tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29826625933548591762023-11-16T11:36:27.387-07:00Just Another Clay PotBut we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.
2Co 4:7Betsy Markmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13600148899348868100noreply@blogger.comBlogger272125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2982662593354859176.post-20491148236676154252016-03-21T09:36:00.000-06:002016-03-21T09:36:02.419-06:00HOW To Care About Politics: Concise Thoughts <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2sNHb8c3ZHqkopq3oVDrebjM83XpQsgZ_xQSob_P6qSUPz75UFtWHMaNakcfDSHlN7Ym5ExIB0UZZW8QKzrpJ9abhMUTCNCmY_n4BbyK8-qmDllg_R0MxHJe5fMvlMqF01ke99OY8_9A/s1600/Rushmore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2sNHb8c3ZHqkopq3oVDrebjM83XpQsgZ_xQSob_P6qSUPz75UFtWHMaNakcfDSHlN7Ym5ExIB0UZZW8QKzrpJ9abhMUTCNCmY_n4BbyK8-qmDllg_R0MxHJe5fMvlMqF01ke99OY8_9A/s320/Rushmore.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Do you and I have the courage </div>
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to admit that the biggest enemy </div>
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of the gospel</div>
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and of God's Kingdom </div>
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has NEVER been the ones </div>
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with political power; </div>
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but rather, </div>
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the greatest enemy of the gospel </div>
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and of God's kingdom</div>
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has ALWAYS been </div>
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Christians who are </div>
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un-Christlike?</div>
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The gospel flourished and spread </div>
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under the reign of Nero, </div>
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the Christian-butchering madman. </div>
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The Kingdom of God</div>
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flourished in underground churches </div>
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all over the communist nations of the world, </div>
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in the face of intense persecution and martyrdom.</div>
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The gospel can flourish and spread </div>
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under whoever our new president may be.</div>
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IF we understand that the </div>
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Kingdom of God can flourish </div>
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no matter who is president, </div>
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BUT we're still so upset about politics </div>
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that we're willing to dump Christlikeness </div>
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in favor of sinful attitudes and actions, </div>
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in pursuit of political power, </div>
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THEN we have no choice </div>
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but to conclude that </div>
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we aren't prioritizing the Kingdom of God at all,</div>
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but rather our own kingdoms, </div>
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and we're rebelling against the One who told us to </div>
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"Seek first the Kingdom of God, </div>
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and His righteousness, </div>
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and all these things will be added to you." </div>
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Lord, </div>
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please forgive us </div>
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for reviling others in Your name, </div>
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instead of showing others that </div>
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Your love and Your strength are enough </div>
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to give us peace, and joy, and endless hope</div>
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no matter what!</div>
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Please forgive us </div>
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for bringing such dishonor to You </div>
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by being fearful, depressed by circumstances, </div>
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hateful, spiteful, vengeful, and power-hungry. </div>
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Who would want the god of people like that, </div>
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when they can behave the same way </div>
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(and sometimes better) </div>
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with no god at all! </div>
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Please help us </div>
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to ask ourselves hard questions </div>
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about why we act and feel as we do, </div>
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and what it says about </div>
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the powerless "little-g" god </div>
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we so often believe in, </div>
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when we should be exulting in </div>
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the God of Calvary, </div>
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and of the empty tomb, </div>
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and of the coming Kingdom </div>
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that shall never pass away! </div>
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How different </div>
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would this world be </div>
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if we really lived </div>
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(and talked, and Facebook-posted) </div>
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from faith in our big-G God </div>
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who reigns over all </div>
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the circumstances of our lives?</div>
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Please make it so, Lord Jesus.</div>
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Please revive Your people.</div>
Betsy Markmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13600148899348868100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2982662593354859176.post-20341004343568184762016-03-01T14:54:00.000-07:002016-03-01T14:54:11.040-07:00What Can You Give to God Every Day?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by <a href="https://freerangestock.com/details.php?gid=41&pid=16399">Robert Hurst</a> </td></tr>
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Not long ago I felt inspired by <a href="http://www.challies.com/articles/5-things-you-can-give-to-god-every-day">this post</a> from my favorite blogger, Tim Challies. It is about consciously dedicating things like your time, energy, and enthusiasm to God every morning. I decided to start praying through them in the mornings, and soon I found myself adding more. I thought I should share these with you, because I find them very helpful in my own walk. (Not that I'm an expert in living this way...far from it! But this is the direction I believe He wants me to grow.)<br />
Please let me know in the comments if you think of anything else that would be helpful to add to these morning prayers!<br />
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My morning dedications:<br />
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<li>I dedicate to You the gifts and talents that You have given me, to be used for Your glory.</li>
<li>I dedicate to You the time that You have given me, for I am only time's steward in Your service.</li>
<li>I dedicate to you the energy You have given me, for pursuing Your will. I will trust You to supply moment-by-moment energy when I have no supply of my own.</li>
<li>I dedicate to You my enthusiasm, for Your joy and Your promises to shine through.</li>
<li>I give to you my cares and anxieties over the circumstances You have given me, for the praise of Your peace and Your sovereignty.</li>
<li>I dedicate to You my reputation and honor, for You to raise or lower in the eyes of man as You see fit, because You laid aside Your glory for me, and You have promised to clothe me with Your glory forever.</li>
<li>I dedicate to You my weakness, to be used for the glory of Your strength, rather than using it myself as an excuse to bury what You have entrusted to me (Matt 25:14-30).</li>
<li>I dedicate to You my thoughts and imaginings, because Your thoughts are higher than my thoughts, and You have prepared blessings for me that are beyond imagining.</li>
<li>I place on your altar my self-sufficiency and self-confidence, to replace with Your sufficiency, and with confidence in You.</li>
<li>I dedicate to You my best-laid plans, for You to establish or overrule as You see fit, because Your plans are perfect.</li>
<li>I leave in Your hands every "sacrifice" I've given, not trying to control what You do with them. If you are pleased to make them into obvious blessings, or to burn them to ashes on Your altar, I will rest in Your acceptance of them. I will trust You that nothing is lost.</li>
<li>I dedicate my all to You, Lord. You gave all to me, and You have told me that all things are mine in You (1 Co. 3:21-23).</li>
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<br />Betsy Markmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13600148899348868100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2982662593354859176.post-17733756537701371872015-07-31T12:19:00.000-06:002015-07-31T12:19:04.052-06:00I Would Spare You Regret <div dir="ltr">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.rgbstock.com/photo/npG7x8m/crying">Photo Source</a></td></tr>
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I know I've written about this sort of thing before, but it's been a few years, and I need the review myself.</div>
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I would spare you my regrets.</div>
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My greatest regrets have come from the times when I've traded away love, or joy, or obedience, or humility, or hope, or trust. And what have I usually traded them for?</div>
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Control. The power to make something unpleasant stop, or to make something pleasant start. </div>
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But as hard as it is for us to believe in the midst of painful, scary, or frustrating situations, the fact is that the fruits and gifts of the Spirit are worth infinitely more than control (or the illusion of control).</div>
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Love, obedience, joy and all the rest... these were purchased for us at the cost of the unimaginable agonies of Calvary. What will you and I trade those things for? How cheaply will you and I sell them off today... maybe even this hour? </div>
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God forbid! </div>
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Whenever you are reading this, please stop and pray. Thank the Lord for His peace, love, hope, joy, and all the rest. And prayerfully determine, by His grace, that in this hour you will not trade away so cheaply what He purchased with His blood. Purpose not to attempt this in your own strength (that's impossible), but to be mindful of what's at stake, and to <i>prayerfully</i> cling to Him in whatever the hour may bring. </div>
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And then, the next hour, do it again by His grace. </div>
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The following suggestion will not apply to everyone. But in my own case I've found it helpful to install an app* on my phone that makes a little noise at the top of every hour. (I have it set not to disturb me during sleeping hours.) I use that little noise as a reminder to thank the Lord for the previous hour, and to confess any sins committed. I acknowledge His lordship over the coming hour, and my responsibility to honor and obey Him in it. And so, when I fall into bed at the end of the day, I don't find myself struggling to orient my heart to Him, as I would if I'd ignored Him all day in favor of pursuing my own agendas.<br />
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And I come to Him without regrets. </div>
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I emphatically do NOT recommend such hourly reminders for anyone who would find them unpleasant. No one likes to be nagged. But if such a reminder would be a pleasure and a help to your heart, as it is to mine, then go for it!<br />
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But whatever you do, don't trade away priceless gifts for things which will only leave you sorry.</div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">*There are many such apps available. <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mindedges.beephourly">This </a>happens to be the one I use.</span><br />
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Betsy Markmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13600148899348868100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2982662593354859176.post-64521468311691907952015-07-14T13:54:00.000-06:002015-07-14T13:57:07.883-06:00Are You Merciful? Is Your Mercy Biblical?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: start;">Art from http://clipart.christiansunite.com/</b></td></tr>
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Mercy is a wonderful quality, commanded by God, demonstrated by Him in its utmost degree, and lauded by humanity.<br />
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But like every good thing, mercy can lose its power for good when it's wrested from its Biblical moorings. So I must ask:<br />
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<b>Is your mercy biblical?</b></div>
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There's a certain logic to biblical mercy, and since lots of folks like bullet-points, I'll use them here to show the flow of that logic.<br />
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<li>Basic Tenet of the historical Christian faith: Christ saves only those who come to Him in faith and repentance. </li>
<li>Therefore, merciful Christians want to lead people to repentance and faith in Christ. And, since they themselves also came to Christ in faith and repentance, and not with any merit of their own, they can (and must) lead others <i>humbly</i>. Sinner to sinner.</li>
<li>Therefore, merciful Christians cannot celebrate sin, for salvation is impossible without repentance, and <b>sin cannot be both celebrated and repented of</b>. "Love does not rejoice in sin" (1 Corinthians 13:6). The non-biblical "mercy" that celebrates sin may make life more comfortable in some respects, but it merely pads the seats on the Titanic. The disaster is coming, with inevitably tragic losses to those on board. The biblically-merciful Christian loves and warns and pleads in the face of sin. He does not, cannot celebrate it.</li>
<li>Biblically-merciful Christians know that every sinner's greatest need is the Gospel...the same Gospel that saved his own sinful soul. While he doesn't hesitate to call any sin "sin," he refuses to make any peripheral sin the focus. The biblically-merciful Christian learns from the example of the Apostle Paul, who encountered in ancient Corinth a moral atmosphere worse than our own. And yet Paul was determined to meet that immoral culture with the Gospel alone (1 Co. 2:2). When some Corinthians repented of their rebellion against God and received the Holy Spirit, then they began to change from the inside-out (See 1 Co. 6:9-11, especially noting v.11). So the biblically-merciful Christian is Gospel focused.</li>
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So please, Christian, check your heart. </div>
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<li>Are you calling your mercy "biblical" but undercutting others' hope for salvation by hiding their need for repentance?</li>
<li>Which do you value more: lost souls or cultural power? In other words, are you more excited about evangelism, or about "winning our country back"?</li>
<li>Do you value lost souls more than personal comfort? Do you grieve for the lost souls in the gay pride parade as they glory in their shame...or do you grieve more for yourself that you have to see it?</li>
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May I humbly suggest that, if you and I don't value the souls more than our power and comfort, then we'd better not open our mouths on moral issues until we repent. We won't be qualified unless we repent, and we'll do the Kingdom and our lost neighbors more harm than good.</div>
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<br />Betsy Markmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13600148899348868100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2982662593354859176.post-70210635365884011482015-05-19T12:23:00.000-06:002015-05-19T12:37:08.357-06:00Keep Your Eyes On The... Leftovers?<div dir="ltr">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://clipart.christiansunite.com/">Jesus feeds the 5,000 </a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">John 6:5-9<br>Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.” One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?”</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">It's a really good thing that I wasn't one of the disciples there that day. If I had been, the Bible would have had one more facepalm-inducing groaner of a story. It would have read something like this:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">"But Betsy, being faint with hunger, and being of little faith and great self-centeredness, snatched the loaves and fishes away from Andrew and devoured them herself, reasoning that she would need lots of sustenance for herself first, if she was to be expected to feed everyone else."</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Milennia of Christians would shake their heads as they read my story. "How could she be that dense and selfish?" </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">How indeed? How have I reached the ripe old age of fifty without learning to consistently trust that God will meet my needs when I minister to others? When will I learn that He takes care of those who obey his command to think of others first?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">But notice the timing of God's provision. The disciples got basketfulls of leftovers to eat... <i>after </i>they served food to everyone else. I don't mean to imply that that's <i>always</i> how He does things, but it does make me wonder: How many blessings have I missed because I waited for God to do a miracle <i>before </i>I was willing to act...while He was waiting for me to step out in obedient faith?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br></span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">It's harder to step out when you don't see the provision first. Put yourself in the disciples' dusty sandals. Can you imagine how difficult that must have been at first, listening to your own stomach growling while you portioned out food to others? </span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br></span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>I've </i><i>been </i><i>serving</i><i> </i><i>alongside </i><i>You, </i><i>Lord! </i><i>These </i><i>people </i><i>are </i><i>just </i><i>moochers. </i><i>I've </i><i>given </i><i>up </i><i>everything </i><i>for </i><i>You, </i><i>but </i><i>what have </i><i>they </i><i>given </i><i>up? </i><i>Not </i><i>lunch, </i><i>that's </i><i>for </i><i>sure. </i><i>No, </i><i>I'm </i><i>the </i><i>one </i><i>who </i><i>has to </i><i>give </i><i>that </i><i>up! </i></span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br></span></i></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">There was no wine on hand, but if I'd been there, there would have been plenty of whine!</span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br></span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">I wonder what Jesus would have done if I'd devoured the loaves and fishes. He probably would have created food from scratch and had us serve it. But when it came time for the disciples to enjoy the leftovers, I wonder if there would have been a basket for me. Or would Jesus have looked into my eyes with loving rebuke and said, "You preferred what you could snatch greedily for yourself, and I let you have it. But that's all. The other disciples who weren't greedy get the miraculous provision that only I can give. And what I can give is always more satisfying than whatever you can snatch for yourself."</span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br></span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Maybe not. He's so much more gracious than we expect Him to be. But getting nothing more than my stolen, faithless meal is what I would have deserved. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br></span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">But the Lord is gracious in more than just feeding empty bellies. He feeds empty souls and enlightens darkened minds, too. And I can only hope that He would have worked a miracle in my heart if I'd been there that day. I can hope that, by His grace, the rumblings of my stomach would slowly have been drowned out by a song of awe-filled praise as I saw His miracle flowing through my fingers. I can hope that my once-grasping hands would have begun to delight in giving and giving and giving; in being part of the wonder of His lavish grace.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br></span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">The good news for me and you is that He still teaches the same lessons today. He still wants us to understand that He enriches us so that we can be generous (2 Co 9:11). He still commands us to look not only to our own interests, but also to the interests of others (Php 2:4). He still promises to supply all our needs (Php. 4:19).</span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br></span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">And He doesn't just teach us about <i>physical </i>provision for <i>physical </i>needs. Perhaps more importantly, His provision is the only hope we have for not sinning when our emotions are hit hard. When our personal bank of compassion and/or forgiveness is running dry, but we still need to give.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br></span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">As I've been writing this, I've also been made aware of someone's terrible behavior which caused great undeserved pain to good people. Again. It's a pattern with this particular person, and he happens to be someone for whom I bear some responsibility.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br></span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">I feel my soul starting to grasp again. Not for bread or fish, but for other things I feel desperately in need of. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br></div>
<div dir="ltr">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;">Power.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;">Control.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;">Some way to get through to him!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;">Some way to make him feel how much I despise his behavior.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;">Some way to compose</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> the proper words of wrath that will (despite James 1:20) somehow produce the righteousness of God.</span></li>
</ul>
<br>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Why am I desperate to grasp these things? Because I don't see miraculous provision yet. <i>I don't have what it takes to fix this person, and so far, God hasn't fixed him either. </i></span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br></span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Since writing the above paragraph, I've had a chance to talk to that hurtful person. I told him I didn't know what to say, but that he and I both know how capable I am of saying sinful, hurtful things, and that I don't want to do that. I've told him I'm praying and keeping my mouth shut until I know how to say something edifying (Eph. 4:29-32). And I've reminded him that such restraint is exactly what I so often tell him to practice. I admitted that I needed to do a better job of modeling, of practicing what I preach.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br></span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">I suggested that he pray about his sin. And then I got back to work, trying to serve in quiet trust while praying for help. Trying to do what Jesus says to do. Because that's how the disciples fed the multitudes. They obeyed with what little they had, and watched Jesus do the rest.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br></span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Unlike the demands of that ancient mountainside picnic, my needs relative to this particular person's challenges will probably last for many years. I probably won't see a definitive solution today. So it's my job to obey, to try to serve in love, to walk according to the light that I have, and to trust God's timing, <i>day in and day out, for as long as it takes. </i> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br></span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">I need to trust Him that whatever he gives me today is sufficient for today, even if it doesn't feel like it.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br></span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">And if my heart is bent on loving, serving, and obeying, I'll be ready for more concrete guidance and provision when/if it comes. But if I harden my heart and insist on futilely grasping for power in sinful wrath, how will Christ bless anyone through me?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br></span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Lord, I've got nothing. In my flesh dwells no good thing. But by Your grace, may I</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> serve, may I give, and may I hold out for Your leftovers, knowing that Your leftovers are more soul-satisfying than self's greediest fare.</span></i></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br></span></i></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>P.S. Thank You, Lord, for the edifying conversation that you made possible later. Thank You that You kept a hand over my mouth earlier, so I wouldn't spout off something which might have prevented that later conversation from happening. You are so good!</i></span></div>
Betsy Markmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13600148899348868100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2982662593354859176.post-44938655815000763062015-04-08T07:00:00.000-06:002015-04-08T07:00:06.692-06:00A Hidden Danger of Individualism <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxHp-SxA7kHDos-BsmoEdkD__aVIDNZEjSI7nq5-bpcvgCeoD1Jg4HCMlZNF4JXvZacjJvZIyMTGBZOjXNP4IlXDnDI5xueHoLqFdj7BLHr8V_ou0OLnWgtac2Cv3KjecG2ERaW8T0Ie4/s1600/Colosseum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxHp-SxA7kHDos-BsmoEdkD__aVIDNZEjSI7nq5-bpcvgCeoD1Jg4HCMlZNF4JXvZacjJvZIyMTGBZOjXNP4IlXDnDI5xueHoLqFdj7BLHr8V_ou0OLnWgtac2Cv3KjecG2ERaW8T0Ie4/s1600/Colosseum.jpg" height="219" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">"Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented— of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. <b>And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us." </b>(Heb 11:35b-40)</span></blockquote>
What might be so precious to God that He might delay the fulfillment of His promises in order to achieve it? Why would even the faithful martyrs have to die without seeing certain promises fulfilled?<br />
<br />
According to the passage above, God has "something better" in mind for all of us; for the Universal Church all through the ages. <br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"That they should not be made perfect apart from us."</blockquote>
<br />
What does that mean? <br />
<br />
God has existed eternally as One God in Three Persons, a union that Christians call the Trinity. Because of His trinitarian nature, He has always known the bliss of perfect love and fellowship. And He wants us to enjoy that kind of bliss, too. He's wired it into us to hunger for oneness with each other and with Him...though with our sinful natures, we cannot achieve it very well on this earth.<br />
<br />
But God invites us into an ever-growing fellowship with Him and with one another, and He planned our salvation before the foundation of the world so that we could enter into such fellowship at great cost to Himself. Jesus prayed eloquently that we, the people of His church, would be one, as He and the Father are one (John 17:11).<br />
<br />
Do you feel any kinship with the martyrs of old? Do you consider yourself as part of one body with them? Do you even feel any kinship with the martyrs of today around the world, our brothers and sisters? Are you inspired by them as the "<a href="http://justanotherclaypot.blogspot.com/2008/07/whats-this-cloud-of-witnesses-about.html">great cloud of witnesses</a>" bearing testimony that Christ is worth whatever we lose in this life?<br />
<br />
If not, you're probably a modern Western individualist. And so am I. And as such, you and I want to see promises fulfilled NOW. What good is a promise if I don't see it fulfilled in <b>my </b>life!<br />
<br />
God says it is "something better for us" if we wait for some of His promises to be fulfilled when we're all together, when the church as one body stands before Him in glory. A great consummation. A holy celebration.<br />
<br />
Do you believe that? Do I?<br />
<br />
Could it be that the "fellowship of His sufferings" which Paul prized so highly (Php 3:10) is not just fellowship with Christ, but fellowship with all the members of His body who have suffered throughout all time?<br />
<br />
Because of our individualistic mindsets, we miss a great source of patience, hope, and fellowship. We fail to see that some of the promises may wait until after our deaths, <i>but that doesn't make them any less precious</i>. We may see some promises only from afar; in fact, they may not have earthly fulfillment until multiple generations have come and gone (Heb 11:13). But unlike the heroes of old, our faith staggers when we don't see fulfillment almost as quickly as we see our meals prepared by our microwaves. We lose heart and become discouraged because what doesn't happen for <b>me</b> seems worthless to me.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">"By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites (something which would not happen for nearly 500 years), and gave directions concerning his bones" (Heb 11:22, parenthetical comment added by me).</span></blockquote>
<br />
We can't see past our own noses, much less past our own lifetimes. "If it's not here in time for ME, it's too late!"<br />
<br />
When we begin to get a glimpse of the grand scale of God's design, of His plan, of His Kingdom purposes, it will free us from so much of our impatience and doubt. <br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">"Posterity shall serve him; it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation; they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that he has done it." (Ps. 22:30-31)</span></blockquote>
Do you have a heart for future generations which you'll never see? Do I? Or is it all about us, "right here, right now?"<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">"And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us."</span></blockquote>
<br />
They were made to wait, and it was for our good (both theirs and ours), so that we can one day celebrate together at the fulfillment of all things, in a blissful fellowship like only the Trinity knew before.<br />
<br />
It really isn't all about me. Or about you. And when we begin to get the long view, may it free us from the tyranny of self.<br />
<br />Betsy Markmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13600148899348868100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2982662593354859176.post-30964350289254252842014-12-17T12:35:00.000-07:002014-12-17T12:37:15.121-07:00I want to do chronic pain right this time<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div class="zemanta-img">
<a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Christian_in_Pilgrim%27s_Progress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="English: "The man with the burden", ..." border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" height="515" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c9/Christian_in_Pilgrim%27s_Progress.jpg/350px-Christian_in_Pilgrim%27s_Progress.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="350" /></a></div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 350px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">"The man with the burden", illustration from John Bunyan's dream story (based on Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress) (p. 18) abridged by James Baldwin (1841-1925) (Photo credit: <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Christian_in_Pilgrim%27s_Progress.jpg" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Well, to be perfectly honest, I don't want to do chronic pain at all. But since it looks like that's God's will for my life at this time, I don't want to mess it up. I don't want to miss the blessing God has in mind for me in it.<br />
<br />
I've failed to seek His best in my pain plenty of times. My first battle with chronic pain began when I was eight years old , when spinal deformity began grinding my vertebrae down into the wedge shapes that would result eventually in permanent kyphosis. You can read more about the story <a href="http://justanotherclaypot.blogspot.com/2009/02/shell-straighten-up-when-she-notices.html">here </a>if you like.<br />
<br />
Pain has been a pretty constant companion ever since then, some times worse than others. And so I learned to study, knit, crochet, and write to my heart's content...sedentary activities which I thoroughly loved and which became my focus. <br />
<br />
Activities that caused more pain...or that I feared <i>might </i>cause more pain, became anathema.<br />
<br />
In the past several years, thanks to medical interventions of various types for various problems, the pain had become a lot less … until peripheral neuropathy entered the scene. My search for the right medicine continues, as the pain invades more and more of my life.<br />
<br />
But I don't want this to be a depressing article, nor should it be. You see, I've been reading Jerry Sittser's helpful book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/When-Doesnt-Answer-Your-Prayer-ebook/dp/B000SEVM46/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1418843220&sr=8-2&keywords=sittser+jerry+when+God+doesn%27t+answer+your+prayers">"When God Doesn't Answer Your Prayers."</a> In it I found this mind-blowing, paradigm-shifting quote:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"If we pray for healing, it will be to render better service to God. But if we continue to be sick, we will strive to honor God all the same, 'whether we live or die,' as the apostle Paul put it. If we pray for a job, it will be to use our position and resources to build his kingdom and not our own. If we can’t find a job, we will use our time and struggles to glorify God. We will put God first in everything."</blockquote>
<br />
That quote stopped me in my tracks. When I pray for healing, is it so that I can render better service to God? I have to admit, it's not. I pray for healing so that I can be free from pain, for no other reason than that I don't like pain. And to be honest, when I imagine my desired pain-free life, it looks like a whole lot more self-indulgence.<br />
<br />
After all, that's what my life tends to look like anyway. I have the luxury of being allowed to indulge my appetite for study and for craft work, at the expense of (at the very least) my homemaking. And I'd like to continue to focus on those things without pain, thank you Lord.<br />
<br />
But... "If we pray for healing, it will be to render better service to God."<br />
<br />
Last night I bowed out of doing AWANA because my feet and legs hurt so badly. But I couldn't help wondering, <i>shouldn't I have tried?</i> What if I had gone and served, despite my pain? I can think of a limited number of possible outcomes:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>The pain might have increased until it was unbearable, and I might have had to give up and go home. But I would have known that I had done my best. And, at least for a time, God and others would have been lovingly served.</li>
<li>The pain might have been lessened or even removed by an act of God's grace, and I would have had a wonderful testimony of His mercy. And both God and others would have been lovingly served.</li>
<li>The pain might have stayed the same, or even gotten worse, but I might have felt God strengthening me to endure it, and I would have had joy in that gift of grace. And yes, God and others would have been lovingly served.</li>
</ul>
<div>
Now don't worry...it's not my intent to say that no one should ever bow out of things because of pain. Sometimes there's really no choice. Nor do I mean to imply that God is calloused to our pain, and frowningly expects us to "buck up." Of course our tender, loving Father cares!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But what if, in His great mercy and wisdom, He has decreed our "thorn in the flesh" to keep us humbly dependent on Him while we, by His grace, pursue Kingdom goals? What if the "Good works which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Eph 2:10) include works done in pain? <br />
<br />
What if God sees that the rewards, joys, and glories that await us in heaven are far more worthy of our pursuit than anything we try to acquire for our own fading, earthly kingdoms? </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The Apostle Paul certainly believed that!</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. (Romans 8:18)</blockquote>
<div>
I know myself, and how I default to comfort, to ease, to pursuing my own interests in my own tiny, self-indulgent world. Frankly, if I'm not careful, I can easily turn even "serving others" into a self-indulgent pursuit of pharisaical notches in my spiritual belt, rather than as the joyful privilege it truly is. And as soon as serving becomes inconvenient or painful, comfort takes precedence with me, almost every time . </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
As a point of doctrine, I believe that the rewards of heaven are infinitely worth whatever we suffer on this earth. But when I take a painfully honest look at how I live, I am forced to conclude that that belief hasn't infiltrated my life. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Can you relate? God help us!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The only way out is to be changed by the Spirit of God into people who truly seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness...and to do that for His sake, not for our own religious pride. When His Kingdom and righteousness are our true goal and focus, we can honestly pray for healing in order to render better service to God and others … and we can more often find the strength to serve even when the pain persists.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If you're in the same boat with me, please join me in prayer. (And yes, this prayer DOES scare me to death...)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Father, I repent of holding my own comfort up as the ultimate good in my life. Help me to believe all the way to my fingertips, and to the ends of my burning toes, that serving You and others in love is a far greater joy and privilege than the comforts I so doggedly seek. Help me to have the courage to step out in faith and do as much as You enable me to do; by Your grace rather than by my grit, with joy rather than complaint, and with love rather than a martyr complex. Make me more like Jesus! In Jesus name, amen.<br />
<br />
P.S. Another excellent book that I can't recommend highly enough is Joni Eareckson Tada's "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005MT8U3S">A Place of Healing.</a>" Get it and soak in it if you can!</div>
Betsy Markmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13600148899348868100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2982662593354859176.post-78056486190082348872014-10-03T16:00:00.000-06:002014-10-03T16:07:09.263-06:00Love Poured Out (A bit of free verse)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipDinOVoa5YjMK106Mbcaz0jBz7qMgEl6XmK4vTKAto9dAVHS6LldJzQ6wlX9YJvl-t_Igb2jqB9w6EDjZENEww1wpaGE-rOrIU8hCUP135UHaN5gLjIaKw3PBoxMEyB7HCmIsETm2yEw/s1600/Jesus-Anointed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipDinOVoa5YjMK106Mbcaz0jBz7qMgEl6XmK4vTKAto9dAVHS6LldJzQ6wlX9YJvl-t_Igb2jqB9w6EDjZENEww1wpaGE-rOrIU8hCUP135UHaN5gLjIaKw3PBoxMEyB7HCmIsETm2yEw/s1600/Jesus-Anointed.jpg" height="320" width="223" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Lord, my soul brims.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Your Word, Your beautiful Self-portrait</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Ripples in my heart,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Makes it tremble with love for You.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Fullness overflows.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">My words cascade.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Though they can't express the loveliness I see,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Nor vibrate in perfect sympathy with my heart's strings</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">As You draw out their music.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">You accept my humble gift with humbler joy.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">You smile.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">You love.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Should I write my heart here,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Where none but a handful will ever read it?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Like Mary, I will break my alabaster box,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">I will pour out my fragrance of love</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Though only a few around Your table will breathe their aroma,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">And some may not approve.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Judas thought the anointing wasteful,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Too much for Your poor body.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">I sorrow that it's not enough</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">For Him who reigns in Glory.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">You accept my humble gift with humbler joy.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">You smile.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">You love.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">I have no eyes for those who frown.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">But I feel the warmth of tearful smiles</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">From those who've also given You</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Their paltry best</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">And felt Your blessing on it.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Our Bridegroom,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">We rejoice to have no further need</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">To anoint You for Your burial.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">With great anticipation we pour our hearts out to You</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">For our wedding day.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Betsy Markmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13600148899348868100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2982662593354859176.post-69857175379848518532014-10-01T09:08:00.000-06:002014-10-01T09:08:48.267-06:00I Can Do What Things?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="float: right; margin-right: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Paul_arrested.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="English: Saint paul arrested" border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/Paul_arrested.jpg/350px-Paul_arrested.jpg" height="424" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="350" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 350px;">English: Saint paul arrested (Photo credit: <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Paul_arrested.jpg" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</td></tr>
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The great Apostle Paul said, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."<br />
<br />
So why didn't he pray up an earthquake to rescue himself from prison every time he was in there, like the one that rescued him and Silas in Philippi?<br />
<br />
Why didn't he power his way out of floggings and stonings?<br />
<br />
Why didn't he just keep those ships afloat instead of suffering shipwreck two times?<br />
<br />
Why didn't he pull together a slick presentation that wowed everybody's socks off and made everybody fawn over him, instead of being slandered, beaten, hated, and drummed out of town all the time?<br />
<br />
C'mon, Paul, why didn't you do those things? Don't you know what you wrote? Don't you know "all things" means ALL THINGS? You should be healthy, wealthy, and loved everywhere you go!<br />
<br />
You should be enjoying your best life now!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://justanotherclaypot.blogspot.com/2008/08/world-in-my-hand.html">But what if "all things" doesn't mean "everything <i>we</i> want?" Everything <i>we</i> think is best?</a><br />
<br />
Does "all" always mean "Anything in the universe," or does God say "all" within pre-defined parameters?<br />
<br />
When I took my little kids to the store and (on rare occasions) pointed to the candy display and said, "Pick whatever you want," was I inviting them to rush away to the sporting goods section and pick out a bike? Of course not!<br />
<br />
What are our parameters? What are the limits of God's "all?"<br />
<br />
Paul knew what God's power in his life was for. <br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me (Php 4:11-13).</span></blockquote>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Paul knew that God's power was there to enable him to suffer well. He also knew that God's power was there to enable him to receive God's pleasant gifts unselfishly, and to use them for ministry rather than for his own luxury.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And where did he get this perspective? Do you remember what God promised when He told Ananias about His decision to save Paul and use him for gospel ministry?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” (Acts 9:16)</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"Well that's all well and good for Paul," you may say, "but God never said anything like that to me!"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Didn't he? Have you ever read Luke 6:20-36? Were His disciples lying to the suffering Christians in Acts 14:22?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Jesus probably hasn't told any of us <i>what </i>we're going to suffer, but He has promised us <i>that </i>we will suffer (John 16:33).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So if "all things" doesn't mean delivering ourselves from suffering, then what good is it?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It means that whatever God has put in your life, whether suffering or pleasure, He will enable you to turn both of these temporary things into eternal treasures as you endure or enjoy them with <i>contentment</i>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"I have learned to be <i>content </i>in all circumstances...I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Christian power doesn't come by rebuking so-called "demons of whatever I don't like" (which we'd better be cautious about doing anyway, Jude 1:8-10). It doesn't come by "naming it and claiming it" (2 Co 12:8-9). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Christian power comes through the immovable strength of contentment in Christ Himself. Contentment, in fact, is nothing more than the peace which comes from faith in a good and loving God who will "work all things (including suffering) together for the good of those who love Him" (Rom 8:28).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Contentment strengthened Paul to go back to minister in places where his life was threatened.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Contentment strengthened Paul to sit in a dank, filthy prison, chained to guards night and day, with his back </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">lacerated</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">by brutal whippings, and to write epistles which overflowed with love, praise, and joy. And every time we read Paul's epistles, we who love God are still receiving the promised "good" which God brought from those incredible sufferings.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Will you pray for the faith-filled contentment which is the <i>only</i> thing that will empower you to love and serve and praise and rejoice in the midst of your tears and tiredness?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Godliness with contentment is great gain indeed (1 Tim 6:6).</span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
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<br />Betsy Markmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13600148899348868100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2982662593354859176.post-84171409480860784322014-09-23T13:23:00.001-06:002014-09-23T13:23:23.549-06:00A Loving Challenge to My Fellow Eaters<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="float: right; margin-right: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Choco_chip_cookie.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="A chocolate-chip cookie." border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b4/Choco_chip_cookie.png/350px-Choco_chip_cookie.png" height="244" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="350" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 350px;">A chocolate-chip cookie. (Photo credit: <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Choco_chip_cookie.png" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</td></tr>
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Dear consumer of food,<br />
<br />
I'm not concerned at this moment with whether you're a healthy eater, a glutton (ahem...like me...), or someone who barely eats at all.<br />
<br />
I'm challenged to think about the reason God gives us food.<br />
<br />
Yes, of course it's because we need it, and He loves us. But what do we need it for?<br />
<br />
To keep our hearts beating? Sure, but beyond that, what?<br />
<br />
Lately I've been having auditory memories of the same few words: the words my father habitually said as "grace" before our meals. <br />
<br />
"Thank You, Lord, for this food.<br />
Please nourish it to our bodies, and our bodies to Thy service.<br />
In Jesus Name, Amen."<br />
<br />
Grammatical error aside, there was some awfully good theology in that prayer, but I never paid attention to it as a child. Never, in fact, until it began echoing in my brain a few days ago...decades after I stopped hearing him say it.<br />
<br />
"Nourish it to our bodies, and our bodies to Thy service."<br />
<br />
I prayed it aloud at our dinner table last night for the first time. Not the exact words, but the same concept. "May we never forget that you created us in Christ Jesus to do good works, which You prepared in advance for us to do. Help us to remember always that the strength which You give us through food is to be used for serving You."<br />
<br />
Suddenly, the meal felt holy.<br />
<br />
Will you join me in looking at food this way? That's my challenge:<br />
<br />
- To the healthy eater: Do you eat healthy food <i>only</i> so you'll feel great and look great, or so that you'll be fit to carry on in His service? Will you pray about that before eating?<br />
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- To the glutton: Will you...will <i>I</i>... commit to praying such a dedication before we consider doing what we always do... indulging simply because we loooove (worship?) food? Is this handful of chocolate chips something we honestly could consume to His glory and His service?<br />
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- To the anorexic/bulemic: Can you thank God that this food is designed to strengthen you for the good works He designed for you to do, and then consume it for His glory, with thanksgiving?<br />
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Please comment below if you're willing to join me in this. Thank you!<br />
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<br />Betsy Markmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13600148899348868100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2982662593354859176.post-20477307286284343402014-07-23T16:34:00.000-06:002014-07-23T16:34:17.652-06:00Prayers For Daydreamers (And Other Mental Escapists)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5UoH_orQGrxl38jq316H0j0Ho8RPJWR7LY1SWqMrg3sFXskvypUeZRu-zlez-TQYzvb1o0pZq1-dV4-4HdMbJYbi_k9cKszXe3vLu1mK46mbvyIJK9gjhprBfqXS09atGym-gQmombFs/s1600/daydreaming.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5UoH_orQGrxl38jq316H0j0Ho8RPJWR7LY1SWqMrg3sFXskvypUeZRu-zlez-TQYzvb1o0pZq1-dV4-4HdMbJYbi_k9cKszXe3vLu1mK46mbvyIJK9gjhprBfqXS09atGym-gQmombFs/s1600/daydreaming.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/view-image.php?image=15690&picture=daydreaming"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Vera Kratochvil</span></a> </td></tr>
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<br />
I confess, I'm a daydreamer. <br />
<br />
Okay, to be more honest, I'm an extreme daydreamer. Or perhaps "pathological" would be a more honest word. <br />
<br />
Perhaps you don't daydream...but you DO fill up your mind with other people's imaginations in the form of novels, TV shows, and movies. Or perhaps you feast your mind on endless video games. Whatever your mental escape may be, it's probably fine in small doses.<br />
<br />
The problem with me was, daydreaming became a drug. It became Escape. I never had to "be there" mentally, even if I was there physically.<br />
<br />
Do you have a problem with mental escapism? Perhaps, like me, one of the reasons you find it easy to slip into "escape mode" is that it's hard to see what's wrong with it. If that describes you, and you really don't feel like you're missing out on anything by excessive escaping, you'll definitely want to prayerfully consider the requests I've written below.<br />
<br />
Or, perhaps your form(s) of escapism have become an addiction...as I'm ashamed to admit they have with me. Especially my imagination; my skill at weaving compelling dramas in my head. It's so much a part of me that I hardly feel like it's optional. The stories are always there, always waiting, always beckoning, always entertaining, always seeming to fulfill a need.<br />
<br />
In fact, our mental escapes are far more responsive than God is. We've got to wait on the Lord, but entertaining screens are never far away. We never have to wait for our imagination either. And how do you walk away from a drug that literally resides inside your head? There's no passing by the fantasy counter, the way people can choose to pass by the cigarette counter.<br />
<br />
But after a while, as Christians, we have to come to terms with the fact that we love and trust our oh-so-available escapes more than we love and trust the God we can't control.<br />
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Then what do we do?<br />
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Scripture tells us that conquering bad habits by mere force of will doesn't make us righteous before God. That's the Pharisaical approach, and it only trades the original sin for the greater sin of religious pride. <br />
<br />
Romans 8 tells us that we must put sinful deeds to death "by the Spirit." <br />
<br />
And how does the Spirit work? He works by drawing us to read the Scriptures, illuminating it to our minds, helping us love and revere God as revealed in His Word (and to love His word for revealing Him to us), recalling the truth to our minds (especially if we memorized it), teaching us to love what God loves and hate what God hates, and changing our hearts to want to obey Him. In this way, He turns our hearts onto the right paths.<br />
<br />
So I decided to attack the problem of excessive daydreaming with some specifically targeted prayers, ones which help me aim for ways to pursue a joy in Christ that's<i> better than mental escapism</i>. And I thought I'd share them with you, in case I'm not the only one with this problem. So without further ado, here are:<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Prayers for Daydreamers</b><br />
<b>(and other mental escapists)</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
1. Father, instead of daydreaming/mentally escaping today, <b>may I love the Lord my God with all my mind.</b> If love is spelled "T-I-M-E," then my mind is loving its constant escapes more than I love You. Help my mind to be set on You and seeking you more and more of the time.<br />
<br />
2. Instead of daydreaming/mentally escaping, by Your grace <b>may I obey the command to "Love my neighbor as myself."</b> Because the fact is, I can't recognize my neighbor's needs or prioritize them in my life if I'm wrapped up in my fantasy world.
<br />
<br />
3. <b>Help me to "Walk as as child of light, trying to discern what is pleasing to the Lord"</b> (Eph 5:8-10). I can't be constantly trying to discern what is pleasing to the Lord in my real circumstances if I'm daydreaming about being in different ones.<br />
<br />
4. <b>Help to obey Your command that says, "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men."</b> Forgive me, Lord, that I used to think this meant "Try not to mind the work by distracting myself with my imagination." After all, what's heartier than my imagination? But no, it means putting my heart into the work itself in order to <i>lovingly serve others</i> and <i>willingly obey You</i> in the situation You've actually created for me. It means "redeeming the time," in my real world.<br />
<br />
5. Spirit, please <b>help me to "In everything give thanks."</b> Daydreaming prevents me from noticing things to be thankful for, or from even <i>committing </i>to noticing them.<br />
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6. Help me to remember that I can't <b>"Behold the Lord and be changed into His image, from one degree of glory to another" </b>(2 Co 3:18) if I'm constantly beholding the contents of my imagination instead.<br />
<br />
7. Help me, Spirit, to obey the command: <b>"You shall meditate on God's Word day and night, that you may be careful to do it."</b> Ignoring Your Word is the same as disdaining Your commands, Your promises, and Your blessings. It means not caring whether I obey You or not.<br />
<br />
8. Help me to <b>"Pray without ceasing."</b> I clearly can't do that while mentally escaping into fantasy or video games.<br />
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9. <b>Help me to receive the blessings of Truth, such as sanctification (John 17:17) and freedom (John 8:32). </b> All commands, promises, and blessings related to Truth are blocked by an insistence on living with the mind marinating in what is not true. The blessings of Truth can only be applied to my actual reality, even in all its periodic ugliness.<br />
<br />
10. <b>Help me to cooperate with You as You prepare my heart to "Go to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach"</b> (Heb. 13:13) In our daydreams we feed our lust for glory, we dream of human accolades, we focus on mastery rather than dependence, and we further unfit our hearts for bearing His reproach.<br />
<br />
Can you see how different this is from "white-knuckle fighting" with our sin? By the Spirit we seek to love God more, to find our joy in God instead of in sin. He alone makes that possible, because we can't change our hearts ourselves. But we can and must choose to seek Him, to "fight the good fight" against our tendency to believe the promises of sin more than the promises of God. We can and must pray and wrestle and repent in the fight for the greatest joy there is...the joy of believing and knowing Him.Betsy Markmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13600148899348868100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2982662593354859176.post-36630792473974390102014-05-20T15:12:00.001-06:002014-05-20T15:12:44.492-06:00When a Disliked Verse Becomes Beautiful<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwhANOj_svW4C4aSgBEIfn8A8IVi0Apn1dwfNzfJGkJhgv54glWS0bZoH2aXdkbVYsL0qw9kNgLY0htmopKbvqyqk6rs3HhUvDl3c4yEVJu6dN-1X30bu5gVIQv1zNuAUy_m2ibJfpdD0/s1600/ywap-stinky.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwhANOj_svW4C4aSgBEIfn8A8IVi0Apn1dwfNzfJGkJhgv54glWS0bZoH2aXdkbVYsL0qw9kNgLY0htmopKbvqyqk6rs3HhUvDl3c4yEVJu6dN-1X30bu5gVIQv1zNuAUy_m2ibJfpdD0/s1600/ywap-stinky.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Licensing: See footnote</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
"Save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh." (Jude 1:23)<br />
<br />
Clearly this verse, when viewed in its context, is talking about doing something good for sinners. And we can easily recognize that the first part of the verse mirrors the kindness that the angels showed to Lot in Gen 19:16. But what on earth is that "with fear" and "hating clothes" thing supposed to mean?<br />
<br />
I always disliked the latter portion of this verse. It made me picture a sneering guy in priestly garb, his nostrils flared with disgust while doing whatever charitable deed he felt forced to do. If this "mercy-giver" had to touch the recipient of his "kindness," he'd do so with as few fingers as possible, and with an expression of nausea on his face.<br />
<br />
But whether I like it or not, this verse says, "hate even their clothes." So I <i>have to</i> be the arrogant jerk described above, because that's what it says, right?<br />
<br />
Or <i>is </i>that what it really says?<br />
<br />
Thanks in part to the wonderful <a href="http://biblehub.com/parallel/jude/1-23.htm">Biblehub.com</a> website, which allows laymen to study Biblical words in their original languages, I was able to learn that this verse is, in fact, beautiful. It is a command to walk in humble love and mercy toward others when they sin, knowing that we're sinners ourselves. But in order to understand that, we have to get a handle on some fundamentals here. Namely, we must understand:<br />
<br />
1. Why the fear and hatred?<br />
2. What is the proper spirit of this hatred and fear?<br />
2. What do the clothes represent?<br />
<br />
First of all, it's important to note that "show mercy" is a command, but unlike what I had assumed for years, the word "hating" is not! (It looks like it could be a command in the English, but in the original Greek it's quite clear that it's not.) "Hating" in this sentence is a simple statement of the emotional condition that you're in while you're being negatively affected by something. In this case the negative is the idea of "staining" or "contamination."<br />
<br />
Okay, but isn't "hating clothes" a weird way to talk about our reaction to sinners? Not to the First-Century Jewish writer and his audience! Back in Leviticus 15, the Jews were taught the laws regarding items, including clothing, which were contaminated by contact with an unclean person. Those items had to be dealt with in ways that sometimes seem drastic to modern readers. And these laws were deeply ingrained into the Jewish psyche and way of life.<br />
<br />
God's reasons for such laws were multifaceted. He taught the people the basics of quarantining and hygiene, millennia before germ theory ever entered the human mind. But he also taught them a strong loathing for sin by <i>equating sin with uncleanness.</i> Don't miss that. In the Bible, sin is uncleanness.<br />
<br />
Back to our verse in Jude. The hatred here is not primarily for the clothes. The focus is on the <i>uncleanness</i>. It's about hating uncleanness so much that you hate <i>even clothes</i> which have become contaminated. And hatred for uncleanness (sin) is commanded all throughout the Bible. It's the right thing to feel.<br />
<br />
Yes, as distasteful as this fact sounds to modern ears, sin is offensive. It is offensive to our holy God, and when it affects us, it offends us, too. If we're honest, we have to admit that the sins we excuse when they're done <i>by</i> us, really bug us when they're done <i>to </i>us.<br />
<br />
The Bible makes it clear that we're to hate sin. And the Bible also makes it clear that it's impossible to truly love our neighbor and remain indifferent to the sin that is destroying his soul. If our own souls have tasted the sweetness of undeserved mercy and salvation, how can we not hate the sin that destroys our neighbor? Hating sin is part of loving our neighbor, no matter what the modern mantra of tolerance says.<br />
<br />
It's also important to understand that, in Jewish ceremonial laws, when a clean thing comes into contact with an unclean thing, it's always the <i>uncleanness </i>that spreads. The clean thing doesn't cleanse the unclean thing. Rather, the unclean thing contaminates the formerly clean thing (Haggai 2:12-13).<br />
<br />
So why would a Jewish person hate and fear touching an unclean thing? Because he would become unclean himself! "The garment stained by the flesh" is metaphorically loathsome because it represents contagion...the contagion of sin.<br />
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But wait...didn't Jesus touch unclean people, like lepers, without becoming unclean Himself? Absolutely! That's because Jesus' cleanness was not merely ceremonial. He was the perfect, holy Son of God. So His cleanness can never be lost. He's the only one who cannot be contaminated.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo licensing: See footnote</td></tr>
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And here's where, if we're looking at our Bibles humbly, we recognize that there's no place in the "fear of contamination" for us to be proud. No place for the sneer. No place for the "holier-than-thou" attitude. Why? Because we know we are absolutely contaminable. We are not God, we're mere mortals. Other people's sins can influence us to sin.<br />
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This is one of many things that the Pharisees (the religious elite of Jesus' day) got all wrong. They really did think they were better than everybody else, and so they wouldn't touch anything they considered unclean (and they had made their own rules about clean/unclean things, which were even more restrictive than God's law)! So blind were they to their own uncleanness, that they would order the murder of the sinless Son of God on trumped-up charges in an illegal court proceeding, but during that process, they would refuse to go into the house of an "unclean" Gentile, so that they wouldn't be contaminated and be unable to celebrate the Passover. They would stand in the Temple without a qualm about their own uncleanness, while declaring that the blood money they had used to pay for Christ's betrayal was too unclean to be put in the Temple coffers. Blind pharisees, indeed!<br />
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No, though we must hate uncleanness, it can't be an arrogant hatred if we know we are sinners.<br />
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How do we know that the hatred and fear in Jude 1:23 is a <i>humble </i>recognition of our own contaminability? By comparing it with verses like Gal 6:1, which command us to be gentle with others and careful of ourselves when confronting someone who is caught in sin, "lest we also be tempted."<br />
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So what is the point of this verse as I now understand it? Simply this: When rubbing elbows with sinners like yourself, who are currently in a really dangerous spot and need spiritual rescue, of course you need to show them mercy! That's a command. And of course you're likely to feel a certain revulsion if the sin offends you...but be revolted at the sin only. Love the person and show mercy to him despite those feelings! Don't let those feelings stop you from showing mercy! And be humbly aware that you're in the same boat with this guy. Unless you're God (and you're not), sin is contagious to you! You can easily be tempted and fall into the very same sin that you're trying to help him escape. So you must be gentle with him, and fearful of <i>your own</i> sinfulness...not rudely condescending to him and fearful of <i>his </i>sinfulness. No plugging your nose here.<br />
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This verse is a call to be like Christ, and to bring people to Christ, the only one who gently, lovingly touches sinners like us and makes us clean. <br />
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Sinners like <i>us</i>.<br />
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This is a beautiful verse.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Footnote: I was unable to find licensing information for these photos. Please contact me in the comments section if you own the rights to either photo and wish to rescind or altar my use of it.</span><br />
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<br />Betsy Markmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13600148899348868100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2982662593354859176.post-46054102901269754022014-05-06T07:54:00.001-06:002022-12-07T09:25:01.042-07:00Loving Religious Freedom, But Not Christ <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ruins_of_Laodicea_engraving_by_William_Miller_after_T_Allom.jpg" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="English: Ruins of Laodicea engraving by Willia..." border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" height="235" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/28/Ruins_of_Laodicea_engraving_by_William_Miller_after_T_Allom.jpg/350px-Ruins_of_Laodicea_engraving_by_William_Miller_after_T_Allom.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="350" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 350px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">English: Ruins of Laodicea engraving by William Miller after T Allom (Photo credit: <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ruins_of_Laodicea_engraving_by_William_Miller_after_T_Allom.jpg" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</span></td></tr>
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To what shall I liken this generation, this <a href="http://www.blueletterbible.org/tools/MultiVerse.cfm?refFormat=2&refDelim=1&numDelim=1&abbrev=1&quoted=0&sqrbrkt=0&sorted=0&t=ESV&mvText=rev+3%3A14-22%0D%0A" target="_blank">Laodicea</a>? </div>
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You are like men who fight for freedoms you do not care to enjoy. </div>
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When you pull your noses out of entertainment long enough to notice that your government-given rights are threatened, you get mad. You get really mad. </div>
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<i>NOBODY STEPS ON MY RIGHTS! </i></div>
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You fire off angry words at whoever you think needs to be reminded of your rights. </div>
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And then you put your face back in your screens and ignore God, <br />
because you never really wanted God. </div>
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You just wanted your rights. </div>
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You want your pride. You want the right to choose God if you ever get around to it. </div>
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But you never get around to it. </div>
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There's just so much else that's more important. </div>
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You know... the next level on that video game, <br />
the next episode of that show, <br />
that next hand of solitaire, <br />
the next novel, <br />
the next round of shopping for that next cute thing or cool gadget to stuff in your house. </div>
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Yes, you want the <i>right</i> to God, <br />
but you don't want God. </div>
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<div dir="ltr">Jesus died to save you from sin. <br />
You designate a huge portion of your budgets to be entertained by sin. </div>
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<div dir="ltr">Jesus died to give you the gift of enjoying God forever, instead of suffering the eternal punishment your sins deserve. <br />
You feel you're doing God a favor by showing up at church on Sundays... because you still can do it without fear... but He's too boring, intrusive, demanding, and irrelevant for the rest of your week. </div>
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<div dir="ltr">Jesus died to give you the power to become sons of God... to live under the authority of your Heavenly Father, to die to this world, to take up your cross and follow Him into glory! <br />
You only want the right to show up at a building on Sunday without fear, and the right to keep living just like the world for the rest of the week. </div>
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"What?" you gasp. "I'm not just like the world! I don't do this sin, and I don't do that sin." <br />
But you "don't do these things" because it pleases your religious pride not to do them, and because you believe you can throw these "proofs" in God's face to defend your utter self-absorption and contempt for Him. </div>
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Don't kid yourself. For you, persecution for Christ's sake is a moot point. The government will never take away your right to freely worship as you see fit. They'll only take away your right to freely worship <i>Christ</i>. </div>
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Even if you do go to prison fighting for your right to a God you don't want, and even if you give up your body to be burned for your rights, but have not love for Christ, you gain nothing. </div>
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<div dir="ltr">God is not your God. And the freedoms your pride defends will come back to haunt you on that Day, because when you had the freedom, you did not use it to come to Him. </div>
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Repent and believe the Gospel. Jesus died to save you from godlessness and bring you to God. So come to Him that He might save you! </div>
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But oh, tender words for those of you who love and trust Jesus! Fear not, little flock, it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom, a Kingdom which cannot be shaken, a salvation stored up in Heaven for you, ready to be revealed in the Last Day. If your government throws you in prison, you will not lose Him. They can NOT take you and Christ away from each other! You have nothing to fear. When (not "if") you walk through the fire, He will be with you, and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you. </div>
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The government did not give you this right. GOD DID. And they can never take it away. </div>
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Betsy Markmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13600148899348868100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2982662593354859176.post-3331469027807472302014-04-14T15:26:00.000-06:002014-04-14T15:26:00.873-06:00When God's Covenant Looks Like It Died<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghO_AAM4QYZ_col42J17nsjIiK7Qt6Qsb0YUaxb83oGICh-nl_QOlMZclLdNMXtKtw0AE_Mur9vJeAxgd3e1MZ5xzjbDTP8d6yswtq_hIoT1kGmjUNceGTo09wRm3ERlmAr8ssKe50C2Y/s1600/2-crows-md.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghO_AAM4QYZ_col42J17nsjIiK7Qt6Qsb0YUaxb83oGICh-nl_QOlMZclLdNMXtKtw0AE_Mur9vJeAxgd3e1MZ5xzjbDTP8d6yswtq_hIoT1kGmjUNceGTo09wRm3ERlmAr8ssKe50C2Y/s1600/2-crows-md.png" /></a></div>
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I'm on bedrest again. 3rd time in a decade.</div>
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Between a heart attack (2004), hysterectomy and repair of prolapses (2011), and now deteriorating disks pinching nerves and causing foot pain, my body has betrayed me often. (Spinal surgery may be necessary. Prayers appreciated!) </div>
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I know I am a child of the Covenant of Grace, through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. I also know that this covenant has nothing to do with making my life a bed of roses.</div>
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Considering that this life is microscopic compared to eternity, I don't want my best life to be NOW! So I have a lot of peace about this... certainly much more than I had in 2004 when I only had religion, and no relationship with Christ!</div>
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But still, it's easy for us to feel we can excuse a certain amount of spiritual wandering at times of hardship, isn't it? God promises grace to endure, but I'd rather have escape than endurance, thank you. </div>
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So the old familiar idol of escapism rears its many seductive heads, tempting me to forget my troubles... and to forget seeking to love God and my neighbor, too! How easy to want everything to revolve around my quest for comfort! </div>
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Looking at Genesis today, I was struck by the bizarre-seeming covenant-cutting ritual in chapter 15. Could there be anything more foreign to modern Western eyes? </div>
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But as I think about it, I am even more struck by the image of Abram chasing away carrion birds which kept trying to pick apart the animal carcasses... those bloody, nasty carcasses which God had ordained to be signs of the covenant (Gen.15:11). </div>
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Carrion birds are often used to represent satanic forces. And don't the enemy's minions love to swoop down and tear up all visible evidences of God's promises to us? </div>
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How often do God's promises look like ugly, dead things to us? What beauty or hope did Abram have to look upon in those mutilated animal carcasses? And how relentless would those carrion birds have been! How frustrating and discouraging to have to keep chasing them, non stop, for who knows how long! </div>
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I would have been tempted to walk away, but Abram stayed and chased the birds away, over and over again.</div>
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If Abram had allowed the birds to pick apart the bodies, wouldn't the signs of the covenant have become hideous and loathsome in his eyes? </div>
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So, when he chased them away, he preserved the integrity of what he had to look at. </div>
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Do I have carrion birds in my life? What do they look like? I believe I know. </div>
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Doubt, distraction, anger, self-rule, lusts of various kinds, discouragement, fear, irritability... these things don't merely indicate understandable human weakness. No, if unrepented of, they can distort my view of God and His covenant promises, until even the physical evidences of His truth can begin to seem like ugly, worthless corpses. The carrion birds tear them apart. </div>
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But in Abram's story, even without carrion birds, the dead bodies would have become loathsome on their own, just through the process of decay while he waited for God. In the same way, the process of waiting for God makes the promises lose luster in our eyes, unless we continue to see them through the eyes of faith.</div>
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<i>Lord, help us to recognize those carrion birds as they appear in our own lives, and help us to resist them tirelessly by Your Spirit (because we can never do it in our flesh). Help us to remember that Your covenant promises are all about resurrection, so even when things seem dead, there's hope!</i></div>
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<i>Help us to seek to love You with all our hearts and souls and minds, and with all our strength, no matter how long You see fit to delay, or how many carrion birds of temptation we have to fight off. In Jesus' name, amen! </i></div>
Betsy Markmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13600148899348868100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2982662593354859176.post-45863298616761122432014-03-26T12:21:00.001-06:002014-03-26T12:21:51.352-06:00When I'm weak, then I'm strong? Why?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="float: right; margin-right: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/74995919@N00/3826059262" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="Power Board" border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3428/3826059262_a4acc73946_n.jpg" height="320" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">For when I am weak, then I am strong. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(2 Co. 12:10)
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">I memorized this verse when I was a teenager. (Let's not talk about how long ago that was, please!) And I thought I knew what it meant.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i>
<i>Somehow, when I'm weak, then Christ comes and bolsters me up to accomplish what I wanted to accomplish by His strength instead of mine. </i></span><br />
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In other words, <i>His strength looks and acts just like mine, except on steroids.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Is that what it means? I wonder. In fact, I doubt. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Is Christ just the proper power cord for my goals? Does "plugging in to Jesus" feel like a power rush, ready to mow down the world? Or have we got this "power vs weakness" thing wrong?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">I read <a href="http://www.theblazingcenter.com/2014/02/dont-get-drunk-on-power.html" target="_blank">this helpful article</a> a little while ago, and it got me thinking. Here's an excerpt from a comment I wrote there:
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> Slowly, slowly, I'm learning that godly parenting isn't about wielding human power but extending grace in wise ways. And whenever I forget that, whenever I start trying to be powerful again, I get ugly again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> The beautiful power of humble grace doesn't feel like power at all, but it does more good than all of my prideful/terrified power-grabbing could ever do.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Does this sound like a "Jesus is my power cord" theology? Not to me it doesn't, and I'm glad. But until I wrote it down today, I didn't realize just how radical it was, or how much I still default to wrong-headed "power cord" thinking.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Why, </i>in Christ,<i> </i>am I strong only when I'm weak? Perhaps we can't understand that until we define our terms. What, in God's eyes, is <i>strength</i>? What is <i>weakness</i>?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">"Strength," as the Bible promises and commends it, is the power to accomplish God's will, not my own. Such strength was displayed most clearly in two places that I can think of. First, during Jesus' wilderness temptations, when he was starving, but refused to use His power to relieve His hunger without authorization from the Father. And second, at Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed, "Not my will, but thine be done." </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">"Strength" - the kind which is promised and commended - is the power to do things which have eternal Kingdom significance, as opposed to things which will burn up on the Day of Judgment (1 Co. 3:13-15). Such strength most often shows itself in Christ's life in acts of humility and sacrifice. There were "Temple cleansing moments," but those were very much in the minority (and were still done in godliness, but that's a different subject).</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">By contrast, <i>my </i>strength, <i>human </i>strength, is an ugly, grasping thing when it doesn't have what it wants. It gets violent, in words if not in deeds. Human strength has done much good (at least temporarily), and it has done much evil. It has gone as far as genocide many times in our history. And yet, in God's eyes, it's puny. Laughable. It will come to nothing. (Ps 2.) In fact, it's weak.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Human strength is weak.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">But what is "weakness?" Specifically, what is the weakness which is <b>commended</b>, which is <b>sought</b>, which is <b>boasted in</b> (2 Co 12:9)? Surely God doesn't commend the weak, futile rage of the earthly strength in Ps. 2. So what weakness <i>does </i>He commend?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Could it be that He loves the weakness which not only <i>lacks</i> human power, but <i>disdains</i> it?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">When I have felt powerless as a parent, yet have yearned for power, and have felt angry and hopeless because I didn't have it, was that the weakness that God commends? Or was it the weakness that makes me ugly, grasping, enraged and snarling like a trapped tiger? Isn't <i>yearning for human power</i> just as weakening as <i>having </i>it? Doesn't it leave me just as powerless to do eternal good?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Do I just need to "plug in" to Jesus to regain the power my flesh craves? </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Or do I need to recognize that human power always gets it wrong in the end? Do I need to turn my back on it and go the way of God's power...the way of humble grace, of love and service, of meekness...and discover the hidden, gentle power there?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">If you truly believe in the meekly Crucified One who lives...who died in weakness and is mighty to save, and who is exalted above every other name...then you don't need me to answer that question for you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth (Matt 5:5).</span><br />
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Betsy Markmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13600148899348868100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2982662593354859176.post-10311360406607188222014-02-05T10:59:00.001-07:002022-12-07T09:37:31.856-07:00Me? Rejoicing at Wrongdoing?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/38125554@N07/4342830537" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="Pile of stones" border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" height="212" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4027/4342830537_8e86a49302_n.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center;">Pile of stones (Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/38125554@N07/4342830537" target="_blank">Michel.h</a>)</td></tr>
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<b>Love your enemies</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Matt 5:44)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Love does not rejoice at wrongdoing.</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(1 Co. 13:6)</span></div>
<br />
<br /><br />You, good Christian, are certainly not someone who rejoices at wrongdoing, right? Same here.<br />
<br />
Why, we <i>hate</i> wrongdoing! We prove it every chance we get! We are so diligent about jumping on every sin we hear about in public figures, and personally lambasting the offenders on Facebook or wherever else we can do so. Nobody could ever deny how much <i>we hate wrongdoing!</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Nobody clucks their tongues louder than we do. Nobody's voice can get more shrill. Nobody's quicker on the draw with the social media megaphone...and why should we wait for verification of the facts we're spreading? Why would we hope that the badness might be less bad than we thought, when it feels so good to hate <i>those people</i>?<br />
<br />
Why, it's a pure, delicious <i>pleasure</i> to be horrified, offended, and hit that "Share" button with righteous indignation.<br />
<br />
Yep. It shows. The pleasure, that is. It shows.<br />
<br />
It's called, "Rejoicing in wrongdoing." We mustn't kid ourselves. That's exactly what it is.<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>And love does not do that.</i><br />
<br />
When we do that, we are not loving our enemies. We are loving their sin, because we love feeling superior. <br />
<br />
We love licking our chops and diving in for the kill. <br />
<br />
We love being offended at those who we feel are wrongfully offended by us, or by the things we hold dear.<br />
<br />
We love hating the haters, mocking the mockers, attacking the attackers.<br />
<br />
It feels so good.<br />
<br />
And it's eating away at our souls.<br />
<br />
C. S. Lewis addresses this better than anybody. <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Suppose one reads a story of filthy atrocities in the paper. Then suppose that something turns up suggesting that the story might not be quite true, or not quite so bad as it was made out. Is one's first feeling, 'Thank God, even they aren't quite so bad as that,' or is it a feeling of disappointment, and even a determination to cling to the first story for the sheer pleasure of thinking your enemies as bad as possible? If it is the second then it is, I am afraid, the first step in a process which, if followed to the end, will make us into devils. You see, one is beginning to wish that black was a little blacker. If we give that wish [free rein], later on we shall wish to see grey as black, and then to see white itself as black. Finally, we shall insist on seeing everything - God and our friends and ourselves included - as bad, and not be able to stop doing it; we shall be fixed forever in a universe of pure hatred." (From "Mere Christianity.")</blockquote>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Love does not rejoice at wrongdoing.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Christians...you and I who claim to follow Christ...when was the last time we followed Him into praying for those who persecute and mistreat us, or who sin against us in some other way? When was the last time we mourned over our neighbor's sin and wept for his soul, rather than hurrying to click, rejoicing at the chance for a social media scandal? When was the last time we followed Christ into dying to self for our enemies' sakes?<br />
<br />
When was the last time we followed Christ?<br />
<br />
Yes, there's a time to speak against what is wrong! But no, there's never a time to rejoice and prepare to feast on our neighbor's downfall. Not in this Age of Grace; grace without which we, too, would be damned.<br />
<br />
How, with rocks in our hands, will we ever help our enemy believe we follow a merciful, forgiving Savior? Is that even what we want him to believe? (It had BETTER be! But search your heart, really, and I'll search mine. Because I fear that it's not always our desire.)<br />
<br />
As long as we clutch our rocks and rejoice in the throwing, we're utterly, damnably blind to our own corruption. <br />
<br />
And we will only be forgiven as we forgive. (Matt 18:32-35)<br />
<br />
We will only receive mercy as we give it. (Matt 5:7)<br />
<br />
We will only receive grace as we are humble. (James 4:6)<br />
<br />
Ever wonder why nobody out there believes we're children of the One True God?<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for <i>they</i> shall be called the sons of God." (Matt 5:9)</blockquote>
<br />
May God forgive us for rejoicing in wrongdoing, and failing to love our enemies.<br />
<br />
May God forgive <i>me.</i> Because I know I've been there. I've done that. But this week an organization which I care about, and for which I meet with others to pray regularly, has been the victim of a viral whirlwind of misinformation and false accusation. A Christian brother has had his good name smeared all the way up to the level of national news. The organization has issued a clarifying statement, but somehow it's not forwarded nearly as often as the delightful, beloved, rejoiced-in offense.<br />
<br />
These are people for whom I pray. <i>And praying for them has made me care. Has made me love them. Has made me grieve at the delighted stone-throwing that I'm seeing.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Praying produces love. Make yourself pray for others until you love them...and then you'll pray for them because you <i>want </i>to.<br />
<br />
Pray for your enemies. And join Christ in mourning over the sin that threatens to destroy them, instead of joining the enemy in hurrying their destruction. <br />
<br />
And pray for me, that I will do the same.<br />
<br />
We don't have a clue how much depends on it, and not just for them, but for us, and for the honor of Christ's Name.<br />
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Betsy Markmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13600148899348868100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2982662593354859176.post-54449330613678417892013-10-30T09:47:00.000-06:002013-10-30T09:47:26.807-06:00Scenes From the Spiritual Gym (A Farce That's All Too True)<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Scenes from the Spiritual Gym</span></b></div>
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<b>(Part 1 of a Series)</b></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52467670@N04/5182304487" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Before and after weight loss surgery" border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="148" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1019/5182304487_1a18492049_m.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52467670@N04/5182304487" target="_blank">jackiebese</a>)</span></div>
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<b>At one of thousands of branches of the American Church Gym:</b></div>
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<br /></div>
"Good morning, sir (or ma'am). What are your spiritual goals, and how can I help you achieve them?"<br />
<br />
"Well, I haven't been having my quiet times regularly enough. I looked in the mirror the other day, and my 'quiet times' abs aren't looking much like a six-pack anymore."<br />
<br />
"Oh, well, we can't have that, now, can we? So, to help us get to know you a little better, please tell us which coaching model you prefer:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>The legalistic accountability partner who motivates you by fear and guilt</li>
<li>the warm-fuzzy, 'you're not so bad,' coach</li>
<li>the highly-inspiring 'cheerleader' coach</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
"Um...well, I guess whichever one will help me reach my goals the fastest. I really hate these flabby 'service' muscles in my arms, and this fat 'self-control' abdomen!"<br />
<br />
"Oh boy, I sure do understand that! Well here, let's try one kind of coaching approach, and if you find that that's not helping you reach your goals, we'll try a different one, okay?"<br />
<br />
"Sounds good!"<br />
<br />
"Now, to get us started, let's step in front of that spiritual mirror. Let's chart what you see compared to what you hope to see, and then we'll know what goals you'll want to pursue."<br />
<br />
"Makes sense. But I'm a little uncomfortable with all the mirrors in here. Doesn't that seem...I don't know...egotistical or something? Aren't Christians supposed to be humble?"<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/63614902@N00/1389081153" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="Mirror" border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="160" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1340/1389081153_960b03659a_m.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 240px;">Mirror (Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/63614902@N00/1389081153" target="_blank">Chapendra</a>)</td></tr>
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The coach laughs and waves a dismissive hand. "Oh, don't be silly. The Bible says we're to examine ourselves, right? And how can you do that without a mirror, or goals, or other Christians to compare yourself to?"<br />
<br />
"Well, I guess the Bible does say that. But ugh, I HATE mirrors!"<br />
<br />
"Oh, don't worry, we'll whip you into shape in no time, and pretty soon you'll be so spiritually buff that you'll LOVE mirrors!"<br />
<br />
"But...but...what about humility?"<br />
<br />
"Oh, don't worry about that, either. We'll keep reminding you. Humility <i>is </i>one of those spiritual goals, after all, right? So you just remember to repeat to yourself every day as you look in the mirror, 'Yes, I've still got a ways to go, but by the grace of God I'll be more spiritually buff tomorrow, and then I'll have more to praise Him for!' That's the key to humility, you know. The more spiritually buff you become, the more humble it is to scoff and say, 'Oh, no, God did this for me.' Your 'humility pecs' will pop for sure!"<br />
<br />
"So it's a win-win, I guess. I get to like what I see in the spiritual mirror, and I get to say things that give Jesus the glory!"<br />
<br />
"Exactly! Now you understand the Christian life!" The coach gives you a wink and an elbow-nudge. "Don't those 'Praise Jesus' T-shirts look better and more convincing on a hot bod?"<br />
<br />
You laugh, and you have to admit that it's a convincing argument. But there are still some things that you don't understand, so you keep asking questions.<br />
<br />
"Okay, well, pardon my dumb question, but what exactly is 'sin?'"<br />
<br />
"Oh, well, sin is forgetting your spiritual goals, and not working on them. You know, not doing quiet times, not putting money in the Salvation Army bucket, that sort of thing."<br />
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"And repentance?"<br />
<br />
"That's easy! Repentance means recommitting yourself to your goals!"<br />
<br />
"And what is faith?"<br />
<br />
"Why, faith is believing that Jesus will help you reach your goals, of course!"<br />
<br />
"What is worship, then?"<br />
<br />
"Worship is praising God for helping you reach your goals. And besides, he likes praise, right? Who doesn't? So worship helps motivate him to help you reach your goals!"<br />
<br />
"Then who is Jesus in this whole process?"<br />
<br />
"Well, think of him as your Invisible Fitness Coach. When you're looking in the mirror, he's looking, too! If you're getting more and more buff, he smiles more and more. If you're being naughty, he starts to frown. But don't worry." Another dismissive wave of the hand. "He's very forgiving. Just say 'I'm sorry,' and promise to do better next time. It's all good."<br />
<br />
"Okay, I think I see it all now. Let's get to work!"<br />
<br />
"Whoo, I love that spirit! Let's make you look like you want to look, and be what you want to be. Let's make you LOVE that spiritual mirror!"<br />
<br />
So, you begin what you hope will be a lifetime of buffing up under the eye of Jesus, the Invisible Fitness Coach. But you dread his gaze, and you hope you can buff up quickly.<br />
<br />
You look around yourself at the guys and gals who have bulging muscles everywhere. It's obvious they've been doing targeted toning, so that they've reached a point of fashionably grotesque physiques. The kind of bodies that actual, productive physical labor never forms. Their bodies are consciously-sculpted gym bodies.<br />
<br />
You have to admit, they impress you, and you know that a "Praise Jesus" T-shirt looks a lot better on them than it does on you. <br />
<br />
Come to think of it, they inspire you much more than your Invisible Jesus guy. He's a mystery, but they're clear. And you like them better...at least some of them...the ones who think you're worth their time, and who will notice you and encourage you. <br />
<br />
After a while, the Invisible Coach makes you even more uncomfortable to think about than he used to. Why? Because not only is he judging your buff-ness, but you also have a sneaking suspicion that, if you could see Him, He wouldn't look anything like the pec-poppers around you. <br />
<br />
And that means (HORRORS!) that you suspect He wouldn't look anything like what you're trying to become. And that makes you vaguely angry. What does he want from you anyway? You're not sure, but you know what YOU want from yourself. You know what YOUR spiritual goals are. You know which part of you you want to sculpt next. And you know that it has something to do with reading your Bible every day and doing good works (especially the specific types of good works that are most heavily promoted by your branch of the gym). So you just keep going, following the coaches you can actually see.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img zemanta-action-dragged" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Zulfiya_Chinshanlo_2009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="English: Zulfiya Chinshanlo World Champion 200..." border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="369" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7b/Zulfiya_Chinshanlo_2009.jpg/300px-Zulfiya_Chinshanlo_2009.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 300px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Zulfiya Chinshanlo World Champion 2009 (Photo credit: <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Zulfiya_Chinshanlo_2009.jpg" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</span></td></tr>
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In the end, you'll love yourself, and either forget the Invisible Coach, or find that the highest praise you can give Him is, "Look at how awesome he made me!"<br />
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Or, you'll hate yourself and the coach, because it was all just too hard, and everybody in the gym is a hypocrite anyway.<br />
<br />
Welcome to the Christian life.<br />
<br />
Or not. <br />
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Stay tuned...<br />
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Next: Scenes from the Sheepfold</div>
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Betsy Markmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13600148899348868100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2982662593354859176.post-65877553444585079362013-09-25T15:08:00.000-06:002013-09-28T09:04:15.189-06:00My New Bible Reading Plan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(My plan doesn't rely on the high tech stuff, but this is my setup.)</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2KZG0Wu1Qm7kjvouQjiYqH2E4Y-DFSZ1IHWwqicNqSC-VJKkgszBjacXuzdsb57Weon1amxz3K_DTxOog69aAIerXx8tysdi6R4ke7eW2_oWTRXREhV-OZ90RscQfAYYRMAbfGrtRZbU/s1600/IMG_20130925_134607.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Have you ever struggled to find a Bible reading plan that works
well for you? That has been my struggle
recently, and I wanted to share with you what I have developed, and have found to be a great
enhancement to my morning devotions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Why did I need a new plan?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(Feel free to scroll down to the details of the plan if you want
to skip the “why.”)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I've used several plans over the years. Usually, I default to a plan
that includes some Old Testament, some New Testament, some Psalms, and some
Proverbs each day. But for a while I also used and enjoyed Professor Horner's system (<a href="http://www.challies.com/sites/all/files/attachments/professor-grant-horners-bible-reading-system.pdf">link to PDF</a>), which gave an incredibly broad overview of the Scriptures,
with large amounts of reading from all over the Bible every day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Each system has its advantages. But I
found I couldn't stick with Professor Horner's system for more than about a
year and a half before the frenetic pace left me a bit frazzled. There are
great advantages in swallowing large amounts of Scripture every day for a
while, but it does keep one back from a more careful, in-depth look at the
Word.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Lately, I had begun to find myself dissatisfied with every
Bible reading plan I tried. All involved multiple chapters a day, and I really
felt I needed something that allowed me to give greater concentration to small
amounts of Scripture. But I couldn’t
bring myself to embark on a one-chapter-a-day, Genesis-to-Revelation type of
study. Perhaps it’s shameful to have to admit it, but there are certain books I
just didn’t want to get bogged down in for a month or more. After a great deal
of time spent in Deuteronomy, for example, I’m nearly gasping for the
refreshment of the epistles. And while some of the Bible’s most beautiful words
of hope can be found in Isaiah, it also has many, many chapters of judgments
against the enemies of God’s people. All of that is useful, but one can only
read so much of it at a time before one begins to thirst for words of grace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I began to toy with the idea of creating my own Bible
reading plan, one that would give me small amounts of Scripture each day, while
giving me a great deal of variety in my reading. At the same time, I didn’t
want to be reading things out of context, since context is such an incredibly
important part of Scripture interpretation and understanding. So I certainly
wasn’t going to choose some sort of random, “shut-your-eyes-and-open-the-Bible-and-read-whatever-page-it-opens-to”
approach.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The more I puzzled about it, the more I thought that
Professor Horner’s plan might have some answers for me. It did offer lots of variety, it was not
calendar-based, and it divided the Bible into sections from which one would
read each day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What if, instead of Professor Horner’s ten-chapter-a-day
approach, I adapted it into a one-chapter-a-day plan, and read from a different
section of the Bible each day? That way, I could get the variety that I thirsted for, could get the in-depth study that I knew I needed, and could keep my daily selections
within their natural contexts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And so, from these musings, my new plan was born. And I’m
finding it to be everything I hoped it would be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Details of the Plan<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It is generally recognized that the Bible can be divided
into five or six different categories. Of course there is some blurring of the lines between categories, but for
a weekly reading plan, you can do very nicely with the following divisions:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[endif]-->Law – Genesis through Deuteronomy<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[endif]-->History – Joshua through Esther<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[endif]-->Poetry and Wisdom – Job through Song of Solomon<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[endif]-->Prophets – Isaiah through Malachi<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[endif]-->Gospels and Acts<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[endif]-->Epistles and Revelation<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That gives me one different type of Scripture to read each
day of the week. So Mondays I read one chapter from the “Law” section, working
my way through the chapters in order, so that everything remains in its correct
context. On Tuesdays I read a chapter in the “History” section, also working
through that section in its natural order. And so on throughout the week. This
way, I get a very nice survey of the Bible every week (except Sunday), while at the same time
going through at a slow enough pace that I can spend time studying and taking
notes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Since this plan is not calendar bound, in the sense that you
don’t have to finish at a certain pace, I am also free to divide a long chapter
in half if I find that I want to spend more time on it. There’s no guilt for
having fallen behind what someone’s predetermined plan says I should be reading
today.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I find that this plan really helps me to get through the
sections of the Bible that I find harder to read than others, such as the
thundering judgments of Isaiah, or the grieving of Jeremiah in much of his two books.
Since I know that I will only be reading one chapter from these difficult
sections each week, I approach them with a better attitude. And that makes me
more open-minded, and enables me to gain more from these valuable passages. And
believe me, these <i>are</i> vital and valuable passages. It is my own sinfulness that
makes it hard for me to appreciate these sections. With this new approach, I’m
learning to appreciate them more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">While not everyone will agree with me on this, I also skim over the genealogical stuff. I know and believe that all Scripture is given by
inspiration of God and is profitable. I believe that the profit in the
genealogies comes from the fact that they show that God knows every individual,
and, more importantly, they confirm the necessary genealogical line of the
Messiah. (That’s why the Bible stops keeping track of genealogies after the
birth of Christ.) So, when I encounter a chapter full of names, I thank the
Lord for His intimate knowledge of all people, and for His wisdom in bringing
the Messiah into the world. And then I skim over it and move on to the next
chapter. (But be careful if you do this. Sometimes there are real gems stuck in
the middle of the lists of names. So don’t just skip them. <i>Skim</i> them, looking for those little nuggets. It would be a shame to
miss them.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So how do I keep track of where I am? I decided to borrow Professor
Horner’s strategy here, too. I created a bookmark for each section, and I
clearly labeled it to show what section it belongs in. I just move it forward
with me as I go along. You can see a sample below. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(I chose to make magnetic bookmarks that fold over top of
the page so they won’t fall out. I labeled both sides of the bookmark for easy identification from any angle, and then
placed a distinctive mark on the side of the bookmark that shows which side of
the page I actually left off on.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Since in-depth study was an important consideration in
designing this plan, I also needed to set up a note taking system that would
work well for me. Being the computer geek that I am, I chose to set up my
system in Evernote. You can of course use a much more traditional system, such
as pen and paper. But whatever system you use, you may find it helpful to use
an organizational strategy similar to the one I am about to describe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I created six individual notebooks, one for each day of the
week and its corresponding section of Scripture. Each notebook then has its own
page devoted to a book of the Bible within that section. So, within the “Law” notebook,
I have a page for Genesis, a page for Exodus, etc. (If you’re using pen and
paper, you will of course need much more than a single page for each of these
books.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I then take chapter and verse notes wherever and whenever
thoughts strike me. But I make sure that I date the notes, so that the next
time I come to this section of Scripture, I can review the notes that I made
last time. This is a great way to refresh my memory on important points I might
have forgotten, as well as giving me a glimpse of my progressive understanding
and appreciation of the passage over time. (If you're a regular reader of this blog, you may recognize the fact that the notes on chapter 4 verse 5 turned into a recent blog entry!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Please let me know if you decide to try this Bible reading
plan, and how it works for you!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Betsy Markmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13600148899348868100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2982662593354859176.post-60878753664453964372013-09-18T15:58:00.000-06:002013-09-18T15:58:45.534-06:00My "Good Fight" For Today...Against Shame<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7oESV3BAmVa7048MGDlBS9KK0g6uAm3HfnlSxJpxE_LTggMyHVsSIlAmDlzL_cUM7Vx0IOg1wZYeSQTOrmLYB3PcUYxItJmXq3N_ARV6C69iP-NtHIqUEaBnW8smvr9fad2A1RZ9eCmI/s1600/Shame.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7oESV3BAmVa7048MGDlBS9KK0g6uAm3HfnlSxJpxE_LTggMyHVsSIlAmDlzL_cUM7Vx0IOg1wZYeSQTOrmLYB3PcUYxItJmXq3N_ARV6C69iP-NtHIqUEaBnW8smvr9fad2A1RZ9eCmI/s320/Shame.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.sxc.hu/photo/379367">Photo by jfg</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span id="goog_148124695"></span><span id="goog_148124696"></span><br />
The shame comes in waves.<br />
<br />
It hasn't been this bad in years.<br />
<br />
I'm endlessly re-living, constantly cringing at the memory of yesterday's Stupid Moment. <br />
<br />
I literally feel my stomach knot up, <i>every few seconds,</i> as the memory assaults me again. Often a little grunt or whispered word of distress escapes me.<br />
<br />
And, underneath it all, there's the rage.<br />
<br />
<i>I can NOT be that stupid!</i><br />
<br />
Well, yes...yes I can. And, in fact, I was. <br />
<br />
But I'm not <i>willing </i>to be. I <i>can't bear</i> to be. And on days like today, that means I can't bear to be me.<br />
<br />
I used to get haunted by shame all the time, but by the grace of God, it's not nearly so frequent now. But yesterday's Dumb Moment (which also turned out to be an Expensive Moment) was made worse because it was a semi-public event. (As in, I believe I was probably the laughingstock of the police department's locker room at the end of the day.)<br />
<br />
Don't ask. Just don't.<br />
<br />
Coming home last night to face the usual nighttime routine (and the usual nighttime chaos!) of family was hard. As you know if you've been reading this blog for a while, <a href="http://justanotherclaypot.blogspot.com/2013/01/how-not-to-give-up-on-impossible-people.html">I'm an escapist by nature</a>. And all I wanted to do last evening was curl up in a ball in bed.<br />
<br />
But God has been working, and I could feel something new inside of me. A new strength that did not originate with me, but came as a gift of faith. And again today, when the shame waves started crashing over me, I felt the Holy Spirit coming alongside me, bringing the truths of Scripture to mind from a whole new angle (for me, anyway).<br />
<br />
I'm actually kind-of excited about this.<br />
<br />
It's funny...yesterday morning, when I wrote<a href="http://www.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_148124692"></span> the blog entry that I posted this morning<span id="goog_148124693"></span></a>, my Big Embarrassing Event hadn't happened yet. And, when I wrote that post, I really didn't think it had any bearing on my life at the moment. It was just a thought that had popped out at me from my scheduled reading in Joshua. But after my Stupid Moment, when I became terrified by the memory of How Dumb I Can Be, I began to hear my own words coming back to remind me that I don't need to be afraid to relive what happened. And I may even come out of this painful time with some brand new memorial stones to set up.<br />
<br />
Isn't God good?<br />
<br />
So, what does my "good fight of faith" look like today, when I'm fighting shame?<br />
<br />
First of all, let me tell you what it's not. It's not a fight to improve my <a href="http://justanotherclaypot.blogspot.com/2008/08/world-says-i-need-self-esteem.html">self-esteem</a>.<br />
<br />
Instead, it's a fight to align myself with the greatest truths of the Christian faith, so I can live in the freedom of the truth (see John 8:32). That's why it's called "the good fight of faith" (1 Tim 6:11-12). We're to fight to increase our faith in God, not in ourselves. It's the fight to walk in the light when the enemy (and our own egos) tell us to run or to arm for war against some human foe.<br />
<br />
So, what truths am I loading into my arsenal?<br />
<br />
How about this one? "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." That means that I mustn't arrogantly insist that I BE something awesome (instead of being someone capable of really bone-headed moves). I am to be at peace with my own humanity, NOT because sin and failure are no big deal, but because those things have been bought and paid for by my Savior in whom I have placed my faith. And so I pray, "Thank You, Lord, that You are teaching me to live humbly with the reality of my shortcomings. Thank you that the Kingdom is promised to those who are poor in spirit. Help me to value poverty of spirit, to value humble acceptance of my shortcomings, to value Your kingdom more than my own imagined greatness."<br />
<br />
And how about this? "For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory" (Col 3:3-4). This speaks to the fact that, as a believer, I was crucified with Christ and raised with Him to a new life. My life is <i>hidden </i>in God...and that means I can't see it yet. But I must fight the temptation to find my life in other people's esteem. My life is not hidden in their approval. It's hidden with Christ in God. "Thank You, Lord, that my life is hidden in You, and that I need no longer torture myself with what man thinks of me. Help me to find my life in You more and more."<br />
<br />
Or how about "Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, rejoice!" (Php 4:4). I am not cruelly called to rejoice in my stupidity, but I am reminded that the Lord is in Heaven, reigning gloriously for the good of all His people (including me). He knew in advance what I was going to do, and planned to make it work for my good (Rom 8:28). So I pray, "Lord, help me to rejoice in all that You are for me, rather than raging over what I am not."<br />
<br />
The "good fight" also looks like simply staying present when I want to run and hide, not just so I can "be strong" (there's that desire to be awesome again), but because God has promised to make me stand, and because He has work for me to do. <br />
<br />
It means remembering (and praying) to be increasingly patient with other flawed people, when their flaws impact me. For we who have been forgiven much are to love much (Luke 7:47), and are to forgive others in return (Matt 18:21-34). <br />
<br />
<br />
Do you know what began happening last night as I lay in bed and fought the shame with truth? I began to feel a wonderful feeling of freedom from the fear of man, a fear which Scripture warns us against. It came back with a vengeance this morning, but that just means it's time to fight again.<br />
<br />
"For theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." I want that. I do. It will be worth the fight!<br />
<br />
<br />Betsy Markmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13600148899348868100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2982662593354859176.post-80577163854405423572013-09-18T06:46:00.001-06:002022-12-07T09:47:01.771-07:00When God Says, "Go Back There"<div style="text-align: right;">
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<br />
Imagine the scene, if you will.<br />
<br />
Your name is Avram, perhaps, or something similar. You're a middle-aged Hebrew wanderer, finally getting ready to enter the Promised Land.<br />
<br />
All of your life you've heard about this land. You've stared longingly across the forbidding Jordan at its verdant beauty...so far out of reach of your desert abode.<br />
<br />
You've heard of your parents' rebellion against the Lord, which stopped your national progress and doomed you to decades of wandering. You've heard about the miracles they saw, but you were so young when they happened that you don't remember them yourself. <br />
<br />
You <i>have</i> experienced daily miracles yourself: A pillar of cloud by day, a pillar of fire by night, each of which guides your nation in its wanderings. You've seen bread fall from Heaven every day, without fail, except of course for the Sabbath...but the bread always fell in double portions on the day before the Sabbath, so you could gather extra then. <br />
<br />
But these miracles have <i>always</i> been there, as far as you're concerned. They're kind-of humdrum to you.<br />
<br />
Now Moses, the great Man of God, has died, and Joshua is in charge. And the 40-year exile has reached its end. It's time to enter the Land of Promise. That means, for starters, that it's time to do battle with the mighty city of Jericho.<br />
<br />
But the even mightier Jordan River lies between, and to make matters worse, it's currently in its flood stage.<br />
<br />
<i>Were the old stories of the Parting of the Red Sea really true?</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Could it happen again, even without Moses?</i><br />
<br />
You're almost ashamed to admit how amazed you are when it <i>does</i> happen again. Your jaw drops at the sight of the turgid wall of water piling itself up. That wall is trembling with unimaginable power, held back only by forces you cannot see or comprehend.<br />
<br />
And you have to walk in front of it...you and a few million others. Including your wife and your children. You look at them now, so weak and vulnerable next to the forces that threaten them.<br />
<br />
And you have to lead your whole tribe, because you've inherited (and risen to) a position of power in that tribe. So, you square your shoulders, hide your fear from your wife and kids, and step onto the now dry river bed.<br />
<br />
The water-wall beside you seems like a raging stallion, eager to break out of its restraints. And yet you walk. Your mouth is dry, and you hope the Almighty can forgive your fear. <br />
<br />
<i>He promised, and He's done this sort of thing before. We will get safely through. We will.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
And, finally, you do. You turn to look back at the hordes which are still coming, and at the priests who stand along the way as God's representatives, almost seeming to hold back the walls themselves (but you know they're not the ones who can do that). There they stand, though, and you don't envy them. You couldn't get through that trial fast enough. It was a creepy place to be, and you're glad you came through it in one piece.<br />
<br />
Finally, the last of the nation has crossed, except for the priests, who still stand their ground. And then Joshua calls all of the tribal leaders together. You go to him, expecting your orders to advance toward Jericho.<br />
<br />
But no.<br />
<br />
He says, "Go back."<br />
<br />
<i>What?</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
"Go back."<br />
<br />
Go back into the danger zone, back into the place that so recently filled you with awe and fear, back into the trial you thought you were done with.<br />
<br />
You can't believe your ears. <i>Why would we do that?</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
"This is what the Lord has commanded. Go back into the heart of the Jordan and gather stones, one stone for each tribe, and bring them back to set them up as a memorial for future generations, so no one will forget what happened here."<br />
<br />
You don't argue. This is, after all, the man whose word had just parted the waters. You don't play at dueling words with such a man.<br />
<br />
So, you and eleven other men walk back into the place you just escaped from. You feel even more vulnerable now, in such a small company of men. Just the other tribal leaders and, of course, the priests at their posts. <br />
<br />
You don't rush. You can't. You know your job. You've seen stone memorials before, and you've appreciated the skill that it takes to build one that will stand for generations to come. You recognize that you have to get a rock that is not only very large and heavy, but also one that is suitably shaped for its purpose.<br />
<br />
You have to spend a fair amount of time finding a good candidate, conferring with the other rock-gatherers until you all agree that the twelve stones you've found will work well together.<br />
<br />
And all the while, the Jordan quivers against its restraints.<br />
<br />
You hadn't wanted to be here once, and you still can't believe you're here again.<br />
<br />
<i>Why aren't we invading Jericho? That's what we came across to do, right? Why are we wasting time back here?</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
But finally, bending under your heavy load, you trudge back to where your family and tribe and nation await. You make eye contact with each priest as you pass him, and you nod. His burden is greater than yours, and you know it.<br />
<br />
At last you're back with your tribe, and you can drop your heavy burden on the ground. You straighten up with some difficulty, and for some reason you can't stop yourself from looking back at the Jordan yet again.<br />
<br />
<i>I made it through. Not once, but twice. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>And God held the water back each time.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
You look back down at the stone you've carried. <i>It's good that we have these stones. It's good that our people will always remember.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
And now, amazingly, you're glad that <i>you</i> were one of the few who had the privilege of walking that road again.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
#####</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Has God ever made you revisit a scary place that you thought you were through with?<br />
<br />
Maybe it was a real, physical journey. Or maybe it was a journey of remembrance, a journey of telling others, of setting up your own memorial.<br />
<br />
What was that like for you?<br />
<br />
Could it be that you're still standing on the banks, afraid to step in again?<br />
<br />
If you've been called to revisit the painful place, please look again. What...or rather <i>whom</i> do you see?<br />
<br />
There is not a row of priests there, like there was in the Jordan. <br />
<br />
No, there's something better. <i>Someone</i> better. The Great High Priest. Jesus. The One who held back the waters the first time, saying "This far, and no further." He is still holding the ground you gained. He's also on the shore beside you, and also at the Jericho that awaits.<br />
<br />
And He knows, dear brother or sister, that you can better face your Jericho if you remember your Jordan. If you revisit His faithful deliverance through it. If you look Him in the eye and nod as you bring back your memorial stones.<br />
<br />
Do it.<br />
<br />
Trust Him.<br />
<br />
He's still there.<br />
<br />
And finally, a word to those of you still in the middle of your first scary trek. Those of you who can't even imagine getting through the first time, much less coming back for a stone. My word for you is this: Don't worry that you don't have a heavy stone on your shoulder right now. The command to fetch it hasn't come yet. It won't come until you're safely through. <br />
<br />
Please don't hear this harshly. Please hear it as gently as I mean to speak it. You're not qualified to set up a memorial yet. It's not that you have to prove your qualifications...oh no! Your trials are never about you proving yourself to God, or even to yourself. Your trials are about seeing God holding the waters back. Your trials are about seeing God's power and His deliverance. So if you haven't yet seen the salvation of the Lord, how can you talk about it? <br />
<br />
If you have no memorial stone with you yet, just keep walking and trusting Him. The day will come when you'll be able to come back and get one.<br />
<br />
And you'll be glad you did.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;">
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Betsy Markmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13600148899348868100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2982662593354859176.post-13520320795150811242013-08-20T10:05:00.000-06:002013-08-20T10:06:55.211-06:00For Those Who Can't Walk on Water Either<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div class="zemanta-img">
<a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:TrimmerJesusWater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="Sarah Trimmer" border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/TrimmerJesusWater.jpg/300px-TrimmerJesusWater.jpg" height="377" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="300" /></a></div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 300px;">Sarah Trimmer (Photo credit: <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:TrimmerJesusWater.jpg" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
"Oh you of little faith, why did you doubt?"<br />
<br />
Was Jesus rebuking Peter for lacking the faith to keep walking on the water? <br />
<br />
That's the way I've always heard it, but now I wonder.<br />
<br />
You see, I've had a life full of sinkings. So many sinkings that I rarely get out of the boat. And I'm less likely to get out of it if I think that my next drubbing will be rebuked by Jesus because... terrible failure that I am... I can't do the impossible.<br />
<br />
Is the Christian life a process of learning to walk on the water? <br />
<br />
I wonder.<br />
<br />
Years ago I wrote something that I knew I needed to read again this morning. (I hope you'll read it too, and I'll link to it so you can.) I said, "<a href="http://justanotherclaypot.blogspot.com/2009/09/grace-and-fallacy-of.html">What if 'arrival' has nothing to do with reaching a certain level of perfection, and everything to do with maintaining the kind of humble, childlike faith that expects nothing from itself and relies totally on God?</a>"<br />
<br />
I really believe that that's true. Please do read the article I linked to above, for more reasons WHY I believe it.<br />
<br />
Whole sermons have been written about Peter's lack of faith causing him to sink. Because of that mindset, people strive to grow stronger faith, and when they're faced with stormy seas or risky situations, they can only see two options.<br />
<ul>
<li>Proudly step out, believing their faith to be mighty enough</li>
<li>Stay in the boat, believing that they haven't yet achieved a strong enough faith.</li>
</ul>
<div>
What if neither of those options are right? What if the "proudly stepping out" is just that...religious pride rather than true faith in Christ? And what if the "staying in the boat" is a sign of spiritual failure? What if both are wrong, and neither is right?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
UGH! Before long you can start running in circles like a terrified rabbit, and you give up on this "faith thing" because it just drives you nuts. You can't do it. You can't figure out which is right! You can't figure out your own motives! You can't see any way to step out in faith or to stay in faith, because you can see sin in yourself either way. So you get paralyzed. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
To that I say (both to you and to myself):</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
STOP IT!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Right now, just STOP IT!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Jesus didn't say to any of the disciples, "Why did you stay in the boat?" And I don't believe he said to Peter, "Why did you sink?"<br />
<br />
For <i>what doubt</i> did Jesus rebuke Peter?<br />
<br />
Will He rebuke you, too, if you step out of your safe place, and you start to sink?<br />
<br />
No, that's not my Jesus. More importantly, that's not the Biblical Jesus...the Jesus who is tender towards the weakest, the lowliest, the most helpless. He does not break the bruised reed (Matt 12:20).<br />
<br />
There are several accounts in the Bible of Jesus saving the disciples from stormy seas. In the one we've been looking at, Jesus walked on the water to the boat, and Peter walked out to meet him. In another case, Jesus was asleep in the boat, and they came and woke him up. In both cases, they were terrified.<br />
<br />
And in both cases, the rebuke was the same. "Why did you doubt? Where is your faith?"<br />
<br />
Maybe we've been asking the wrong question. Maybe the question isn't, "Why did Peter sink?" <br />
<br />
What if the right question is, "Why did Peter fear that Jesus wouldn't save him when he sank?"<br />
<br />
Remember, in both stormy situations, for the disciples both in and out of the boat, the question was the same. The gentle, loving rebuke was the same. "Why did you doubt?"<br />
<br />
Why do you and I doubt that He will save us when we are sinking? Why are we making "in vs. out of the boat" the issue? Why are we making "on top of the water vs. going under the water" the issue?<br />
<br />
Are we to fear, in either location? <br />
<br />
Was half-dunked Peter filled with less faith than the ones in the boat? I don't think so. All of them were afraid of going under, regardless of where they were when it happened.<br />
<br />
Joyful, free faith doesn't have to examine its own perfection to see whether it should get out of the boat or stay there. It doesn't say, "I'm disqualified from getting out of the boat, because I can spot sin remaining in myself and in my motives." It doesn't say, "Oh no, my sinking must mean that my faith wasn't strong enough!"<br />
<br />
Joyful, free faith trusts Jesus no matter where we feel the water threatening to overwhelm us, even though we're not yet perfected, because HE is our Savior. <br />
<br />
Why must we keep relearning that HE saves us? Why do we keep thinking that we save ourselves by making our faith perfect enough, instead of believing that He saves people of little faith?<br />
<br />
He is the Savior...not of the perfected, but of sinners (Luke 5:31-32)! Why do we doubt? He who saves those in the boat, will he not save those who walk out on the water and then start to sink?<br />
<br />
Where are you in your walk? Does Jesus want you to believe that you could be anywhere, <i>anywhere </i>where He cannot save you?<br />
<br />
The life of faith is not a life of staying always on top of the waves. It's a life of believing that you are free to walk with Him in humble-but-imperfect ways, without doubting that His love will pull you out of the water no matter where you are when you start to sink.<br />
<br />
Because you WILL sink sometimes. I guarantee it. Life's billows WILL overwhelm you. <br />
<br />
Cancer. Loss of a loved one. Betrayal. Failure. Injury. Job loss. Moving to an unfamiliar place.<br />
<br />
You WILL sink sometimes.<br />
<br />
The question from Jesus, I believe, is not, "Why did you sink?" <br />
<br />
It is, "Why did you fear I would not be here to lift you up when you sank?"<br />
<br />
So step out if you feel that's what God is calling you to do. Don't question if you have enough faith to stay on the water. Just believe that He will save you when you get wet.<br />
<br />
And here's a final word of love to those who are currently under the waves, and have been there, perhaps, for a long time. I am NOT preaching a despicable "prosperity gospel" (which I hate) here. I am not saying that Jesus will always take the waves away. His salvation is sometimes <i>through </i>the trials, not <i>from </i>the trials. Your pain does not mean He loves you less, or that you are a failure. Trust Him, trust Him, that He will pull you out of the water when the time is right, when that part of your life's story has been written to perfection (even if that relief doesn't come in this lifetime). Trust that He is your Savior, no matter where you are in relation to the boat, the water, or the other disciples. He will bring you to the right place because of your continued, trusting obedience. Remember, as long as we're on this earth, it's a Christian <i>walk</i>, not a Christian <i>arrival</i>.<br />
<br />
Trust Him, trust Him, trust Him, wherever you are, no matter how far you've gone under life's overwhelming forces.<br />
<br />
That's a stronger faith than one which skips lightly across the waves.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;">
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Betsy Markmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13600148899348868100noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2982662593354859176.post-31309575770502873452013-06-07T11:52:00.002-06:002013-06-07T11:52:41.023-06:00Sometimes God Speaks While You're Still In Your PJ's<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:OswaldChambers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="English: Oswald Chambers (1874-1917)" border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="350" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/OswaldChambers.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="241" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 241px;">English: Oswald Chambers (1874-1917) (Photo credit: <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:OswaldChambers.jpg" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is not on what we spend </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the greatest amount of time </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">that molds us the most, </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">but whatever exerts </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the most power over us.</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-6ae829ee-1fb5-389e-89b8-b82a90858e32" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Chambers, Oswald (2010-10-22). My Utmost for His Highest, Updated Edition (p. 159). </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Discovery House Publishers. Kindle Edition.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">This morning, before I had even gotten out of bed, I read the above words and felt my brain explode. Here’s the comment that I wrote in a Kindle note attached to the above quote:</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 72pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">True, but if we are more strongly controlled by temporal things than by the Spirit and the Truth, then we will force a greater connection between power and time. In other words, if I am controlled by temporal things, I will insist on dedicating more and more of my time to those temporal things. I won't be able to stand it any other way.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 72pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But there's an inverse reality here as well! If I am controlled by temporal things, then I will refuse to give time to anything that I fear will control me. So, for example, as a person inadequately sanctified (and therefore temporally controlled by default), I am terrified to spend too much of my time on drudgery, because I dread becoming a drudge. Time spent = control given. Escapism is a loud acknowledgement that I am a slave of Time instead of a freed citizen of Eternity.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 72pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But if, as a Gospel-sanctified person, I submit to the power of God alone, then power and time are severed from each other. Time spent doing drudgery does NOT give drudgery power over me, to define me. And I will not feel the need to slavishly devote all possible time to temporal pleasures, because they no longer have the power to define our create me.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 72pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So then, sanctified freedom from the power of time actually frees me to do God's Will (loving and serving) within the confines of time.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 72pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And what is death, but stepping outside of time and into eternity? So then, Christ's call to "die daily" includes a call to sever the connection between time and power in my life, freeing me to obey Him by living (loving and serving) within the confines of Time as a free citizen of Eternity.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now, I could spend a loooong time clarifying and expanding on that, but I just want to leave it be, at least for the time being. If you feel like gnawing some marrow out of that dry bone, go for it! If not, well, just remember that I wrote it in my pink-with-black-scotty dog pajamas, and feel free to walk away.</span></div>
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Betsy Markmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13600148899348868100noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2982662593354859176.post-40529291569426164132013-06-05T16:56:00.000-06:002013-06-05T16:56:39.525-06:00Tough and Tender<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBAAKzdRPZ3muYYa5EsJ11SnjPzLGnXJiwa7ZOUXGvnKaqph781gmOREKAlnN-38ZkeP6-7K6VbN7SVggtmb98vcuUDrXu9q7G8z_INLmkIQJWCWNxSrGSgZ1dm3V4ZC80W6lnJ7yH5Aw/s1600/Flashpoint,+episode+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBAAKzdRPZ3muYYa5EsJ11SnjPzLGnXJiwa7ZOUXGvnKaqph781gmOREKAlnN-38ZkeP6-7K6VbN7SVggtmb98vcuUDrXu9q7G8z_INLmkIQJWCWNxSrGSgZ1dm3V4ZC80W6lnJ7yH5Aw/s320/Flashpoint,+episode+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://s89.photobucket.com/user/throngnz/media/flashpoint-episode-2.jpg.html">flashpoint-episode-2</a> </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
"We are not merely imperfect creatures<br />
who must be improved: </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
we are rebels who must lay down our arms."</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
C. S. Lewis</div>
<br />
<br />
I'm not really "up" on TV shows. I don't watch much. So it's not too surprising that I've only now discovered "Flashpoint," after it has already finished its 5-season run.<br />
<br />
To say I'm "hooked" would be an understatement.<br />
<br />
I'm such a sucker for this kind of thing. I like my cops good. I like 'em stocked with a boatload of that utterly irresistible combination of toughness and tenderness.<br />
<br />
Not wimpy-good. Not spineless do-gooders. A word of command from Sergeant Parker (fans know that the word is "Scorpio"), and Ed Lane or the others will kill. Parker would too, but his main job is negotiating. He tries to bring about a peaceful solution if possible. He hates the word "Scorpio," but he won't hesitate to say it when it needs to be said. And Ed won't hesitate to fire, but he'll feel the hurt of it.<br />
<br />
And both men will gently comfort the traumatized whenever they can. They'll speak words of encouragement and hope. And they'll mean them, too. They're not just trying to manipulate.<br />
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Tough and tender. Sigh...gotta love it.<br />
<br />
Why do I love that combo so much? (And it's clearly not just me. Shows don't last for 5 seasons without a serious fanbase.) Why is it so compelling to see a man...someone who commands the firepower of a half-dozen teammates with guns trained on the subject... walk gently toward the subject and speak with quiet wisdom that sometimes...but only sometimes...wins the hardened heart over? Why do we LOVE to see him take that risk, to see him care, to see him tempering all of that power with genuine meekness?<br />
<br />
Are we just wired that way?<br />
<br />
Who wired us? Who wanted us to love the warring man of peace, the killer/savior?<br />
<br />
Could it be that we're the rebels who want to be won over?<br />
<br />
Could it be that we know in our hearts that there's Someone out there to whom we're accountable, and we know He has both the power and the right to kill us for our treason? Could it be that we love to see a powerfully meek (not wimpy) Savior who can win our hearts, talk us down from our suicidal rebellion, and give us a reason to hope again...all without sacrificing justice?<br />
<br />
To hear the world talk, you'd think the answer was "no." The world doesn't want to be told it's sinful. Or accountable. Or worthy of death. <br />
<br />
But when we see our guilt...oh, when we see it...when we see the smoking gun in our hands, the telltale blood on our souls, the crushing wrongness of it all...either we will despair and rebel to the bitter end, or we will love the Tough and Tender Savior. We'll lay down our arms and rush into His.<br />
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And we'll never get tired of His story.<br />
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<br />Betsy Markmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13600148899348868100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2982662593354859176.post-48226471623139721372013-05-17T17:36:00.000-06:002013-05-17T17:36:54.074-06:00What's Love Got To Do With It?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCTMgyQbza1Rl6OFmmsN4XovnigQvj35K6qSyUIgMh-GByVBrmukvSiq1KTpwEhp8OKo9iA1UtYh9uYiyX9tKnNLbsN7aAt2i-PhiOEiQ7U7UtrVFYHP-AYJl2v583Cz3vxGE281n51x4/s1600/Face+in+the+Dark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCTMgyQbza1Rl6OFmmsN4XovnigQvj35K6qSyUIgMh-GByVBrmukvSiq1KTpwEhp8OKo9iA1UtYh9uYiyX9tKnNLbsN7aAt2i-PhiOEiQ7U7UtrVFYHP-AYJl2v583Cz3vxGE281n51x4/s320/Face+in+the+Dark.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.sxc.hu/photo/702652">Photo by Loleia</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.<br />
Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.<br />
Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,<br />
and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,<br />
and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.<br />
(Rom 5:1-5 ESV)</blockquote>
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<br />
<div>
I hate to admit it, but to me the Scripture passage above always seemed to start at soaring heights, only to plop down with an ungraceful thud.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I would start out reading words that promised to make all of my life's sufferings worthwhile, promised to make sense of the pain. Promised to make me dare to hope again...even though for many years I had hated hope with my whole being.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>Yes, yes, that's what I want. I need to know that this agony called life will be worth it all in the end! So tell me...why won't hope put me to shame? It always has, you know. Hope strings you along and then drops you in the dust and grinds your face in the shards of your shattered dreams. Hope is a cruel trickster, a sadistic torturer who preys on weaklings who are stupid enough to believe its lies.</i></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div>
So tell me...why doesn't hope put me to shame? </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"Because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
*Thud.*</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
With apologies to Tina Turner, what's love got to do with it? </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Want to confuse an Olympic hopeful? Tell him to keep sweating and agonizing because...what? He'll get gold and glory? No, he'll get God's love poured out in his heart. He'll look at you like you're nuts. Love is nice, but that's not what he's suffering for.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>Romans 5:5 may be a nice sentiment, Lord, but love isn't what I'm suffering for. You'll need to do better than that if you want to convince me to hope again.</i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Let those words simmer in your ears. <i>"Love isn't what I'm suffering for."</i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Are you sure? Maybe it's not <i>your </i>goal for your suffering, but could it be <i>His </i>goal for your suffering?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Love is what Jesus suffered for. True, He suffered for sin...ours, not His. But He didn't have to do that. He could have just annihilated us, or tossed us all into damnation without a backward glance. It was His love for us that brought Him to Bethlehem, to the dusty streets of Israel, to Calvary, to the grave.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And that journey took Him back into glory, as the firstborn from the dead, followed by all those that He purchased for Himself with His own blood.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Either He was a fool, or love is worth suffering for.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Maybe...just maybe...love is the <i>only </i>thing worth suffering for.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
As my prayer life has become increasingly focused on <a href="http://justanotherclaypot.blogspot.com/2012/10/how-i-pray-for-my-family-part-1.html">aligning my priorities with His</a>, I'm finding this whole messy "love" business is becoming more central. And because I'm such a self-centered person, love is something I mostly grieve because of its weakness or even absence in my life. Only occasionally do I get to rejoice because of how strongly love has poured out of me.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="http://justanotherclaypot.blogspot.com/2010/05/protected-and-strengthenedby-love.html">Every sin you and I commit is, at the very least, a failure to love.</a> Unquestionably, sin is always a failure to love the Lord with all our heart, and soul, and mind, and strength, which is the most important commandment. And most sins also spring from our failure to love our neighbor as ourselves, which Jesus says is the second most important thing we should do. And each of these failures harms us and harms those around us. Sometimes the wounds are deep and lasting.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The more I kneel to pray God's priorities, and the more I see the wounds I cause when I choose my own priorities over God's, the more I find myself pleading for God to fill me with love for Himself and for others.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And suddenly Romans 5:1-5 begins to make sense.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"Hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>The words of encouragement won't make any sense until your priorities line up with His. But when they do, you'll find the encouragement runs deep. (See Ps 37:4 for <a href="http://justanotherclaypot.blogspot.com/2008/08/world-in-my-hand.html">another example of this truth...that promises depend on priorities</a>.)</i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"Lord, I am choosing to hope in Your love for me, and in the outpouring of Your Spirit that will change my heart into a loving one, so that I will love both You and my neighbor as I should. And I am trusting you that this growth in love will make all of life's sufferings worthwhile."</div>
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<br /></div>
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Betsy Markmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13600148899348868100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2982662593354859176.post-82679226049461386382013-05-17T17:21:00.000-06:002013-05-17T17:21:19.363-06:00Prompts for Thinking of Others As Better Than Yourself<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdmsXimxxGvDWR66dFF-1UYh58tQz4FynQyv-6J6LHsnvq-OXa0umBAdXUsIBusNCIwirZpkCsKf2WPn0f2C_tY_xZLKCYIP2rDlxLcqnR-YHwjN4POk-Jt4j3t9TwzOflJpjfgNya_cM/s1600/fingerprint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdmsXimxxGvDWR66dFF-1UYh58tQz4FynQyv-6J6LHsnvq-OXa0umBAdXUsIBusNCIwirZpkCsKf2WPn0f2C_tY_xZLKCYIP2rDlxLcqnR-YHwjN4POk-Jt4j3t9TwzOflJpjfgNya_cM/s320/fingerprint.jpg" width="231" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.sxc.hu/photo/227873">Photo by Brokenarts</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Prompts For Thinking of Others As </span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-3a8e23c1-b4b0-ad86-767b-29b44881067f"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Better Than Yourself</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This command from God, to think of others as “better” or “more significant” than ourselves (Php 2:3) is a tough one for me. Is it for you, too?</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Why should I?” is often my attitude. And even when I feel like I ought to obey “just because He said so,” I often catch myself feeling like, “Okay, I need to go live in Pretend World so I can think of so-and-so more highly than myself.” </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My attitude is hideous, I know, which is why I rarely even dare to put it into words in my own mind...but that doesn't mean I don't FEEL it. Is anyone out there willing to assure me that I’m not the only one?</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'm beginning to truly hate the particular brand of Fundamentalism that permeated the South when I was in my formative years. The Fundamentalism which forgot the fundamentals of Christlike love and humility, in favor of an attitude of arrogant, hateful superiority. One which taught me that I already KNEW my neighbor and/or my enemy, because I’d seen and heard his caricature lampooned often enough. One that saw no reason to even try to get to know those on the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Outside </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">better.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Him</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">? </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Her</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">? Just one of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">those</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. You know how </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">those </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">are.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hateful, infamous travesty. Nothing Christlike about it. It was a pleasure to cast it aside at last.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But still...I’m to consider all others </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">more</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> important than myself? Why not just </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">as </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">important?</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Well, frankly, I don’t know for sure. But I DO know that obedience to this command doesn’t involve a trip to Pretend World. (The One who issued the command doesn’t live there.) In fact, it involves two of the most real things in the world (unfortunately often counterfeited): humility and love.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Those are two things that I need to get from the Spirit, because my flesh has precious little of them to go around.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But even though I don’t know </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">why </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He gave this command, I’m still to obey it. So I’m trying to think of ways to help myself do that, and (naturally), I’m writing it down here. Hey, it’s what bloggers do. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here’s what I’m hoping to remember when I find myself in a situation that makes it hard for me to think of others more highly than myself (surely there’s one that will fit whatever circumstance it may be):</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">This person has a need, and the Lord has given me the ability to share His love in meeting that need. Kind-of like triage...people with needs are very significant!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have a need, and this person could help/is helping. This is humbling for me, and I honor them for their resources and their help. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">This person is made in the image of God, but does not yet know her Creator. Jesus seeks the lost. He died for the lost! This person is very significant.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">This person is made in the image of God, and he knows and glorifies his Creator. What could be more significant?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">This person’s life is a story being written by God. Right now, my story intersects with his/hers, and I don’t know how much or for how long. I’d better consider him/her very significant!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">This person wants to share something of herself with me! What a precious, significant gift!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">God created this person with his unique characteristics, and placed him in this time and place. He must be significant!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">God is generous to the generous. I am free to meet this person’s needs without fear of being drained dry. (This has been a BIG fear for me all my life). And since it’s His plan that we should serve one another so He can bless both recipient and giver, then I’d better do my job and prioritize this person!</span></li>
</ul>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hey, I’m beginning to see a trend! Writing things down really helps to clarify thoughts, doesn’t it?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Do you see it?</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To think of someone as more significant than myself does NOT mean figuring out how much each of us is worth, and then sticking those things on a scale, and somehow making sure that my side of the balance always flies toward the ceiling.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It DOES mean deciding whose significance should have my attention right now. Whose significance should inform my actions and priorities right now. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">God help me to learn to live this way!</span></div>
Betsy Markmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13600148899348868100noreply@blogger.com0