Philemon

Philemon - I foolishly thought I "could knock out the book of Philemon" in one morning. Thinking its length somehow translated to its content and importance! Ha! Jokes on me! I had to stop at verse 10, not even half way through because I have too much to think about and chew on. Even now I have two huge lessons to consider... Verse 6 "that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus." I love this so much!! As we learn more and more about God and his son, Jesus we become more aware of every good thing we have in Him and that becomes more and more clear to us, there is a natural overflow of faith that makes us more effective in sharing the gospel! Just think about that. No really, stop right now and think about that! It's awesome!!! But I must move on because there is verse 8 & 9!!!! "therefore, though I might be very bold in Christ to command you what is fitting, yet for love's sake I rather appeal to you..." Stopped right in my tracks!!! This struck this "recovering legalistic's" heart!! Yes!!! God being God has every right to command us, to beat us into submission BUT!!! Can you believe it... He wants us to choose Him, for love's sake, worship Him for love's sake, set ourselves apart for His service for love's sake, live holy lives for LOVE'S SAKE!! So overwhelmed right now!! So overwhelmed...

Philemon Part 2 - on Saturday, my husband and I were sitting downtown after walking through the farmers market. A couple of ladies walked by and we overheard part of their conversation. The one lady said to the other "I'm sorry, but I have no sympathy or compassion for them. You can't tell me they didn't know what they were getting themselves into." Today in Philemon I read "but if he has wronged you or owes you anything put that on my tab… I will repay." How fortunate for us that Jesus is nothing like us! Our compassion is our measured out based on the person's merit and worth. We live by a "you get what you deserve" mantra. But oh the grace of Jesus Christ, who stands in front of us knowing what we deserve and says "put it in my account... I will repay!"

Hebrews

Hebrews 1 - Can be summed up with Jesus trumps, well... everything. You thought the Prophets of old were cool? Jesus is better. Angels are your thing? Jesus, WAY better. What about the universe? Are you putting good vibes and positivity out there?? Please hear me from the most loving part of my heart, you are being duped. Yes, the universe is impressive, but Jesus can roll it up like a robe or a scroll any time He wants too. Because the universe is the "work of his hands", fourth day art project, for us to see and marvel at the creator, not the creation. Just let this beautiful thought go with you today "The Son is the radiance of God's glory, the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word." Jesus is it. Period. End of sentence. And HE LOVES YOU!

Hebrews 2 - I am having trouble narrowing down on just one thing to pull from this chapter. In verse 8 it says " but we see Jesus", I couldn't help but thing of Peter walking across the Sea of Galilee in the middle of a raging storm, success as long as his eyes were focused on Jesus, not questioning why there was a storm but focused on WHO could bring him through the storm! Which brings us back to verse 1, we must pay careful attention to Jesus so that we do not drift away. Eyes on Him! Our merciful and faithful High Priest! Who has made atonement for our sins, Who has experienced all that we experience, who is able to help us when we are tempted and who showed His great love for us when He became the author of our salvation by suffering on the cross. You may feel scared today, depressed, hopeless, worried BUT we don't live by our feelings instead, we see JESUS!! Eyes on Him!!! 

Hebrew 3 - coming off of chapter 2 and looking at the picture of Jesus, fully God and fully man... The old testaments saints had the prophets even a great man like Moses but we have Jesus! The Son of God, the builder of the house. Verse 6 says WE are the house if we hold fast... To the end. Just as unbelief is an act of the will, in that it is an unwillingness to trust. So is believing. We choose to trust in God to believe what he said is true. It is not a one time thing where you pay a membership fee and your are done. True belief is on going. It believes today and again tomorrow. It believes when all is well and when all is falling apart. We must consider Jesus, encourage one another daily and HOLD fast till the end!


Hebrews 4 - Yesterday we talked about the on going aspect of belief. The author of Hebrews begins chapter 4 with the assurance that the offer to find rest in God still stands. Verse 9 There remains then, a Sabbath rest for the people of God for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his, after creation. The work was finished so he rested. Jesus finished the work for us on the cross and through belief in him we to can enter into rest. The author goes on to tell us to be diligent to enter or make every effort to enter that rest so that no one will fall by following our example. You see Jesus did the work, it's finished! Part of believing in Him is trusting that his work on the cross was enough! Remember our obedience is a result of loving him it is not the way too him. And we don't ever want to make the people around us think they can earn their way into his rest by being a "good person", when the lost look at us they should see a person at rest. Fully trusting that Jesus is sufficient! Think about that!!! Isn't that wonderful glorious news!!! Now... Why are verses 12-13 placed right here? It seemed so random to me. But then it hit me! How do we make every effort to enter his rest? It's not that we have to work our way in, it's that we have to work to remember HOW we go in and actually rest! You see by studying God's living and active word it's going to show us areas where we still struggle with unbelief, it is going to build our confidence in the work done on our behave at the cross, it is going to grow and strengthen our faith. You see this is the "every effort"! You believed. Amen!! Now, enter his rest, making every effort by studying the Word so that your rest can be made complete. In the end, Nothing is hidden from God, he knows if we are making every effort to rest in him or if we are just working to try and impress him. So today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your heart but BELIEVE and enter his rest!!!

Hebrews 5 - in chapter 5 the author of Hebrews was reviewing the job description of the High Priest with these young Jewish believers who were contemplating walking away from their Christian Faith and returning to the rituals of their Jewish traditions. He went on to show that Jesus again is "better" because the High Priest that served in the temple would have to offer sin sacrifices for themselves too, but Jesus was made perfect through his flawless record of obedience. And his resurrection made him a priest forever! So much to talk about here, like how he learned obedience through suffering. Just last night I had a friend telling me that she had learned so much having gone through a difficult work situation. But, I was particularly struck by the last few verses of this chapter. The Jewish believers were accused of becoming " dull of hearing", Which in the original language had a sense of becoming uninterested. They had lost interest, become distracted etc. and so, had become like babies again. In the NIV, it say solid food (the more difficult parts of scripture to understand) is for the mature, who by CONSTANT USE HAVE TRAINED THEMSELVES... You see this walk of faith, this on going aspect of belief requires training and constant use of the scriptures. We can quickly fall out of spiritual shape when we neglect our study of God's Word, coming to the place where we can no longer discern good teaching from evil teaching which can lead to being deceived and being led astray. Jesus warns of this very thing in Matthew 24. So let me encourage you today, maybe you have never really spent much time studying the Bible for yourself, or maybe somewhere along the line it just got pushed aside, make a change today! Start your training program and make time to get in the Word!! You won't regret it!

Hebrews 6 - yesterday morning my husband and I planned our agenda for the day. With birthdays coming up and projects that need to be completed, we plotted our course to maximize our day off. But we found ourselves quickly off course when we discovered that the basement had flooded. Nothing we had planned to do got done. And the end of the day, found us tired, sore and somewhat discouraged. Life can be like that sometimes... Often times. But for those who have placed their eternal hope in Jesus, there is GOOD NEWS!! "This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast..." Jesus is our anchor no matter what this life brings He will never let us go!

Hebrews 7:1-10 so do you have anything in your walk with Christ that is tripping you up? A question, in the back of your mind that just nags at you? When I started homeschooling I had a couple of things in history class that challenged my faith. It freaked me out! For weeks I just walked around wondering about it, finally I decided I needed to solve my problem. Do the research and get to the bottom of it. Heb 7 is an example of just that. Remember the author is speaking to young Jewish converts, who under social and economic persecution are contemplating returning to their old Jewish ways. In addition to the persecution there were some problems that were tripping them up, making it impossible for them to move forward in their relationship with Christ. For example: how can Jesus be King & High Priest at the same time (not allowed) oh! And, how can Jesus be High Priest if he's not from the tribe of Levi! This went against everything they had been taught. So the author set out to solve the problem and what better way than to give them an approved example from their own past. He takes them back to the beginning, when the nation of Israel will still just one man, the father of their nation, Abraham. In Gen 14, Abraham meets a certain King & High Priest named Mechizedek. We can see that Abraham acknowledges this guy as both King and High Priest by voluntarily giving him a tenth of all he had (Levite High Priest were in charge of collecting the tithes). But wait! This guy had some major differences from the usual high priest! First he was a king and a priest, that wasn't allowed, he had no genealogy connecting him to Aaron & the Levites, & his priesthood didn't have a beginning & an end (term limits) like the Levite priest BUT Abraham still recognized him as King & High Priest. So, If Abraham could recognize Melchizedek as both King & high priest how much more can you recognize Jesus as King and High Priest? Problem solved. You won't be able to move forward with God unless you solve the problems you have with Him. The Bible is a great place to get the answers you need. "Call to me, & I will answer you & tell you great unsearchable things you do not know."

Hebrews 7:11-28 let me get right to the point. As a recovering perfectionist, breaking free from the bondage of legalism, to me this is a sweet and precious portion of scripture. I still fight against the temptation to live and move under the law. A list a requirements I can aspire to and strive for and measure myself and others against. But why?!?! When a better hope (in Jesus) has been introduced that can draw me near to God. You see the law is useless when it comes to making someone perfect. It can only shed light on our sin. Pointing out our short comings but offering us absolutely no power to do anything about it. The law is simply the tool by which our sin is diagnosed. The cure... Is Jesus!! He is able to save us completely!! Tip of the day: get your Jesus prescription filled today!
Hebrews 8 - further evidence of Jesus' superiority is laid out for these new believers. And a closer look at the difference between the covenant given on Mt Sinai to Moses and the New covenant mediated by Jesus is time very well spent but today I was struck by verse 12. In the NKJV it reads "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more." Is any one else bent with gratitude, that as his child, when He looks at me, when He thinks of me... He doesn't remember all my junk and sin!! One marvelous thing about our marvelous God! Live today like your sins are forgiven and forgotten! (And if you haven't received the saving grace of Jesus, don't wait another minute! Freedom awaits! Grace, love and mercy are yours for the taking! Whoever believes in the Lord Jesus Christ will be SAVED!)

Hebrews 9 a continuation of the old covenant vs. the new covenant and the superiority of Christ as high priest. Couple of key points, according to verse 22, with out the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. Many think that forgiveness will come with time or by working off your debt. But whether you choose to accepted it or not, you are a created being and only one God created you. There is remarkable truth in the statement that all roads lead to God, they most certainly do. We will all stand before Him, those covered in His Son's blood with stand forgiven as sons and daughters, those who come with out Christ, as strangers... guilty and awaiting judgement. BUT!!! Listen, Christ was sacrificed once to take away sins, your sins, if you will let Him and He will appear a second time, not to bear sins but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him. Well G L O R Y!! He is coming soon, will you be waiting?! And if you are already waiting, let me ask you this? Are you excited for his return? I picture my girls crowded on the front couch anxiously watching and waiting for company to arrive, do we wait with the same excitement for Jesus to return? Or do we hope that He will hold off awhile so that we can fulfill one more earthly desire? I think if we really understood and knew the awesomeness of who He is, we too would be crowed on the couch, watching and waiting for His return!!

Hebrews 10 - "but this Man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God... therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus... let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith..." I don't think we fully understand the beautiful, gracious, undeserved privilege we have in Jesus to draw near to God. He is the answer to all our longings, all our questions, all our fear, anxiety and worry. He is a true source of love, comfort, wisdom and strength. We have full access through the blood of Jesus Christ, my prayer is that none of us would waste our access today!! 

Hebrews 11 - the faith chapter, the hall of fame, as it's called. This is one of those places where God always shows me something different every time I come here. What was the focus of all these hall of famers? Looking forward to the city with foundations whose architect and builder is God, longing for a better country - a heavenly one, looking ahead to their reward. Forward focus fueled by faith. Now, what is faith? Verse 1 tells us "Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Titus 1:27 tells us that the blessed hope is our God and Savior, Jesus Christ! And 1 Timothy 1:17 ... to the King, eternal, immortal, INVISIBLE the only God! Jesus is hope and God is not seen so I guess another way you could say it would be...faith is looking forward being confident that Jesus really exists and is evidence and proof of the one and only invisible God. What will you do by faith, today???

Hebrews 12 - remember that the author of Hebrews is writing to encourage new Jewish believers, who are facing persecution for their new faith in Christ, and are contemplating the return to their old Jewish traditions. He has laid out argument after argument as to why Jesus is better. This chapter struck me as an "okay! It's time to snap out of your pity party, and move on!" It's time to throw off whatever is holding you back, let go of your sin, run the race God has mark out for you! And if you are tired and feel like giving up then get your eyes back on Jesus!! Consider Him and all he endured for you so that you wouldn't grow weary and lose heart! Yes, things are difficult, but how about you change your perspective??? God will use this to make you holy, to instruct you and prepare you. People are watching you, lost and dying people, who need Jesus!! It's time to strengthen your hands and knees, no more of this wishy washiness, no more feeling sorry for yourself. Live in a manner that reflects the hope of Jesus!! Your ancestors saw God descend on Mt Sinai but you... you had Jesus walking in your midst with forgiveness and redemption for all!!! THEREFORE, be thankful! And worship God with reverence and awe!

Hebrews 13 - the final exhortations to these wavering new believers. A look back at where we have come so far... Jesus is the radiance of God's glory, we are His, if we hold fast, the Holy Spirit judges our thoughts and attitudes, Jesus is our Hope and the anchor for our soul, the answers we seek are in the Word of God, the law was never meant to save us, only point out our need for a savior, He forgives us and remembers our sins no more! Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many and He will appear a second time to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. Let us draw near to him with a sincere heart, with faith, looking forward let us strengthen our hands and feeble knees and make straight our paths so others can follow and be healed. Jesus is better!! Than anything else! So let us go forth to Him, outside the camp and continually offer the sacrifice of praise!

1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 1 - Paul is writing to a church that he spent a great deal of time with. He is especially close to this group of believers and he about to have a serious conversation with them about the influence that living in Corinth is having in them. The most obvious messages of chapter one are unity in Christ and to not swear allegiance to a powerful or respected man. But I was stuck by the words of verse 30 in the NIV translation "It is because of Him..." I went back and reread the chapter. I am called, sanctified, and made holy because of Him. I have grace, peace, knowledge, strength and spiritual gifts because of Him. I have access to power, wisdom and fellowship with God, because of Him. I have righteousness, holiness and redemption... because of HIM!!!! I have all that I have because of Jesus!! And so I will boast in HIM!!

1 Corinthians 2 - in chapter 1 Paul corrected the thinking that any access we have to God and his attributes could be credited to man, be it Paul, Apollos or Peter. It is ALL because of Him (Jesus). In chapter 2, he goes on to explain that because of Jesus we have access to the Holy Spirit. Of course, we can never grasp the awesomeness of that! You see The Spirit searches all things, yes, even the deep things of God. Let that sink in. He knows EVERYTHING there is to know about God and He is the one that lives in us, the one that is there to teach us and give us understanding of scripture. You see with out the Spirit we can not understand the things of God, we can not understand scripture. We can read and read and it will never make sense it will be foolishness to us. But through Jesus we have access to the Spirit the one who searches ALL things. Knowing this make verse 16 jump off the page!! "But we have the mind of Christ!" Do you get that?!? Through Jesus we have the Spirit and through the Spirit we have the mind of Christ! Right there in us to teach us and instruct us, so that we might KNOW God!! Absolutely, mind blowing!!!

1 Corinthians 3 - Paul again focuses on the Corinthian's misguided allegiance to certain men. I have a great pastor! He's super smart, loves the Lord, I have learned a lot under his teaching. I have enjoyed a great many wonderful Bible studies written by awesome women. Women that have taught me how to study the Bible for myself, which is awesome. But... while our brothers and sisters in Christ can plant and water us only God can makes us grow! We must never follow man's teaching blindly, we must search the scriptures for ourselves measuring every word against the absolute truth of the Bible. In turn we must measure our own advise against the Word of God, and search the motives of our hearts. Collectively as a church we are the temple of God for all to see, let us make sure that when the world sees us, they see Jesus the only one that can make them... and us GROW 🌻!

1 Corinthians 5 - Thank the Lord for men & women like Paul. Not afraid, to say it like it is, to know God's heart & Word well enough to speak it with authority. In chapter 5, Paul addresses the Corinthian church & the fact that they had a "brother" (someone claiming to be a Christian, this is an important point) in their fellowship that was engaged in blatant sexual immorality. The kind that would be looked down upon even by the unsaved (it was that bad) & yet they were proud of their tolerance and open mindedness! Patting themselves on the shoulders saying "Look how loving & kind we are." Paul tells them to hand him over to Satan, so that the sinful nature maybe destroyed & his spirit saved on the day of the Lord. Now, please bear with me, I understand the interpretation of this scripture that says having been forced out from under the protection of the church the man may recognize his sin & repent &I have no issue with that. But what if the church isn't being the church. I think maybe in the case of Corinthian church we could go as far to say that this man would fair better in the culture than in this apathetic church that would watch a man dying in his sin while throwing their arms around him, turning a blind eye to the cancer that is destroying him, withholding the truth that could heal him & set him free while saying "Look world aren't we awesome!! We are so open minded, so loving!" All the while the man is falling deeper and deeper into sin. Last week I read an amazing article by a woman who was steeped in sexual sin & wrestled with the idea of "dying to herself" that she might live in Christ, she talked about how thankful she is that when she was faced with this struggle their wasn't someone in the Christian community saying "Oh don't worry about it, it's okay you don't have to give up or sacrifice anything for Jesus...". She said it would have been a millstone around her neck!! I am talking to myself as much as I am talking to my brothers &sisters in Christ, we need to hold out the Word of Life not watch the people God loves drowned in their sin. The church needs to be the church! We hold the key to everlasting life!

1 Corinthians 6 - I love a good deal. There was a time before we had kids when money was not such a big deal, if we wanted something we bought it regardless of its being on sale. But times changed and the need for frugal shopping became a way of life. Finding the best deal has become so engrained in me I can't imagine going back to spending full price for anything! I was struck by verse 19b-20 this morning, "you are not your own;you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." Charles Spurgeon said "Your body was a willing horse when it was in service of the devil, let it not be a sluggish hack now that it draws the chariot of Christ." I am not my own, I have been purchased and not on sale mind you! The price Jesus paid for me was way and I mean WAY beyond market value!! And yet, I can almost picture Jesus showing me off, his "masterpiece " (Ephesians 2:10) ... "And this is Cija!" "Oh, how much did you pay for her?? I hope you got a good deal, She doesn't look like she's worth much..." to which Jesus smiles with great admiration "oh, she cost me everything!" We are not our own!! Therefore... let us honor God with our bodies in purity and service! "...be my witnesses... to the ends of the earth." We must remember that our mission is to spread the Gospel not convict the world of sin, that is His job.

1 Corinthians 7 - in this chapter Paul begins to address specific questions that the church in Corinth had raised. Specifically, if there was so much sexual immorality would be better to abstain altogether, even in a marriage. Some, even went as far to think it better to leave their spouses to be more holy. In verse 17, Paul presents the cut and dry answer, "But as God has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let him walk." In other words, stay married. But this reaches beyond marriage. So often we can be waiting for our circumstances to change so that we can serve the Lord better. We might say... "When my kids are older, when I am done taking so many classes, if I only had a more meaningful job or when I am well." But the Lord says "Brothers, each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to." God will use you right where you are, don't let the enemy distract you with busyness and the "if onlys" of life. There is work to be done right where you are! 


1 Corinthians 8 - a chapter about personal liberties and freedom in Christ. Stop and ask yourself a question. Why do you do or not do the things you do and don't. I am tempted to just leave at that, let you ponder this question today. I think it is vitally important for you to understand why you make the choices you do. I think it is equally important that we help our kids figure out their answer to this question. Why are you mindful of your language or not mindful? Why do flee or not flee from sexual immorality? Why do you obey or not obey the speed limit? What's motivating you when you make these choices? Is it because the Bible tells you so and you don't want to get in trouble? Or is because you love the Lord with every part of you and you want to do anything you can to show it? These are things the Bible directly addresses but what about those more "grey areas" your personal liberties? Why do drink or abstain from alcohol? Why do you attend or not attend rate "R" movies? The list could go on and on. The longer you are a Christian the more knowledge you glean. You understand that all things are permissible (although not necessarily profitable). With this knowledge you begin to unravel the ties of legalism and experience true freedom in Christ. But with freedom comes great responsibility. We must remember to temper our knowledge with love for others. Knowledge without love puffs up and thinks oneself more spiritual and embraces liberties with little care for those around them. But one who loves God will put people before their liberties. We are told to be careful that the exercise of our freedoms does not become a stumbling block to the weak (wrongly informed). I loved this explanation when someone is stumbled they are "tempted to sin through someone else's actions vs. offending someone's legalism." So why do you do the things you do and don't do? I hope the answer is Love.

1 Corinthians 9 - "Dear you, focus on yourself." "The problem with putting others first, is you teach them that you come second." "Darling, don't forget to fall in love with yourself first." Three "inspirational" quotes on Pinterest this morning. In chapter 8, Paul discussed being careful not to exercise your personal liberties at the expense of someone else. In chapter 9, the discussion continues. Paul gives personal examples for his own life, for instance, as an apostle, he had the "right" to be paid and supported by the Corinthian church, but he denied this right and continued his manual labor to support himself so in no way would he hinder the gospel. In fact, he says "we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ. This really got me to thinking... in a culture that couldn't be any more self focused, what am I willing to sacrifice for the cause of Christ? Paul likens it to an athlete that must deny himself many "rights" to achieve a body that can actually win the race. He must make his body a slave in order to train and win. We serve a bigger purpose with eternal consequences so we must ask ourselves... what are we willing to give up and put up with for the cause of Jesus Christ?


1 Corinthians 11:1-16 1 Corinthians 11:1-16 This can be one of those passages that seem so far locked in the past that it has no present good. BUT we would be very mistaken. The passage is not simply about outdated cultural demands of veils and head coverings, it is about order in authority. Take something as simple as a buffet, if the plates are placed somewhere other than at the head of the line, chaos is soon to follow. It isn't until the plates are moved back to the head of the line where they belong that the chaos ceases and the line begins to move in a smooth and orderly fashion seeing that everyone is served. God established an order in authority as far back as the Garden not to make one feel less important than another but to give us a standard of order in which everyone is served. I loved the perspective of commentator, David Guzik on the effects of culture when God ordained order of authority is pushed aside as old fashioned or even sexist. "It is fair to describe our present moral state as one of anarchy. There is no moral authority in our culture. When it comes to morality, the only thing that matters is what one wants to do. And in a civil sense, many neighborhoods in our nation are given over to anarchy. Do you think that government's authority is accepted in gang-infested portions of our inner city? The only thing that matters is what one wants to do. 
iv. We must see the broader attack on authority as a direct Satanic strategy to destroy our society and millions of individual lives."

1 Corinthians 11:17-34 Paul moves on to address the way the Corinthians are observing the Lord's Prayer. To sum things up, they are combining it with a shared meal (hmmm... we are back to the buffet!) where the division of class was quite apparent. The wealthy were stuffing themselves while not sharing with the poor. But Paul said that whenever we recognize the Lord's Supper we are proclaiming the Lord's death, we are telling the world Jesus died for you! Now... how will this message be received by the world if the ones proclaiming it are ignoring the needs of their own church family while stuffing themselves. The point of the Lord's Supper is continually refocus our attention towards Jesus and to remind us that we are here to proclaim the life that can be found in His death. The Lord's Supper should be done with reverence and then... it should send us out motivated to share the love Christ demonstrated on the cross!

1 Corinthians 10 - yes! I am going backwards, somehow I skipped over chapter 10! Paul is wrapping up his three chapter topic of liberty within the bounds of love. He uses the Israelites in the wilderness as an example. They had all the same "benefits and blessings" as the Corinthians. They were "baptized" in the Red Sea, they shared in the Lord's Supper (manna) and they had the presence of Jesus with them (the Rock that followed them in the wilderness) yet they were scattered in the desert and did not enter the promise land. They worshipped idols, committed sexual immorality, and grumbled. Why? Because they failed to keep their eyes on God and didn't say "No" to their personal desire out of their love for God and fell into temptation. The Corinthians were in the same boat, their knowledge of their liberty in Christ had become their idol. Their focus came off God and onto themselves, their attitude was one of "How much can I get away with?" vs. "How can I bring glory to God in my daily life so that some might be saved." We should be less concerned with catering to our own desires and more interested in pursuing what is good and loving towards those around us. Instead of following the example of the Israelites in the wilderness let us strive to follow the example of Christ.

1 Corinthians 12:1-11 "Now about spiritual gifts... I do not want you to be ignorant." I am not going to go over the nine spiritual gifts mentioned in verses 1-11 but rather focus on the goal, or the reason for those spiritual gifts. The end of verse 11 says "he gives them (spiritual gifts)to each one just as he determines." In verse 7 we find the reason for these gifts "now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good." Spiritual gifts are not patches that we earn by living right. They are not markers of the spiritually mature, they are awesome works of the Holy Spirit through ordinary believers for the purpose of bringing glory to Jesus (not the individual), likewise they are for the good of all not just individuals. I love what Clark had to say about spiritual gifts "gracious endowments leading to miraculous results." Remember these gifts speak to the awesomeness of Jesus not the awesomeness of the believer.


1 Corinthians 12:12-31 If there is one thing we humans are experts at, It would be dividing one another into groups. Young-old, rich-poor, black-white, educated-uneducated, athletic-not so much... I could go on and on and on but it is NOT SO in Christ. Our Corinthians friends were just the same. Take the spiritual gifts for instance, those were great dividing lines, not only could they divide into groups they could rank one another by awesomeness!!! WRONG! As we were reminded yesterday the gifts have nothing to do with us and everything to do with Him. When Paul picks up in verse 12, he uses a great word picture to help us understand that there is be no division in the community of believers. We are one body in Christ and "in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, everyone of them, just as HE WANTED THEM TO BE." You matter in the body of Christ, I matter... we each have a job and a function entrusted to us by God himself. May we each surrender to the master potter that we may be made useful for His service and eagerly serve Him wherever He calls us.

1 Corinthians 13 - Paul had confronted the Corinthians on several key issues. Most recently... pride and division over spiritual gifts but now he says, "now I will show you the most excellent way...". If I do all of this, many great amazing things but I don't have love, then... I am nothing. Nothing. Let that really sink in. There's actually several different ways to look at this. If I do a great many things but have not loved it all adds up to nothing. This is a great application for every day living, setting your highest priority each day to love. That is indeed an excellent way! But there is an even bigger application. If I have done a great number of amazing things with my life and I HAVE NOT "LOVE" I am nothing. Scripture tells us the God is love and that Jesus is God. So you could read that as "if I have not Jesus, I am nothing." As we enter into December, the month in which we celebrate Jesus' rescue mission to earth, let us focus on the fact that without Him we are nothing and with Him we are called to LOVE!

1 Corinthians 14:1-25 "Follow the way of love" Paul dives a little deeper into the spiritual gifts of tongues and prophecy. I won't pretend to be a expert on either, I have much to learn when it comes to both. But here's what stood out to me in these verses. This group of believers struggled with a great number of things. One of those being, pride. Tongues seemed a bit flashier so it was the thing they chased after. But Paul said "follow the way of love" or "pursue love" this was to be their obsession. Yes, desire spiritual gifts so that God might receive glory through them! He even makes a suggestion... prophecy, why? Because "everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort." Which brings us back to Love. And who is LOVE??? God! May following after Him be our greatest obsession!

1 Corinthians 15 - the background for this chapter, misunderstandings about the resurrection of Jesus. Perhaps it was more of a spirit thing not any actual body thing. Ummm, no. Christ was dead and then Christ was ALIVE! This is what the Gospel hinges on, if Christ's body was not made alive again how would there be evidence that He is different from, say... Buddha? But there is evidence, Christ in his body was seen by other 500 people before he ascended back to Heaven! This fact is proof that He is different! He has the power to defeat death! And we have been given that same victory through Him! So in light of that, stand firm! Let nothing move you. Always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain! 

1 Corinthians 16 - In this final chapter Paul focuses on a sense of unity in their support of those serving the Lord, not just financially (although that is mentioned) but also in terms of acceptance. I work at the welcome desk at church and there isn't a Sunday that goes by that I don't get a phone call asking if the regular pastor is preaching. They don't want to venture out if there is going to be someone else preaching. Seems the Corinthians had the same mind set. But we need to remember that these men are "carrying on the work of the Lord" and we "should not refuse to accept" them and send them on their way in peace. Hmmm, this isn't what I originally planned to write about but this is what apparently is heavier on my heart. Perhaps as we draw closer to Christmas and remember Jesus who gave his life for us we can remember to pray for those "who have devoted themselves to the service of saints" that them may be refreshed. And as always. Be on guard (watching for the return of the Lord) stand firm in the faith, be men and women of courage; be strong and DO all of this and everything else in LOVE!

Living in this crazy upside-down world

To my girlies,

Sometimes I have to stop a minute and say, “Did that really just happen? Like for real?”. I never imagined that I would live in a world like the one you are growing up in.  Maybe I was terribly naive as a child, and young adult.  But I truly thought America was different. I thought Americans were different.  I thought we respected one another and were willing to fight for one another not against one another.  I thought Americans were the kind of people the locked arms together to find a way to make our country the best it can be for all Americans. I thought we respected the electoral vote and respected the winner of that vote whether our guy won or not. I thought we routed for our leaders, because their success meant our success.  I thought we built up and encourage one another to be the best we can be.  Now I look around and all I see is divisions, no longer Americans but left and right etc. etc.  Bickering, fighting, and horrible name calling and more disrespect than I could ever imagine (and both sides have populations that are guilty of this deplorable behavior, and it is sad that these are the people that get all the limelight). If you want to end up overwhelmed, sick to your stomach and somewhat depressed spend 5 minutes reading the comments on any slightly political post.

I am honestly starting to believe that social media is among the worst things that has ever happened to our society.  People are addicted to it, they say things on social platforms that they would never say face to face… but even now that is changing.  With years of spewing obscenities, vile name calling under the shroud of social media, now people are becoming more and more bold and are taking it to the streets. This is what it looks like when the human heart is left unchecked. It truly is the most deceitful thing. 

Listen my loves, this is not who we are raising you to be. As we have always said, “Be informed, know what you believe and why you believe it. Do not just accept whatever you read or hear as truth, do your research, gather all the information and make an informed decision. Always be willing to listen and always remain teachable.”  But when you have come to a conclusion about something do not get all puffed up and prideful, do not shame others. Not even those that do and say really stupid and disrespectful things.  Remember that harsh words only stir up anger, but gracious words are sweet to the soul and bring healing.  Did you hear that???  Your harsh words will do nothing!!!  It is gracious words of truth spoken in love that will make a real difference. 

Yes, you will get irritated and even mad but you need to exercise some self-control. 90% of what you think does NOT need to be said! It is said that no human can tame the tongue, so I say… just keep your mouth shut! Pray that the Lord will instead fill you with wisdom from Heaven, wisdom that is pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.  Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.  Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner that is worthy of the gospel of Christ. This is what our crazy mixed up world needs.  Now… Go! and be a blessing!  I love you, my sweet girlies.  Mom

Nehemiah

Nehemiah 1 - The story continues some 15 years later (after the close of Ezra).  Nehemiah (a Jewish man having grown up in Babylon) inquires about the remnant that has returned to Jerusalem and the progress they are making.  Reports of a broken down wall and a city left open to attack deeply troubles Nehemiah. So he goes and eats a bowl of ice cream to calm his nerves, meets his friends at the gym to work out his stress, stops off at the mall to do a little stress shopping. He jumps on Facebook and reads every article and every post that has the word “wall” in it.   Oh waits… that was me (minus the gym part). Nehemiah, on the other hand,  sits down and weeps, for days he mourned, fasted and prayed before God.  Why? Because Nehemiah actually knew where to renew his strength (Is 40:31), waiting on the LORD! He reminds himself who God is, and who he is through confession and then powerfully pleads the promises of God not to make things better but for the the Lord to grant him success and use him to fix this problem.  God brought Nehemiah to a powerful position in Babylon, he is cupbearer to the King of Persia (what???  is a Jew doing in a such a influential position? The Lord put him there!) this combined with Nehemiah’s heart for God, the Jewish people and Jerusalem, God would now be able to use this man to accomplish His will.  God raises one man up and puts another down FOR HIS PURPOSES.  Where does God have you today? Look around, he has put you in this place for a reason.  He has work to be done here.  Is your heart concerned with the things of God, today?  Are you ready to ask God to grant YOU success today as YOU do what He is calling you to DO?  Does that scare the bahgeezers out of you?  I ask cause it does me!  Sure there is a part of me, maybe even a big part of me that says “Yes! I want to be used by God!” but then there is another part of me that screams NO!!!  I am scared something bad will happen. Praise God! He isn’t finished with me yet.

Nehemiah 2 - Let’s just say that it is a very good thing that Nehemiah was tasked with building the wall and not me.  Already 9:00 AM and I haven’t been able to focus on my Bible study at all.  My mind darting here and there, stopping real quick to do this and that.  Open my Bible, Deposit a check, start reading, Oh crap! Not as much work in first quarter better review the budget for February, resume reading, answer an email, I mean it’s an inquiry for a photoshoot, I better jump on that right now! Read a little more, (kids are up) respond to a text (don’t want to be rude), try to finish reading, update the calendar before I forget (I’m getting old!).  READ CIJA!!  But there is breakfast to be made, devotions with the girls, and we NEED to get school started! ACK! Sometimes this is reality of trying to spend time in the Word.  It isn’t all sun filled windows, cozy chairs and the perfect cup of coffee to accompany your time with Jesus. Is it perfect, No! There will be days like these, but we press on, we try again tomorrow. We take some time to go out, ride around the broken down wall and survey the problem.   Examine where things fell apart, I stayed up to late, I over slept this morning, I looked at my phone (email, facebook, instagram, texts) while still in bed.  I sat down at my computer to do my Bible study instead of the kitchen table.  After taking careful notes of what areas need attention, I told myself… “Come on Cija, let’s rebuild the wall!”   Opposition comes but… “The God of heaven will give us success, we His servants will start rebuilding!”

Nehemiah 3 - This chapter meticulously lists the names of the workers and the location of their work on the wall.  The one that struck me personally was the perfume maker but it also listed, the High Priests, priests, rulers, goldsmiths, daughters etc.  The point being that regardless of background, gender or occupation they all became temporary construction  workers to do what the Lord had asked them to do.  No excuses, “but I’m the Ruler”, “I’m just a girl” or “I don’t know how”. A group of believers coming together to do what God has called them to do, well… can you imagine?  Just think for a moment, if each and every believer out there, read their Bible every day, really spent time studying the Word, really loved their neighbors, really put nothing before God, really went into all the world sharing the Gospel.  Just think about what would happen!  It starts with us.  You. Me. Let’s follow this example!!  Let’s RISE UP and DO! 

Nehemiah 4 - It shouldn’t come as a surprise that as soon as the Jews got to work doing what the Lord had asked them to do, another wave of opposition came.  Angry, red faced opposition, they were ridiculed and made fun of.  They prayed and kept on working.  The opposition grew angrier and began to plot together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble.  They prayed and posted a guard to meet the rising threat. But their resolve began to waiver, they looked around saw the rubble still stacked high around them and turned their focus to the opposition they faced.  This was the moment their enemies were waiting for.  With their heads downcast, the enemy could sneak into the very city “Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.”  Life can get us down sometimes, even knock us down.  Can I encourage you today with the words of Nehemiah “Don’t be afraid of ______.  Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.” Do as these Jews did and return to “the work”.  Nehemiah had another vital part of the plan to overcome their enemies.  The Jews were spread out, all around the perimeter of the wall, they needed to be together to encourage one another in the Lord so he said, “Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!” There will be great opposition, but we must continue the work, we need to keep our eyes focused on God, remember the Lord who is great and awesome and gather together with other believers on a regular basis to be encouraged.

Nehemiah 5 - We could soak in Nehemiah 5 for a long, long while.  There are many topics that could be discussed, rich and poor, ministry and money, taxes, borrowing money etc.  But, I want to focus in on verses 6 & 7.  Verse 6  “When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry.”  I must admit, I can get fired up about things. Just ask my husband, he gets to hear all about it! Over the years, I have learned the importance of what Nehemiah did after he got very angry.  Look at verse 7  “After serious thought…”.  Nehemiah did not react in his anger, he stopped and gave this issue serious thought.  I imagine he prayed, even reviewed the scriptures for God’s direction in this situation, considered the full picture of what was happening and how they got to this place and then acted.  This modern age we live in with all our modern technology makes it easy for us to see and hear lots of different things that can make us very angry.  We, however, must guard against reacting in that anger, even if it's righteous anger.  It is prudent to pause, and give the matter serious thought before you act.  Pray, search the scriptures, seek the truth and then move forward.  In Nehemiah’s case this proved to be very wise.  He ended up rebuking these people after giving the situation much thought and they responded with silence, a realization that what they were doing was wrong and then with the willingness to make it right. We must, as the last chapter said, “Remember the Lord”, take a breath, allow God to have a moment to prepare our hearts and their’s for the work/correction He wants to do.

Wow! I am such a big fan of Nehemiah!  I mean, who knew?! This guy never gives up, one thing after another is thrown at him and he just keeps going. I loved this description by David Guzak "Finally, there came a man who did more than wish Jerusalem had walls; he grieved, he ached, he prayed, he planned, he asked boldly, he went, he fought, he encouraged, he stood strong, he saw the job through to completion. But he also had people around him with the same kind of heart.” In so many ways, Nehemiah is everything I am not.  In this chapter, his enemies rise up again to try and stop the work.  First, they try to make nice with him, “Come let us meet together…” Nehemiah refused four times. The fifth time they turned the heat up, they began to slander Nehemiah, “It has been reported among the nations…” They accused him of all sorts of deception and treachery and then threaten to tell the King if Nehemiah didn’t agree to come and meet with them.  I have much to learn from Nehemiah’s response.  He simply told them it wasn’t true and they were making it up.  No outrage, no freaking out, no fretting about his reputation (how does he do that?!?!) Oh… verse 9 he prayed, “Now strengthen my hands.”  The plot and schemes of the opposition doesn’t stop there, another man tries to encourage Nehemiah to hide in the temple because these enemies are seeking to kill him.  It even sounds like biblical advise, ya know “hide yourself in God” the “Lord is a strong tower the righteous run into it” but… the law clearly stated that only priest were allowed in the temple. Over and over, Nehemiah had good discernment partially because he as so familiar with scripture that he was able to recognize the bad advise, partially because KNEW God to be trustworthy in ALL circumstances and partially because it is not by might but by the power of the Holy Spirit.  I want to be a person that does more than just wishes things were different.  I want to be one who see the work through to completion despite the mobs that may seek to stop me.

 Nehemiah 7 - With the walls complete, Nehemiah turned his attention to appointing the gatekeepers, singers and priests.  This victory of finishing the wall would help to project the jews and give them the safety to worship more freely allowing them to go deeper in their relationships with God.  The jews of Jerusalem are not the only one’s that face an enemy who is seeking to harm them.  Sin is crouching at our doors looking and waiting for an opportunity to pounce. The wall would act as good protection but with out gatekeepers and someone guarding the wall it would be of little use, one could easily find a way over an unguarded wall.  God is capable of leading us to victory over sin in our life, even the one that plagues us, the one that seems impossible to give up. But we would be wise to be like Nehemiah and appoint gatekeepers to keep watch. This could be finding a person that will help you stay accountable, it may also include some housekeeping, getting rid of things that will stumble you, perhaps you will have to put locks on your TV or get rid of certain movie channels, and in extreme cases it might mean quitting a job or ending a relationship. Victory over sin is often very hard work, that includes striping ourselves of things and sometimes people that we hold dear, continued victory over sin requires vigilance, the Bible tells us to be sober and alert.  The roots of sin, especially those that have been allowed to grow, dare I say even nurtured, run very deep.  We must have guards in place to watch for any signs that root is taking hold again. But praise God there is victory in Jesus! 

Nehemiah 8 - Yesterday we talked about the importance of guarding the walls that protect us from sin creeping back into our lives. Today we shift to moving forward. When the Holy Spirit shows us our sin and we see just how “good” we aren’t, broken heartedness can come.  Broken over the reality of sin and the cost of that sin, but our brokenness should not be allowed to overshadow the good and holy work that the Spirit is doing in our lives at that moment. Certainly there is a time of tears but the joy of Lord is our strength and after confession it should be our primary focus.  Yes we were wrong and the cost of our sin was great, in no way am I trying to make light of that.  But Jesus’ sacrifice, love, grace and mercy should move us from sadness to praise! Think about what He has done for you! From praise to deep abiding love for our Savior, from deep abiding love to obedience.  Did you see that?  We don’t obey God to try and make us lovable or to earn his love.  He has lavishly poured out is His love us already (in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us), he couldn’t love us anymore that he already does.  We obey God because we love him! It’s the natural progression, if you LOVE him you WILL do what He asks. We love him because he first loved us, we are compelled by his love.  Love is the motivator. Obedience is a result of His loving us and us loving Him in return.  Now back to what I was saying.  Praise to deep abiding love, deep abiding love to obedience and obedience to great joy! Often people think being a Christian is a bummer because they perceive it as a life of rule following.  But what they don’t understand, is that obedience to God is the path to true freedom and JOY! So if a recent struggle with sin has got you down, confess it and allow the joy of the Lord to be your strength to get up and (in the words of Toby Mac) MOVE! 

 Nehemiah 9 - I really loved this chapter it shows the contrast between God and man.  Personally, I do good to be reminded of the vast contrast between myself and the Creator of everything.  It keeps me in a state of awe and humility.  Let me see if I can paraphrase a bit of this contrast for you. God, alone is God, He made the heavens, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in it, He gives life to everything, He keeps His promises, He is righteous, He hears our cries and does miraculous signs. He has made a name for Himself which remains to this day. He leads us, has given us His Word and provides for us. Yet we can be stiff-necked, arrogant, disobedient and refuse to listen or pay any attention to Him. We put other things before Him, worship other gods and rebel against Him. We cry out to Him when things get tough but the minute we are at rest, we again do what is evil in His sight.  But in His great mercy He does not put an end to us or abandon us, for He is a gracious and merciful God!  In all that happens to us, He is just and acts faithfully, while we do wrong. If this doesn’t cause you to want to fall to your knees and thank Him for His grace and His mercy I don’t know what will. He is so worthy of our praise! 

 Nehemiah 10 - The Jewish people were about to get serious about their walk with God, they had prayed, confessed, laid it all out there and now they were going to form a pact about how they were going to move forward. They were going to separate themselves from the way the world operates and live their lives for the sake of God’s purpose.  They would strive to make decisions in their romantic relations and their business relationships that were both obedient and glorifying to God. They would make a commitment to supporting God’s work with their time, resources and money. I have been working hard over the last 15 years or so to untie the mess of misunderstandings I have about God. Picture a clump of tangled necklaces, that has to be carefully looked at and painstakingly pulled apart setting one chain free at a time.  God is the master untangler, His work is so patient and methodical, gentle and caring that not one piece is broken in the work. He is and has made great progress in teaching me about His true character but He isn’t finished with me yet.  Like a bike on a dirt path, I can easily find myself back in a rut I have worn with wrong thinking about who He is.  One area that I continue to struggle in is finances and giving. There was a time in our life when giving was easy.  We had lots of money and I was happy to buy anything for anyone at anytime. I was known for my extravagant gifts. I was indeed a cheerful giver with my friends and the people in my life but tithe, that was “dues” I paid to keep myself in God’s good graces. With the passing of time, kids entered the scene, I left my high paying position and went to work part time to be with my babies then I quit that job altogether and started my own business.  Fourteen months into our life with 3 babies, and six months into a brand new mortgage my husband lost his job.  Ends didn’t even come close to meeting. I look back in wonder.  How in the world did God bring us through that? It has been 11 years since the day our world turned upside  down and the journey has been mind blowing in so many ways. God is so faithful to us and we are still working our way back to where we were (from a income perspective) before that day 11 years ago (in other areas we have come so very far.  But it is in the area of finances and giving that much of my “jewelry” is still tangled.  If I am honest… I am scared.  I agonize over spending every penny that comes our way, terrified that there won’t be anymore pennies.  I check, double-check and then check again before every purchase and then I worry, did I do the right thing is God really okay with this purchase or is He mad at me.  Ugh! All that to say,  THANK YOU, God for being so faithful to keep untying our mess. He doesn’t get frustrated with our tightly tight tangles and just start ripping them apart or give up and throw us away because we still don’t get it!  I am so very grateful for that and everyday I must remind myself that I need to surrender to His work in my life, let Him pry the tangled mess of my mind and heart apart, setting my free one chain at a time.  

 Nehemiah 11 - Temple - check.  Wall rebuilt - check. The next thing on Nehemiah’s agenda was to repopulate the Holy City of Jerusalem.  A city which had been little more than a rubble filled ghost town for a lot of years. You might think that real estate inside those big strong walls was in big demand, but no.  The leaders of the people settled in but beyond that they casted lots to see who would be obligated to move from their country side properties to the city limits.  In this case, moving to the city of Jerusalem was a lot like our choice of choosing between the world and Christ.  Moving to Jerusalem meant leaving their thriving properties behind and starting up something completely new, something risky, something that would require trusting in God to provide. Living in this holy city, would put them under a spotlight of sorts, everyone would be watching them.  Jerusalem was to be a city on a hill, a light and example to the rest of the world.  Jerusalem was hated by it’s neighbors.  There would be fear of alienation and even persecution. Jerusalem was not a port city or a center for trading.  There was no great money to be made there.  But there in the midst of the all the rubble was God, King of kings and Lord of lords.  Choosing Christ will surely cost you something, material wealth, reputation, worldly pleasures, friends, maybe even family.  But I can assure you of this… He is worth it all!! 

 Nehemiah 12 - Have you ever cleaned a room, really cleaned it, gone through every drawer and every nock and cranny? And then carried out huge bags of trash and things you don’t need or want anymore? And when you are all done you just go stand in the door way and look at the glorious sight for a little while, your little heart fills up with joy knowing that all the junk is gone and all that remains is clean, organized and ready for use. That’s a little bit like worship.  Wait, what?! No really, in Nehemiah 12 they are getting ready to worship God.  The Temple is done, the wall is done, the people have acknowledge their sin, they have organized where everyone is going to live and now they are getting ready to worship and praise God.  The worship leaders prepared by purifying themselves first, you can not lead effective worship if you have junk in your life that needs to be taken to the curb.  Psalms 24:3-4 says “ Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD?
Or who may stand in His holy place?He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol,
Nor sworn deceitfully.”

Then they purified the people, the gates and the wall.  They prepared their surroundings for worship as well.  It’s like cleaning out your drawers.  Over time, junk finds its way back in, sometimes to the point where we can’t even close the drawer with a good shove.  Trying to find something just leads to frustration, digging through all the just leaves the drawer even messier than it was before.  But… once you have taken the time, to sit down, empty it out, sort through it all, keep what is good and useful and get rid of the rest rest. If we want to truly worship God is spirit and truth, we need to take a moment to make sure our “drawers” are in order, the drawers of our hearts and the drawer of our homes. Make sure there isn’t anything holding us back, causing to us to stumble to hide parts of ourselves from Him and then we can open ourselves up and rejoice as God fills our drawers with great joy!

Nehemiah 13 - I got to honest, I did not see this ending coming. I should have, but I didn’t.  So much had happened, God had delivered the Israelites from the grips of slavery with the great exodus from Egypt.  He had lead them in conquering the land of Canaan and he had eventually handed them over to captivity so they could see their sin and return to Him… mercy and love.  He brought them back to Jerusalem and gave them strength in opposition to rebuild the temple and the wall surrounding the city.  Far and near they went in their relationship with Him. At the close of chapter 12, I was anticipating a big finish in chapter 13.  But what I found was them back in the “far” position again.  Nehemiah had returned the King of Persia as promised and had been gone for some 10-12 years, he returned to find Tobiah, one of their biggest opposers of God’s work actually living in the Temple courts.  No tithes were being brought to the temple, so the Levites had returned to their country farms, and worst of all they were again marrying people who served other gods. Nehemiah didn’t give up though, he rolled up his sleeves and got to work setting things right again.  He purposed in his heart to do all he could do to not only do right himself but to help his brothers and sisters do right as well.  Romans 8:3 says “For what the law was powerless to do, in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God DID by sending His Son… to be a sin offering. Rules can't save us. No matter how diligently we purpose in our hearts to do good, we will fail.  Our sinful nature makes us weak.  We can not save ourselves with a pledge to do good. We will never be able to live up to that pledge.  But God (that one’s for Pastor John), does what we and and the law are powerless to do, He sent His Son to cover the cost of our sin and to save all those who want to be saved.  If we simply, confess with our mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord and believe that He rose from the dead, WE WILL BE SAVED!  That doesn’t make us perfect, but it does make us forgiven! We will continue to mess up but compelled by our love for Christ we will choose more often than not to live for Him and not ourselves.

Ezra

Ezra 1 - Have you ever faced an impossible situation?  One where there are just too many players and you are convinced that most of them are immovable.  Making your situation impossible.  Now… you don’t come right out and say that because you know “all things are possible for God” BUT, this particular situation depends on this one person that you are secretly convinced is really outside the circle of what God can work with.  Again, we would never admit that out loud to anyone, we keep that tucked deep down where it can’t taint our Christian facade. I remember praying for my husband, our marriage and thinking there is no way God is gonna be able to change this.  I was wrong.  He did. And for the record He did a fabulous job.  Some times there are situations that seem too far gone, too impossible, involve people that are just too difficult and we sit there wondering “How in the world, is God gonna be able to do anything with this situation or in this mess?”  But we can be encouraged by the opening verse of Ezra “…in order to fulfill the word of the Lord… the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus the King of Persia…”  You see despite what we think about the impossibility of our situation, God keeps His promises and He is ABLE to move the heart of anyone, anywhere to accomplish His will.   

Ezra 2 - Is not a chapter that stirs great emotion, names and numbers crowd it’s text. But I couldn’t help but see the theme of “returning” in the lists of people that returned from their captivity to rebuild their home.  At one time their ancestors had been lead out of captivity to a land promised to  a land flowing with milk and honey their’s for the taking. God moving in front of them in a cloud and pillar of fire. Now a smaller group returning to a broken city of rubble pillaged and loitered as a result of their disobedience and idolatry that remained under the control of the Persian Empire.  In one scenario they followed God in the other they returned to Him. But not all, some stayed in the land of their captivity, perhaps different things held them there. For some maybe they had found a false sense of comfort in their new surroundings, God in His mercy may have even allowed them to prosper there, why would they want to return to a broken Jerusalem?  Maybe others were ashamed to go back and face the destruction their choices had caused.  We can’t be sure, but their captivity, their exile was always intended to bring them back to God. Is God calling you back to Him today? 

Ezra 3 - In verse 3, we see this remnant of Jews beginning the work of rebuilding the temple. I was intrigued by the order in which they took for this task.  Despite their fear…did you hear that?  Even though they were afraid of the circumstances and enemies that surrounded them, they did.  Fear is a powerful tool of the enemy but it is just that, from the enemy.   When we are afraid it does us good to remember who Satan is when compared to who God is and move on.  But back to the order I mentioned before, the first thing they built was the Altar of God where they offered burnt sacrifices.  It was after this that they began working on the foundation of the Temple. Repentance and forgiveness must come first before the foundation can be laid.  I couldn't help but think about how Paul tells us that our bodies are the Temple of the Holy Spirit, but before He can begin the work in us there must first be repentance and forgiveness.  Does it seem like the work in you has come to a stop?  That you are stuck in the same place?  Might there be a need for repentance?  In verses 7-9, the supplies are collected and work begins to lay the foundation.  Paul tells us in Philippians 2 that we are to “work out” our salvation.  The blood of Jesus Christ saves us but there is an ongoing process of building the temple that takes our cooperation. Are you following the call of the Lord, carrying out His assignments? No doubt this would have been difficult work but instead of crashing on the couch we see them praising the Lord, giving thanks and singing. A few months ago while studying the final chapters of Psalms I learned that the Lord calls us to praise Him over and over again not because He needs it but because we need it.  Praise and thanksgiving keeps our eyes and hearts focused on Him.  It helps us to overcome our fears, to encourage us and to fill us. This chapter is a good recipe for walking with the Lord.  Repent, cooperate with God in your remodeling, do the work He is calling you to do and praise Him for the work He is doing in you. 

Ezra 4 - In the opening verse of Ezra 4 we see some willing helpers come the Jews way.  They are ready to roll up their sleeves and pitch in with the manual labor of rebuilding the Temple.  I can imagine with such a daunting task any help would be welcomed and appreciated.  But in vs.3 these would be helpers are shut down and turned away, with little room for misunderstanding. There is a really valuable lesson to be learned here. These would be helpers were Samaritans, descendants from the Jews of Israel (to the North, after the Israel and Judah split) who intermarried with those from other countries.  They claimed to be Jews while in reality they were not.  They claimed that like the Jews who returned from Babylon, they sought the same God and had been sacrificing to Him for sometime now.  On the surface, this sounds great.  Why are the words from High School Musical rushing to my mind, “We’re all in this together…”.   Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 10?  "Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues.”  These returning Jews would need to be as “wise as the serpants”, and they were.  They recognized that these men were not who they said they were and they were not serving the same God.  They were wise enough to know that they should be cautious of men, wise enough to know the Word of God and His commands and because of this they were able to recognize that from their own statement we “have been sacrificing to him since the time of Esarhaddon, King of Assyria…” that they were not seeking the God of Israel at all.   They sacrificed with out a Temple and with the Priests appointed by God, all of which went against God’s commands.  In a situation where they cause have used the help, they took a step of faith and turned it down.  Choosing instead to trust that God had a better way to complete the  job ahead of them.  The Samaritans did not graciously accept their decision and return to their homes, they opposed them at every move, making their work difficult and filling the Jew with discouragement.  Which actually lead to the work stopping for 17 years. If was there, I can see myself doubting my decision to refuse the help.  Thinking it would have been better to let them help and just get the work done.  Surely, that would have been better than sitting here on a partially finished project.  But here’s the lesson, which goes back to a Psalm I recently studied, unless the Lord builds the house we labor in vain.  Jesus warned that he was sending us out as sheep in the midst of wolves.  Those Samaritans were not looking to help, they were crafty serpents and wolves seeking to destroy the Temple from with in. We do wise to follow the example of Zerubbabel and his friends as we build the living Temple of God. 1. Do not blindly accept help with the calling of God, not all are who they say they are. 2. Be as wise as the serpents but as harmless as doves. 3. Seek advise and consul from other believers that you trust and move forward in unity. Be ready to face opposition, there is great enmity between the serpent and the seed of the woman (Jesus), and when all seems to be going wrong and the work comes to a grinding halt, remember that the Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still. 

Ezra 5:1/Haggai 1:1-11 - The years ticked by, the Temple remained in ruins, the focus of the people turned from rebuilding the Temple to rebuilding their own homes.  Opposition lead to the work being halted,what started out as a good excuse, eventually lead to apathy. So what went wrong, just yesterday we were saying that if the Lord doesn’t build the house we labor in vain and that the Lord will fight for us we just need to be still.  Why are things different today? Their focus changed with the opposition, they stopped waiting on the Lord.   From the Lord’s point of view, it was time to build the Temple, when opposition hit He expected His people to keep their focus on Him, He would fight for them, He would provide everything they would need to do the work as long as they kept their focus on Him.  But they took the opportunity to say “Well it’s just not the right time, I might as well go build my own house.”  Then their focus continued to turn more & more towards self. They planted, ate, drank, clothed themselves, earned money but were never satisfied.  God had work to be done & a way for it to be done but no one was listening, they were all so wrapped up in their own stuff. So God sent an alarm clock to wake them up.   He "called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the oil and whatever the ground produces, on men and cattle and on the labor of their hands.” This should have been a “heads up” for them, because this is exactly what he said he would do in DT 11:16-17, the gods they were worshipping in this case was the god of self.  And when they didn’t get the message he sent a messenger in the prophet Haggai.Is there a work that God is calling you to do today? (umm… yes!  At a minimum, He is always calling us to serve and worship Him) Have you run into opposition? Are you waiting on the Lord, keeping your eyes fixed on Him allowing Him to be a light unto your feet? Or have you let waiting on the Lord turn into apathy?  Let your focus drift elsewhere? Are you busy chasing your dream, while the Temple of God sits in ruins? “Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Give careful thought to your ways'.”

Ezra 5:2-17 - I have been a christian for a long time, well over 4 decades.  You would think that I would have this down by now.  But I assure you… I do not.  I am finding that walking with God on this side of Heaven is a series of "screw ups” and “get ups”. I am beginning to understand what it means when it is said that David was a man after God’s own heart. David screwed up, a lot. BUT… David always prayed, got things right with God and got up, got back to what the Lord was calling him to do.  That’s an act of truth humility, being able to face your screw ups, admit that they are screw ups and take them to God.  Admit/confess, talk it out, get back to where you belong and pick up where you left off.  Holy living for us will never be perfect, but God doesn’t seek our perfection He seeks our confession, our returning to Him, our desire to right where we went wrong. Our pride can keep us from returning and confessing to God after our screw ups and time can made it seems even more difficult.  This is where David got things right.  The moment he realized that he had screwed up, he got up and returned to God, confessing and making things right.  He got right back to serving the Lord with out guilt on shame.  In Ezra 5, We see the remnant of Jews who returned to build the temple, the ones who let opposition bring their service to a halt and allowed a loss of focus to distract them, respond to the call of God through the prophet Haggai and resume the work God had called them to do.  And this time they are stronger, a second wave of opposition comes but they stay the course. Be encouraged today that when we screw up, God only wants us to get up and return to Him.  Praise God for His mercy today! 

Erza 6:1-12  Obedience is always followed by opposition. The Jewish remnant got back to work after 17 years of distraction and WHAM!  With out  hesitation there was someone questioning what they were doing and if they should be doing it. Tattenai thought it his place to find out just what was going on.  He wanted to know who authorized them to build the Temple and he want to know the names of the people involved.  Then he wrote a letter to King Darius making sure he was aware of this “thing” that was being done.  King Darius searched the archives and found that King Cyrus had given the order, but ya gotta love this.  Instead of saying, “Yep, it’s all good, they can build.”  He went further and said “Yep they can build and YOU are going to make sure they have everything they need to do AND if you don’t the punishment will be death.”  No matter what God is asking you do to today, do it.  Expect opposition, even from those you think should support you and press on.  God has your back and He will make a way.  That you can depend on. 

Ezra 6:13-22 The 2nd Temple is finished!! But from the time King Darius told Tattenai to bud out and fund the balance of the project it was another 4 years of hard work to finish the Temple. Vs. 14 says “So the elders of the Jews continued to build and prosper under the preaching of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah.”  I loved this reminder that when we have been given our assignment, we must not forsake the Word of God or the fellowship of His people in our excitement.  In our zealous to do what the Lord has called us to do, we can make the dangerous mistake of trying to do it in our own strength.  With so much to do, we don’t have time to read our Bible, study or go to church. We convince ourselves that we will get back to those things when the schedule eases up or one particular circumstance changes but soon we can find ourselves far from God buried in a work of our own that has no joy or effectiveness.  We know what the Lord is calling us to do, we have stepped out in obedience, overcome opposition but that does not mean the work is going to easy.  It will demand our time and diligent effort but we must remember that to continue and prosper in the work we must do it under the preaching and study of God’s Word.  Then when the work is finished we can celebrate with joy, “because the Lord will fill you with joy!"

Ezra 7 - The Temple in Jerusalem has been finished and now some 60 years has past and during that time, a young Jewish girl, named Esther has risen to a place of great influence in Babylon.  Being placed there “for such a time as this” God used her to save His people from the wicked plot of Haman. Pockets of Jews continue to make their way back to the land of Israel, including the skilled scribe of the Law, Ezra. Ezra is sent back with the same favor in which Zerubbabel & Jeshua returned (gold, silver, tax exemptions, and the promise to provide whatever is needed). Once again we see a secular King being willed by God’s almighty hand.  “Praise be to the LORD, the God of our Fathers, who has put it into the king’s heart to…”  Amen! and Amen!  But the Lord keeps bringing me back to verse 10.  “For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees…”. Study, observe and teach the Word. Do you want to make a difference?  Do something that matters? Leave a legacy? I do.  I want to leave a huge eternal footprint when I leave this world, I want God to mold me into a vessel He can use and to fill me with His love and wisdom and I want to be poured out on a lost and angry generation.  But how? (I ask because I find that a loving response is rarely my first inclination) I must prepare and devote myself to the study of God’s Word, then I must walk it out every single day, do what it says and then share its power with others. Teach my kids, encourage a fellow believer, and share the life saving Gospel with those around me. The key is to be washing ourselves in the Word, soaking in it, getting all pruney in it, we simply can’t do it with out emptying ourselves of us and filling up with  His Word and His Spirit. Study, Do and Teach.  Let us devote ourselves to the cause of the Chris, today and everyday! 

Ezra 8 - The last verse of Ezra 7 says “Because the hand of the LORD my God was on me, I took courage and gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me.  Fast forward to Ezra 8:21 “I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before God and ask him for a safe journey… I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, “The gracious hand of our God is on everyone, who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him.”  When God puts something on our hearts to do, we often times will respond with great zeal but as the time comes to step out in faith and go, things can start to look very different.  Our focus can shift from the big picture of what God has asked us to do, to the obstacles and dangers standing in our way. Fear can start to creep in and eventually overwhelm us.  Our minds become crowded with all the “What if’s”, every fight or flight synapsis starts firing! I speak from a wealth of experience, my head knows the truth but my heart often times goes screaming into the night! I suppose this makes me the queen of the plan B, the carefully thought out plan with multiple contingencies.  Not that planning etc, is a bad thing.  We can see in this chapter that Ezra was organized, meticulous and a skilled leader.  All that is great, but not what I am talking about.  I am talking about taking a walk through a dark alley where known criminals and bandits hang out with a million dollars strapped to my back.  I mean, come on, it was reasonable if not even responsible of Ezra to ask the king for protection.  But holy cow, I wanna be like this guy!  Instead, in his heart, he felt ashamed to ask the king.  That stands in mighty contrast to my heart, digging in my heals crying “no, no, no, no…. I am going to need massive security, armored car etc”.  Ezra’s heart pointed him to ask The King for protection. That is the kind of heart I want.  One so convinced, so sure that God will do what He said He was going to do, that it doesn’t freak out but instead humbles it’s self and fully trusts God. 

Ezra 9 - Studying the Bible is like riding a roller coaster, just when you things are all going up hill… WHAM everything comes crashing down.  This remnant of the Jews made their way back to Jerusalem, got the foundation of the Temple laid and then under the pressure of circumstances, gave up, got distracted and stopped working. God sends Haggai to get them refocused and back on task.  The temple is finished and everyone is praising and worshipping God. Sixty or so years pass and another group returns to Jerusalem, bringing a million dollars worth of gold and silver from Babylon, a 900 mile trip in only 4 months under the sole protection of the Lord! BUT… once they get all the supplies put away and counted they look around this holy city that the Lord so graciously allowed them to return to, after having been taken into captivity as a result of their idolatry and find that this small remnant of Jews were doing it again!  They were intermarrying with the nations around them. The exact same thing that had gotten them into trouble in the first place.  God told them to be separate, for a reason, because a little leaven leavens the whole lump. When Ezra saw what was going on he was appalled.  The girls and I were talking about this the other day.  We were talking about some show on TV, like many others that had pushed the “envelope” of what is acceptable content.  They were “appalled”.  So I asked them about some of the other content, soon they began to see that this show was packed with “appalling” content in the sight of God but we were slow to recognize it as such.  A little leaven had over time made us less and less sensitive to the sin.  The boundary will continue to move as we become more and more comfortable with what is being served up as entertainment. I encourage to look up Ezra’s prayer in Ezra 9 for yourself, spend some time reflecting on his attitude in this prayer. Ezra had a very real handle on who God is and who we are and what we deserve. He does not hope to simple escape the consequences of their sin but knows that they need to be utterly saved from their evil behavior. He doesn’t even ask anything of the Lord, but only presents himself as we all are - guilty. It is the true recognition of this quilt that will bring us to our knees before an Almighty God in heartbroken confession.

Ezra 10 - I must admit I drug my feet a bit coming into Ezra and now I find myself a bit sad having come to the end. As I studied this final chapter this morning that thing that really stood out to me was Ezra’s passion for his follow believers.  When he discovered that they had fallen into sin his response wasn't one of mild curiosity with an almost immediate shift back to his own life but one of great distress.  He tore his clothes, pulled his hair out, prayed, confessed, wept and threw himself down before the Lord. I have become increasingly aware that I have not fully grasped and power and privilege of prayer.  Too often my prayers are little more than “Dear Heavenly Father, Thank for today.  Please… In Jesus name, Amen.” Paul was another that seemed to really embrace the benefits of prayer and made mention that he prayed for his fellow believers daily. Confession and repentance should be an ongoing part of our prayer life. While there is no condemnation for those in Christ and while He has forgiven all our sins past and future, unconfessed sin has an affect on our relationship with God it holds us back and keeps us from Him.  We are more apt to just drop in for a quick drive-thru prayer vs. sitting laid out at his feet when we have unconfessed sin in our lives. Ezra knew that with out confession and repentance their relationship as a nation with God would be affected, it is the same with us today both on a personal and a national level.  I want to encourage you and MYSELF to confess any sin that is holding you back in your relationship with God, repent (turn and do His will) and embrace the power and privilege of prayer in praying for our fellow believers in this great nation of ours to confess and repent as well.  Confession ad repentance isn’t a one time thing, but an ongoing act vital to the quality of relationship fellowship with and submission to the Lord.