Mundane Monday: Our Weary Flesh

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James 4:1, 4-6, 11

1 Where do the conflicts and where do the quarrels among you come from? Is it not from this, from your passions that battle inside you?  4 Adulterers, do you not know that friendship with the world means hostility toward God? So whoever decides to be the world’s friend makes himself God’s enemy. 5 Or do you think the scripture means nothing when it says, “The spirit that God caused to live within us has an envious yearning“? 6 But he gives greater grace.  Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but he gives grace to the humble. 11 Do not speak against one another, brothers and sisters. He who speaks against a fellow believer or judges a fellow believer speaks against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but its judge.

James 5:8

“You also be patient and strengthen your hearts, for the Lord’s return is near.”

Ugh.  Monday again.  Before my feet hit the floor my mind is flooded with all that must be accomplished today.  Pulling the blanket over my head only prolongs the agony and finally I relent and rise.

Aware of my Monday morning “blahs”, God’s grace intervenes and I become aware that my thoughts are not God-honoring.  He will grant the grace to accomplish what needs to be done each day.  A miracle happens – a changed disposition to one of gratitude.  Another day to live and serve God!

If there were to be a magic bullet to the Christian life, it would be contained in the passage above.  Recognizing the thoughts and deeds of the flesh and its inward driving passion and crucifying the misleading motivations frees us to live for Jesus and impact the world around us.

Like Paul, we often can find ourselves doing or thinking things that we are not even aware of.  We strive toward vain pursuits or form opinions about our brothers and sisters without pausing to consider what we are doing.

What is the driving force behind our actions?  What causes us to behave one way or another toward an event, an organization or an individual?  The flesh.  The flesh wants the things of the world, yet this friendship with the world puts us at enmity with God.  Friendship connotates a deeper level of commitment than Scripture’s counsel of being in the world and not of it. It is a fascination and a desire for temporal things that distract us from what really matters.

There is so much energy invested in what the flesh wants, chasing after what we are convinced we need, yet perhaps we don’t really want to be a slave to the demands of our flesh, after all.

Everything done in the flesh counts for nothing.  We are wise to pause to contemplate what is of the flesh and what is of the spirit.  Why do we like some people and others we avoid?  Could it be someone tried to form an opinion for us?  Our flesh recoils at work we do not want to do or activities we do not want to participate in, yet maybe deep down we want to.

Again, like Paul, we do not really fully know what it is we want to do and the things we want to do we can hardly carry out.  But there is hope.  We are all flesh, but we have an inner spirit longing for the things of God, urging us on.  What a gift.  In the face of the battle of the flesh, grace wins. His grace, His Holy Spirit is greater.

Being acquainted with the world on an ever-increasing level leaves us empty.  But knowing and hungering after God’s word fills us with an inner joy this world could never give and enables us to see the counterfeit the flesh wants us to chase after.

If we ask God to show us our shortcomings, He is faithful.  The moment of revelation is humbling but also encouraging.  For it is in the seeing of our sins that we can truly begin to be set free.  As we nurture our spirit in the word of God, He enables us to really see the spiritual battle all around us – and defeat it.

Lord, You are faithful.  Thank You for revealing the deeds of the flesh so we no longer have to be enslaved to its demands.  Help us to seek after Your and Your righteousness above all else so we can recognize the emptiness of the flesh.

Happy Thanksgiving from Seeing Deep!

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Proverbs 11:25

“The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed; those who help others are helped.”

Hebrews 13:16

And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

Happy Thanksgiving and thank you for stopping by today!  For those of you who were joining in on the season of thankfulness and counting the days until Thanksgiving, some of you might be asking . . . why did she stop on day 18?  Admittedly, I got busy.

My church culminated a 40-day prayer challenge with a 24-hour fast and prayer event that I helped to organize. It was beyond what we could have imagined and God moved in powerful ways.  Each day I have been bursting to share the revelations God has shown me during this season, and today I want to share something special God did this week which has left me humbled and grateful, overwhelmed at His goodness.

Shopping for groceries to prepare the Thanksgiving meal to bring to family in another state, I was in a flurry walking through Wal-Mart, thoughts swimming through my mind of how I could fit in time to make the meal, work and finish planning worship services.

Suddenly a manager interrupted my thought process and motioned for me to stand in another line.  He insisted that he wanted me in that line, that he was the manager and had the authority to do so.

Less wait for me, so I was grateful.  The woman in front of me was ringing out and then frantically realized she did not have enough money for her order.  Somewhere in the store she had dropped a $20 bill.  I’ve been there before – walking up to the register with sweaty palms and anxiety flowing through my body, wondering if my debit card will be rejected or not and the ensuing shame felt as people watch to see if I will have enough to pay.

Suddenly the Lord put on my heart to ask how much she needed and then prompted me to offer to pay the difference.  “You don’t know me”, she said.  Before I could think, the words came out of my mouth, “But Jesus does”.    She began to weep.  In that moment, it really was not about me helping her, but about a God who sees and puts people where he wants them to send a message of His love.

She had just told God that she could not do it anymore – her faith was low, she felt like Job.  God saw her and sent encouragement when she needed it most.  Awesome God.

The amazing thing about being willing to be used by God is that when you are blessing others, you are blessed, as well.  There is something in the sacrifice of giving that brings an inner joy to both the giver and the recipient.  Indeed, it is a miracle, God in the midst, working through people for His glory and their benefit.

In celebration of Thanksgiving, may the gratitude we feel from God’s bounty in our direction become an action of expressing blessing for others from the overflow of God to us.  What a beautiful celebration, indeed.

On this amazing day, when we consider and celebrate a holiday to pause and reflect on individual and corporate blessings, I am most thankful for Jesus, that God saves us and allows us to know Him and then is willing to use us as part of His plan to share His love with the world.  Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Thank you, God, for knowing the number of hairs on our head, for counting every tear, for noticing our pain and for never leaving us or forsaking us.  I love you, Lord!

~Devoted to the precious sister in Christ whom God had our paths cross.  Keep the faith.  He is enough.

A SEASON OF THANKFULNESS: DAY 18 – OUR HUMBLE KING

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Mark 10:45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Philippians 2:5-8 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross

There is perhaps nothing more ironic than a King becoming a servant, saving the very ones who were His servants in the first place.

In Christ we find the perfect example of humility.  He alone could boast of all the good works He accomplished or of how great He is, yet He chose a crude birth and a lifestyle among commoners.

Materialism and comfort might have appealed to his flesh in that he was 100% man and 100% God, but He did not want those things.  They were distractions from the calling His Father had for Him.  Instead, He was single-minded in His humble approach, prizing the cost of a soul as superior by far to being praised by man.

Sober-minded and dependent upon God, Christ modeled the wisdom of humility.  He captivated the hearts of His enemies not by ruling over them, but by loving and serving them.

There will come a day when Christ returns in righteous judgment, but He first exhibited godly leadership that sacrificed and made Himself subject to the very ones He sought to save.

By laying down His own life, He made a way for the prideful, lost ones truly in a humble position to know their majestic King.

Lord, thank You for demonstrating what it means to not live for self, but to live for the glory of God, instead.  Thank you for choosing a humble life that we might know You!

A Season of Thankfulness: Day 17 – Our Provider

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Philippians 4:19

“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

Genesis 22:13-14

“Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son. Abraham called the name of that place The LORD Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the LORD it will be provided.”

God knows what we need when we need it – though sometimes our patience might be tested in the process.

When we accepted His gift of salvation, He gave us everything we needed right then and there, but we do not use every gift He gives us in that moment.  It is in the sanctification process we go through which causes us to access His grace when we need it.

Sometimes in the fire of life, we tend to forget that nothing happens to us apart from His will.  If He brings us to it, He will bring us through it.  But still we are tempted to stare at the waves instead of at the Creator of the waves.

Like the Israelites, we wonder if God will provide the Manna again that we need the next day.  This dependence on God tries our soul as we prefer to provide for ourselves, as if that seems more certain.

Everything that surrounds us belongs to Him – and He freely gives to us sovereignly what we need, not necessarily what we want.  This is where our trust in our relationship with God grows, that He knows what is best.

We have no earthly idea what might be around the next bend in this life, but God knows it all completely and knows what we will need, as well.  He is our Faithful Provider, lovingly giving and denying when He deems one course is better than the other.

Lord, thank You for being our faithful provider.  All that we have is Yours. Help us to steward the gifts of grace, nourishment and shelter that You lovingly bestow upon us and to seek ways to glorify You in providing for other’s needs, as well.

A Season of Thankfulness: Day 16 – Our Promise Keeper

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Deuteronomy 7:9

“So realize that the LORD your God is the true God, the faithful God who keeps covenant faithfully with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations.”

Proverbs 20:6

“Many people profess their loyalty, but a faithful person–who can find?”

Romans 4:21

“He was fully convinced that what God promised he was also able to do.”

2 Timothy 2:13

“If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, since he cannot deny himself.”

“Everyone will let you down at some point”.  In a fragile world, this anecdote which is intended to comfort, does the opposite.  We all long for security, for people to be devoted to us, for someone who will be completely faithful to us.

Man is ultimately selfish and desires to satisfy his own needs.  It is the opposite of our flesh to deny ourselves and to serve others faithfully instead.

Where is our hope, then, if no one can ultimately be perfectly faithful to us?  This longing can only be fulfilled by One.  Not just any one, but the very one Who is the only One who has ever kept all of His promises.  His track record is perfect and He delights to fulfill His Word.

We tend to want flesh to be faithful to us to feel secure, but flesh is created, fallible and does not know the end.  God foretold the promises that He was going to keep before they were even on the horizon.

When the chips are down and it feels like God has forgotten, we only need to look to His Word and see His faithfulness throughout all of time.  We need to then hold onto His promises and talk to our Heavenly Father about our need for Him to meet us in our place of need.

God is incapable of lying; His promises are yes and amen.  He receives the glory when He meets our needs according to His wonderful promises in His Word.

Even when we are unfaithful, He remains faithful still.  Not because we deserve it, but because he will not deny those who are His.  What a faithful God – covenant maker and keeper forever.  Amen.

Lord, when we were unworthy and could never repay You, You still chose to pursue us anyway, making promises to us and keeping them.  Thank You, our Faithful friend and God, lover of our soul!

A Season of Thankfulness: Day 15 – Our God Jehovah

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Exodus 3:13-15

“Moses said to God, “If I go to the Israelites and tell them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’–what should I say to them?”  14 God said to Moses, “I am that I am.” And he said, “You must say this to the Israelites, ‘I am has sent me to you.'” 15 God also said to Moses, “You must say this to the Israelites, ‘The LORD–the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob–has sent me to you. This is my name forever, and this is my memorial from generation to generation.'”

The Name of God that leaves me in awe perhaps more than any other is “I AM”.  He was never created, has always been, and needs no one.  Yet He cares for us and makes Himself known to us.

By revealing His Name to Moses, He was conveying His power and authority.  When the God of the entire universes bids you go, you go – knowing that no one is greater than He is.

The many names ascribed to God reveal His beautiful character, all promises we can hold onto because of who He is.  We might not have a burning bush that God speaks to us from , but He uniquely speaks to each one of us and He says, “Go.  Tell them I Am sent you.”  Just knowing that God has given the authority and the privilege of being a representative for Him is humbling and amazing at once.

Oftentimes I have been glad that I do not have bumper stickers professing my faith, lest someone see my poorly represent my LORD by speeding.  (Smile).  But we are His representatives all the time, in everything we do, and just knowing that the All-Powerful, Eternal God has saved me and sent me evokes a genuine fear of the LORD to walk in a manner worthy of my King.

When I feel weak, unable to be much of an example at all, that is when I recall Who I am in Christ and Whose I Am.  The same God who has always been and will always be is the same God who calls us, just like Moses, to know Him more.

Today, I am thankful that we have a good God.  Not just any God.  The One true living God.  Not a fake man-made God, not a false oppressive religion made of do’s and dont’s, but our God Jehovah – the Great I AM.  His power is unparalleled and His purposes and plans are never thwarted.

Lord, thank you for for being my God and revealing Yourself to me.  I cannot perfectly understand or fathom how awesome You are, but I pray that You will enable me to represent you well in the little corner of the world where You have placed me, all for Your glory.  Amen.

A Season of Thankfulness: Day 14 – Our Covering

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Psalm 5:12

“Certainly you reward the godly, LORD. Like a shield you protect them in your good favor.”

Psalm 85:2

“You forgave the iniquity of Your people; You covered all their sin. Selah.”

Romans 4:7-8

“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the one against whom the Lord will never count sin.”

The imagery of a cozy comforter protecting us from the chill of winter provokes a smile on my face, reminding me of the comfort Christ’s covering brings to His children.  To Adam and Eve, He provided a literal clothing to cover them.  To all of Adam and Eve’s descendants He provided Himself as their covering.

We tend to attempt to rely on ouselves for a covering.  It just would not seem right to allow someone else to take care of our messes.  Yet our excuses are empty and our covering ultimately has holes in it.  We could never provide the perfect solution to our sin problem.  We are flawed and others cannot cover us, either.  We will stand alone before God in the end.

But how will we stand?  If we have accepted the free gift of Christ’s salvation, His atonement (at-one) united us with a Holy God, completely blotting out all of our sins.  When we appear before God on the judgment day, He will see Christ, our faithful Savior, providing propitiation (appeasement to God) for every single one of our sins.

Covering us with His grace and unconditional love, we finally belong.  We belong to His family and He protects and watches over those underneath His canopy of forgiveness.  Why would anyone want to be without this covering, when it is the answer to our soul’s cry to be safe, loved and known?

What a beautiful gift it is – this covering God provides through Jesus – lasts forever and our sins will never be counted against us.  No ordinary covering could accomplish such an act of uniting the unholy with the holy; no, only God Himself could provide that perfect sacrifice.

Jesus, thank You for covering all of our sins and washing away the burdens of this world.  Thank You that your covering is not temporary and will not wear out.  Knowing You is eternal and You never give up on us.  Praise be Your Name!

A Season of Thankfulness: Day 13 – Our Comforter

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Psalms 31:13a

“For I hear what so many are saying, the terrifying news that comes from every direction.”

Psalm 147:3

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

Psalm 30:5

“For his anger lasts only a brief moment, and his good favor restores one’s life. One may experience sorrow during the night, but joy arrives in the morning.”

On days like this when news of terror is filling the airwaves and in moments of fear, uncertainty and heartbreak, we who are in Christ have this hope: our living God is our faithful Comforter.

The rain falls on the good and the bad; all will see troubles on this earth, but it is often at the worst moments when we are closest to God.  The accusations and attack of the enemy encircle us, trying to defeat us, but if we will press in and seek God, we crucify the flesh and find ourselves at a higher place with Jesus.

Like Job, who had counselors who knew all of the religiously correct phrases, we, too, will need to go past the surface of psychology, positive thinking or religiosity offered by the world around us to arrive in Jesus’ arms and the sweetest comfort known.

True comfort does not mean having our own way.  It is a place of rest, trusting in our sovereign Father and peace in His promise to take our greatest sorrows and turn them into a place of healing, instead.  It is weeping in His presence and laying our burden at His feet, knowing that He counts every tear and that everything matters to Him.

Perhaps the greatest comfort is that Jesus chose to walk among us not just so we could understand and know Him, but so He could identify with our suffering and we could have confidence to come to Him who patiently endured the most severe suffering for us.

Lord, please ease the pain of those in shock and horror now and draw them to You – the only sure source of comfort at all times.  You are our refuge, our Healer, our living Hope.  May you be the One we run to above and instead of all else.

A Season of Thankfulness: Day 12 – Our Wise Counselor

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Ecclesiastes 7:10-12

Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these days?” for it is not wise to ask that.  11 Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing; it benefits those who see the light of day. 12 For wisdom provides protection, just as money provides protection. But the advantage of knowledge is this: Wisdom preserves the life of its owner.

James 1:5

“But if anyone is deficient in wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without reprimand, and it will be given to him.”

When I am tempted to give in to emotion or make a rash decision, it is to God that I run.  What a precious gift that we can come to Him and seek His wisdom in all things.

Recently I was reminded of this privilege when I was trying to understand the best course of action in a situation.  “Why are you trying to figure it out on your own?” ran through my head.  I guess that is my natural disposition – to try and come up with my own solution, but the foundation of that decision should be to seek wisdom from God above all else.

Wisdom, likened to an inheritance, can only be given by God.  Man can hand out down insight and knowledge, but any wisdom he has was given to him and comes from above.

Wisdom from God looks markedly different from the wisdom of this world.  It is not self-glorifying, it does not boast. It serves and glorifies God as the giver of it all.  The wisdom God gives is pure and peaceful, opposite what our flesh would offer as a solution.

Contained within all 66 books of the Bible are page after page of wisdom and folly fleshed out.  Few have truly found wisdom and to those who have found it, it is a never-ceasing pursuit.  Wisdom is not a once and done possession.  It is part of the beauty of being in relationship with the most amazing genius in all the world, our God.  He gives it freely, to those who ask . . . again and again.

Solomon pleased God by asking for wisdom above all else, yet He did not utilize that wisdom in one area of his life, in particular.  Did he know better?  I think so.  His heart was turned away by his unwise decisions regarding women, and I daresay that the brief satisfaction from choosing folly instead of the wisdom he had at his disposal could not compare to the joy he could have had from walking in wisdom.

This priceless gift of wisdom is continually given to those who would humble themselves and see their need of godly wisdom.  Available to all.  That’s the all-wise God we serve – generous and perfect in all He does; available to give us counsel when we need it.

Lord, thank You for never leaving or forsaking us.  You provide wisdom when we need it and are faithful to give us grace to seek You for it in the first place.  We praise Your Name, Sovereign King!

 

A Season of Thankfulness: Day 11 – My Deliverer

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Psalm 129:2

“Since my youth they have often attacked me, but they have not defeated me.”

Psalm 130:5-7

“I rely on the LORD, I rely on Him with my whole being; I wait for his assuring word. 6 I yearn for the LORD, more than watchmen do for the morning, yes, more than watchman do for the morning. 7 O Israel, hope in the LORD, for the LORD exhibits loyal love, and is more than willing to deliver.”

Psalm 50:15

“Pray to me when you are in trouble! I will deliver you, and you will honor me!”

If we have lived long enough, we have all experienced someone who was jealous of us our just did not like us.  Since childhood, I have seen this reality played out in the lives of others and in my life.  I never understood it then, and I do not understand it fully now – but when we come to God, He is able to grant insight and wisdom.

The flesh wants to glorify itself and exalt self above everyone else, if left unchecked.  People vie for position as if it can bring them life, or try to make miserable the one who was placed in a position, as if they were to blame.  But God’s sovereignty and purpose is woven throughout.

I used to really get upset when I learned of people gossiping about me or someone else, but now I see it as a golden opportunity to glorify God and let it work character in, instead.  The persecution of jealousy begins to work in our character a jealousy for God’s glory and not our own.  No longer upset that someone is not a fan of us, we become upset if someone’s actions would hurt Christ’s bride, the church.  I would not want to be that person.  Sadly, we all have been at one time or another.

If we are all honest, we have all not liked some personalities. This being true of us all, we are still called to love.  We are not the standard – God is.  Popularity is fleeting.  When backbiting and slander happen even within the church, we must resist the devil and put on love.  We must care more about the church than our own offenses.

Praise be to God Who delivers us from attacks from the enemy!  Instead of being caught up in a mire of drama or becoming offended, we are freed up to have concern for the one who is offended by us.  Instead of fear of their perception, we cry out to God who defends and delivers us from it all.

Sometimes He delivers us through understanding and sometimes He defends us from attack.  Ultimately He led by the perfect example; being LORD of Lords, but choosing to be a servant.  Being mistreated and putting on love in the midst.

Lord, thank You for being our Deliverer!  Thank You for showing us a better way and opening our eyes to see the real spiritual warfare all around us.  Help your church, oh God!  May we care more about Your glory than our own.