Good Morning my fellow former idol worshippers. Well not exactly….
Yesterday was our last meeting as we wrapped up our summer study of “No Other God’s”. I was blessed at how many of you faced the torrential rain soak and braved the elements to finish up our time together. I have said it before “you ladies are serious about your Bible Study”!
I think that we were all in agreement on one point. We were sorry to see it end. Many of you told me that you were going to miss not only the fellowship but working on your homework. I was delighted to see all the completed workbooks lifted in the air when I asked you to show me. That my friend is why I do this. Nothing thrills me more then to see women working through the word of God on there own. Just them and God going all the way to the end. My heart is just pounding with delight right now and I sense the heavenly nod and approval of God. He is so pleased with you.
What I didn’t mention yesterday and I would ask it here; do you feel like you have created a Holy habit? Do you find yourself missing having your homework waiting for you? Did you know it takes eight weeks to form a habit? Did you notice our study was eight weeks? If you feel that this has become a habit for you then don’t stop!!! Don’t let it die away. One of the things that has significantly effected my spiritual life is doing a daily Bible Study. My morning routine goes like this…Read my bible, pray, bible study, and lastly memory memorization (yes I am still doing that. Do I hear Holy Habit?). When I finish one Bible Study, I find me another. Some effect and teach me more, some less, but I still make it a habit. If you would like to do more get in touch with me and I can offer some recommendations or pray and ask God to lead you. He will most assuredly answer that prayer.
Ok so why are we not exactly “former idol worshippers”? I think the one thing that I gleaned, and many of you have also, is that this whole idol worship thing is something that will be a life long awareness. We were created to worship, and since we were created to worship, we will worship something and sometimes, if we aren’t careful, we will turn that worship towards a thing that is more readily tangible rather then God. I am certain that you will be challenged and tested with this concept in the future. Hold onto it and don’t let the enemy steal the seed that has been planted in you these last several weeks. Keep pressing on towards God and let’s make Him our ultimate thing!
I love you and I am praying for you as we prepare for what the Lord has planned for us in the Fall. Our first meeting will be September 13th when we will have our opening day. We will be studying Psalm 84, a wonderful psalm that speaks of pilgrimage and gives us a clearer picture of our journey with God. The title of the message is “Pressing the Re-set button”.
“May the LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace” Num 6:24-26
Peace out!
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
"No Other Gods" - Week Eight
I can’t believe that we have reached the final week of the study! It seems like we just started. Today we will begin week 8, ‘Making Room’. We will have our final group meeting for the summer on Tuesday, August 16th.
Even though we are nearing the end of the physical study in many ways it is just the beginning of the spiritual application in our lives. In these last seven weeks the Lord has opened my eyes to several areas where I need to make room for Him. On page 162 Kelly reprinted a portion of a letter…..”It seemed like every time our contractor went to ‘fix’ something, it unveiled three more things that needed to be fixed”. This is exactly how I have been feeling. Anyone else?
We are all on a journey. I will remind you, as I have reminded myself, as we walk out what we have learned over the years to come God’s grace will be sufficient to empower us to leave our idols behind. He doesn’t expect us to fix ourselves and be totally transformed by next Tuesday. This brought to mind something I had read in the book Changes That Heal by Dr.Henry Cloud. In his book he makes the point that there are three components to spiritual growth: grace, truth and time. “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil 1:6).
I encourage you to finish strong! God loves you so much and wants you to enjoy the freedom that can only be found in Him.
Even though we are nearing the end of the physical study in many ways it is just the beginning of the spiritual application in our lives. In these last seven weeks the Lord has opened my eyes to several areas where I need to make room for Him. On page 162 Kelly reprinted a portion of a letter…..”It seemed like every time our contractor went to ‘fix’ something, it unveiled three more things that needed to be fixed”. This is exactly how I have been feeling. Anyone else?
We are all on a journey. I will remind you, as I have reminded myself, as we walk out what we have learned over the years to come God’s grace will be sufficient to empower us to leave our idols behind. He doesn’t expect us to fix ourselves and be totally transformed by next Tuesday. This brought to mind something I had read in the book Changes That Heal by Dr.Henry Cloud. In his book he makes the point that there are three components to spiritual growth: grace, truth and time. “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil 1:6).
I encourage you to finish strong! God loves you so much and wants you to enjoy the freedom that can only be found in Him.
Friday, August 5, 2011
Unexpected Delight
What kinds of things bring you delight? Pause for a moment and try to recall the last time you felt sheer joy. Was it with a person? Was it a circumstance? Was it an unexpected surprise? Was it an event? When was the last time you felt pure delight and what was was the catalyst that precipitated it?
The Apostle Paul, who wrote a respectable portion of the New Testament, tells us what he delighted in.
“….I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.” (2 Corinthians 12:10)
I can’t help but wonder, were any of these things on your list? When was the last time you were thrilled about feeling weak and not up to a task? How about insults, hardships, persecutions and difficulties, do you find yourself rejoicing when faced with those kinds of things?
Paul’s bold assertions came from something that he understood and experienced that we as New Testament believers often miss.
“But he (God) said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness,’” (2 Corinthians 12:9)
Paul knew that God’s power was never more evident in His life then when he was weak. In the age we live in, strength is usually equated with power. The stronger you are physically or financially the more power you wield. Sometimes I think that mentality seeps its way into the mindset of the church. We get frustrated with our inadequacies and weaknesses when those are the very things that God will work through. We tend to yield to our strengths and what is comfortable rather then stepping out in the areas we are less proficient. Can you imagine the power that we could generate if we stepped out in the kind of faith that actually believed that God could work through our weaknesses?
Do any of these weaknesses resonate with you?
I am not smart enough. My grace is sufficient!
I am not gifted enough. My grace is sufficient!
I am physically too ill to serve God. My grace is sufficient!
My husband is Jewish and not saved. My grace is sufficient!
I have a wretched past. My grace is sufficient!
Every one of those rebuttals was verbalized by my very own mouth at some point in my walk with Christ. I have found countless excuses not to step out in faith and to walk in what He could do because I was blinded by my own distorted perception of what God’s definition of weak is. Paul, however, was very clear about it.
“For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 1 Corinthians 12:10b)
Paul understood that when he was serving Christ, God would provide Him with what He needed. So much so that he boasted “ all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9b)
Do you have a desire to sense the power of God working in your life? Then I propose that you give Him your weakness and ask Him to pour His power in them. Ask Him to show you how to use the things that you feel weak in for His glory. By the authority of His written word, that is a prayer that He will answer. And you, my friend, get yourself ready, because you have just set yourself up to experience an out pouring of pure delight.
God comes in where my helplessness begins.
Oswald Chambers
The Apostle Paul, who wrote a respectable portion of the New Testament, tells us what he delighted in.
“….I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.” (2 Corinthians 12:10)
I can’t help but wonder, were any of these things on your list? When was the last time you were thrilled about feeling weak and not up to a task? How about insults, hardships, persecutions and difficulties, do you find yourself rejoicing when faced with those kinds of things?
Paul’s bold assertions came from something that he understood and experienced that we as New Testament believers often miss.
“But he (God) said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness,’” (2 Corinthians 12:9)
Paul knew that God’s power was never more evident in His life then when he was weak. In the age we live in, strength is usually equated with power. The stronger you are physically or financially the more power you wield. Sometimes I think that mentality seeps its way into the mindset of the church. We get frustrated with our inadequacies and weaknesses when those are the very things that God will work through. We tend to yield to our strengths and what is comfortable rather then stepping out in the areas we are less proficient. Can you imagine the power that we could generate if we stepped out in the kind of faith that actually believed that God could work through our weaknesses?
Do any of these weaknesses resonate with you?
I am not smart enough. My grace is sufficient!
I am not gifted enough. My grace is sufficient!
I am physically too ill to serve God. My grace is sufficient!
My husband is Jewish and not saved. My grace is sufficient!
I have a wretched past. My grace is sufficient!
Every one of those rebuttals was verbalized by my very own mouth at some point in my walk with Christ. I have found countless excuses not to step out in faith and to walk in what He could do because I was blinded by my own distorted perception of what God’s definition of weak is. Paul, however, was very clear about it.
“For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 1 Corinthians 12:10b)
Paul understood that when he was serving Christ, God would provide Him with what He needed. So much so that he boasted “ all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9b)
Do you have a desire to sense the power of God working in your life? Then I propose that you give Him your weakness and ask Him to pour His power in them. Ask Him to show you how to use the things that you feel weak in for His glory. By the authority of His written word, that is a prayer that He will answer. And you, my friend, get yourself ready, because you have just set yourself up to experience an out pouring of pure delight.
God comes in where my helplessness begins.
Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
"No Other Gods" Week Seven
Week Seven……
Can you believe it? It is hard to imagine not only that we are commencing on week seven of our eight week study but how many of you are still on target and doing your homework. I can’t wait to see all those completed workbooks. That is something to praise God for. Ok you can take a moment and do that if you like. I can wait.
Once again, you all blessed me immeasurably as we gathered together today. You can’t image how it encourages my heart to see you, 25 women strong, pressing on through this study. This time of year is filled with all manner of distractions that compete to draw us away from Bible Study. But not this group, you are taking your study time with the Lord seriously and I am here to tell you IT SHOWS!!!
I am overwhelmed with all the women who are stepping out in faith to be a part of what we are doing here. You are responding to His call for you to serve in your gifts. Woo Hoo! I saw three women helping Linda with preparing the room; we have 8 group leaders and two people working on bringing the worship that leads us into the weighty presence of God. There are some of you bringing new people and some of you connecting with those that might have missed a week. Stunning is all I have to say. Your desire to be part of what God is doing is infectious and makes every bit of what we do a privilege. Love it!
So today we start on Week Seven of our study. Begin with reading Session 07 The Road Ahead “Coming from Behind” found on page 142 then proceed to the first days homework on page 146. I confess I already jumped ahead and the opening pages point where not only I but I bet a few of you find yourselves from time to time. Kelly points out that sometimes we spiritually want to quit but she encourages us within those first pages with a profound word of why it is best we stay the course and not give up. Give it a read even now if you are feeling ready to throw in the spiritual towel. I am fairly certain she will change you mind.
So there you go….
That’s all I have to say for today.
Thanks for being such a blessing.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
"No Other Gods" Week Six
Hello Ladies;
Today we spring board into week six of our study "No Other Gods". How are doing? Are you still keeping pace. I am wondering how the time went so fast. It is hard to believe that we are almost 3/4's the way done with the study.
I am not going to belabor this post since by now you pretty much know the game plan. We will start with Session Six "God of Gods" on page 120 and then move directly into the first days homework. We will come together next tuesday, August 2nd where we will go over questions from weeks five and six. The Lord really rocked my world through week five ( Good Goodbyes) and brought in a grace and freedom that was sorely needed. Looking forward to hearing all that He has been saying to you.
I just want to take a moment to applaud you women for persevering throughout this particular course of study. I am very aware that many of us might have had to confont things that we would rather not. That takes courage my friend and I am proud of you for doing it. Don't give up the perserving but give up the idols. Blessings await!!
You bless me and I am so happy to be doing this study with you all!!
See you next Tuesday!
Today we spring board into week six of our study "No Other Gods". How are doing? Are you still keeping pace. I am wondering how the time went so fast. It is hard to believe that we are almost 3/4's the way done with the study.
I am not going to belabor this post since by now you pretty much know the game plan. We will start with Session Six "God of Gods" on page 120 and then move directly into the first days homework. We will come together next tuesday, August 2nd where we will go over questions from weeks five and six. The Lord really rocked my world through week five ( Good Goodbyes) and brought in a grace and freedom that was sorely needed. Looking forward to hearing all that He has been saying to you.
I just want to take a moment to applaud you women for persevering throughout this particular course of study. I am very aware that many of us might have had to confont things that we would rather not. That takes courage my friend and I am proud of you for doing it. Don't give up the perserving but give up the idols. Blessings await!!
You bless me and I am so happy to be doing this study with you all!!
See you next Tuesday!
Thursday, July 21, 2011
What is Your Nehushtan
What is your Nehushtan?
Do you have one?
Do you even know what a Nehushtan is?
Well it isn’t some exotic sports car, nor is it a secret recipe handed down from generation to generation and it definitely isn’t a distant relative from some small island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean .
Chances are you are a little less familiar with this terminology but very much aware of the Biblical account behind this expression.
“They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom Egypt
Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take the snakes away from us.’ So Moses prayed for the people.
The LORD said to Moses, ‘ Make a snake and put it up on a pole, anyone who is bitten can look at it and live’ So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.”
Numbers 21:4-9
Does this sound familiar? If not, no worries. The story is pretty simple. The Israelites were traveling in the desert totaling dependent upon God’s leading. Eventually they grow impatient with their progress and they speak against God and their leader. (Hmmmm anyone but me get impatient with God?) God then sends snakes among the people that bite them and not just any snakes but deadly ones. Realizing the error of their ways they come to Moses and repent of their self destructive attitude and ask that Moses intercede for them with the LORD. He does and God instructs Moses to make a bronze serpent and put it on the pole and whoever looks at it will live.
This looking wasn’t just any old looking. This looking required an act of faith. Why? Imagine the ground crawling with venomous snakes, would your initial response be to NOT look down while looking up. You see the bronze snake was put “up” on a pole. The Israelites only recourse was to trust God completely for their healing and put all their focused attention on His instruction. Those who did were healed.
Still don’t know what a Nehushtan is? Keep tracking with me.
Probably the most familiar part of this account in symbolized in John 3:14-15.
“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”
Just as the Israelites looked with faith on the lifted serpent and were healed anyone who looks at Jesus with full faith in what He has done will be spiritually healed. That deserves an Amen!
So what does all of this have to do with Nehushtan?
“He (Hezekiah) broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan)’
2 Kings 18:4b
There you have it. Nehustan was the bronze serpent that Moses had fashioned and place on a pole that the Israelites looked at (with faith) to be healed. What had happened is they started to worship the symbol of how God worked in their lives rather then God Himself? They turned something holy and good into an idol which became their focus for their love and adoration.
Luckily that can’t happen to us. That could only happen in an ancient culture where idolatry ran rampant. We don’t see anything like that today. Or maybe we do.
- How about that Pastor or counselor that the Lord has used so mightily in our lives that we have grown increasing dependent on to a point that is out of balance?
- Or maybe God has blessed us amazingly with children that we wanted so desperately but they have become the sole focus of all our attention.
- Perhaps God has given us a beautiful home that we never seem to quite finish decorating and we find that we are spending an increasing amount of time watching HGTV and less reading our Bible.
- Possibly God has blessed us even with a ministry that has become our Nahushtan. We now are more concerned about the ministerial growth then we are about God. Somehow the intimacy that we once enjoyed with Him has been clouded by getting things accomplished in His name.
Nahushtan is basically a good thing turned really bad. Can you think of anything that God has given you to bless you that has turned into something that you worship rather then enjoy? Something that takes up an increasing amount of your time, treasure and talents. Perhaps it is a person, or a pet, a job, a teacher……. What good thing has God given to bless you that has crowded out the giver to make room for the gift.
What is your Nehushtan?
Whenever we take what God had done and put it in the place of Himself, we become idolators.
Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
"No Other God's" Week Five
Hello my fellow summer Bible Study women!!
You are not going to believe where I am as I write this. It is Tuesday morning at about 10:30 and I am sitting in the foyer of our very own Monmouth Worship Center. Now you are all with your groups meeting and going over weeks three and four of the homework. I am hearing quite a bit of riotous laughing so you must be having fun. Just love having a good time around the word of God.
Firstly, I just have to comment on how proud I am of you. The turnout is still going strong so that means you must be tracking with the homework. Go BSW’s (that’s my abbreviation for you women, just in case I need to text anyone about you). I am also very pleased to see that three new people came out today. What a joy to have more ladies join us. Remember since you are doing the work at home, you can come out whenever you can. If you miss a week it shouldn't matter because you will be keeping pace on your own through the homework. If your struggling to keep up, come anyway and listen to the discussion. From what I can tell they have been lively and encouraging. I am not exaggerating when I say this, we have a great bunch of women who are grounded in God's word who know have to have a thought provoking discussion on the deeper things of God yet wouldn't miss commenting on the lovely shade of polish of your pedicure. They are something else. Just love them.
Today we spent a little time talking about how to easily identify if a good thing has turned into an ultimate thing. We played “name that idol”. As I lifted up various items we put a name to what could be the things that might have the capacity to crowd out God in our lives. Some were:
Money – our home – shopping – hobbies – electronics – lovers of self (2 Timothy 3:1) – ministry – and whatever we hold on to for love and acceptance.
Now all of these things are good things but how do we know if they are out of balance. As I held on to one of these items, I had someone try to take it from me. As she did, I held on with a white knuckle death grip. If you can’t let something go and you find the compulsion to hold on to it with all of your strength, I propose to you that thing could be an idol.
Now this is the important part. God wants us to have good things but His desire is for us to hold onto them loosely. God entrusts us with blessings but we in turn need to entrust those blessings back to Him. If He feels the need to remove them from our lives for a time we need to be able to give it freely to Him. If you are able to do that, then your item is not an idol.
Ok, so where are we with the study? We are half way through the homework and today we start on week five. Boy is that hard to grasp. The time has just flown. You will begin by reading session 05, “Good Goodbyes” on page 98 and then proceed to Day One homework on page 102.
I need to go now, it is 11:30 and you still haven’t ended your groups. That could mean only one thing….lively and edifying discussions. That is what I love about sojourning with you. You love the Lord and especially talking about Him.
May God bless you abundantly as your pursue Him through His word.
You are not going to believe where I am as I write this. It is Tuesday morning at about 10:30 and I am sitting in the foyer of our very own Monmouth Worship Center. Now you are all with your groups meeting and going over weeks three and four of the homework. I am hearing quite a bit of riotous laughing so you must be having fun. Just love having a good time around the word of God.
Firstly, I just have to comment on how proud I am of you. The turnout is still going strong so that means you must be tracking with the homework. Go BSW’s (that’s my abbreviation for you women, just in case I need to text anyone about you). I am also very pleased to see that three new people came out today. What a joy to have more ladies join us. Remember since you are doing the work at home, you can come out whenever you can. If you miss a week it shouldn't matter because you will be keeping pace on your own through the homework. If your struggling to keep up, come anyway and listen to the discussion. From what I can tell they have been lively and encouraging. I am not exaggerating when I say this, we have a great bunch of women who are grounded in God's word who know have to have a thought provoking discussion on the deeper things of God yet wouldn't miss commenting on the lovely shade of polish of your pedicure. They are something else. Just love them.
Today we spent a little time talking about how to easily identify if a good thing has turned into an ultimate thing. We played “name that idol”. As I lifted up various items we put a name to what could be the things that might have the capacity to crowd out God in our lives. Some were:
Money – our home – shopping – hobbies – electronics – lovers of self (2 Timothy 3:1) – ministry – and whatever we hold on to for love and acceptance.
Now all of these things are good things but how do we know if they are out of balance. As I held on to one of these items, I had someone try to take it from me. As she did, I held on with a white knuckle death grip. If you can’t let something go and you find the compulsion to hold on to it with all of your strength, I propose to you that thing could be an idol.
Now this is the important part. God wants us to have good things but His desire is for us to hold onto them loosely. God entrusts us with blessings but we in turn need to entrust those blessings back to Him. If He feels the need to remove them from our lives for a time we need to be able to give it freely to Him. If you are able to do that, then your item is not an idol.
Ok, so where are we with the study? We are half way through the homework and today we start on week five. Boy is that hard to grasp. The time has just flown. You will begin by reading session 05, “Good Goodbyes” on page 98 and then proceed to Day One homework on page 102.
I need to go now, it is 11:30 and you still haven’t ended your groups. That could mean only one thing….lively and edifying discussions. That is what I love about sojourning with you. You love the Lord and especially talking about Him.
May God bless you abundantly as your pursue Him through His word.
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