Out to Lunch

To be more accurate - Out to Convention.  Fresh Starts will return by July 2.  Thanks in advance for your prayers as my family and I head into a very busy, and fun, week.

Running Our Race in Faith

Many thanks to Mrs. B for her insightful and encouraging words.

And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.  Hebrews 11:6

As I have gotten older, I have found myself wondering if my life has been pleasing to God. Have I served enough, prayed enough, repented enough? Recently I was reminded of this verse – without faith, it is IMPOSSIBLE to please Him! Let me explain how this has caught my attention.

In the first few chapters of Genesis, Cain and Abel brought their offerings to the Lord.  The Lord accepted Abel’s sacrifice, but not Cain’s. Why? A man named Enoch is discussed in chapter 5; he walked with God, and then God took him to heaven without experiencing physical death. Why? In chapter 6 God was sorry and grieved in His heart that He had made man, and He decided to blot out every creature. But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord and was saved. Why? Then Abraham and Sarah -- they were blessed beyond anything we can imagine with as many descendents as the stars in heaven! Again, why?

The key is found in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews - “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval” (v. 1-2).   

Verse 4 says that by faith Abel offered a better sacrifice than Cain – because Abel offered it with faith. Enoch was taken up by faith, which was pleasing to God. Noah prepared an ark by faith so that his household could be saved, and it says in verse 7 that he became an “heir of the righteousness with is according to faith.” Abraham obeyed God by faith and left his home country, and later Sarah, by faith, took God at His word and received the ability to conceive in her old age.

As those who love God and who serve Him in various ministries to our families and the Body of Christ, how can we be pleasing to Him through those? On the one hand, we can do NOTHING to please Him – our righteousness is as filthy rags to Him, and the only way to please Him is to come to Him through the righteousness of Christ. Yet on the other hand, this verse clearly says that there IS a way to please Him – we can bring our offering of ministry and lift it up to Him by faith. We can turn our hearts to Him and trust His Word – that He will do what He has promised to do.

… let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Hebrews 12

Prayer: Thank You, Lord, for these examples that are written down for us, including Your perfect example. Thank You that I can be pleasing to You by running my race in faith, believing in who You are and believing in Your promises.  I am so grateful.

Challenge: Reflect this week on the promises God has given to you in His Word and to your own heart.  Commit to trusting Him all over again that He will do what He said He will do. Purposefully push aside doubts and fear by fixing your eyes on Him.

Mrs. B :) 2012

Marriage as Chemistry

Many thanks to Barb K. for her insightful words!

I am back in school, after a 37-year hiatus. I was reading in my Anatomy and Physiology book about the chemistry of the human body, and came across something I have learned several times in my life (high school chem, college chem, homeschool chem, you get the picture...) but which always fills me with awe at the incredible Creator God that we serve.

God can take a silvery-white metal (sodium) and bond it with a poisonous green gas (chlorine) to make a white, crystalline substance that has healing properties, preserves food, and makes food taste better, as well.

A. Mazing.

Two completely unrelated things, and one of them poisonous to humans, to boot. (tho' does pretty well at bleaching your white things...) He designed their outer valent shells (think back, your chemistry is still in your brain somewhere!) to "desire" to have the full allotment of eight electrons. Sodium has one electron in its outer shell; chlorine has seven. Sounds like a "match made in heaven," right?

Exactly.

"Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh." --Gen. 2:24a

When sodium and chloride get together, that's called bonding (ionic bonding, to be specific). There's another type of chemical bonding called covalent bonding. This is where the two elements share electrons. An example of this is two hydrogens sharing with one oxygen to make water. Since we are 60% water ourselves, we have a lot of covalent bonding going on already. But that "two become one" thing--always difficult to grasp, though with a marriage of almost 36 years (so far), I can "apprehend" it. God takes two different things, putting them together to make something strong and beautiful. Somewhat different from the original parts (tho' a marriage is not as drastic a change as sodium chloride, right?) but better, stronger, and with a shared purpose.

"Ye are the salt of the earth." --Matt. 5:13 

Salt has so many beautiful properties. It is healing. It preserves things. It tastes good! My pastor says that we should work to make our marriages the very best they can be, because Christian Marriage is the best picture God has, to show Himself to the world. So I can say the same thing about marriage: it is healing. It preserves things. It tastes good!

I suspect that marriage is an example of covalent bonding--the "shared electron" thing. My textbook says that "the shared electrons orbit and "belong to" the whole molecule, ensuring the stability of each atom." Isn't that beautiful?

Whew. I'm glad we're not ionic bonding. Then one of us would have to be the "silvery white metal," and the other would have to be the "poisonous green gas." And I'd be a little afraid to ask God which one I am...

Prayer: Lord, help me to appreciate the wonder that you can take two so very different people and make them one. And not only a patched-together “one,” but “one” who, in relationship with You, has the power to heal others, preserve society, and make life “taste better.”

Challenge: This week, as you take out that salt shaker, think about what it does. It can heal wounds; it preserves foods such as bacon; and there’s no denying it makes food taste better. Then think about these possibilities in your marriage, and determine not to let your “salt” be “trampled underfoot.”

Barb K. 2012

Textbook quote taken from Human Anatomy and Physiology, Marieb and Hoehn, ninth ed., p. 34.

Take Two: Gracious Lies

Our state's homeschool convention season is upon my family.  I pray you are blessed by the guest writers and frequent Take Two re-posts over the next month.  This post was originally shared in 2010.


Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 1 Corinthians 13:1

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Speaking graciously is something that is very important to me. The importance I place on graciousness is most likely due to my own lack of it as a child and teen. If you were being a jerk I was happy to tell you in so many words. None of those words, of course, improved the situation. Hence, my journey to becoming a woman of gracious words.
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Being gracious is a good thing, but there are times it can become a tricky trap. Proverbs 26:24-26 says, “He who hates, disguises it with his lips, and lays up deceit within himself; when he speaks kindly, do not believe him, for there are seven abominations in his heart; though his hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness will be revealed before the assembly.” In other words, there is such a thing as a gracious liar.
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I am sad to say that I have fallen into this trap. There have been times when someone exploded all over me in anger or hurt. Sometimes I just happened to be there at the ‘right time’, but in other cases I was the cause. Gracious words poured from my mouth making me sound like a second cousin to Gabriel, all while my heart was full of anything but love towards the exploding person. Translation: My words were gracious. My heart was not.
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When a person detonates, should I launch my own attack, telling the truth and leaving no question of my feelings? No! First, I should guard my mouth, carefully weighing the words I am about to speak. (Proverbs 21:23) The next step is to quickly pray, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23,24) The final step is speaking the truth in love to promote unity in the Body (Ephesians 4).
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To quote the housekeeper from Meet Me in St. Louis, “A lie is a lie. Dressin’ it in white won’t help it.” Being gracious without being truthful might look good on the outside, but on the inside it is ugly. The Lord desires truth to be in me (Psalm 51:6), in turn spilling out of me to others. Gracious words without loving truth backing them up are simply gracious lies.
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Prayer:
Father, help me to be a gracious woman inside and out. Help me to be truthful in love, speaking life into those I encounter. Amen
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Challenge:
Examine your heart. Are you a gracious liar? Do you hold back truth because you are afraid of the possible reaction? Maybe you have the opposite problem of speaking the truth in all circumstances with the effect of a piercing sword. Meditate on these verses and ask the Lord to make you a gracious woman of truth. Proverbs 11:16, Proverbs 12:18, Proverbs 13:3, Proverbs 15:4, Proverbs 18:24, Proverbs 19:22, Ephesians 4, 1 Corinthians 13.

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Jen G. 2010

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