Tag: forgiveness

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

Amazing Proof

krisshetter

Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.

When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”

The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. 26 Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”

Luke 5:18-26

“Follow the science.”  “Believe in science.”  Sound familiar?  And yet throughout this year “science” seems to not be the concrete “savior” so many want it to be.  I once had a woman tell me she wears her mask to “show her love for me” because science says it’ll somehow save me that she is wearing a mask.  While I’m not here to debate wearing or not wearing a mask I can tell you that her wearing a mask doesn’t prove to me she loves me.  I’m appreciative when someone doesn’t sneeze or cough in my face but I don’t consider that a proof of their love for me either – it’s just courteous.

We are a people that love proof.  So often the proof we desire is that which validates our own opinions – even in the face of completely opposite proof.  My father is an atheist.  While I don’t expect everyone to suddenly be a Christian, the idea of not believing there is a Divine Entity that had its hand it creating us and the universe seems so, well, unscientific.  But just like the pharisees and teachers of the law in the verses today, sometimes we just have a hard time believing even when something amazing is happening right in front of our face.   They were so focused on their twisted version of the Law they couldn’t even allow the people to glorify God when faced with miracles.

And then Jesus.  Just the simple fact that the paralytic man’s friends knew that if they could just get him close to Jesus, he would be healed was amazing.  Where was their proof?  To passersby watching them up on the roof trying to lower him down might have scoffed and thought they were crazy.  But to the friends, they had only heard of Jesus’ miracles and put their faith in the unknown.  For the people inside the house watching Jesus heal the man they had all the proof they needed as to who He was.  And yet their sticking point was Jesus forgiving the man’s sins.  The healing proof still wasn’t enough for them.

I so frequently see things in nature, not just the amazing ecosystem God created for us humans to survive, but also the heart wrenching beauty and think, “How can anyone not believe there is a God?”  What more proof do they need?  Our bodies are fine tuned to this earth.  The circular systems of creating breathable air, water to drink, food to eat, and sunshine and darkness for our bodies to succeed are really all the proof we should need.  

My husband and I got four baby chicks back in March.  They are now big, beautiful ladies that lay eggs daily.  I asked my husband the other day, “Is there any other animal on this planet that works so hard to feed us humans?”  The chicken, according to the Smithsonian, dates back between 7,000 to 10,000 years.  It’s mentioned both in the Old and New Testaments.  And if you look up a picture of the innards of a chicken you’ll see it is quite simple.  In fact, it seems its sole purpose it to lay eggs.   There’s really nothing fancy and yet they are amazingly fascinating.  The process by which an egg ends up being an egg seems magical.  And yet it happens every, single day.  Each time I collect eggs I thank the ladies for their hard work.  Because I know the next step for that egg will be something delicious – nourishment for my husband before he heads off to work, a small but important part in homemade cinnamon rolls, the key ingredient to a souffle.  The chicken was made specifically to lay eggs – fertilized or not.  And we were made to eat them.

And yet we still want proof.  When I hear non-believers ask for proof I just smile.  They are their own proof.  Their amazingly complicated body system – the most complicated of all the animals on the planet – that’s their proof.  Every breath we take, that’s our proof.  And the fact that we are the only species to yearn for a purpose on this globe, to question why we are here, is even more proof.   Sometimes the proof we seek is in the absence of something.  For the pharisees, they wanted proof that Jesus could forgive sins.  And yet they witnessed a God-given miracle right in front of their faces.  

Goose bumps evolved to make our ancestors’ hair stand up, making them appear more threatening to predators.

As you breathe, most of the air is going in and out of one nostril. Every few hours, the workload shifts to the other nostril.

Your tongue is made up of eight interwoven muscles, similar in structure to an elephant’s trunk or an octopus’s tentacle.

On a genetic level, all human beings are more than 99 percent identical.

25 Amazing Facts About the Human Body by Mental Floss

How much amazing proof are you overlooking every day?  Every single minute of every single hour we take a breath, God proves His existence.  The “science” surrounds us.  It is us.  We are His amazing proof.

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

An Amazingly Balanced Life

krisshetter

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

1 Peter 5: 6-11

Looking back over mine and Madison’s posts this week I kept hearing one word whispered to me – balance. Not just balance in our own lives but balance in the universal sense.  Balance as in how God works throughout our lives.  I tend to cringe a little when people throw around the phrase, “Not of This World,” because taken out of the context of truly understanding our relationship with God it may sound dismissive of our everyday problems.  God didn’t just put us here to wait for the bus to pick us up for the hereafter.  He wants us to live out our lives in His name as we go about this thing called “life on planet earth.”  And He wants us to do it knowing He is waiting for us.   It’s His amazing love for us that calls us to live a balanced life, in His name.  Balanced with conviction and grace, humbleness and exaltation, watchful and trusting, broken and healed, and persecuted and restored.

The verses today in 1 Peter show this amazing balance.  We are to be humble so God may exalt us.  We are to be watchful and yet trusting that God will care for us.  We will suffer and God will restore us.  And we are to do all this right here during our time in this place.   Each day we are admonished by God to find this balance of living our everyday lives – parenting, cooking, cleaning, working, being citizens and neighbors – all the while with Him in mind.  We seek the healing hands of doctors yet pray in Jesus’ name for healing and wisdom for the healers.  We are to work hard and take care of ourselves and our families while keeping our eyes on Him – not placing idols up in front of Him.

And then there’s conviction.  So often the concept of conviction is misunderstood as condemnation.  For many we grasp for the joy and the good without the acknowledgement of the things making us out of balance.  There’s the “good” and the “not as good.”  That leads us to tricking ourselves into thinking there’s “victim-less” actions and sins.  There are no “victim-less” sins in God’s world.  That’s because He loves each and every one of us.  He has a purpose for each of us.  So, if we give in to drinking, drugs, sexual immorality, etc it means we aren’t doing the true work He has for us.  And by ignoring the very words of Jesus we can ignore that each of us are sinful people.

If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.

John 15:22

When we walk around with blinders on it’s easy to see the world from a very limited perspective.  It may even feel comfortable.  But here’s where balance comes in.  Without the conviction of sin there is no need for His amazing grace and forgiveness.  Satan doesn’t want us to be convicted and receive God’s grace.  He wants us to feel condemned and guilty.  Conviction calls us to change direction.  Conviction is needed for growth.  And if we hear what God wants of us and ignore it, we allow satan to work in our lives.  We know the sin.  We then choose to embrace it or work it out with God.  That choice decides our balance.  

How many of us leave our communing with God and finding that balance until a more convenient time?  We are so tired at the end of the day we struggle to finish a Bible study, to journal, to do a devotional, to even pray.  My BSGs were tasked to discuss a time they felt pulled away from God.  For me it was during my kids’ sports years.  Weekend games and tournaments meant not attending church.  And I certainly didn’t bring along any God-focused reading material.  And yet, I have to say that’s a time in my life I needed God the most.  I was really out of balance.

When we seek that balance God desires for us in all things we find we don’t need to binge eat, be constantly fearful, obsessive, overly emotional.  We live in the center, squarely in His love.  We keep our work and play on His track.  We balance our fears and concerns about this world with the knowledge of what He has in store for us after our brief time here on earth.

I thank God for helping me seek a balanced life.  For I know that every time I fail in this world I can look to Him for His grace.

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

Amazing Truths

krisshetter

And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”

The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.

Mark 11:17-18

Recently, during a road trip my husband and I were listening to the Robertson’s Unashamed podcast.  The topic was the concept of being “cancelled” by society.  In 2014, GQ magazine contacted the Duck Dynasty patriarch, Phil Robertson, to delve into this bearded phenomenon.  During the interview he was asked for the definition of sin.  He went on to quote 1 Corinthians 6:9-10.

Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Cor 6: 9-10

And he got cancelled.  Literally.  The producers put the show on hiatus – for quoting the Bible.  Now, of course, we all can imagine the uproar.  The media quoted Mr. Robertson as though it were his own words, calling him a homophobe and all sorts of names.  Very few, in fact only a newspaper out of London, made it clear he was quoting from the Bible.  As we like to say now, it was a lot of fake news.  The truth was so easily accessed and so readily ignored.  Here was a man who had few, if any secrets – and absolutely none about his faith journey.  He was on an internationally televised show praying and preaching.  And yet amazingly enough the media seemed shocked he believed in, taught, and quoted the Bible.

Jesus, in Mark 11, walks into the temple in Jerusalem and begins driving out the street vendors.  When questioned by the chief priests He makes it clear what God expects from the people and the use of His temple.  The priests were so frightened by the truths being spoken to the people that they wanted Jesus “cancelled.”  But do you notice the last part of the sentence? “…because the whole crowd was amazed at His teaching.”  The people wanted to know the true Word of God and they listened with rapt attention.  It frightened those in charge of their probable loss of power over the people.

What Phil Robertson is comfortable with is teaching the true Word of God to the people.  Human sin is at the beginning through the end of the Bible. And much as we might like to, we aren’t to pick and choose from which sins God has spoken.  The truth of sin is written in every single book of the Bible.  When our pastors and faith leaders ignore these truths, it handicaps us in our full understanding of God’s character and His expectations of us.

My husband and I were talking about this after listening to the Unashamed podcast.  If we never hear that we are all sinners, we are left with the impression that maybe only some people sin or there’s various levels of sinfulness.  It isn’t just “those people” who are sexually immoral, who lie, who cheat, who create false idols.  It’s all of us to one extent or another.  That’s the truth.  I’ve never met someone in all the various Bible study and small groups that hasn’t admitted to some kind of sin.  But that’s only the first step to God’s amazing truths.

When the apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth he chastised them for their lax ways related to sin, especially sexual sin. It was being justified through false teachings. And it was tearing them apart. If we don’t learn about sin how can we then learn true grace and forgiveness?  I want to be on the “right side” of God – not making up my own understandings.  When our faith leaders avoid uncomfortable conversations like abortion, homosexuality, infidelity, etc how then are we lay people to fully understand how to treat people with grace, love, kindness and forgiveness?  All are welcome to church but what does it mean to welcome someone who is sinning right now?  What does it mean to have been sexually immoral or have had an abortion and now I want to live a Christian life?

I sin constantly.  When I make a commitment to God to not use His name in vain and then turn around and cuss and use coarse language I’m sinning.  I have a very difficult time honoring my parents and not trashing them to my inner circle (heck, even my outer, outer circle).  I encouraged a friend to have an abortion. I lived with my husband before we were married.  I’m prideful.  I covet.  I place idols above God.  None of these make me any better or worse than those who commit the sins we tend to think as the “biggies.”  And yet we dance around the truth of sin and its effects on our lives and the world.

God is the Alpha and Omega.  He is always complete.  He is always teaching us and bringing us full circle.  We need to live in that completeness.  The completeness that His amazing truths, as revealed in the Bible, tell us includes opening our eyes to sin AND our hearts to grace.  Grace without the “what and why” is almost meaningless.  It’s like a teenager tossing a snide “sooooorrrryy.”  We want that teenager to understand what was wrong about their action and why.  The apology, when spoken from the heart, means so much more.  If we run around tossing out blind acceptance, thinking it is love and grace, we miss out on the opportunity to really dig into God’s amazing plan for us.  

I want to be held to account by God.  I want to be amazed by the truths written in His Book.   And if knowing and speaking those truths to fellow Christians or people asking me what God says about a topic then so be it.  Because I am learning the complete truth.  I am learning each day how to have open eyes tied to an open heart.  His amazing truths about my sin are made complete with His amazing truths about His love.

bible study, Christian, christian encouragement, Uncategorized

His Amazing Covenant

krisshetter

I’m currently doing two different Bible studies – one that focuses on 1 & 2 Kings and another that accounts Jesus’ last words in John.  What strikes me about both is that as God’s children, we always seem to fail.  We fail and we fail and we fail, yet He forgives and forgives and forgives.  How amazing is that?  

This week, I asked my BSGs (Bible Study Girls) a question: “Does God punish us?”  It led to a great discussion and a lot of contemplation.  The Old Testament is full of quite a lot of “punishment.”  We often see kings’ children die because of the “evil they did in the eyes of the Lord.” (1 Kings 15:34; 1 Kings 16:2, 7, 19, 26 and 31)  I mean, they just couldn’t seem to figure out this whole obedience to God thing.  Most notably, King Zimri (1 Kings 16: 15-20) was so tainted by greed and power that his reign only last seven days before he died in a fire as consequence of his own sin. All the droughts, wars, disease and more – were all signs of a nation enthralled by the flesh rather than God’s authority and power. 

These Old Testament stories often leave a bad taste in both the Christian and non-Christian’s mouth. At the surface, they paint God’s wrath in vivid colors and appall those who can’t grasp why God would let such terrible things happen to his chosen nation. The reality is, God is wrathful – and we mustn’t forget that. But He is also a loving God whose plan was always Jesus, from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21. With that truth, we can re-read the story of the seven plagues, the 40 years in the wilderness and the tragedies of King David and know that God works all things for our good and His Glory – because of Jesus. At the center of this undeserving covenant we gain through Jesus is a desire for obedience and faithfulness to God’s Word BECAUSE we know the amazing sacrifice that was made for us on the cross. Amidst this, there is grace – so much grace. For God still knows that all of His children have fallen short of His glory, and will continue to fall short until we are joined in heaven one day. His plan has always been of love and forgiveness.  And that’s pretty amazing.

So, my BSGs and I  came to the conclusion that yes, there are consequences for sin and we will most likely always be hanging on tight to a pendulum that is constantly swinging between faith and doubt, but amidst that, we must trust that His plan is better and good, and right. 

Besides, how often do we look in judgment at the disobedient child in the grocery store or in a restaurant and mutter to ourselves “Looks like that child needs some discipline.” Yet, we scoff and “find it hard to believe” in a God who disciplines His children – for their good and His Glory. We must find comfort in knowing we have a Father who loves us so much that he disciplines us. 

For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. 

Hebrews 12:11

I, for one am thankful to now be living under the loving discipline of a perfect Father. Knowing what it is like to live without an earthly one and living a majority of my life outside of God’s will, fulfilling the desires of my flesh – I am utterly grateful and amazed to have a God who cares for my heart and soul. I struggle to control situations, control those around me and those I love. When I realize that this control stems from a lack of trust in the love of my heavenly Father, I begin to loosen my grip and experience true freedom. God’s power to overwhelm me with His love is amazing. His forgiveness for me is amazing. His grace for me is amazing. 

Once I started truly studying the Word of God, and Jesus’ teachings, in the Bible I realized how loving, how amazing the character of God is.  He always has our best interest in mind.  He is always leading us to something better.  He never gives up on us, no matter how many times we give up on Him. Jesus’ lineage, as seen in Matthew 1, is made up of a bunch of people just like us. People who have failed God. People like King David who is the textbook example of a sinner, yet He is a sinner whose household was redeemed because of Jesus.

Nevertheless, for David’s sake the Lord his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, setting up his son after him, and establishing Jerusalem.

1 Kings 15:4

So today, as we enter a tumultuous, unnerving time in the United States, I challenge you to join me in finding amazement in God each day. From now until the end of November, check back every day for encouragement and guidance through the scripture as we visit several examples of how Jesus left those around him amazed.

Although we may lack faith or struggle to believe that His plans for our world are good, we must remember the plan God had for the early nation of Israel. The first part of that redemption has already been fulfilled, now we must wait expectantly for the amazing work He has in store. 

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

Patience, Grasshopper

krisshetter

I’ve told my friends that looking back over my life so far, I really have only one regret.  It’s that I wish I had a closer relationship with Jesus when I was the parent of young kids.  My husband and I attended church fairly regularly.  But I was wrapped up in childrearing worries and stresses and didn’t know how to turn all that over to God.   I could’ve enjoyed many more hours of sleep had I not been such a “woulda, coulda, shoulda” person.  I found myself, during a very long season of self-doubt about my parenting skills, constantly praying for patience.  Literally praying every single night for about two years for patience.  You see, I was so afraid of turning into my mother – screaming at my kids and losing control – that I thought patience was the answer.  One Sunday, our pastor’s sermon was about praying.  He said, “If you keep praying about the same problem over and over and over maybe it’s time to start praying for something different.”   He had a knack for speaking on issues near and dear to me.   So that night I stopped praying for patience and instead prayed for ways to help me deal with difficult situations.

As I’ve grown closer to Jesus, He has taught me a lot of lessons.  He’s still teaching me.  And step-by-step He has moved me closer to my original plea for patience.  You see, I wasn’t ready to learn the hard stuff yet.  He just wanted me to start turning to Him when I was in need, when I was broken.  Patience may be a virtue but it is a heck of a hard thing to have and use regularly.  

You, too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.”

James 5:8

I first needed to learn what standing firm, standing safely in God’s arms even meant.  I didn’t have the wisdom needed to grasp the joy in hearing that the Lord is coming near.  I heard on a Joyce Meyer’s podcast this morning that God gives us a lot of leeway and grace when we first become Christians.  But once we hear the Word and gain His wisdom, expectations change.  We are expected to act as His children, not as children of this world.  Think about that.  Every time we attend church, do a Bible study, listen to a Christian podcast, see a Christian post on social media we are hearing His Word.  We are learning the nature and expectations of God.  And He expects us to live as He prescribes.

A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is the one’s glory to overlook offense.

Proverbs 19:11

Wisdom that we glean from God yields patience.  And when we are patient, that glorifies what we have learned from God.  We cannot be steeped in the nature of God without also knowing and acting in patience.  Why? Because patience means love.  It means grace.  It means forgiveness.  Thank God He is patient with us.  I never feel God rushes me to learn a lesson.  In fact, my lesson in patience has taken about 26 years.

I looked up on-line “how to be patient.”  I came across a website that focuses on self -improvement.  Here’s their reasons why we should learn patience.

  1. We make better decisions by assessing situations rather than going in emotional and blind.
  2. We have less stress by understanding some things take longer than others.
  3. Our relationships are improved because we are more flexible and understanding.

Doesn’t that all sound like something God would want from us?  Being wise, giving our stress up to God, and loving and being grace-filled toward others.

They then described a 6-step process for learning patience:

  1. Understand and counteract triggers
  2. Increase your self-confidence
  3. Put on your “positive glasses”
  4. Change your attitude – “why are you in such a hurry?”
  5. Visualize worst case scenarios
  6. Release tension and stress through eating right, exercise, enjoying activities

Now imaging trying to do all that without God.  Here’s my Christian re-do of these six steps:

  • Pray for God to reveal the areas where you struggle with patience (sometimes we pretend we aren’t being impatient and justify our actions) 

John 16:24, “Until now you have not asked for anything in my name.  Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.”

  • Recognize that God loves you.  Accept He wants the very best for you.  

John 16:27, “No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.” 

  • Remember that joy can be found in trials.  And most of all that God has delivered for you in the past.  He is faithful. 

2 Thes 3:3, “But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.”

  • Rejoice each and every day, if not every hour, for all the great things in your life.  

Prov 17:22, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”

  • To be honest, visualizing worst case scenarios has been helpful to me.  If I’m waiting in a long line at Costco and start getting impatient I think, “Well, what have I got to be impatient for anyways?” or “Well, if I’m late because of this line I can call ahead and let them know.”  

Matt 6:27, “Can anyone of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”

  • Yes, eat right, exercise, enjoy new and old activities.  And pray.  And pray.  And pray.  Give up all those thoughts, those worries, those fears, those negative emotions to God.  Cry out to Jesus and ask Him to remove whatever negative thought you have right then. 

1 Samuel 2:1, “My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high.  My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance.”

When we get closer to God – become fluent in His character – that is when He can work His ways in us.  And God is always patient with us.  My friend and I were having lunch today and she said she is starting to have more moments in her difficult life where she looks up and gives a little smile – recognizing those growth moments God has put in front of her.  As for me, I described for her my process of writing and how I study the topic, pray, and then start writing.  I rarely stop writing one of these posts until I am done.  The words just come out of me onto the computer.  My whole body is focused on getting these words down.  I told her how weird it was that I was interrupted multiple times while writing this post.  And as I drove home from lunch, I was listening to a praise song and it hit me.  Patience.  The topic of this post.  And I had just been tested.  I was not annoyed about the interruptions.  I felt blessed hearing from a few friends.  And normally I would’ve been distracted during lunch, thinking about what else I needed to write.  I would’ve failed my friend who I need to support during this time in her life.

I called my friend from my car and said, “I just got it!  Patience!  I was tested!”  And she said, “I realized that while you were telling me.  And I’m glad it finally came to you.”  Maybe this whole actually studying God’s Word really does work.  Time to look up and smile.

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

Words Matter

krisshetter

It would be kind to say I don’t have the best relationship with my parents.  It would be honest to say I don’t really have a relationship with them at all.  What I have is sort of a truce.  Not really with them, but with myself.  When I finally figured out they didn’t really want a loving relationship, I turned to God for help.  I asked Him to help me honor my commitment as their daughter while protecting myself from mental harm.  And so, what God and I have worked out is my parents are people that I happen to know and whom I occasionally have an obligation to check in on.  And I do that with a positive attitude because I know I am right with God.  People to whom I’ve shared that think it’s sad.  Some think it’s a bit harsh.  Maybe I haven’t tried enough.  Maybe I need to fix something else.  I struggle each year to find mother’s day and father’s day cards.  But words matter.  I will no longer lie that they love me dearly.  Because they can’t speak it or show it.  And so, God helped me to develop the right words to define the relationship – a definition not borne out of anger or hurt but out of a desire to make peace.

Words matter.  If there’s one simple statement that defines James 3 it’s just that.  We learned this week that once spoken, they can’t be taken back.  They are mirrors into our hearts and minds.  They define from where our daily wisdom is derived.  They can make peace or war.  Words are powerful and they matter.

“The tongue is like a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body.  It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.”

James 3:6

Wow.  And yet on average we speak about 15,000 words a day.  Just think of all the forest fires we cause.  I’d like to think we are doing a lot of peacemaking instead, but do you think that would be true?  James wrote his letter to Christian Jews around 45 AD and almost 2,000 years later his description of our words still rings painfully true.

When we lose control over our mouths and words, we’ve lost control over our hearts and minds.  We pull from the fountain of man’s wisdom.  We seek earthly gain and earthly results.  And then seem surprised when there is conflict.  “What? What did I do/say?  Why are you so sensitive? What’s her/his problem?”  My mom once said to me in the midst of a screaming match, “I’M NOT SCREAMING AT YOU!  JUST BECAUSE YOU WENT TO COLLEGE DOESN’T MEAN YOU CAN TELL ME THAT I AM UPSET!”  You want to unpack all that?

Our words (and the way in which we deliver them) can define how we see ourselves in various roles.  It’s why we’ve been told to stop using certain words like “housewife” (domestic worker), “illegal immigrant” (undocumented worker) or “unemployed” (economically inactive).  The connotations behind certain words have become politically incorrect and therefore must be stricken from our mouths.   If we only took as much interest and care in what we basically do with our words every day we’d all be a lot better off.

On one hand we can be so quick to correct someone for their “incorrectness” yet forget that the correction is frequently just what James warns against.  Showing bitterness, lack of humility, and lack of mercy brings about our desires to make sure we shove that correctness down someone’s throat.  When I hear a younger person deriding an older person for using words such as “oriental” or “stewardess” it shows first, a lack of respect for elders and second, a lack of understanding of historical perspective and therefore a lack of mercy and forgiveness.

“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”

James 3:17

I don’t see a lot that going around these days.  However, I can only be responsible for one person – me.  So, when God and I worked out helping me verbalize my relationship with my parents He made sure I did it with a peaceful heart, a merciful and sincere one.  I couldn’t keep living in a fake world where I thought each time I interacted with them that they weren’t who they are.  I need to accept them as the faulty people we all are.  I needed to stop wanting them to love me and accept the love instead from my husband, my children and my extended family but most of all from Christ.  But I also needed to respect my role as their only child.  

Words matter.  So, I say they are people I happen to know.  People that I check in on every now and then because God wants me to.  I say it matter-of-factly, without anger, without vengeance, without hurt.  God also wants me to pray for them so I do.  I pray every day to have the walls they have solidly built around them, through negativity and a lack of any faith, to be torn down.  And I know those words are powerful and good. 

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

Our Flappy Rudder

krisshetter

I sat there as only one of two women coaches in the room.  There were about 20 of us, coaching girls softball ages 7 to 15.  We had recently finished the fall season where I had told my assistant coach to never step foot on a field where I was coaching.  He constantly undermined my authority, which came to a head one night where he threatened me with physical harm.  Yes, this was kids’ sports at its finest.  So back to this meeting.  We were all there to be confirmed as coaches for the Spring season.  That assistant coach was also present.  He asked to speak before we were voted in by the board.  He went into a tirade about me and how if I were to be confirmed as a coach, he would go to the city parks and recreation board and have our field permit rescinded.  He and the president of the association got into a few aggressive back and forths.  I, however, spoke not a word.

He finally sat down.  A vote was taken and I was still a coach.  Afterwards, a number of the other male coaches came up to congratulate me – for being so brave and not getting into a yelling match.  They were very impressed.  I was escorted to my car where I sat for a minute and finally took what seemed like was my first breath after the hours long meeting.  I hadn’t spoken because I could barely even breathe.  I had been so scared I couldn’t speak.  I didn’t know it then but God was protecting me.  He knew had I spoken up among all those men, my “hero” status would’ve instead turned in to “shrill siren.”  By keeping my mouth shut I accomplished so much more.

“The tongue is a small part of the body but it makes great boasts.  Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.”

James 3:5

How many times have we looked back at a conversation or disagreement and thought, “if I had just kept my darn mouth shut, I wouldn’t be in this situation?”  I don’t know about you but I don’t have enough digits to keep track.  While others may struggle with not knowing what to say, others of us say too much.  

“Set a guard, Oh Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips.”

PS 141:3

This needs to be tattooed on all our foreheads so that when we are talking (or yelling) to each other we can “get” the message.   I read recently the concept that words are just the outward expression of our hearts and minds.  When you see someone screaming in a police officer’s face these days, I think how shriveled their hearts must be.  They are literally out of their minds spewing hatred to another person.  When we have a false sense of righteousness, not true righteousness from the Truth of God’s Word, we get into areas of entitlement, judgement, self-worth, and envy.  

Our words matter and we shouldn’t use them to just fill up space or hurt people or say things to make us feel better.  I once worked with a man to whom silence was a way of life.  It made me very uncomfortable; my youthful self always needed to fill that void.  A topic or question would be thrown out and he would go silent.  Meanwhile, I’m across the table babbling away.  I definitely did not have spiritual maturity at the time.  Through life experiences and a pursuit of God’s wisdom I am learning to enjoy a bit of silence.  A bit.  As a parent, I struggled with this powerful tool.  As my kids got older, I realized silence could sometimes be scarier than a mom yelling on and on.  And when I yelled, filling that void, I said hurtful things.  Things that I can never take back.  

“With our tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness.”

James 3:9

That last part needs repeating – when we are cursing others, we are cursing people WHO HAVE BEEN MADE IN GOD’S LIKENESS.  And when we yell, scream, say hurtful things we do so with lack of grace, mercy and forgiveness.  But if we are faithful over small things – like our tongue – and use them to bless others then God has promised to make us rulers over bigger things.  If we can’t stop corrupting our whole body — hardening our hearts and going out of our minds– because we can’t control that little flappy part in our mouth, then why should God give us more?

I heard a pastor give a challenge the other day called “What If?”  It goes like this:

  1. What if we decided to stop cursing, right now, forever?
  2. What if we decided to never say another negative thing?
  3. What if we decided here and now to never complain?

I bet a whole lot of people around us would be blessed.  But that all sounds sooooo difficult!  Not when you have God by your side.  Not when we walk in the steps He wants for us.  Not when we decide to live the life He calls us to.  Yes, we will be tempted.  Yes, there will be trials and tests.  Because without those how do we know we are victorious?

“This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.”

1 Cor 2:13

In other words, when we live in God’s world, accept and practice His teaching, and turn to Him for guidance and prayer, it will be His Words spoken when we face trials and temptation.  Or maybe, no words at all.  We have the mind of Christ inside us.  We need to stop pushing Him aside and let Him rule that little, flappy rudder in our mouth.  And only then will be sent on the right journey He has called us to.

30daysofpraise, christian encouragement, Uncategorized

The Heaviest of Burdens

krisshetter

The other day while out walking with my dog I was listening to a podcast by a well-known Christian speaker.  She asked the question: “Do you remember a time when you sinned, I mean really sinned?  How did it feel?”  I stopped to think on this.  I’ve never murdered someone.  But I did encourage a friend in my younger days to get an abortion.  I’ve never been a thief, although I have, at times, realized I wasn’t charged for something correctly and didn’t go back to the store clerk.  I’ve never cheated on my husband.  But do those lustful thoughts count?  I check in with my mom and dad, through gritted teeth.  I put God first. Well, except for the times I put money and my children first.  I’m good to my neighbors even though I’ve spoken badly about some.  See, I’ve only sinned a wee bit.  

I realized that every single time I sinned “just a little” made me feel a “little bit” broken.  At times it made me feel a lot broken.  The Christian speaker went on to say, “Now imagine Jesus on the cross.  He is the only person to walk the Earth who has not sinned.  But at that moment His Father placed all your darkness, all your brokenness, all your pain caused by sin on Him.  There is no one else who has experienced so much pain. Imagine how He must have felt.”  It brought me to tears.  It brings me to tears as I write this.

This visual is what I praise God for today.  The understanding of Jesus’ pain and sacrifice made for us.  I previously hadn’t made an emotional connection to this powerful, earth shaking moment in our time.   I had the knowledge but not the emotional response.  Baptist teacher Oswald Chambers once said about Jesus on the cross:

The Cross was a superb triumph in which the foundations of hell were shaken. There is nothing more certain in Time or Eternity than what Jesus Christ did on the Cross: He switched the whole of the human race back into a right relationship with God. 

Oswald Chambers

My father is reading The Saxon series books.  In it, a character refers to Jesus as the “Nailed God.”  It brought to mind movies I’ve seen showing the crucifixion.  With each hammering of a nail through Jesus’ feet and wrists I cried.  But it was out of sadness and horror.  That day, when I visualized Jesus on the cross pulling, drawing and tearing our sins from us and placing them squarely in His own heart and soul I was overcome with gratefulness and sorrow.  I want to apologize to Jesus.  His gift to us caused Him so much pain.

It’s a well-accepted fact that when we are forced to work hard for something, say a new car, home, a good job, we tend to take better care of it.  I didn’t have to work for the gifts of salvation and redemption.  I’ve proven over and over that sin is easy for me to commit.  I need to keep Jesus’ pain, his suffering, and His willingness to take mine, closer to mind each and every day. His love for us can only be repaid with obedience and thankfulness.

30daysofpraise, christian encouragement, Uncategorized

Merciful Judge

krisshetter

We are living in a time that the word “justice” seems to hold so many different meanings – at times almost opposite meanings.  “Justice” to some means punishing people for something they didn’t participate in and happened about 200 years ago.  To others it means being able to take what you want because you feel victimized.  In some cities, “justice” means releasing hundreds of people who are in jail for murder, rape, burglary and the like.  Some people judge in the blink of an eye based on a short video.  Others judge simply because they already didn’t like a person.   And yet others still believe in the idea of investigating a crime, bringing it to a court and evaluating all the facts before passing judgement.   I have a degree in Journalism and English.  I learned that passing judgement in the media was a no-no.  Somehow that lesson has disappeared from journalism school

We can’t seem to escape “un-just judgement” these days.  What you wear, what you drive, where you live, what your skin color is, if you have a college degree or if you are old or young, we are judged by our neighbors, our enemies and even our fellow Christians.  I recently posted on Instagram a picture of a surgical mask.  I stated, “This mask does not symbolize your: kindness, faith, politics, intelligence, wokeness or love.  It’s just a mask.”  The mask, as promoted by governmental officials, has become yet another way to be judged.  Our “Cancel Culture” is swift in its judgement and mercy is nowhere to be found.

Thank the Lord that His judgement is merciful.  I mean He has been trying for thousands and thousands of years to get the majority of humanity on board with His simple rule – Obey God.  He has yet to pass His mighty judgement over us.  It does feel as though that time is getting closer and closer, however.   

So often we want to take justice into our own hands.  But it’s important to understand the difference between daily justice that God calls us to and eternal justice.  At times we think we must step in for God – with acts of anger, revenge or spite.  God does not call us to scream a people in the streets. For one, I find most people screaming don’t actually know what “justice” they need or who should be held to account.  Rest assured that if it’s justice God wants you to accomplish you will have His peace.  Screaming in people’s faces and looting won’t be part of His plan for you.  As Jesus’ people, we are called to step in for the weak and downtrodden.  But we need not be the weak and downtrodden – because through Christ we are blessed and strengthened.  A Christian who obeys God is destined to experience hardship and suffering, but His love and mercy sustains us for greater work.  He asks us to judge others as we are judged by Him – with mercy and forgiveness.

Whether or not a person believes and accepts God and His Son, Jesus, he will still ultimately be judged in the eternal world.  We must believe that Truth.  

“I said to myself, ‘God will bring into judgement both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time to judge every deed.’”  

Ecclesiastes 3:17

Until then, God gives us opportunity after opportunity through His mercy to change course.  I, for one, am thankful for the chance to continue my path of imperfect progress without the justice served I deserve each day.

How has God showed you His mercy? Share in praise of God today in the comments below!