Reflections

As the new year starts, I’ve spent many a minute reflecting on what all happened last year and how fast it all went – have you?

Reflecting, meditating, thinking about – I think some of us do a lot of that, especially as we age. 

2 Timothy 2:7(NIV) Paul says to Timothy, “Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give your insight into all this.” 

If I reflect – look at what the Bible is saying, I believe that God will speak to me through it, as He did for Timothy. 

Meditating is a part of reflecting - part of the dictionary definition of reflecting is “Consideration and evaluation of some subject matter.” That’s basically meditating.  Really thinking about something, picking it apart, analyzing it and having it become a part of you.  

In Joshua 1:8 (NIV) we read  Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. 

Joshua was saying that the people must consider, reflect, meditate on Moses’ teachings – not just to know them, but so that they would be able to do what was instructed by God.

I read something recently that said, “Our brains keep on learning, even when we’re not aware of it.” So maybe there’s hope for us after all.

You may relate to Psalm 119:148 (NIV) where David says,

My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises.

Now that’s interesting.  I know my eyes sometimes stay open, but am I meditating on God’s promises?  I should be.  Do you ever think about a scripture when you can’t go to sleep?  It’s calming, but mostly it’s calming to know that God is awake with you.

I love reading quotes by little kids – I read this letter to God the other day.  Christopher wrote

Dear God, who’s in charge when you are off duty? 

It’s cute, only because we know God is never off duty.  In the late watches of the night, when we’re tired and hurting and can’t go to sleep, when we wake in the morning, on weekdays, on weekends – God is never off duty.  So, we can talk to Him and meditate on the answers in His book. 

I loved this letter to God from Elliott. 

Dear God, I think about You sometimes even when I'm not praying. (Elliott)

Friends aren’t friends only when they make an appointment to visit, they are friends always.  God is our best friend - let’s think about Him – let’s reflect on Him - even when we don’t have our eyes closed, and our hands folded to pray – even when we’re not talking to Him.

To reflect on God is to think about Him, to meditate on Him, and to make Him a part of our every moment because He’s right there – every moment.

Happy New Year

It’s the new year – I hope you all had a nice Christmas, we did for sure.  But this morning I woke up thinking that ..

Even though our world has tried very hard to take Christ out of this season, I expect that not one of us could escape without thinking just even a little bit about the Christ Child, the one who came to earth and was born in a lowly manger.

When I think of the manger, probably a dirty place, probably cold and unpleasant, I’m amazed.

I’m amazed that, as we look at Christmas cards, at the pictures we Christians paint of that tiny baby lying there, they seem so beautiful.  The pictures in our head are the same – when we see Jesus in that stable, He makes it come alive.  He makes it into something more than it was.

And in the same way Christians look at the cross of Jesus as something that has worth, not as something the world sees, but as the means for God to show His mighty love for us.  When we look at the man on the cross He makes it into something more than it was.

God does that for us as well.  When He is in our lives, He makes us more than we ever were.  I pray that will be true for each one of us this year, that we’ll let Him make us more.

Love, Diane

Emotions

Are you thankful that you’re able to experience pain, happiness, sadness, and concern for others, or fondness, freedom, peace and love – all of those emotions?

In one of his books, C.S. Lewis describes how a sunset evokes a certain emotion or reaction.  He says, “Somehow, we find that everything seems to stir something in our soul.” 

Recently, the last several months, I’ve felt that way.  With some health issues, my emotions have been close to the surface.  But as they pass I’ve realized what a blessing they are. 

Feelings and emotions began with God’s original design for man. He made us in his own image.  He designed us so that mountains would enchant us, or a blue sky might calm us, a baby might make us feel protective, or a child’s question would make us laugh. He designed us so that injustice would make us angry, and another person’s pain would give us feelings of compassion.

When we consider that God created us in His image, we can be certain that God has emotions as well. 

There are two wonderful things concerning God and emotions:

First, He understands our emotions (since He created us with the capacity to feel them),

And, second, His own emotions are perfect, because He is perfect.

The Bible has many references to God’s emotions.  Here are a few – there are many more

Anger – Wrath

Romans 1:18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness,

Compassion 

Psalm 135:14 -  For the Lord will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants. 

Grief

Luke 19:41  As He (Jesus) approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it

Love

Deuteronomy 7:9  Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; He is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep his commandments.

Joy

Zephaniah 3:17 The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves.  He will take great delight in you: in his love He will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.    

I love that!  God takes delight in us and I’m convinced that it’s okay to be happy.  Following Christ should not give us permanent sober faces – I don’t believe for a minute that Jesus was always grim. 

As we read the gospels – if we were to try to visualize Jesus standing there – there are times that we’d likely see a smile on his face, or even a grin.  For instance, when he was talking about John the Baptist.  He said to the people, “Hey what did you come out to see (when you were looking for John,) a reed shaking in the wind?  In other words, did you think this guy in the animal skins, eating locust, would be a weakling?  No, if you came looking for a prophet – that’s what he was, and more than that. 

On the other hand, it’s okay to be unhappy as well.  Jesus was.  Remember He wept, He was angry, He sweat drops of blood – there were so many unhappy times for our Savior.

When we have a tragedy in our lives or when things aren’t going well, it’s okay to be NOT okay. 

When - if you're like me, the emotions are vivid, you might say to yourself , “It’s alright.  Be strong.  Look on the bright side.”  

But that doesn’t always work and sometimes you just want to cry, “There is NO bright side” don’t you?

But then the Holy Spirit says, “Go to your Father and let him handle what you’re unable to handle alone.”  That’s the way of children, and I am God’s child.

God has plans for your emotions.  He is totally okay with how you feel and the amount of feeling you feel.  And He has a plan for all that. 

One plan is that we be thankful that we have feelings at all.

Another is that we bring the feelings to God in total honesty. 

If your feelings are negative, take them to God.

If your feelings are positive, take them to God.

Because the truth is that all of them were created by Him – we just sometimes mess with them and turn them up-side-down.

God has given you power, love and self-control in order to deal with your emotions.  Remember that God has not given us the spirit of fear, but the spirit of self-control, it means we can control our emotions. God's power lives inside of us.

2 Timothy 1:7 (GNT) For the Spirit that God has given us does not make us timid; instead, his Spirit fills us with power, love, and self-control.





And God is really okay with weakness – because that’s where his power shines through.

2 Corinthians 12:9 - But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

I pray that this little rambling may be helpful to you.today.  Remember your Father loves you! 

The Lesson of the Rest

Rest – skip a beat, wait a minute, sit down, take a breath, take a break, ease up, let go.

Have you ever – (I know you have) been climbing a hill, walking a path, cleaning, cooking, building, raking leaves – and at one point you just need a rest?

How do you know when that time comes?  Some of us do know and are willing to put down our tools or our walking sticks and stop what we’re doing, but some of us don’t.  And for those people, it takes something out of their control to force it on them.  Maybe, age?

Some of us know - on a physical level when it’s time to sit down, but do we know the need to rest on an emotional level?  Do we know when it’s time to take a breath?

The other morning, I woke early – been doing a lot of that lately, and my mind was in a turmoil, wondering, yes worrying, about the dental appointment I had scheduled for that day.  I badly needed a tooth that had broken off, pulled and was struggling with that problem.  I was worried that not pulling it would cause other problems – there was a lot of decay in the roots. 

And then I worried that pulling it would not be good because of other things going on with my health right now.  Well you get the picture – this surgery was optional, but on some levels it wasn’t.

Boy I was really worrying myself into an emotional turmoil.  Bet you’ve probably done that too.

That’s when I got up, took my blanket into the living room and sat down to read and give my worries a rest!  I wanted to focus on something else.

I picked up the book – my current favorite, “God Still Moves Stones”, by Max Lucado, and began at a new chapter.  Mr. Lucado uses scripture abundantly and God always speaks to my heart with this man’s words.

Funny thing --- although the chapter had nothing whatever to do with pulling teeth, or even worry, I felt relieved.

It was a rest – a break, a laying down of the burden, and I believe God was pleased.

Sometimes we think that a formal prayer, asking God to take away the worry or pain, or problem is the only way for God to work.  But, as I read, I felt less bothered. 

I wonder if one really good way to release those troublesome thoughts is only to focus on God, focus on his nature, be with Him and, yes, rest in HIM.

I chose not to follow my thoughts about the situation -- and that’s not bad.  The current trend is to say we need to voice or vent our thoughts and worries.  They say it’s unhealthy to hold it in.  But giving your thoughts over to God’s word is not holding it in, it’s more like handing it over, laying it down.  (although, if you’re like me, you’ll most likely pick it up again at some time.)  But for now it was time to rest.

There’s a musical application to this that I thought of that morning.  What if our songs and melodies never had a rest? 

We’d have long notes and short notes, but never time to take a breath, never a chance for the music to seep in, never a chance to really feel it.  The sound coming from the instrument or voice might even be beautiful, but I don’t think it would impact your heart.

Sometimes we need a rest, and that rest can always be found in the presence of the One who rested on the 7th day, the one who hears our struggles and always hears our hearts. We can always find rest in His loving arms. So when we look at Him and listen to what He has to say about anything, we can find rest in Him.

Matthew 11:29 (NIV)- Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

"Take my yoke," Jesus said, He meant - take my teaching, be like me, and then learn from Me. That’s where we'll find our rest.

Grace is the God Who Stoops

Sometimes it’s hard for us to picture God.  I read about a little girl who went with her family to see a beautiful fireworks display.  After it was over. Her Daddy pointed at the stars and said to her: "Look, sweetheart, those are God's fireworks."

After thinking for a minute the little girl said: "I know why God made them so high in the sky?"

"Dad was fascinated, He asked, “why did he do that?" She put her hand on her hip and said – Daddy, don’t you know, God’s the only one who can reach up there."

Our God is sure big, isn’t he?

Recently I either heard or read the following phrase; “Grace is a God who stoops.”

That really hit me, because God, the Holy, Almighty, Eternal, King and Ruler of the stars, of the entire universe, sometimes shows himself to us as the God who stoops down and reaches out to His people.

In Philippians 2:5 (NIV) we read,

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:  Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! 

The verse says that He humbled himself.  - Jesus stooped.  He bent down. He reached out.  He came down.

Can you imagine God almighty on the throne of the Universe –

• Coming down to earth from the glory of heaven to be placed in a manger in Bethlehem, to become the created along with the creator.
  
• Or Bending down to write in the sand when the woman was about to be stoned to death.
•  Or Reaching down to the Leper who was pleading to be healed.
• Or Stooping  down– to wash the feet of His disciples.
  
  

See Jesus, in the presence of God.  A place that we cannot even imagine.   Jesus. at His Father’s right hand with angels ministering to Him.  Beauty beyond belief.

And yet He came to earth. 

And It was for love of man that He came down to earth from that realm of Glory.

In John 8 (NIV) we read of Him bending down.  Jesus was in the temple teaching and ….

“The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery.  In the Law. Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?”  They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”  Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.  Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

Can you picture her looking around and seeing everyone gone.  She answered

“No one, sir,”

Jesus said to her

“Then neither do I condemn you,” . . . “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

He bent down to help the woman who needed His love as much as His correction.

It was for love of that sinner that He bent down.

In Matthew 8 (NIV) we read that

Jesus was with a large crowd of people when a man who had leprosy came and knelt before Him and asked, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”

Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. 

It was for love of the hurting that He reached down.

John 13 (NIV) tells us an amazing event in which Jesus stooped to wash the feet of His disciples.  Jesus – the Rabbi, Jesus the Son of God, Jesus washing dirty feet.

It was just before the Passover Festival. . . .  The evening meal was in progress, . . .  Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.  After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.”

He was showing them how they should humble themselves and love each other.  Can you imagine the grace that Jesus displayed in stooping to wash the feet of these men?

It was for love of His followers that He stooped down to teach them in such a way.

Jesus is the God who stoops, who reaches down, who bends down – the God who came down from Glory to show us how much he loves us.

He reaches down and touches us with His healing love.  He bends down and offers us forgiveness.  He stooped down to show us by example how to love others.  He came down to give us eternal life.

Tomorrow and forever

I like to think of Easter as the dawn – as a new beginning for this world.  When Christ died on the cross and rose again, He gave us all the opportunity for a new beginning, a brand new start.

We know that God created man perfect - and mankind sinned.  God is perfectly holy and has said that we must be holy as well. 

So we obviously needed a new beginning. 

But, what can we do about it on our own?  We can’t become holy and perfect – sin is in this old world and that makes it impossible. 

But there is a way; God provided the only way.  One perfect human would die for the sins of all of us.  And the only way that would work would be for God himself to come into our world as a human and live a perfect life and take all of our sins on himself – but that would mean his death.  And as you know, that’s what happened.

When we think about His death we need to remember that Jesus was fully human and fully God.  As a fully human man, He felt pain and sadness and disappointment just like we do.

When I think of Easter, the picture in my mind that most touches me, and exemplifies the price he paid for us, is the one of Him in the garden, on His knees, praying with all His heart, even to the point of sweating drops of blood.

After praying for some time, He went back to his friends and found them asleep – He had asked them to watch and pray with Him.  Don’t you believe He was disappointed?  I wonder if His eyes were full of tears as He went back to pray some more.

We read that, as Jesus prayed He asked His Father if there was possibly any other way to bring us back to Him – another way than for Him to die with the sin of the world on His body and soul.

We can’t possibly know what Jesus was feeling, but if the intensity of his prayers is any indication – it was terrible.  If the disappointment that we hear in those words to his disciples “couldn’t you watch for one hour?” is any indication, Jesus was full of loneliness and heartfelt pain.

Even though He asked for another way, He was still willing to die for us.  He said, “Not My will, but Yours, Father.”  Jesus knew that He would have to pay the price for us all, and He was still willing.

That really humbles me.  Jesus went down on His knees to His Father and prayed – He asked His Father if they could find another way. 

Why is that is so important?  

Because, if Jesus hadn’t asked His Father to take the cup away, if he hadn’t asked Him to take away the suffering that He knew was in store for Him, I’m not sure we would have as clear a picture what it cost Him to love us.

 

The price was higher than we can ever imagine.

We’ve read the accounts of His suffering – the beatings, the cross, and the crown of thorns, so we have a tiny idea of the pain He went through, but what about His loneliness - have you thought about that? 

Yes, there were people around, some of His followers and His mother who cared about him.  There were this enemies, and the soldiers and the two other men who were crucified at the same time.  But even with all this going on, Jesus was entirely alone in this world.  Even His Father could not partake in that aloneness.  

The price for our sin was not only a physical death, but it was separation from His Father.  When He cried out, “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me,” I believe that His Father God hurt like He had never hurt before in all of eternity.

 

I believe God could have stopped the suffering of His son, but He would not – He loved us too much.  I believe He could have made sure that His Son knew He was there for Him, but He did not.

 

It would have been easier if Christ felt Him there,

easing the burden, the sins He would bear.

But that wouldn't pay the price that was due –

the price of salvation for me and for you.

No, the only price that could save the lost

was the separation of God on the cross

from God in his heaven - the Father and Son,

to be torn from each other - a tearing of one.

That day on the earth, the darkness that reigned,

came not from the soldiers, came not from the pain.

It came from God's heart tearing in two,

hurting much more than any could do.

Loving us so much, that it broke His own heart,

The Son on the cross and the Father apart.

Separation – and death were the price that was due,

as God hung on the cross paying ransom for you

B U T

It didn’t end there!

Thank God it didn’t end there!  Spring was coming – a new day was dawning and God knew what He was doing. 

It was only a matter of days until the story made a remarkable change. In only a short time, sorrow turned to gladness.  

In the darkness of our world the sun was shining because in a blink of an eye the whole history of man moved from darkness toward dawn. 

Christ burst from the tomb, and the heaven was filled with singing.  It was a new day, a new beginning. 

Jesus’ disciples changed from the timid, beaten down, men they were  to real men who spoke out, who were willing to stand up and be counted as followers of Jesus. 

And the world would be changed forever because of this one event in history. 

I pray that Easter (Resurrection day) will mean more to you this year than it ever has before.  And that you may believe with all your heart that He loves you.    

Waves

Are you a water person?  I’m not, Oh I love to look at a beautiful peaceful lake, and I like to take a good warm shower – but I’m not thrilled about being in a swimming pool, and I’m scared to death of being in a lake where I can’t see the bottom, or the ocean where the waves push me around.

I remember one time we were out on a lake with some friends.  They were all swimming around, and jumping off the side of the boat.  Being the chicken that I am, I said I’d rather stay in the boat.  That didn’t go over well with this particular group of friends and after a whole bunch of badgering, I consented to get in the water – with a life jacket, and an inner tube. 

At that point, though, the fear took over and I struggled to stay afloat – I know, if I’d just relaxed I would have been fine, but as it was, I went under, due to all my panic and splashing.  That’s pretty amazing to almost drown with a life jacket on and holding on to the inner tube for dear life.  Sometimes our fears in life are just as unreasonable. 

When you’re on a beach looking at waves coming in to the shore, or when you look at a picture of the ocean, do you think of those waves as more than water? 

Waves, one after another, wash up on the shores of our lives.  They are the events that come unrelentingly, minute by minute, day by day (like the waves do.)  They may change their shapes, but seem to go on forever.

Some are turbulent, some calm, some destructive, or some refresh you with their coolness. 

Think about the waves of your life. 

You were a baby, a child, an adult, a senior citizen – you’ve lived through moves, marriages, children, illnesses, and death of loved ones.  These events were the waves washing up on the shore of your life.  Sometimes they were gentle and pleasant waves, and sometimes they played havoc with your world. 

But one big thing that we need to remember about this ocean of life is that someone is in control.  That someone – our Father, creator, watches the waves. 

Sometimes He changes the course of their flow.  Sometimes He shields us, if the waves would be hurtful.  At those times He’s the rock that we can stand on – the safe place in the storm.  Sometimes God stands beside us on the sand and steadies us so that the particularly violent waves don’t wash our feet out from under us.

 And sometimes He carries us out of the way when the tidal waves of our world would destroy us. 

Sometimes He revels with us in the cool refreshment of gentler waves.  He’s there to help and to guide, but He’s also there to enjoy the relationship we have with Him. 

Do you ever think about God walking through this life with you – splashing through the waves with you?  Do ever think that He actually enjoys being with you? 

Picture yourself on the seashore; you’re sitting on the sand as the waves come in.  It’s a hot day and the cool ocean brings refreshment.  God is by your side and you’re laughing and talking about the stuff the surf is bringing as it washes over you. 

Then picture the waves bringing something that’s not so much fun, that’s even maybe pretty awful. Picture the waves washing over you threatening to cover you, to pull you out into the ocean.   But you aren’t afraid.  After all, the one who is with you in the waves is the one who made that ocean – there is no need to fear.

He made the waves – the waters

Remember Genesis 1 (NIV) "in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters."

God created the ocean, the waves, and the water. 

And God can control the waves – the waters. 

Mark 4 tells us how Jesus calmed the storm.

Also remember that He is with you in the waves, in your life, on your walk. 

Isaiah 30:31 (NIV) says

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” 

Because He cares for you, you don’t have to worry about what the waves will bring into your life.

In 1 Peter 5:6-7 (NIV) we read  ^"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. . . . "

So as you think about the waves in the ocean and lakes, and you think about the waves that have washed up on the shores of your life, changing it – be sure to remember - 

He made the waves – He’s the creator

He can control the waves – He’s all powerful

He’s with you in the waves – it’s a relationship

He cares for you – It’s His love