Day 4 - Week 44 - Romans 12:2 "Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing and perfect will of God."

Transformation through Christ brings with it many revelations of truth.  We no longer accept what the world says about life and death. 

The world says, "He's dead - he's gone - it's over." That's not what we say.  When we, as Christians, see someone we love go home to heaven, and we know that they had accepted Christ's blood over their lives as purification enabling them to enter God's presence, then we challenge the world's statement with a resounding, "It's not over - it's only just begun!"  We got to make that statement yesterday as we celebrated Shorty's life here on earth, and more importantly,celebrated his entrance into eternal life with his Lord. 

The world tells us many other things that as we allow the Holy Spirit to renew our minds we discover are very contrary to the good, pleasing and perfect will of God.  Paul wrote these words so many years ago, but his words "do not be conformed to this age", have applied to every age that the world has gone through ever since.  Whatever age of the world people have found themselves in when hearing or reading these words, one thing all have had in common....we live in the age this side of heaven.  We live in the age of this earthly world, and Paul instructs us to pull ourselves out of it. 

We are, as Jesus told Nicodemus, to remember that we are not children of this world, but we have been born again into a life that is so very different, a life that is not designed for moments that click away, but for an eternity of purposefulness.  We must allow the Holy Spirit to constantly renew our minds into thought processes that take us out of the temporal and into the eternal...that is the only way that we can start to see the Kingdom of God in clarity, and to understand with more certainty what the, and here that lovely phrase is again, "good, pleasing and perfect will of God " is for us.

This morning, let's ask the Holy Spirit to wash over us with a cleansing of our minds, a cleansing removing those thoughts of this age that argue with the truths of God's eternal ages.  Let's pull ourselves out of this age and see the pictures of God's truths spoken to us over all the ages...the truths of creation, the truths of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and especially this morning, the truth of the Christ child born in Bethlehem, bringing all of God's truth and grace to mankind forever. 

Hallelujah, how the angels sang!! Hallelujah, how it rang.
And the sky was bright with God’s holy light.
It was the birthday of the King!

Day 3 - Week 44 - Now a new verse...

Excuse my absence.  We have have had two hard days of going through the motions that are required after someone dies, and tomorrow we will have the burial and memorial services for our sweet Shorty.   I believe these actions are probably good for all, they keep you going and your mind focused on other things than your extreme sadness in these initial days.  And then when things quiet down, you move into a deeper sense of grieving, but one without the intense emotions that come upon you in the beginning.  I thank God for my wonderful sister-in-law, Mary, who is the picture of graciousness and strength.  I pray that I will be the sister-in-law she needs me to be in the days ahead.

So we go on to our third verse in our set of ten regarding obedience.  But let's go through a quick review first.

The Gift of Assurance (10)

1 John 5:11 And this is the testimony:  God has given us eternal life and that life is in His Son.

1 John 5:12-13  The one who has the Son has life.  The one who doesn't have the Son of God, does not have life.  I say these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know you have eternal life.

John 14:1  Your heart must not be troubled, you believe in God, believe also in Me.

John 14:2  In my Father's house are many mansion, if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.

John 14:3  And if I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come back and receive you unto Myself, so that where I am, you may be also.

John 14:6  Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through Me.

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you.  I do not give as the world gives.  Your heart must not be troubled or afraid.

Isaiah 26:3-4  You will keep in perfect peace the mind that is dependent on You, for it is trusting in You.  Trust in the Lord forever, for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength.

Isaiah 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed . (KJV)

Isaiah 53:6  We all went astray like sheep; we all have turned to our own way; and the Lord has punished Him for the iniquities of us all.

Praise and Thanksgiving (4)

1 Peter 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  According to His great mercy He has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Psalm 100:4  Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise.  Give thanks to Him and praise His name. 

Psalm 100:5  For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Revelation 4:11  You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.

Promises of God (10)

Matthew 6:33  But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (ESV)

Romans 8:28 We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.

Jeremiah 29:11  "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

1 Corinthians 10:13   No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to humanity.  God is faithful and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will provide a way of escape, so that you are able to bear it.

1 John 1:7  But if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

1 John 1:9   If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Proverbs 3:-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.  (NIV)

1 Corinthians 10:13   No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to humanity.  God is faithful and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will provide a way of escape, so that you are able to bear it.

Psalm 55:22   Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will support you.  He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.

1 Peter 5:7  Casting all your care upon Him, because He cares for you.

Obedience (10)
2 Chronicles 7:14  If my people who are called by My name humble themselves, pray and seek My face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.
Lamentations 3:40  Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.

Our third verse in this set is a such a great one to know and also to dig into.  We will be able to really sit on this one through the week and meditate on all of its meaning and implications for our lives.

Romans 12:2   Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing and perfect will of God.

There is so much in this one sentence of 31 words.  So much instruction, truth and a call to a higher level of living. It will be good for me to study these words this week.

I'm back to thinking about Shorty, about what he is doing right now, what he is seeing and experiencing...and as the song says, "I can only imagine..."

Day 1 - Week 44 - Brokenhearted

I know I should be introducing a new verse today, but for right now I just have to share my sadness.  We received a phone call just thirty minutes ago from my sweet sister-in-law letting us know that her husband had just passed away.  My dear brother-in-law, James Robert McCaffree, (but known to most everyone as "Shorty") had fought lymphoma and the side effects of chemo and radiation for over ten years, but I just did not expect to get that call this morning.  He has been in and out of the hospital so many times, so many ambulance trips due to so many different things, that I guess I should have realized that one of those trips would be his last, but your mind just won't let you grab onto that thought until you are forced to.  This morning I believe God kindly took Shorty very quickly, without giving him a chance to be fearful or going through another grueling hospital stay.  God, unlike me, knew that today was the exact right time for Shorty to come home to Him, to the place He has prepared for this wonderful, funny man that we all love so much.

Psalm 34:18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit.

The Bible tells us that God is near to the brokenhearted, so I know He is near to Mary, her daughters and grandchildren, and to us as we go through this time of sadness.  And I know that He will walk beside all of us as we transition into lives here on earth without the laughter and smiles that Shorty brought to it.  And I know that ultimately He will call each of us out of this world, just as He has Shorty, and bring us home to be with Him forever, where we will be reunited with all of those who have gone before. 

Thank You Lord for Your divine and inexplicable comfort and peace, even when we are so broken.  You are near.

Day 6 - Week 43 - Lamentations 3:40 "Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.'

I have gotten all wrapped up (literally!) in getting ready for Christmas --- thus, the lack of blogs this week!  I have wrapped and baked and shopped...and the irony of it all is that while missing blogging time on this week's verse, I actually very much need to examine my ways and test them.  Are all the things that are demanding so much of my time in this very special season things that God is directing me to, or are they the demands of others' expectations and my perceived "have to" list that I must accomplish in order for Christmas to be "just right" for my family? 

Could it be that the "just right" Christmas that God is directing me to, and the one that I may be very close to missing, is one where I am calm and peaceful, ready to share a moment with a friend who needs to chat, and where I welcome my family, my children, my grandchildren, into a home that is filled not so much with the perfect food, gifts and Christmas decor, but rather with honest and sincere warmth, care and concern.

I am praying that I can be the "perfect" hostess not by achievement of Martha Stewart-ish cleverness, but by exhibiting love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  The perfection achieved only by relinqushment of my aspirations to those of the Holy Spirit of God, allowing Him to turn my anxiety into His completeness, and then recognizing the contentment and fulfillment in a Christmas that may not look like perfection, but one in which my heart will feel His perfection at work, accomplishing so many, much more important things than I would have ever have been able to "cook up"!

So this is my challenge to myself and to you - examine your Christmas ways and test them, and wholeheartedly return to the Lord in a complete celebration of what the coming of the Christ child means in your life...don't miss the perfect Christmas that God has waiting for you!

(Oh - and just to clarify - that is not a picture of my Christmas tree in my ever-not-so-perfect home!  This would be a picture of a perfect Christmas tree, in a perfect home, one I will probably never achieve, but the goal will probably always taunt me....but then again...I think I may be slowly learning to be content with less than that aggravating picture of perfection!)

Day 2 - Week 43 - Lamentations 3:40 "Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord."

How often in our busy lives do we just stop and say, "God, am I on track?  Am I pleasing You?  Is there something I'm missing?"  Most of the time, I think we just barrel ahead, trying to get it all done, but not contemplating the fact that we may be moving so fast in a direction that is not of God's leading.

In Lamentations, a book often overlooked but packed with insight into the way God deals with His children when they have wandered away from Him, Jeremiah (most likely the author, but not in certainty) laments over the destruction of Jerusalem and the taking of the people of Israel into captivity by the Babylonians.  I find it interesting that the Roman Catholic church often reads the Book of Lamentations during the last three days of Holy Week...a practice designed to remind people of the need to confront their sinfulness and return to lives of obedience to God.

Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.

What a difference it would make in our lives if this would be the first thought of our days....examine our lives, laying out our plans side-by-side with the teachings of the Bible, and testing them to make sure they line up...and when they don't, not wasting a minute to make the necessary adjustments and return wholeheartedly to our Lord. 

Jeremiah's song of lament goes back and forth between bemoaning the effect of Israel's sin, stating his understanding of the need for God's judgment over Israel, praising God for His ever-abiding faithfulness, exhorting the people to return to God's ways, and praying to God for restoration. It is written at a sad time in the history of Israel, a time post the glory of David and Solomon, and yet those times are remembered in the face of the destruction now seen. 

When our lives have taken a turn for the worse, it seems then we find the time for examination.  "What went wrong?"  Let's not wait for those times...let's examine our lives on a regular, daily basis to avoid the questions of regret. 

God's ways are good ways for us....let's test our ways and make sure they are one in the same.  Ask Him, He will let you know.

Psalms 139:23-24
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (NIV)

Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; Cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I'm about; See for yourself whether I've done anything wrong - then guide me on the road to eternal life. (The Message)

Day 1 - Week 43 - Step #2 in our Obedience Training!

For those of you with a dog, have you ever looked at them and said, "How many times have I told you not to__________.  You'd think you'd know by now!" 

I sometimes think that's almost exactly what God says to us when we repeatedly ignore His commands.  How many times does He have to tell us that certain actions, certain behaviors, certain attitudes will bring us no good...that they really do not work in our best interest or long-term well being.  Just as with our pets, obedience shows an understanding of the person giving the commands and an overwhelming trust in that person.  The more we understand God, by studying His Word and the history of His relationships with the people of this world, and the more we come to place our complete trust in Him, the less we will hesitate in living our lives in obedience to Him.

Robert J. Morgan includes Romans 12:1 at this point, but we included that verse as our last step in our journey down the Romans Road, "Therefore, dear brothers, by the mercies of God,  I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.  This is your spiritual act of worship."  So as our second verse in our set of ten verses dedicated to reminding us of the importance of obedience, I'm selecting Lamentations 3:40.  It has much of the same intent as 2 Chronicles 7:14, but with a little different emphasis.

Again, from Georgia to Maine, where are we tonight?  Well tonight we should just about be to the border between Virginia and West Virginia...just about right here -->

And I just have to include this picture as I'm about to put my head to my pillow in my comfortable bed...can you imagine being in this spot tonight?  In some ways, I would love it...but then again, I'm sure appreciative of not having to sleep on the hard ground with a rock for my pillow! But viewing the stars in the sky as you watch the night sky grow deeply dark, that is a special night of viewing God's wonder!

So, let's do our review, then we'll add our verse from Lamentations.  We will drop off our three verses of The Gift of Prayer to start allowing for our new verses.

The Gift of Assurance (10)

1 John 5:11 And this is the testimony:  God has given us eternal life and that life is in His Son.

1 John 5:12-13  The one who has the Son has life.  The one who doesn't have the Son of God, does not have life.  I say these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know you have eternal life.

John 14:1  Your heart must not be troubled, you believe in God, believe also in Me.

John 14:2  In my Father's house are many mansion, if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.

John 14:3  And if I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come back and receive you unto Myself, so that where I am, you may be also.

John 14:6  Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through Me.

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you.  I do not give as the world gives.  Your heart must not be troubled or afraid.

Isaiah 26:3-4  You will keep in perfect peace the mind that is dependent on You, for it is trusting in You.  Trust in the Lord forever, for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength.

Isaiah 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed . (KJV)

Isaiah 53:6  We all went astray like sheep; we all have turned to our own way; and the Lord has punished Him for the iniquities of us all.

Praise and Thanksgiving (4)

1 Peter 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  According to His great mercy He has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Psalm 100:4  Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise.  Give thanks to Him and praise His name. 

Psalm 100:5  For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Revelation 4:11  You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.

Promises of God (10)

Matthew 6:33  But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (ESV)

Romans 8:28 We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.

Jeremiah 29:11  "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

1 Corinthians 10:13   No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to humanity.  God is faithful and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will provide a way of escape, so that you are able to bear it.

1 John 1:7  But if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

1 John 1:9   If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Proverbs 3:-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.  (NIV)

1 Corinthians 10:13   No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to humanity.  God is faithful and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will provide a way of escape, so that you are able to bear it.

Psalm 55:22   Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will support you.  He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.

1 Peter 5:7  Casting all your care upon Him, because He cares for you.

Obedience (10)
2 Chronicles 7:14  If my people who are called by My name humble themselves, pray and seek My face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.

and now

Lamentations 3:40  Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.

Another call to return, but some different instructions prior to our return.  Ponder it tonight and we'll start talking about tomorrow!!

Good night - and unless you're camping out by choice, I'm praying that you too are enjoying a warm, comfortable bed on a cold winter night!  Thanking God for His blessings of comfort and protection tonight!

Day 7 - Week 42 - 2 Chronices 7:14 "If my people who are called by name will humble themselves, pray and seek my face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin and heal their land."

The first thing that God calls His people to do when they seek to return to Him is to humble themselves.  Indicates to me that one of the major problems that has infiltrated His people is the seed of all sinfulness....pride.  Has pride become a problem to us individually?  Has pride become a problem to Christians in America as a whole?

How do you define pride?  There really are good and negative connotations to this word, aren't there?

Webster's tells us that the two major definitions are:
1. the quality or state of being proud: as
a : inordinate self-esteem: conceit
b : a reasonable or justifiable self-respect
c : delight or elation arising from some act, possession, or relationship <parental pride>

2. proud or disdainful behavior or treatment 

You can see that the negative form results in conceit, while the positive is self-respect.  Also, there is the relational pride, as that which we have for our children or for our countries.  The second listed definition is also a negative form - the condescending attitude that results from pridefulness.

OK - now that we've got pride defined - where does the sinfulness stem from that God is calling us out of?  It has to be that state of  "inordinate self-esteem", where we have felt so self-sufficient and capable that we have shut God out of our lives and have not turned to Him for His divine guidance.  When God's people of old, Israel, would be on one of their worldly highs ---everything going well, kingdoms conquered, plenty of food, the people were happy --- they often forgot about God's laws and His call to them for obedience and to stand out among the nations of the world as a different people so that the world could see God's power in their lives.  They become prideful, thinking ,"we did this...we built this nation into what it is today...we are strong in our own right...we are wise in our own minds."   God would have to remind them by stripping away from their place of power, that He was the only One who brought blessing to them.  And they would humbly repent and come back into a state of obedience.

Can you see parallels in that cycle with your life?  Can we see parallels in that cycle with our society?  We do become prideful when we feel that we've got things pretty well under control...when all the pieces are fitting together and the answers are coming to us easily. We think we've finally got this life figured out, when out of the blue, the pieces fall apart...there are no answers to the questions of the day...and we then humbly admit, in retrospect, that we never even knew what the questions really were, let alone the answers.  We are brought to our knees in humility before God in prayer, seeking His face, asking for His forgiveness for...our pride, our foolish pride that had put ourselves in a position of authority in our life where we should have never been.

Our society today tells us that we are in control.  That this planet can be mastered if we will do the right things.  That we can solve all the world's problems if we will come together and formulate programs to answer each troublesome scenario.  That wars can go away if we can just bring the right words together in documents of peace.  I am not saying that we should abandon these efforts, but I am saying that if we, pridefully, think that we can accomplish these things without asking for God's divine guidance and blessing, we are mistaken, and we will fail.  Until we come and lay before God any and all of our plans, and ask Him to walk with us, we may see success on a short-term basis, but the ultimate outcome will never be successful.  God is asking us to admit to Him that we do not have the wisdom that He has, that we do not have the knowledge of the future that He has.  That we are so very limited in comparison to His completely unlimited nature. 

That is what, I believe, He is asking us to turn from...both individually and as Christians as a whole.  Our independence from Him, our pridefulness of thinking that we are capable on our own.  We are not.  And we will be humbled.