Thursday, March 17, 2011

"Arise...and go."

I'm so excited yall...and I need SOMEBODY to be excited with me on this.  I'll try to keep it short and to the point if you PROMISE to jump up and down and say "Amen!"  See, I called my dad this morning after my quiet time and told him what God's spoken to me, and dad in his infinite wisdom said, "yep, that's cool."  Mr. Smarty Pants already was aware of the revelation that seemed brand new to me, so he wasn't as excited. I need you to (even if it's old news to you) to finish with me and say AMEN.  :)


"And the word of the LORD came to Elijah: Depart from here and    
turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east   
of the Jordan. You shall drink from the brook and I have commanded
the ravens to feed you there."
-1Kings 17:2-4

First that just jumped out at me that when God sent Elijah, He'd already planned out how Elijah would be taken care of. So neat!  And THEN...God sends RAVENS to carry "meat and bread in the morning and evening" (vs. 6).  How creative of God is that?? Seriously. Ok, moving forward..

         
                       "Then the brook dried up because there was no rain in the land..."      

        
That same brook where God had commanded Elijah to go and where He had so creatively provided food and shelter DRIED UP because of a drought. So what does God do next with Elijah?                

   "Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah: ARISE and go to Zarepath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold I have commanded a widow there to feed you."


                           Recap:  God sends Elijah away from home in the beginning and Scripture shows that God had a plan from the get-go to provide when Elijah arrived. THEN the brook dried up because of drought and God send Elijah packing again; and again, God included in His instructions to Elijah how he would be taken care of (..."I have commanded a widow there to feed you.") 

LIFE APPLICATION:   How many of us as Christians (this includes you and me) when we are in a thriving ministry, church or relationship/friendship assume that when the "brook dries up" that God just stopped being faithful and isn't providing any more? A drought doesn't have to be a sign of God's unfaithfulness but rather a sign to "Arise and go" on to the next location of His provision!

You see, if you're anything like me, you may want to sit by that dried up ol' brook where God once richly provided and then be soooo upset with Him because that brook won't flow. But actually, God has fore-ordained provision at the new destination you refuse to follow Him to. I love that God said to Elijah "ARISE and go..."   Maybe you're sitting by that dryied up brook begging God to provide for ou right there again, but God is saying ARISE up off your butt and go.....

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Kitty Chaos

Well folks, I write to you tonight from a mental state of frazzled delirium.  I have a 6" tall, furry, purring animal in my home now and let me tell you that she has NOT been the companion I'd anticipated.  Not a bad pet, but just....well, how do i describe her?  She's...original.  Her favorite game has been "use Jordan as a jungle-gym". 
People, I'm here to say that claws and human flesh were never intended to co-exist in the way that Missy has forced upon me.  And I will also say that no other animal or human being for that matter has tested my sanctification like she has.  I have screamed at her as she's dug her claws into my behind and hung freely.  I have literally had to pray for forgiveness for losing my temper over this animal.  I'm sleep deprived and scared constantly.
BUT HERE'S THE LATEST game she's invented.  "Treasure Hunter".  Today I walk into my kitchen and Missy is having one of usual hyper-active spells.  In the midst of her big trouncing party she ran full-speed and skidded into her litter box like a toddler at the beach.  She has decided that this green and gray box in the laundry room is not only a place to take a dump but it is a two-for-one sand box/treasure digging station.  Missy was playing in her litter box when lo-and-behold she found a "treasure".  A little nugget of fun. She scoops it up with her front paws, flings it out of the litter box and begins pushing it all over the kitchen like a mouse toy.  I get her pooper-scooper and take it away from her, putting it in the trash. Didn't dampen her spirits. She hopped right back into the litter box and got herself another "treasure" and the game continued. Yall, I am one exhausted mama. Pray for me.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Fraudulent Identity?

Hey yall!!  wanted to say howdy and offer a few snacks for thought. Now mind you, this is not a "handful of goldfish" type of snack. It's a little lengthier than I usually post. This is more like an appetizer of fried cheese sticks at TGI Fridays....big portion, but really good! Make  a happy plate and read the whole blog. See you at the end!


I'd like to invite you to read a verse of Scripture if you'd be so patient:
         “And by this we knowthat we have come to know Him,
if we keep His commandments.
          Whoever says ‘I know him’ but does not keep his
commandments is a liar and the truth is not inhim, but whoever
          keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected.
By this we may know that we are in Him, whoever
         says he abides in Him ought to
                                               walk in the same way in which He walked.”  -John 2:3-6 
I don't know about you, but this verse intimidates me and reeeeally causes me to ask myself hard things about who I claim my identity to be.  Christian. In our rawest, truest form, are we real or are we truly convinced that we are real but only putting on the front of a true Godfollower?
The text you just read with me says that whoever abides in Him ought to walk in the way in which He walked. Does that not just make your head spin? Man it does mine. walking as Jesus the God-man walked!
Think about this with me now my blog friend: It is our duty according to 2 Corinthians 13 to check the sincerity of our walks: 
"But we pray to God
that you may not do wrong, not that we
may appear to have met the test,
but that you may
do what is right though we may seem to have failed."

Paul makes it clear in this text, he wants the people
to do what is right, but not for the sake of “appearing to have met the test”.

In other words, so many people who have attended church all their lives
have a tendency to believe they are Christians who have met the test but
really only do what is right in appearance, and usually only
when they are around other Christians who they think have
certain expectations of them.
 
Honestly, how many of you if your pastor offered margaritas in Sunday School would take and drink one? Not many. But how many of you would order one on a Friday night at Chili's?  I'm not about to get into a theological debate on the sin/not sin of drinking.  My point is to be real EVERYWHERE you are.  If you wouldn't turn it down in a restaurant, but you would turn it down from someone at church, you are putting on a front and “appearing to have met the test” in front of the ones who have expectations of you.

How many of us have our bibles at a small group in Sunday school in case we were called on, butdidn’t take them to work/school in case a conversation presented itself at the lunch table to share Christ? If you fall into that category, it is because you are working to meet the expectations of one group of people rather that working to fulfill the big picture… the great commission. That doesn’t necessarily mean you’re not a Christian, don’t misunderstand me, but it could be a challenge totake your walk more seriously.

So, all this said, and having examined yourself, can you really call yourself a Christian? I hope yes! There is nothing more awesome than the feeling of knowing that you are in a season of walking in rightstanding with Christ.  But, you may be wondering now if up to this point you've been nothingmore than an imitator camouflaged into the scenery of the true believers.  I'll leave you lastly with the words of a great man:
"Whatever you are, be a good one." -Abraham Lincoln