Am I Listening?

(photo from vividhearing.com.au)

Am I listening? Do I hear God when He speaks to me? Do I hear you when you speak to me? Or do your words flutter past my ears as if you’re speaking a foreign language? More than that, do I miss what your heart is saying despite your words?

‘They say’ we hear what we want to hear. In the Bible, Timothy even mentions this when he refers to our ‘itching ears’.

In 2 Timothy 4:2-4 we read: “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” (KJV)

Bringing this to a personal, relationship level between us and those we love or choose to interact with daily – how much of what they’re saying to us do we miss? Do they perhaps think they’re communicating one thing, while we’re receiving something else completely?

All sorts of internet memes are created to joke about what a woman’s words really mean; that sometimes when she responds ‘fine’ to the question ‘how are you?’ it’s simply a mask for her PMS-self. But, let’s face it, we’ve all responded with that answer, whether we’re male or female; and we haven’t always been honest. We may have thought the person asking the question really didn’t care how we’re doing, but simply using the question as a greeting. We may have wanted to hide how we feel because we didn’t trust the asker. We didn’t think we had time for a conversation, or thought they didn’t. Perhaps we thought the person asking couldn’t handle the truth in our honest response and we’d make them uncomfortable. There are plenty of reasons why we might have withheld the truth. But most of these reasons include ‘we thought’. What if [gasp!] we’re wrong?

Is this why we don’t share the gospel as freely as we believe we should? Is our thinking getting in the way of our sharing? Not that we shouldn’t think, God gave us phenomenal brains for good reason. But, some things come more naturally than others. Like breathing. When we take time to be conscious of our own breathing, beautiful things can happen, like relaxation or even exhilaration. But fortunately, we don’t have to ponder breathing in order to fill our lungs as needed. We just do it.

What if we could share the gospel of Jesus Christ like that?

True; we want to know our audience. But even more profound; we need to LOVE our audience. God already knows them and prepares just the right words for us to speak to their hearts…if we’re listening for them.

At least ten times the scriptures share this message, “Then Jesus said, whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.” –Mark 4:9 (NIV)

Listening and speaking; two awesome tools to share God’s love – are we using either one of them?

Make time to love through communication today, even if you don’t use words.

Hard Questions

(photo mine)

Someone I love recently asked me a hard question about something they’d read in the Bible. The things we read in the Bible can bring up a lot of hard questions, there’s just so much we don’t understand. I thank God for the men and women among us that study the Bible (perhaps the way we all should) that have taken the time to learn both Greek and Hebrew, who are schooled in the cultures of biblical times and can expound on what we’re reading. We need to avail ourselves of the books and/or perhaps blogs they’ve written, websites they’ve created and teachings they provide.

Many things in the Bible are hard to digest. We ask, ‘why did God do that?’ – or, ‘why is this even recorded here?’ We ponder and pray, but oftentimes come away with no viable answers. Does that mean we should just throw our hands up in the air and conclude that we weren’t meant to understand?

Now, more than ever, answers are at our fingertips. We pull up an internet browser, type in a question and voila – we have more answers than we know what to do with. Of course, we can’t believe everything we read or hear, we need to pray for discernment and keep our nose in the Word of God ourselves and listen for when God speaks directly to us. He does still do that, you know. But if we’ve convinced ourselves that we’ll never hear from God in a personal way, we may well miss out on that experience.

(photo mine)

When we open our hearts to what God’s sharing with us, our whole world opens up, too. We see things in a new light; we experience things we never knew were possible, we find answers more easily than we find our car keys. We discover a depth to our existence that wasn’t there before. We connect with those around us, and with nature itself on a brand new level. Life holds greater value and physical death takes on deeper meaning. Relationships unfold and purpose is revealed.

Will we ever have all the answers? I’m thinking that won’t happen until we completely let go of this world and take hold of the next. Anticipation mounts when we begin to accept things we can’t see with our eyes or hear with our ears. Lack of tangible evidence shouldn’t limit our imagination or lock us into tiny paradigms with no room to explore. Discovery is the treasure of discovering treasures.

What if God is communicating things to us that we’re refusing to acknowledge? It’s not only our loss, but a loss to ours and future generations.

(insidesales.com)

“And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” – 1 Timothy 3:16 (KJV)

“But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for that that love him.” – 1 Corinthians 2:9 (KJV)

“While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” – 2 Corinthians 4:18 (KJV)

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” – Hebrews 11:1 (KJV)

Dig deeper? Walk a few steps further? Look outside the box you're sitting in? Let go of the ties that bind you? 

Answers come. Freedom happens. 

Undercover Boss?

(photo from oliveleafministries.blogspot.com)

In the very first chapter of the book of John we discover that, “He [God] was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not.” (Verses 9-10 KJV)

While pondering this verse it occurred to me that this isn’t entirely different from what many in our culture watch on television; a show called “Undercover Boss”. Personally, I’ve not seen it, but I understand the premise; a company boss/owner goes undercover to work with his employees, without them realizing it’s him/her. While this television boss may discover his employees slacking or outdoing themselves, it could mean the difference between being fired or promotion time for the employees. It also gives the boss-man a chance to be in the trenches, seeing first-hand what he expects of those he employs; perhaps he’ll realize he really doesn’t pay them enough or give them enough credit. Perhaps he’ll find he really doesn’t need as many employees to do the job as he thought. Certainly each episode promises enough drama to keep their audience coming back.

When God became flesh and dwelt among men, He came to an undeserving, unwelcoming creation, to give Himself on our behalf. This creation He loves so much that He made us in His own image, and we didn’t recognize Him. He willingly sacrificed Himself for our sakes; and His Name’s sake.

When He put on flesh and walked among us, He didn’t find any surprises. He knew man’s heart better than we know it ourselves. He already knows when we’re slacking and when we’re glorifying His Name. He knows when we’re hurting and when we’re rejoicing, all from His Throne, which should be made in the hearts of each one of us.

No, He didn’t come to “check up on us” or to inspect what we’re doing here on the earth He’s given us. He came, anointed to preach the gospel to the poor; to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised and to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. (Luke 4:18-19) He came to provide the necessary blood sacrifice to reunite man’s heart with His own. (1 Peter 3:18) He came to take on the penalty for our sin. (Romans 6:23 & Romans 8:1-4) He came to remove the veil from our eyes that we might see into the spiritual things beyond this existence; that matter more than the temporal things of this world. (Matthew 13:16)

He came because He knew we’d want to see Him. He’s here among us now, wearing the flesh of each of His believers. We are the body of Christ. When we ask why He doesn’t do something about the situations that surround us, He lets us know He has and He does; He’s created us.

Can we recognize Him in this flesh?

“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:” – John 1:12 (KJV)

Ponder that!

An Audience With The King

(photo from zazzle.com)

Imagine having a private audience with the God of the universe, the King of kings! Imagine sitting in full view of His splendor, knowing He hears every word you say and they matter to Him. Imagine Him putting everything else on hold and looking into your eyes, holding your hand and meeting your needs with everything at His disposal.

Whether you realize it or not, this happens every time His children pray.

Years ago, I sat praying, and my imagination showed me a giant wooden door opening slightly. A bright light burst through, and I gasped with awe, knowing that God was right on the other side of that door. Panic danced through my veins as I realized the door was opening for me. What would I say? Tears rolled down my cheek as I realized that this is what happens when I pray.

But, why would the almighty God of everything grant me an audience?

I have, at least a partial understanding of what I’m capable of, I’ve been around a few decades. But, in His great love for me, His grace and the awe inspiring idea that still, He allows me a private audience with Him – every time I pray, should overwhelm me, it should overwhelm all of us.

An all encompassing love is a love that encompasses all that I am, all that I was and all that I will ever be, even the broken parts and the ugly pieces.

There may be some who can’t get past my past. But, God has no problems with it at all, because He’s forgiven the sin and uses every struggle I’ve faced for my good and His glory. He purposefully called to me, drawing me to Himself and, at a time when I would hear Him, He revealed His love for me.

So many descriptive words can be used in conjunction with God’s love; unconditional love, never-ending love, whether-you-want-it-or-not love, whether-you-feel-you-deserve-it-or-not love, pure love, and so many more. But, I’m at a loss to find a perfect word that envelops God’s love, because He IS love.

His love forgives me, because it’s His loving kindness that draws me to repentance in the first place.

His love is wild; it cannot be tamed or controlled. Not deserving His love, or denying He is, cannot stop Him from loving us – or His desire for intimacy with us.

The next time you pray, know that you’re talking privately with Him, that He’s giving you His full attention; that you’re partaking of His splendor and majesty and know that He hears you.

“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” – 1 John 5:14-15 (NKJV)

The Hammer - My Christmas Story For You

The Hammer

by Helen Williams!

Since Mary and Joseph had been turned away from all the inns and told they could stay in a barn and that their child could sleep in the newly made manger when he was born, that’s where they found themselves the next morning. Their child had been born late in the night, a boy child. They named him Jesus. He lay quietly on a bed of hay in the manger. As Mary sat there watching him sleep, she couldn’t help but notice what a beautiful manger it was. Considering it was built to hold hay for the cows, she wondered why its maker took such care and put so much delicate work into it. Her husband, being a carpenter, might know. She called it to his attention and asked him why he thought the carpenter that built it would have made it so ornate.

‘Well, either he just takes a lot of pride in his work, no matter what he’s making, or he had nothing much else to do and decided to put all that detail there to keep himself busy. Or perhaps God told him that our child – His child, would lay there. Only the carpenter himself knows. And yes, he did a wonderful job on it. But we’ll probably never know who made it, dear.’

As he was answering Mary some straw from the hayloft sifted through the boards and they heard a rustling coming from above.

‘But then again,’ he whispered, ‘one never knows.’

He tiptoed around to the steps that led to the hayloft and as quietly as he could, climbed them. When he got to the top he boldly asked, ‘Who’s up here?’

He waited for an answer. At first there was silence. But when he saw the straw moving, he asked, ‘Shall I come see for myself?’

At that, the straw moved a lot and from it emerged an old man. He tried to stand, but lost his footing and sat down.

‘Hello, master. It is only I, the keeper of the animals. I mean you no harm. I sleep here alone. I’ll be on my way about with my chores now.’

He got up and hobbled to the top of the steps as Joseph descended. He came down slowly. By the time he reached the last step, Mary eagerly asked him if he knew who had made the beautiful manger.

He nodded his head. ‘It was I, ma’am.’

Mary noticed that even though he was on the ground now, he didn’t stand up straight. She complimented the craftsmanship he’d so skillfully used on the manger but had to ask, ‘Why did you make it so special? A manger is for animals to eat from. You made it look like a piece of furniture for a king’s house.’

‘Ah yes, ma’am. I did make furniture for the king’s palace, and he did like it to be perfect. I can still work as well as I used to, even though I’m all bent over now. So my work carries on. Though the only job I could get was here. You see ma’am, once you’ve worked for the king and been let go, no one wants you. I’m a reproach among men and they don’t even know why. The king didn’t like the way I look. When I was young and strong looking they liked to have me as the king’s carpenter. But as I’ve aged, time has not been so kind to me. The longer I live, the more bent over I stay. When the king dismissed me no one would even look at me. I felt as though he’d spit on me. All I managed to bring with me was that big ol’ hammer there.’

He pointed it out. ‘So now, you must know that God’s hand is upon me for me to make such a craft using such a big hammer. The other tools I use, I’ve made myself. They too are meager, but that big hammer was once in the king’s carpenter shop. I guess it’s rather special to me. I worked there a long time.’

As he rambled on, he came nearer to the baby and was straining his neck to see him. Joseph sat down behind Mary, putting his hand on her shoulder. They both smiled at the man. Mary asked, ‘Would you like to see our baby? Come closer. He seems to have awakened by your voice, but he’ll not cry.’

‘Why, his eyes are opened and he’s just a newborn. I’ve never seen the likes of him,’ he chuckled. ‘It looks as though he’s looking right up at me, almost as if he knows me. Cute little boy. What did you name him?’

Joseph spoke up, ‘His name is Jesus. Come closer. Would you like to hold him?’

‘Oh, you can’t trust my back. I don’t think I should.’ But there was a look of yearning in his eyes.

‘God’s hand is upon you, remember? You said so yourself. Pick him up and hold him close,’ Mary said.

The old man came closer and bent over to pick him up, praying he’d be able to hold the boy Jesus. As he stood up, he kept straightening himself to a standing position. At first he didn’t even realize he stood up straight, as he did in his youth. He smiled at the child and talked to him ever so quietly. He looked at Mary and said, ‘If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was trying to tell me that he knows me. Just the wishing of an old man…’ His voice trailed off.

(photo from harrolds.blogspot.com)

Suddenly realizing he was standing tall, he exclaimed, ‘Why, little Jesus, if you could see me now! I’m standing again! It’s a miracle!’

He held the baby close to himself and began to dance around the room. Joseph smiled at Mary and she said, ‘It’s not the first one to happen in this barn.’

After returning the baby to the manger, the man said, ‘I’m blessed by the hand of God, indeed. I can’t repay God for the miracle He’s done in my life, but I do want you to take my hammer with you when you go. I want you to teach this young child to be a good carpenter. As he grows, show him how to bring life to something as simple as a piece of wood. And tell him about me when he’s older. And tell him about the manger. And, I wish I could tell him myself. If you were going to be around for a while, I’d make him something to take with him, from me. But I’m sure you’ll be moving on shortly here. So take the hammer, please. The hammer reminded me of when I worked for the king. But my walk will remind everyone that I walk for the king, now.'

His eyes gleamed with joy and delight.

Joseph accepted the hammer from the old man and promised that it would be Jesus’ to use as he grew, knowing that he’d have to be quite a little man to swing that hammer. It was a big one, indeed.

When Jesus was big enough to swing the hammer, the first thing he made was a manger for his donkey to eat from. He took time and care and lovingly made it after the pattern his mother had described so many times. When he’d completed his work, he called his mother to see it. He led her by the hand into the workshop where he and his father worked so diligently. She was proud of his work and her eyes filled with tears.

Jesus said, ‘Mother, if my donkey can come into the house, we can keep it there! It does look beautiful enough for a king’s house, doesn’t it?’

(photo from thebiblicalworld.blogspot.com)

It sure does, my son. But the donkey stays outside. We’ll keep the manger forever. It will remind us how our heavenly Father wants us humbled before Him, so He can lift us up with His blessings. The manger you laid in was truly a blessing, to me, as well as to the old man. I wanted you to have the best, but God wanted you to be born in a barn. But in the midst of that barn, He let us know that He was there with us. Oh my Jesus, I love you.’ She hugged him tight.

As Jesus grew older, he grew in the wisdom of God and in love. He always showed his love, never esteeming himself more highly than others. He knew that it was better to give than to receive and he knew that he would give the ultimate display of love at the appointed time. He knew that when you lend, expect not to receive back what you’ve lent. And he always gave his best, which is why when a city boy came out to where Jesus lived, looking for the biggest and heaviest hammer he could find, Jesus gave him his.

The boy told him, ‘My father is the biggest man in the city and he has a big job to do. I told him that I would find just the right hammer for the job and I’ll keep looking until I do.’

Jesus stopped him and said, ‘Why did you promise to find this special hammer for your father?’

‘Wouldn’t you?’ the boy replied. ‘Besides,’ he added with a whisper, ‘if I do bring home the perfect hammer, he won’t send my mother and me away.’

Jesus told him, ‘Well, you’ll need a little help to carry my hammer. It’s very big; just right for that big job. I’ll help you carry it.’

They walked together for almost a mile. Pointing, the boy announced, ‘There’s my father. We live over there. He will be pleased. Would you like to meet him? Come on.’

The boy ran ahead of Jesus, calling to his father. Looking up, he saw them coming.

‘I’ve found the biggest and best hammer for you, Father!’

His father looked at Jesus and furrowed his brow. ‘Do I know you? You look so familiar. Your look says you know me.’

‘No,’ Jesus replied, ‘you don’t know me yet.’

He handed him the hammer and shook his other hand. After Jesus turned to walk away, the man looked at his hand, the one that held onto Jesus’, running his fingers over the palm as if he were feeling for something.

‘He was a big man, wasn’t he, Father? He sure had a big hammer, and he gave it to us, Father!’

Years later on a hill called Golgotha, Jesus saw that hammer again, and it was being used for a big job alright. After the soldier swung the last blow of the hammer, he looked at the man he was nailing to the cross. His eyes filled with horror as he recognized his face. He fell to his knees but quickly got back up before anyone would realize that his heart was being pierced. It seemed like forever as he looked into Jesus’ eyes, everything he’d ever done came up in his mind. He felt so helpless and he somehow knew why.

(photo from lynnmosher.blogspot.com)

Jesus said to him, so quietly that no one else heard, ‘Now, you know me. And yes, I’ve always known you, and I love you.’

It was no coincidence that his marriage was mended from the day he received that hammer.

It was no coincidence that his son was standing there beside him, also in a Roman soldier’s uniform.

He dropped the hammer and walked away from the cross, looking back only once. In his heart he grieved. But he knew that God knew of his grief when Jesus cried aloud from the cross in the air, ‘Father, forgive them. They know not what they do.’

He followed after the disciples – forgiven and alive for the first time in his life.

Have you yet to hold that hammer in your hand?

The house the King desires to live in is your heart. What have you let Him build there – with His hammer?

I Miss My Time With You

(My own photo.)

Time escapes far too quickly. Where did yesterday go? For that matter, how has today slipped through my fingers already? If feels like it’s been forever since I shared a blog post.

It doesn’t take much to throw us off schedule or out of sync with what we planned on doing with our day.

I heard God whispering this song to me all evening. It’s so easy for a song to speak to me when I used to sing the song myself.

"I Miss My Time With You" - Larnelle Harris

Focusing on one thing so closely can cause everything else to seem to fade away like the snow that delicately covered my yard this morning. There’s no trace of it now. But too often I find myself focusing on the wrong things. You’ve probably heard the phrase, “Don’t tell God how big your mountain is (focusing on the obstacles before us), speak to your mountain(s) and declare how big your God is!”

When my husband and I go to dinner in a nicer eating establishment, I expect my meal to arrive before me just as I ordered it. If I focus on how salty the green beans are, I deprive myself of the delight the tilapia is providing as it blankets my tongue before I quickly chew and swallow.

So too, when I focus on what a bad hair day I’m surviving, I may miss the array of blessings God spilled out before me all day long.

We can’t focus on the good (Philippians 4:8) without spending time with the Great!

Sure, your mountains will continue to demand your time and attention. It’s up to you to choose to spend time with God, before turning your eyes to the problems. We’re sure to see those problems in a different light after basking in the Light of the World.

A Constant

(I took this photo at the Denver Botanical Gardens 2012.)

A few years ago the word ‘intrinsic’ kept floating through my mind, to the point that I finally looked it up. I felt like God was talking to me about my intrinsic value. I was incredibly blessed to discover its meaning.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about the value of human life, or rather, how little human life is valued these days. With abortion an accepted part of life-as-we know-it, we’ve all but erased the value of human life from our nation, and diminished it greatly in our everyday lives. The atrocities of yesteryear don’t even raise our eye brows now. We read of child abuse of epic proportions on a daily basis. Violent crimes become more and more violent, as man turns against man (or woman, or child).

Clearly, we as a people, not necessarily as individuals, do not place much value on human life. Though we are numbed by the news and oftentimes block out reality, God never changes. He’s the one constant. “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” – Hebrews 13:8 (KJV) His values don’t change, His nature doesn’t change. Our intrinsic value is still the same, because we are made in our Maker’s image.

Over the years our own self-image changes. Whether we were raised to feel loved and believe in ourselves or we cowered in fear, wishing to be invisible and feeling unloved and unwanted, God’s love for us has never changed, the value He places on our life is constant because it’s intrinsic and His thoughts toward us are always good. “How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!” – Psalm 139:17-18 (NLT)

Reflect on how valued you are; the worth placed on your life.

What does intrinsic mean? Read that post here.

What's the Message?

(photo courtesy of ingodsimage.com)

What if I said, “I don’t care about your dad? I don’t care about your son or daughter, your husband or best friend. I don’t care if they spend eternity in without God.” What if I even acted like I meant it?

Nowadays, we find ourselves hiding behind ‘political correctness’ and the busyness of our over-stuffed schedules, when the bottom line is the same as it’s always been; we dread rejection, perhaps even fear it. We show it in our actions on a daily basis when we shy away from sharing our faith with those around us.

My neighbors to the west don’t even know my name, but they’re somebody’s sons and daughters, someone’s sister or brother or mother or father. And that someone is praying right now, praying that God will use someone to reach their loved one with the gospel of salvation. Just as when we pray that God will use someone to embrace our loved ones, they expect those ‘someones’ to obey when God speaks to them.

Speaking honestly within your own heart, when was the last time you led someone to Christ? When was the last time you even tried to share His love with a nonbeliever? Now, ask yourself why? If you’re brave enough, ask God what He thinks is the reason. Then listen.

If, indeed, we’re feeling embarrassed or fearing that we’ll be rejected, know this; if rejection comes, they’re rejecting God, not His messenger. We hear the chiding, “Don’t shoot the messenger” when the memo bearer is anxious about sharing bad news. But, we’re here to share the Good News. We’re here to help provide God’s answers to prayer.

In our case, the Message and the messenger have become one. We are one with Christ, and one in Christ. In developing our relationship with Him, we grow more like Him every day; we can share His heartbeat and His passionate love for mankind.

Yet, on the flip side of this coin, in many cases, nonbelievers are rejecting the messenger, because we claim to be one with the Message, yet we make the Message look so undesirable. I’ve seen bumper stickers that say, “God, save us from your followers” - and hang my head, humbled.

The Message-giver and His messengers need to agree on the Message, and the Message is: LOVE. Without love, nothing else matters. Without love, no message means anything good to any of us.

“That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.”  Ephesians 4:14-16 (KJV)