For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

Purple Grace Geranium

Paula
Salvation—forgiveness of sins and right standing with God—cannot come to us by any other means than through grace by faith. It is a free gift, given to us by a loving God who desires nothing more than for us to live unshackled from the bonds of sin and experience life-changing, intimate fellowship with Him. So He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to Earth to shed his blood at the cross as the atoning sacrifice in our stead. But our human nature and the “voice of reason” often tells us that God’s plan is way too simple; surely we must do something to earn God’s pardon and favor.

Before my friend (I’ll call her Maura) accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior, she was one of the most active volunteers in our church. She set aside two Sundays a month to help out with the toddlers during church service. Whenever our pastor announced a call-out for help at church events, Maura was the first to raise her hand. She spent hours cleaning up the kitchen after church socials. She volunteered every week at our city’s rescue mission, serving hungry, homeless families and individuals nourishing meals and offering conversations of hope and encouragement. Twice a week she answered the phones at a local women’s crisis center. Maura volunteered her time and gifts to others so much, I wondered why she didn’t burn out. Watching her, I questioned my own Christian walk. Maybe I should be just like her, doing more in service to the Lord and to others. But I knew I could never in a million years keep up with her pace.

One Wednesday morning Maura showed up at my Bible study. This was unusual, and I could tell something heavy was going down with her the moment she took a seat among the circle of women gathered there. She seemed worried and on edge—so unlike the “normal” bubbly I-can’t-do-enough-for-Jesus Maura I knew and loved. When the study ended and we prepared to pray for one another, Maura burst into tears.

“What is it?” I asked gently. “Whatever it is, the Lord already knows and is here to help.”
Someone handed Maura a tissue, and for the next twenty minutes she poured out her story.

“I grew up in the church,” she began. “As a child my parents taught me that a life of service was the noblest gift I could give to the world and God. That the more I did for Him, the more they and He would love me. I believed them and have done my best to fulfill that mission. But for years I’ve felt empty inside, and guilty, like I’m still not doing enough. I’m so unhappy. The more I do, the farther away from God and His love and approval I feel.”

“Oh, Maura,” I said. “You’re trying to work for God’s love and acceptance, and that just isn’t God’s way. You don’t have to DO anything to earn His love. You CAN’T do anything to earn His love. He already loves you, unconditionally, just as you are. Paul wrote that ‘all have sinned and have come short of the glory of God’ (Romans 3:23). And in his letter to the Ephesians he said, ‘By grace are ye saved through faith...it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast’ (Ephesians 2: 8-9). Don’t you see? We’re ALL sinners. We can’t work our way to Heaven, nor can we earn God’s love and approval, because He already loves us and approves of us more than language can express. The only thing any of us have to DO to get right with God is accept His love and believe that Jesus paid the penalty for our sins when He died on the cross over 2,000 years ago. It’s that simple.”

“So simple,” a woman added, “that most people miss it.”

The ladies and I prayed for Maura, and that morning she accepted Jesus as her Savior and Lord. Amazingly, though she’d always believed God existed, she’d never had a born-again experience.

“Rest in Him. Rest in His mercy,” I’d urged Maura that day. “We serve a God of grace and peace and love. He delights in and approves of everything you’ve done over the years for Him in His name, but all that work was never a have to. We serve God because we love Him and because He lives in us and through us. Yes, we want to please Him because of our devotion and gratitude toward Him, but even if we didn’t do another thing, He would still love us and accept us just as we are.”

Maura left the Bible study that day free of the heavy burdens she’d carried for so long. And her story serves to remind me, whenever I am tempted to fall into satan’s trap of feeling guilty, inadequate, or unproductive for the Lord, that He is a God of immeasurable love and mercy, and that I am living in the marvelous age of His grace. Old Testament laws and legalism don’t apply anymore. Guilt and the compulsion to strive for God’s approval died at the cross. Jesus shed His atoning blood at Calvary in order to fulfill the law and legalism (Matthew 5:17). That means—glory to God—we no longer must strive to fulfill the law ourselves. Instead, we can confidently rest in His grace.

Rosa 'Grace'

Pam
A little over five years ago, when I first became a Christian, I read a lot of books on discipleship and the disciplines. I was comfortable with that. The study of the practice of spiritual disciplines seemed to reinforce my idea that I needed to be doing something to be found pleasing to God. Even though all the books I read warned that the disciplines should never be confused with law or viewed legalistically, I was too much of a baby Christian to understand what the authors were referring to. Here were lovely, articulate books, wonderfully filled with the lists of what I needed to do to be a "good" Christian. Whew, I didn't have to figure it out for myself.

There were, however, some problems to this approach to my walk with God. First, while similar, not all the books were in agreement on which disciplines were most important. Which should I practice and which could I let go? I always feel horrible when I try to fast. I wondered if God would be okay with it if I let that one slide as long as I doubled up on something else, say Bible reading or meditation. Also, there are only so many hours in a day. How did I know when I had done enough? Would I get some kind of sign? I just knew I wasn’t doing enough. It all started to seem very confusing, and I began to feel like a failure as a Christian. I had this idea that God had great plans for me but I was letting Him down.

I honestly had no concept of grace. When I read the word in my Bible I really didn’t know what it meant. I thought being a Christian was all about being obedient and good works. Why would someone else pay for my sins? They were mine, after all. How could I expect anyone else, even Jesus, to pay for them?  When I look back on it, I wonder how I was ever saved.

Thank you, Jesus, for the Holy Spirit. In His infinite patience, kindness, and love, He taught me, through scripture and different teachers, about grace. Talk about “I was blind and now I see.” When I finally got grace into my little brain, I understood what Jesus meant when he said “the truth shall set you free” (John 8:32). I was set free of “should and should nots.” I was free of guilt for falling short and feeling unworthy, because, guess what, we all fall short and we all are unworthy (Romans 3:23). No one deserves God’s blessing. Grace is unmerited favor. Being justified through faith alone (Galatians 2:16), Christians are entitled to all the blessings of Abraham (Galatians 3:14. Also, see Romans chapter 4). They are heirs to beautiful, perfect, empowering, enriching, abundant, healing blessing that they utterly and completely don’t deserve and in no way earned. It’s not just good news; it’s almost too good to be true news.

He really did pay for my sins—all of them, past, present and future. I have been washed clean of them. I no longer have to be squeamish about approaching God, fearful he might see all my many shortcomings and failures (as if anything is hidden from Him). Through Jesus’ finished work, I am righteous before God (Romans 3:22). I can boldly approach the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16). Feeling as though we are responsible for our own righteousness diminishes what Jesus did for us, but grace magnifies Jesus’ loveliness ten thousand fold.

Now that I am released from my own brand of self-manufactured legalism, the Holy Spirit is free to write His laws on my heart. Self-propelled self-improvement isn’t obfuscating where He wants to lead me. I am free to be of service. I can more fully love the Lord, not holding back for fear of my unworthiness being found out.

I don’t want to be misunderstood here. I am in no way dismissing the importance of spiritual disciplines or discipleship. If you read our first blog you know what Richard Foster’s Celebration of the Disciplines means to me. It’s just that it has been my experience that they need to be built on a strong foundation of the understanding of grace. Because as soon as I got a handle on grace and really saw how much God loved me and all that Jesus did for me, many of the spiritual disciplines I was struggling with became, not just easy, but a delight. I have a hunger for God like never before. Bible reading and study is no longer a task but a quenching of a deep thirst. Prayer is a joy and privilege. Worship is more natural and spontaneous. (I still don’t fast, however, but I know God is good with it). The best part is that God isn’t through with me. I know the Holy Spirit will continue to give me fresh revelation of the goodness, mercy and grace of God.

Grace should be the first thing any new Christian learns because it is not a subject or a concept, it is the gospel, it is the good news.  I think, too often in body of Christ, we think in terms of guidelines and works. To borrow a quote from Joseph Prince, “God isn’t interested in behavior modification. He wants heart transformation.”

But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. Isaiah 64:6

Paula

Henri J. M. Nouwen has written a wonderful little book called The Return of the Prodigal

Henri J.M. Nouwen

Son. In it, Nouwen describes his deeply personal journey toward finding God’s grace and forgiveness. He begins by meditating on Rembrandt’s famous painting, “The Return of the Prodigal Son.”

While studying the painting, Nouwen at first focuses on the image of the young prodigal,who, after squandering his inheritance on worldly pleasures, ended up an utterly broken man—at his lowest point, wallowing in a pigsty. Nouwen ponders several questions. Why, despite the son’s utter sinfulness and folly, had the father so readily received this son back into the bosom of his family? Why the lavish welcome feast and celebration when the boy deserved nothing but contempt and rejection? Most importantly, how could the father, without the merest hesitation, have extended his sinful son such complete and unconditional love and forgiveness?

After further meditation, Nouwen recognized that two other characters in Rembrandt’s painting deserved attention as well: the father and the jealous eldest son. The eldest son had been the dutiful child, always respectful and carrying out his father’s every wish with an obedient heart. So, when his scoundrel brother received their father’s open-armed welcome, replete with tears and preparations for a banquet to celebrate his homecoming, the elder brother seethed with anger and resentment. All his life he’d done everything right, while his brother had done everything wrong. So how could their father be so blind to his eldest son’s goodness and his youngest son’s wickedness? How could their father forgive his corrupt young brother so quickly and completely? How could the father divide his wealth—the brothers’ inheritance—equally between the two?

Nouwen subtly challenges the reader to put him or herself in the place of each of the parable’s characters. He asks us to honestly examine ourselves, then identify which character most describes us. Are we the broken prodigal who longs to put off his filthy garments and bathe in God’s forgiveness? Are we the eldest resentful son who glories in his own self-righteousness? Or do we most represent the father who extends grace, forgiveness, and acceptance to those who least deserve them?

I most identify with the eldest son. If I am honest, it is so easy for me to look at another’s faults and ignore my own. In other words, I am just as filthy, strutting around in my self-righteous garments, as the elder brother. Isaiah tells me that there are “none righteous, not one,” and that compared to God’s holiness and righteousness, “all my righteousness is as filthy rags.”  The prophet declares that compared to Holy God Almighty, all the good works I can ever do in this life will never measure up to God’s goodness and perfect righteousness. Talk about a prodigal! My often self-righteous attitude places me right smack inside that pigsty, floundering around in the muck right alongside that prodigal son.

The good news is that we have a loving Father God Who understands our shortcomings. None of us can lead perfect, sinless lives. That’s why He “gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him [Jesus] should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:16, 17). It’s hard to think of Jesus as a prodigal. But His work on the cross—His becoming sin and paying the price of atonement for our sinfulness—made him the ultimate prodigal Son, a forsake wretch unworthy of the Father’s love and acceptance. But when the work of defeating sin and satan was done, Father God Who is Love, prepared a banquet for Jesus in Heaven and welcomed Him home.

Every day, through prayer and meditation, I understand more and more how to enter into the secret place where God dwells. Focusing on Him, I am beginning to understand my own brokenness and how great is the unconditional love God has for me. Without Jesus Iam nothing; with Jesus I am everything. I am on my way home.

Pam                                        

During one of the snowy days we’ve had recently, I did something I rarely do. I watched TV

Ravi Zacharias

during the day, and, finally, caught up on the many Joyce Meyer programs filling up the DVR. In a particularly thought-provoking show, she interviewed Ravi Zacharias. 

Ravi is a Christian apologist and has written many books that focus predominantly on Christianity's answers to life's great existential questions. He stated in the interview that Christianity differs from all other world religions in that it offers a savior, a propitiation for our sins that is totally undeserved and has nothing to do with our own efforts. In every other world religion, the follower has to rely on his or her personal abilities to follow the dictates of religion. The level of success in following those dictates determines whether the follower is or isn’t righteous—i.e., right with God. Only Christianity offers justification by faith alone. 

If you read the above scripture out of context and without the benefit of the New Testament, you might be inclined to get depressed or discouraged. Most people try hard to be a good person, and to be told all those efforts are but “filthy rags” may seem rather harsh. Yet, when taken in context and against the perspective of the New Testament, Isaiah 64:6 is one of the most freeing biblical verses. We are justified by faith (Rom 3:28). Our relationship with God is not dependent on our own pitiful abilities. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross has made us right with our heavenly Father. Because of Jesus, God sees believers as righteous (Eph.1:4). His love for us is neither diminished nor elevated by our performance or behavior. His grace, His unmerited favor, has nothing to do with our efforts and everything to do with Jesus. As the hymn says, He paid it all.

To me, this means being a Christian doesn’t have to become yet another self-improvement project. How great is that? I’m right with the Creator of the entire universe just as I am. In a world that relentlessly sends the message that we can never be good enough, rich enough, smart enough, thin enough, successful enough, etc., it is wonderfully freeing to realize that I am perfect and whole in the eyes of God. And His opinion is the only one that counts.

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1).

Paula

There is a holy chamber I love to enter as often as I can. I take off my shoes, wrap myself in a warm blanket, get comfortable, enter in, and begin to pray. As I open my mind and my spirit to God’s leading, Jesus takes my hand, and together we pass through the mountains, hills and valleys, and the fragrant stretches of holy ground where all things are possible and nothing is impossible. What could be more lovely, more satisfying than taking this sacred walk with Jesus, the One Who loves me just the way I am and Who gently instructs me in the ways I should go, despite my reluctance or lack of faith?

As Jesus and I pass through this hallowed terrain, the deep longings of my spirit and my desire to fulfill God’s purpose for my life flow from my soul like water from a roaring river. In this place all is possible and nothing is impossible. My utter and absolute communion with Him has sprung wide the portal to all things of the Spirit. Faith rises from the river of God’s promises, and as I drink these waters of faith, all my longings, all my sufferings, all my disappointments--as well as all my triumphs--become one dynamic shout of praise to the One Who has made all things possible to those who believe (Mark 11:24). Everyday trials, that before seemed like insurmountable mountains, crumble and fall at my feet. And as Jesus and I travel farther into this land of the Spirit, there is nothing I long for more than to remain in this place forever.

But I can’t stay here forever. My consolation is that when prayer time is over and I must reenter my earthly world, I leave that sacred place an altered vessel, armed and fortified. My mind is cleansed of all doubt, all fear. The eyes of my understanding stand wide open, and the words of the author of Hebrews have become a part of the foundation of who I am. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.,” the author writes. My faith, the faith that the Trinity has placed in my heart through this time of communion, contemplation, and prayer, allows me to believe for those unseen impossible things I harbor hope for.

I promised I would report back to everyone about the selling of my mother’s home in California. It is the substance of faith and my passionate belief without any doubt whatsoever that God would fulfill His promises that allowed the home to sell within two days of placing it on the market—and sell for two thousand dollars over the asking price! What thrilled me even more than that, though, was hearing about the people who bought the house. Yep. It was, as I’d envisioned in that previous blog, a “dear family who’s at this very moment praying about owning a home of their own.” A young couple with a new baby are at this moment enjoying the blessings of home ownership.

God always fulfills His promises. Through faith, my vision came to pass. And I can’t wait for the next time I enter my prayer closet, take Jesus’ hand, and step with Him once again onto that holy ground of promise.

Pam

I heard a wonderful teaching presented by Andrew Wommack last week on the subject of faith. He talked about the two kinds of faith. There is a natural faith, the faith that is controlled by our senses and our minds. It is controlled by what we can see, hear, feel, taste, smell, or logically deduce. We’ve all heard it said that it takes faith to sit in a chair. That is the natural faith, the faith of man. We can see that a chair looks properly made, and we can reason that our doctor wouldn’t put faulty chairs in his waiting room. Sadly, all too often this is the kind of faith that I allow to govern my life.

There is another kind faith, however—a far more powerful and perfect faith. It is God’s faith. God’s faith is a gift from our Heavenly Father. It is the faith He, in His great mercy, imparts to us before we can be saved. Without it we could not believe in our salvation. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God...” (Ephesians 2:8). God is always true to His word and would never, ever take back something He has given us. If we are born again, then we have God’s faith inside us forever. It is there for our use. The use of His gift is pleasing to God. He gave it to us because he loves us dearly and wants what is best for us. By God’s faith the unseen becomes real.

A.W. Tozer in his book, The Knowledge of the Holy, states:

“In spite of tears and pain and death we believe that the God who made us all is infinitely wise and good. As Abraham staggered not at the promises through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving the glory to God, and was fully persuaded that what He promised He was able to perform, so we base our hope in God alone and hope against hope till the day breaks. We rest in what God is. I believe this alone is true faith. Any faith that must be supported by evidence of the senses is not real faith.  ‘Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.’”

To quote Andrew, “Just because something can’t be seen doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.” All the wisdom, prosperity, good health, joy, peace, and love we could ever want or need are there for us in the spiritual. They are part of the atonement. These blessings are just waiting for us to access or manifest them by believing God for them. If we are experiencing lack, poor health, fear, discouragement, and anxiety, then we know we are being governed by our natural faith and it is time to start exercising God’s faith.

Desire, hope, and wishing for something are not faith. Faith is present tense on a personal level. It is confessing, “By His stripes I am healed,” or “God is supplying all my needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Faith is felt in the heart and permeates the bones.

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John 1:14

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John 1:14

We have all seen paintings and other art depicting the nativity. Usually, baby Jesus is shown glowing or with a halo, squeaky clean, pink, and perfect. But these images are purely symbolic. There’s nothing wrong with that. But let’s not forget Jesus was wholly divine, yet wholly human. He must’ve come into the world like all babies, red-faced, crying, hungry, and needing a bath. Mary and Joseph had the same responsibilities all parents do, to keep their infant son changed, cleaned, sheltered, and fed.

After the splendid celestial display the shepherds had just witnessed, they were no doubt startled to find a very ordinary-looking baby. But they humbly gave thanks, praise, and worship, just as we do. God’s son came to earth as a man so we could be reconciled with our Creator. He came so we could have salvation and live in mercy and grace.

Our hope is for everyone to have a joyous Christmas, celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Paula and Pam

Col. 3:14, But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.

Paula
Prior to Colossians 3, verse 14, Paul tells Jesus’ followers that we are to exchange our old nature (the “old man”) for that of one like Christ’s. We are to put away anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language, lies, and any deeds toward others that prove contrary to Jesus’ example and character. Instead, we are to “put on [as a garment] tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another and forgiving one another;...even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do” (vss. 8 - 13).  In summation, Paul tells us: “But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.”

I loathe quarrels. I mostly go out of my way to avoid them, but sometimes conflicts with those close to me arise anyway—which, sadly, has been my lot of late. As a result, in recent weeks I have been sorely tested by some of Paul’s admonitions. Blasphemy, filthy language, lies, and malice weren’t a problem, but I’ve had plenty of opportunity to allow anger and wrath to enter my realm—and smother Christ’s love. Just because it felt so darned good to do so, and even though I knew better, I found myself setting aside those “love” scriptures and allowing my baser, “old-Paula” fleshly self to rise up and get the better of me.

“My anger and hurt are justified,” I argued. “Those people did me dirty. They need to be told how wrong they are; they need to be put in their place!”

And yet, above all other things, I love Jesus. I want to be a doer of His Word and not a hearer only (James 1:23).  I want every moment of my life to be lived and conducted according to His precepts. Jesus, by humble example, taught that demonstrating love instead of wrath, and returning good for evil, is the only sure path to lasting contentment. Setting aside sinful inclinations and allowing God to justify any wrongs done against us is our only sure means toward godliness, harmony, and peace. He alone perceives the motives and intentions of the heart; therefore, He alone is able to execute fair judgment. He alone can mete out just chastisement and/or vindication. All Jesus asks is that, as He did, we forgive our enemies and love them, even though we may feel justified to express ourselves otherwise. He asks that we allow Him to be the One to vindicate us.

Loving those who have wronged us is a difficult thing to do. I know this first hand. In my case, it took weeks to let the anger and resentment go, and to allow Jesus to fill my spirit with His love and peace. I had to spend lots of time at my Lord’s feet, pouring out the contents of my heart before I was finally able to utter the words (to my adversaries), “I love and forgive you”—and mean them.

For several years, I have been composing lunes as a way to capture, much like snapshots, certain events that serve to propel me along this often thorny road to Glory. A lune is a three-lined poem; the first line is comprised of three words, the second line five words, and the final line three words. The words may or may not rhyme, and the number of syllables does not matter. Here is a lune I composed that encapsulates my experience.

I’m a lover
Sometimes it hurts to love
Sometimes love crucifies

Pam
In the fall, at my church, we hear from many of the missionaries we support. They are such wonderful people with interesting and truly inspiring stories. What really impresses me is the love that infuses their lives and work. They are doing what God has called them to do and they are doing it with love. They seem to truly love God and the people they are serving. Tears come to my eyes when I hear their stories.

Hearing from the different missionaries reminds me that love is the foundation of Christianity. When I searched “love” at Bible Gateway, 686 results came up. Obviously, God has something to say on the subject. God loves us, and He wants us to love one another. If we could give to each other even a slightest fraction of the love God gives to us, the world would be a much different place. Image what the world would be like if Christians would obey Christ enough to let go of anger and quickly forgive all slights and offenses.

I know I fall short of obeying Jesus’ command far too often. I have much to learn about loving those I share the planet with. I pray regularly, “Jesus, teach me to be more like You. Teach me to be slow to anger and quick to forgive. Teach me to pray for those who have hurt my feelings. Teach me to not judge with condemnation. Teach me love more expansively and inclusively. Teach me to love the unlovable.” It’s a process, but one that is of primary importance.

What better witness to the unsaved world than for Christians to live by their Lord’s example? At one point in his life, Mahatma Gandhi read the Bible and realized he read the Truth. He went to a church to give his life to the Lord but was not allowed in because they considered him black. He later said, “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” Ouch. Clearly, he hadn’t met any of the missionaries from my church or any of the other fine servants doing good things around the globe, but he did have a point. If we can’t witness in love, then we shouldn’t witness at all.

 If I were to set out to bake a batch of chocolate chip cookies but leave out the chocolate chips, I will have something in the end, but it won’t be chocolate chip cookies. If I set out to follow Jesus but leave out love, I will have something in the end, but it won’t be following Jesus.

"...But you shall meditate in it [God's Word] day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage: do not be afraid, nor dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1: 8, 9

                                                             Paula

From the onset of my Christian walk, I have made studying God’s Word a priority. Whenever I taught Bible studies or led Christian women’s groups, I stressed to all who would listen that knowing God’s Word intimately and understanding the Father’s precepts is the only surefire way of avoiding satan’s snares.  How can we know God’s will, measure truth against falsehood, or determine if something seemingly good is instead nothing but cloaked evil, unless we measure our conclusions against the yardstick of the Word of God?

God promised Joshua (and all His children) that if he meditated on His Word day and night... “then you will  make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” The same precept also appears in Psalm 1: 2-3: “But his delight is in the law of the Lord: and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”

God couldn’t make Himself clearer. “Delight in my Word,” God says, “and then you shall prosper. Then you shall have good success.” Oh, the depth of this promise and how these words should encourage us!

My ageing mother recently left her home in the San Francisco Bay Area and has moved to Colorado. Because she’s in the process of liquidating her assets, I’ll be taking a trip to California soon to sell her home on her behalf and settle her affairs there. I’m excited. I’m armed with God’s promises. I know and believe God meant what He said when He promised that my way will be prosperous and that I would have good success. I am strong and of good courage, and I am not afraid of what lies ahead. Further, I’m  choosing to surround myself with likeminded people who wholeheartedly support my efforts by way of their positive, faith-filled words and constant encouragement.

But on the other side of the fence, I cannot tell you how much negativity has come through well-meaning “others” who keep insisting that “it’s impossible to sell a house in this dismal economy.” They cite examples of hundreds of homes rotting on the market for months, and can give me countless examples of misfortune, doom and gloom. And if I didn’t know God’s Word like I do, and if I hadn’t walked in faith through the wilderness of this world for so many years, I might have succumbed to their pessimism and given up even before I started.

But I do know God’s Word, and I believe His promises with all my heart. I know that what God says, He means. He cannot lie. But even more than that, He deeply cares about my mother and her affairs, and He cares about me and mine. He wants me to have good success in all that I put my hand to. Not mediocre success. Not success with sorrow attached to it, but GOOD success. So, my question, then, is: what does the failing world economy have to do with me and my current plans for success? I (and my mother) have measured every endeavor against God’s Word and know He is in the midst of each of them. I refuse to look to the right or to the left; I’m keeping focused on my God-given goals and aspirations. Let the whole world fall apart if it must, but as I remain faithful to God’s Word and walk in His precepts, the hopes and dreams I have entrusted to the Lord will surely come to pass.

When I think about readying Mom’s home for market, and when I think of the blessing her little house by the Bay is going to be to some dear family who’s at this very moment praying about owning a home of their own, I feel a warmth in my heart like no other. There isn’t a doubt in my mind that God has already chosen just the right buyer, and that Mom’s home will sell quickly and smoothly. And I can’t wait for the opportunity via this blog to report on our good success.
 

 Pam

Is it my imagination, or are the new television shows even more reprehensible than usual? Most look dreadful. Many of them are enough to make Christians hang their heads and weep. Central themes include, but are not limited to: murder, fear, mayhem, selfishness, sex, the occult, and vengeance.

Don’t get me wrong. I watch my fair share of TV, which includes a few guilty pleasures. But I try to keep it to a minimum. Too many shows should come with a disclaimer, “Warning! The following program is bad for your spiritual growth.” In general, television reflects the values, attitudes, and mores of a world not built on godly principles.

I don’t know when I got to be such a prude, but there you have it. I don’t want to spend all of my free time watching shows centered around values so different from my own. I would like to point out a few really bad ideas television promotes as perfectly acceptable. Getting drunk and having sex with a stranger is okay. Seeking revenge when you’ve been wronged is only natural and brings satisfaction. Violence is the best response to almost any difficult situation and, my personal favorite, being self-centered, to an extreme, is not only normal, it’s healthy. All I can say is, “yikes!”

There is so much junk in the world that the enemy would love for us to pour into our hearts and minds. We live in a fallen world and, sadly, satan has had more say in the structure of our society than Jesus. We live in a world, quite literally, custom made for pain and sorrow.

The good news is that we have an antidote and a shield for all this negativity conveniently located at our fingertips, our Bibles.  Reading God’s Word strengthens our faith. Romans 10:17 “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”  Bible study promotes courage, wholeness, and a strong relationship with our Creator.

“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” Psalm 42:1-2

owl in Paula's backyard

Note:  Psalm 42 (and 43) is a poignant, contemplative poem written by a man exiled in the far northern reaches of Palestine. He longs to return to Jerusalem so he can once again worship God at the Temple there. His song is written for and dedicated to the sons of Korah, the descendants of Levi, the Temple priests.

* * *

I am an early riser. Most mornings I’m up by 4:30 or so, and I find nothing more pleasant than greeting my Lord and the promising new day by watching the stars and constellations fade as the sun rises in the eastern sky. At that magical time of morning the house lies tranquil and hushed—the phones, TV, radio, and other devices still fast asleep along with the rest of the household. Outside in the dew-laden yard, deer, rabbits, and squirrels gambol past my window as sated horned owls and peregrine falcons settle in the aspens after a long night’s hunt.

I look forward to my early mornings when it’s just me and God and my steaming cup of jasmine-scented green tea, and everything He created affirms His Being. It’s a time for reading my Bible. It’s a time for taking long prayer walks where I speak and God listens, but most importantly where the Lord speaks and I listen. God is alive and I am alive and the whole Earth vibrates with the wonder of His glory. Nothing in this world is more important to me, for I understand that all too soon the troubles of the day will come knocking. All too soon the trials of life will strive to erode this “centeredness in the Lord,” this heavenly substance of peace and satisfaction He and His creations have so freely provided.

For me this communion must take place daily, because it is like the manna God sent every morning to feed the Israelites as they wandered in the desert—here for the gathering just after dawn but all too soon melted away as the heat of the day advances.

Like the exiled writer of this psalm, my soul continually thirsts for God. I yearn for the bliss of His Presence. When I am tangled in life’s daily difficulties and the Lord seems far away and out of reach, I remember these mornings and the ecstasy of drinking from The Fountain that will never run dry. I long to return again and again to that gathering place where it’s so easy to unburden my heart, hear His voice, and be comforted. How foolish if I should forget to seek God first in all things Paula, for it is only in the Lord’s Presence that harmony, peace, and the answers to all my questions lie.

Pam

deer in Paula's front yard

It is, at times, too easy for me to become complacent in my walk with God. I get busy and distracted by minutiae. Before I know it, God is on the back burner. I cut short Bible study and prayers. My writing, which is a spiritual discipline for me, is ignored totally (as seen by the large time gap since our last blog). I let the world, my old self, and the enemy convince me that other things take priority. I have to find work, earn money, and whip myself into a panic over the state of the economy. I can’t waste time perusing the Bible or dillydallying around writing something that no one is paying me for. There’s work to be done and people to please.

What is my reward for my busy-bee mentality? It is less than nothing. Hollow, empty days and “a mind flattened by the world.”* A life without God is a faded image, lacking color or life. How unnecessary. Jesus assures that if we put Him first, everything else will fall into place (Matthew 6:33).  Seeking God is always the number one priority and what my heart and soul longs for.

A.W. Tozer said it so much better than I ever could in his highly recommended book The Pursuit of God:  “The continuous and unembarrassed interchange of love and thought between God and the soul of the redeemed man is the throbbing heart of New Testament religion.”  We are made in the image of God. To paraphrase Tozer, if we remove sin from the equation, we are in little what God is in large. It is a natural law that like attracts like. Deep calls to deep (Psalm 42:7). Our magnetic north is always our Father in heaven. To deny our longing for Him is to deny who we are in essence.

I love how the psalmist characterizes the God we thirst for. We long for a living God, a Heavenly Father who is as real and present in the fabric of our lives as our family and friends. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we can have just such a relationship. We can meet God here and now.

I praise Jesus, that my days when God has been removed to the background are becoming fewer and farther apart.

*From a footnote in the Renovaré Bible.