But God Remembered...

I was feeling a bit "blue" over the past several days.  It seemed that everywhere I turned something wasn't turning out as I planned or liked -- increased car insurance premiums and Internet fees, van window that shattered, cut in pay for one of my jobs, etc. 

I woke up this morning feeling discouraged and overwhelmed.  As I sat down for my quiet time with God I asked Him to encourage my beaten down heart. 

In accordance to my scheduled reading plan, I opened my Bible to Genesis 8 and the very first words I read were "But God remembered Noah".

Have you ever just sat and thought about the situation Noah and his family were in?  They had just spent 150 days in a relatively cramped environment.  Sure, the ark was big but when you added two of every living creature I'm sure it didn't feel like a Carnival Cruise ship.  And I can't imagine how awful it must have smelled! 

I often picture these men from the Bible has being super heroic and thus not feeling the same human emotions I feel.  But I don't think they were super human, they got discouraged and irritated just as I do and Noah may have been thinking "When will we ever get off this cramped and smelly boat?".

So when I read that God remembered Noah, it encouraged my heart immensely!  The same God of Noah's time is still the same God of today.  As I read those words, I felt as if God was actually saying to me "But God remembered Jennifer".

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.  Hebrews 13:8

 

If you're discouraged today, give your cares over to the One who loves you and cares about every little detail, major and minor, that concerns you today!

 

But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.  Psalm 86:15

 

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.  I John 3:1a

 

 

Misplaced Priorities

On the heels of my last blog post God's Order... My Chaos, I read in Haggai yesterday morning about priorities. 

Do you ever feel like your running on a treadmill... doing something, but getting no where? I think that is just how the Isrealites were feeling during the time of Haggai's ministry. They weren't necessarily doing bad (evil) things. They were looking after the affairs of their house and job, but when those things become "The Thing", then everything else in life falls apart. 

In the busyness of life I sometimes have to remind myself if the only thing I accomplish in a day is quiet time with God, than I've accomplished a great deal. The funny thing is... rarely do I have days where that is the only thing I accomplish.  When I set apart time with God I find I am more energized to accompolish the rest of my to do list or at the very least I am able to respond to the bumps in the road with a better attitude and perspective.

In the following passage (Haggai 1:2-11), God is speaking to His people through the prophet Haggai about their misplaced priorities.  It's a lengthy passage, but I really can't say it any better than God already did...

A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies: “The people procrastinate. They say this isn’t the right time to rebuild my Temple, the Temple of God.”

Shortly after that, God said more and Haggai spoke it: “How is it that it’s the ‘right time’ for you to live in your fine new homes while the Home, God’s Temple, is in ruins?”

And then a little later, God-of-the-Angel-Armies spoke out again:

“Take a good, hard look at your life.
Think it over.
You have spent a lot of money,
but you haven’t much to show for it.
You keep filling your plates,
but you never get filled up.
You keep drinking and drinking and drinking,
but you’re always thirsty.
You put on layer after layer of clothes,
but you can’t get warm.
And the people who work for you,
what are they getting out of it?
Not much—
a leaky, rusted-out bucket, that’s what.

That’s why God-of-the-Angel-Armies said:

“Take a good, hard look at your life.
Think it over.”

 

Then God said:

“Here’s what I want you to do:
Climb into the hills and cut some timber.
Bring it down and rebuild the Temple.
Do it just for me. Honor me.
You’ve had great ambitions for yourselves,
but nothing has come of it.
The little you have brought to my Temple
I’ve blown away—there was nothing to it.

“And why?” (This is a Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies, remember.) “Because while you’ve run around, caught up with taking care of your own houses, my Home is in ruins. That’s why. Because of your stinginess. And so I’ve given you a dry summer and a skimpy crop. I’ve matched your tight-fisted stinginess by decreeing a season of drought, drying up fields and hills, withering gardens and orchards, stunting vegetables and fruit. Nothing—not man or woman, not animal or crop—is going to thrive.”   

 

~Taken from The Message Bible

 

Be encourged... God wants your best, so take time out of your day to spend with Him.  He wants to be in active fellowship with you.

God's Order... My Chaos

I have been thinking a lot about chaos versus order in this New Year.  I wish it was as easy as simply pushing a button, unfortunately it is not.

As I started 2013, I felt like God was asking me to bring more order into my chaotic life.  I found myself longing for the days when I had life "more together" with family meals planned, an orderly house, laundry done, daily quiet time with God, exercise routine, etc.  As I thought about those days, I realized I had one school age child, one preschooler and a baby.  That should have been the time I struggled most with holding life together, but for whatever reason I was more on top of things.  I still don't completely know when life starting falling apart... I think it was a series of issues - life altering events, physical issues, or perhaps just my own destructive thoughts.  Anyway, as the calendar turned over a new month and new year, God was speaking directly to me, challenging me, encouraging me, sustaining me as I attempted to "turn over a new leaf".

As you may have gathered from several postings, I have been reading in the Old Testament.  As I've read, I've approached several books of the bible with great fear and trembling... my heart desperately wanted to understand what God's word was saying, but like many who've gone before me, I struggle with reading certain books because they seem unrelate able for the current age.  Ezekiel was one of those books for me.  I finished reading the book about a week ago and learned that it is completely relate able for this current age.  In the last several chapters of Ezekiel, God is revealing to Ezekiel, through a vision, of how He ordained the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem.  I was struck with how God systematically ordered each aspect of the building -- there was no chaos in his blueprint, only order and purpose.

For God is not a God of disorder but of peace. As in all the congregations of the saints. (1 Corinthians 14:33)

I am slowly learning to operate out of order.  I continue to struggle, especially when life isn't going according to plan (my plan).  I have days when I just want to curl up on the couch and forget the needs of my family, pretend that my body is still that of an 18 year old and doesn't need exercise, or that my day doesn't need to include God... surely He'd understand my busyness or feelings of being overwhelmed?!?

As I've pushed through the negative feelings and forced myself to do the next best thing, I've found that it is easier to choose order over chaos.  I like the benefits that come with order... I like the joy I feel in a right relationship with God. I like the body that is getting healthier. I like the happiness I see on my family's face when I've prepared a meal they enjoy.  I like knowing there isn't going to be mornings of panic because someone doesn't have clean underwear.  I like order over chaos.

So, you may be asking yourself, what does this have to do with kids in the public school?  A LOT, is my answer!  When we model right behavior and actions to our kids, it gives them the freedom to do the same.  I don't know about you, but I sure have a few kids under my roof who could use a lesson or two in order.

But all things should be done decently and in order.  

(1 Corinthians 14:40)

 

For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how orderly you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.  (Colossians 2:5)

Well Done!

How do you define success?

Dictionary.com says that success is "the favourable outcome of something attempted; the attainment of wealth, fame, etc."

How does God define success?  And for the sake of our topic how does God define successful Christian parenting?

We love it when our kids make us proud; we enjoy telling everybody their newest and greatest accomplishment... after all what is Facebook for anyway?

Recently, my son was struggling with an issue and there wasn't a clear answer.  My advice to him was to go hard after God, meaning seeking Him with all your heart, with all your mind and with all your soul.  I think sometimes we make discovering God's plan for our lives a hard, agonizing decision when really the command is simple...

Mark 12:30 says...

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength."

Academics are good and I'm thankful for most of what my kids are learning in school. But in the end what would make me most happy is standing beside them and hearing God say to them "Well done, good and faithful servant".