Looking Forward with HOPE – Part 2

Posted on Apr 2, 2018 in General |

In the previous post it reminded us of how we tend to “look forward” when tragedy, disappointment or difficult changes occur in our lives.

I am reminded of the true story behind the song “It is Well With My Soul” about a successful business man, Horatio Spafford, who lost his business to the great Chicago fire and his four year old son in the same year.  Two years later all four of his daughters died leaving his wife as one of the few survivors of a fatal shipwreck on the Atlantic in the late 1800s.  He penned the words to the song as he crossed the section of the sea where his daughters had died.

“When peace like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,

It is well, it is well with my soul”

 

(Refrain: It is well, with my soul, it is well, it is well with my soul”)

http://library.timelesstruths.org/music/It_Is_Well_with_My_Soul/ 

 

Horatio learned how to look forward with HOPE.  Hope is defined by Webster as “desire of some good, accompanied with an expectation of obtaining it, or a belief that it is obtainable; confident expectancy”  The rest of this song speaks of the expectation he had in a God who is well acquainted with all the things one could ever experience in this life, no matter how tragic.  When Jesus died on the cross, all of our sorrowful accounts and experiences were embodied in the brutal suffering He endured so that His peace and comfort would be manifested in you.  “Peace I leave with you; My (perfect) peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid (Let my perfect peace calm you in every circumstance and strength for every challenge) John 14:27 AMP

?My friend, take heart and expect God’s peace, love and assurance to help you look forward with HOPE.


Are you Looking FORWARD with Regret? Part 1

Posted on Jan 31, 2018 in General |

 After enduring disappointment, tragedy or change we tend to easily fall into three buckets of how we’ll look forward (one’s direction or motion AND one’s anticipation): either we look FORWARD with regret, we look FORWARD with hope or we stay stuck. 

 
Let’s look at the first bucket:
 
I am reminded of the story of Lot’s wife in Genesis (Gen19:17, 26).  Lot tried to convince his son-in-laws to leave the city because it was soon to be destroyed but instead they laughed and mocked him. There was some hesitation and lingering on Lots part because they wouldn’t listen. The Angels of God instead had to lay hands on Lot, his wife and daughters, to urge them on, otherwise they would not leave the city in time.  They were instructed by God not to look back at the city once they left.  As they were moving forward, escaping, Lot’s wife looks back, and in her looking, she turned into a pillar of salt.  Her looking forward with regret caused her to look back to the life she wanted to save; the perceived lost was greater than her anticipated future.  Unfortunately, we cannot be spared from the consequences of sin and separation from God when we chose to disobey Him. (Luke 17:32,33).
 
Sometimes our excuses cause us to look forward with regret.  We use excuses to mask our fear, insecurity, stubbornness, self-interest, rebellion or doubt.  We want to follow Christ but we have competing loyalties that if left unchecked will always provide enough distraction to keep us looking forward with regret at the abundant life God has called us to.  Look at the examples in Luke 9:57-62.  “No procrastination, No backward looks…you can’t keep putting your priorities above God’s”  Looking back leads to drawing back!
 
“Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead.  You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am.  Don’t run from suffering; embrace it.  Follow me and I’ll show you how.  Self-help is no help at all.  Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self.  What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself?  What could you ever trade your soul for”  (Matthew 16:24-26 MSG).
 
How are you looking FOWARD?
 
 

Don’t Waste Your Time

Posted on Dec 8, 2017 in General |

Do you ever feel like you are wasting time? Money? Energy? Your life?

I’m no accountant, finance expert, investment banker…but financial advisors are good at what they do. For example, if I were to invest some money into stocks, I’d likely invest 100% of it into Gap, Inc. stock. Why? Well, because Gap, Inc. owns Old Navy and I really….really really like Old Navy. I may have an unhealthy obsession with Old Navy…but my point is, who knows if I would reap a profit by investing all of my money into one company simply because I like its clothing. Now, if I had a financial advisor, who is trained in investments and maybe even has a track record for growing client investments, I may find more success in deciding where the money goes.

In the same way that it would be foolish of me to pointlessly invest money based on my limited knowledge about stocks, bonds, and investments, it is foolish of us to think we can properly invest what God has given us – whether that be our energy, our finances or every single day that we are gifted – on our own.

Too often we think of God as an insurance policy. We file a claim when things go wrong and pray that He will make it better. While God is there for us when we make mistakes, He wants to guide us so that He can use us for His fullest purpose. The time you spend trying to “figure things out” is time that could be spent living out your purpose in Him.
In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps. 
Proverbs 16:9 (NIV)
 
A truth for you: God has a track record for growing investments. So invest in His plan and purpose for your life instead of depending on what you can see. God can do so much more with what we have than we could ever imagine.  
 
-Angel
 

You Salty?

Posted on Oct 23, 2017 in General |

 
“You Salty?”
Matthew 5:13
 
?If someone asks “are you salty” they’re referring to your current disposition, implying that you are either upset, bitter, irritated or disrespectful.  When Jesus referred to his disciples as being the “salt of the earth” or “being salty” (emphasis added), it was a metaphor used to describe how believers should be the godly influence in a world filled with pain and corruption.  Imagine the scene as Jesus goes up to the mountain and his disciples follow, but there’s also a crowd of people that join them.  As He looks at the disciples and begins to teach, He also sees the people listening in who come from all walks of life (poor, educated, religious, rich) and for various reasons – oppressed, sick, lonely, possessed, hungry, diseased, broken.  Jesus knew then, as He knows now, that His followers would be the ones to preserve His teachings and season mankind with the gospel, stopping the decay and allowing people to “taste and see that the Lord is good”  (Psalms 34:8)
 
If we, as Christians, fail to live a purpose driven lifestyle that reflects God’s values, it’s like we are of no value (salt-less).  People form an opinion about God based on how you represent Him. 
 
Too much salt creates thirst.  Our saltiness (how God works through us) can create thirst in others: a thirst for God, a thirst to know God.

Bridges of Love

Posted on Sep 17, 2017 in General |

Martin Luther King Jr during his noble prize speech said “The richer we have become materially, the poorer we have become morally and spiritually.  We have learned to fly in the air like birds and swim the sea like fish, but we have not learned the simple art of living together as brothers” We were created to be in relationship with God AND with each another.  When Jesus was asked what is the greatest commandment, he said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart  …soul and  … mind.  This is the great and first commandment and a second is like it:  Love your neighbor as yourself (unselfishly seek the best or higher good for others” (Matthew 22:27-39 AMP) We can’t do it on our own.  You see, our relationship with Christ through His sacrifice on the cross creates an open access bridge of love for those who are like us and those who don’t “fall between our lines” of deserving His love (in terms of culture, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, religion, etc).   As the body of Christ (Church) we are called to model God’s love; not like toll booths where you need the exact “change” (i.e. look like us, behave like us, believe like us) to access His love.   Neither are we to act like agents dispensing God’s love and grace as if we’re judge and jury.  That’s not how it works!

God’s love saves. Amen!  God’s love transforms lives. Amen!  The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the power that brings salvation to EVERYONE who believes (Romans 1:16).
 
God’s plan is to rescue all who put their trust in Him.  Let’s not be the ones standing in the way of showing what the power of God’s love can do!

The Thirst is Real!

Posted on Sep 7, 2017 in General |

When the body is thirsty, it quickly sends a signal to the brain: drink water!  The longer the thirst exists the more the body moves into rapid response to either reserve supply or intensify the signals to do something or it will shut down – your mouth is dry, the muscles cramp up, eyes stop making tears, become lightheaded, nausea or vomiting, heart pumps harder to compensate for the lack of water, and so on.  The body is not going to stop sending signals until that need is filled.  So it is with our spiritual nature.  
 
One’s thirst can either lead you on a path of righteousness (God’s standard) or it can lead you on a path of destruction. The bible reveals in Matthew 6:24, no man can serve two masters.  You belong wholly and entirely under the command of one – you must obey the laws of one or the other, but you can’t serve both.  Secular thought believes you should never be satisfied, keep pushing yourself; satisfy the need to have it your own way all the time!  “Yet, the kind of life that develops out of trying to satisfy your own needs (the thirst) shows up in repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; emotional baggage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded pursuits and uncontrollable addictions…” (Galatians 5:19-21)  That kind of thirst will always cost you more than you’re willing to pay.
 
When you have an earnest longing (thirst) for the kind of life God intended for you to have, you will be blessed and satisfied with good things; love, peace, joy, hope and purpose. (Matt 5:6),  (Matt 6:30-33).  He won’t let you down.  God longs to do that just for YOU!
 
Prayer:
Dear God, I understand how my thirst for the wrong things have led me on a path of destruction.  I am tired of doing things my way and confess you are the only one who can satisfy the emptiness I feel.  I believe you are the only way to an abundant life and I want the life you promised.  You demonstrated your unconditional love for me by sending your Son, Jesus, to die on the cross and raised Him from the dead.  Because of His death and resurrection, I don’t have to be a slave to the things that have wrongly controlled my life.  Forgive me for rejecting you.  Give me of your water so I will never thirst again.  I receive your love into my heart and invite you into my life.  Thank you for eternal life through you.
 

The Gospel has no limits, boundaries or walls!

Posted on Feb 20, 2017 in General |

Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. (Mark 16:15).  The gospel is to reach EVERYONE, EVERYWHERE!  Many may not accept it, but ALL deserve to hear it.  For some of us, this might mean treading in unfamiliar territory, and like Peter (Jew, well-committed to the Mosaic Law), who was led to preach to Cornelius (Gentile), he had to be prepared and transformed for that encounter;  an encounter that was a pivotal moment in the spreading of the gospel.  We read in Acts 10:10-17, how Peter’s heart and mind was challenged to the core, leaving him seriously perplexed by what God was asking him to do and totally pushing him outside of his “familiar” zone.
 
God was transforming Peter 
– from a position of exclusion to inclusion
– from a position of arrogance to humility
– from a position of pious superiority to grace
– from a position of pride to submission
– from a position of rejecting God’s call to obedience
– from a position of limitation to no boundaries
 
Peter understood (applied meaning to what God was instructing earlier in the story) that “God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean” (Acts 10:28b), also, that “God is no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34).  
 
God seeks those who are convinced and convicted by the power of the gospel to reach EVERYONE.  
 
What is going to be the next pivotal moment in your life of sharing the gospel?
 
Prayer:  Dear God, break my heart for what breaks yours. Reveal and dislodge anything in my life that limits or prevents me from sharing your gospel.
 
P. Lorraine
 
 

Limitless Forgiveness

Posted on Feb 4, 2017 in General |

So just how far is the east from the west? At what point are our transgressions no longer removed from us?? Does it mean we have some sort of 10,000 mile transgression-free grace period?
 
Nope.
 
The distance from the east to the west is infinite, you see. If you are traveling east, you are always traveling east, and vise versa.

There’s no limit on how much God forgives. And thank God, because I need all of the forgiveness I can get.


Heart Check Moment

Posted on Jan 19, 2017 in General |

So I’m driving from an appointment early one morning, the weather frigid outside but my car is nice and toasty.  While embraced by the moment of warmth, I start singing the words to the song “Give me the faith to trust what you say….” reflecting on my need to trust God will provide.  Mid-chorus of the song (2nd time through), I watch a crack line form across the lower section of my windshield.  No, it wasn’t my singing!  As the crack forms in what appears to be a millisecond, so followed my thoughts of worry and frustration.  I immediately put the wipers on to see if it was just a dirt line of sorts; that didn’t work, it was truly a crack.   A new song burst from my lips and it wasn’t a confession of trust, it was more so around how am I going to pay for a new windshield and the timing of this was so not appreciated given everything else that was going on.  Fortunately, it was in that moment I also realized how quickly my thoughts abandoned God and subconsciously questioned His character – how I can be one second believing He is my provider to the next second being distracted by worry.   Long story short, it worked out, I didn’t have to pay anything to get it replaced.
 
My prayer that day: God, please forgive me for putting your character into question.  Your word says to cast all of my anxieties on You because You care for me.  I doubted your wisdom and grace to do that and instead chose, very quickly, to worry for no reason. Thank you for providing for me.  You ask so little from me: simple TRUST.  Proverbs 3:5-6
 
 

Why Suffering?

Posted on Jan 12, 2017 in General |

It’s one of those questions, at times, that the answer can never measure up to the expectation of the one needing a response. Emotions are high, wounds are deep, and the pain unbearable; we demand answers and God is the one we “raise our fist to” for explanation about His absence when we needed Him most.  Our tendency is to be short-sighted when being compared to the wisdom of God; obligating Him to choose when to step in or not, when to prevent certain situations or not.  It’s God’s choice alone. I acknowledge that’s hard to hear and receive at times.   Hopefully, you can find comfort in knowing that He is sovereign (all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-loving).  All things will be accounted for and justice will be served – whether in this life or the next. In the meantime, God gives us grace (favor, patience, endurance, peace) to strengthen our will to trust Him through our suffering and to bring greater awareness that He has NOT abandoned us and NEVER will.
 
God’s word says “My grace is sufficient for you (my lovingkindness and my mercy are more than enough-always available-regardless of the situation) for my power is being perfected (and is completed and shows itself most effectively) in your weakness.  2 Corinthians 12:9 (AMP) 
 
I am sorry for whatever you might be experiencing right now.  May the God of all hope and peace embrace you deeply and constantly!
 
P. Lorraine
 

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