Here's a Thought

I'm taking a pause from my study of Romans for this thought....

The other day Jim and I went to the movie, The Avengers. Now you have to understand, I'm the SciFi fan. Jim just loves me enough to to take me to indulge my habit.

I love the action, the special powers, that the good guys always win in the end. We ordinary people don't win every day, but super heroes win 99% of the time. That's pretty awesome. I loved the movie.

Jim and I had met up at the theater, so afterwards, I had some alone time on the ride home to think quietly.  It occurred to me that as much as we revere and adore heroes like the Avengers; as much as we are amazed by their special powers, "greater is He that is in me than He that is in the world."  I have the power of the Holy Spirit living in me and He is the ultimate super hero.

Jesus also said, "You will do even greater things than I have done."  

If only one believer learned how to live in that kind of power, can you imagine the difference they would make on our world? And then what if all believers would take command of the power the Father has placed in our hands? The world would never be the same. Forget about faith to move mountains. We'd be moving entire continents for His glory. Just think about the possibilities!

Lord, I want to be an avenger for you. Teach me to live more and more in the power of Your Spirit so me life can reflect Your glory. So be it. 

Further Thoughts:

1. Look up the verses I referenced above. Read them in their context. What do you learn?
2. How do we daily live in the power of Christ? What does that mean practically?
3. How would our life change if we truly believed?

Judges 6:1-6:10 "Sorry, I Forgot....Again"

"I snatched you from the power of Egypt and from the hand of all your oppressors. I drove them from before you and gave them your land." ~Judges 6:9 (NIV)

Here, once again, the Israelites did evil in God's eyes and the Midianites swooped in. For seven years God's chosen suffered under a foreign oppressor. It finally got so bad that they cried out to God for help -- again. This time, God didn't just rescue them, but reminded them of where He had brought them from and their disobedience to Him. Thus, they are suffering.

When I read this passage, two questions popped into my mind. 1) Why are we so forgetful? 2) Is there a way to break the cycle of forgetfulness?

All of life is filled with peaks and valleys. We experience them in our marriages, our jobs, our weight, our moods, our exercise plans, our bank accounts. So is it just inevitable that we will have peaks and valleys in our spiritual walk? Probably. My daughter, Gabby, was just at youth camp. She said that the speaker, Matt, gave a great final sermon on coming down from the mountain top that they had been on all week -- both physically and spiritually. Gabby summarized it this way, "You can't keep the high, but Jesus can keep you in the lows." With sin, pain, and disappointment in the world, we are going to experiences many highs and lows. But we serve the King and have His Spirit living within us. There must be a way to minimize those lows that cause spiritual forgetfulness. I need to be able to face the next mountain I need to climb by remembering how God enabled me to conquer the last mountain. And the one before that. And the one before that.

Here are some ways I know I can remember:

1. Stay in the Word and Prayer!!! If I become slack and don't maintain regular times alone with the Lord, I drift in my thinking and attitudes. It's like checking the rope daily to be sure the boat is connected to the dock. If you don't, wind, rain, and the pounding waves will loosen that rope and the boat will drift away. I need clear rope-checking time every day.

2. Faith Journal. I have not been good about keeping this and need to do better. When I just stop and think for a while about my life and the things God has brought me through, I am completely overwhelmed by His faithfulness. I have so to speak been rescued from Egypt; I have faced plague and famine; I have met up with opposing armies at insurmountable odds. God has worked in my life, and I must remember His power that can conquer any obstacle I face and trust the He will be there again. But to do so, I must stop and remember. Quiet reflection time is difficult to find with jobs, families, responsibilities. But floundering in the insecurity of facing battles without power is so much worse. All I have to do is remember and believe.

3. Keep myself accountable. I'm a list maker. If I don't, I will not remember. Already this week I double booked myself because I didn't write down the first commitment. Maybe I need some more vitamins or possibly shock therapy, but I just do not have a good memory. Used to; but time has robbed me. In the same way as I use lists to keep track of my "to do's," I need accountability to keep track of my spiritual walk. I have my husband and one main female accountability partner, but then I am also in an accountability group. Those regular meetings help keep my mind on God's activity in the world today. I am constantly reminded through those ladies of God's power at work in and through every day people, and it builds my faith and attentiveness to His plan.

4. Run from sin. If I am doing #1-3, this one is so much easier to accomplish. Because I spend time with my loving Father, I want to obey Him. Because I remember His faithfulness in the past, I don't want to hinder Him working in and through me in the future. And because I am accountable to several people, I have fellow warriors fighting through the battle with me and I am made stronger.

I know I am going to face times of doubt and fear. I know that I will sometimes start up a mountain with trepidation. But I will push through because I have safeguards in place to make me stronger. I never want to forget again -- He is always with me.

Further Thoughts:
1. When have you forgotten and what were the consequences?
2. Do you really want to be there again? Why or why not?
3. What's your plan to not forget God's faithfulness?
4. Who are you going to ask to hold you accountable?

Father, we are frail and weak, but that is no excuse for forgetting your amazing grace and faithfulness. Empower our minds to remember, Lord, and help us develop daily habits of remaining focused on You and the goal -- to run the race well in Your strength and power.

Colossians 2:1-8 "Rooted in the True Source"

Read Colossians 2:1-8.

"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." NIV

I'm teaching Biology 1 to my 14-year-old right now. We are studying Kingdom Plantae - or for you laymen, plants. :) Just this week we were discussing how water moves up the roots of a plant to the leaves. Scientists actually don't know for sure how this happens, but their theory -- the cohesion-tension theory -- is this. As the stomata (tiny pores) in the leaves open for photosynthesis to happen, the water in the leaves evaporates out of the pores. Since water molecules really want to stay together -- they have a really tight bond with one another -- as the water evaporates, the molecules below them rush upward to stay near the higher ones. Then the molecules below those rush up to stay with the ones above them. The follow-the-leader water molecules continue pulling water up into the xylem (a transportation pathway) in the roots through the stem out the petioles to the leaves until the stomata close for the night and evaporation stops. Pretty cool theory, huh. The trick is the root must be in wet soil to have a supply of water to draw from.

Verse six says that we are to be rooted in Christ Jesus. He is our "water/nutrient" supply. Without the water He provides, our leaves will wilt and if completely cut off from His supply, eventually die. We have to have his nourishment to continue to live spiritually. Water from any other source will seem to be helpful, but actually is doing nothing but starving us to death. You see, a plant receives all its water and nutrients from what the roots draw up from the soil. Water that has fallen directly onto the leaves does not feed the plant. Other beliefs and philosophies, even Christian traditions, cannot fill us up and grow us up spiritually. They will just sprinkle us with useless droplets. But the real power for our existence comes from Jesus Christ and Him alone. His power flows up from the depths of our being, keeping us standing straight and strong, growing and shining for His glory. Don't you just love how God's creation illustrates His character?

Further Thoughts:

1. What or whom do you have your roots planted in? Are you putting too much faith in the droplets on your leaves?
2. What does Scripture say about false prophets or listening to man over God?
3. How do we keep our roots firmly planted in Christ Jesus?

Colossians 1:28-29 "The Proclamation"

Read Colossians 1:28-29.

"We proclaim him...." NIV

The word "proclaim" according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary means "to declare publicly, typically insistently, proudly, or defiantly and in either speech or writing : announce b: to give outward indication of : show." The third definition is "to praise or glorify openly or publicly : extol." Notice that proclaiming is three-fold: announcing, showing and extolling.

Announcing would be telling others about Christ in word or writing. Getting the message out and releasing the mystery. There's a dying world out there, and it is our job to "proclaim" Christ to them.

Showing would be living out what we are proclaiming. Christ within us makes us a new creation. The old is gone, and we should guard ourselves from ever letting it creep back into our lives. We must live exemplary lives modeled after Christ. Will we be perfect? No. But others must see an attractive difference in the way we live.

Extolling is never shrinking from praising God openly and boldly. Right now we have the freedom to do this in most places. But in our workplace and in schools, we have been restricted. Other religions haven't, but Christianity sure has. We have to find a way to keep our jobs and remain loyal to our Lord.

Our proclamation of our Lord admonishes and teaches others in wisdom so all of us may continue to grow and become even more like Christ. This is a constant battle against the enemy, and will be till we die or He returns, whichever comes first. (I vote for Him returning:) The consolation in all this is that the battle is not ours. We labor and struggle, as Paul says, in His energy. That is so awesome because I sure don't have enough energy to do it by myself. If I have access to the power of the Almighty Creator of the Universe, then I'm going to take it. That way, I'm assured of the outcome -- victory. (Have you read the end of the book?)

Further Thoughts:

1. Are you living a "proclaiming" life? Why or why not?
2. What are some practical ways in your life you can proclaim Jesus Christ?
3. Look up Scriptures on living by the power of God.

James 5:13-18 "Prayer Faith"

Read James 5:7-12.

"The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." NIV

James gives the answer to about anything we can face -- trouble, happiness, sickness, sin. That one word is pray. One of the simplest acts man can do. It can be filled with words or a simple, "Help" or "Thank you" or "My Lord" will be enough. We underestimate the power those unembellished utterances hold. With a word a mountain will be moved or with a word we are ushered into the presence of the Almighty.

In our visual, instant-gratification world we live in, prayer can seem so inactive and useless. But we must never forget the power. When I was with my mother in Fargo the last ten days of her life, I had people from all over the country praying for me. I didn't really know this until I came back home and saw all the emails, facebook messages, and cards. But I'll tell you -- I felt those prayers. I have never been so buoyed by prayer in my life. There is truly power in those simple spoken words of faith, petition, and praise. And until we truly grasp the power of prayer, we will walk ineffectually through the motions of Christianity. That communion with the Lord is the foundation of our relationship -- speaking, but mostly listening. And when we spend that time with Him and learn who He is, and surrender every moment to Him, our prayers will mirror the character and will of God. Then things will happen that will blow our minds. It may not be today, or tomorrow, but it will happen. We serve a faithful Master and no one is His equal. Pray to Him, believing.

Further Thoughts:

1. Look through the Old Testament. Who knew how to pray? How do you know? What evidence did they show of being an effectual pray-er?
2. Do you pray but struggle with the faith to believe your prayers will be answered? If so, are you surrendered to whatever God has for you?
3. Spend time every day talking with the Lord. His Word and Spirit speak to you. Are you listening?

Ephesians 6:10-13 "Semper Fidelis"

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 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." NIV

There is something about reading this passage that gets my blood pumping. Maybe I'm a closet soldier ready to don a gun and race to the battlefield. Maybe it's the words like "devil's schemes" and "spiritual forces" that remind me I'm part of something so much bigger than me that lies outside of the visual world. Whatever it is, I love this passage. When I am feeling attacked or just facing a daunting situation, I read this to remind me I am a soldier of Jesus Christ. Not only am I empowered by a mighty God, but I am part of an army of believers. I do not stand alone. And when I feel opposed, it's not man that is my enemy, but the evil powers at work in the world. I serve One who is more powerful. (I read the end of the book.;-) And nothing that I face today can do me in. I am a child of the Almighty and a proud member of the Lord's Army. Hooya!

Further Thoughts:

1. Using a concordance, look up the word "power." Read the passages listed and reflect on God's power. Thank Him that this same power you are reading about resides in you and battles on your behalf.
2. Walk tall today; you have an army on your side.