Agape Love Archives - Page 7 of 8 - Catherine Nelson

It takes way too long for me to figure some things out, and I am not just talking about Algebra, teenage boys, or all the new features on my iPhone. I was reminded this morning of a miracle that God preformed in our family, but I was so busy and shortsighted that I missed the miracle for years.

This morning, I was reading in the book of Acts. In chapter 12, Peter is in jail and is fastened with 2 chains between 2 soldiers. There were additional guards outside his cell. In the middle of the night, an angel appeared before him, and told him to get up as the chains fell off his wrists. Following the angel’s directions, Peter put on his coat and followed the angel out of the cell. The next part of the story spoke so gracefully to my heart:

“So Peter left the cell, following the angel. But all the time he thought it was a vision. He didn’t realize it was actually happening. They passed the first and second guard posts and came to the Iron Gate leading to the city, and this opened for them all by itself. So they passed through and started walking down the street, and then the angel suddenly left him. Peter finally came to his senses. “It’s really true!” he said. “The Lord has sent his angel and saved me.” Acts 12:9-11 (NLT)

When Peter came to his senses, he went and found all the people who had been praying for him. They were stunned to see Him and amazed at his testimony of the miracle that had just happened in his life.

When Pat and I brought Mary Moore back to the states in the 2001, she was in bad shape. We followed the advice of our pediatrician and took her to UT in order to find out what might be wrong with her. After a few days of tests and scans, the doctors came up with a diagnosis. They showed us pictures of her brain and results of her tests. Her future was bleak. We were told that she would have behavioral issues and poor motor skills. We were warned of the possibility of organ malfunction and epilepsy. We were told that she would lack imagination and have a difficult time making friends and that her life expectancy would be significantly shorter.

I don’t remember much after that. We prayed and prayed and we were surrounded by dozens of loved ones who prayed with us and for her. This was a time of great sorrow and anxiety followed by an imperative attitude of perseverance. The future was too overwhelming to grasp, so we adopted a mindset of “One day at a time”.

The “one-day at a time” days turned into months and then years and we began to watch Mary Moore grow and develop. She hit the milestone markers that girls her age were supposed to hit, but like Peter, Catherine “didn’t realize what was actually happening”, and also like Peter, I finally came to my senses.

Today, Mary Moore is a 13 year old gymnast whos motor skills are exceptional (the child can do 10 back hand springs in a row!). Her organs are healthy. Her imagination is vivid. She has sweet friends and made a 94 on her last Algebra test. She is more than fine… She is a miracle. God did a huge healing thing in her life and in all of ours. His plan was so radical and unexpected that we found it hard to believe, but when we look at those old medical records and then look at her today, we have to give God the glory.

When Peter realized what God had done for him, He praised the Lord and then found the people who had been praying for him. He couldn’t wait to share the good news.

How cool is it that we get to do that too? Today, I have the extraordinary blessing of sharing with all of you how personally precious God has been to heal Mary Moore and set her free from the debilitating chains that bound her.

I am sad that for years, I was too limited in my thinking that I missed the miracle, but I am rejoicing today. God is at work. He is working in you, for you and around you. Please take some time to reflect on the urgent prayers of your past and ruminate over what God has done. Please be purposeful in joining with your friends and neighbors who are praying for miracles. God hears your prayers and He really does still preform miracles.

Thank you for all your prayers and for celebrating with me how good our God is. So many of you have “miracle testimonies” too. Please share them. God answers our prayers and it is such a blessing to give Him the glory. Don’t be too busy that you miss your miracle.

It confuses and concerns me to see people in HAZMAT suits spraying down the sidewalks in order to prevent the spread of Ebola. I am having trouble reconciling that with the assurance that Ebola can only be transmitted from bodily fluids, but the CDC knows what they are doing. I am glad they are taking precautions in order to halt the spread of this disease. I totally support the enforcement of all the rules and regulations that are being instituted for the sake of stopping the spread of Ebola. As uneducated as most of us are as to the specifics of Ebola and as vulnerable as we all are to its devastating effects, I would assume each of us would readily and quickly comply with any guidance an expert would offer to guard our health and wellbeing.

This disease is so dangerous and it does not take much convincing for those exposed to its threat to adhere to the regimen established to protect them. Wearing the bulky protective suits probably doesn’t feel like a burden when you consider how beneficial wearing it can be. The threat is great, so the rules are easier to follow.

When we recognize the magnitude of disaster, we readily obey the rules set in place to avoid the disaster. We follow the leaders who have been appointed to defend us. We are not tempted to argue or rebel.

 “Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.” Romans 1:28-32 (NLT)

Dear friends, we have been warned by THE expert. God’s word is written for us so that we can know the truth. We live in a dangerous place and we have an enemy who wants to expose us to dangerous and destructive things. It is imperative that we do all we can do to avoid the diseased practices of quarreling, gossip, greed, pride and hate. We need to see that God’s rules are not restrictive as much as they are protective. He has given us the HAZMAT suit of the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit doesn’t just protect us, but he fights the evil one for us. We have been given the tools to fight our enemy who is always working to destroy us. We are blessed to be given the full armor, but we have to put it on. When we recognize how big a threat sin is to our lives, it is much easier to follow the rules established to protect us. Our enemy is much more destructive than Ebola, but our advocate is much stronger than protective suits or vaccines. This is a battle that we can win and that Christ has already won for us.

We need to get away from the teenage mindset of all rules being burdensome. My teens seem to think that curfews, speed limits, and academic discipline among other rules are stifling, old-fashioned and unnecessary. Pat and I have not enforced rules in order to handcuff our children. We establish rules that will protect them and give them greater opportunities for future joy and freedom.

The rules we have been given in the Bible are also for our future joy and freedom. I want to be of a mindset where I would avoid temptations to sin like Ebola. I would never mouth kiss a person who has Ebola, so why would I ever be tempted to covet or envy? The danger is great and so we need to see that the warnings for avoiding the danger are protective gifts.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10 (NIV)

“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” Ephesians 6:13 (NIV)

 

Life has its ups and downs. It seems that some seasons in life deliver sharper climbs and drops. I cannot think of a trial in life that pitches people into the deep pit of hurt more than the experience of being deceived. If you have been deceived, I bet you agree. When our trust is betrayed, we feel angry, violated and stupid.

In the recent past, Pat and I were whiplashed by deception. We experienced the pain of anger, violation and stupidity and we were furious with the deceiver, but in addition, I was also mad at God. I had been thanking God for months for showing me great blessing. I was so thankful that God had demonstrated blessing on this very area in my life. I was journaling about it and thanking Him specifically for victory in this, and then in one earthquake of a moment, I discovered that it was all a lie. I felt so stupid for thanking God for something that was a façade. I didn’t understand why God wouldn’t clue me in. Why would He let me go on and on, month after month, thanking Him for something He knew was a sham?

As I wrestled with my anger at God, I discovered something fascinating and beautiful. I was given some understanding of what Jesus’s disciples must have felt like when He was crucified. These men had given up their jobs and families and everything to follow Jesus for 3 years. They dropped everything because they believed He was the long-awaited Messiah. The Messiah was supposed to establish a new kingdom of peace and rescue God’s people from the oppressive Roman government. The disciples were thankful every day as they followed Jesus and they showed their hope and thankfulness with their whole lives, and then Jesus died. The anointed one who was supposed to save them and be their king was crucified. They were scared, confused, hurt, and they must have felt deceived.

The disciples were not deceived; their understanding of thankfulness was just too small.

As they hid in their homes and nursed their broken hearts, the disciples didn’t know how misplaced their feelings of being deceived were. Jesus WAS the appointed Messiah. He would save them and He would do it in a much bigger fashion than they could begin to dream of. Jesus came to die. He never lied to them about that. His death was the pivotal point in establishing His role as Messiah. The disciples were too small in their understanding. 3 days later, their hope was restored. When Jesus conquered death and rose from the grave, unimaginable hope and joy was introduced to all of us.

Like the disciples, we are tempted to doubt God or question His ways when we can’t make sense of our earthly circumstances. I floated in a sea of  doubt because my understanding was just too small. No matter what happens in our situation, I have no reason to doubt God and I have every reason to be thankful for the specifics in our predicament. God’s ways are higher than our ways. He is all-wise and He knows what the future holds. He instructs us to have a thankful heart. He graciously receives our thanksgiving even when we don’t fully know what we are thanking Him for.

I don’t know if you have ever thanked God for your health or relationships or job security or commitments from coaches, schools or colleagues only to find out that the thing you were thankful for was actually sick, compromised, faulty or broken. I am so sorry if you have and have felt deceived or stupid. We live in a fallen world, full of pain and perversion, but God is bigger. His Kingdom is coming. His will is being done and we have the privilege of thanking Him for all He is doing…. Even when we don’t understand it.

“I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.” Psalm 9:1 (NIV)

“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” Hebrews 10:35-36 (NIV)

Ever since launching this website, Pat has been tracking how many hits, how many countries, how many minutes spent and other analytics pertaining to this site. For a number of reasons, I rarely want to see his report. However, I have been intrigued how some posts get a lot of hits and how many others don’t. Pat thinks it has the most to do with how I title my articles. He has suggested that in order to grab the attention of the reader, I need to include words in my title like “sex” and “Ice Buckets”. I know he will certainly be tracking this post to see if he was right.

The problem with implementing the sex and ice buckets experiment is this: A distracting and sensational title does a great job of getting attention, but after that, you deserve substance. My intention in sharing my heart and life with you is to encourage you and possibly help buffer you as you move forward.

I enjoy making people laugh, and I love to tell a good story, but I really love learning and having the platform to share with you the lessons that God is using to mold my heart and shape my life. I was convicted this week that I invest a lot of energy on the outer package and the surface impression. I am often guilty of trying to grab a flash of attention and not backing it up with substance. I do spend a lot of time praying and studying God’s word, but I am often too busy, too shallow, too consumed with my own agenda or too distracted to live out the gospel. I can put on a pretty face, rejoice in learning, and memorize scripture, but then not even see the hurting people who are right in my own path. I’m faithful about listening to the Spirit during my quiet time, but I often fail to listen when I walk out my front door.

As Christians, we are recognized by our fruit and not by our appearance or knowledge of the Bible.

“ Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.” Mathew 7:20 (NLT)

 

 “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)

In Matthew 21, Jesus was traveling with his disciples to Jerusalem when He spotted a fig tree. The tree had healthy vibrant leaves. It looked great from a distance and Jesus was hungry. When Jesus approached the tree, he saw that there were no figs on it. He cursed it and commanded it to never bear fruit again, and it immediately withered up.

Jesus used the cursing of the fig tree to teach the disciples and all of us an important lesson: We are worthless as followers of Christ if we do not bear fruit. We may look healthy and attractive on the outside; we may be great at getting people’s attention, but if we don’t bear fruit, our faith is hollow. We may look good from a distance, but upon closer examination, do we bear fruit?

If the Holy Spirit resides in my heart, then I will love. I will love my neighbor and the poor and my enemies. Everyone loves their own children, but the love of the spirit is about loving people who are hard to love. A fruitful Christian will be able to rejoice in the Lord always and have a peace that passes understanding. She will be patient to listen and not try to rush through a tough lesson or trail. She will be kind and good and gentle. She will be faithful to pray and obey…even when the busy circumstances of life are overwhelming.

You and I cannot stick to this script without the Holy Spirit. We cannot be a Good Christian. We can put on a pretty Christian face and make a good impression from a distance, but we cannot be like Jesus unless He is living in us.

Oh Jesus, I need you every minute of every day. You are the vine and I will only bear fruit when I am attached to you. Please unclog my ears so that I will actively listen to your spirit and open my eyes to see how you can use me for your kingdom glory.

I have grown up in a family that loves Asphalt. Dozens of my family members have worked in the road construction business for over 75 years, including my dad and my husband. There have literally been hundreds of times while on road trips with one of these men, that smooth roads, poorly constructed roads, quarries and the dreaded concrete roads have been pointed out to me. I have watched these mild mannered men get passionate about roads. They love building them; they love their industry and they celebrate the very important product they produce. I wish each of you could get to witness how they express their enthusiasm for asphalt roads. I can’t imagine the thrill they will receive when they get to heaven and see the streets paved with gold.

“And the main street was pure gold, as clear as glass.”

Rev 21:21b (NLT)

Because God knows everything and He has since the beginning of time, and because He is the maker of heaven and earth and the maker and savior of my dad and husband, I bet God might have even had them in mind when he created the streets of gold. It seems entirely possible that while He made these golden streets, God might have thought, “Rick and Pat are going to LOVE this!” That thought blesses me so much.

We are all created in God’s image. The fact that you love asphalt, or dogs or the mountains or the beach or laughter reflects God’s passions. God created all these things and He loves them.

 “Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!” Gen 1:31 (NLT)

He knew you would love them too, and He knows you are going to love Heaven. Just think about it for a minute: I get to witness all the time the pictures you post of your beloved pets, or a beautiful sunset, or your children, or the clear blue ocean, or sugar white sand. You celebrate the beauty of God’s creation. When he created these beautiful things that you are enjoying, he knew you would love them. You have been on his heart since the beginning, and it must have pleased him so much to know how you would savor his special creation. He still has so much for you to savor and enjoy, so spend some real time thinking about and praising God for Heaven.

If you love his son, there is a beautiful home in heaven, perfectly constructed for you and it will be awesome.

It is so much fun to imagine what it will be like, and here is some great news: We are instructed to spend some serious time thinking about it.

Colossians 3:2 Tells us to “Set our minds on things above, not on things of earth.”

Here are some things we know about heaven:

Heaven will have trees and water and fruit (Rev 22:1-2)

There will be animals in heaven. (Rev 6:2-8 and 19:11)

We will be given rest from our labors on earth. (Rev 14:13)

We will have conversations, build relationships and participate in corporate worship. (Rev 1-22)

In Heaven we will be delivered from our current sinful condition–including grief and illness. (Rev 21:4)

In heaven, we will know God… We will know Him like He knows us. There will be no more mystery. (1 Cor. 13:12)

Y’all, It is going to be awesome. There are lots of things we don’t know about heaven, and we will not have those questions answered on earth. We should always concentrate on our relationship with Christ, because in heaven we will be with Him.

Now is also the time for all of to praise the Lord for the things to come. Praise Him for Heaven and for His perfect time and plan to show it to you. Turn your eyes on Him… Look full in His wonderful face…. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim…. In the light of his glory and grace.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. “

Genesis 1:1 (NLT)

“There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?” John 14:2 (NLT)

In the wake of the Kroger, Target, and other crime incidents earlier this month, I read a lot of reactions on line regarding how many people in our city no longer feel safe to leave the house. Many proposed the questions of “What is wrong with our city?” and “What is this world coming to?”. I don’t know if these frightened people really hid out at home or if they still are, but I do understand their reaction.

I personally have not avoided these hot spots. It is next to impossible to keep me out of Kroger and Target. I also attend an exercise class in the Target lot and my dentist is in the Kroger shopping center. My routine has not been interrupted by fear of criminal activity, but I HAVE isolated myself at home because I was afraid of other things.

I have experienced many a fear that isolates. I have chosen to lock the doors and pull the covers up to my neck because of embarrassment, insecurities, and unwillingness to engage during difficult times within my family. I have hidden out at home because of exhaustion and disillusionment. Have you? Have their been times in your life that you have isolated yourself because of fear? Are you aware that this fear is from the enemy and by giving into it, you are being robbed of purpose and joy?

I was studying John 20 this week and discovered that the disciple, Thomas isolated himself after Jesus’s crucifixion.

“One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin),[a] was not with the others when Jesus came.” John 20:24 (NLT)

The Bible does not say why Thomas was missing, but we do know that the other 10 disciples (Judas had already hanged himself) were present. We know that after the crucifixion, they were all confused and afraid and we know that Jesus’s death changed everything for them.

It doesn’t seem like a stretch to assume that Thomas might have been afraid for his life or that he might have felt like he had lost his identity or sense of purpose. He could have been insecure about what he was supposed to do next or he might have been exhausted and without any compulsion to engage with other people, but whatever it was that isolated him, it kept him from something wonderful. He wasn’t there when Jesus came. Thomas had spent 3 years following Jesus around, listening to him teach and witnessing his miracles, and his world was rocked by Jesus’s death.

When there is trouble and people are afraid, there is a temptation to isolate; it appears that Thomas gave into that temptation and missed the amazing experience of reuniting with his risen Savior. He had to wait 8 more days before Jesus visited the group again. (John 20:26).

You and I were put on this earth to glorify the Lord, to enjoy Him and to love others. We cannot do that if we give into a fear that isolates us from others. I don’t know if you are afraid or what you are afraid of, but I do know that Satan uses fear to keep us from fellowship and purpose.

We must use common sense and stay away from danger, but we also must realize when fear is misplaced and used as a tool of the enemy to rob us of joy.

Our greatest moments of joy don’t happen in isolation. We were created for relationships with The Lord and with others. Take a minute to remember a joyous time you experienced. Who were you with? What did you do? Why do you remember it? It would really bless me if any of you would share one of those memories in the comment section below.

In closing, please be encouraged by claiming these truths:

 “But as for me, I will sing about your power. Each morning I will sing with joy about your unfailing love. For you have been my refuge, a place of safety when I am in distress.” Psalm 59:16 (NLT)

“So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”” Romans 8:15 (NLT)

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT)

Have a Joyous weekend! XO c

This past June, I was able to attend the Gospel Coalition women’s conference. While I was there, I heard Kathy Keller teach a lesson on Nehemiah 1. Nehemiah 1:4 says this, “4 When I heard this, (that the wall of Jerusalem had been torn down and the gates had been destroyed by fire) I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven.” (NIV)

Kathy learned through her research that this time of prayer in Nehemiah’s life lasted for 16 weeks. He felt called to action and knew he had the gifts and resources to help, but his way of tackling the problem was to spend a season of time in prayer.

I have thought about this for months now and have found it to be encouraging in a bunch of ways. I know that the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much (James 5:16), and that we should always be in prayer. Our purpose here is to glorify the Lord and to rejoice in his will being done, and we can see God’s faithfulness better when we know him better, and praying sure is an awesome way to get to know God better.

The major reason this lesson stuck with me was because of the really long time Nehemiah was removed from the action during his season of prayer. Please don’t misunderstand me; Prayer is an active time and major things…even miracles… are the result of answered prayer, but Nehemiah eventually goes out and actively rebuilds the wall. As soon as he hears that the wall has been destroyed, he knows it will need to be rebuilt and he knows he is able to play a big part in this big task.

When Jesus appoints 72 messengers to spread the good news, He tells them,

“The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So Pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest.” Luke 10:2 (NLT). Many of us are anxious to get out in the field and participate in harvest time, but Jesus instructs us to pray first, and to pray for more workers to help with the harvest. When you cannot be in the field, pray for those who are; It’s biblical.

There have been many seasons in my life where I have longed to be active, but by God’s design, I have been grounded by circumstances. I know I have gifts and resources and I long to be a part of the “construction/harvest team”, but my role has been relegated to pray for the workers while I am removed from the action. Have you felt this way? Have you wanted to go to the mission field or go back to school or cross something off your Christian bucket list, but you are home with babies or in a slump, or in poor health, or working at a job that you are not fulfilled by?

To quote Dr. Seuss,

And when you’re in a Slump,

you’re not in for much fun.

Un-slumping yourself

is not easily done.

…for people just waiting.

Waiting for a train to go

or a bus to come, or a plane to go

or the mail to come, or the rain to go

or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow

or waiting around for a Yes or a No

or waiting for their hair to grow.

Everyone is just waiting.

In the Nelson house, we have experienced seasons of slump and times frustrated by waiting. Each of the teens has experienced the yearning of wanting to get to high school or get to college or get on with life. There are lots of noble things Pat and I have wanted to do, but have been delayed because of timing. The beautiful truth is that God’s timing is always perfect. We have witnessed this so many times in our home. We have been able to praise God mightily for his timing in our jobs, and in our marriage and so blatantly in the timing of our adoption of Mary Moore. As often as we want to set the time line, we must remember that God’s timing is perfect. Everyone is just waiting, BUT the waiting time can be so effective and glorious. It would be wise to change our focus about what we consider to be the “waiting time”. In truth, this season is an appointed time.

Nehemiah was not sidelined by circumstances, but he took a season away from the action to pray. If you are sidelined or waiting or in a slump, rejoice! You may not feel like your circumstances allow you to use your gifts and talents to the Max, but God knows better. Is this your “16 weeks”? Use this season to pray… to trust….to get to know the one in whom you are trusting, and then praise the Lord for this appointed time. You have been given a gift. It is your great privilege to claim this time as a season of prayer and through your faithful prayers, major things and miracles are going to happen.

“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)

“There is a time for everything,
 and a season for every activity under the heavens” Ecc 3:1 (NIV)

This morning, I was studying the gospel of Luke. In chapter 12:1-3, Jesus warns his disciples about hypocrisy:

“Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees—their hypocrisy. 2 The time is coming when everything that is covered up will be revealed, and all that is secret will be made known to all. 3 Whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be shouted from the housetops for all to hear!” (NLT)

I think it is fair to say, that we all are offended by hypocrisy, and not many of us feel the need to be warned to stay away from hypocrites. We are drawn to the real and authentic. We love to anonymously observe poignant and unfiltered moments. We treasure our favorite childhood books like “The Velveteen Rabbit” and “The Giving Tree”, because they celebrate the true beauty of being real.

We are pretty good at spotting a fake. We are offended by spin doctoring and are usually not swayed by empty flattery. We are aware when an apology is real and when it is empty, and so it would seem that reading this passage in scripture would just strengthen our resolve to avoid hypocrites, but it had a different and piercing effect on my heart.

The footnotes in my bible expanded on what hypocrisy is, and I was convicted. Here are the signs it listed:

1. Hypocrisy is knowing the truth and not obeying it. People can say they follow Jesus, but not be obedient to His word.
2. Hypocrisy is living a self-serving life. People may desire leadership only because they love position and control, not because they want to serve others.

I do not want to be a hypocrite. I am so sick at heart and sad when I confess my sins to my savior, day after day. I say that I love Jesus… Oh and I Do….I also know his word and know I have been disobedient. I am more thankful for the cross and God’s grace than I am for my children or health or husband or anything. I know I am forgiven, but I also know I am disobedient.

Point 2 was equally convicting to me. I am really good about serving myself. I also really love all the good things God has so richly blessed me with. He has given me gifts of writing and speaking and discernment and I have rejoiced in the opportunity to serve Him with these gifts, but I honestly have loved the accolades that come from the world when I use these gifts. I am so lifted up when you sweet people encourage me about this website. I realized before the launch that I am vulnerable to praise and putting myself on public display could knock me off balance. In sincerity, I want to direct people to the true light. I don’t want to be the main attraction, but I have a hard time consistently transferring the world’s praise into my opportunity to thank and praise the Lord for what he is doing. It is all about Him and my only reaction to having been given any gift should come from a real place of true humility.

I can say without any gloss or façade that I want to be used for God’s glory and not any hollow or vapid self-glorification. I also am sincere in saying that I love you all. Before I publish any of these posts, I pray for each person reading it, and as I spend time with the one I love the most and lift you up, it has made me fall in love with each of you too.

I am so thankful that as I ask the Lord to keep revealing my sinful heart to me, He does. He got my attention today in a way I was not expecting.

I am also so thankful for you. Thank you for learning with me and encouraging me. You have been precious messengers of peace who bring good news to me. Keep encouraging others and Keep it real. You are the sweet hands and feet of Christ. Have a great weekend.

That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!” Romans 10:15 (NLT)

Has there ever been someone in your life that loves to pick a fight, or loves to gossip? Have you ever avoided situations or screened phone calls because you knew you would leave the interaction beaten down, exhausted, or hurt? My testimony is “Yes”. I have been an avoider and have been counseled to avoid, but I always feel guilty when I do. I don’t mind participating in the messiness of relationship. As Followers of Christ, we are called to get messy. It is often uncomfortable to be salty in a world that craves syrup and saccharin. It can be unnerving to leave our safe, sweet bubbles and do life with the sick, poor, and orphaned, but it is the life Jesus modeled for us. Jesus ate with the tax collectors and spent time with the prostitutes. He healed the sick and touched the lepers. He cried with the broken hearted and he got messy. He was mocked and bullied and persecuted by Pharisees, but I can’t find a place in scripture where he personally sought them out. They followed him around and challenged everything he said. When they challenged him, he met their challenge and stood up for righteousness, but he also avoided them:

“Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John  (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), he left Judea and departed again for Galilee.” John 4:1-3 (ESV)

 

“Then the Pharisees called a meeting to plot how to kill Jesus, But Jesus knew what they were planning. So he left that area” Matthew 12:14-15a (NLT)

See also:  Matthew 16:4 and Mark 8:13. Ephesians 5:10-11, John 7:1

I am sure that if the Pharisees approached Jesus with a broken heart, seeking reconciliation, he would have forgiven them. He loves the humble and contrite in heart and is quick to forgive. We should make it our passion to model this behavior of Jesus and in all the ways he lived, therefore, if we are modeling Jesus, there is no reason to feel guilty for avoiding unhealthy and destructive attacks.

We can also look at the apostle Paul. Paul was no stranger to persecution and conflict. In 2 Corinthians 11:23-28, Paul gives a long list of all he suffered as a Christian. He was beaten….a lot, imprisoned, starved, shipwrecked, bitten by a poisonous snake, stoned and robbed. He suffered persecution gladly as it conformed him to Christ and advanced the gospel, but Paul did not ever stand in a shipyard and think, I really love this persecution…. I think I will look for the rattiest old boat, with the most holes it. I want to get on one that is filled with poisonous snakes and robbers who will use rods to beat me silly.

Jesus and Paul were persecuted and they rejoiced that these trials were part of God’s plan. They got messy and engaged in relationship, but they were also wise enough to know when to walk away.We also can observe that towards the end of Jesus’s ministry, he did not avoid the pharisees. When the time was right, Jesus made his way back into Pharisee country (Judea) and received the full measure of their brutal attacks. He even accepted their dinner invitations, and he used those times to speak the truth to them (Luke 11:37-54).  He knew when to walk away, but he also knew that he would have to engage with them in order to complete the work God had appointed him to. With Jesus and Paul as our models, we should see that there is no reason or room for guilt when we avoid conflict; there are appropriate times to avoid and walk away.When the time is right, we need to reengage. We will have to embrace the persecution that comes from our own personal pharisees. We WILL be persecuted when we pursue Christ and the ministry God has appointed us to.

I want to conclude with an excerpt I read in a blog by Rachel Held Evans:

“Christians must find a way to teach radical forgiveness, undeserved grace, and restorative reconciliation without perpetuating and excusing bullying and abuse. The life to which Jesus calls us is an abundant one, a joyful one, and a just one. It isn’t always easy, and it certainly requires self-sacrifice, but God does not delight in the suffering of His children. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened,” Jesus said, “and I will give you rest.

“Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.” 1 John 2:6 (NLT)

Immediately after witnessing the transfiguration, Peter, James and John descended the mountain with Jesus and encountered one of the most horrifying and evil demon possessions recorded in the Bible. On top of the Mount of Transfiguration they were so moved by God’s presence and glory that they wanted to build permanent shelters so they could stay on top. When Jesus led them down into the real and ugly world, they were bull rushed by evil. At the foot of the mountain, the father of a demon possessed boy seeks the disciples’ help to remove this demon that causes the boy to throw himself into fires. The disciples try to cast out the demon, but they are unsuccessful. They all ask Jesus for help and Jesus rebukes the demon and heals the boy. (Matthew 17:1-20, Mark 9:2-29, Luke 9:28-43)

There are two things I think should be considered in this sequence of events.

1. There are seasons in life where we get to visit the mountaintop. As a mom, I have loved watching my children grow in their love for the Lord while on their “summer camp mountains”. They would choose to stay at camp forever. Living in a healthy environment, constantly being fed scripture and surrounded by Christian friends makes for a perfect world, but when their term is up, they have to come down. When they are confronted with evil, slander and malice at the foot of the mountain, they are whiplashed. The contrast of good versus evil is more acute and it breaks their heart. They want to run away from it and head back up the mountain, or they want to fix it. They must learn, like the disciples, to trust Jesus. It is faith in Jesus and the trust in his power and purpose that can squash the evil and mend the broken at the foot of the mountain. When the disciples could not cast out the demon, Jesus told them,

“You don’t have enough faith. I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.[a]” Matthew 17:20 (NLT).

When our eyes are opened to the horror of evil, we must put our faith in Christ first and let him powerfully act through us.

2. The second point, and the one that I am more convicted by is this:At this very moment in my life, am I so focused on God’s beauty that evil, by contrast, horrifies me? Is my perspective clear? Is Jesus my vision?

If I can answer, “Yes”, then the things that are happening in Israel, Ferguson, Mo., Orange Mound and all around this broken planet should rock me to my core and push me to my knees. I absolutely should NOT let it scroll through my twitter feed while moving on to the next funny video, quiz or list. If my eyes and heart have been filled with the glory and beauty that is Jesus Christ, then my heart should break over the things that break God’s heart. God’s heart is broken over the horror going on in Israel. God’s heart is broken for how his precious children are being mistreated in Ferguson, and in our own city, and God’s heart is broken when we are too busy to be broken by the things that break His heart.

We must make sure to spend time seeking God’s beautiful face. We need to be transformed by his word and his love. We need to be shattered by the vivid contrast of His good versus the evil that surrounds us, and when we see it, we are called to action. We can rebuke the evil and promote peace when we place our faith in Jesus. On our own, we are immobilized by evil, but with faith in Jesus (even as little faith as a mustard seed), we can help. He can heal and he wants to use us as his disciples and promoters of peace.

“O people, the Lord has told you what is good,
    and this is what he requires of you: 
to do what is right, to love mercy,
    and to walk humbly with your God.”

Micah 6:8 (NLT)