Take a Step

Posted on June 7, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

Our LORD, how long must I beg for your help before you listen? How long before you save us from all this violence? …

But you can’t stand sin or wrong. So don’t sit by in silence while they gobble down people who are better than they are.              Habakkuk 1:2, 13 (CEV)

Here is a passage from one of the minor prophets. I find the “minor prophets” phrase to be a bit of an oxymoron and brings a chuckle to my soul. I know that the definition of ‘minor’ is based on the amount of known written literature, but really, is there a prophet of God that could be considered as minor? Arguably one of the greatest of prophets, Elijah, has no book to his credit and very few verses written about him at all. (1 Kings 17 – 2 Kings 2)

Almost nothing is known about Habakkuk except that he was a prophet. We are not even sure when he lived. The reliable information that we have is what he tells us: he was a prophet of God.

Thanks to Habakkuk, David, and yes, Jesus Himself, I am blessed to be able to come to God and argue, complain, cry, and even vent my anger at what I see in my life, in my world, and at what I perceive God doing or not doing about it! God is my Father, abounding in love and grace and mercy. When I come with frustration to His throne room, I am received and God listens to me. He does not reject me or tell me to “Shut up!” but listens with an understanding ear. He knows the root of my words. He sees them for what they are. Remember when Jesus rebuked Satan, not Peter (Matthew 16:21-23)?

Did Habakkuk get answers to his heart-wrenching questions?

Fig trees may no longer bloom, or vineyards produce grapes;

olive trees may be fruitless, and harvest time a failure;

sheep pens may be empty, and cattle stalls vacant–

but I will still celebrate because the LORD God saves me.

The LORD gives me strength.

He makes my feet as sure as those of a deer,

and he helps me stand on the mountains.        Habakkuk 3:17-19 (CEV)

As my relationship with God grows closer, I find I can hear God’s voice more clearly. I may not find answers that totally satisfy me but I find that, in the midst of God’s silence, His answer of “Wait”, or an answer that I do not want to hear – that I can say, “I trust You, Lord.” I find the Father’s heart that desires to give me good gifts and has good plans for me. Through Jesus, I have the example of what my relationship to the Father can be and should be. Jesus went off to pray, to talk with God, especially when He was tired or discouraged. Even in the Garden just before His death, we are shown that Jesus questioned the Father, asking that another way be given for His mission Luke 22:39-46). Would the Father please change the path that He had asked Jesus to walk? Jesus’ relationship with the Father was one of obedience to be sure. He told the Father that He wanted to be in His will above all other things. But – would God reconsider His plan? The answer was “No”. The answer was also an angel to minister to Jesus and bring Him strength straight from the Father.

Our Father God is waiting right now to hear what is going on in our lives. He is ready to listen. Do we trust Him? Today is a good day to take that step forward just as Habakkuk did.

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The Word of the Lord

Posted on June 6, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

Jesus said to them, “While I was still with you, I told you that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the Books of the Prophets, and in the Psalms had to happen.” Then he helped them understand the Scriptures. He told them:

The Scriptures say that the Messiah must suffer, then three days later he will rise from death. They also say that all people of every nation must be told in my name to turn to God, in order to be forgiven. So beginning in Jerusalem, you must tell everything that has happened. I will send you the one my Father has promised, but you must stay in the city until you are given power from heaven.    Luke 24:44-53 (CEV)

In Luke’s gospel, the Great Commission is not stated with the fanfare and exhortation that Matthew’s gospel does. I have another perspective on a familiar command.

Jesus says that He has told me that what was written about Him throughout the Old Testament is relevant. I can’t just read the New Testament and think I’ve got a clear picture of who and what Jesus is. We need more study guides written to help us study the Old Testament. When I take the time to read and use these “helps”, I can dig into the richness of the Old Testament and find some more of those nuggets every time I read. My #1 Old Testament study book is Who’s Afraid of the Old Testament God? by Dr. Alden Thompson. Every time I read it, the Holy Spirit shows me something new to reread in the Old Testament and learn.

Jesus tells me that His name is to go out to all nations, meaning all people, so that they will turn to God and know His forgiveness. You must tell, He says. I am commanded to tell people everything. And that includes the cross. Paul reiterates what Jesus says when he reminds us that people will see the power of the cross as foolishness (1 Corinthians 1:18). I will share what Jesus means to me and people will say, “But if He is your Savior, why didn’t He save Himself?” And there is the opportunity to point to His great love. I cannot tell people about the Resurrection without telling them about the cross. It is Paul’s example that Jesus gives me that sets my understanding of how He provides His Spirit when I am weak – Jesus is strong (Romans8:26, 2 Corinthians 12:9).

And maybe the most important point to this passage is Jesus’ promise that His Spirit will live in me. It is that promise that I take with me every time I read and consider His Word. I seek His Spirit’s wisdom and true revelation. God’s Word is a lamp to light my steps (Psalm 119:105). It is wisdom and truth that will never pass away (Matthew 24:35), living and active (Hebrews 4:12), and relevant for me, my children, and my grandchildren.

 

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My Offering

Posted on June 3, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

You embarrass me by offering worthless food on my altar. Then you ask, “How have we embarrassed you?” You have done it by saying, “What’s so great about the LORD’s altar?”

But isn’t it wrong to offer animals that are blind, crippled, or sick? Just try giving those animals to your governor. That certainly wouldn’t please him or make him want to help you. I am the LORD God All-Powerful, and you had better try to please me. You have sinned. Now see if I will have mercy on any of you.     Malachi 1:7-9 (CEV)

God gave very specific, detailed instructions to His children about offerings. He ‘spelled it out’ on what is pleasing to Him, acceptable to Him. The books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy seem to go on and on and on and on about these various related subjects. But apparently, the Israelites had forgotten the parameters! No, I don’t think they had really forgotten. They had just convinced themselves that God would be okay with whatever they had leftover. They had deceived themselves into thinking that God couldn’t really want them to give the best they had and use it for their offering. It would be okay to use the best for their parties to impress others and give God the leftover, diseased animal that wasn’t good enough for anything else!

One of the scribes approached. When he heard them debating and saw that Jesus answered them well, he asked Him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?”

“This is the most important,” Jesus answered:

Listen, Israel! The Lord our God, The Lord is One. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.

The second is: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Then the scribe said to Him, “You are right, Teacher! You have correctly said that He is One, and there is no one else except Him. And to love Him with all your heart, with all your understanding, and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself, is far more [important] than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

When Jesus saw that he answered intelligently, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And no one dared to question Him any longer.     Mark 12:28-34 (HCSB)

Jesus is very clear to me about what is the best offering to God. It would be easy for me to read His commands and translate that into loving those who are lovable or easy to love. But wouldn’t that be much like giving God my leftovers? It’s easy to love those who love me or who are kind to me and others. God wants me to give my best and for me that means that I have to put forth extra effort and love those who are on God’s heart. God is asking me for my best to be given first for Him. He gives me all the grace and patience I need and it is that best that I have to give away.

It is summer and time for many people who will get together with lots of food and family, friends and new acquaintances. It is a time for me to carry God’s love to all without counting how much I receive. There are so many out there in the parks, the beach, backyards, and anywhere else God directs my feet, who are starving for a free handout of God’s unconditional love. I can carry that that free gift to God’s children. What an offering from my heart to God’s!

 

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Keep My Lamp Trimmed and Burning

Posted on June 2, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

So be very careful how you live. Do not live like those who are not wise, but live wisely. Use every chance you have for doing good, because these are evil times. So do not be foolish but learn what the Lord wants you to do. Do not be drunk with wine, which will ruin you, but be filled with the Spirit.                      Ephesians 5:15-18 (NCV)

Wise living comes from more than the education I have accumulated and how I have applied that education. Wisdom is also the ability to discern qualities and information that may not be quantitative by mere physical or intellectual means. Wisdom is being thirsty for knowledge while at the same time knowing that knowledge will not always give me the answers I need.

Paul says I will avoid being foolish if I learn what the Lord wants me to do. I would say it is then doing what the Lord wants me to do. That brings me to the sticky point of giving up what I may want and choosing God’s way instead. And there is a point of wisdom: God knows more than me so His way is always the better way.

Where is the wise person? Where is the educated person? Where is the skilled talker of this world? God has made the wisdom of the world foolish. In the wisdom of God the world did not know God through its own wisdom. So God chose to use the message that sounds foolish to save those who believe. The Jews ask for miracles, and the Greeks want wisdom. But we preach a crucified Christ. This is a big problem to the Jews, and it is foolishness to those who are not Jews. But Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God to those people God has called – Jews and Greeks. Even the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

Brothers and sisters, look at what you were when God called you. Not many of you were wise in the way the world judges wisdom. Not many of you had great influence. Not many of you came from important families. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and he chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose what the world thinks is unimportant and what the world looks down on and thinks is nothing in order to destroy what the world thinks is important. God did this so that no one can brag in his presence. Because of God you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God. In Christ we are put right with God, and have been made holy, and have been set free from sin. So, as the Scripture says, “If someone wants to brag, he should brag only about the Lord.”                     1 Corinthians 1:20-31 (NCV)

Living wisely is an attainable goal when my eyes are on Jesus. My standard, my example, in all things, is right here in plain sight. There is no situation that does not have a ‘Jesus answer’ to follow. It may not be the answer I want to hear or see but it is there. It may not be an easy answer but even in that God provides His Spirit to strengthen me and give me courage and peace to follow His path.

I was sitting in my office today, praying, and I stopped because I realized that even in prayer my eyes were on me and my viewpoint of what was going on in my life. I was like Peter who gets out of the boat and sinks because he is looking at his view of the storm. He took his eyes off Jesus and sank! And here I was in prayer, sinking. When I changed my focus in prayer and said, “Here is what is going on, Jesus” and just reached out my hand, knowing Jesus would pull me up. And He did. Do I have all the answers? The “for sure” answer I have is – my hand is still in Jesus’ hand. The rest of the answers may become clear in His time. As long as my hand is clasped in His hand, we will be walking the same path.

[Jesus said,]“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps.” Matthew 25:1-4 (NIV)

It would be wise of me to keep my lamp trimmed and burning. It is the “lamp” of my relationship with Jesus that will get me through day to day. Instead of stumbling around in the dark of my own ideas and plan, I can walk with my lamp burning bright and Jesus holding my hand.

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My Life, My Race, His Promise, Our Goal

Posted on June 1, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

As soon as the meal was finished, he insisted that the disciples get in the boat and go on ahead to the other side while he dismissed the people. With the crowd dispersed, he climbed the mountain so he could be by himself and pray. He stayed there alone, late into the night.                       Matthew 14:22-23 (The Message)

Priorities. Jesus was a busy man. He had twelve guys to train in the ministry, literally thousands of people who were hungry and hurting (legitimate needs!), who were clamoring for Him to help them, and during this particular week, his cousin, John, had just been murdered by the local spineless leader for no other reason than he was telling the truth.

Jesus deals with the immediate priorities in an interesting way. He sends the twelve ministers-in-training out into a boat by themselves instead of doing what they wanted Him to do which was listen to more stories about how they made the demons flee and rallied the local villages to ‘our cause’. The twelve probably thought it was time to talk battle strategies against the guy who had just murdered John. “Come on, Jesus, we’re ready to strike back!” Jesus also dismisses the crowd. Five thousand people had come from their villages to hear Him speak and receive His healing touch without thought or even a plan to eat. They just wanted to be with Him. They wanted to hear His words of life. “Minister to us, Jesus!” Most ministers would be excited to have 5,000 people come to a revival service! Jesus sends them away while He does – what? Make a note of it… he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray.

Wait for the LORD; be courageous and let your heart be strong. Wait for the LORD.           Psalm 27:14 (HCSB)

When will I learn from Elijah that God is in the whisper (1 Kings 19:11-18)? When will I learn from David that God is there even when His hand is heavy on me and I cry rivers of tears on my bed at night(Psalm 6 & 32)? When will I learn from Hosea (chapter 6) that God desires mercy from me and not the sacrifice of thousands of bulls (or thousands of service hours)? When will I ‘be still and know’ that He is God (Psalm 46:10)? When will I see Jesus’ example to dismiss the crowd and spend time alone with my Heavenly Father to talk?

There are no shortcuts to relationships. I cannot spend one hour a week with my husband, Henry, and expect that he will understand my needs and support me. I cannot expect to know God if I hear one twenty minute sermon a week and thank him for His blessings at every meal. Unanswered questions and insight into how God works are priorities in my life because I am at the point in my life where I can identify with the sick woman and Jarius (Luke eight) and the father and son (Luke 9) and Paul (2 Corinthians 12) and his thorn. I have no other options and I will not go back to the way things were in my life. So I must press on and climb up the mountain (meaning I will have to put forth some effort and some sweat!) and spend time alone with the Father and talk. How can I know what goals I can achieve with Him unless I spend time with Jesus on the mountain? Be still. Wait. Listen. Know. It is not an occasional ‘class’ but a daily time with my Friend and Lord.

But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness [a right relationship] that comes from God and is by faith…

But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them filth, so that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ—the righteousness from God based on faith…

Not that I have already reached [the goal] or am already fully mature, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.           Philippians 3:7-9, 12-14 (HCSB)

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My Life, My Race, His Promise

Posted on May 31, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

I have fought well. I have finished the race, and I have been faithful.      2 Timothy 4:7 (CEV)

These are well-known words of Scripture. I didn’t always know the context of the words. It is thought that this letter to Timothy may have been Paul’s last letter that he wrote before he was executed in Rome. It does seem fitting that he wrote to his ‘son’ in those last hours, sharing the thoughts closest to his heart. He began the letter remembering Timothy’s history of faith through his mother and grandmother and affirming that he, Paul, sees that same faith in Timothy. Paul tells Timothy not to ever be ashamed of the message of the gospel of Jesus and that the Good News is worth any suffering or hardship. He says that all Scripture is “God-breathed” and should be used to teach and correct so that we would be well-equipped for serving God. Paul warns Timothy that there will be a time when mankind will turn from these God-inspired truths and only listen to what they want to hear.

Paul is sitting in a prison cell, chained and condemned to die. There are no disciples there to encourage him. There is no one that can change the events that are going to happen except God Himself. I believe that God had revealed to Paul what was going to happen. God had let Paul see the truth that it was in His will that Paul should now leave this life and die. But to God, and to Paul, that meant that he was coming home. Paul had finished this life and had kept his faith firmly on the Son of God, Jesus Christ, and so now was the time to receive what he wanted so much – to spend eternity with God!

Timothy had never had a teacher like Paul. He would never have another teacher like Paul. Paul gave Timothy two truths to remember through all his many writings: he was once lost to sin and the law but now he was saved through the sacrifice and love of Jesus Christ. He had spent all his life telling anyone who would listen (and more than a few who wouldn’t!) these two facts. It had cost him everything until all he had left…was his faith. That was all he needed.

No matter what I achieve in my life; no matter how many people know my name, when those last days, hours, and minutes come – my faith in Jesus is all I will have and all that I need.

At my first defense, no one came to my assistance, but everyone deserted me. May it not be counted against them. But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the proclamation might be fully made through me, and all the Gentiles might hear. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil work and will bring me safely into His heavenly kingdom. To Him be the glory forever and ever! Amen.            2 Timothy 4:16-18 (HCSB)

 

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We need heroes

Posted on May 30, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

I watched a 60 Minutes story last night that was an update on the 2010 Congressional Medal of Honor winner, Salvatore Giunta. Sgt Giunta was awarded the Medal for his bravery in an ambush while stationed in Afghanistan, in which he prevented the capture of a fellow soldier. That soldier & two others died from their wounds. Sgt Giunta considers them the heroes. They gave their all. He speaks for them now. That is his ‘call’ in this life.

We need heroes. We need people who become the walking example of our morals & beliefs. Heroes do not all look like soldiers.

Zachary Bonner is a 13-year-old who began walking to raise money for children. His Little Red Wagon Foundation has raised $400,000 for projects to help troubled and homeless children.

Former Specialist Troy Yocum does Hike for Heroes and delivers checks to needy military families.

15-year-old Jacob Rice has a goal to give away 10,000 shoes to needy children all over the world. He’s given 1,200 so far, this Shoe Giver of Tampa.

“And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you except to fear the LORD your God by walking in all His ways, to love Him, and to worship the LORD your God with all your heart and all your soul? Keep the LORD’s commands and statutes I am giving you today, for your own good. The heavens, indeed the highest heavens, belong to the LORD your God, as does the earth and everything in it. Yet the LORD was devoted to your fathers and loved them. He chose their descendants after them—[He chose] you out of all the peoples, as it is today. Therefore, circumcise your hearts and don’t be stiff-necked any longer. For the LORD your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God, showing no partiality and taking no bribe. He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreign resident, giving him food and clothing. You also must love the foreigner, since you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. Deuteronomy 10:12-19 (HCSB)

Today I will spend time thinking about those that I personally know, and those who are among the thousands that I do not know by name, who have served in our military and their families who have also given so much so that I live in freedom. I can choose to worship my LORD in the middle of the town square and know that I won’t be shot! OR I can choose not to worship God and not be shot for that either.

I choose to love God freely as He planned that I would be able to do. It was His plan that I would live in such a way that others would come to know Him and follow Him because of the difference they see in my life. Am I living a life that follows Jesus and so it does draw others to Him? Do I live in Spirit and Truth, trusting the Holy Spirit to do more of the “talking” than I do? Am I walking in His ways and caring for those who are weaker, who have needs, and asking the Holy Spirit to open my eyes to opportunities to care for the widows and orphans?

On this Memorial Day, may I follow in the steps of those heroes who have gone before me and live a life worthy of the One who has been there every step of the way with all those other heroes – Jesus Christ.

 

Posted in Deuteronomy | Comments Off on We need heroes

Is it?

Posted on May 27, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

Just as parents are kind to their children, the LORD is kind to all who worship him,

because he knows we are made of dust.

We humans are like grass or wild flowers that quickly bloom.

But a scorching wind blows, and they quickly wither to be forever forgotten.

The LORD is always kind to those who worship him,

and he keeps his promises to their descendants who faithfully obey him.

God has set up his kingdom in heaven, and he rules the whole creation.         Psalm 103:13-19 (CEV)

I was thinking about some of the trips I have taken. I remember when the children were young we had a Chevy conversion van. It was big and just the thing for taking that twelve hour trip ‘home’ from Florida to Missouri. The first time my mother got in it she sat in the last seat and said it felt like she was in a bus. I told her that about Hour 7 of the 12 hour trip it felt like a VW! The van even had a VCR in it and individual headphones so the children could watch their videos while their dad and I enjoyed our music. The seats reclined. It seemed like a palace except during the very long drive.

My journey ‘home’ to heaven is a long drive. It strikes me that as I think of the conversion van and the purpose for its purchase that there is a lesson there. No matter how ‘good’ the vehicle or circumstances of the journey to a child there are plenty reasons to whine! And I am God’s child on my journey to heaven.

A child has no concept of time. “Are we there yet?” she says thirty minutes from the driveway. Anything longer than one video/movie seems forever. Would I live my life any different if I knew exactly how long it would be? I always knew how long a semester was in college and yet I waited to the last two weeks to do the term paper! God could tell me my life span but He speaks of time as here and now vs. there and then. This life compared to that life isn’t long, is it?

You, indeed, have made my days short in length, and my life span as nothing in Your sight.
Yes, every mortal man is only a vapor.            Psalm 39:15 (HCSB)

A child also doesn’t see the journey as a small price for the reward. My children could never remember the fun they had once we reached Missouri. We usually traveled at night so they couldn’t see where we were going. The road was dark and strange. They had to rely on their dad to get them to the destination. They didn’t remember the fun of playing in snow or playing pool in Grandma’s basement. They didn’t remember all the candy and ‘stuff’ they got there that was not available to them at home. I’ve never been to heaven so I don’t have any idea how great it’s going to be. I only have my Father’s word for it. I have to trust Him. When I listen to Him, then I get a picture of the reward for the journey and my complaints decrease as my destination unfolds.

For some of us on this journey it has been long and difficult. Many people have been asked to carry burdens on their journey that I cannot imagine. Dreams have been shattered along the way. Some have bodies that are failing and cannot hold the beautiful spirit that is inside. Bills outweigh paychecks and challenges outweigh strength. The spirit is willing but the flesh is tired. It is in these times that God encourages us to remember this one thing: It’s worth it.

The angel showed me a river that was crystal clear, and its waters gave life. The river came from the throne where God and the Lamb were seated. Then it flowed down the middle of the city’s main street. On each side of the river are trees that grow a different kind of fruit each month of the year. The fruit gives life, and the leaves are used as medicine to heal the nations. God’s curse will no longer be on the people of that city. He and the Lamb will be seated there on their thrones, and its people will worship God and will see him face to face. God’s name will be written on the foreheads of the people. Never again will night appear, and no one who lives there will ever need a lamp or the sun. The Lord God will be their light, and they will rule forever.               Revelation 22:1-5 (CEV)

 

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God Gets All the Praise

Posted on May 26, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

The first of the twelve apostles was Simon, better known as Peter. His brother Andrew was an apostle, and so were James and John, the two sons of Zebedee. Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew the tax collector, James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus were also apostles. The others were Simon, known as the Eager One, and Judas Iscariot, who later betrayed Jesus.     Matthew 10:2-4 (CEV)

Popular. Well-known. Who? As I look at the list of the twelve men that Jesus, God in the flesh, was counting on to spread the Good News, I notice that not all of them are known for anything more than ‘being one of the twelve’. Bartholomew, James of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, and the other Simon are little known when compared to Peter and John and even Judas Iscariot. And then there’s the one who replaced Judas. Old What’s-his-name…Matthias! They were “flying under the radar”.

God spoke to me about this as I was driving back from Tampa, FL a few years ago after seeing my son make his Major League debut. You see, the Tampa Ray’s # 1 prospect that year was also making his debut the same night. B.J. is a fine young man with a wonderful family that I met. But God wasn’t speaking to me about B.J. God was pointing His finger at my son, John, and me. We fly “under the radar”. It’s not a bad place to be. No one notices you. It’s like being a ‘covert operator’. You get your orders from the Commander. You go in and do your job. You go home. No one knows you and the Commander gets all the attention. (He repeated that to me.) The Commander gets all the attention.

Then Jesus replied, ” I assure you: The Son is not able to do anything on His own, but only what He sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, the Son also does these things in the same way.     John 5:19 (HCSB)

Some of you say that you follow me, and others claim to follow Apollos. Isn’t that how ordinary people behave? Apollos and I are merely servants who helped you to have faith. It was the Lord who made it all happen. I planted the seeds, Apollos watered them, but God made them sprout and grow. What matters isn’t those who planted or watered, but God who made the plants grow.    1 Corinthians 3:4-7 (CEV, my emphasis)

This is what my life is all about – being a conduit for the attention to God. My personal question of each day is: How can I “fly under the radar” today for You, Lord? In everything that I do today – How can I direct people’s attention to God so He gets all the praise?

After the debut game that night, I walked out of the stadium with John. Kids were along the fence with their balls and caps and pens, waving and asking for autographs. Most of the players waved and kept walking. John stopped and looked at us, his family. Grinned a little. “You don’t mind, do you?” He walked over to the fence and talked to the kids, signed some things: ‘John F. Webb, Jr., Phil 3:14”. God got all the praise!

 

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Tornadoes, Wildfires, and…what next?

Posted on May 25, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

You will indeed go out with joy and be peacefully guided;
the mountains and the hills will break into singing before you,
and all the trees of the field will clap [their] hands.

Instead of the thornbush, a cypress will come up,

and instead of the brier, a myrtle will come up;
it will make a name for the LORD as an everlasting sign that will not be destroyed.                      Isaiah 55:12-13 (HCSB)

As I write this, many parts of the United States have been torn apart by tremendous tornadoes, wildfires are creeping across many states, and hurricane season hasn’t even begun. We can ask ourselves what is going on but maybe it is more important that we know the immediate answer to “What shall we do?”. The answer is – pray.

I’m not sure if it’s that I have the wisdom of age to know that there are more situations in which I do not have control or if there really are more situations that I have no control. I believe we must steep ourselves not in newscasts or internet news blogs and magazines but in the PROMISES of GOD! I am not a ‘doomsday’ prophet but just a Christian who has, frankly, been spending too much time watching CNN and listening to people debate ad nauseum the events of the day or week. This isn’t working for me! It is time to make a change!

Who is it that knows the number of hairs on my head? Who is it that created the winds and the oceans? If I am looking for wisdom and peace in the days ahead, then I am looking to my Creator. Like the disciples in the boat on the Sea of Galilee, I am going to call on and look for the one who has the power over the winds and waves and walks through the stormy waters like he is walking on a sidewalk. (Luke 8:22-25, John 6:16-21)

Last night, my daughter and her family spent some time in a closet, under a mattress, while sirens wailed through the night sending off an alarm about nearby tornadoes. I thank God they are all right. But as I waited over 600 miles away to receive a text from her that the storms had passed, I am grateful that it was not panic that I felt but assurance that Jesus was in that closet with them. No matter what happened, they were not “alone” but instead they were in the very presence of God, just as the disciples were in the boat. That is an example of that peace that passes all understanding(Philippians 4:7).

Earlier in Philippians, Paul says that he hasn’t reached the perfection that Jesus has for him (3:12) but he is pressing on towards the goal. I, too, today am pressing on toward the goal that Jesus has for me. I have fallen ‘way short of Jesus’ goals for me this week but I have also raised my hands in victory – grateful that Jesus did not leave my side in the former nor the latter. That is what a true friend and Savior does.

If storms are swirling around in your life this week, turn your eyes and heart to the One who really has the power. You may not even know how to express your feelings but the Good News is – He can understand and save you any way.

Posted in Isaiah | Comments Off on Tornadoes, Wildfires, and…what next?