Category: teaching/sharing

Love: It Isn’t in the Cards

I have a confession to make.  I felt sorry for myself today.  Worse, I almost missed an important message.

I was standing in the greeting card aisle of my favorite Christian bookstore choosing Easter cards for some family members.  My eyes ran across a particularly pretty card with, “You Are Loved” in beautiful script across the front.   I picked it up, opened it and began to read.  Don’t ask me why…I’m not married, not in love with someone special I could have purchased the card for. 

Reading that card was like reading someone else’s mail.  It wasn’t for me.  In the moment, though, I wished it could be.  All those intimate words poured out with the intent of speaking to the heart of a loved one were wasted without someone to send them to me.  The tenderness of the message purchased to show another how precious she is held no special meaning for me.   My heart felt more than a twinge of disappointment as I acknowledged the words were not meant for my eyes, nor for my heart.

For the most part I am at peace about being a single adult.  But every once in a while…like when reading that card…I think being single sucks and I begin to feel sorry for myself.   I thought, “Nobody is going to tell me he loves me, no one is going to make me feel special or treasured.”  Quickly, I took my thoughts captive before a full-fledged pity party ensued.  Quietly, I placed the card back in the rack.

Then I looked around.  This Christian bookstore was strewn, wall to wall with the message of Easter.   HE IS RISEN! 

More than some sappy words in a greeting card, the message is one that echoes through the very soul of a true believer…Jesus the Messiah was crucified, died and rose again because He Loved Me.  He didn’t purchase a pretty piece of cardstock for me; He purchased my Life and my eternal destiny.  The price He paid to show me just how precious and treasured I am cost Him everything.  Jesus Christ gave his life so I might know that I am loved.

“Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions…” Ephesians 2:4-5

“I love you with an everlasting love…” Jeremiah 31:3

“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” 1 John 3:1

“Though the mountains move and the hills shake, my love for you shall be immovable and never fail…” Isaiah 54:10

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life…” John 3:16

To an unbeliever, reading these words can feel like reading someone else’s mail.  Don’t miss the opportunity to help someone personalize the message of Christ.  Invite a lost friend or family member to join you for an Easter service this weekend. 

Beyond this weekend, don’t miss the opportunity to send out the message of Christ everyday by living a life which reflects gratitude for His magnificent sacrifice.  It is up to us who know Him to bring His message of hope to those who so desperately long for someone to tell them “You Are Loved.”

A Matter of Taste

Day 5 of a horrible cold and my taste buds are AWOL.  It’s the strangest thing.  I place an object of culinary delight on my tongue and, well, nothing happens.  I can’t taste a thing.  I’ve been this way for several days.  In my initial panic, I randomly bounced from one food to the next, frantically taking oversized bites, telling myself, “Surely something will satisfy my taste buds.”

My teenage son is most amused by this predicament.  “Here mom, try this jalapeño and see if you can taste it!”  

 I watch others consume a bowl of ice cream…my absolute favorite food…and I salivate like Pavlov’s dog.  I hunger for the flavor of my own creamy frozen mixture complete with tart, juicy strawberries and crunchy hunks of chocolate.  Half-way to the freezer, I am struck with the image of the only physical sensation I will experience in such an indulgence–the coldness of a spoon on my tongue.

 Frustrated, I reached a point a few days ago where I ignored the roar of hunger pains.  I figured, “What’s the use?  If I can’t taste anything I might as well be eating the cardboard from the Domino’s delivery box rather than consume the calories from the pizza itself.”

 In the absence of food, it didn’t take long before I was weak and unable to complete even the simplest tasks without exhaustion.  Hunger had not escaped me.  Neither had my body’s on-going need for nutrition.  Denial would not alter that reality.  I only found myself feeling sicker. 

 Being the deeply spiritual woman I am, I complained to God about this situation.  Not far into my whiney tirade I stopped midsentence.  I heard myself saying, “Lord, I’m just not tasting ANYTHING and I want…”

 Pausing in embarrassed silence, I heard him say, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.”  Psalm 34:8.  The words linger on my heart like sweet honey on my tongue.

 Have your spiritual taste buds ever been on hold?

 Perhaps you are a devoted follower of Christ but you’ve convinced yourself you don’t have time everyday to spend feasting on God’s Word, alone and still before the Lord’s Table spread for you.  Life is demanding.  You hit the ground running, not pausing for even a small morsel of His goodness. 

 Perhaps you are child of God in a prodigal state, or perhaps a nonbeliever who has found yourself unable to taste the goodness of God.  You have run as I did from one promise of flavor to another, taking big bites of things you hoped would satisfy.  They didn’t.  Nor could they.  Maybe you dug into something you thought would be delicious only to find it left you cold and unfulfilled.  Your hunger pains did not subside.  In fact, they grew even louder.  Ultimately, your condition worsened and you felt sick.

 Jesus declared, “I am the Bread of Life.”  When we fail to taste of Him, we not only deplete our soul of spiritual nutrients, we steal strength from the rest of the Body.  We walk in our weak flesh and easily find ourselves exhausted from the simplest efforts.  The psalmist paints a desperate picture when he describes “a heart that thirsts after Thee and a body wasted with longing for Thee like a dry and thirsty land that has no water…”,  Psalm 63:1 

 Yet the recognition of desperation for God is rewarded in the verses which follow:

 “Longing, I come before Thee in the sanctuary to look upon your power and your glory.  Your true love is better than life. Therefore, I will sing your praises.  And so I bless thee all my life and lift my hands in prayer.  I am satisfied as with a rich and sumptuous feast…”  Psalm 63:2-5

 The Bread of Life calls us to his banquet table.  He IS the rich and sumptuous feast.  He alone has the power to satisfy and to fill us.  In being filled, we not only find strength and power that sustains, we also experience His goodness.  As we come and still our hungry hearts before him, we indeed Taste and see that the Lord is GOOD.

Names Of Jesus

Recently I was blessed to be speaking to a group of women at Woodmen Valley Chapel in Colorado Springs about the names of Jesus.  What a GREAT time of sharing!  The women are wonderful and eagerly received the Word of God as I shared.  The main topic was Living Water but since they had been studying many different names of Jesus over the course of the past year, I wanted to show them how all the names fit together.

 

God gave me an idea for a simple demonstration using a cup full of rocks to help the audience visualize what happens when we fill our cup…symbolizing our heart vessel… with things other than water which represents the Living Water, Christ Jesus.  On each of the rocks I had written a single word of a problem or sin and next to it I wrote the Name of Jesus which applied to that particular issue. 

 

Many ladies have asked for a copy of this part of the message I shared so here you go:

 

“Stones take all kinds of shapes and sizes and some of them are even beautiful…like serving at church, teaching Bible study, volunteering for ministry purposes…but none are to take the place of Living Water.  Just as a glass was designed for water, You and I were designed by our Creator to receive Living Water.  Yet we fill our vessels with things that we were never designed for.

 

“So what happens when we come to Jesus, the Living Water with all our stones?  Jesus longs to fill us with Himself in the person of the Holy Spirit but look at the junk that’s in the way!  The stones are occupying space that belongs to Living Water. 

 

“What are the stones in your life occupying the place in your heart that was intended for Living Water alone?  How much are you missing out on because there’s just no room for Him?” 

 

“As I pull out stones, let them be a reminder of who Christ has taught us this year He is…”

 

A stone of confusion…Jesus told us that He is our Guidepost.  We don’t have to be confused, because He will guide us into all truth.   {Isaiah 58:11; Psalm 119:4-9; Jeremiah 31:21}

 

A stone called fear…We can get rid of that one in the name of Jesus because He is our PRINCE OF PEACE.  We have nothing to fear.  We walk in peace.  {Isaiah 9:2, 6-7; 26:3; Isaiah 32:17-18; Luke 1:67, 76-79; John 14:27, 16:33}

 

What about the stone called worry?  Jesus is our Provider, according to His riches in glory.  He knows what we need.  He provides.  {Phil 4:19; Genesis 22: 1-8; Matthew 14:19-20}

 

A favorite among Christian women, the stone of preoccupation with busyness.  We can loose that one in Jesus name…Jesus is our Good Shepherd who guards our going out and coming in, in Whom we can find rest.  {Psalm 23; Isaiah 40:11; John 10:2-3, 10:7-10}

 

This hideous stone of sinful appetites?  Jesus is our Bread of Life.  He satisfies our hunger and as we feast more & more on Him, we are filled, no room for other appetites.  {John 6:48-51, 53-58; John 6:35; Psalm 103}

 

The stone of unforgiveness?  He is our Bright, Morning Star that chases away the shadows of woundedness, the Light of the World that allows us to release the darkness of those who have hurt us. {Rev 22:16; Numbers 24:17; II Peter 1:16-19; Psalm 139: 11-12; Isaiah 29:18-19; Luke 1:78-79}

 

The stone of distrust of others?  Jesus is our Friend, we can trust Him.  {John 15:13; Proverbs 17:17; John 21:4-7; Proverbs 18:24}

 

The stone of loneliness?  Jesus is our ever present Husband.  {Isaiah 54:5-7; Rev. 19:6-9; Hosea 2:19-20}

 

The stone of striving?  Jesus is our Victor!  {I Cor. 15:57, I John 4:4; Luke 10:18-20; Matthew 28:18; II Cor. 10: 4-5}

 

Unhealthy habits?  Jesus is our Deliver.  {Luke 1:68-69; Job 5:19; I Co. 10:13; II Titus 4:18; II Peter 2; 9; Acts 5:18-19, 12:7}

 

The stone of anger?  Jesus is our Comforter/Helper.  {II Cor. 1:3,6; Psalm 77:2; Psalm 54:4}

 

Abandonment?  He is Emmanuel, God with us!  {Matthew 1:22-23; Matthew 28:20; Psalm 139:7-10}

 

The stone of selfishness?  Jesus is our Alpha & Omega…when we realize that it’s ALL about him, from beginning to end, there’s no place for selfishness.  {Isaiah 44:6, 48:12; Rev 1:7-8, 22:13}

 

Critical spirit, nagging, complaining?  Jesus is our Encourager, our JOY!  {Romans 14:17; John 15:9-16; Psalm 16:11, 43:4; Isaiah 61:7; Galatians 5:22}

 

And the stones of shame & guilt? Jesus is our High Priest, {Hebrews 4:14-16, 9:11-14; I Peter 2:9-10; Romans 8:31-34} and the Lamb of God who forgives our sin.  {John 1:29; Isaiah 53:7; I Peter 1:18-21; Rev 5:6, 9-10}

 

Slowly the stones were removed from the cup until eventually the cup was empty and ready to be filled to overflowing with Water.

 

“In the name of Jesus we can loose the heavy stones that weigh us down and occupy our vessels. When Jesus our Living Water comes to fill us as His vessels, we have a constant well springing up in us to give us a heart of worship in spirit and truth.  And in the name of Jesus we have heart vessels that overflow with Living Water, spilling over into the lives of those who count on us…husbands, children, family, friends, co-workers, even strangers at the grocery store…who need us to share this hope in us, the fountain of Living Water. 

 

There is no name that is stronger, no other name that can free us, no other name but the name of Jesus.  AMEN.