buildingbodies4christ

building on the foundation of Jesus Christ

Archive for the tag “God’s story”

05 Dec 2020

Just Jesus

One year around Thanksgiving, I traveled overseas. When I came home, I decided to skip the Christmas decorations since it was later than I normally would have decorated. However, I realized while I was going through the season, I just couldn’t get into the Christmas spirit. I vowed to always put up something for Christmas. And since then I haven’t failed to decorate.

As you may have noticed, I haven’t written in a while. I still have put out small newsletters for the last couple of months, but have failed to post here in this spot. I have had quite a bit of change in the last few months.

Since the virus has increased its hold on the world, it’s made me realize I need to be near my family. I was living alone in a large city (compared to my hometown) and things were not settling down as I would have hoped. I wrestled with the idea of moving from the city I had called home for the last twenty-one years. Finally, I made the decision to put the house on the market and it sold in a day. Things began to happen quickly and decisions needed to be made quickly. It’s a bit unsettling to be transitioning to a new place at this stage of my life. But I felt it was the right time and going home seemed like the best place for me.

After five weeks, I was moved into my new place. After another couple of weeks, I started working full time (which I haven’t done in ten years). It’s been an adjustment, but I love living here again. I love hanging out with my sisters. However, it’s different. One of my sisters told me at Thanksgiving, she didn’t know if she would consider it a holiday since I usually stayed with her during the holidays. During those holidays, we did things together like cooking, shopping, and just sitting around talking before going to bed. Now, it’s different. I sleep in my own bed at the end of the day. And I mess up my own kitchen when cooking my share of the Thanksgiving meal.

Christmas will bring another adjustment for me. I have never been alone on Christmas morning. I have always stayed with one of my sisters. It reminds me of that Christmas when I didn’t decorate – it’s going to be different. And this year maybe even more different because of these circumstances we now live in. Will we have family joining us in the celebration or will it just be the immediate family? This year is just different in every way!

In my quiet time this morning, I read a message from a book written by missionaries. One of the missionaries wrote that the first Christmas on the mission field had been difficult because of all the “stuff” that surrounded her normally at Christmas time wasn’t there. They had moved with very little of their belongings. They didn’t have the friendships or the family in that new place nor was it a cold place. She realized at one point, she just wasn’t in the Christmas spirit.

She asked the Lord to show her something new about the Christmas story to help her transition in her new place. She stated the Lord showed her the actual heart of the Christmas story and in turn changed her heart. Jesus is Christmas and He is enough. “When all the stuff – the lights, gifts, trees, food and even friends – was taken away, it came down to Jesus. He is the only reason to be celebrating.”

“I said to the LORD, ‘You are my LORD, apart from you I have no good thing.’” (Psalm 16:2)

Her message gave my own spirit a nudge. It’s not about the things or even when I wake up alone – I am never alone. Jesus is enough. One day, everything will be stripped away. We will all face Jesus. He has to be enough. I am reminded of the older people in my life who live with Jesus alone. My aunt is a great example. She still reads her Bible every day. It’s her lifeline – even when her mind fails her, she still has Jesus. He is enough for her. I want that to be my heart as well. I want Jesus to be enough.

If the world goes as it is recorded in Scripture, we need to cling to Jesus. He will be our lifeline. Now is the time to anchor ourselves in Him. We grow stronger in the crisis, but we can’t be certain of Him in the crisis without knowing Him fully in times of peace. Now is not the time to drift with uncertainty but be steadfast in Jesus.

Life will always have complications, but Jesus is our Rock. He is trustworthy and true. Jesus is Christmas. He is the heart of God’s story. If we can’t celebrate that fact alone – without the trees, lights, family or friends, then we have nothing. Jesus is enough. Let’s affirm that with Him today and remind ourselves when times get difficult – He is not fretting or indecisive. He knows what we need and when we need it. He’s got everything under His control. Remember, Jesus is enough.

The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 1 John 1:2-3

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30 Jul 2020

Finding My Happy Place

How you feeling these days? I must admit, my head hasn’t been in a good place during these last couple of months. I have been going a bit stir crazy. I am also feeling a bit frustrated and ready for all this to be over. You too? I don’t know anyone who is enjoying these crazy times. I do like less traffic in the morning when I have to go to work. But if I am not careful about my thoughts, the loneliness and lack of social interaction can overwhelm me.

My happy place is with my family. I wrote about my family time at the beach back in June. I need to share a secret with you. Everyone who commented on the blog posting said it was a great tribute to my parents and I guess it was after all. However, the secret is my parents were not the focus as I wrote out my thoughts about the beach trip. I was actually thanking my family for an amazing time throughout the years. Yes, my parents were instrumental in the foundation of our annual beach trip set twenty-eight (?) years ago. But this year, the trip was so needed in my life. I was growing desperate for some type of normalcy and finding peace in the craziness. The trip came at the right time.

Human interactions are truly important to our emotional and physical health. We need it. We crave it. I most definitely need my family time. I’ve had a revelation about how much I need my family during a crisis. It’s made me rethink my future and where I need to be for the next season of life. My timetable for moving to my “retirement” place may be sooner rather than later.

Our emotional wellbeing is just as important as our physical wellbeing. So what do you do to get your head in the right space? Do you have hobbies you turn to for a “happy” hour or two? I love golf. I also enjoy walks and being outside. I noticed when I don’t get outside, I get a bit cranky. What makes you happy?  It really is essential to find a place to go when the craziness is too much.

I have also realized that I need my time with Jesus. Maybe the struggles we face are to bring us closer to Jesus. He is supposed to be our “happy” place. He is our comforter, our peace in troubling times, our rescuer, and our protector. Being in God’s Word, keeps me focused and keeps me from feeling isolated and lonely. I remember where Paul was when he wrote most of his letters to the churches and to his fellow missionaries. If not for prison, we might not have had these Scriptures. Think about that for a minute or two.

We need to stay focused on the things that are important to us. We are to make it a priority to gain some perspective of where we are in life and this season we’re in. God can use us in this season if we stay open to what He is doing around us. We might not be in prison but we have some available time right now. What is God calling you to do in this season? What is He showing you about this time we’re in right now?

This is not the end as we know it. It’s just a different season. God is still working on His plan and things may seem out of control. But I believe God is placing things in the right place for the next season. We may need to move into the right place. Or God may already have us in the right place for now. Keep your eyes and ears open and wait on the Lord. I believe we will see something greater if we just wait on Him to move.

Paul wrote in his letter to Timothy (2 Timothy 4:7), he fought the good fight, he finished his race, he kept the faith. Just as Paul suffered in his season and came out on top, we too can have his focus and keep the faith even in our trying times. Find your happy place and hang on. Get your head in the right space. Endure through this time. Keep the faith as Paul did while he underwent his trials of separation.

The victory is ours even when it feels like the battle has been lost. God is still in control. Brace yourself for what may come next, but lean upon the only thing that cannot be shaken – Jesus. He is a sure foundation that cannot be moved. Be amazed in His presence for you cannot go wrong when you are with Him.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.

Do not be wise in your own eyes;
    fear the Lord and shun evil.
This will bring health to your body
    and nourishment to your bones.

Proverbs 3:5-8

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21 Apr 2018

One Day

God’s Word is an amazing mixture of stories. It is fascinating to me. Some of it I don’t understand – why God allowed certain things and in others, He judged harshly. There are reasons that we may never understand why God allows suffering and pain. There are reasons too that God will judge at the appropriate time. Some things have a season that has to be endured so that the time is right for God to intervene.

In the beginning, He formed a perfect place. He set the stars in their places and gave light to the darkness; separated the waters to form the sky. He set earth in a perfect place for life. He created boundaries for the water on the earth and the land to be fruitful. He made earth possibly to be a place for mankind to exist. Then on the last day, God made man. He made man with a free will so that humankind would have the choice to worship and honor God. It was a perfect place. Then sin entered the world. And what was perfect became corrupt.

Throughout the Old Testament, the stories seem dark and desperate. God allowed wickedness for a time then would intervene to stop the atrocities. He did it dramatically in Noah’s time with a flood that cleared the earth of such wickedness that it would not have been sustainable for the future of humankind. However, the flood didn’t kill wickedness.

Humankind was spared by one family unit. The family of Noah still had the seed of wickedness in their hearts. Noah’s son Ham dishonored his father and his father cursed Ham’s family line. The land of Canaan is from Ham’s family line – the land that would eventually be captured by the family line from Noah’s other son Shem.

Noah blessed his son Shem because he honored his father: “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the slave of Shem” (Genesis 9:26). And God blessed Shem’s family line through Abraham – separated from the rest to be set aside for greater purpose. Abraham was the father of Isaac who fathered Jacob who was also known as Israel. Israel would become the nation hated throughout history. Why? What did they do wrong?

Well, they did everything wrong from the beginning, but so did everyone else around them. Wickedness still ruled in the hearts of humankind. One of the saddest lines in the Bible is found throughout the Book of Judges – “they did evil in the sight of the Lord.”

God had a plan from the very beginning – yes, sin entered the world – but God would intervene at the right time in history to bring about a way out of the sin problem through the son of Israel. The family line of Israel would one day produce an heir to the throne. Not just any throne, but the throne of God. Israel was set aside for this special purpose. The heir would be the greatest enemy of wickedness and wickedness could not let Israel succeed in bringing this heir to life. So from the day that God set Israel apart, wickedness has been trying to take this family line out of the picture. And many times, it looked like the enemy would win unless God intervened.

The Old Testament sets the stage for the New Testament. When Jesus came on the scene, wickedness was still reigning throughout the earth. However, Jesus changes the outcome of wickedness. Wickedness has a time frame. One day it will be put to death forever because of what Jesus did on the cross. He defeated it forever. Yes, it’s still here reigning strong. But one day, it will end. God will intervene once again and stop wickedness forever. Praise the Lord!

Yet, wickedness still reigns today. We still have to deal with all that is wicked in the world. Shootings will still happen – girls will still be enslaved for sex – young boys will still be radicalized for wickedness’ purpose to destroy God’s perfect plan. But one day, God will intervene.

There is a timetable. God’s still setting the stage for what’s to come. I just trust Him to intervene at the right time. I also trust God’s character. He is good and righteous and loving. What He does is right and good. It may not look to loving to let wickedness reign, suffering is still felt by all – we can’t escape it. God has a plan and it’s still in motion. The Books of the Bible tells us so. We are still living it out. But one day, God’s clock will tick the last second off and things will be different from then on. One day. The darkness will be gone forever and wickedness will be put to death forever. I trust God’s Word. And I love how the story ends. One day.

No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. The angel said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God who inspires the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place.”

“Look, I am coming soon!” Revelation 22:3-7a

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02 Sep 2015

The Cornerstone

My church has just finished “The Story” published by Zondervan. It’s the Bible in a story form. From beginning to end – it’s all about the Word of God becoming flesh and dwelling among us – Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the cornerstone – the perfect point of a foundation. Nothing can be built on an imperfect foundation. It will not stand. The Story walked us through God’s story of redemption through Jesus. The Word is the foundation of our lives. It’s the seed that takes root and becomes a fruitful tree. The root is long and keeps the tree from falling during the most difficult storms. When things get shaken, it’s the only thing that will keep us grounded.

There was a time in my life when I didn’t read the Bible. I didn’t understand that it was living and breathing. I didn’t understand that it was God’s inspired word. I didn’t have a basic understanding of the most foundational aspect of a Christian’s life. They say that when the Bible is falling apart; the life of the one reading it isn’t. It wasn’t until my life was falling apart, when I found the Word was the answer I was seeking. My life was off track and it’s the only thing that brought me back. The more I read the Bible, the more I want to learn.

On Monday, I was listening to James MacDonald speak about the foundations of our faith. He called this sermon “Back to School.” It’s getting back to the basics to truly live a changed life. The Word is the instrument that causes the change. We saturate our minds with God’s truth, and it will develop a foundation that will never be shaken. We have to get back to believing in the Word.

The Word is beautiful in its complexity and its simplicity. It has so many layers that we just don’t get! I listened to a snippet of a messianic rabbi speak about Holy Communion. He opened up the Word and talked about the significance of the wine. The wine has two representations: one through the Passover wine and the other as the betrothal wine given to the woman before the engagement.

In Jewish customs for arrangement marriages (back in biblical times), the dowry was paid by the potential bridegroom for the one that was chosen. After the payment, a cup of wine was brought to the woman to consummate the engagement. If the woman accepted the wine and drank it, then the engagement was set between the pair – they were officially married. The man did not drink the wine. It was only for the future bride. The bridegroom left the woman with her family while the husband went to prepare a place for them to live. Once the bridegroom had made the necessary arrangements, He came back for the bride. When the bridegroom came back, a celebration began. The bridegroom would then be given a cup of wine to drink at the celebration. Jesus gave the illustration of the end of times concerning ten virgins waiting on the bridegroom’s appearance. Five were ready; five were not. Jesus’ words were recorded in Matthew 25:13 saying “keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour” of the bridegroom’s arrival. No one knew how long it would take the bridegroom to prepare that special place.

In Jesus’ last Passover supper, He passed the cup of wine to His disciples and told them to drink it. Jesus said the wine represented His blood. In Scripture, we are told that blood contains life. Jesus’ blood is the covenant of everlasting life. When we take that cup, we are agreeing to His proposal of marriage. We are to consider this cup very careful. Jesus told the disciples that He would not drink of it “until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s kingdom” (Matthew 26:29). Jesus said that He was going away to prepare a place for us, and He would return one day (John 14:2-3)! When He comes back for His bride, there will be a mighty celebration on that day! The marriage will be complete, and we live with Him for eternity!

Jesus paid the dowry for His bride (the Church) by His death on the cross. Jesus said that His body was the bread that was broken for us. Jesus’ declaration was written in John’s Gospel: “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35). Manna came from heaven while the Israelites were in the wilderness. But the Bread of Life that came down for us; is a life-giving bread that when we eat of it, we will never be hungry again.

Layer upon layer as we take this Word and devour it, it transforms us into a beautiful bride for Jesus our cornerstone – the foundation on which we stand. We will never be unsatisfied with the life given nourishment of this Holy Word. From beginning to end, it is the everlasting covenant that we can trust for eternal life.

You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame.” 1 Peter 2:5-6

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04 Mar 2015

Blank Page

Over the last several weeks, I have been staring at a blank page. I am not feeling very inspired. I have started out with a few thoughts and have ended up tossing it in the “garbage” can. I don’t know why I am blocked right now, but it’s a bit disconcerting. I know that I am called to write about my story, but I have yet to get down to it. I keep waiting for the words to come but nothing. Not one word seems to be flowing. I have prayed about it – seeking guidance about the blockage. Everybody keeps telling me that the timing will be right when I finally get it written. I just don’t want to be disobedient by not doing what I know I am supposed to be doing.

Over the last few weeks, I have been greatly distracted. My Dad had a few episodes of illness that hasn’t quite been resolved. It has weighed upon me. My Dad is very special to me. My Mom died about six years ago. She asked my sisters and me to take care of Dad, but since he got remarried about four years ago it’s been more a “spirit” of taking care of him instead of a “physical” task. About the time my Dad came down with his illness, I started having house issues that needed my attention. I listen to the news and the overwhelming issues that catch my attention just gives me even greater distractions. It seems that one thing just leads to another. It has given me the sense there are multiple plates spinning, and they are all about to come crashing down.

I have managed to get the blog posts and newsletters written in a timely manner. But that’s just because God is gracious to help me even when I can’t seem to focus. Somehow it all comes together. It would seem that He would do that for the book as well, if I tried to sit down and just start the process. But my head is just a jumbled mess right now. Does anyone relate? I keep thinking that when the weather is bad, I will have ample reason to write. I can’t do anything outside – but the snow needs to be removed from the driveway. The dogs aren’t barking to keep me from writing either since the owners have kept them inside on these snowy, cold days. But I get distracted with doing my taxes, budgeting expenses for the month, reordering supplies, etc; it just seems to be endless with distractions.

When it comes down to it, I think I just have a problem with the subject matter – me. Telling my story isn’t that complicated. The problem is I don’t want to be that vulnerable – to be that open before the world. I know God would like to get the glory of what He’s done in my life, even if it doesn’t seem to be such a big deal to me. He has asked me to share so that it may help someone else who struggles in the way that I have struggled. My story is part of the larger story – the restoration of our relationship with God. He began a good work in the beginning, and He will complete it in the end. My story doesn’t seem to be that great unless I truly look at it from His perspective. There was nothing I could do to restore my relationship with Him. I was far from Him, but He drew me near by the cross of Jesus.

The Bible seems to be just a mass of stories from the first page to the last. But there is only one theme throughout each page – Jesus. I never really contemplated how my story fits into His story, but it does. Every person has a story that fits into God’s story of redemption. We all fall short of God’s perfection, but Jesus redeems us so that we can fit into His story. One day, the distractions will no longer distract me, and I will start the work. The blank page will be filled with the work of Jesus in my life. One day, He will get all the glory. One day, it will be finished, and the work that was started will be completed. The page is blank right now, but it is all going to come together at the right time and in the right way!

Then the Lord replied: “Write down the revelation
and make it plain on tablets
so that a herald may run with it.
For the revelation awaits an appointed time;
it speaks of the end
and will not prove false.
Though it linger, wait for it;
it will certainly come
and will not delay.” Habakkuk 2:2-3

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