Tag: faithful

bible study, Christian, Christian Church, christian encouragement, Uncategorized

Yes, No, Kinda

krisshetter

As I sit here typing I am enjoying the sounds of my neighbor’s roof being ripped apart by workers.  Yes, enjoying.  You see my new neighbors moved in about two months ago.  And then they moved out.  I haven’t seen them much over the two months because they had their flooring all re-done.  And then re-done.  The person they originally hired to install their beautiful reclaimed wood floors did a horrible job – when he showed up.  So, they had to fire him and hire a new installer.  And now the roof.  They’ve been told for weeks the new roof would be installed any day.  Last week they were told it would be on Thursday.  Then Friday.  Then Monday.  So today the roofers finally arrived.  I like my new neighbors and I know how frustrating this has been for them.  So yes, I’m enjoying the noise knowing the work has finally started.   It seems that there are so few people and companies we can actually rely on today who make their “yes” mean “yes.”  It may sound harsh, but when we don’t make our “yes” mean “yes” and our “no” mean “no” that’s called lying.

Above all, do not swear – not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “yes” or no.” 

James 5:12

I watched an interesting video interaction once where a pastor went up to people and asked if they sinned and had broken the 10 commandments.  They all said, “no.”  Then he started asking them questions.  “Have you ever taken a pen from your work?” That’s stealing.  “Have you ever ‘swore to God’ you would do something for someone and you didn’t?”  That’s taking God’s name in vain.  And on and on.  It was fascinating to watch the faces of the people change.  They looked humbled.

The Bible is big on trustworthiness.  God’s covenant with us is His way of setting this concept in the forefront.  He is trustworthy.  He is the God of yesterday, today and tomorrow.  He is the Rock we can trust will be with us in times of trouble.  And He asks us to work on being trustworthy with our promises. When we are asked by a friend not to reveal something told in confidence, we aren’t to go into that decision lightly.  With God’s wisdom by our side we give our “yes” or our “no.”  And we stick by it.  We don’t need to swear it.  We just need to mean it.

“A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy person keeps a secret.”

Proverb 11:13

I was a PTA president at my daughters’ elementary school for two years.  I frequently asked people to help on projects or events.  I appreciated those who would say “no” and not be squirmy about it.  I, of course, really appreciated the people who gave me an eager “yes” and meant it.  The people I had the most issue with were those that said “yes” and then wouldn’t show up, wouldn’t do the work, or gave a half-hearted effort.  They would swear they wanted to help. It’s those people that I felt had they said no, I would’ve been better off.  

If he is a true man and has plainly said, “I will,” you have him in your hand.  He was free before giving it but not free after.

Charles Spurgeon

What if we all thought that way when we gave our decisions?  Before we answer, we are fully free to pick whichever we wish.  But once we say “I will” we are fully committed.  Yes, circumstances arise that may be difficult to follow through – a late order from another company, the weather, an illness, something breaks down – but knowing we have made that commitment we will move heaven and earth to fulfill that obligation.  We all have experienced situations where a person or company fails in their obligation.   It is their reaction to that failure that we most respond to.  Are they willing to make up for the failure?  Are they contrite? Or do you get a “whatever” response?  We will determine then if they are trustworthy or not.

When we enter into that covenant with another person by giving our “yes” we need to be sure we aren’t impetuous.  Are we making that decision to impress others or even to impress God?  I was involved with a woman through Girl Scouts and PTA for many years who volunteered for everything.  People on the outside thought she was amazing!  Her name was on all the volunteer lists.  The only problem was she never actually followed through and completed the tasks.  

“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. 

Luke 16:1-

That’s Jesus talking.  And he’s not just talking about following through with commitments we make and being honest.  He’s also talking about saying “no” to things we need to say “no” to.  When we are tempted to do wrong, we need to just say a firm “no.”  When we are asked to take on a task and have prayed about it and God tells us “no,” we need to say the same to the asker.  Not “maybe.”  Not, “possibly.”  Not, “I’ll see.”  We don’t need some long explanation.  With His wisdom tucked firmly in our back pocket to be used at a moment’s notice, we can be firm on our “no.”  Sometimes it’s difficult to decide which way to turn.  If only we had the breastplate described in Exodus 28:15

Fashion a breastpiece for making decisions—the work of skilled hands. Make it like the ephod: of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen.

Exodus 28:15

Included on the tunic was a pocket with a black and a white stone.  When a big decision needed to be made, the faith leader would reach in and pull out the stone.  Black for no and white for yes.  It reminds me of those Magic 8 Balls.  Although those always seemed stuck on “Maybe.”

In my post on patience I listed the reasons you should have patience.  One of those was for better decision-making.  When we aren’t emotional and stressed, we can think through a decision much clearer.  As a Christian we have the power of prayer.  We have the Word of God.  How many of us, when faced with a big decision turn to both of these?  And wait for an answer?  I used to volunteer for anything thrown my way.  Part of it was out of pride – thinking how great it was to be asked.  Another part was needing to always be “doing something.”  After I volunteered THEN I would ask God to work it out.  Yes, a bit backwards.  

I learned a long time ago at my first professional, career job that, when making especially difficult or controversial decisions, I wanted to align those decisions with my boss.  That way I knew if issues came up, I was supported.  That thinking has served me well throughout my working career.  And when I finally applied that same concept to the rest of my life it made giving my “yes” and my “no” much easier.  God is my boss.  When I align my decisions with His Word, I am strengthened by the promises He has made.  I know He is working all things for my good.

But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me.

John 8:16
bible study, Christian, Christian Church, christian encouragement, Uncategorized

Do You Do or Don’t Do?

krisshetter

A year ago I decided to take my weight gain seriously.  My middle-aged hormones were wreaking havoc on my body.  I had gained 35 pounds.  And I was two months away from my daughter’s wedding.  God wants us to take care of ourselves.  1 Corinthians 6 says, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit?”  And so, along with the help of a weight loss app I finally decided to really do something about it.  I was diligent.  By the time my daughter’s wedding came around the dress that I had tailored a few weeks prior didn’t really fit me – it hung loosely in a number of places.  About six months in I was 10 pounds away from my goal weight and decided I didn’t need the app anymore.  Around that same time the Covid19 crisis struck.  And here I am another seven months later with 15 pounds to lose.  You got that – I, of course, gained more weight.  So, at lunch today I sat across from my friend who also tries to watch her weight.  I told her about a great dish the restaurant has that is low calorie.  I knew exactly what to order and what not to order.  And as the waitress took our order, I did exactly what I shouldn’t.  I gave into my cravings.  Not only that, I convinced my friend to do the same.

When we do what we shouldn’t do!

One of my favorite verses from the Bible is quite the tongue twister.  When I heard a young pastor speak on these verses he could barely get it out without laughing.

“I do not understand what I do.  For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.  And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree the law is good.  As it is, it is no longer myself who do it, but it is the sin living in me.”

Romans 7: 15-17

And the do’s keep going for four more verses!  James makes it a lot clearer:

“If anyone, then knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.”

James 4:17

We’ve probably all been there with the diet issue.  But how many times do we not do what we know we should do?  For some of us that might be every, single day.  Sinning is our very nature.  We Christians have allowed other people to use the word “sin” against us.  They say it makes us judgmental.  It makes us hypocrites.  It shows we don’t love people.  But sin is everyone’s nature – whether you are a Christian or not.  You can thank Adam and Eve for that.  Unlike atheists, Christians just recognize that we are sinning.  But the enemy wants us to be prideful and say we don’t sin – it’s those “other people.”  Throughout our day we need to recognize our sinful behavior and ask God for forgiveness.  When I blame someone else for “making me upset” or I accuse others of “doing worse than me” that’s pride shining through.  It also gives us cover to do the exact same thing over and over.  Sinning make take the form of fear over faith, worry, improper thoughts, shame or gossip.

My daily sin is being impatient and annoyed with people.  I know not to do it.  But I do it.  Sometimes I’m so caught up in my excuses I forget to take a moment and ask for that forgiveness – to ask for that strength not to do it again.  But I had a recent revelation.  I was living in transgression.  That, my friends, is a sin that is done over and over for a hidden reason.  After one of my prayers of forgiveness Jesus shined a light on it.  My lack of humility.  It was the root of my everyday sinning.  I was making excuses and hiding it.  And until I realized, it there was no chance of me stopping my bad behavior.

“Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”

John 8: 7

You see all the accusers of this woman about to be stoned were hiding their sins, trying to sell everyone on their pious lives.  But you really can’t hide from Jesus.  Satan loves when we try to hide our sins.  I’ve been telling my Bible Study Girls lately that living like that creates a visual of a dark, scribbly mass living inside of us – creating chaos and hatred and all things ugly.  We have a hard time doing the right things for the right reason when we live with transgressions.  

A soul filled with transgressions

And then we have iniquities – where those transgressions become a bondage to our transgressions.  It drives us to repeatedly and continually commit sin.  It perverts all our good intentions.  For example, my sin of being annoyed with cashiers.  When I do it time and again it becomes about a lack of grace, love and humility on my part (transgression).  If I don’t repent and ask God to help this sin can move into an iniquity – where I actually hate cashiers.  I might even call them names, or think of them as lowly people for doing such “menial” jobs.  It becomes a soul crusher.  And satan dances.

Because, as Christians, we make it a point to live with the mind of Christ and the knowledge of God’s Word, we know what “doing good” means.  We can choose to give to the poor.  Or we can choose to ignore God’s call to help the needy.  And in doing so we sin.  And if we consistently withhold God’s treasure from His people our sin transforms into transgression – maybe a fear of losing money, a fear of not having enough money.  And those constant hidden thoughts about money may lead to an iniquity – greed, hatefulness to the needy, miserly behavior.  And none of those creates a loving mind and heart.

Why do we not do what we know we ought to do?  Because we have a sinful nature.  We want what we want, and we want it now.  The closer we try to live next to Jesus and the more we fill our minds and hearts with God, the harder it is to allow room for those sins to become soul killers.  

God knows His children.  He knows we need constant correction.  Let’s just try to keep our lives on the slightly wandering path rather than taking the full off-ramp.  Ask God right now to reveal any hidden sins in you — anything that you need to recognize that negatively motivates your behavior.  He loves you and will gladly honor your request in a way that He knows you need.  Don’t be afraid.  Just ask.   And then do what He tells you.

bible study, Christian, Christian Church, christian encouragement, Uncategorized

A Good Plan

krisshetter

When my eldest was two years old (she’s now 27) I quit my career job.  It was a big decision for me as I placed so much value in working.  I had never planned on being married and having children so getting a good education and then a good career was my grand plan.  And here I was, about 10 years after graduating college, quitting.  One day, we were out for a walk.  At a busy intersection, the crosswalk light turned for us and I pushed the stroller in front of a line of waiting cars.  Halfway across a man yelled out of his car, “Hurry up and why don’t you get a damn job!”  I was mortified.  I wasn’t angry with the man for being out of line, I was ashamed.  Ashamed I didn’t have a job to identify me as “worthy.”  How he would know my job status could only be the work of the devil.

Sometimes we accept the word of satan much easier than the Word of God

Joyce Meyer

My value, my self-worth, was wrapped up in a career.  Here I had a beautiful baby, a loving husband, a nice home and yet I was unable to see these gifts from God.  I had a plan and I had quit that plan.  I was a failure.  Each day my husband would come home and out of habit ask me what I had done that day.  Boy did that get my hackles up!  I started inventing things I had done or making what little I had done sound so exhausting and important.  I mean a trip to the dry cleaning can really take a lot out of you.  Instead of enjoying those precious moments of playing hide and go seek with my daughter I fretted over my future.

“Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.  Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.”

James 4:13-14

Life seems so complex and we want to control it.  By making our plans we try to take the chaos out of our lives.  We don’t want to be those “losers” who don’t have enough money to live on when we retire.  We make grand plans for our bank accounts.  We try to position ourselves so we are the ones that get that great promotion.  We commit ourselves to long term goals with creating a family, losing weight, travelling, careers and so much more.  And yet, we forget about today.  The right here and now.

“Do not boast about tomorrow for you do not know what a day may bring.”

Proverbs 27:1

That doesn’t mean we aren’t to be good stewards of our gifts.  I did a Bible study once where the entire focus was on being a good manager of what God has placed in our hands.  You see it’s never about having money or not having money with God.  It’s never about having a good job or not.  It’s not about saving money to buy a home or not.  God’s has all good things in mind for us.  It’s always about our relationship with Him.  When we submit to the will of God, it all starts to make sense.

I used to pray for God to bring me joy one day.  That day was, of course, when I was financially secure, my kids were in good jobs and married, and I finally had the perfect lakehouse.  Sounds like the perfect plan, right?  I kept putting off joy.  Instead of investing in my eternal life by appreciating today, I was investing in my earthly life by ignoring today.  I was reading a sermon by Charles Spurgeon today called, “Waiting Only Upon God.”  He tells this story about the Scottish novelist and playwright Sir Walter Scott:

“Perhaps there never was a mind more gigantic than the mind of Sir Walter Scott: a man whose soul was as fertile as the newly broken soil of the land of gold. That man was a good man I believe, a Christian; but he made a mistake in the object of his life. His object was to be a lord, to found a family, to plant the root of an ancestral tree the fruit of which should be heard of in ages to come; magnificent in his hospitality, generous in his nature, laborious in his continual strife to win the object of his life, yet after all he died a disappointed and unsuccessful man. He reared his palace, he accumulated his wealth and one sad day saw it scattered to the wind, and he had lost that for which he had lived. Had he fixed his eye upon some better object than the pleasing of the public, or the accumulation of wealth, or the founding of a family, he might have got the others, and he would not have lost the first. Oh! had he said “Now I will serve my God; this potent pen of mine, dedicated to the Most High; shall weave into my marvellous stories things that shall enlighten, convince, and lead to Jesus,” he might have died penniless, but he would have died having achieved the object of his wishes—not a disappointed man.”

In other words, God gifts us in so many ways – with different talents, with finances, with family, etc – but when we make the plan to succeed at those, without seeking His Will, we will surely be disappointed at the end.  We work and we toil.  We stress and we plan.  And we forget this one thing.

“You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”

James 4:14

It’s true.  We all will die.  We don’t know the day or the hour.  Without God as our light, without God as our object of desire, we waste our days clutching and worrying.  Spurgeon goes on to say that so many of us make our plans and then turn to God asking what we should do and then go do what we originally planned.  Sound familiar?  In fact, after researching for this post I finally realized I hadn’t prayed yet what God wanted me to say.  I kept bouncing back to my notes thinking about what I wanted to write.  I finally just opened my computer, put my hands to the keys and said, “Tell me what you want me to say.”  I had done my research, I had quotes and verses to pull from so I was prepared.  But in the end, I was also willing to do what God told me to do.

I heard a sermon the other day called “Crazy Faith.”  The pastor started out talking about Noah.  Here’s this guy, most likely a farmer, who the Bible called a “righteous man.”  Meaning he probably honored his debts, paid his workers and did a bang-up job with taking care of his family.  He had it all planned out.  Toil away in the fields year after year and be a successful farmer.  And then God.  The great part of this story is Noah didn’t say, “But I have my own plan for my life.  I’m a farmer, not a ship builder.  Oh, and by the way, I don’t live by an ocean.  I’m going to go out and plant some more seeds and reap my harvest.  Go away.”  I’m sure being a “righteous man” he prayed to God for good things to happen in his life.  So, when God said, “Ok, here’s a good thing I want you to do.”  He did it.  Are we so willing?  Or are we married, fully committed to our plan?  We are so committed that we miss the God given opportunities to help and love others.  We miss the doors He opens for an amazing life rather than the toiling life we have planned.

A few posts ago I mentioned the 100 Lunches Project.  Each week for about a year God led me to feeding the homeless.  It wasn’t about feeding the homeless really.  It was about ripping that need to work and justify my daily activities out of my heart and mind.   It was about not planning every single detail out.  It was about going first to Him to check in on what He wanted from me.  At the time I was working at a school counseling office.  I worked three days a week.  It made me feel worthy.  And then He told me that I needed to deliver food regularly on one of those three days.  When I went into the office the next day I said, “I know you are familiar with my 100 Lunches Project.  Well, God told me I need to start doing it on Wednesdays so that means I can’t work that day.”  Yep, I said that.  And the response was, “Ok, sounds good.  We are happy to have you whichever days you can give us.”  My mouth might have dropped open a bit.  Each and every time I went to God for direction, on money, on what to buy, on where to go, on the help I needed, He answered.  And I obeyed.  It was glorious.

So, you see, it’s not about trying to build up that big retirement account.  It’s about asking God what you should do with that paycheck.  And doing it.  Charles Stanley’s Life Principles #2 & #5 say to obey God and leave all the consequences to Him – even if it seems unreasonable.  EVEN IF he asks us to build an ark in the middle of the desert.  He has great plans for us – we may not ever be famous or wealthy.  But that plan will be good.  And if He doesn’t answer right away, as Christians that live close to God, we already know to be good stewards of His gifts.  We will have prepared for the day He does speak.  Until then, He calls us to enjoy what we have right now.  For tomorrow may never come.

bible study, Christian, Christian Church, christian encouragement, Uncategorized

Love+Mercy=Deeds

krisshetter

When my youngest daughter began her college search 6 years ago she was determined to go somewhere far away from home.  Her preference was to play field hockey on the east coast.  After visiting six states and six colleges in the course of five days we still didn’t land on the perfect place.  And then out of the blue she got a call from a school in Missouri who wanted to recruit her.  Her reaction, “no way am I going to school in the Midwest.”  After a solo visit to the school and the team she changed her mind.  She loved it.  Set on the banks of the Missouri river, just 20 minutes from St. Louis is St. Charles.  It’s a quaint town mostly known for being the starting point for Lewis and Clark.  The school, Lindenwood University, fit all our requirements.  It also was a Presbyterian founded school.  Sitting on the board was the pastor for the large, local Presbyterian church.

The weekend she moved in I took a trip over to that local Presbyterian church.  It shared a fence with the university.  I asked to speak with the pastor and see what programs they had in conjunction with the school.  As I spoke with his secretary, he could see me from his open office door.  He could hear me speaking to her.  He never got up from his desk.  In fact, the answer to my question about the partnership with the university students brought a blank stare.  I asked what mission projects they do in St. Louis, and again I got a blank stare.  My heart broke.  Here was a large church, founded in 1818, and 1952 it formed a partnership with the college.  About 68 years later it has failed the thousands of students that pass through the college each year.

Lindenwood University was my daughter’s home away from home for 3 1/2 years

Why tell this tale?  James admonishes us to love our neighbors, not pass judgement without mercy, and to show our faith with deeds.  And yet this large church found it difficult to do all of these.  They were stuck in the success they already had and lost focus on their purpose – to always be bringing new people to Christ.  Like so many churches they waited to see who would show up for church.  The secretary told me they had once tried a Sunday evening worship designed for the students but hardly anyone came.  So, they gave up.  I asked her, “Did you try going to them?”  Another blank stare.

James 1 and 2 are all about shaking us awake.  Pleading with us to be “doing Christians” rather than pew-sitting Christians.  Real justification – a saved life – leads to a changed life.  He reminds us that serving our Lord may make us uncomfortable when we invite the poor or unknown to sit next to us.  He also points out that the rich or those we show favoritism to frequently are the ones that treat us the worst.

“Is it not the rich that are exploiting you?  Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court?  Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him whom you belong”

James 2:6

A poor, lonely college student would jump at the chance for a free meal at a campus BBQ or an invite to dinner into someone’s home. They don’t have much to offer us, except their company.  They might not look like us, talk like us, or believe exactly like us.  They probably won’t find their way to a church by themselves.  The mere act of reaching outward and being a friendly face to those who don’t feel comfortable walking into our church doors shows them mercy.  Think about the last time you were at a social gathering and didn’t know anyone.  Finally, someone comes up to you and strikes up a conversation.  You are filled with relief that you are no longer alone. 

“Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.  Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

1 Peter 4:10

When we stand in front of the gates of heaven, expressing our thankfulness for the gift of salvation we will be judged.  Jesus may stand there smiling that gentle smile back at us.  And then say with sadness, “Why didn’t you ever open and use my gift?”  We beg for God’s grace, mercy, love and forgiveness.  And when we are bestowed all those, do we open them up for all the world to see?  I once asked my husband for a fancy mixer.  It could whip, grind, shred and all manner of cooking/baking related activities.  But if he had given me exactly what I wanted and I thanked him profusely yet never opened the box and used that mixer, wouldn’t my husband think I didn’t truly appreciate it?

Open, open, open

When we don’t judge people for their age, what they wear, how they talk, what their background is, their politics, etc., and just accept people as we encounter them, they are open to our love and our message of God’s love.  Imagine that church in St. Charles holding a first weekend BBQ for anyone who wanted a free hotdog and an invite to a worship service.  Or,  a helpful church team assisting parents and students moving into the dorms along with a care package with a card welcoming them.  A contact number to call if they need help.   And each month having an outreach event to just say, “we are here and we love you.”

You see, when we accept the challenge of loving our neighbors and showing them mercy, God opens the doors to all the best deeds.  And even if just one person responds, that’s one more person on God’s side of the ledger.  We should all be praying regularly for opportunities like this to be placed in front of us.  When you become God’s co-worker (1 Cor. 3:9) you lose count of all the blessings that unfold.   As for my daughter, the Christ-centered group Athletes In Action met regularly on campus and another student invited her to come.  It saved her in so many ways.  She eventually become a leader and a speaker who told her testimony to many other student-athletes.  She also met her future husband through the organization.  As a parent living almost 2,000 miles away, I still remain ever thankful there were Christians who took up James’ challenge.

If you know a Christian athlete who is in college, encourage them to look up Athletes In Action

Will you take up James’ challenge this weekend?  Pray for your eyes to be opened to opportunities to show your faith by your deeds, love and mercy. Click on the photo and listen to this song by Danny Gokey and Mandisa called “Tell Somebody.” It’s a great song about opening up that gift!

Christian, Christian Church, christian encouragement, Uncategorized

Show Me, Tell Me

krisshetter
Building A New Us In Christ

They didn’t want to add to our current, stressful situation.  My husband, their son, owns and operates residential Alzheimer’s care facilities and each day the state government was changing rules related to COVID-19.  The staff were worried, residents’ family members were worried. And true to my in-law’s gracious ways, they didn’t want to pile on more bad news.

You see, my precious mother-in-law had been diagnosed with uterine cancer.  When we talk about angels on Earth you’re talking about her.  When I picture her I see love.  I see goodness. She is one of my touchstones.  She’s a lot of people’s touchstones. During the last 32 years she has quietly guided my faith journey.  And she has cancer.

James leaps from the starting gate in his letter to the church with a challenging statement:

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”

James 1:2-3

A few years ago, that statement might have received the response, “Are you ‘cray, cray’?”  Meaning you’ve got to be kidding.  Not only “joy” but “pure joy.”  It reminds me of the scene in the movie Animal House — a pop culture film about a college fraternity. In it, actor Kevin Bacon is being initiated into the fraternity.  He is required to be harshly paddled by its members.  But not just paddled, he must also request the beating each time by yelling, “Thank you sir! May I have another!”  The pain is evident on his face with each whack.  Yet he knows he must ask for more to achieve his ultimate goal — membership.

While I don’t believe God wants us to be begging for trials, He knows in the course of our existence they will naturally come.  In Mark 10, Jesus tells the disciples that not only will they receive a hundred times what they have given up to follow Him but also persecutions.  Throughout the Bible we are encouraged to embrace our trials, whether from persecution, loss or affliction, so that our faith may mature.

A few years ago, I started hearing the term, “baby Christian.”  The implication being that we are born with our commitment to Christ and then grow with our faith.  We can choose to stay “baby Christians” just like we can also choose not to become mature adults.  It seems more obvious to the world when we see people who have opted to not get a job, educate themselves, learn to live on their own, have a solid bank balance, and take care of themselves.  You might have someone like that in your own family. Or you might be aiding in someone’s stunted path to maturity. What doesn’t always seem obvious is our stunted Christian spiritual growth.  It takes much of the same concerted effort to grow in our faith. To be at the place James calls us to — finding Pure Joy in the difficult times.

Where are you at on the Spiritual Growth Chart?

With James’ simple opening salvo he blasts us into paying attention. We can either 1) scoff and choose to ignore him as a crazy person or 2) say, “tell me how.”  In Luke 22:28 Jesus listens to a dispute among the disciples. They are arguing who is the better disciple (sounds like one of my PTA meetings).  He interrupts and tells them, “You are (all) those who have stood by me in my trials.”  His trials.  You see, Jesus was sent to not only verbally teach us our Father’s ways but to experience our earthly ways to show us how to handle them.  We mark our spiritual growth chart with each trial when we turn to Jesus and say, “you’ve been here, show me what to do.”  

There’s lots of self-help books out there to guide us to being mature adults. But the best book to read for both spiritual growth and worldly maturity is the Bible.  Every single book of the Bible talks about trials or persecution.  And without fail the solution is prayer. Not just any prayer. A personal plea.  A demanding of God’s blessing to rain down on us.  A clearing of our eyes to see the joy.  And then listening.  He will speak to you.

God uses nature to speak to us!

God rarely just throws us first into the fiery pit.  And even if he does, he is always with us.  That alone is a blessing for which to be thankful. With each trial, each persecution, He expects us to grow more trusting of Him. Yes, expects.  Dr. Charles Stanley’s Life Lesson #7 says, “The dark moments of our life will last only so long as is necessary for God to accomplish His purpose in us.”  So, my advice to you, accept and learn early and as quickly as possible.  

With each trial thrown in your path you gain perseverance, patience and clarity of God’s presence. But we must do the work of asking Jesus, “Show me.”  I once told my Bible Study group we need to shorten the “ah ha moment gap” from years, to months, to days, to instantly. We all can look back at situations where maybe we didn’t get the job we’d hoped for or maybe even got fired from a job.  Or a loss of a home due to fire, a friendship that soured, a marriage dissolved.  How long has it taken you to accept the way God was working in that time?  Have you seen it yet?  He was there. He spoke to you.

Why is all this important? We know there will be trials so that means we can’t do anything about them, correct?  When we dread what we think is to come, when we are poured into concrete boots of fear during trials, we’ve taken our eyes off Jesus.  And if we are to grow in this project called Us we need a strong foundation of keeping our faith and trust in Him alone.  This is not an easy task.  For some of us it takes every minute of every hour re-focusing our mind on Him – especially when we are afraid.  I’ve come to use the term, “Perspective Change Moment” with some of my friends.  When we start in on our ills, fears, anger, dread it helps to have someone say to us,” Yes, that’s awful and…..” 

We all need friends who can be our “James!”

With the same practice we put into doing our hair every morning or working out or learning how to use our smartphone or figuring out how late we can sleep and still get to work on time we need to attack the devil that keeps trying to pull our eyes away from Jesus.  Show me, Jesus.  Speak to me, God.  It’s not enough to tell yourself, or others, “don’t worry” or “don’t be afraid.”  We must fill our minds with something other than that fear and worry.  In Luke 11, Jesus tells the story of an impure spirit coming out of a person and goes looking for a better place.  When the spirit doesn’t find it he returns to find a nice, clean, empty house.  And you know what that impure spirit does?  He invites a few more friends to join him!  Our lives end up looking more like a Weight Watchers check-in session – we have a week we are up and a week we are down and on and on.  Had that person cast out the spirit with Jesus’ help and filled that home with God’s Word, Jesus’ love, and the constant presence of the Holy Spirit you can bet the evil spirit wouldn’t make it past the garden gate!

I have a good friend who was laid off from her church position about 3 years ago. It has been difficult for her to find the joy in that trial. For me, I can remember how unhappy she was in that job.  But no matter how many times I told her how miserable she was, she still couldn’t accept it. Until she finished one of her journaling books. One day a week or so ago she started reading through her old journals from that time. In them she found her old self praying for God’s intervention constantly. Each workday entry was a distraught woman praying for God to fix the problems swirling at work. She finally had her “ah ha moment.”  God was there, telling her to leave. But she kept holding on.  That day she made a new mark on her spiritual growth chart.  God had spoken to her and she had to joy of knowing He was with her.  She could release all the negative emotions surrounding losing that job.  It wasn’t where God wanted her to be.

So, here I was, working on being the best team member I could be for my husband as we waded through the throes of the COVID-19 lockdown and my in-laws finally decided we needed to hear the news.  Cancer.  Just a year ago this would’ve put me in a tailspin. But in just that year’s time, I’ve gone through a family death, putting on a distance wedding, accepting the fact that I’m not going to work anymore, and much more.  With each trial I leaned into my Rock a little more.  With each trial I started finding the joys.  So, after the news I took my dog for a quiet walk in our nearby canyon and asked Jesus, “Show me.”   I cried out to God the great Counselor, God my Comforter.  I first pleaded and said, “You can’t take her.”  I raised my hands high and begged for mercy for my sweet mother-in-law. I reminded Him she is a faithful servant. She is His loving daughter. And then I listened. He reminded me we all must pass one day, just as her own mother did a year ago. He told me He loves her more than even I do.  He told me to just keep loving her and living out joy moments right now, today. He showed me that when her time comes, just as mine will too, she will join her mom in glory at God’s card game table.  The battle of who is the best 31 card player will continue into eternity.  And I laughed.

31!!

Are you going through a trial and need prayers?  I’d love to pray with you.  Have you gone through a trial and had your “ah ha moment?” Please share. 

bible study, Christian, Christian Church, christian encouragement, Uncategorized

Message Received

krisshetter

I’ve long found it fascinating when I hear people say they’ve never heard from God.  In a previous church Bible Study, where the majority of the women were over 70, it actually saddened me to listen to woman after woman say she loved God but never really felt His presence or heard Him speak.  As I delve into a deeper relationship with our Lord, I keep hearing the same message from Him – you can walk up an aisle, stand when called, or raise your hand when asked if you want to receive Jesus, but until we seek out a personal relationship with Him our faith remains unfulfilled. 

I recently was reading about a centurion man named Cornelius in Acts 10.  He was not a Jew yet was devout to God.  His family was considered “God-fearing.”  He gave generously and prayed regularly.  But He did not know Jesus was His savior.  The Holy Spirit came to him one day.

“Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.  Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter.”

Acts 10: 4-5

He immediately obeyed.  What was to unfold was discipleship at its finest.  Trusting God’s word, obeying even though it seemed unreasonable.  In the end, thanks to the actions of many, Cornelius and his family became the first gentile Christians – paving the way to you and me.

If you have ever watched the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” you will surely get the message of our interconnectedness.  We so often think we are small and insignificant, while strangely also thinking everyone needs to know our opinions.  But it is the actions we take – led by the Holy Spirit – that cause ripples of which only God truly knows the effects.  My current Bible Study Girls are studying Charles Stanley’s, “30 Life Principles.”  We’ve started to joke about if all Mr. Stanley wrote were the words, “obey God,” the book could’ve been much shorter!  In fact, five of the 30 principles specifically use the word “obey.”  Many of the others are really just variations of the idea.

To obey something is to first know what that something is or wants.  Which means listening.  Which means paying attention.  I’ve challenged many friends and Bible study participants to take my “Coincidence Challenge.”  For 30 days, every time you hear just the right song, see a sign that says the right thing at the right time, or a friend calls when you need to hear a friendly voice, don’t call it a coincidence.  Call it God. When you do, you’ll find he isn’t silent.  In fact, He is babbling away at you, desperately trying to get your attention.  

The Book of James calls us to that personal relationship of listening and obeying God.  His message is to those of us who already call ourselves Christians.  It would be unfair to hold anyone else to the standards of which he writes.  Many of these standards are difficult and challenging.  And we are unable to meet these standards without a faith in God.  God alone is our strength to keep us on the narrow path.  At times it seems James is shaking us out of our Christian sleepiness.  Calling us to wake up, pay attention and serve God with all our heart, mind and soul.  James is the proverbial “bad cop.”  But sometimes we need admonishment.  We need correction.  

I was having lunch with a good friend the other day and she said she needs friends who can call her on her “stuff.”  If we are surrounded by “yes men” we struggle to improve our lives.  It can lead us down destructive paths when the standards held by the majority of whom we associate with are “almost right” or just plain anti-Biblical.  But when we have people who love us, want the best for us, and call us on our “stuff” based on Jesus’ standards, we grow to be our better selves.  James is that friend.  More importantly, James reminds us that God is that same friend.

“You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.”

John 15: 14-15

This week we will be talking about James 1.  Trials, temptations, wisdom, listening, and action are on the plate.  So, buckle up.  We are about to strip down to some hard truths.  But remember too, that God is a merciful, loving and thankfully forgiving God.  That same friend who said she needs friends to call her on her “stuff” also said she’s worried that a study in James will be painfully convicting.  Let’s right now agree that if God shines a light on an area that needs work in our lives He does so out of love.  He wants more for us.  He knows what the future can bring us.  So, we need to lean in to the stripping away of our old selves so that we can live in His plans for us fully.  

Do you regularly hear from God? Tell us of a time you were asked to obey and it seemed unreasonable yet you took action.   If not take the “Coincidence Challenge!”

30daysofpraise, christian encouragement, Uncategorized

Always Faithful

krisshetter

Have you ever “waited for the other shoe to drop?”  I used to live my life out that way all the time.  If something was good, I was just waiting for it to go bad.  If something was bad, I was waiting for it to get worse.  I truly don’t understand how my husband has put up with me for 31 years.  If we got a nice tax return and decided to go on a trip, I just knew some extraordinary expense was going to come up.  My “buyer’s remorse” was legendary amongst my family.  It’s not surprising that my faith in God was at best lukewarm and at worst non-existent.

As I’ve learned and studied more about the character of God one thing stands out above all else – he is ever faithful and never changing.  Throughout the Bible He reminds us that He will keep His covenant with us.  He is the rock to stand on, the bronze wall to withstand attacks, and the fireproof blanket that keeps us from the flames.  Malachi 3:6 says, “I, the Lord do not change; So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.”  But notice who does change: “Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them.”  All God asks of us, “Return to me, and I will return to you.”

Is there anything in your life that is so stalwart? No.  I can say that without even knowing you.  Our friends will disappoint us.  Our spouses will fail us.  Our families might even turn from us.  Our houses will crumble and our bodies will decay.  But God is always faithful, always present, always waiting for our return – with open arms.

I found this beautiful version of Take Me to The Rock that I hope you enjoy! When was there a time you felt God had left you only to realize the opposite had occurred? Share your praise in the comments below!