Not Looking Far Enough Forward

Acts 1:7-8 says this, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. You will be My witnesses, telling people about Me everywhere...”

Anxious apostles earnest in asking what their Master never directed or encouraged them to seek.

And yet how often is that us? Longing for answers to future events as if the knowing somehow brings superlative peace and supreme tranquility.

And quite often our honest reasons for knowing are mixed with some degree of faith, yet a good amount of fleshly impatience; some tender love, but some selfish concern; a bit of holy discontent for a better world, and at the same time under-exaggerated laziness... looking to heaven with folded hands waiting, instead of fervent hands working for heaven of which we’ve been entrusted.

And I read it in my commentary in the fringe hours of my morning, “Our fault is not that we look forward, but that we don’t look far enough forward.”

Looking forward, longing for answers we’ve not been intended to know, keeps us focused in the wrong direction. Our eyes should be on Jesus in heaven. Why worry about 365 days when we know that eternity awaits those who’s hearts are filled with Him? Why employ worry when we can engage certainty of an eternal life with the Father?

Maybe our fault is that we don’t look far enough forward. 

What Will I Conquer Today?

I have a sticky note that resides on my office bulletin board where I wrote this one single line... "What will I conquer today?"

When Jesus was leaving to be the Father, He prepared His disciples for what was to come. Over and over again He adequately conveyed His mission, conditioning His students for life after His death and subsequent ascension with God.

We are told in scripture that when Jesus was getting ready for the leave, He tells His precious disciples this:

"You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

Power.

We are told that with the gift of the Holy Spirit comes power. And that means that we have within us a resource that God expects us to utilize to CONQUER something.

And so I tell myself... on repeat in this difficult season... "I have RESURRECTION POWER living on the inside of me for the soul purpose of CONQUERING something." And when I conquer something it means there's a battle I must overcome.

Upon leaving this earth Jesus gave us Himself in the form of a Spirit. The Holy Spirit. And He... friends... expects me to conquer something.

Maybe it's why I kept reciting those words that day following my surgery. "I can do hard things."

Because inwardly I KNOW that I am built for conquering that which seems otherwise IMPOSSIBLE.

Admittedly, yesterday, was a hard day.

But then I remember... I can do hard things.

Why?

Because I have RESURRECTION POWER living on the inside of me.

I was born to conquer something.

And this... this is simply a hiccup in the journey. A bump in the road toward heaven.

And so my prayer continues to be that THIS would bring honor and glory to His name.

Because if it doesn't do that... it will be a waste completely.

All I desire is for this to be a means of glorifying the Lord and drawing others to Him.

It is truly my deepest desire.

He is ultimately better than I ever deserve Him to be. What on earth do I have to complain about... He is so so so good.

And I encourage you today... what is the mountain you are facing that seems too big to climb???

May I remind you - YOU, friend, have RESURRECTION POWER living on the inside of you! YOU have been asked to conquer something too - of great significance - because HIS power has been transferred to YOU!!

Can we be brave enough to ask each other regularly... WHAT ARE YOU CONQUERING today?

I promise you (as I promise myself) it will ALL be worth it in the end... if God gets the ultimate glory - it will ALL be worth it in the end!!!

❤️❤️❤️

Concern and Desire!

Some mornings it’s speaking it out loud until you begin to believe it. Psalm 138:8, “The Lord will work out His plan for my life - for Your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever. Don’t abandon me, for You made me.”

And l say it out loud in my quiet time, “The Lord will work out His plans for my life. His faithful love ensdures forever. You made me, therefore You will not abandon me.”

And I think long about it this Friday morning. Will God honor my desire? Will He applaud my concern for deeper trust and increased faith even as I sometimes sit in a waiting room riddled with doubt and fear and anxiousness?

Because so often we have this false idea that God esteems only that which is perfected. That He somehow only accepts the sacrifices made by unwavering Christians who have mastered the skill of unshakable assurance. But I wonder if He looks closer at the heart that’s torn but trying. I consider a Father who delights in concern as well as confidence.

Because there’s something about a life longing for more of Jesus that I believe is a sweet fragrance to the Savior. I think He’s scouring the world over looking simply for the souls who desire, who have an appetite for that which only He can satisfy. I believe He’s searching for those who’s faith might still be fragile but who’s hunger and thirst for more outweighs the danger of doubting.

Can we honestly say in the sight of a Holy God, “I am looking to heaven and long for more than this world offers. I may not have assurance, but I have concern. I may wrestle with great knowledge of the One who created me, but I can say with confidence I have a desire that I may be found in Him at last!”

Don’t allow condemnation to invade your life. Every step toward the Father is a step of faith He honors. And the great thing is He meets us right where we’re at! He will not abandon you! He will finish the great work He began in you!

Look TO Him and FOR Him!

Yesterday morning I did my quiet time in Mark, chapter 6. It's a familiar story, and honestly one that has been talked about over and over and over. But sometimes the Lord speaks in a NEW way from an old passage! And He did to me this day!

 

Mark 6. The story of the disciples in the boat and Jesus walking on water to save them from peril.

Verse 50 says this, "They were all terrified when they saw Him. But Jesus spoke to them at once. 'Don't be afraid' He said, 'Take courage! I am here!'"

I love the way the Message reads, "Jesus was quick to comfort them, 'Courage! It's me! Don't be afraid!'"

And we so often become fixated on the "take courage" part of this verse. Well... because truthfully it's the important message nestled among God's words here. In fact the Message version calls the courage out! "Courage!" He calls the courage OUT of His students!

But I want to focus on something else today.
The words Jesus says, "It's Me!" "I am here!"

When I was laying in the hospital room following my surgery last week I was in SO much horrific pain that I have no words to describe it. When they couldn't get the pain under control for what seemed like an eternity, I finally had to calm myself down because the pain from crying made my stomach muscles ache that much more. And as I calmed myself down I began to say the only words I knew to say... the only words I could muster with the small amount of strength I had left, "I can do hard things." and "Thank you Jesus. You are good."

I heard the voice of Jesus in the wilderness. He called the courage out of me in that moment of despair, and with what little bravery I had I began praising Him and reciting life over my circumstances. And let me tell you - when you can get a glimpse of Jesus saying "It's Me! I am here!" everything changes!

Jesus silences our fears by making Himself known to us in our deepest, darkest places. In fact I heard it again this week, "We rest in the shadow of the God Almighty, and sometimes when it's the darkest, is because He is the nearest!"

We see hard situations and we get fearful. It's human nature to fear. But Jesus is calling us from the wind and rain and says, "It's Me! I'm here!"

We've got to see past the situation to our Savior.

He's there!

We've got to say, "I'm not looking at you, problem, I'm looking for Jesus! I KNOW He's here!"
The other thing that stood out to me was that He spoke COURAGE ("Take courage!") before the wind stopped. Not vice versa. He didn't calm the seas and THEN tell them to not fear. He offers the taking of courage in the MIDST of the storm!

And what does this tell me? It tells me there's something more special about the relationship I have with Jesus than the remedy and relief He sends.

Relationship before Remedy.

Ahh yes! It's what He calls us to. Depend on the relationship before you depend on the answers I give to the situations that you least desire.

The fear of those disciples disappeared when the presence of the Jesus increased and they realized that He had come to rescue them. And not calm the waters first... but calm their worry about it first!

Oh friends... He is always rounding the bend to accomplish deliverance for us!

"It's Me! I'm here!"

He's calling to you today.... and saying... "Once you focus on me everything else fades away! All worry falls off! Look TO Me... Look FOR Me!"

My commentary suggest that we are to "recognize Christ more vividly in our troubles, because the storm is terrible by appearance only."

"If Christ be for us, who (OR WHAT) can be against us?"

All of our anxieties should subside at the sound of His voice!

And the other thing that is worth mentioning here is this... the disciples had obeyed the Lord when He told them to get the boat and cross the lake to Bathsaida while He sent people home and went off to be alone to pray (verses 45-46).

Obedience often doesn't make sense. Perhaps the students of Christ didn't understand the reason for the request, but they had been commanded, and for them, that was reason enough to obey. Reason is often camouflaged for the Christ-follower.. and SO many times duty opposes our preferences; but the lesson the Lord teaches us in times of surrendered obedience offers us the greatest level of nearness to the Father!

I wrote this in my journal 2 days ago, and I have been reviewing it since:
Jesus was teaching so much more here than meets the eye! He was teaching that obedience is the best kind of nearness! Because of their obedience, the students of Christ benefited from His deliverance! His temporary absence doesn't indicate His unwillingness to rescue or His disinterest in our pain. He's teaching us to ever be looking TO Him, and FOR Him.

I end it here with this commentary that I loved...
"Jesus' care remains steady. If it be dark and He has not yet arrived, we may always be certain it is because He pauses among the trees to pray. We are to keep working and watching. For when He sees we are ready to receive Him, He will start directly towards us on the sea."

I love you friends!

Oh and how I pray you take all of this in today and soak in His presence!

He is madly, deeply, crazy in love with you!!! <3

Wendy

Our Inward Man

2 Corinthians 4:16 says, "That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day."

"That" in the verse being God receiving more and more glory!

The Message version says it this way, which I love, "So we're not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside where God is making new life, not a day goes by without His unfolding grace."

How beautiful is this?!

And really this is quite the polar opposite of what we normally say and how we generally believe. We say things like, "Outside I look good while inside I'm a mess and falling apart!" or "I'm slowly dying inside."

NO we're not! NOT according to this verse we're not! God is making NEW LIFE within us day by day. Our internal life in Jesus is being renewed every single day!

The "outward" man... the material framework of the body... is undergoing a gradual process of decay. Oh boy do I know this well. I know ALL of us know this well. BUT the "inward" man (the higher, spiritual life) is "day-by-day" passing through stages of renewal.

And it's a word that seems to be specifically characteristic of Paul (Rom 12:2, Col 3:10, Titus 3:5). Renewal means this... renovated, strengthened, invigorated, more faith in God.

Though our body fades, our heart doesn't seem to sympathize with the suffering and decaying of its form. My commentary says that, "while our bodies fade away, our souls become more fit for the flight to our eternal home."

However... oh HOWEVER.. there is work to be done on the part of those who believe!

We must habitually exercise the daily renewal of our inward man. It is our responsibility. Day by day we must instruct and elevate our mind above the world and find communion in God's Word. It is, after all, the daily MANNA for our soul.

Let's think about the closing words of the Lord in John 15:3-7 when He is talking about the tree and it's branches. "I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who remain in Me, and I am in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing."

Ahh... yes! The full beauty and fruit producing fruition of the branch (us) is dependent upon its complete and constant identification with the tree (Jesus).

The full beauty and fruitfulness of life are missed if we allow our fellowship and intimacy with God and the truth of Jesus to become limited or irregular. Heaven forbid if we cut it off entirely. Communion is our life-source!

I read it in my commentary this way, "We are often deeply anxious about the outer world, its clouds, temptations, worries, painful circumstances etc... but really our concern lies chiefly with the depth and force of the life within us!" It goes on to say, "Let the trees be right at the roots and they will battle triumphantly with the poisoned air."

WOW!

So much of what we battle externally is absolutely the result of how we are conditioning ourselves internally. How we are preparing for heaven. How we are exercising our habits of mercy and grace. How we are growing in the knowledge of who Jesus is. How we are allowing who He is to transform who we are becoming.

Psalm 1:3 says this, "Being rooted and grounded in knowledge and love..." We must be adequately ROOTED and GROUNDED in our knowledge of WHO God is and learn to love like Him. And in doing so... in caring deeply about our "inward man", we may defy all storms of this life, and the deadly atmospheres we are required to reside in.

And so it's a matter of asking ourselves the question: what kind of atmosphere do I want to reside in?

We are all very well aware of the awful results of a neglected garden. It's precisely why I don't have one. I know, all too well, that my neglect would ultimately produce not only an overgrown eyesore, but also, and more importantly, an un-yielded crop.

And isn't the whole point of this life as a follower of Jesus, to be ever fruit-producing??

And so I decide today to renew my commitment to working tirelessly day-by-day on my inward man while my outward man passes away. I will choose to store up my treasures in heaven and keep in my view the Lord Jesus who is my prize!!! <3 

 

 

Even If... I Will Praise!

Was up in the fringe hours this morning thinking about you. Yeah. You.

Admittedly the pain woke me from my slumber. That and a head full of thoughts racing at warp speed through this weary head of mine.

And I know there’s others out there dealing with a heavy weight. An unimaginable burden.

We never walk alone in our hurt.

But every day we get the choice. To sink beneath the waves of fear and guilt and doubt and worry. To look into the ocean size suffering and abandon the fight, agreeing with a white flag of surrender.

Or.

Or we can deliberately decide that this pain won’t define me. We can intentionally sing our way out of the darkness until daylight shines through!

We can sing until the miracle comes.
We can prepare our hearts for the blessing God longs to pour out upon our grief-stricken, tormented souls.

Because our greatest defense against hardship and affliction and distress is praise.
Praise because He is good.
He’s so much better than we ever deserve Him to be.
And it’s a public resolution that even if He never does another thing for me, He has already done enough.

I felt it there in the hospital bed just following surgical recovery. The pain that was so intense I thought it might break my physical body in half. Surely the worst discomfort of my entire life.
And I could feel the fear rising to the surface once they explained to me that I’d have to wait a get clearance from the hospital for a drug that had been declared a national shortage. The only medication that was my hope for the hurt.

And in that moment... there in the midst of tears of anguish... I made the decision.
The decision to praise.

And it wasn’t until the words left my lips, “Thank you Jesus! Praise you Father!” that the pain lessened and I was able to breathe.

Because praise from our lips brings healing to our soul. Praise doesn’t erase the problem but it makes the experience less painful. Because there’s something about loosening control. Something about praise that promotes peace and releases a redemptive power upon our lives.

And so today, again, I choose to praise.
In advance.
Before the miracle is seen with the eye, I will sing loudly of His goodness with the lips.

Because He is good.
No matter what.

He radically loves you friend!
He’s fighting battles you know nothing about.
And He’s already prepared a way out of wilderness for you.

Will you sing with me today??