Get Out of the Way!

Every time I step inside the Word, I find answers to my many questions. One recent message was “Get out of the way!”

Our Lord desires to be seen in us and through us. His hands reach out to help others and His love shines on the darkness in people’s lives. We should be the transparent vehicle used to make all this happen.

In Luke 18:9-14, Jesus tells a parable about the proud Pharisee who prayed not to be like other men, even the lowly tax collector bowing next to him in the temple. The tax collector was quietly submitting himself to Christ’s will for his life. Which one was being transparent and getting himself out of the way so Christ could be shown?

Sometimes we are the problem. We refuse to change our opinion or move our judgmental selves out of the way so God can work in and through us, which is exactly what the Pharisee did in this parable.

In Matthew 23, Jesus said to the crowds and to His disciples: ^“The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law are experts in the Law of Moses. So obey everything they teach you, but don’t do as they do. After all, they say one thing and do something else.”

The Pharisees were hypocrites who saw nothing wrong with applying God’s laws to others but not to themselves. Maybe you don’t intend to say one thing and do another, but if you’re honest you must admit that it happens.

 So make up your mind today to get yourself out of the way so God can work in and through you. Don’t let a hypocritical attitude or stubborn spirit stop God’s mighty work from being done. As your spirit changes, so will your heart and love toward others.

Reconciliation

The story is clear in the book of Daniel. A king proclaiming everything that was good in his kingdom as having been generated by him, and he doesn’t give God the glory for his success. The king then has a dream and Daniel interprets it as unfavorable. The king will lose his kingdom, be driven into the wilderness, become as an animal and remain that way for seven years until he turns toward heaven to proclaim God the creator and giver of all things!

Seven years was a long time to wait for deliverance. Especially to be estranged from everyone. Yet many people choose estrangement instead of attachment. Why is that?

Families everywhere split over the smallest things. Someone dies and the relatives fight over the physical property they think they’re owed. Husbands and wives become estranged when they refuse to talk things out and understand each other with God’s help. Brothers and sisters don’t speak to each other for decades because of some small argument that doesn’t mean anything today. It’s so painful.

It’s that way when someone decides to split from God, too. First it’s easy to quit having the daily connection of prayer that you used to have with Him. Those conversations when you told Him everything about yourself, the hidden parts no one else knows. You begin to put aside reading His Word once or twice a week and then pretty regularly. Before you know it you haven’t had a conversation with Him in a month or two. It soon becomes a year or more.

Down the road a tragedy strikes and you lash out at God and question His presence or worth altogether. You’re mad at Him, and for what reason? Because you are really the one who walked away. He never moved, not one step or inch. He never turned his back or marched off in anger, no matter how many words of hate you flung at him.

The king in the story of Daniel had to go down a path of separation for seven years. God never left his side or walked away—He stood right next to him. God waited for the king to change his heart along with his mind, and it took what must have seemed like an eternity.

In seven years children grow up, people die, and relationships change. Is your separation worth all the hurt you’re going through right now? Doesn’t your soul crave the lost relationship of a loving Savior, a long lost friend, or family member? Aren’t you ready for the hurt to end?

Only God can help you reweave the threads of a broken relationship and mend the tear. Do what the king did in Daniel. Lift your eyes to heaven and allow the understanding to return to you and praise the Lord who lives forever (Daniel 4:34, 36-37). Then take that first step toward reconciliation.

Re-Evaluation

Yesterday I watched a great video about a couple with two children. This couple had scrimped and saved and planned for years for their dream home. They sketched and drew every nook and cranny so it was just perfect for them.

After they purchased a large piece of property, they began to build their home. They took great pride in the size and roominess of this new place and even their children were proud to have a bigger house than all their friends.

After living in the house for a few months, the couple began to feel uneasy. They didn’t have problems with the house itself; it was the size. They kept looking around at all they had planned for and started wondering, Why did we do this? It’s way more than what we need.

They also noticed their oldest daughter’s pride in telling her friends that her house was so much bigger than theirs! What had they instilled into their kids? That it’s all about the size of things you own? The couple decided to make some drastic changes quickly.

Less than a year after moving in they put their dream home up for sale. They spent a lot of time explaining to their kids about what they were doing and why they were doing it. And then they took a trip. Not just any trip, but a missions trip to Haiti. They family saw first-hand what it takes to live happily. Families of 8 to 10 lived in two rooms, loved each other, and were always laughing! Was it a perfect house? No. Was it the biggest house on the block? No, but the family was happy. How could this be?

The couple and their children came home completely changed in their attitude about what kind of house they needed. They purchased a smaller home and began using the extra money they received from the sale of their dream home to fund families in third-world countries. The lessons they learned from their experience cannot be bought in a store. They had to personally experience them!

I’m right in this spot today as I decide to downsize from the large condo I’ve lived in for the past 4 years, to a smaller house. I don’t need two huge floors and 2300 feet of living space as a widow. I just need the necessities and then spend the rest of my funds helping others. It became a regular habit to take care of others when my husband and I began making good money from our brokerage business. It was not about what we could obtain, but what we could do with what God gave us. Even though my husband passed away almost 9 years ago, I want to continue that tradition until God takes me home.

Take a minute today to check yourself for pride issues. Don’t get caught up in what the world needs to see you doing, but what God desires to have you do. Make the necessary adjustments to put your life into God’s perspective. You won’t regret it!

The Busted Gift (part 2)

Teenage boys, especially popular ones with bad reputations to uphold, think they can take liberties. I think they believe it’s a privilege that comes with the sports letter, I’m not sure. But this young man certainly thought he could cross the line.

It all started so simple: first a kiss, then the arm around the neck, then…oh brother! ALARM! ALARM! ALARM! Pictures of that pregnant girl flashed through my mind at an shocking rate! Long forgotten Bible verses about purity and coming to your marriage as a virgin were appearing in big, bold, red letters across my closed eyes. “STOP!” I screamed. “Get your hands off me!”

I thought he was going to fall back in horror and wonder what had happened. Instead, this pompous guy that I had upheld in such high regard just snickered and said, “I knew it. I knew you were one of those goody-two-shoes.”

Oh, thank you Jesus! Bless you LORD! AH!!! my brain screamed. Where’s my Dad! I need a good, honest man to give me a hug right now.

The hunk took me home and I never heard from him again. My so-called passion to date him went down the drain with that little scenario but the scene never left me.

Today when I speak to young friends or youth groups, I tell this story to remind them that it can happen in a moment of passion. It’s not love, it’s passion, hormones, young naiveté, whatever you want to call it—it’s not love. That’s when you need to put on the brakes, step back, and think about tomorrow. What will I feel like tomorrow?

God put some pretty definite boundaries on this issue for anyone who knows Him as their Savior.

Ephesians 5:1-33 English Standard Version (ESV)

1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. ² And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. ³ But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. ⁴ Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. ⁵ For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. ⁶ Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. ⁷ Therefore do not become partners with them; ⁸ for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light⁹ (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), ¹⁰ and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. ¹¹ Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. ¹² For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. ¹³ But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, ¹⁴ for anything that becomes visible is light. 

With God there is no gray area where sexual impurity is concerned. Everything is really clear in Scripture about this issue. Can He forgive, yes, but in love God tells us it is sin.

God gives you a gift when you are born; it’s called purity. It’s a gift that’s given to boys and girls alike. That gift is exceptional, worth more than a million diamonds; if you chip away at it and give little pieces out to whoever asks you are ruining the best gift you ever got. Coming to the marriage bed with a busted gift is not God’s plan for any young person.

So why did I write this? To scare you, no. To warn you, definitely. To prepare you, yes.

Encourage your young loved ones to make the decision now to not get involved in sex before marriage. Talk to them openly about the ramifications beyond that moment of passion. Urge them to steer clear of any and all times and places where they are tempted. Does that mean saying “No” sometimes? Yes, it does. Does that mean missing out on some opportunities you believe you will simply die if you don’t get to go to? Yes, it does.

Think beyond today. Think of tomorrow. Your purity is a gift from God.

The Busted Gift

The Busted Gift—Part 1

Back in the 60s when I was in high school, most of the girls I spent time with were pretty conservative. I mean, we had a ton of fun without getting into trouble and most of us went to church.

My parents, neither my mom nor dad, ever sat me down and explained anything about purity. It was pretty much whatever you learned from the girls at school. Sometimes it was what you heard about certain girls who were talked about by the boys and you knew you never wanted to be one of them.

When I was in eleventh grade, a classmate got pregnant. I have a clear picture of her waiting by the door for her mom to pick her up one day after school. She was standing by herself with her long coat on and nobody was near her or even talked to her. I knew that she had just learned that she was expecting and I don’t think I’ve ever seen anybody look so alone in my life. She only went to school for a short time after that and then she left.

It scared me. Certainly I knew by then how she got pregnant, but the thing I didn’t understand was why did she let her defenses down and give in to the pressure of some high school guy? Wouldn’t it be easy to say, “NO!”

Then I started dating. Yes, hold on to your hats because the hormones of high school age kids is a wild thing! Something happens to common sense when you’re smooching with a guy in a car. Just saying it like it is!

I remember there was one really cute guy on the football team that every girl in the school wanted to date and I think he mostly had! I never in my wildest dreams thought he would ask me out but he did. That was a time in my life I will never forget. I learned some very important things that evening and heard some profound things in my head and heart.

It all started out pretty simple; party, pizza, music. Then the couples started going to different rooms and leaving two by two. So this young man said he would like to take me on a ride before he took me home. He had a nice car and my adrenalin was high from just being there, so I said ‘Yes’.

The car ride led to a pretty secluded place in our town where many people were known to go park, if you know what I mean. I was very naïve and young and didn’t know what he had planned. Was I ever in for a surprise! 
(continued)

Stand!

Life experiences have taught me that nothing is mine. My children, home, health, relationships, savings…nothing is mine. It can be taken in a moment. The power of John Piper’s message (link below) is how strong and how long will you stand when everything dissolves? When it’s just you and God on the battle line and you know you have to step out in faith with Him. That’s what makes this powerful.

Each battle is different, whether it’s saving babies, sex trafficking, racism or others. It’s how we stand as believers in Christ that counts. Read Eph. 6:11-14 and see how many times God tells us to ‘stand’ and ‘withstand’. It will not be easy once you take that first step, but with God…!

http://vimeo.com/117630029