christian living

This post, from Large Family Mothering, really spoke to my heart:

“We are a planning, plotting, goal-reaching people. We are taught to strategize and have all of our ducks in a row. With all of the danger and uncertainty in the world, people are looking for more ways to feel secure…

Life is not easy—no matter how one tries to make it seem so. I know some people who live what I call “prophylactic” lifestyles. They don’t just live—they are making sure that they have accounted for every contingency. They exist according to a plethora of checklists for everything from leaving the house to preventive medical tests and exams. Many are even religious for the same reasons; they want to be sure they go to heaven, but their god is not the God of the Bible; but the god of “necessity” or even “convenience”. He is a small, weak and deaf deity, unable or incapable of bringing them through tragedy and heartache. Their goal in life is not to glorify the true God and enjoy Him forever; their goal is to keep themselves “safe” from trouble.”

Boy it’s a balance, isn’t it?  Exercising the wisdom and principles of Scripture, but ALWAYS allowing the sovereignty of God and our faith in Him and His voice to “trump” our circumstances.

I’ve read several stories lately of people who stepped out in faith, doing what God was telling them to do though it defied logic, the counsel of friends, and the common sense of the world.  They chose obedience, not safety.

We’ve been called to walk that path a time or two, yet it’s very easy for me to sink back into, “But what if…”

Let’s recall the stories of the great men and women of faith.  Let’s remember Abraham, Sarah, David, Daniel, Esther, and Paul.  Men and women who embraced the foolishness of man in exchange for the wisdom of God.  Saints who loved God more than they loved being “safe”.

Few of us will encounter the perils that these and others have.  “Safe” for us involves things like money, the approval of friends and family, etc.  Few of us will be faced with obedience versus death or physical suffering.  Can we not follow Him for these few sacrifices?

May we walk in faith, with confidence, knowing that “He is faithful who has called us and also will do it”! What joy to be in the center of His will!

“…even if some days it looks as though the Philistines are winning, we are sure that those things we have entrusted to Him, He is able to keep for us and for His everlasting glory.”

“I wake up every day with a simple choice to make….give back my life in thankfulness, or with complaining take.” ~Kelly Crawford

I got mad at my computer today because it was too slow, froze up and generally acted like it wasn’t my friend.  Mad. At my computer.

The machine that lets me tell a friend who lives on the other side of the world a piece of information in under 12 seconds;  a few hundred years ago it would be weeks (and some serious effort) to send a message to a neighboring state.

This machine that gives me any information I want in a matter of seconds.  I remember a time where one needed to drive, in a car, to the library, to read about something, look up a phone number in one of those paper phone books, or go to a music store to buy a song they wanted.

Isn’t it interesting how our entitlement mentality increases in direct proportion to how many privileges we have in life?

When my dish washer broke I felt sorry for myself even though I have hot and cold water at the turn of a knob.  No buckets to carry, no cold weather to brave, no fire to build, no waiting on water to heat.

“We need another cell phone!” Do you remember the time when you had to actually stand beside your phone and dial the numbers and then you were chained to that spot?  I even remember picking up my grandmother’s phone as a little girl and there were other people talking–yes, A PARTY LINE!  People actually  had to share the same phone and they still thought it was wonderful to be able to speak through wires.

Do you remember when you had to use a payphone to call home if you were out?  I still do, just for the record.  (Do you want to see something funny?  Walk into a gas station or store and say, “May I borrow your phone?” The looks are priceless.)

I thought technology was supposed to enhance life?  Could it be that we are less grateful than ever?

In reality, we should walk into a room, flip on the light switch and say, “Whoa!  Do you see that?”

We should be utterly thrilled to jump in our vehicle when we need to go somewhere, no matter how old it is, or how ugly.  Shouldn’t we?

There are still people all over the world who would marvel at the ease of our lives and marvel more at our lack of gratitude.

“Lord, make me grateful!!!”

And our modern conveniences, by the way, are the least of things for which we should be grateful.  I want to train my heart and mind to keep a running tab of the gifts in my life so that my gratitude would pour back out as a gift in return.

I think today I’ll stand in front of my freezer and marvel at the ice.

Would our days look different if we walked through them with new eyes?

Satan delights to disguise himself as “an angel of light”.  He is king at cloaking deception underneath truth.  And that is why the Bible tells us to “study to show ourselves approved unto God” and to “rightly divide the Word of truth”.

“…the Jesus I follow demands my allegiance, obedience and death to self. He has some things to say about the way I live, and I am delighted to obey Him.”

“Jesus is all you need”.

True or false?

The statement is true.  But if the statement is used to suggest Christ’s disciples have no obligation to live out the gospel in real life (or to attack those who advocate that living out) it becomes a lie.

The statement is cleverly used because it’s safe; and that disarms us, makes us feel relieved and relaxed and open to receive anything that comes next–the deceptive part. (Lies are always “almost true”.)

Jesus IS all we need…..if it’s the *right* Jesus, and not one we have fabricated to suit our natural desires.

The real Jesus motivates us to love His Word, to search out His wisdom, to delight in His commands and to savor His will.

It’s easy to see how rampant this new Christianity is.  We have tens of thousands lifting hands claiming to love Jesus, with zero life transformation. If Jesus doesn’t transform us, and we claim Him as Savior, we trample His very death on the cross.

Many, many are being deceived by this new “freedom” that is perverted.  And they are, in turn, deceiving many.

The lie that comes behind this truth is, “I am not subject to obey, to submit my life to the Jesus in whom I believe, to follow His teaching and to uphold His truths–especially the ones that don’t feel right to me.  I can make up my own rules and mainly, I just want to ‘hang out’ with Him.”

But that is contrary to what Jesus Himself said.

Jesus delighted in complete submission to His Heavenly Father, EVEN when that submission brought bitterness and agony!

“If you love Me you will obey My commands”.

Members of this new gospel stand with dagger in hand ready to slash anyone who proposes they must submit to a Higher authority, anyone who “teaches” (unless the teacher tickles ears), or anyone who expounds on the practical application of Scripture for our lives.

The bravest ones even re-martyr saints of the past.

Be prepared for the daggers.  If you suggest that God has indeed given us guidelines for how to live, you are in danger of the daggers.

“To obey is better than sacrifice.”

If you suggest, for example, that God has laid out an order to family life, that God has something specific to say about marriage roles, if you are, in obedience to Scripture, teaching others to love their husbands and children and manage their homes,  you will probably be labeled as a “family worshiper” instead of a “Jesus worshiper”.

You will even likely be accused of being in a cult.

Cause now you’ve gone to meddlin’.  Yep, you’re a bona fide “false prophet”.

(Never mind the fact that marriage is THE VERY PICTURE of the gospel; one would think that makes family a pretty important issue for the follower of Christ to get right.

Never mind the fact that failure to “teach these things” could result in blasphemy of God’s Word.  Nope, we better just stick to “Jesus is all you need”, and stay away from all that other stuff in the Bible.

If you suggest that God says “children are a blessing”, you are probably a “child worshiper”.  Why do you keep losing focus???

“but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.”

Oh, and don’t dare quote from the Old Testament; that will move you to the rank of “raving lunatic”.

Satan is clever indeed and has enlisted a whole army of deceivers to try and sway God’s people from speaking truth about anything.

“Jesus is all you need” is a safe, happy statement with no strings attached. We can be anyone, do anything and no one can touch us because if they try, we’ll just call them “judgemental and legalistic” and retreat back to our “happy place”.

But the Jesus I follow demands my allegiance, obedience and death to self.  He has some things to say about the way I live, and I am delighted to obey Him.

The Jesus I follow is gracious and merciful to those who LOVE Him, who demonstrate that love by obedience.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

Does He know you?  Do others recognize you as a follower of Christ because you “do the will of the Father”?  Can YOU recognize a true follower of Christ?

“Blessed  rather are those who hear the Word of God and obey and practice it!”

“I will utter hidden things of old which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.  We will not hide them from their children, telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and His strength and His wonderful works that He has done…which He commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children; that the generation to come might know them, the children who would be born, that they may arise and declare them to their children, that they may set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments;”

Do I tell my children of the good the Lord has done?  Do I point to His providence and give Him the glory for the things we enjoy?  To the degree that it becomes imprinted on their hearts so they will purpose to tell it to their children?  Do I teach my children with a fervency that reaches my grandchildren?

“Marvelous things He did in the sight of their fathers in the land of Egypt…but they sinned even more against Him by rebelling against the Most High.  And they tested God in their heart by asking for the food of their fancy.  Yes, they spoke against God: they said, ‘Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?’

Therefore, the Lord heard this and was furious…anger came up against Israel, because they did not believe in God, and did not trust in His salvation.”

Oh the Word that pierces my heart!  How many times have I doubted the salvation of the Lord?  How many times have I complained and wanted more, though His provisions were evident?  How many times has He sent manna and I demanded steak?

How many times have I not believed He is able, though He has proven His power again and again?

Why have I walked in the footsteps of our fathers?  Those rebellious and stiff-necked people, ungrateful and provoking the Lord to anger.

How often have I passed down to my children NOT the power of the Lord’s salvation, but a complaining spirit that fears tomorrow when He has provided manna for today?  (Remember how the Lord rebuked Israel for attempting to gather for tomorrow?)

May I walk in newness of faith–that sweet, blissful place where my heart soars in peace and anticipation of great things He is doing because I know of the great things He has done!

The things we do, the lifestyle choices we make the “works”–it’s all fruit on the tree of our spiritual lives. It’s important that we understand fruit…

If I go outside and find a dead tree, carry a basket of apples and clothespins and leaves, I can clip the fruit and leaves on and make it look beautiful.  But the tree is still just as dead.

I might can convince others, for a time, that the tree is alive and thriving, but the tree is still dead, and in due time, the fruit will become rotten and reveal the truth.

But if I go and plant a fruit tree in good soil, water it and cultivate it, focusing on its roots, the tree will thrive and fruit will grow–naturally, without any effort.  The deeper the roots grow and the stronger the tree’s life source, the more prolific and healthy the fruit.

So it is with us.  We can do all the right things, but if we’re only focused on the “things”, we’re clipping fruit onto a dead tree.  Our focus must be on the roots–our Power Source–the Lord Jesus.

When we cultivate a deep and abiding love for Him, fruit naturally grows out of that.  When we truly “seek first the Kingdom”, the fruit will be added.  When we “cry aloud for wisdom so we can understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God”, our lives cannot help but bear “good works”–the real, living kind.

Let us dig deep our roots and cultivate our spiritual lives by the power of the One Who gives life.