An Audience of Angels

When I was a child someone told me about the "great cloud of witnesses" (Hebrews 12:1). Somehow I got the idea that angels and people who had gone to heaven before me were watching over my shoulder and keeping track of all my mistakes. This was a fear-filled thought because no one knew better than I how often I failed to do things perfectly. I'm pretty sure I got that idea because it's not an uncommon thought...

The truth is so far more glorious and exciting. First Peter 1 tells us that our faith is on trial. It also tells us that "God is protecting you by his power" (v. 5), "that your faith is far more precious than mere gold" (v. 7) and that "it is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen." (v. 12) Words like "protecting", "precious", and "wonderful" are not words to inspire fear, but hope!

How is our faith being tested? In the opportunities to believe that God has good plans for us...even when things look like they're falling apart around us. (Jer. 29:11) In the opportunity to forgive, not because someone is sorry, but because we've been forgiven. (Matt. 6:12) In the opportunity to sing praise to God when we feel like we're surrounded by a challenge much bigger than we are. (2 Chron. 20) If you pause and consider your life for a minute, you'll know where this particular trial is for you right now.

In the moments when we're facing these struggles it's easy to feel weary, condemned or insignificant, but if angels are watching "eagerly" because "it is all so wonderful", we can be encouraged that something very huge, amazing and eternal is happening when we lift our hands in praise and confess God's truth in the face of difficulty. It's breathtaking to think that the angels who stand in the presence of God are eagerly watching the seemingly mundane events of our lives with excitement.

May God bless you with hope and encouragement and the knowledge that He is protecting you by His power!

Extravagant Love

Watch what God does, and then you do it,
like children who learn proper behavior from their parents.
Mostly what God does is love you.
Keep company with Him and learn a life of love.
Observe how Christ loved us.
His love was not cautious but extravagant.
He didn't love in order to get something from us
but to give everything of himself to us.
Love like that.
Ephesians 5:1-2
(The Message)

Ever have one of those days where you get a bit of a wake-up call on how much room you have to grow in the love department? Even with people that you really, truly, genuinely love. I recently had one of those and then just "happened" across this verse. God's really cool like that.

Our lack of perfect love can hurt those that we love most. On this particular day I was teetering on the thin edge of condemnation and despair. How can we grow in love? A perfect love is humanly impossible. It can't be achieved just on the strength of willpower alone--who hasn't discovered that?

God's spirit is never condemning--He gently offers conviction and the promise that He can make something beautiful out of our messes if we'll offer them to Him. This verse doesn't slam us with "smarten up and love like God" but rather gives keys to greater love: watch what God does, keep company with Him, observe how Christ loved...

Again, I am reminded that determination to get it right isn't enough. An intimate relationship with the source of perfect Love is the answer. When my heart is filled with the awareness of His great love for me, I'm safe to love "extravagantly" and without fear of not "getting something for myself".

My heart has heard you say,
"Come and talk with me."
And my heart responds,
"Lord, I am coming."
Psalm 27:8

He is With You

My son has recently asked to be read to from "the real Bible" instead of his story Bible. This works for me. He likes stories about mighty men of God and so I've been going through picking and choosing--starting, of course, with my personal favorites! After David, there's Joseph. His story never ceases to amaze me. To be mocked, betrayed and falsely accused and yet remain faithful to God qualifies him as a hero in my mind.

Joseph's story is quite familiar... He was the beloved son of his father which provoked jealousy in his older brothers who sold him into slavery. In Egypt he was elevated to head slave in the household where he served. His master's wife falsely accused him of trying to seduce her and his master threw him into prison. In prison he helped some men who promised to remember him to Pharaoh, but promptly forgot all about him. He eventually interpreted some dreams for Pharaoh, was raised to second-in-command and rescued Egypt and his family from starvation.

While reading this morning a phrase jumped off the page: "The Lord was with Joseph...as he served in the home of his Egyptian master." And again, "The Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love." (Genesis 39:2, 21) There were thirteen years of "setbacks" between the time that he was sold by his brothers and then raised to Pharaoh's right hand, yet "the Lord was with him" in slavery and in prison, all the while preparing him for a great task.

How easy it is to believe the lie that we've been abandoned by God when we find ourselves in difficult circumstances or simply numbed by routine! Maybe we don't consciously believe we've been abandoned, but we live as though He is absent, our hearts unaware of His presence.

How did Joseph overcome bitterness and discouragement? I'm sure there were many lonely hours when he must have wrestled with these giants. We don't have Psalms recorded for Joseph like we do with David, but he must have been able to strengthen himself in the Lord. We know he was faithful in the daily tasks given to him and that this faithfulness raised him in favor with his masters and eventually led him to Pharaoh's court--this is not the legacy of one languishing in depression.

I'm inspired to be faithful in the humble tasks set before me today, to accomplish them with the awareness that "the Lord is with me" and that His favor will increase in my life through faithfulness in the little things. (Luke 19:17) I don't want bitterness and resentment to cripple me. I want to say with Joseph, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good." (Genesis 50: 20a)

May you be blessed with an awareness of God's presence in your life today. He will never abandon you!

"For God has said, "I will never fail you. I will never abandon you." So we can say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?"
(Hebrews 13:5b-6)

Three Rs for a Clean Receptor

I have an electric kettle for boiling water. It's the kind that has a base that gets plugged into an electrical outlet. The kettle part can be lifted off the base without dragging the cord along. There's a little button in the bottom of the kettle that fits onto the base to transfer the electricity. I've had it since I was boiling water for baby food and it works great. Most of the time. Turns out that if you lift the kettle from the base while the switch is still on, a small electrical arc is formed and somehow leaves carbon on the little prongs. If I continue to misuse the kettle in this way, the carbon builds up and the electricity is no longer transferred. There's absolutely nothing else wrong with the kettle--it's ready and designed to function. There's nothing wrong with the electricity. There are 120 volts running through the cord ready to do the job. The only problem is in the receptors.

We're a lot like that kettle. We're designed to receive God's love and be used in powerful ways. His love is available to us in immeasurable abundance. Sometimes our receptors get messed up. That "carbon" builds up between our ears when our thoughts aren't in agreement with God's truth. Believing a lie can keep our hearts from receiving the truth of His love. It's there. We just don't "get it".

One of my favorite verses about the love of God is in Romans 8:

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth,
nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us
from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (vv. 38-39)

Someone recently pointed out to me that our past is not in this list of things that cannot separate us from the love of God. I can emphatically say without hesitation that our past cannot separate us from the love of God--that's the whole message of the New Testament! What we believe about our past can, however, prevent us from receiving His love. It's not a love problem, it's a receptor problem.

Guilt, shame, and a sense of failure can seriously clog up our love receptors. They're all based on lies--Christ paid the price for every sin and every failure. Yet, we often see the consequences of past choices and it's easy to come under the weight of a sense of failure or guilt. There really is a way to be free.

Repent. Renounce. Release.

Whether we've robbed a bank or lost our temper, we can confess our sin and the penalty has been paid with the blood of Jesus. Maybe you've already repented--most of us know enough to do this, but we continue to carry the weight of shame, guilt, or a sense of failure. It's generally easy to see that wrong choices we've made have hurt people and affected lives. What's may not be so obvious to us is that God is a Redeemer and He can make something beautiful out of the worst mess. In fact, it's a promise. Depression, despair and darkness are tied up in believing that this is not possible.

This is where the "renounce" comes in. The dictionary defines renounce as: to refuse to follow, obey or recognize any further. We need to renounce the lie that our failures are greater than His power to redeem. We need to renew our minds by filling them with God's promises of redemption. It takes faith to hold onto these promises until we see them fulfilled.

Release. This is the word I use to describe the "letting go" process of putting my messes into His hands. He alone has the power to redeem. He wants to redeem. In fact, it's His nature to redeem. I don't know exactly how it works, but I've seen it happen so many times--when I finally get to the point where I release things into His hands, changes begin to take place. It's almost as though I've been in the way as long as I've been hanging on to my sense of failure.

And so these three Rs get rid of the "carbon" on the receptors and once again the power of His love can flow through our lives. Living in the light of His love we find that, indeed, His yoke is easy, His burden is light, and His joy is our strength.

He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord's favor has come,
and with it, the day of God's anger against their enemies.
To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes,
a joyous blessing instead of mourning,
festive praise instead of despair.
In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks
that the Lord has planted for his own glory.
(Isaiah 61: 1b-3)

Friends

What do you think of when you think of "friend"? Your answer will have a lot to do with your personality and your love language.

The first thing I think of when I consider my close friends is that they know what I'm really like and they love me anyway. They've seen the good, the bad, and the ugly (Literally--think green facial stuff at sleepovers.). They know my imperfections but love me and honour me as though I'm always at my best. They call me on stuff and give me a boot in the you-know-where when I need it. They make me laugh at myself and challenge me to use my gifts when I might regard those gifts as "less than" or insignificant. I feel really safe when I'm with my friends. I count them as my greatest treasures after God and my family.

On Easter Sunday I was perusing scriptures about the effect of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. I thought on the following verses for a while:

God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him,
the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.
He was handed over to die because of our sins and
he was raised to life to make us right with God.
(Romans 4:24-25)

My heart was filled with awe and worship as I considered all that Christ willingly suffered so that I could be right with God. What an incredible gift. I was aware of His kingly majesty and how His nature is good and holy.

I read further on:

So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship
with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.
(Romans 5:11)

Friends.

Of God.

I was overcome by the intimacy of that phrase. To be made righteous and right with God is an immeasurable gift--to be friends of God is so personal. He didn't go through that tremendous suffering just so I could be ransomed--though that's gift enough!--He also wanted me make me His friend.

He wanted to make us His friends.

The Lord of all creation, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the One who formed mountains, designed a platypus, scattered stars, and created laughter wants to be your friend. He likes you. The fact that you're not perfect isn't news to Him. (He took care of that for you.) He wants to be with you. He wants to laugh with you and comfort you. All that a true friend is, that's what He wants to be for you. The sacrifice that Jesus gave makes it possible. Rest in His love, rejoice in His gift, receive it!

He is Risen!

He is risen!! It's all about hope.

"It stands to reason, doesn't it, that if the alive-and-present God who raised Jesus from the dead moves into your life, he'll do the same thing in you that he did in Jesus, bringing you alive to Himself? When God lives and breathes in you (and he does, as surely as he lived in Jesus), you are delivered from that dead life. With his Spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ's!" Romans 8:11

Read it again. And again. It's all about hope. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is in you. He was dead. No heartbeat. His body mangled and torn. And the Spirit of God made Him alive again. That same power "lives and breathes in you". That power is greater than any darkness. Greater than fear, anger, depression, anxiety, strife, division, addiction, sickness...you name it--He is greater and He lives in you!!

If you don't feel it today, if your heart is weary and discouraged, call on Him. Praise Him. Declare that He is Lord. Don't let go of Him until you see the freedom you long for. It's been paid for and it's yours!

He is risen!!

For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many.
But even greater is God's wonderful grace
and his gift of righteousness,
for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death
through this one man, Jesus Christ.
Romans 5:17

Crackpots

I've had an epiphany about crackpots. It seems so obvious now that I had no intention of blogging about it, but the urge hasn't gone away... Maybe, just maybe, there's a reader out there who has also failed to recognize glory in a crackpot.

Perhaps I should clarify: crackpot is My Unauthorized Version for what The New Living Translation calls "fragile clay jars". The apostle Paul wrote,

"For God, who said, 'Let there be light in the darkness,' has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves." (2 Corinthians 4:6-7)

Shockingly enough, whenever I read this verse I thought it was all about me! I'd read it and think, "Yep, if you see anything good in me at all, it's definitely because of God." And it is about me, but that's not all. You see, God has placed His glory in others around me and sometimes I miss it because I'm distracted by the imperfections or pottiness* of the vessel. Some pots are terribly cracked, some are just odd, and some don't think much of the shape I'm in either!! There are so many things that can seem more obvious than the glory that has been placed within.

God relates to us on the basis of what Christ did for us, not on our worthiness. As His hands and feet on the earth, He wants us to relate to each other the same way. I've definitely failed in this many times. And you know what? I'm pretty sure I've missed a few blessings because of it.

I've had to do some repenting and I've had to ask God to give me eyes to see the glory in some "fragile clay vessels". I love how He's willing to help us do what He wants us to do! I've noticed a difference already. I think when we relate to crackpots in a way that's honoring some of the cracks get healed--in us and in them.


*in case you didn't know, "potty" is British for "slightly crazy" :-)