Friday slowdown

Not scared to say it, I used to be the one
Preaching it to you, that you could overcome
I still believe it, but it ain't easy
'Cause that world I painted, where things just all work out
It started changing and I started having doubts
And it got me so down

But I picked myself back up
And I started telling me
No, my God's not done
Making me a masterpiece
He's still working on me

He started something good and I'm gonna believe it
He started something good and He's gonna complete it
So I'll celebrate the truth
His work in me ain't through
I'm just unfinished
I'm just unfinished
So I'll celebrate the truth
His work in me ain't through
I'm just unfinished

I know His history and the kind of God He is
He might make it a mystery
But He's proving I can trust in Him
And yeah, I believe it

So I can pick myself back up
And keep on telling me
No, my God's not done
Making me a masterpiece
No, my God's not done

Legacy series, part 6

How did you do with your lists yesterday? I saw many things on mine that I am inspired to work on; I'm determined to make some changes, by the working and assistance of His Spirit!

Today's application is very common sense; another important piece of the puzzle for leaving a godly legacy is this -- create relationships, both with "veterans" and with "rookies."

What do I mean?
Let me explain. (Hang in there, ok? You may cringe at how lengthy this post is, but you can divvy it up and come back for the second half tomorrow, if you like!)
After looking at our own list, we may see some things that need working on. One way to accept responsibility and effect change will be to spend time in prayer about those issues. Perhaps look up some verses that address those issues, and commit them to memory. The Spirit can use these and call them to our minds when it's necessary.
Another way is to create relationships with "veteran" believers, those who can act as mentors. Find someone who exemplifies one or more of the traits that you are working on. Reach out to them honestly, and explain what you are up to.
Ask them to pray with you. Ask them if they can set aside a time to talk. Ask them questions. Buy them a cup of coffee and dig into how they do things, and how they react to things. (You may find that they have a wealth of information, simply because they have fought through some of the same issues that you are facing!)
It's not difficult in this day and age of technology, to find a way to reach out to someone who may be more experienced, or more of a "veteran" than we are. We can email; we can text; we can ask them to spend personal time with us if possible. Ask them to mentor you because you are investing in living a more godly life. Tell them you want to leave a legacy.... many godly women need the opportunity to disciple. Allow them that opportunity, and start a relationship that will benefit you both.

The other relationships are ones in which we can mentor others. We are all part of the body of Christ, but we can narrow it down a little more and see that there's a need for us as women to have nurturing, caring relationships. Let's look at the book of Titus and draw from it as we study today.

Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4 Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. (Titus 2:3-5)

Paul has been talking to Titus about how the family of God should function, how it should work. Who are these older women he's talking about? Women who have been to seminary? Women with special training? Nope. Doesn't take special training. The only requirements are to be believers and to model godly, mature behavior! Then we are qualified to teach what we've learned about the heart of God, the ways of God, and the Word of God.
Younger believers may be thinking, I don't even know what a godly woman looks like. What does a godly mom look like.....a godly marriage. Maybe she has no experience, no one in her life that models that lifestyle of faith.  It's for those women, and for you and me, that Paul gave these guidelines.  He is asking; the Spirit is asking; train, nurture, and encourage these women! It happens in other places besides the church pews. It's in small groups. It's one-on-one. It's in-between Sunday services.
What happens if we don't make ourselves available for the Spirit to use in this way? "Rookie" believers, women who have less experience than we do, will not be able to give as good a testimony to the world. They won't be prepared to make their home a haven for Christ-centered living. They won't be prepared to spread the gospel. And I don't think this is something that we can think is optional. We, as women, fall into one of these categories. Maybe we are in the middle - we can mentor younger women, and be encouraged by women older than us! As a younger woman, we should be learning and growing. As an older woman, we should be teaching and setting examples....and encouraging! Always encouraging.

And today, I want to encourage all of you - and me, too! I want to encourage all of us by reminding us that there's a place for us in the body of Christ. There is work to be done!

Maybe you are worried. Maybe you are thinking, I've been a less-than-stellar mom. I've not been the wife I could have been. I think I've failed more than I've succeeded. First off - nobody's perfect! (Grin) And second, haven't we learned something from our failures? Don't we wish sometimes that we could go back and do things differently? Then we should teach that to the younger women. We don't have to have all the answers; we don't have to have won blue ribbons at the fair, raised children that never make mistakes, never made our husbands want to pull down a tree with their bare hands.
Seriously.
We also don't have to be Super Speakers.
We only need to be willing to let other women into our lives and share with them, one-on-one, everyday life things that God has taught us. We only need to share out of our lives, pray with them, come alongside and encourage them. We only need to be willing to search the Scriptures with them and tell them what God has helped us to understand.
Younger women need us to teach them about love and friendship, to hold them accountable, to pray for them and with them, to warn them, and to be examples for them.

Let's all think today: who is our younger woman? Even if you are reading here today and are a teenager, you are still an older woman to someone! A younger sister, a young girl at church or at school. Ladies, who are we bringing alongside, to pray with them and encourage them in their walk with Christ?
And also, who is the older woman in our lives? Who are we giving the privilege of investing in our lives? And are we willing to learn?

At the bottom of that list from yesterday, write some notes to yourself. (You did keep that, didn't you?) Consider what the Lord would have you do. Is there someone who you can reach out to? Whether it's by email or in person, let them know that you want to encourage them, and help them learn the ways of God.
There are a lot of women hungry for this kind of assistance in the church today. And Paul tells us that the gospel, the Word of God, will not be "maligned." No one will be able to speak ill of the gospel, because all of us as women, and as believers, will grow in strength and in spiritual maturity and wisdom.
Don't put this off!
By walking with Christ, and following the Word, we can do more than what is considered possible in human terms. We have the presence of His Spirit to guide us -- so that the legacy we write will be a Godly one.

I hope that this study will spark some thought, some prayer, and some comments. Let me know what you think, and if this has been meaningful to you.

Legacy series, part 5

We're focused this week on leaving a legacy. We might think that there's no way to do that..... especially if our heritage is a negative one. Our Savior sets us free from the past, though. Our hope in Christ empowers us to establish a positive, God-centered legacy.
Remember this verse from our studies in Proverbs?

Children’s children are a crown to the aged,    and parents are the pride of their children. (Proverbs 17:6)

How about this one?

A good name is more desirable than great riches;    to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. (Proverbs 22:1)

We've noted before that the world has this overwhelming preoccupation with avoiding "getting old" or "looking old." The apostle John said this, and it's definitely an eye-opener:

The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. (I John 2:17)

And I've highlighted the final verse of our focus passage for us to zero in on, today:

Therefore, I will always remind you about these things—even though you already know them and are standing firm in the truth you have been taught. 13 And it is only right that I should keep on reminding you as long as I live. 14 For our Lord Jesus Christ has shown me that I must soon leave this earthly life, 15 so I will work hard to make sure you always remember these things after I am gone. (II Peter 1:12-15)

So, for the next two days, let's think about how can we build a legacy? Peter says "work hard," but what exactly does that mean?

I'm glad you asked! (Grin)
The first thing that we need to do is to look carefully at our heritage. Sometimes this takes some time. Other people are quite aware of some of the negative things in our past. Coming to terms with both the positive and the negative is really necessary - but it may also be really tough!
My suggestion is to grab your prayer journal, if you have one, and use one page for an exercise. If you don't have a prayer journal, grab a notebook or a clean sheet of paper.....
We're going to write down things in two columns: positive and negative. And we are going to be brutally honest here, OK?  Let's think about ourselves, and then about our parents or grandparents. What things did we inherit from them? What values or character traits did they pass down to us? When they were setting examples and we were watching, what did we take inside ourselves? Both the good and the bad, remember?
Here are some things to guide our thoughts..... how do we express our feelings? Were they "huggers" and very affectionate? Did we get that from them? Were they more aloof, and slow to verbalize loving words?
Were our predecessors people who easily talked about the deep feelings they had? Or was it like pulling teeth from the barnyard mule to get them to express themselves?
Were they dreamers? Ambitious? Were they schemers, deceivers?
How did they deal with fear? Were they strong believers, or did they allow fear or pressure to incapacitate them?
How about anger? Did they have short fuses? Did they explode sometimes and then express sorrow and penitence? Were they instead the type to hold things in?
Were they patient? Or impatient?
Did they show lovingkindness to others? Did they exemplify mercy and forgiveness?

This can be an eye-opening exercise if we do this honestly!
We should try to have things on both the positive and negative sides. Surely, we have strengths and personality traits that are good and positive; we also have weaknesses and traits that need to be improved..... these will be the cycles that need to be broken. Just as Asher saw dysfunction and strife lived out in his family and then resolved to do better, so we, too can look at our lists and accept responsibility for breaking the cycle here and now!

We matter. What we do matters. Whether we are modeling the Christian life for our own kids, or for our grandkids, or for younger believers in our church or in our neighborhood, what we do is very important. Taking ownership of the negative things in our heritage will allow us to change those negatives into positives. We can model godly living for those who watch us.
We may feel ourselves slipping back into the old heritage. But each time, we can remember this list, this exercise, and renew our efforts to change those "bad" traits into good.

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel... (Philippians 1:27)

We'll conclude our study tomorrow with more applications for our daily lives.

Verses that inspire

As believers, we often talk about "listening to God."

We're not usually lucky like Moses; no burning bush in my life - how about you?

Or maybe like the children of Israel; have you heard a thunderous sound from the top of a mountain, lately? Me neither!

But there are a number of ways that God speaks to us. Sometimes we can hear His "still, small voice" in our minds and hearts. Other times it can be someone who speaks to us, or sometimes a particiular verse in the Bible will catch our eye.
Coincidence?
Nope.
The Holy Spirit?
Yep.
How we hear Him shouldn't be limited by our way of thinking -- God is all-powerful, and He's also limitless!

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. (John 10:27)

Your own ears will hear him.    Right behind you a voice will say,“This is the way you should go,”    whether to the right or to the left. (Isaiah 30:21)

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. 14 He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me.  (John 16:13-14)

‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’  (Jeremiah 33:3)

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (II Timothy 3:16-17)

Our faith is strengthened when we trust in Him and in His Spirit. When our faith is stronger, we are even more likely to be open to hearing Him. We welcome it, in fact! It's a cycle that makes us closer to Him.

Anyone who belongs to God listens gladly to the words of God. (John 8:47a)

Has a verse or passage inspired you recently? Has He spoken to you through His Word? Share it with all who pause here -- we can all be blessed and encouraged!

Legacy series, part 4

Years ago, there was a popular television series called "Roots." It chronicled the life of an African man, Kunta, who was kidnapped by other Africans as a child and handed over to slave traders. The mini-series followed his life, his children, and his descendants. The title was indicative of our series this week and last week; our roots are important -- where we have come from, our heritage, what we have received from those who've gone before.
And that brings us back to Peter's words:

So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. 13 I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body,14 because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. 15 And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things. (II Peter 1:12-15)

These are poignant verses. Peter is near the end of his own life, and he's already been told (years earlier) by Jesus the manner in which he will die.
Is he sitting in the dark, wringing his hands and bemoaning the fact that he soon will leave this earth?
Nope.
Not a chance.
He's tapping his listeners and readers on the shoulders, saying, "Hey!! You might get tired of my telling you these things repeatedly, but it's important to me! I think it's the right thing to do! Because there will soon come a time when I'm not here, and I want to make certain that you remember this stuff when I'm gone!!"
Hope y'all don't think that's disrespectful, but I kinda think that is how Peter might talk to us today. (Grin)
What will happen when we leave? We are going to leave. At some point.
Then what? what will be left?
Our legacy.
Most people think about passing things down to loved ones at some point. They think about who is getting Grandma's house? Aunt Minerva's lovely antiques? The jewelry? The land?

We're talking about a different kind of legacy -- separate from personal possessions. We're talking about a way of life. A home culture. A worldview.
What type of foundation are we leaving for our families and friends now? You see, we're right in the middle of that work. We are working every day on what we'll pass down to our kids and grandkids and the neighbors or young believers that we've befriended or mentored. It's not a question of IF. It's a question of WHAT.....what are we passing down now? It's pretty likely that we are passing down whatever was passed to us.
Where we have come from, or what's been passed to us, is our heritage. Whoever raised us gave to us a spiritual, emotional, and social legacy. Could be good. Could be bad. We have ties that bind us to our parents and their parents; it's those connections that can bring the good or the bad.
What did we inherit?
Loads of things! "Oh, look, the baby has blue eyes, just as blue as Grandpa's!" How we look, how we walk, talk, cook, smile, and how we see and understand God. How we treat our family members, what kind of work ethic we have, how we treat strangers, how we value education, how we approach obstacles, what kind of faith we have....... all of these are things we have passed down to us as our heritage.
Many people are also handed a pattern or cycle of negative things. For generations there have been the problems of addiction, abuse, racism, and more. Some people have a heritage of cheating, of pridefulness, alcoholism, or just workaholism.
We may not give it much thought, but we pass down lots of things to our kids. They listen to us. They say what we say. They follow our examples. Even if we saw things as kids and thought, "I'll NEVER do/say that!" we sometimes still do. Ever heard someone say (or said it yourself) "I'm becoming my dad!" or perhaps "I sound like my mom!"

Here's the good news: we can reverse this negative heritage. How? Through our Savior, Jesus Christ. He came into the world to redeem us from sin, and from our past -- to set us up for a new future! He wants to put our homes on a firm foundation, and then help our kids or other believers to carry on after we leave!

“Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them is like a wise man who built his house on rock. 25 The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, but it did not collapse because it had been founded on rock. 26 Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, and it collapsed; it was utterly destroyed!” (Matthew 7:24-27)

Paul told us:

According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master-builder I laid a foundation, but someone else builds on it. And each one must be careful how he builds. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than what is being laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, 13 each builder’s work will be plainly seen, for the Day will make it clear, because it will be revealed by fire. And the fire will test what kind of work each has done. 14 If what someone has built survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If someone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as through fire. (I Corinthians 3:10-15)

I hope everyone will join us this week for this study!

Friday slowdown

I was unable to find a vocal music video that I wanted to post here, using the hymn I'd chosen, except for instrumental ones. I hope that you will read the lyrics and listen to the tune.

Blessings to all, as we strive with the Spirit's help to make our homes havens, testimonies, and legacies of His love.

Thanksgiving Day (in the US)

Happy Thanksgiving! Our Canadian friends celebrated already, but here in the United States, today is the day! It conjures up visions of delectable roast turkeys and hams, delicious side dishes, family gatherings, and more.
Hopefully, it brings "giving thanks" to mind, as well?
Giving thanks to God is harder than we would like to admit. Our sinful natures make each of us more self-absorbed than we should be. Sometimes we take God's goodness, mercy, and blessings for granted. Perhaps we even ignore them.

But genuine thanksgiving to God is possible in the Spirit-filled walk. It takes focus, thought, prayer, and reliance upon the Holy Spirit. Let's focus, think, pray, and ask the Spirit to make us truly grateful today....
I hope that sometime today, you will pause for a moment. Perhaps with all your friends and family around, or perhaps alone. I'd like to suggest that we read I Chronicles 16: 8 -36:

Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;    make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him;    tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name;    let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and his strength;    seek his face always. Remember the wonders he has done,    his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced, you his servants, the descendants of Israel,    his chosen ones, the children of Jacob. He is the Lord our God;    his judgments are in all the earth. He remembers his covenant forever,    the promise he made, for a thousand generations, the covenant he made with Abraham,    the oath he swore to Isaac. He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,    to Israel as an everlasting covenant: “To you I will give the land of Canaan    as the portion you will inherit.” When they were but few in number,    few indeed, and strangers in it, they wandered from nation to nation,    from one kingdom to another. He allowed no one to oppress them;    for their sake he rebuked kings: “Do not touch my anointed ones;    do my prophets no harm.” Sing to the Lord, all the earth;    proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations,    his marvelous deeds among all peoples. For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;    he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols,    but the Lord made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him;    strength and joy are in his dwelling place. Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations,    ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;    bring an offering and come before him.Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.     Tremble before him, all the earth!    The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved. Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;    let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!” Let the sea resound, and all that is in it;    let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them! Let the trees of the forest sing,    let them sing for joy before the Lord,    for he comes to judge the earth. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;    his love endures forever. Cry out, “Save us, God our Savior;    gather us and deliver us from the nations,that we may give thanks to your holy name,    and glory in your praise.” Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,    from everlasting to everlasting.

Praise the Lord for all of His blessings!
Amen!

Legacy series, part 3

All these were the sons of Asher, heads of the fathers’ houses, choice and mighty men of valor, heads of the princes. And the number of them enrolled by genealogy for service in war was 26,000 men. I Chronicles 7:40)

I have a question in my mind as I conclude this study..... exactly how DID Asher raise such sons, daughters, and grandkids? What's the formula?

Well, there is no magic recipe, but I think we can point out some things and see how we can do the same.....
First of all, Asher didn't let his past control his future. He broke the cycle, as they say today. If we look back at Asher's dad, we know that Jacob was not exactly a sterling example for any of his sons to follow. Much of his life, he was pretty self-centered, and a deceiver, as well. He played favorites with his sons, had multiple wives and also had children by one of his wives' servants. Not a pretty picture. In spite of all this, Asher was able to overcome this poor example of fatherhood, good husbanding, and leadership, and actually raised a noble family. Apparently, Asher decided that he would not look back, but forward. He would break the cycle.
If we apply this to our own lives, we may not be able to change what happened before us, but we can definitely influence what will happen after us.

Secondly, Asher set an example for his children to follow. I think he must have given it a lot of thought, and decided that he would be a good example. Tradition says that he treated his wife well, and gave deferential treatment to her daughter. Apparently, he treated his daughter with just as much respect as his sons. He seems to have had a work ethic that inspired his progeny to strive to be the best, and he led them in worship of Jehovah.
Applying this our own lives, we may not have all the answers, but we can be an example to our children, or to younger believers, of someone who takes their relationship with God seriously.

Next, it seems like he trained and counseled his children while they were in his home. Before they "left the nest" and moved on to establish homes of their own, he instilled his work ethic in them. There's another reference to Asher (when Jacob was blessing all of his sons) that seems to point to his being a hard-working, steady kind of man. Here it is for our study in several translations:

“Asher’s food will be rich;    he will provide delicacies fit for a king." (Genesis 49:20, NIV)

“Asher will dine on rich foods    and produce food fit for kings." (NLT)

“Asher's land will produce rich food.He will provide food fit for a king." (GNT)

It speaks of Asher, of his work, and of his land. Seems like Asher wasn't a flamboyant kind of guy, but someone who took what was given to him and maximized it. He was an ordinary man with a strong work ethic, and it appears that he instilled that in his children.
Applying this to our own lives, perhaps this is a good reason to give children chores and responsibilities and teach them how to work. For those of us who don't have kids, perhaps we can counsel young believers to assume responsibilities that are offered to them, and work to the glory of God.

Lastly, Asher must have done all of this, one generation at a time. Asher taught his children and probably his grandchildren; they in turn instilled these values in their children. By the time we see the verse in I Chronicles, Asher is gone, but his legacy is still living on.

Are we working actively to be examples to our children? To our grandchildren? To young believers? Our legacy is up to us.....