen.

Challenge:

Copy Psalm 13 and commit it to memory.  When you feel the darkness closing in, pray the beautiful words and allow His peace to fill you.

Suggested reading for those dealing with depression: http://pmcrawford.blogspot.com/2012/01/quiet-time-reflections_09.html?spref=fb

Jen G. 2012

He Knows My Frame

by Mrs. B 2011

A bone-rattling noise from the radio interrupted my listening to worship music on the way to Texas last week. A series of storms had kicked up near Memphis that threatened to disrupt my travel down I40. I quickly called my husband, and he began tracking the storm system through the Internet. He said the best thing for me to do was to head due south in order to avoid the storms, even though that route was longer. As I traveled along, the meteorologist told of high winds, softball-sized hail, and funnel cloud sightings in the areas I was avoiding. My heart raced during the reports, yet calmed when my husband gave me minute-by-minute instructions on where to turn on country back roads. I could see angry dark clouds on my right and sun-filled clouds on my left.

My husband began to talk about the best place for my turning west in order to get back to the original path. I glanced to my right again, and I saw a huge funnel cloud stretching from the gray cloud-covering to the ground. Since I had never seen a tornado before (true confessions – I have only seen them on “Storm Chasers”), I hesitated to call it by that name, but I could hardly squelch the fear that was rising in my heart. My husband calmly told me that the storm was moving away from the direction I was going and to just keep driving. I gripped the steering wheel and heeded his instructions.



May 1, 2011 Sunday evening
The funnel was on the ground by the time I saw it, and weather reports have since confirmed a tornado in Somerville, TN, where this photo was taken. By taking the path that I did, I received only a few drops of rain. The storm soon weakened. Praise His Name!

Since we celebrated Passover recently, I was reminded of how the Lord took the Israelites on a longer route out of Egypt so that they would not fear. 

Now when Pharaoh had let the people go, God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, even though it was near; for God said, "The people might change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt." Exodus 13:17

This path around the land of the Philistines took much longer to navigate, but God understood their hearts. Though they had just seen God work mighty miracles in their release from Egypt, they could have also been exhausted from the time of testing and faith-building. It was God’s mercy that led them on a longer route away from the possibility of war.

In much the same way, many of us have been going through times of testing and faith-building. Financial difficulties, relational troubles, deaths in our families, and many other circumstances may be facing us as dark clouds. Sometimes He calls us to charge into those clouds and storm Heaven for answers and breakthroughs. At other times, knowing our frame, He leads us to go around those clouds. Either way, our goal is to heed His instructions and trust Him for the outcome.

Prayer:

Father, thank You for taking me through the storms sometimes, and thank You for leading me around them at other times. I am grateful for Your guidance and Your Presence along either path. I trust You, and I will praise You no matter what comes.
*

Challenge:

This week ask the Lord to help you trust His leading. When He calls you to pray and charge into the storm, do it with all you have. When He calls you to rest, rest with all you have, too, not fretting over the seeming inactivity. Obeying Him is never “inactivity” in the spiritual realm.

Mrs. B 2011



God said "Yes!"

by Jen G. 2011

I have recently been faced with a potential trial. So far it is simply an inconvenience, but it could very well turn into an ‘event’. Not surprisingly, my planned Bible reading took me to the book of Job this week.

Job “was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil.” (v. 1) He was wealthy, had a great family, lots of stuff to make his life comfortable, and was intensely committed to the Lord. He even made regular sacrifices for his children just in case they sinned against God. His took his job as a father and priest of his home very seriously.

One day while Satan was in the presence of the Lord, the Father asked him what he had been up to. Satan responded that he had been going back and forth over the earth. I think it worth noting that Satan does not mention that he has been wreaking havoc or looking for someone to torment (although he probably was!). It was the Lord Himself who pointed Job out to Satan.

Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?” v. 8

Satan’s ears perk up and he begins to mock Job and God. “Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!” (vs. 9-11) Satan basically dares God to test Job’s faithfulness and love for his Creator. And then…

*

God said yes.

From this point on in the book, Satan is given permission first to strike Job’s family and possessions and then his personal health. And in all of this, Job never forsakes the knowledge that the Lord is sovereign. In fact, towards the end of the book, Job goes so far as to say, “Though He slay me, yet I will praise Him!” He is committed to the truth that the Lord holds all in His hands; that anything that touched him first passed through the righteousness and goodness of the Father, regardless of what it felt like.

Of the friends who came to minister to Job, only one seemed to hit the nail on the head. Elihu reminds Job of the omnipotence and goodness of God.

“Surely God will never do wickedly, nor will the Almighty pervert justice.” (34:12)

Whatever is being permitted to enter your life as a believer in Christ - medical problems, a wayward child, financial trouble, a tense marriage, sleepless nights, children with learning issues, fractured relationships, job loss, depression - take the counsel of Job to heart. “Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” (2:10) The trials we face give opportunity to grow closer to Christ and to become more like Him.*

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." James 1:2-8

Instead of falling apart – the normal human reaction – count it all joy that the perfectly-good-in-all-His-ways, sovereign God said “Yes!”

Prayer:

Father, I ask that You position my heart to receive what You are allowing in my life. Let my reactions to trials be a testimony of Your goodness. Let the trials refine me to be more like You. Amen.

Challenge:

Read the book of Job this month and ponder the reactions of Job and his friends in light of the trials Job was experiencing. Journal through your reading and make note of the passages that speak to you. How are YOU reacting to trials? We have a responsibility to let patience learned in trials to have its perfect work and to not be double minded.

*Note: Trials, whatever they are, are used to refine us and make us more like Christ. Sometimes those trials do come as a result of sinful actions on our part. Repenting of sin that has brought consequences in the form of trials will not necessarily remove the trial, but it will make you more like Christ if you push through and refuse to enter into that sinful behavior again. Nothing is beyond use for God’s glory when given to Him!

Jen G. 2011



Thoroughly Equipped Flamingos

by Jen G. 2011

Let’s talk about chicken and flamingos…

Did you know that chickens live in every continent on the planet except Antarctica? They are pretty easy going birds – they can live in a barnyard or in the woods or even the side of the road. They lay eggs in the yard or hen house and eat bugs, grass, grain and a myriad of other things. Chickens are made to be adaptable to many different habitats and circumstances.

Every year, a whole bunch of Lesser Flamingos fly to salty Natron Lake in Tanzania, Africa. While there, the big pink birds eat algae to give them their rosy color, find a mate and prepare to lay eggs. As the temps rise and the water begins to evaporate rapidly, the salt settles on the top of the lake and forms crusty sheets, eventually floating to the center of the lake and forming a salt island. It is in this harsh, hot, floating plain that the Lesser Flamingo builds a nest of salt and lays its eggs. Of the 2 million Lesser Flamingoes born in Africa, all 2 million are born on the salt crust of Natron Lake. Flamingos are made for this bizarre habitat and have been equipped with the necessary tools to survive there.

Just as chickens and flamingoes have a unique purpose in God’s creation, Christ followers have a special purpose in the kingdom of God. As believers, we have been created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10)

Maybe you feel like a chicken on a salt lake or a flamingo in a barnyard; your circumstances are not ideal to your thinking. You live in a 700 sq. ft. appt. or have a chronic illness or a rebellious child or a rough marriage. A tiny budget demands that you buy used curriculum or shop at thrift stores for clothing. OR, maybe your life is pretty much perfect and you feel guilty for having it so ‘easy’ when your friends are having a rough go of it.

Be assured that no matter what your life looks like right now, the Lord has given you the tools to accomplish His good purposes for you. He has equipped you to handle what life holds.

How has the Lord equipped you?

2 Timothy 3:16,17 says,

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (emphasis added)

Are you using the tool of Scripture to walk out your calling? Do not believe the lie of the enemy that you can not do what the Lord has called you to do. Spend time in the Word, study it, know it, learn from it and allow it to transform your thinking. Then walk confidently in your circumstances, knowing that He has given you all that you need to be what He has created to be.

Sort of like a flamingo.

Prayer:

Father, thank You for the beautiful examples in creation that point us right back to You and Your wisdom. Thank You that Your Word is life to me! Help me to hold fast to it, drawing the strength I need to walk out the good works You have prepared for me. Amen

Challenge:

Spend time in the word each day and allow it to renew your mind. When you find yourself second guessing what the Lord has called you to do, remind yourself that in Him you can walk out His purposes. Audibly express your thanksgiving to Him for His perfect plan for your life.

Jen G. 2011