This morning I read the accounts in Mark of Jesus' encounters with Jairus and with the woman who touched His garment to be healed. Both were familiar to me, but I asked the Holy Spirit to teach me something new.
Jesus was not too busy to notice the woman who touched Him. Even in the crowd, He knew her touch was different. Even though He was on his way to heal (raise from the dead) the daughter of Jairus, He had time to give the woman his personal attention. He isn't bound by time. Stopping on His way meant nothing to Him. The woman was healed, however, simply by her faith. She accessed His power before Jesus even saw her or spoke to her!
Our faith can access the power of God. Believing in that power gives us access. There is no formal program or formula or activity necessary. Our relationship to Christ and our standing as a child of God gives us complete access to His power. And His power is as sufficient for a smaller need (the woman's healing) as it is for a huge issue (raising the dead). The power is the same, and it is equally available.
So here is my confession. I don't always live like I believe that. I tend to think my need isn't big enough, or important enough to warrant God's attention or power. God has recently used my daughter to show me how wrong I am about that. When she was presented with the opportunity to go on this mission trip to Latvia, we all knew it was of God. There was no hesitation on her part, or on ours, that this was God's will. We knew that it would be expensive, and we knew that God would provide. But in my own mind, that provision meant that He would help us work our finances and make the sacrifices necessary to pay for her trip.
I didn't think our need was important enough for his provision. Truly, I didn't. I had heard the stories of people in our church who had been called to go on mission and wanted to obey that call but knew that they could never pay for the trip. I had heard how God had provided supernaturally for those needs. But for some reason, I didn't think we "met the criteria". After all, my husband has a good job. He knew that by the time the trip came around, he would be able to manipulate our budget to pay for her trip. I knew my parents had offered to help. And they have helped tremendously, but even with their help, we would have had a huge amount to cover. I figured that God would provide by allowing us to work it out.
But God provided in ways we never imagined. He has provided through people we would have never expected. He has provided though people whose names we don't even know. As of today, a $1700+ trip is almost completely covered. We have not paid a penny of it. God did not allow us to adjust our finances. He provided completely outside of our finances.
See, I didn't think we were worthy of His miraculous provision. I didn't think our smaller need was as worthy of His notice as someone's bigger need. I didn't think He would notice our "touch" in the crowd. I didn't think He would take the time to stop for our need when He was on His way to take care of much bigger needs. But Jesus isn't bound by time. He doesn't measure our "need" the way we do. And His desire is to provide for us beyond what we can ask or imagine. My faith is not nearly big enough, but it is much bigger today than it was a couple of months ago. My God, however, is as big as ever.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Good Enough?
I have a question for my sisters...believers, moms, wives, friends. Do you struggle with being "good enough"? Do you find yourself measuring your worth according to another person's standards? Surely I am not the only one. Don't we all let the words and actions of other people raise and lower our well-being thermostat? I'm not asking if we should...of course we shouldn't. But we do. I do. Don't you?
Why is that? Why are we so connected to the opinion of others? Why do we have that innate need for approval, need to be liked, need to be accepted? And why, when one person withdraws their approval or acceptance, does it rock our world? What are we looking for?
The "right" answer might be that we are trying to fill that "God shaped hole". But if we are believers, then hasn't that hole already been filled? I say yes. So what's with the need for approval? I don't think I have an answer. But I heard David Jeremiah say something last night that resonated with me. He was preaching on loneliness. He referenced the end of 2 Timothy, when Paul asked Timothy to "come quickly". Paul was lonely. Paul. The world's greatest missionary. The unstoppable, bold proclaimer of truth.The one who stood up against kings. He was lonely. Dr. Jeremiah said that his loneliness was not a sin. He said that many of us hide our loneliness, or our insecurity, behind a false smile and spout "church answers" to others. "Of course I am not lonely. God says He is always with me." "Of course I am secure, God is my security." "Of course I'm good enough. God says I am perfect and complete in Him." All of those things are true. I believe all of them. But I don't always feel them. I am pretty sure you don't either.
So I guess what I am trying to say is that it's ok to experience those feelings. But it's not ok to stay there. Whether it is seeking out prayer support, or burying yourself in the Word, or moving on and getting outside of yourself to serve others (yes, all three), there comes a point where we just have to believe what we know, cling to what God's Word tells us, and trust that we can live bold, powerful lives for the Lord. Because He is always with us. He is our security. We are perfect and complete in Him.
What say you?
Why is that? Why are we so connected to the opinion of others? Why do we have that innate need for approval, need to be liked, need to be accepted? And why, when one person withdraws their approval or acceptance, does it rock our world? What are we looking for?
The "right" answer might be that we are trying to fill that "God shaped hole". But if we are believers, then hasn't that hole already been filled? I say yes. So what's with the need for approval? I don't think I have an answer. But I heard David Jeremiah say something last night that resonated with me. He was preaching on loneliness. He referenced the end of 2 Timothy, when Paul asked Timothy to "come quickly". Paul was lonely. Paul. The world's greatest missionary. The unstoppable, bold proclaimer of truth.The one who stood up against kings. He was lonely. Dr. Jeremiah said that his loneliness was not a sin. He said that many of us hide our loneliness, or our insecurity, behind a false smile and spout "church answers" to others. "Of course I am not lonely. God says He is always with me." "Of course I am secure, God is my security." "Of course I'm good enough. God says I am perfect and complete in Him." All of those things are true. I believe all of them. But I don't always feel them. I am pretty sure you don't either.
So I guess what I am trying to say is that it's ok to experience those feelings. But it's not ok to stay there. Whether it is seeking out prayer support, or burying yourself in the Word, or moving on and getting outside of yourself to serve others (yes, all three), there comes a point where we just have to believe what we know, cling to what God's Word tells us, and trust that we can live bold, powerful lives for the Lord. Because He is always with us. He is our security. We are perfect and complete in Him.
What say you?
Saturday, February 4, 2012
A Godly View of Dating - Sermon Recommendation
I had never heard of Paul Washer before a couple of weeks ago. I was "introduced" to him by a couple of friends via a Facebook conversation. Intrigued, I went to the Granted Ministries website . There, I found a sermon/series entitled A Godly View of Dating . Having already been convinced that Washer was someone I wanted to listen to, I figured this was a good place to start. After all, we have two teenaged girls. This has been a topic of discussion at our house for several years now. Not dating, per se, but our view of dating. I ordered the cds for just a little over $6 including shipping. A pretty good deal, I thought. My sweet, observant husband later informed me that I could have downloaded the mp3 version for free.
The girls and I have spent our time together in the car this week listening to this series of messages. As a result, I have to recommend that EVERY parent listen to them and every parent of teens listen to them with their teenagers. This is a powerful series. Paul Washer has what might be considered a radical view of dating...not so radical for us, but probably radical for many others. Even so, I urge any parent to take the time and listen. Listen from the perspective of taking something useful away, even if you don't swallow the whole thing. There is some valuable stuff in there. It will make you think, maybe rethink, your opinions and convictions. It will definitely challenge you.
The one issue he continually goes back to is the issue of Biblical Manhood. This was really timely in that our church is currently offering the Honor Begins at Home Bible Study based on the Courageous movie. We are participating in this study. My understanding is that the men discussed this very issue last week. I really think parents of boys, particularly fathers of boys, need to hear these messages. But they aren't just for boys/men. My girls were very impressed with his message, his thoughts on Godly womanhood, and-interestingly enough-his thoughts on Biblical Manhood. They told me that he put into words the thoughts they had about what kind of man they will look for some day.
He also has some pretty pointed things to say about the church and youth groups. I admit that I could have found myself offended, had I not recognized that the church we are involved in is not the norm. Sadly, churches that stand unapologetically on God's Word are fewer than one would like to think. Youth ministries that challenge students to grow deeper in God's Word are not as prevalent as those created for entertainment. Your church may also be "abnormal", so don't take offense at his assessment. I think he is correct that there are a lot of churches and youth ministries out there who are leading families astray. The church isn't perfect, but some are closer to God's plan than others. All that to say, listen with a heart that is open to being challenged.
If nothing else, I think these messages are valuable from the viewpoint of challenging the way we think about raising teenagers to become Godly adults. Some of us will be closer to his view than others, but if you are interested in seeing your boy become a Godly man, or your girl become a Godly woman, Paul Washer has some excellent thoughts on the matter.
The girls and I have spent our time together in the car this week listening to this series of messages. As a result, I have to recommend that EVERY parent listen to them and every parent of teens listen to them with their teenagers. This is a powerful series. Paul Washer has what might be considered a radical view of dating...not so radical for us, but probably radical for many others. Even so, I urge any parent to take the time and listen. Listen from the perspective of taking something useful away, even if you don't swallow the whole thing. There is some valuable stuff in there. It will make you think, maybe rethink, your opinions and convictions. It will definitely challenge you.
The one issue he continually goes back to is the issue of Biblical Manhood. This was really timely in that our church is currently offering the Honor Begins at Home Bible Study based on the Courageous movie. We are participating in this study. My understanding is that the men discussed this very issue last week. I really think parents of boys, particularly fathers of boys, need to hear these messages. But they aren't just for boys/men. My girls were very impressed with his message, his thoughts on Godly womanhood, and-interestingly enough-his thoughts on Biblical Manhood. They told me that he put into words the thoughts they had about what kind of man they will look for some day.
He also has some pretty pointed things to say about the church and youth groups. I admit that I could have found myself offended, had I not recognized that the church we are involved in is not the norm. Sadly, churches that stand unapologetically on God's Word are fewer than one would like to think. Youth ministries that challenge students to grow deeper in God's Word are not as prevalent as those created for entertainment. Your church may also be "abnormal", so don't take offense at his assessment. I think he is correct that there are a lot of churches and youth ministries out there who are leading families astray. The church isn't perfect, but some are closer to God's plan than others. All that to say, listen with a heart that is open to being challenged.
If nothing else, I think these messages are valuable from the viewpoint of challenging the way we think about raising teenagers to become Godly adults. Some of us will be closer to his view than others, but if you are interested in seeing your boy become a Godly man, or your girl become a Godly woman, Paul Washer has some excellent thoughts on the matter.
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