Change? You’ve Got Everything You Need.

16 May

TwoCaterpillarsTwo caterpillars were chatting on a leaf. Suddenly, a beautiful butterfly fluttered by.

One caterpillar turned to the other and said, “You’ll never get me up on one of those butterfly things!”

It’s always dangerous to assume we know all the answers, and to resist change because we don’t understand.

The truth is, we have to stop being caterpillars before we can MonarchButterflybecome butterflies.

After my dog barked at a caterpillar the other day and I rescued the little stripped larvae (envisioning the gorgeous butterfly that would someday take flight), I thought about that caterpillar joke. How pitiful that the caterpillar didn’t understand the destiny of change.

I am tired of listening to Christians grumble that they “can’t change.”

And I’m not being critical of others. I’m just as tired of hearing my own complaints and excuses.

Like many people, I’ve caught myself saying, “I can’t change. It’s just the way I am.” No – I need to wake up to all that I have in Christ and my true destiny in Him. I need to step out in faith, courage and obedience – to walk as a child of light, pleasing the Lord (Ephesians 5:8-10). A child of light; that’s who I really am. I just keep forgetting the power that is mine.

Let me rephrase that. It’s not my power. God’s “divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness” (2 Peter 1:3). The Lord is our El Shaddai – God the all-sufficient One – and He perfectly supplies our needs. Although the primary focus of this passage in 2 Peter is our spiritual rather than temporal life, God’s children attest to His care, even in the storms of life.

Still, Paul said he considered everything else he had “a loss” and even “garbage” compared to the “surpassing worth” of knowing Jesus (Philippians 3:8). He understood that to know and “have” Jesus is to have everything.

Many Christians don’t think this way. They don’t believe we have all we need to live a godly, purpose-filled life. They’re always looking for an allusive something that’s missing so they can “have victory,” “find purpose,” or “live for God.” They think it might be in the next blog they read, or the next Sunday message. The truth is, God is actively seeking to change my life and make me more like Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:23). I am a work in progress, and God has given me the Word and spiritual tools for change.

Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, “encouraging, comforting and urging” them “to live lives worthy of God” who had saved them (1 Thessalonians 2:12). But why did he tell believers to “make every effort to add” to their faith so they will be effective and productive in their knowledge of God and service for Him? (See 2 Peter 1:5-10; 3:18.) Why? God expects us to grow! Though we may face trials, God continues to work in us (Philippians 1:6 ). When we suffer and stumble, He restores us and make us “strong, firm and steadfast” for His glory (1 Peter 5:10).

When my husband recovered from knee surgery, we kept the post-surgery swelling down using a machine that streamed icy water through a rubber mat. The first time I wrapped the mat around his knee and plugged the machine into the wall, I thought it was broken. It took me a few minutes to realize a tiny wire at the top of the machine’s casing was not completely pushed in. What appeared to be powerless or even broken was simply a disconnected wire.

In the same way, I have everything I need to live a godly, effective life, but I need to make sure I’m connected each day, mentally and spiritually. I need to remember the cross, and think about who I am and what I have in Christ. The scriptures tell me my life is “hidden with Christ in God” and therefore, I am “qualified to share in the inheritance of the saints in light” (Colossians 3:3; 1:9-14). That is the truth. That is why I can walk in light. (I have been justified; I am being sanctified.) I can make the daily upgrading choices that align with God’s plan for my life.

God expects my cooperation – a willing, surrendered heart. So I will strive for excellence in all things, desiring to reflect the glory of God. I will pursue holiness and be careful in my behavior, walking in wisdom and making the best use of my time, doing my best to understand and follow the will of the Lord (Ephesians 5:15-17). I will “walk worthy” of my calling (Ephesians 4:1; Philippians 1:27a; 1 Thessalonians 2:12).

I’ve got everything I need for change; and if you know the Lord in a personal, redeemed relationship, you have everything you need. Believe it.

When is it hardest for you to believe you’ve got everything you need?

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God’s ‘Leftovers’ are Makeovers!

9 May

Three wives were bemoaning their husbands’ attitudes towards leftovers:StillLeftovers

“It gets rough,” one said. “My husband is a movie producer and he calls them reruns.”

“You think you have it bad,” was the reply. “Mine is a quality control engineer and he calls them rejects!”

“That’s nothing compared to me,” said the third lady. “My husband is a mortician. He calls them remains!” *

Much has been written about not serving God the leftovers in our lives when He desires our best. I like – OK, truth be known, I was convicted by – what Francis Chan wrote in “Serving Leftovers to a Holy God.”

“God gets a scrap or two only because we feel guilty giving Him nothing … Leftovers are not merely inadequate; from God’s point of view (and lest we forget, His is the only one that matters), they’re evil.”

But that’s not what this post is about. One night, my husband Bob and I discussed this question: Does God have any leftovers?

A New Testament miracle came to mind. Jesus ministered to people whether their need was for truth, healing or food. Mixed within the multitude of people who followed Jesus were some who came because of His message and miracles, but most came simply for the meals. When they didn’t understand His message or the source of power behind His miracles, they still knew they could count on some chow. The Bread of Life provided well.

At least in one case (John 6:12-13, the feeding of the 5,000), there were “fragments” of food – 12 baskets full – that remained after the mass feeding. After the disciples saw Jesus turn the two barley loaves and fish into dinner for a crowd, they heard him say, “… gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.” I’ve always wondered about those leftovers.

ChristBlessingTheFiveLoaves_2

“Christ Blessing the Five Loaves,” a print at Holy Transfiguration Monastery

The multitude may not have felt the 12 baskets of “fragments” were that important, but apparently Jesus did. Perhaps they represented God’s blessings. Maybe they represented the Father’s good grace.

Sometimes I’m guilty of considering only the big evidences of God’s work in my life as important, but the truth is, even the small blessings can point me back to the goodness and grace of God. Without Him, I can do nothing. He gives me strength; He is my Provider, my Sustainer.

So I try to gather up all these little fragments of blessing in my life and remember them, especially for the tough times. I believe there are no “worthless leftovers” in God’s plan.

God redeems everything in the believer’s life; He makes or will make all things new (2 Corinthians 5:17; Revelation 21:5). So instead of complaining or wallowing in discouragement when facing life’s trials and problems, I can choose to rejoice and count (rehearse) my blessings. I pick up all my “fragments” and praise Him for the work He’s about to do.

Consider some of the Bible’s lowly “leftovers”:

  • The lowly slave boy, Joseph, became Egypt’s second in command. (He not only collected the small fragments of his life and trusted God, he showed the Egyptians how to survive in famine – Genesis 47:13-31.)
  • God chose a lowly shepherd boy to be Israel’s king.
  • Jesus  chose 12 simple men to be His disciples.

So don’t get discouraged if you feel like a “leftover” in the Kingdom of God. Instead, meditate on 1 Corinthians 1:27-29:

“But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.”

God chose me … an unworthy servant … to speak and write about His love and holiness to this generation; and knowing that God uses what others might reject encourages me to reach out with the Gospel. Sometimes He invites people to His banquet-table that others might never consider (Luke 14:15-24). Learn to see people from God’s perspective:  He transforms lowly leftovers into miraculous makeovers! In God’s economy, every “fragment” is precious.

How have you seen God radically change an area of your life? How is He transforming you for His glory?

* Cybersalt Digest, Issue #3934, 12-31-12

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There’s Hearing, Then There’s Hearing.

2 May

We may think we’ve heard something correctly, but then again …

A mom was teaching her three-year-old, Caitlin, “The Lord’s Prayer.” For several evenings at bedtime, little Caitlin would repeate the lines from the prayer after her mom.

Finally, the little girl decided she could go solo. The mom listened with pride as Caitlin carefully enunciated each word, right up to the end of the prayer:

“Lead us not into temptation,” she prayed, “but deliver us from e-mail. Amen.”

And sometimes we listen, but we already have decided what we’re going to “hear.”

Take this conversation, for example:

Patty’s teacher asked her, “If I give you two rabbits and two rabbits and two more rabbits, how many have you got?” RabbitAndApple2

Patty replied, “Seven!”

“No, listen carefully,” the teacher said. “If I give you two rabbits and two rabbits and two rabbits, how many is that?”
“Seven!” Patty said.

“Let’s try this another way,” the teacher said. “If I give you two apples, two apples, and two apples – how many apples do you have?”

Patty replied, “Six.”

“Good,” the teacher said. “Now, if I give you two rabbits and two rabbits and two rabbits, how many rabbits have you got?”

Again, “Seven!”

“Patty… you’re not listening!” the teacher said in frustration. “How on earth can you say there are six apples, but seven rabbits?”

Patty smiled. “I’ve already got one rabbit at home now.”

I’ve discovered there are two kinds of hearing.

Have you ever heard your own voice on some kind of recording? The first time I heard my voice from a recorded women’s event message, I groaned and asked my husband, “Is that what I sound like? I hated my voice.

Others never complained, however, so I wondered whether I sound the same to others.

Some time ago, I read an article* that explained how sound enters our ears in one of two ways:  either (1) air-conducted (through the eardrums, three tiny bones and terminating in the cochlea, which converts vibrations into nerve impulses to the brain); or (2) bone-conducted (vibrations from the vocal HowWeHearcords reaching the cochlea directly). [See diagram to the left, from House Research Institute.]

Dr. Chris Chang, an otolayngologist at Fauquier Ear, Nose & Throat Consultants in Warrenton, Virginia, explained, “When [someone] listens to a recording of their voice speaking, the bone-conducted pathway that they consider part of their ‘normal’ voice is eliminated, and they hear only the air-conducted component in unfamiliar isolation — what everybody else actually hears.”

In other words, we live all of our lives hearing only one component of sound. As the author of the article, science writer Jordan Gaines, noted, “…we live our lives hearing and perfecting our bone-conducted, but not air-conducted, voices.” We’re hearing, but not getting the whole hearing scenario.

As I read this article, I thought of some scriptures that indicate people hear God’s words, but they’re not recognizing His voice. Worse, they may not be hearing His heart. Or they may not listen with the intent to obey.

In Mark 4:9, Jesus said, “.. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” (See also Matthew 11:15; 13:9, 13:43;  Mark 4:23, Revelation 2:7, 11.)

It seems God is saying, “There’s hearing … and then there’s hearing!”

God wants us to be attentive – to listen and take notice of what has been said. Romans 10:17 says faith comes from hearing, and hearing is through the Word of Christ (Romans 10:17). Unbelievers must have their spiritual ears opened.

Sadly, many hear the Gospel message, but few “hear” (receive and respond to) it. Some hear the Gospel and purposely shut their ears, becoming hard-hearted toward the Truth. Some are so concerned about the things of the world (1 John 2:15-17), their ears are not tuned to the things of God. To be sure, the enemy is busy and creative, trying to distract these careless hearers (see the parable of the Sower, Mark 4:3-15). In some cases, God hardens hearts that will not hear so they cannot hear (Isaiah 6:9-10; Matthew 13:15).

But it’s not just unbelievers who have a hearing problem. Christians (like me) can also be inattentive hearers to the Word and will of God. OpenBible_Listening2How often do we hear only what we want to hear. We get so busy, even in ministry, that we “turn a deaf ear” to the voice of God. If we were truly listening, we might more often hear the still, quiet voice of the Spirit, directing our lives.

In Luke 11:28, Jesus said, “… Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it.” He also said, “…My mother and brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it” (Luke 8:21). Hearing that leads to obedience brings blessing (John 13:17).

Sometimes I am guilty of giving simple assent to the words of God, but then not putting them into practice. It’s not intentional hypocrisy, but rather, careless listening. It’s listening, in the busyness of my day, without the eager intent to obey. When I recognize this deafness toward the Spirit, I repent and remember why Jesus died for me. He didn’t die so I could hear the story of victory and abundant living over and over but then live my life with my personal agenda. He died and rose again so I could hear the Gospel, embrace it, and then love, serve, obey and glorify Him in all things.

Do you find yourself hearing God and His Word, but not hearing in a productive, fruit-producing way?

What do you think causes our careless listening?

* Quoted in “The Body Odd” by Jordan Gaines, NBCNews.com, 4-2-13

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