Yesterday I was led to mention a few key passages that urge us to search for the wisdom of God as if for a hidden treausre. Today I was blessed again to be reminded (through the following Scripture) that in Christ are all the hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge. The thought that we have access to that kind of wisdom and that kind of knowledge, just blows me away.
In Colossians 2, Paul writes the following: "I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodecia, and for all who have not met me personally. My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:1-3).
Let us not grow weary, but instead continue to seek Him, so that we may learn to discern the heart and mind of God in our lives. I desperately want to know the things of my God, don't you?
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
The Hidden Treasure
"And if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom, and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds victory in store for the upright, He is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for He guards the course of the just and protects the way of His faithful ones. Then you will understand what is right and just and fair - every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you."
(Proverbs 2:3-11)
On my search for the hidden treasure, my journey may entail some rough patches. It may involve throwing some heavy duty cargo overboard - some of those hefty items that I have picked up along the way - things that are weighing me down. My journey will certainly require my complete focus - I cannot afford to be distracted. There will be challenges and temptations. If I take my eye off the prize for even a split second, I may be tempted to settle for less. I may get tired and weary, and at times question if this whole thing is really even worth it ...
In 1 Kings 3:1-15, Solomon has just been annointed king over Israel. The Lord appears to Solomon in a dream and He asks Solomon what it is that he wants. God literally says to Solomon, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you" (1 Kings 3:5). Solomon's one request is that the Lord would give him "a discerning heart to govern [the people of Israel] and to distinguish between right and wrong" (1 Kings 3:9). Solomon was in search of the knowledge and the wisdom of God.
What are you in search of today? Where are you at in your search? Has your journey just begun, or have you been there for a while? Are you at a point where you are contemplating giving up - maybe feeling that God is being silent? Are you in the process of hauling the heavy cargo overboard - throwing off the excess weight? Perhaps you have recently reached your prize! Has the Lord poured out His wisdom, insight and understanding in a particular situation? If so, I hope you have taken the time to praise and shout: "It was worth it! I have discovered my hidden treasure, and the prize has made the journey totally worth it!"
I pray the Lord's blessing over your journey. Don't give up. Keep your eye on Him. Call out for wisdom, as Solomon did. Look for insight in the deep places of God.
It's there - You just have to want it enough.
"And if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God." (Proverbs 2:3-5)
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Before the Throne of God Above
My heart has been heavy today. I think I've listened to Selah's rendition of the song below, like 50 times - not exaggerating. Sometimes music can just minister to our souls like nothing else ... But seriously though, can you look at the words of this song? It is packed with the Truth of the Gospel. He is the great I AM - and thankfully, He IS who He IS in our times of complete and utter heaviness.
Before the Throne of God Above, Bancroft
Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea
A great high Priest whose Name is Love
Who ever lives and pleads for me
My name is graven on His Hands
My name is written on His Heart
I know that while in heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart
When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end to all my sin
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free
For God the Just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me
Behold Him there the Risen Lamb
My perfect spotless Righteousness
The great unchangeable I AM
The King of glory and of grace
One in Himself I cannot die
My soul is purchased by His blood
My life is hid with Christ on high
With Christ my Savior and my God
Before the Throne of God Above, Bancroft
Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea
A great high Priest whose Name is Love
Who ever lives and pleads for me
My name is graven on His Hands
My name is written on His Heart
I know that while in heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart
When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end to all my sin
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free
For God the Just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me
Behold Him there the Risen Lamb
My perfect spotless Righteousness
The great unchangeable I AM
The King of glory and of grace
One in Himself I cannot die
My soul is purchased by His blood
My life is hid with Christ on high
With Christ my Savior and my God
Monday, September 15, 2008
Deep Waters
“He reached down from on high and took hold of me; He drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. He brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because He delighted in me.”
(Psalm 18:16-17, 19)
(Psalm 18:16-17, 19)
Have you ever been caught in the deep waters of life? Maybe you currently feel you are lost in an ocean of hate, or bitterness. Drowning in anger, unforgiveness, hurt, or anxiety. The list could go on. Can anyone relate? I know I can. Have you ever felt like you were literally trying with all of your might to keep your head above the water? Ever been in a place where you literally felt like you were drowning? I think this is the most fitting way to describe our times without God’s freedom. We can honestly feel that we are drowning in our own circumstances, and in those very moments, those of us who are desperate enough, admit we deeply long to be set free from ourselves, from our very own circumstances.
Come along with me as we dissect this scripture.
“He reached down from on high and took hold of me; He drew me out of deep waters.” Psalm 18:16
Allow me to share with you the meaning of “to take hold of”: 1. In an active sense; To lay hold of; to seize with the hands, or otherwise; to grasp; to get into one's hold or possession; to procure; to seize and carry away; to convey. Hence, specifically: (a) To obtain possession of by force or artifice; to get the custody or control of; to reduce into subjection to one's power or will; to capture; to seize; to make prisoner; as, to take am army, a city, or a ship; also, to come upon or befall; to fasten on; to attack; to seize; -- said of a disease, misfortune, or the like.
Which part of this definition speaks most personally to you? For me, two phrases jump out more than the others: to get into one’s hold or possession and to seize and carry away. In order to bring me into His possession, God has many times had to seize and carry me away. I cannot recall ever voluntarily walking away from a situation in which I thought myself to be content. God has always had to seize and carry me away from it. I ashamedly admit to you that the majority of the time, He grabs me up into His arms while I am still stubbornly kicking and screaming.
As we look at the latter part of verse 16, we once again are blessed by the reality that God draws us out of the deep waters. "To draw out” means: 1. To cause to move continuously by force applied in advance of the thing moved; to pull along; to haul; to drag; to cause to follow.
To cause to follow. He seizes us, He carries us away, and then He causes us to follow Him. The God of the Universe, the Creator of the land and the seas, the same God who laid the foundations of the earth - He reaches down and picks you and I out of the deep waters of life. He rescues us. He then sets us free to unashamedly serve Him and experience His freedom. Is there an ocean in your life today where you need some deep rescuing? Has there been an ocean in your past where you can recall experiencing a deep rescue from the One and Only? Only He could be successful enough to seize us, carry us away, and cause us to follow Him in an area we never thought we would overcome - in an ocean so deep, we definitely thought in all human standards that we were going to drown in it. That, my dear, is reason for some praise! He is most definitely miraculous.
Two more verses. Stay with me. I know we’ll be blessed by His Word!
“He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me.” (Psalm 18:17)
He rescues us from the powerful enemy - from our foes - who were too strong for us. Please realize that they were too strong for us without Christ, not with Him - remember that.
Read Luke 10:1-20. This passage reminds us of the Power of God over Satan. We read how Jesus sends the seventy-two people to go out ahead of him and proclaim the gospel. How amazed the seventy-two are when they have accomplished their mission! They say to Jesus, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name” (Luke 10:17). What Jesus says next just gives me chills.
Jesus responds, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:18-20).
We all have our struggles, our bouts with temptation. We all have our enemies, whether they are actual physical bodies or inner struggles ... they are demons that desperately want to gain control over our lives. They do not want Christ to be glorified and they will do everything in their power to make us believe they are stronger than us. They may be stronger than us without Christ, but they are NOT stronger than us with Christ. What we must understand is that because the Holy Spirit dwells inside of us, we are protected. We must start living like it! This does not mean it is going to be easy. Our struggles require constant communication with God and reliance upon His word. Christ gave us the authority to overcome the power of the enemy when He died on the Cross for all of our demons, struggles, and sins. Jesus is very clear to say to us: “Hey! Don’t get caught up in the fact that the spirits submit to you, but be joyful because you get to spend eternity worshipping the God who made such submission possible!”
“He brought me into a spacious place; He rescued me because He delighted in me.”
(Psalm 18:19)
He rescues us, not because He has to, but because He delights in us! He wants to rescue us! The footnotes of my Bible summarize “spacious place” in verse 19 the following way: where he is free to roam unconfined by the threats and dangers that had hemmed him in. As a sophomore in college, God completely took hold of my life. He literally bent down from heaven and removed me from a physical location, brought me home and gave me freedom to roam unconfined by the threats and dangers that had hemmed me in. He always knows when we need some freedom. He always knows when we need some room to roam unconfined. He always knows when we need to be set free.
I pray He can set you free from some deep waters today. Praise God that He has already taken care of all our struggles, hurts, anxieties, failures, disappointments, temptations, and enemies. May we never forget all He has done for us and all He will do in our lives. He knows when we are in need of a deep rescuing from our powerful enemies, and when it is time to reach down and take hold of us. He knows when it’s time to bring us into a spacious place and just let us roam for a little while, as He gently restores us.
Allow me to share with you the meaning of “to take hold of”: 1. In an active sense; To lay hold of; to seize with the hands, or otherwise; to grasp; to get into one's hold or possession; to procure; to seize and carry away; to convey. Hence, specifically: (a) To obtain possession of by force or artifice; to get the custody or control of; to reduce into subjection to one's power or will; to capture; to seize; to make prisoner; as, to take am army, a city, or a ship; also, to come upon or befall; to fasten on; to attack; to seize; -- said of a disease, misfortune, or the like.
Which part of this definition speaks most personally to you? For me, two phrases jump out more than the others: to get into one’s hold or possession and to seize and carry away. In order to bring me into His possession, God has many times had to seize and carry me away. I cannot recall ever voluntarily walking away from a situation in which I thought myself to be content. God has always had to seize and carry me away from it. I ashamedly admit to you that the majority of the time, He grabs me up into His arms while I am still stubbornly kicking and screaming.
As we look at the latter part of verse 16, we once again are blessed by the reality that God draws us out of the deep waters. "To draw out” means: 1. To cause to move continuously by force applied in advance of the thing moved; to pull along; to haul; to drag; to cause to follow.
To cause to follow. He seizes us, He carries us away, and then He causes us to follow Him. The God of the Universe, the Creator of the land and the seas, the same God who laid the foundations of the earth - He reaches down and picks you and I out of the deep waters of life. He rescues us. He then sets us free to unashamedly serve Him and experience His freedom. Is there an ocean in your life today where you need some deep rescuing? Has there been an ocean in your past where you can recall experiencing a deep rescue from the One and Only? Only He could be successful enough to seize us, carry us away, and cause us to follow Him in an area we never thought we would overcome - in an ocean so deep, we definitely thought in all human standards that we were going to drown in it. That, my dear, is reason for some praise! He is most definitely miraculous.
Two more verses. Stay with me. I know we’ll be blessed by His Word!
“He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me.” (Psalm 18:17)
He rescues us from the powerful enemy - from our foes - who were too strong for us. Please realize that they were too strong for us without Christ, not with Him - remember that.
Read Luke 10:1-20. This passage reminds us of the Power of God over Satan. We read how Jesus sends the seventy-two people to go out ahead of him and proclaim the gospel. How amazed the seventy-two are when they have accomplished their mission! They say to Jesus, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name” (Luke 10:17). What Jesus says next just gives me chills.
Jesus responds, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:18-20).
We all have our struggles, our bouts with temptation. We all have our enemies, whether they are actual physical bodies or inner struggles ... they are demons that desperately want to gain control over our lives. They do not want Christ to be glorified and they will do everything in their power to make us believe they are stronger than us. They may be stronger than us without Christ, but they are NOT stronger than us with Christ. What we must understand is that because the Holy Spirit dwells inside of us, we are protected. We must start living like it! This does not mean it is going to be easy. Our struggles require constant communication with God and reliance upon His word. Christ gave us the authority to overcome the power of the enemy when He died on the Cross for all of our demons, struggles, and sins. Jesus is very clear to say to us: “Hey! Don’t get caught up in the fact that the spirits submit to you, but be joyful because you get to spend eternity worshipping the God who made such submission possible!”
“He brought me into a spacious place; He rescued me because He delighted in me.”
(Psalm 18:19)
He rescues us, not because He has to, but because He delights in us! He wants to rescue us! The footnotes of my Bible summarize “spacious place” in verse 19 the following way: where he is free to roam unconfined by the threats and dangers that had hemmed him in. As a sophomore in college, God completely took hold of my life. He literally bent down from heaven and removed me from a physical location, brought me home and gave me freedom to roam unconfined by the threats and dangers that had hemmed me in. He always knows when we need some freedom. He always knows when we need some room to roam unconfined. He always knows when we need to be set free.
I pray He can set you free from some deep waters today. Praise God that He has already taken care of all our struggles, hurts, anxieties, failures, disappointments, temptations, and enemies. May we never forget all He has done for us and all He will do in our lives. He knows when we are in need of a deep rescuing from our powerful enemies, and when it is time to reach down and take hold of us. He knows when it’s time to bring us into a spacious place and just let us roam for a little while, as He gently restores us.
“Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while You may be found; Surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him.” (Psalm 32:6)
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Like Water
"Pour out your your heart like water before the presence of the Lord!" (Lamentations 2:19b)
I read this verse tonight and was incredibly convicted of my lack of honesty with the Lord lately. I have held it all back from Him - I guess because I've had so much built up in my soul, that I knew it would be a continuous flow when I finally did begin laying it all out there.
Have you poured your heart out before the Lord lately? What is on your heart that you need to place before His throne?
Just let it flow, girls ... and let me know how it goes.
I read this verse tonight and was incredibly convicted of my lack of honesty with the Lord lately. I have held it all back from Him - I guess because I've had so much built up in my soul, that I knew it would be a continuous flow when I finally did begin laying it all out there.
Have you poured your heart out before the Lord lately? What is on your heart that you need to place before His throne?
Just let it flow, girls ... and let me know how it goes.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Holiday Fever! Seriously?!
Ok, so I'm totally going to blame it on the cinnamon and spiced orange scented brooms they had for sale right at the front door. Not really sure exactly what you do with a scented broom, but that's beside the point. I walked into Whole Foods tonight to get a salad after work and the entire place smelled like fall. You know, like a crisp cold fall day with the fireplace blazing in the house, drinking a cup of coffee, beautiful changing leaves outside. Like there I am, just trying to mind my own business and pay for my salad ... when wouldn't you know what they have at the check-out lane!?!? Oh, just the Paula Deen Special Collector's Holiday Issue! Well, of course I couldn't resiiiist ....
So, here I am - sitting here reading my Holiday Paula Deen magazine, and it's 90 degrees outside, for crying out loud!
Alright, I'm going to get back to it - I'm deciding between the Cranberry Pear Pie and the Sweet Potato Toffee Pie for Thanksgiving. What do y'all think?? Hahaha - I've lost my mind. Ok, so y'all just need to go get you one of these collector's issues! I'm totally not sharing!
So, here I am - sitting here reading my Holiday Paula Deen magazine, and it's 90 degrees outside, for crying out loud!
Alright, I'm going to get back to it - I'm deciding between the Cranberry Pear Pie and the Sweet Potato Toffee Pie for Thanksgiving. What do y'all think?? Hahaha - I've lost my mind. Ok, so y'all just need to go get you one of these collector's issues! I'm totally not sharing!
Friday, September 5, 2008
Wrestling with Fear?
Psalm 13:2-6 reads:
"How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, O Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death; my enemy will say, 'I have overcome him,' and my foes will rejoice when I fall. But I trust in Your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in Your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, for He has been good to me."
I believe one of the enemy's most dibilating schemes comes in the form of fear. He wants to encumber our faith, replacing it with fear. The fear of today, or of tomorrow. The fear that we're not good enough, not smart enough, not godly enough. The fear of what has been, or what could be, or even what won't be.
We hear it said, "Fear is the opposite of faith." Look above once more at the few verses out of this particular Psalm of David. The first couple sentences are completely opposite of the last 2, are they not? He is displacing his fear onto his faith. Praise the Lord that we have Him to displace our fear upon. He is worthy of our complete trust, even when we're fearful.
The enemy is after our joy, girls. He wants it. Don't give your joy up today. Instead of being fearful, throw yourself headlong into His arms. Celebrate His rescue. Sing at the top of your lungs, because you, my dear, are so full of answered prayers! (Psalm 13:5-6 - The Message)
I am praying God's Victory over your life today! Relish in His goodness.
Love you!
"How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, O Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death; my enemy will say, 'I have overcome him,' and my foes will rejoice when I fall. But I trust in Your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in Your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, for He has been good to me."
I believe one of the enemy's most dibilating schemes comes in the form of fear. He wants to encumber our faith, replacing it with fear. The fear of today, or of tomorrow. The fear that we're not good enough, not smart enough, not godly enough. The fear of what has been, or what could be, or even what won't be.
We hear it said, "Fear is the opposite of faith." Look above once more at the few verses out of this particular Psalm of David. The first couple sentences are completely opposite of the last 2, are they not? He is displacing his fear onto his faith. Praise the Lord that we have Him to displace our fear upon. He is worthy of our complete trust, even when we're fearful.
The enemy is after our joy, girls. He wants it. Don't give your joy up today. Instead of being fearful, throw yourself headlong into His arms. Celebrate His rescue. Sing at the top of your lungs, because you, my dear, are so full of answered prayers! (Psalm 13:5-6 - The Message)
I am praying God's Victory over your life today! Relish in His goodness.
Love you!
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