Every year movie buffs from around the world wait in anticipation to see who will win the industry’s biggest prize, the much-coveted Oscar. But for lovers of fashion, the pre-awards show is just as big a deal. You know, the one that famously asks, who are you wearing? The pre-show, the walking of the red carpet, is as much a big deal as the award itself. For a couple of hours the stars are interviewed, talking about their movie, their clothes and the amount of time it took them to get ready. Essentially, mankind sits in front of the big black box in the living room and watches the televised walking of a bunch of people on a brightly colored piece of carpet. Their smiles are as big as their hair. They gush about what an honor it is to be nominated. And the rest of the world lives vicariously through them for a few hours thinking they’ve got the world by a string. Do you know what I’m reminded of? Church.

Until the last couple years, I had a pretty rocky relationship with church. In fact, I could spend this whole time talking about my frustration at how the American church looks nothing like the church in Acts 2. I could wax poetic about why the church has often failed to raise up a new generation of believers that is so in love with Jesus that the things of this world seem like a waste of time. I could talk about my many self-induced sabbaticals I have taken over the years from church and why. I could lament over the years I spent in a church that greeted me every Sunday morning with nothing but rules and rituals making God look like an angry tyrant. Or I could simply go on and on about how we, I, have turned church into nothing more than a red-carpet event, a place to look good to everyone around me.

I am not under any delusions that the church in Acts was perfect. It wasn’t. But the one thing they had going on that is sorely missing in the 21^st century was a rock solid identity. They never grappled with their purpose or role. Nowhere in Scripture was the question ever raised, “will I be able to stand?” After all, some of them had actually seen Jesus and walked with Him. Their faith was set, their destiny determined, their lives spoken for. What about us in the 21^st century? Though Jesus hasn’t walked the planet for 2000 years, the Holy Spirit’s existence lives as loudly here and now as His physical counterpart did all those years ago. What we so often fail to realize is that we are on display everyday living a running commentary on what we believe about God to the rest of the world.

There’s a flurry of frustration right now as people are learning the lengths to which our government will go to to spy on us. I’ll admit as a political conservative, this is annoying to say the least. I’m an American citizen, and privacy is supposed to be one of my rights. I wonder, though, if I spent as much time worrying about the fact that the rest of the world is watching me in light of who I say I am if I would live a little differently, with more intention.

Hebrews 12:1,2 says:

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, who for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

The only way to truly start living a life that makes a difference is to throw off that which hinders the call of God on our lives. Last week I spoke about my struggle with debt. One of the reasons I wanted out so badly was because somewhere deep inside I knew there had to be more purpose to my existence, but I couldn’t grab hold of all that God had for me while still enslaved to sin. The throne of our hearts has room for only one God. To attempt to house both God and sin is equivalent to nothing more than looking good on the outside while dying on the inside. Eventually we fall apart, and everyone around us discovers what a fraud we are. What’s worse is the shadow it casts on the name of Jesus.

One of the worst things we can do as Christians is to disengage from society and set up our own subculture. We see it all the time. We create the Christianized version of the world’s systems in an attempt to form a sort of utopia so as to get through life unscathed by this world. There is nothing wrong with Christian schools, Christian music, Christian books, Christian coffeehouses. The problem comes in when that’s the only place we can be found. The non-believer does not live in these places.

When Jesus called us to be in the world but not of it, I don’t believe for a minute that this is what He meant. Yeah, we get the part about not being of it. But how do we live in this world successfully in a way that is pleasing to God and that will draw others to Him?

When I read through the life of Jesus one thing He did not do was disengage from the culture. He did not go off and hide from the world b/c it was just too unpleasant. With the exception of the time He took with just His disciples for the purpose of intense training as well as the times He spent alone in prayer, He was in the world engaging in conversation, debating, living out truth, teaching, meeting needs, preaching the gospel. Based on Christ’s examples and the example of the apostles, I will share with you over the next few weeks what God is teaching me about living intentionally in modern-day America. Each week I will take a different letter from the word ENGAGE (since acrostics are the best way for me to remember what’s worth remembering!) because I believe this is the mandate. It’s time for the Body of Christ to get over its identity crisis once and for all. We have to decide who we are and what we’re about and then live it with everything we’ve got.

“Through him we received both the generous gift of this life and the urgent task of passing it on to others who receive it by entering into obedient trust in Jesus. You are who you are through this gift and call of Jesus Christ!” (Romans 1:5,6, The Message, italics mine).

 

“If you want to maintain your freedom, do your own homework.” One of my favorite political radio hosts said those words this morning, and I haven’t been able to get them out of my head.

A couple of days ago I had the absolute privilege of standing in front of a group of gorgeous God-fearing women and telling them what God has done in my life. As I thought back over some of the key events in my life in preparation for what I wanted to say, a theme started materializing. It began with my salvation experience which was presented as mere “fire insurance.” In my young mind I perceived undertones of obligation by God to make good on John 3:16 rather than His actual love for me which compelled Him to offer such grace. I lived believing that though salvation was mine for the taking I would still spend my life  paying for what He’d done for me.

As a teenager I went on a missions trip to France. Though I genuinely wanted to share God’s love with others, in the back of my mind I was hoping it would endear me to Him somehow. After all, I was spending an entire summer sleeping in a tent and wearing jeans and combat boots, a far cry from my usual attire of bows, dresses and cute flat shoes! Instead, the team disunity, physical hardship, issues with leaders and extreme homesickness left me disillusioned with Christianity and the idea of serving Him.

Most of my college years were spent at Moody Bible Institute where I was fortunate to immerse myself in Bible classes and writing. However, with the stress of extenuating circumstances, I began down a dark hole of binging and purging in order to diffuse the frustration. I was convinced His disappointment in me was teetering on the brink of no return.

As an adult, I felt called to marry a youth pastor which I did. My husband is the greatest thing since sliced bread, but youth ministry was his gig, not mine. Realizing that left me feeling like a complete failure, again. What a disappointment I must have been to the God of creation. He’d given me a chance to redeem myself, to finally get it together and be a serious Christian, and I was blowing it. Another black check on the tally sheet.

As a young writer, I had a few successes with the publication of the articles and a children’s book, but it didn’t last. Now I was becoming angry with God. What did He want from me? Why did He continually dangle the carrot in front of me only to snatch it away once I got within reach?

Then my husband and I bought into the idea of the American dream, which you are all too aware of if you’ve read any of this blog. I wrote the following poem one morning to the Lord having no idea the flurry of activity it would release from Him.

I know what I’m asking.

It scares me to death,

But scarier still

Is a life that is left

Complacent, unchanged

Lukewarm at best,

Loving God one day,

Not caring the next.

So take me and mold me

As a potter with clay,

Shaping me, forming me

In Your unique way.

The pain and the time

It takes to change me

Remade in Your image

A sweet offering

I pray will bring

Nothing but glory to You

Redemption in action

Your work showing through.

Then a daughter of Jesus

I’ll stand on display

As proof of the Potter’s

Love for the clay.

Within weeks I found myself on my knees in my dining room begging God for help with my debt. At the time I didn’t realize that not only would He begin the process of unhinging us from our debt, but He would also start the longer, more involved process of releasing me from the captivity of what I believed about Him. Essentially, I had spent my whole life in judgment of God, and my sources for that judgment would never hold up in a real court of law.

I could blame the church that offered salvation as nothing more than a means to avoid hell. I could blame the Pharisaical Christians who had walked in and out of my life over the years. I could blame the American culture and it’s marketing of the American dream to any who will listen. But the blame was mine. I hadn’t done my own homework. I had no hard evidence to back up the verdict of who I thought God was. Quite the contrary, as a matter of fact. In looking over my life He has more than rescued me from situations that I have chosen, and yet I dismissed all of it as if it were merely hearsay.

Which brings me back to the quote at the beginning. If we want to maintain our spiritual freedom, that is to live without the noose of Satan’s lies tied around our necks, it is our responsibility to get to know the Person we claim to live for.

History has shown over and over how the ability of a charismatic speaker and a few well-placed lies can lead an entire culture of people into political and spiritual ruin. Here’s the bottom line in a nutshell:

1). God is under no obligation to prove anything to any of us, and yet the first breath of every new day is just the beginning of Him spending that entire day proving Himself to us.

2). I had to ask myself if I had spent most of my life basing my judgment of God on the actions and words of others as well as my own unreliable feelings, what judgments are other people making of Him based on what they see in me?

3). John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (NIV).

John 8:31,32, “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free'” (NIV).

“If you want to maintain your freedom, do your own homework.” One of my favorite political radio hosts said those words this morning, and I haven’t been able to get them out of my head.

A couple of days ago I had the absolute privilege of standing in front of a group of gorgeous God-fearing women and telling them what God has done in my life. As I thought back over some of the key events in my life in preparation for what I wanted to say, a theme started materializing. It began with my salvation experience which was presented as mere “fire insurance.” In my young mind I perceived undertones of obligation by God to make good on John 3:16 rather than His actual love for me which compelled Him to offer such grace. I lived believing that though salvation was mine for the taking I would still spend my life  paying for what He’d done for me.

As a teenager I went on a missions trip to France. Though I genuinely wanted to share God’s love with others, in the back of my mind I was hoping it would endear me to Him somehow. After all, I was spending an entire summer sleeping in a tent and wearing jeans and combat boots, a far cry from my usual attire of bows, dresses and cute flat shoes! Instead, the team disunity, physical hardship, issues with leaders and extreme homesickness left me disillusioned with Christianity and the idea of serving Him.

Most of my college years were spent at Moody Bible Institute where I was fortunate to immerse myself in Bible classes and writing. However, with the stress of extenuating circumstances, I began down a dark hole of binging and purging in order to diffuse the frustration. I was convinced His disappointment in me was teetering on the brink of no return.

As an adult, I felt called to marry a youth pastor which I did. My husband is the greatest thing since sliced bread, but youth ministry was his gig, not mine. Realizing that left me feeling like a complete failure, again. What a disappointment I must have been to the God of creation. He’d given me a chance to redeem myself, to finally get it together and be a serious Christian, and I was blowing it. Another black check on the tally sheet.

As a young writer, I had a few successes with the publication of the articles and a children’s book, but it didn’t last. Now I was becoming angry with God. What did He want from me? Why did He continually dangle the carrot in front of me only to snatch it away once I got within reach?

Then my husband and I bought into the idea of the American dream, which you are all too aware of if you’ve read any of this blog. I wrote the following poem one morning to the Lord having no idea the flurry of activity it would release from Him.

I know what I’m asking.

It scares me to death,

But scarier still

Is a life that is left

Complacent, unchanged

Lukewarm at best,

Loving God one day,

Not caring the next.

So take me and mold me

As a potter with clay,

Shaping me, forming me

In Your unique way.

The pain and the time

It takes to change me

Remade in Your image

A sweet offering

I pray will bring

Nothing but glory to You

Redemption in action

Your work showing through.

Then a daughter of Jesus

I’ll stand on display

As proof of the Potter’s

Love for the clay.

Within weeks I found myself on my knees in my dining room begging God for help with my debt. At the time I didn’t realize that not only would He begin the process of unhinging us from our debt, but He would also start the longer, more involved process of releasing me from the captivity of what I believed about Him. Essentially, I had spent my whole life in judgment of God, and my sources for that judgment would never hold up in a real court of law.

I could blame the church that offered salvation as nothing more than a means to avoid hell. I could blame the Pharisaical Christians who had walked in and out of my life over the years. I could blame the American culture and it’s marketing of the American dream to any who will listen. But the blame was mine. I hadn’t done my own homework. I had no hard evidence to back up the verdict of who I thought God was. Quite the contrary, as a matter of fact. In looking over my life He has more than rescued me from situations that I have chosen, and yet I dismissed all of it as if it were merely hearsay.

Which brings me back to the quote at the beginning. If we want to maintain our spiritual freedom, that is to live without the noose of Satan’s lies tied around our necks, it is our responsibility to get to know the Person we claim to live for.

History has shown over and over how the ability of a charismatic speaker and a few well-placed lies can lead an entire culture of people into political and spiritual ruin. Here’s the bottom line in a nutshell:

1). God is under no obligation to prove anything to any of us, and yet the first breath of every new day is just the beginning of Him spending that entire day proving Himself to us.

  2). I had to ask myself if I had spent most of my life basing my judgment of God on the actions and words of others as well as my own unreliable feelings, what judgments are other people making of Him based on what they see in me?

3). John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (NIV).

      John 8:31,32, “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free'” (NIV).

“If you want to maintain your freedom, do your own homework.” One of my favorite political radio hosts said those words this morning, and I haven’t been able to get them out of my head.

A couple of days ago I had the absolute privilege of standing in front of a group of gorgeous God-fearing women and telling them what God has done in my life. As I thought back over some of the key events in my life in preparation for what I wanted to say, a theme started materializing. It began with my salvation experience which was presented as mere “fire insurance.” In my young mind I perceived undertones of obligation by God to make good on John 3:16 rather than His actual love for me which compelled Him to offer such grace. I lived believing that though salvation was mine for the taking I would still spend my life  paying for what He’d done for me.

As a teenager I went on a missions trip to France. Though I genuinely wanted to share God’s love with others, in the back of my mind I was hoping it would endear me to Him somehow. After all, I was spending an entire summer sleeping in a tent and wearing jeans and combat boots, a far cry from my usual attire of bows, dresses and cute flat shoes! Instead, the team disunity, physical hardship, issues with leaders and extreme homesickness left me disillusioned with Christianity and the idea of serving Him.

Most of my college years were spent at Moody Bible Institute where I was fortunate to immerse myself in Bible classes and writing. However, with the stress of extenuating circumstances, I began down a dark hole of binging and purging in order to diffuse the frustration. I was convinced His disappointment in me was teetering on the brink of no return.

As an adult, I felt called to marry a youth pastor which I did. My husband is the greatest thing since sliced bread, but youth ministry was his gig, not mine. Realizing that left me feeling like a complete failure, again. What a disappointment I must have been to the God of creation. He’d given me a chance to redeem myself, to finally get it together and be a serious Christian, and I was blowing it. Another black check on the tally sheet.

As a young writer, I had a few successes with the publication of the articles and a children’s book, but it didn’t last. Now I was becoming angry with God. What did He want from me? Why did He continually dangle the carrot in front of me only to snatch it away once I got within reach?

Then my husband and I bought into the idea of the American dream, which you are all too aware of if you’ve read any of this blog. I wrote the following poem one morning to the Lord having no idea the flurry of activity it would release from Him.

I know what I’m asking.

It scares me to death,

But scarier still

Is a life that is left

Complacent, unchanged

Lukewarm at best,

Loving God one day,

Not caring the next.

So take me and mold me

As a potter with clay,

Shaping me, forming me

In Your unique way.

The pain and the time

It takes to change me

Remade in Your image

A sweet offering

I pray will bring

Nothing but glory to You

Redemption in action

Your work showing through.

Then a daughter of Jesus

I’ll stand on display

As proof of the Potter’s

Love for the clay.

Within weeks I found myself on my knees in my dining room begging God for help with my debt. At the time I didn’t realize that not only would He begin the process of unhinging us from our debt, but He would also start the longer, more involved process of releasing me from the captivity of what I believed about Him. Essentially, I had spent my whole life in judgment of God, and my sources for that judgment would never hold up in a real court of law.

I could blame the church that offered salvation as nothing more than a means to avoid hell. I could blame the Pharisaical Christians who had walked in and out of my life over the years. I could blame the American culture and it’s marketing of the American dream to any who will listen. But the blame was mine. I hadn’t done my own homework. I had no hard evidence to back up the verdict of who I thought God was. Quite the contrary, as a matter of fact. In looking over my life He has more than rescued me from situations that I have chosen, and yet I dismissed all of it as if it were merely hearsay.

Which brings me back to the quote at the beginning. If we want to maintain our spiritual freedom, that is to live without the noose of Satan’s lies tied around our necks, it is our responsibility to get to know the Person we claim to live for.

History has shown over and over how the ability of a charismatic speaker and a few well-placed lies can lead an entire culture of people into political and spiritual ruin. Here’s the bottom line in a nutshell:

1). God is under no obligation to prove anything to any of us, and yet the first breath of every new day is just the beginning of Him spending that entire day proving Himself to us.

2). I had to ask myself if I had spent most of my life basing my judgment of God on the actions and words of others as well as my own unreliable feelings, what judgments are other people making of Him based on what they see in me?

3). John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (NIV).

     John 8:31,32, “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free'” (NIV).

I chuckled when I walked into church a couple of weeks ago and read that our pastor was starting a new series entitled, “Going Deeper.” If I didn’t know better I’d think he’d been listening in on my conversations with God from the past week. It seems that when God is trying to drive home a point, He tends to cover all of His bases.

Though my prayer recently had been asking God to give me all of Him that I could handle, I have to admit I expected more mountaintop living and less of the battle between my flesh and the Spirit of God. To get more of God we must let go of more of ourselves. Why is that always so hard?

Without going through the laundry list of sins that I constantly battle, suffice it to say that as soon as I pray something as seemingly noble as asking for more of God, it’s almost as if He’s asking me if I really mean it. Without missing a beat the fear, pride and selfishness that characterizes me jumps front and center threatening to squelch the fire that has just begun to flicker.

Going deeper with God looks different for everyone. We are all in a different place spiritually, and our struggles are unique to each of us. For me, going deeper means obeying with no guaranteed results of the desired outcome. I’ve mentioned this before. It’s still a problem!

Driving is my least favorite activity. I cannot wait until my 15-year old gets her license. My plan is to hand her the keys and hop in the passenger seat indefinitely.

Not only do I hate driving, I especially hate it when the weather is not optimum, like in fog, for instance. Pursuing obedience is like driving in the fog. I will never forget as a young college student driving alone to see some friends in Nebraska from my home in Iowa. Not a long drive by any means, but it might as well have been from New York to California. The fog was mud soup, and the only thing I had going for me was the taillights of the driver in front of me. If he changed lanes so did I whether I needed to be in that lane or not.  I stuck so close to that driver that in today’s world riding on someone’s tail like that would be considered road rage.

Besides the fog I was also dealing with the handicap of having absolutely no sense of direction. I know one way to get everywhere I need to go, and if the road is blocked off or the weather blocks my vision, I’m in real trouble.

You get where I’m going with this. Sometimes deepening our faith simply means getting out of the boat. Other times, the process becomes nothing short of a tsunami, blowing in out of nowhere, taking our breath away and forcing us to hang on without knowing what comes next. In either case, it’s only about us to the degree that we’re willing to obey. The rest is about God.

That is where my husband and I find ourselves right now as God has seen fit to bring a couple into our lives that He is asking us to walk alongside. We are completely in over our heads not to mention there is no guarantee that the time we put into them will guarantee the outcome we are hoping for which is restoration. But if our desire is deeper faith and obedient living then we simply follow closely to God’s leading and let Him worry about the rest.

Hillsong United has a great song out right now called Oceans (Where Feet May Fail). My favorite lines go like this:

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders

Let me walk upon the waters

Wherever You would call me

Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander

And my faith will be made stronger

In the presence of my Savior

Isn’t that the point of the Christian life? To allow God to blow the borders off of our tiny faith and bring us to the end of ourselves so that, once again, all there is is Him?

I listen to enough radio and watch enough news to be able to quote the commercials for companies offering to sell gold. You hear it all the time in today’s economy: the dollar is losing value, it’s not going to be the currency our kids will use. The answer? Invest in gold. Gold is the standard by which the dollar used to be based on, the one currency that has historically retained its value or grown in value. It does make sense, and I’ve often wondered if we should look into something like that. At times, I become so overwhelmed by the news of naysayers that I start to panic and feel compelled to take every last dime I have and trade it all in for the shiny gold blocks of security being offered. But then I remember why I’m taking up space on the planet.

One of the perks of my job as a house cleaner is the people that I meet. Most of them become very much a part of my life. One client in particular I’ve known for years through church. I started cleaning for Cindy about two years ago after her cancer had weakened her to the point that she needed help; not something she was necessarily familiar with. Over the weekend, she lost her battle with cancer.

At one particular appointment last year she thought her prognosis was improving. She was feeling better except for the constant pain in her back which she attributed to the pain of nerve endings growing back after being annihilated by the chemo. Instead, she was told that her cancer had returned wrapping it’s menacing fingers around her spine and taking up residence in her bones. It would seem to me that a diagnosis of these proportions would devastate even the most faithful. We are human after all, and the will to live is a natural part of our makeup. However, though stunned and saddened, my friend reminded me that her life is in God’s hands.

What kind of person says this when they’ve been given a less-than-positive diagnosis? What kind of person can fall asleep at night not knowing if tomorrow will be waiting and sleep in peace? What kind of person, while their human body is dying, knows a peace that grows ever bigger with each passing day?

The only type of person capable of this response is the one who has invested everything in gold and not the kind sold in heavy blocks that support an economy. By that I mean, the kind of person who has lead a steady existence of keeping priorities in check and God at the front. The kind of person who has spent her life in a relationship with God experiencing who He is so when the rainy day hits, there is no question in her mind if God is good and if He really does hold her life in His hands.

She has spent her life collecting verses to quote in the midst of her darkness. She has invested in her kids in such a way that in her time of desperate need, they have reworked their schedules to accommodate her doctor’s visits. She has invested in friendships that have had a huge return in the form of helping her get dressed and making her lunch. God and people. Those were her nuggets gold.

I find the following quote interesting when put in a spiritual context:

“Historically, gold has been a proven method of preserving value when a national currency was losing value. If your investments are valued in a depreciating currency, allocating a portion to gold assets is similar to a financial insurance policy…” (EagleWing Research 2012, italics mine).

Oh the parallels we can draw! Let’s reword it like this:

“Historically, a relationship with God has been a proven method of preserving value when the world’s system is valueless. If your investments are valued in a depreciating currency (ie. the things of this world), allocating to God all of your assets is similar to an assurance of peace…”

Matthew 6:19-21 says this:

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (NIV).

I can’t pretend to know the thoughts that swirled around my client’s head as she lay in her hospital bed at home. What I can tell you is that every other Wednesday for the last two years was, for me, rich. Besides cleaning, we spent time exchanging news about life, encouraging one another and crying together over disappointments. I will miss her so much, but I will see her again someday.

Her faith in Jesus was her legacy, and her devotion to Him was her investment. What will yours be?

If someone were to ask you to describe God in one word, which of the thousands of adjectives would you use to do so? When I think of God, like many people, words like holy, righteous, omnipresent, loving and just, come to mind.

What about sweet? I can’t say that I’ve ever thought of God as sweet, not because He isn’t, but because I feel like the adjectives He deserves are more along the lines of those already mentioned. But to know Him personally, is to know His sweetness.

The other day while having lunch with a very dear friend the conversation drifted to what I was wearing. This particular day I decked myself out in bling. It was everywhere; on my shirt, all over my shoes and around my neck. My friend complimented me on the way I looked and on what I was wearing. In that moment I realized how far God had brought me.

After my husband and I got out of debt I went through a period of time where I decided that I was not going to care about my clothes or my makeup and just live simply. Besides, too much emphasis is put on the trivial, and I was guilty for sure.

I remember a conversation with God in which I questioned Him about why He just didn’t send me to some remote African village where the only item of clothing I would need was a piece of fabric to cover what needed to be covered. At least then I wouldn’t have to worry about any of this anymore. It would be so easy!

His response shocked me. “No! You will live in this culture and among these people and learn to do it well. I made you this way, to love beautiful things. You are the one who has made this personality trait ugly.”  He was so loud I almost looked around to see if anyone else heard Him!

It’s true. Like everything God creates, we get our hands on it and warp it with our selfishness and the insane habit we possess of putting that thing at center stage of our lives, even down to something as shallow as shopping!

Shopping is not a necessity of life. Wearing beautiful things does not make or break my existence, but it’s something I enjoy. I love finding the bargain. I love sifting through the stacks of ick and finding that one gem that I believe will transform my entire wardrobe! More amazingly is the fact that I worship a God who created me this way and rewards me with the gift of participating in this one activity every once in awhile.

Matthew 7:11 says,

“If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him” (NIV).

In response to my friend’s compliment the other day, I just responded with, “It’s the sweetness of God.” What else can I say?

In a way God has given me back me, only a much better version of myself. Sometimes the self-imposed limits we put on ourselves is the leading of the Holy Spirit to get us to a place of right relationship with that thing. But that doesn’t mean it will always be that way.

The opportunity to shop and enjoy it is something that I never expected to have again. Make no mistake, if God asked for it back in exchange for a simpler life somewhere more remote, be sure I would jump at the chance. But right now He’s put all of us in the exact place and time He wants us. The challenge is to do it well, and He is showing me that a life lived well is a life that is lived in collaboration with the Holy Spirit.

What are some examples of the sweetness of God in your own life? It can be as silly as shopping or as mundane as housework. Make no mistake: God is intimately involved in absolutely every area of our lives. Thank goodness.

 

I have talked before of my  lack of domestic skills. One of those would be the growing and keeping alive of plants. Whenever there is a death in the family people send plants. It’s a lovely gesture, but hasn’t there been enough death already? Why add more, even if it is just a plant? I cannot keep them alive. I inherited my grandmother’s black thumb of death. To the utter shock of a store worker whom she was trying to explain this to, she walked past an artificial flower arrangement and the leaves fell off. That would be me.

There is one part of gardening, however, that I do like, and that is weeding. I don’t know why other than the fact that it involves purging and cleaning up, two skills I do have in spades. Running along our driveway is a patch of ground that really belongs to the neighbor, but since it’s behind his garage he ignores it which means I get to deal with it. I got lazy and didn’t mess with it for months. It became overrun with weeds. My husband wanted to spend $26 on weed killer to which I emphatically disagreed. We both have these amazing tools at the ends of our arms called hands. We could use those! Do you know what I can do with $26? Weed killer was not what I had in mind.

Had I listened to his gentle suggestion of purchasing the weed killer I wouldn’t have spent three hours in the hot sun like Scarlett O’Hara working the land! Some of them were so deep and prickly that they required the use of a shovel to get to the root. It occurred to me as I was pulling and yanking and sweating that this idea of weeding and treating weeds before they get bad is parallel to the ongoing battle between evil and righteousness.Not only does evil need no encouragement to grow, if not taken care of at the outset, it takes over and the results are devastating.

To take it a step further let’s have a little science lesson. Yesterday I had my van in to have a mechanical problem looked at before I spent $1000 having it repainted. The history of this van and it’s less-than-stellar paint job is long and painful. Suffice it to say, the recall is up, and if I want it painted, the cost falls on me. Normally this is not something I would invest in, but I’m trying to be a good little consumer and take care of what I have rather than buying new. So I asked the mechanic about rust and why must it take up residence on my van. He gave me all sorts of scientific explanations about metal and their natural state. Yada yada. I could feel my eyes glazing over the way they do in a math class. However, I did get this out of what he said which I found fascinating. Did you know (you probably did) that rust is metal’s natural state, and that most things will revert back to their natural state? Hmmm.

What is man’s natural state?

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9, KJV).

Well, I think that’s pretty clear, don’t you?  Our natural state is wickedness, desperately wicked. As believers we are constantly fighting the sin nature. Though we are new creatures, this side of heaven the evil that is naturally a part of human nature will crop back up if we are not proactive in our faith. Were it not for the aggressive action of the Holy Spirit working in tandem with our own active compliance we would automatically default back to our natural state which is evil. Righteousness simply is not our normal state. I’m not suggesting a loss of salvation. I’m merely suggesting that there is a state that we find ourselves in when we haven’t been on guard against the enemy. What ends up happening is similar to the weeds in my patch of grass or the rust on my van. The natural state of who we are takes over, and the work it takes to get back to where we were and beyond becomes daunting. But Paul’s charge to Timothy is God’s charge to us:

“But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses” (I Timothy 6:11, 12, NIV).

Lest we think it’s up to us to accomplish this, be encouraged!

“Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6, NIV).

Why is freedom such a tough sell? In his farewell address to Congress on November 14, 2012, Ron Paul had these words to say in his speech entitled, Farewell to Freedom.

“I have thought a lot about why those of us who believe in liberty, as a solution, have done so poorly in convincing others of its benefits.  If liberty is what we claim it is- the principle that protects all personal, social and economic decisions necessary for maximum prosperity and the best chance for peace- it should be an easy sell.  Yet, history has shown that the masses have been quite receptive to the promises of authoritarians which are rarely if ever fulfilled.”

Read more: http://nation.foxnews.com/ron-paul/2012/11/15/last-speech-ron-pauls-farewell-freedom#ixzz2XoBqjBql

Though he was talking about the results of America’s decisions affecting it socially, economically and personally for each citizen, the principles can be applied to our spiritual lives. Why is freedom such a tough sell? Why is that Christians can’t seem to convince the rest of the world that faith in Jesus is the way to go? Those of the Muslim faith have no problem convincing multitudes of people that their way of thinking is the way of living despite the obvious proofs that peace is anything but the ultimate objective.

HIstory is laden with examples of the human race choosing captivity over freedom. The trial of Jesus is one of the most profound examples of this. As was customary during Passover a prisoner would be granted release. During Jesus’ trial Pilate had offered the crowd the option of releasing Jesus, the innocent, giver of life, or a notorious scoundrel, Barabbas, a known terrorist and the taker of life. I find the entire exchange fascinating as it brings to light the different players involved in the release of Barabbas over Jesus.

Motivated by one of the deadliest diseases in human nature, envy, the religious leaders couldn’t stand Jesus’ popularity. Just like Jesus refuses to share space in our hearts with anything or anyone, so Satan isn’t doing it either. Not without a fight. The chief priests were losing their hold on the people. This quiet meek individual was walking around the streets of Jerusalem preaching faith and salvation apart from the Law.

Though Barabbas represented a physical threat, Jesus represented a much bigger one: the minds and souls of the people. He came to bring freedom from the Law with its rules and regulations, and the chief priests simply couldn’t have this. Tradition was at stake. Barabbas could be controlled. He could only hurt one person at a time. Jesus on the other hand could affect many at once with His words, His ideas, His love.

To say Pilate was a wimp would be an understatement. During Jesus’ trial he sent Jesus to Herod hoping he would deal with it, implored the people on three different occasions to reconsider their insistence on His death, got a note from his wife demanding he walk away from the case, and finally washed his hands publicly of the whole thing. He chose Barabbas to keep the peace, appease Caesar and avoid a bigger uproar than what was already brewing. Pilate had the power to release Jesus but not the courage. What choices do we make out of fear rather than courage?

Finally, the crowd, a representation of every emotion run amuk. Some in the crowd were afraid to call for anything but Jesus’ death as a result of the Pharisees worming their way through the crowd persuading them to do so. Sometimes the right mixture of threat and manipulation from an authoritative figure  is all it takes to clamp shut the mouth of truth. I’m sure there were others in the crowd who were passive onlookers not realizing their passivity spoke just as loudly as the chanting around them.

Lest we walk around self-righteously as we read the story, I would like to suggest that every time we sin we have chosen Barabbas over Jesus. Think about it. He was a known killer. That’s what he did. He took life. Sin is the same. We are always choosing righteousness or evil, freedom or captivity.

“Jesus replied, ‘I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin'” (John 8:34, NIV).

Every choice we make represents a choice for the life-giving freedom that God longs to give us or the stifling chokehold of sin.

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1, NIV).

As I’ve said before we can’t possibly hope to change anything around us if we aren’t first addressing the private sin of choosing Barabbas in our own lives. At one time or another we have represented one or all of the players of that day. Some days we align ourselves with the religious leaders and their refusal to die to self. At other times, we move with the masses knowing what’s right but not having the courage to do it. And finally we’re the crowd either insistent on our own way or quietly trying to live around the frustration of the culture, fussing about it and doing nothing, therein making our choice.

I have found in my own life that it takes courage to choose correctly. To choose to die to myself takes courage to believe that Jesus has my best interest in mind and has much better things for me than I have for myself. To stand for what is right despite the manipulation of authority or peers also takes courage. The higher the cost, the more courage it requires. It also takes courage to not be passive with sin, to not just accept that “it is what it is” and try to carve out the most comfortable existence within the circumstances.

What is your Barabbas? What motivates the choice? Do you have the courage to choose freedom?

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10, NIV).

Why is freedom such a tough sell? In his farewell address to Congress on November 14, 2012, Ron Paul had these words to say in his speech entitled, Farewell to Freedom.

“I have thought a lot about why those of us who believe in liberty, as a solution, have done so poorly in convincing others of its benefits.  If liberty is what we claim it is- the principle that protects all personal, social and economic decisions necessary for maximum prosperity and the best chance for peace- it should be an easy sell.  Yet, history has shown that the masses have been quite receptive to the promises of authoritarians which are rarely if ever fulfilled.”

Read more: http://nation.foxnews.com/ron-paul/2012/11/15/last-speech-ron-pauls-farewell-freedom#ixzz2XoBqjBql

Though he was talking about the results of America’s decisions affecting it socially, economically and personally for each citizen, the principles can be applied to our spiritual lives. Why is freedom such a tough sell? Why is that Christians can’t seem to convince the rest of the world that faith in Jesus is the way to go? Those of the Muslim faith have no problem convincing multitudes of people that their way of thinking is the way of living despite the obvious proofs that peace is anything but the ultimate objective.

HIstory is laden with examples of the human race choosing captivity over freedom. The trial of Jesus is one of the most profound examples of this. As was customary during Passover a prisoner would be granted release. During Jesus’ trial Pilate had offered the crowd the option of releasing Jesus, the innocent, giver of life, or a notorious scoundrel, Barabbas, a known terrorist and the taker of life. I find the entire exchange fascinating as it brings to light the different players involved in the release of Barabbas over Jesus.

Motivated by one of the deadliest diseases in human nature, envy, the religious leaders couldn’t stand Jesus’ popularity. Just like Jesus refuses to share space in our hearts with anything or anyone, so Satan isn’t doing it either. Not without a fight. The chief priests were losing their hold on the people. This quiet meek individual was walking around the streets of Jerusalem preaching faith and salvation apart from the Law.

Though Barabbas represented a physical threat, Jesus represented a much bigger one: the minds and souls of the people. He came to bring freedom from the Law with its rules and regulations, and the chief priests simply couldn’t have this. Tradition was at stake. Barabbas could be controlled. He could only hurt one person at a time. Jesus on the other hand could affect many at once with His words, His ideas, His love.

To say Pilate was a wimp would be an understatement. During Jesus’ trial he sent Jesus to Herod hoping he would deal with it, implored the people on three different occasions to reconsider their insistence on His death, got a note from his wife demanding he walk away from the case, and finally washed his hands publicly of the whole thing. He chose Barabbas to keep the peace, appease Caesar and avoid a bigger uproar than what was already brewing. Pilate had the power to release Jesus but not the courage. What choices do we make out of fear rather than courage?

Finally, the crowd, a representation of every emotion run amuk. Some in the crowd were afraid to call for anything but Jesus’ death as a result of the Pharisees worming their way through the crowd persuading them to do so. Sometimes the right mixture of threat and manipulation from an authoritative figure  is all it takes to clamp shut the mouth of truth. I’m sure there were others in the crowd who were passive onlookers not realizing their passivity spoke just as loudly as the chanting around them.

Lest we walk around self-righteously as we read the story, I would like to suggest that every time we sin we have chosen Barabbas over Jesus. Think about it. He was a known killer. That’s what he did. He took life. Sin is the same. We are always choosing righteousness or evil, freedom or captivity.

“Jesus replied, ‘I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin'” (John 8:34, NIV).

Every choice we make represents a choice for the life-giving freedom that God longs to give us or the stifling chokehold of sin.

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1, NIV).

As I’ve said before we can’t possibly hope to change anything around us if we aren’t first addressing the private sin of choosing Barabbas in our own lives. At one time or another we have represented one or all of the players of that day. Some days we align ourselves with the religious leaders and their refusal to die to self. At other times, we move with the masses knowing what’s right but not having the courage to do it. And finally we’re the crowd either insistent on our own way or quietly trying to live around the frustration of the culture, fussing about it and doing nothing, therein making our choice.

I have found in my own life that it takes courage to choose correctly. To choose to die to myself takes courage to believe that Jesus has my best interest in mind and has much better things for me than I have for myself. To stand for what is right despite the manipulation of authority or peers also takes courage. The higher the cost, the more courage it requires. It also takes courage to not be passive with sin, to not just accept that “it is what it is” and try to carve out the most comfortable existence within the circumstances.

What is your Barabbas? What motivates the choice?

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10, NIV).