June 2008

Rejoicing

“Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all, the Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:4-7)

Paul was an amazing fellow. When he wrote the words above in his letter to the church in Philippi, he was in jail. So there he was, confined in a prison cell, telling his brothers in Christ to “rejoice”. He didn’t complain about being imprisoned, his treatment, his living conditions, the rats, the smell, the bad food, nothing! He simply said, “Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: Rejoice!” Oh, people, if we could just take hold of that spirit, it would change our lives! Paul rejoiced as he sat in jail, and even from his jail cell he found a way to minister through his letters. He understood why he was created. He understood his calling. And he found great joy in following Christ wherever He took him, even to prison.

When we walk in God’s plan, on the path He set for us, our spirit rejoices within us – there’s no stopping it. We are fulfilling our reason for being. Our spirit is no longer battling with our flesh. Everything is in synch, and it’s oh so good. When we have grateful, rejoicing spirits, we are joyful, contented people, no matter what the circumstance, just like Paul.

Chapter 4 of Philippians was very instrumental in pulling me out of depression. I meditated on it every day for weeks, memorizing it and reciting it as I drove to work or flew to Chicago or cooked dinner or lay in bed at night. It’s a wonderful, powerful chapter, with life-changing messages throughout its 23 verses. Verses four through seven (above) are my favorites for many reasons.

First, I badly needed to rejoice, and Paul doesn’t just suggest it here, he commands it! It’s not optional; it’s a requirement. He doesn’t just say it once; he says it twice for emphasis. And, by gosh, if Paul can sit in jail and still rejoice, there’s no reason for me not to rejoice in my circumstances! But what could I rejoice about in my depressed state? Read on. “Let your gentleness be evident to all, the Lord is near.” The Lord is near! The Lord had felt pretty far away from me for quite a while, but Paul said He’s near. In my hardened state, I didn’t know He was near, but Paul said if you’re gentle, you’ll know. As I relaxed the tension, softened my heart, and let the gentleness in my spirit prevail, I once more became aware of His presence and my spirit did rejoice. Amazing!

Second, I was anxious and worried about everything. I worried about not getting to sleep quickly enough at night. I worried about not waking up and missing my flight in the morning. I worried about my kids. I worried about work. I worried about finances. I worried about my future. I was a worrier. But Paul (still in prison, remember) said “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Do not be anxious – don’t worry - about ANYTHING! Wow! I worried about everything. Maybe that’s part of the reason I was depressed. I wasn’t turning over my needs and cares to God and leaving them there. I would pray and lay things down, then pick them right back up on my way out and continue worrying. That’s not faith, my friends.

Lastly, I had no peace in my life. Paul said, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” How do we get this peace? By following his first commands – Rejoice always (grateful, joyful, contented spirit), don’t be anxious about anything (stop worrying), and pray about everything (lay it down and leave it there).

Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 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. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

It’s hard for us to imagine that it was easy for Paul being imprisoned, but in actuality it may have been easier than we think. In my own life, everything is much easier when I’m where God wants me, doing whatever He’s put before me to do. It may not appear easy to someone looking in from the outside, but when Jesus said his burden is light, it’s because He helps to carry it, so it definitely feels much easier than when we’re carrying the load of our life alone. I’ve been on both sides of that scenario and can testify for sure that it’s much easier when I’m where He leads me. Everything just flows easily as He gives me strength to do His will. I don’t get stressed out. Little things don’t bother me. I’m much more patient, kind, compassionate, and loving. The worries of life don’t weigh me down. It’s more peaceful and much more joyful. I’m completely content (no anxiety) when I’m where He wants me.

Paul said, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:11-13)

Many of us are not content. No matter how much we have, we always want more – that’s the American way. America tends to be a nation of spoiled, self-serving people who have been raised to feel like the world owes us something. In modern times, we have become more and more rude, selfish, and unappreciative. We demand “our rights”. We sue our neighbors every chance we get. We step on anyone in our way in order to get ahead. We are over indulgent, unable to refuse ourselves or our kids anything so we’re in debt up to our eyeballs. We are depressed, over weight, immoral, undisciplined, and ungodly to a great extent. Worst of all we are ungrateful toward our Creator.

Our nation was originally founded on Christian values; a nation “under God”. We were once God fearing, moral, compassionate people. We opened our doors to the tired, the poor, and the hungry from all over the world. We welcomed them with open arms. We cared for them and God cared for us and blessed us greatly, making us the most powerful nation in the world in a very short amount of time. Our nation is still very young in comparison to much of the world. God blessed us and grew us up in record time, strengthening us and protecting us through the years.

Problem is, somewhere along the line, we stopped giving Him the credit. We became proud; wise in our own eyes. We took credit for the things He did. We became greedy instead of grateful. No matter how much we had, we wanted more. Instead of looking upward, we looked inward and became the ‘me’ generation. America is a mess nowadays. We need revival. We need to remember from whence we came. We need to be grateful for the blessings that have come our way and get our focus back on God, rejoicing in the Lord and thanking Him for his goodness and mercy toward us. We need to start behaving like a nation under God, instead of spending so much time and money trying to remove any mention of God from our schools, our workplaces, our pledge of allegiance, and our money. That is a huge mistake with monumental ramifications for our country.

“I brought you into a fertile land to eat its fruit and rich produce. But you came and defiled my land and made my inheritance detestable. The priests did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord?’ Those who deal with the law did not know me; the leaders rebelled against me.” (Jeremiah 2:7-8)

“While you were doing all these things, declares the Lord, I spoke to you again and again, but you did not listen; I called you but you did not answer.” (Jeremiah 7:13)

“Consider then and realize how evil and bitter it is for you when you forsake the Lord your God and have no awe of me, declares the Lord Almighty.” (Jeremiah 2:19b)

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

America, we need to pray, and once again, rejoice in the Lord!

May 2008

In His Time

“In His Time, In His Time, He Makes All Things Beautiful In His Time.”

That’s a line from an old worship song that often runs through my mind these days.  The older I get, the more enormously apparent those words have become.  “God makes all things beautiful in His time.”  Oh, if I could only get back all the years that I wasted feeling anything but beautiful in God’s sight – years of depression and hopelessness - all the wasted time feeling like a failure.  If only I could have known that God was working, He was molding, He was modeling this piece of clay into a vessel for His pleasure, to be used for His glory. 

Beloved, that is exactly what He is doing in your life, too, if you are His child, called by His name.  In Philippians 1:6, Paul said, “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”  He’s not finished with us yet!  The day He’s finished is the day He’ll take us home to be with Him.  We are a work in progress from the day of our salvation to the moment of our death. 

”Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.” (Isaiah 64:8)  Almighty, Omnipotent God is the Master Potter and we are His clay.  Can you imagine it!  The King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Alpha and Omega, Ruler of Nations has His hands on us!  He is “hands on” involved in our lives!  He is not watching over us “from a distance” as the song says, but up close and personal. 

He personally formed us.  “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” (Psalm 139:13-14) 

He knows us intimately.  “O LORD, you have searched me and you know me.  You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.  You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.  Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.”   (Psalm 139:1-4)  Does that sound like a distant God?

He sees our lives from beginning to end – the full picture.  “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” (Psalm 139:16)  

He is continually molding us, shaping us, refining us through every experience of our lives – good or bad.  Scripture tells us that we can be sure that He is always working for our good.  “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

Oh, dear ones, if we could only grasp this truth, and relax into His arms of love, instead of wiggling and squirming to be free!  He wants the best for us, like a good father desires what’s best for his son.  He knows what’s best for us!  Trust Him!  Surrender to Him, and the peace that passes all understanding will permeate your life.  Oh, there’s no sweeter peace than the peace of being right in the center of His will.

April 2008

Glory to the Lord

“May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” (Galatians 6:14)

Nothing we have done or could ever do is worthy of pride. Nothing. Without God, nothing is possible. Without Him, we wouldn’t be here, wouldn’t have thoughts or ideas, wouldn’t have the strength or ability to perform any task. It is God working through us that achieves success. It is God who helps us to accomplish every goal.

When we succeed, let’s give Him all the glory, and thank Him for allowing us to be a part of His plan.

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” (Colossians 3:17)