In the Name of the LORD

Studying the Gospel of John this semester has been such a blessing to me!! I love how truth that I thought I have "learned" in the past takes on a new value and even a new facet when observed again and again. Such has been the case this past week while working on John 5. The opposition against Jesus started because He was doing something that the religious people thought was "irreligious". When questioned about it, Jesus gave them some new things to learn. They, the religious leaders, couldn't get it. Most "religious people" don't get it.

For many years in my Christian walk, I didn't get it either. I thought "I" had to do what God had commanded. I thought that was what made me a "good Christian". I had made it about me!!! When Jesus answered them when they questioned Him about healing the lame man on the Sabbath, they didn't get it. They would NEVER break the Sabbath. That would be not doing what God had commanded.

Now, I knew that Jesus was my example, but I always used to say, "But He was GOD!!" I am not and I can't obey the way He did. Well, all of this is to say that He did show us how to obey. Jn 5:19....."The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner." There it is. It isn't that Jesus wasn't capable of doing anything on His own. He is God. So obviously, He could have done anything on His own. BUT He chose to cooperate fully with the Father, doing, going, working only as the Father worked through Him. Later, Jesus states it in vs 43..."I have come in My Father's name....."!

Jn 5:17 tells them the reason He healed on the Sabbath and told the man to take his pallet and walk was because the Father was working through the Son, Who was in complete surrender to His Father. It was the Father's will that the lame man be healed on the Sabbath. IT is His authority that Jesus obeyed, even when it didn't look right to anyone else. In other words, He and His Father were in total cooperation. This is what it means to do something "in the name of God". The LORD Jesus is driving home the point to us that when we do something in God's name, we are fully cooperative with God. Whatever we do will look like, act like, smell like, be like Him because He is the One in control of our lives.

And that can only happen when we are in a covenant relationship with Jesus. Then as Jesus was to the Father, submissive to Him, in full cooperation with Him and His initiative, so are we to Jesus. Jn 5:30 Jesus tells us that He allowed the Father to initiate and He cooperated 100% with the Father. And then as the Father was to Jesus, so Jesus is to us. He does His work through us as we are fully cooperative with Him. Mt 11:28-29 comes to mind as describing this kind of relationship with Jesus. IT is a rest when I let God initiate and I cooperate. He is leading the "yoke" and I am cooperating with Him. "My sheep hear MY voice and they follow ME."

I think that for far too many years, I was following a lot of other voices that were telling me what I was supposed to be doing for God "as a good Christian should"! I was abiding.....in my works-oriented flesh! And not in the True Vine!! It had man's glory tagged all over it and not His glory.

Here is a great quote from Wayne Barber: "Jesus said, 'I have come in the name of My Father'. Now the thing that grabs me about Jesus, equal to the Father. He never was anything less than God.....lived as if He was never anything more than man....but submissive to the will of His Father. He had chosen to live this way! Why? It's so you and I could understand what it is like to live the Christian life. You see, the Father continues to initiate. But now He communicates to us what that will is and through the power of the Spirit, He enables us to do whatever God tells us to do."

I think the thing that amazes me the most is that so many believers in the LORD Jesus Christ as the Son of God, the Christ, God in flesh, Who came that we might have everlasting life in Him think that they can do something to either keep this salvation going or lose it!!! It is so obviously ALL of His grace and none of me!! Praise His name!! Eph 2:8-10. Go "in the name of the LORD"!

Writing

I am learning some things about myself, especially the last few days. I used to think I could write. It began nearly fifty years ago when I was a young teen-ager, or maybe even before that, when I first started keeping a diary.

But, recently I have come to see that I am not really a "writer". Oh, that doesn't mean that I don't write.......because I do and I have most of my life. But the past few days I went off to a cabin at a lake to work on a book........a biography of a one-of-a-kind saint. She was such a rare person and I miss her a lot. She turned 95 on June 28 and then went "home" to her many friends and family who have been waiting a long time for her to get there. But mostly, she is with the One she longed to see..........pretty much all of her life.....her precious LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Back to my point about not being a writer! I have discovered that it is not very easy to put down words on a paper that adequately equate an amazing woman who did it right!! Lived well. Loved well. Finished well. I found it much harder than I imagined it would be to tell her story/stories.....many of which I knew so well. The right words eluded me when I tried to described her sweetness, her kindness to all, her joyfulness and her thankful heart. It is clear in my mind....because I saw it and experienced those attributes in various settings with her.

I think I had some self-deception about being able to just write what I knew and thought and loved about her. A writer ought to be able to do that!!

"Have you praised the LORD today?"

The other day I was visiting with my dear friend, whom I treasure and am so blessed to know. Kay Larsen (I have mentioned her before is previous posts) will be 95 tomorrow. The LORD willing, a few of us are going to take her out to lunch for her favorite............lamb........and to celebrate her life. And when we were visiting last time that day, the conversation went to the LORD and His goodness, as it often does with her.

Our hearts are knit together and all the more when we talk about worshiping, praising, exalting, & honoring the LORD all the day. It is so humbling to me that she allows me the privilege of writing her story and visiting with her about her life, humbling because she walks so closely to the LORD and is always concerned about others knowing and enjoying Him like she does. She is about her Father's business................much like Jesus was all the days of His life. As we were dialoguing about being an anbassador for His kingdom, the subject came up about why don't people praise Him instead of complain about what He is or isn't doing!!

And typically, our conversation went to His amazing grace and incredible gift of salvation that cost Him greatly. As we continued in this deep conversation, a mutual friend came by to see her. He, not knowing anything about our conversation, proceeded to share with me that Kay taught him to praise the LORD. He so humbly spoke about the times he would struggle with worry or depression and would talk to Kay and her question to him was, "_______, have you praised the LORD today?" And with a chagrin, he sadly admitted that he had not. After a few times of this kind of brief conversation with her (many years ago), he began to make praising the LORD a habit of his day. His worries lessened, his bouts of depression diminshed or were very short-lived, and his heart was renewed day by day! With such deep affection and appreciation for her, he leaned over and kissed her forehead, patted her on the cheek and told her how much she had done for him.

Kay never in a million years would have told me that story, but the LORD wanted me to hear it........first-hand!! It was the visual aid to the very conversation we were having, which was "Why in the world, do Christians not get it!! That it is all about praising the LORD!!!"

So, I ask you.............."Have you praised the LORD today?"

Help, LORD!

Recently, well in the past several months at least, a recurring theme in conversations with other believers has been how hard things are. So many are struggling more than in years past...........and in many different arenas.

For some it is focused in finances, especially job related......so many out of work and looking for something!! Anything!!! For others, it is the cost of living going up but not the income.

Another common thread is that of aging parents and all of the many issues that come with that, not the least of which is relocation for them??!!! There are so many questions raised and very few, if any, easy answers. How did it happen that we now see "retirement VILLAGES......nursing HOMES...........senior COMMUNITIES" on corners and blocks everywhere we turn? I have no idea the amount of monies going into this "Senior" industry, but it must be huge!!

Often the discussions are centered on hard health issues, either personal ones, or spouse, or children, or other loved ones, or friends' loved ones. So much more common now than I remember even 10-15 years ago!!! This often becomes a financial burden, as well.

But, one topic in common that I am hearing most often is the longing for heaven and deliverance from the on-going and worsening reports of evil throughout the world. The personal spiritual battles of the mind and heart, longing to trust God and have peace, but finding that to be so difficult under the pressures and stresses of life.

But one only has to read consistently in Scripture to find a common bond with the saints of old who also were longing for His Peace, His deliverance, His joy, His comfort in the midst of trials and tribulations!! Of course, it would be that way. Human nature has not changed since the Garden of Eden became off-limits because of sin.

David set a great example for us in Psalm 12:1 when he prayed, "Help, LORD!". When the creature failed, he flew to the Creator. He evidently felt his own weakness, or he would not have cried for help. But at the same time, he intended honestly to exert himself for the cause of truth, for the word "help" is inapplicable where we ourselves do nothing. The psalmist runs straight to his God with a well-considered prayer.

LORD, teach me.....teach us ....to pray in the same blessed manner. Am I not saying..."LORD, I trust you! Lord, I need You! LORD, You are the Sovereign One!"? In fact, in all cases, times and places, "Help, LORD!" will suit us....... living and dying, suffering or laboring, rejoicing or sorrowing. In Him, our help is found.

The answer to the prayer is certain, if it is sincerely offered through Jesus. The LORD's character assures us that He will not leave His people. His gift of Jesus is a pledge of every good thing...........so Paul tells us in Ro 8:32 "He, who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him freely give us all things?"

I look up unto the hills.............my HELP comes from the LORD!!

Address

Location!!! Location!! Location!!

Being the daughter of a realtor since I was about 11 and then the wife of one since I was.........oh, considerably older than 11..........it has been drilled into my head this little saying!! Well, it applies not only to the purchasing of a home for our families, wanting to makes sure they are in a safe place, with the "right" school, stores, neighbors, etc..

We want it to be a good investment for the future, should we need to relocate for various reasons! But, it also applies to our ultimate location.........for eternity!!

Now, that is of far greater consequence if the decision is not carefully made. Do you remember the time you first were asked if you wanted to go to heaven?? I remember it so well? I was FIVE!!!!

It wasn't like my parents asking me if I wanted to go to the park...........or if I wanted to go and get some ice cream........or even if I wanted to go swimming at the neighborhood park!!??? That was a really big question!! It was a question about LOCATION! Location!! LOCATION!! And at the age of five, it seemed to me that it was my decision to make!!

Now, without wanting to get into a deep theological discussion about Who was really asking me that question and Who was really going to determine my destination, as a five year old child, the answer was a no-brainer. I wanted to go to heaven. And I even thought it was okay if I went there right then.

Well, here I am, not quite six decades later, and my answer is still the same that it was that day!! I want to go to heaven and today would be fine!! Didn't Jesus say that unless we have the faith of a little child, we cannot enter the kingdom of heaven??

How I praise Him for giving to me by His grace that kind of faith! How thankful I am that for all of these years, He.....the One Who is able to keep me and present me faultless before Him........has been faithful to me.

Oh, the joy of KNOWING that if I died today, I know for certain that because of Jesus Christ and His death in my place, I am going to relocate in heaven!!

Location!! Location!! Location!! DO you know where your final move will be??

Thankfulness

I haven't posted much in such a long time, and now it seems like the urge to write is constant in me. As I have written about tribulations, I see the deep need to connect the concept of thankfulness. I am coming to the place where I see more clearly that if we are not able to express thankfulness to God then that is a sign of not trusting Him fully.
Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thess 5:18
Therefore since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe. Heb 12:28

If we say that we are Christians, then we are saying that we honor, revere, worship, adore, exalt, esteem, hold high the reputation of Jesus Christ. But if we grumble and complain about every trial and tribulation of life, we contradict our proclamation of esteeming Him as LORD. Every time we thank Him, we acknowledge that He is our LORD and Provider, which is the proper stance for a child of God............receiving with thanksgiving.

It is, in fact, the mundane, chronic, persistent trials of day to day living that war against our souls that often find us murmuring and complaining rather than giving thanks. It reminds me of the passage in James 3 about the tongue that I find in vs 10 in the Phillip's translation: "Blessings and curses come out of the same mouth--surely, my brothers, this is the sort of thing that NEVER ought to happen!" It goes on to say "Have you ever known a spring to give sweet and bitter water from the same source?"

It makes me want to say. "Have I ever grumbled...... murmured and trusted God at the same time?" Can't happen!!! Thanksgiving and trusting God go hand in hand!!

Through Many Tribulations!

"We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God."
Acts 14:22b

Recommended Reading Romans 8:18-19

"When seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong became the world's most famous cyclist, his consecutive victories--the most in history--were made sweet by what preceded them: a bout with cancer. Diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1996, cancer that had already spread to his brain and lungs, Armstrong dropped out of cycling to fight his disease. He returned to cycling and won the Tour de France for seven straight years (1999-2005).

Armstrong's greatest years as an athlete--and now a worldwide advocate for cancer research--were preceded by the most difficult years of his life. His experience illustrates a universal, and biblical, principle: the harder the battle, the sweeter the victory. In fact, the apostle Paul put it this way: entry to the kingdom of God is always accompanied by "many tribulations" (Acts 14:22b). Those who enter the kingdom of God by way of the coming Tribulation will echo Paul's words while praising the God who made their salvation possible (Revelation 7:9-14).

If you're experiencing a trial right now, recognize its ultimate outcome: a deeper dependence upon God and gratefulness for your victory in Christ.

There can be no victory where there is no combat"

Those are not my words........they were in a devotional today by David Jeremiah!!! But they are my words indirectly. By that, I mean AMEN. It is what I was going to say in this blog that has been stirring in my head and heart for a couple of weeks, but then there it was already written out for me.

A small group of wonderful, godly friends and I have been meeting for almost four years now on Monday evenings. We are truly kindred spirits, soul-mates, iron sharpening iron. The trials that have been and are still being endured, just within our small group, have been amazing. It has varied in intensity, in specific uniqueness to each person, in length of time...............but mostly the desired out come has been a depth of trusting God that was not there before the testings came.

I don't mean to hint at all that we weren't trusting God before, but the surety of what that looks like is becoming more and more obvious. We can see it in each other, as well as in ourselves. It is the visible kingdom of God that comes through TRUSTING GOD in tribulations.

Spiritual Growth ....."Hand-crafted"

"Growth is hand-crafted, not mass-produced!" by John Ortberg

Rachel, our youngest daughter, recently shared this statement with us from one of her podcasts she hears when she runs her training for the upcoming marathon.

You know how it is when you get the right words at the right moment............you just want to savor it for awhile and let it soak in. We are in a perfect visual aid of such a statement once again. And it revolves around the Heart Hospital and all that entails for the whole family. If you have read my blog at all for the past couple of years, you are well aware that God hand-crafted some growth in all of us through Monty's 7 heart events in 7 days almost 2 years ago.....February 24, 2008.

Let me bring you up to speed, if you haven't known what has been going on recently. In December, Monty went in for his 6-month check-up, which included the ejection fraction test of the output of his heart..........the efficiency of the beat. Since he had been working out 3-4 times a week and working fulltime and feeling really good, he was so excited to hear a good report that his % had improved from the last one. But, in fact, the very opposite happened............it was worse. Not only that, but they were concerned and were recommending he get a defibrillator and pacemaker with the goal of it saving his life if he began having signs of another heart attack. But, against the advice of all three doctors, that didn't stop Monty from going skiing as planned when we all went to CO for Christmas!! I did mention that he was not feeling badly at all, didn't I?

Talk about "hand-crafted growth"!! God was getting ready to use all of this in each of our lives over the next several weeks. The short version of it all is that after some scheduling and medicine adjustments, the device was put in on January 19.......with an overnight stay and some various restrictions for the following four weeks. Then typical of Monty's "hand-crafted body" he didn't handle it very well and went into atrial flutters where he felt like his heart was pounding and racing all of the time, making him feel as though he had run a marathon every day!! He had no energy and was exhausted all of the time.

So once again, more meds to try to get his blood thin enough to keep him from clotting and having a stroke, which is one of the major dangers with atrial flutter. The decision was made that he needed cardio-version.........shock treatment..........to try to get him into sinus (normal) rhythm. But first they had to go through his esophagus and ultra-sound his heart, looking for any clots in the heart, making sure it was safe to shock his heart. This was done this past Monday, February 15, 2010. Within 2 1/2 hours we were back home with the report that he was in sinus rhythm, but that his heart was trying to pace itself, also, along with the pacemaker. With another medicine (that he had been on before for atrial flutter) the dr. was confident that he would settle down into sinus rhythm.

However, "his hand-crafted" uniquely-made body has not responded "normally" to anything done to him thus far. This was no different. Within a short time, Monty could feel once again the racing heartbeat and was not feeling very well. To complicate matters we had four of our grandchildren spending the night. Around 10:00, he began coughing a lot and getting very wheezy and short of breath. He came to bed and after checking his rhythm and blood pressure, debating for an hour whether we should go in or not, we decided he was getting worse quickly. By 11:30, our son Philip, had come over to stay with the children and Monty and I were in the ER. Sure enough, his lungs had filled up and he had pulmonary edema, commonly known as congestive heart failure.

So, after finally getting to a room about 1:00, the long night had begun of pulling the fluid off of him. The Father's "hand-crafted-growth" was taking place in all of us as this week has progressed and Monty's flutters have persisted, despite the variations in types and amounts of medications. The fluid is clearing up and so he is feeling much better. As of now (Thursday night), if he has not converted by the morning, the doctors are thinking of shocking him again. We each find that God is doing much in each one of us to show Himself to us and remind us that He is our peace.

Monty and I know that we are here for reasons far beyond the obvious.........his physical condition.................and that He is giving many around us the opportunity to see how we, His uniquely-hand-crafted-children, handle the hard things in life. All of us are experiencing the same trial, but from different stages of spiritual growth. So, learning afresh the truth of Ortberg's statement.....one trial, but the growth is not mass-produced......but rather hand-crafted!!

A New Year 2010

It may be a New Year to us, but to God, there are no surprises!! It is not "new" to Him!! It is kind of like there is no new water............it is all just recycled!!

Sometimes I think New Year resolutions are like that!! They are the same ones just recycled!! I was thinking about a lot of things from the past years of "New" things I wanted to do or old things I wanted to improve...........recycle, if you will!! And I wondered if posting blogs are a thing of the past for me.

Halfway through the year, this past year, I stopped journaling............for the first time in probably 40+ years!!! I just stopped! Cold turkey!! And now that it is January 1st, I am wondering if I am going to recycle and start in again with a "habit" or a "discipline" I felt called to do many years ago and continued to do for decades.

Everyone is talking about decades right now.......probably because we are entering today the end of the first decade of the new millenium and people are searching for ways to define the past 9 years actually, even though many are calling it a decade!! Is it because we live such fast paced lives now with iPods, iPhones, iTouch, etc. that did not even exist 10 years ago? Possibly!! ???

Or, I am wondering if it isn't more than that............deeper than that. I just put up my new favorite calendar made by Cindy Grubb which I have bought for the past 16 years (at least that is how many I have in my cabinet). As I read through the verses for this year and wrote in the special birthdays, anniversaries of weddings, deaths, memorable events, I was struck by how fleeting life is. It is but a vapor.................a dash on a tombstone between the year of birth and the year of death. BUT the GIFT of God is ETERNAL!!!!

So, whether or not I recycle my discipline of writing my prayers in a journal every day, whether or not I keep in touch with others on Facebook, iPhones, email, snail mail............or face to face ........I need to make sure it is about something that has eternal value!! It must be something that lasts!! Only two things on this earth will last beyond this earth: The Word of God and the souls of people!! It's pretty clear to me what will be my recycled resolution: His Word and people and doing my part to see that those two things intersect whenever and wherever I can!!

Have a Blessed New Year!!