So I got this daily devotion (will share at bottom) in my email this morning and think I could probably read it every single day...I definitely need the reminder. Obviously, as God brought the issue to mind last night and then I got an email about it this morning. (He knows I'm thick-headed.)
Just last night in bed (side note: anyone else's brain kick into high gear around midnight when you should be sleeping?!) I was thinking about how our hearts are evil. Now before you get all defensive...yours is, too. :) Not always. But, our hearts are fickle and often led by pure emotions. The battle for that is in our minds, our thoughts, our spirit.
I've often had the not-so-fun experience of my heart leading me in one direction while my brain is screaming at me to run the other way. Which to listen to? Unless it is a Holy Spirit conviction of the heart (Romans 14; and we cannot judge others if their convictions are different from ours) then your 'feelings' can be a dangerous lead to follow. Proverbs 15:28 says 'The heart of the righteous weighs its answers.' But, oh how much more fun is it to give in to your desires and taste the deliciousness of all you crave?! That can seriously come back to bite you in the butt...hello, Eve and the apple, anyone? And doesn't Satan just looove to bite us in the butts later!
So back to the question: what should we listen to then, when our heads and hearts are warring? THE TRUTH. (A good example of why memorizing scripture is so important!) OUR FAITH. Even when feelings aren't there, or when they are and they're up to no good, we can TRUST and BELIEVE. Even when we don't want to. Don't feel like it. Are sick of feeling disappointed when we don't get answers we want, or any at all. And this leads me to what I read this morning:
"Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised." Job 1:20-21 (NIV)
"God is always present, even when you are unaware of him, and his presence is too profound to be measured by mere emotion." Rick Warren
When you are a baby Christian, God gives you a lot of confirming emotions and often answers the most immature, self-centered prayers—so you'll know he exists. But as you grow in faith, he will wean you of these dependencies.
God's omnipresence and the manifestation of his presence are two different things. One is a fact; the other is often a feeling. God is always present, even when you are unaware of him, and his presence is too profound to be measured by mere emotion.
Yes, he wants you to sense his presence, but he's more concerned that you trust him than that you feel him. Faith, not feelings, pleases God.
The situations that will stretch your faith most will be those times when life falls apart and God is nowhere to be found. This happened to Job. On a single day he lost everything—his family, his business, his health, and everything he owned. Most discouraging—for thirty-seven chapters, God said nothing!
How do you praise God when you don't understand what's happening in your life and God is silent? How do you stay connected in a crisis without communication? How do you keep your eyes on Jesus when they're full of tears? You do what Job did: "Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.'" (Job 1:20-21, NIV)
Tell God exactly how you feel. Pour out your heart to God. Unload every emotion that you're feeling. Job did this when he said, "I can't be quiet! I'm angry and bitter. I have to speak!" (Job 7:11, TEV)
He cried out when God seemed distant: "Oh, for the days when I was in my prime, when God's intimate friendship blessed my house." (Job 29:4, NIV)
God can handle your doubt, anger, fear, grief, confusion, and questions. Just have FAITH.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
SUPER FREAKY
"You're a freak!" That's like every middle schooler's worst nightmare in a sentence. Even as you get older, I don't think it'd feel too good to be looked at like you're a weirdo, because we all want to fit in somewhere. Yes, even if someone dresses in all black, with off-putting makeup and piercings, that person wants to fit in, too.
I think our desires to fit in with a group, especially when we're younger and more impressionable, come from a deeper need to be loved. Like Beth Moore says, under the desires of our hearts is really the heart of our desires. It's proven everyday. It's usually the ones who aren't loved or encouraged at home who most seek that attention elsewhere. I saw a clip on the news today about the Columbine High School killings. I wonder how different things might have been if the killers' classmates wouldn't have labeled them, 'freaks.' Or if even one of their peers would've reached out to them, despite their differences, and shown love and acceptance.
All too often we, especially as Americans, place importance on looks, economic status, job status, and forfeit getting to know good-hearted people because they don't look like us. I am ashamed to admit that I recently did this myself. I was out to eat at a restaurant when a homeless man came in to ask the server for a glass of water. I felt the strongest urge to invite this man to sit and have a meal with me and just let him know that someone cared for him. I knew this urging was from God, but immediately, my pride stepped in and I thought, 'I can't do that. People will wonder what I'm doing, sitting with this dirty man who is probably on drugs.' And so I let the moment pass. I have no idea how God could've used me to make a difference in that man's life, and for fear of what others might think, I will never know.
I've never been in his exact place, but I've been a 'freak' before. Middle school was a rough time for me, when I was made fun of a lot and didn't always have a true friend to turn to. In college, the choices I made and things I choose not to do set me apart. It's hard when people leave you out or poke fun at you, even good-naturedly. Thank God my confidence and self-worth don't come from what others think of me!
You see, I don't think being a freak is all that much of a bad thing. In fact, Jesus tells us people won't like us because we're different. And you know what? That's okay! Paul writes in Galatians 1:10 "Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ." That hit me like a ton of bricks. It's so much easier to think that if we make everyone else happy, then we will be happy because they'll like us. But, sometimes it's better to be a 'freak.'
So, I try to live my life devoted to my beliefs. Along the way some will probably think I'm crazy, but what is 'normal' anyway? If you can show me a 'normal' person or a 'normal' family, well, then I'd say there are some skeletons that just haven't come out yet! But, more importantly, who wants to be 'normal?!' To me, normalcy screams of a cookie cutter, average life. No one wants on his tombstone, 'Here lies Mediocre Joe. 1970 - 2020. We don't remember anything else about him because he just blended with the crowd.' Now, that, that would hurt more than not being in the 'in crowd.' So, the next time you're feeling like a 'super-freak,' or judging someone who you think is a 'freak,' just remember...we all are!
I think our desires to fit in with a group, especially when we're younger and more impressionable, come from a deeper need to be loved. Like Beth Moore says, under the desires of our hearts is really the heart of our desires. It's proven everyday. It's usually the ones who aren't loved or encouraged at home who most seek that attention elsewhere. I saw a clip on the news today about the Columbine High School killings. I wonder how different things might have been if the killers' classmates wouldn't have labeled them, 'freaks.' Or if even one of their peers would've reached out to them, despite their differences, and shown love and acceptance.
All too often we, especially as Americans, place importance on looks, economic status, job status, and forfeit getting to know good-hearted people because they don't look like us. I am ashamed to admit that I recently did this myself. I was out to eat at a restaurant when a homeless man came in to ask the server for a glass of water. I felt the strongest urge to invite this man to sit and have a meal with me and just let him know that someone cared for him. I knew this urging was from God, but immediately, my pride stepped in and I thought, 'I can't do that. People will wonder what I'm doing, sitting with this dirty man who is probably on drugs.' And so I let the moment pass. I have no idea how God could've used me to make a difference in that man's life, and for fear of what others might think, I will never know.
I've never been in his exact place, but I've been a 'freak' before. Middle school was a rough time for me, when I was made fun of a lot and didn't always have a true friend to turn to. In college, the choices I made and things I choose not to do set me apart. It's hard when people leave you out or poke fun at you, even good-naturedly. Thank God my confidence and self-worth don't come from what others think of me!
You see, I don't think being a freak is all that much of a bad thing. In fact, Jesus tells us people won't like us because we're different. And you know what? That's okay! Paul writes in Galatians 1:10 "Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ." That hit me like a ton of bricks. It's so much easier to think that if we make everyone else happy, then we will be happy because they'll like us. But, sometimes it's better to be a 'freak.'
So, I try to live my life devoted to my beliefs. Along the way some will probably think I'm crazy, but what is 'normal' anyway? If you can show me a 'normal' person or a 'normal' family, well, then I'd say there are some skeletons that just haven't come out yet! But, more importantly, who wants to be 'normal?!' To me, normalcy screams of a cookie cutter, average life. No one wants on his tombstone, 'Here lies Mediocre Joe. 1970 - 2020. We don't remember anything else about him because he just blended with the crowd.' Now, that, that would hurt more than not being in the 'in crowd.' So, the next time you're feeling like a 'super-freak,' or judging someone who you think is a 'freak,' just remember...we all are!
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