Single Ladies

I want to write today specifically to those of you who are single. First, I want to remind you there is beauty in your singleness and you can be 100% complete in Jesus without a man in your life. Our society makes every attempt to convince us there is something wrong with being single. Yet there are scriptures that honor being single. 

"I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband. I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord." 1 Corinthians 7:32-35

Your time of singleness is a blessing from God because it allows you to seek Him as your source, provider, and husband. When there is no earthly man in our lives, we learn to rely on the Holy Spirit to lead us. Our singleness should be a time to seek His face and not a time to sit in pity over being alone. It is by drawing close to God in our singleness that He reveals to us more of who He is, which is who we should look for in a husband. If we are not familiar with the characteristics of God, then how can we recognize them in a husband? 

I see so many women in unhealthy and ungodly relationships simply because they do not want to be alone. They compromise what they value in order to "keep" a man. Ladies, if you have to compromise yourself for a man, then he is probably not the man for you. If you are spending all your time with a man who is not from God, you are limiting God from bringing you the one He has chosen for you. I am saying all these things because I have been there. I have compromised my values because I thought that would move me closer to obtaining the kind of relationship I wanted. It's a lie. It does not work that way! The Godly role of a husband is to lead you deeper in your relationship with Christ, not lead you into sin. Don't compromise your purity in order to attract a man. A godly man will be attracted to your relationship with Jesus and not just your cleavage. 

If you desire a godly husband, be willing to wait for him. I truly believe when God brings him along, you will know rather quickly if you use Godly standards as your measuring stick. Ladies, don't chase him! Men are designed to pursue and when he finds you, he will give chase. The one for you WILL realize your value and not be willing to let anything happen to let you get away. He will treat you with respect and honor. If he says he will call you, he will. He will encourage you. He will protect and provide for you. 

Ladies, if you are in a relationship that you know is not from God, then you need to end it. It may seem difficult and scary, but it will be worth the pain! Allow yourself time to heal and examine why you compromised. Ask God what His heart is for you and be willing to follow His lead. It is only through obedience that He can pour out His blessing on you and a relationship.

Disappointments

Today's message may seem pretty simple, but it's one I have been reminding myself of this morning. Jesus is the only person who ever walked the earth without sin. That said, people will disappoint us. People will make decisions and choices that hurt us. The only person in whom we can place 100% trust is in Jesus Christ. He came to earth not to live for Himself, but to live for each of us. His motives were never selfish. He cried out for His future to be taken away from Him, but even though He knew the pain He would face, He was obedient unto death for each of us. 

There will be times when the actions of others hurt us. It would be easy to use these actions as a reason to write them out of our lives or to become bitter towards them. My battle is not bitterness, but of building walls against people when they hurt me. My instinct is to still communicate with them, but become very guarded. It is an instinct I have to fight because the situation may not always warrant such extreme action. As believers we are called to forgiveness, even when forgiveness hurts or doesn't make sense. 

The person I have found disappoints me the most has been myself. Nobody knows the dreams, goals, and desires inside of us quite like ourselves. We know the standard we strive to attain. It could be as small a disappointment as not getting the house cleaned when I planned to clean it or something like committing a sin I vowed to never commit again. It also involves making decisions not based on my needs or wants, but choosing in terms of how my decision will affect someone else. 

What I have come to realize is that if I disappoint myself as often as I do, then why would I expect others to never disappoint me? I can't even keep the "standard" to myself! This is why our relationship and trust in Christ is so extremely vital. His love and friendship never disappoints. When those we love on earth disappoint and hurt us, we must remember they are just as human as we are ourselves. This is also why our identity, worth, and value needs to be placed in Him and not in those around us. No matter what others do or how they change, Jesus always remains the same. 

"Now we who are strong have an obligation to bear the weaknesses of those without strength, and not to please ourselves. Each one of us must please his neighbor for his good, in order to build him up. For even the Messiah did not please himself. " Romans 15:1-3

Visions Take Time

Today I want to continue looking at King Solomon's obedience in building the temple. 2 Chronicles begins by telling the story of God asking Solomon what he wants and Solomon requesting only wisdom from God. The following chapters detail the attaining of the materials needed to properly construct the temple. 

2 Chronicles 3:2 reads, "He began to build on the second day of the second month in the FOURTH year of his reign." (emphasis mine)

Solomon's father had told him the plans for the temple years prior. He knew in his heart what he was called to do in life. Many of us are in a similar position. God has given us visions and dreams within our souls that know the calling we have on our lives. Some of you have seen yourselves working in foreign missions. Some have seen yourself writing a book. Others may have seen visions of standing on a stage while preaching to hundreds, if not thousands. In the same way Solomon KNEW his calling, so do you. 

I wonder if Solomon was ever frustrated or complained to God about the amount of time it was taking to see his God-given vision come to pass. After all, he was building the temple not for himself, but for God. There have been times in my life that I have been frustrated by what seems like a lack of progress in my God dream. I have cried out to God to remind Him I was doing "this" for Him! I'm sure I'm not the only person who has done this. 

Part of having wisdom, which Solomon definitely had, is knowing to trust in God's timing. Solomon knew that in order to build something of such significance there had to be groundwork laid first. The materials had to be gathered. The workers had to be properly in place and trained. Land had to be cleared (removing the old junk). The same is true with us when it comes to walking out God's call in our lives. We need to have the right tools. These can be emotional or physical tools. We need a support system of friends and spiritually like-minded individuals to help us on our journey. We also have to work through all the old junk in our lives in order to move forward in a God-minded manner. 

Just like the temple, it could take years before we begin to see the physical evidence of the work God is doing. Even once the work has begun, it could be years more before we see the completion of that work. 

"In his eleventh year in the eighth month, in the month of Bul, the temple was completed in every detail and according to every specification. So he built it in seven years." 1 Kings 6:38

Already Provided

Today I want to continue from my last posting regarding King David's command to Solomon to build the temple. Upon reading chapter 28 of 1 Chronicles, I wondered how overwhelmed Solomon must have felt by the weight of the enormity of the temple he had been called to build. Today I want to share what happens in the next chapter of 1 Chronicles. 

The chapter begins by Kind David saying to the assembly gathered before him, "My son Solomon--God has chosen him alone--is young and inexperienced. The task is great, for the temple will not be for man, but for the Lord God. So to the best of my ability I've made provision for the house of my God..." 1 Chronicles 29:1-2

What a beautiful reminder to us that when God calls us to do something, He will always make provision for us to complete the task. No matter how young or inexperienced we may feel, God will prepare the way for us to fulfill His calling on our lives. We often focus on our past as the reason why we cannot be used by God. However, God is not concerned with our past as much as He is with our future and whether we will be bold enough to trust Him in every way. 

Continuing in chapter 29 we read of the leaders of the households giving willingly to build the temple. These were people who were already giving their firstborn and their ten percent tithes. Verse 9 states the "people rejoiced because of their leaders' willingness to give, for they had given to the Lord with a whole heart." 

Let's face it, almost every one of us is a leader in some way. It could be to a church congregation, a small group, our children, our coworkers, our neighbors, etc. When we are giving to the Lord, do we do it willingly and with our whole hearts? Our giving is not only financial but in our time and our efforts also. Do we go to church with excitement? Do we work with a smile or do we complain about every day of life Monday through Thursday? Friday we begin a celebration only to find ourselves dreading Sunday evening? 

Our living for God should be evidenced in everything we do! God does not want us only on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings. He wants our devotion in what we listen to on the radio, what we watch on television, and how we speak with our waitress in the restaurant. It may seem difficult to give up things you love, but this is why the Holy Spirit is a necessary part of our lives. Without Him, we will continue living in our flesh and only half-way living for God. 

I want to leave you with David's praise to God after seeing what was given by the leaders:

"May You be praised, Lord God of our father Israel, from eternity to eternity. 11 Yours,Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the splendor and the majesty, for everything in the heavens and on earth belongs to You. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom, and You are exalted as head over all.12 Riches and honor come from You, and You are the ruler of everything. Power and might are in Your hand, and it is in Your hand to make great and to give strength to all. 13 Now therefore, our God, we give You thanks and praise Your glorious name.
14 But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? For everything comes from You, and we have given You only what comes from Your own hand. 15 For we live before You as foreigners and temporary residents in Your presence as were all our ancestors.Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope.16 Yahweh our God, all this wealth that we’ve provided for building You a house for Your holy name comes from Your hand; everything belongs to You. 17 I know, my God, that You test the heart and that You are pleased with what is right. I have willingly given all these things with an upright heart, and now I have seen Your people who are present here giving joyfully and willingly to You."

Would You Still Build It?

While reading today in 1 Chronicles today I came across the story of David giving instructions to Solomon to build the temple. As I was reading, I could only think of how this charge must have appeared to Solomon. Several times it is recorded David tells Solomon to be strong. David knew the enormity of the task before his son. I wonder how David felt knowing not only the responsibility he was passing to Solomon, but also knowing God had forbidden him to complete the task personally. David knew he was loved by God. He was chosen out of all his fathers sons to be the king. He was also aware that because of his sin, he was not to build the temple. Of all David's sons, God told him it was to be Solomon who would build the temple. I wonder how long David kept this information to himself before he shared the plans with Solomon. Did he also pray Solomon would have wisdom in how to complete the construction of something so sacred.

“As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.10 Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong, and do it.”

11 Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the vestibule, its houses, its treasuries, its upper chambers, its inner chambers, and the place of the mercy seat;12 and the plans for all that he had by the Spirit, of the courts of the house of the Lord, of all the chambers all around, of the treasuries of the house of God, and of the treasuries for the dedicated things;13 also for the division of the priests and the Levites, for all the work of the service of the house of the Lord, and for all the articles of service in the house of the Lord.14 He gave gold by weight for things of gold, for all articles used in every kind of service; also silver for all articles of silver by weight, for all articles used in every kind of service;15 the weight for the lampstands of gold, and their lamps of gold, by weight for each lampstand and its lamps; for the lampstands of silver by weight, for the lampstand and its lamps, according to the use of each lampstand.16 And by weight he gave gold for the tables of the showbread, for each table, and silver for the tables of silver;17 also pure gold for the forks, the basins, the pitchers of pure gold, and the golden bowls— he gave gold by weight for every bowl; and for the silver bowls, silver by weight for every bowl;18 and refined gold by weight for the altar of incense, and for the construction of the chariot, that is, the gold cherubim that spread their wings and overshadowed the ark of the covenant of the Lord.

19 “All this, ” said David, “the Lord made me understand in writing, by His hand upon me, all the works of these plans.”20 And David said to his son Solomon, “Be strong and of good courage, and do it; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord God—my God— will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you, until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord.21 Here are the divisions of the priests and the Levites for all the service of the house of God; and every willing craftsman will be with you for all manner of workmanship, for every kind of service; also the leaders and all the people will be completely at your command.” 1 Chronicles 28:9-21

How big is the task God has given to you? Personally I feel that I live day by day in trying to go where He directs me to go and do what He directs me to do. Most days I fail terribly. As I read the above scripture I thought of how I would feel if I had written out before me the specific instructions of each step God wanted me to take. Would the enormity of it overwhelm me? Would I have the courage, like Solomon, to accept the task and follow step by step (or ounce by ounce/inch by inch) just as obediently as Solomon? In other scriptures are even more detailed instructions for the construction of the temple than are listed here. Every part of the temple was to be made with an exact design and decoration. There was nothing overlooked. The same is true of the plans God has for each one of us. Nothing surprises Him. He has not overlooked any area of our lives. Do we trust Him with courage and strength or do we doubt and try to change the plans to fit our own designs?

Pursuing Forward

Why is it that some people come to know Christ and flourish and grow in their walk in ways that are almost mind blowing and yet others seemingly know Him but exhibit little growth? From the outside actions, each person should be growing at a similar rate, right? What we see on the outside is only a small indicator of what is happening in a person's private time. The rate of our spiritual growth is determined by what we spend our time pursuing. 

I have been meditating on the following verses found in 2 Timothy 2:

"Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor.21 Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.22 Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.23 But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife.24 And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient,25 in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth,26 and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will." vs. 19-26

I could write pages upon pages of dissection on these verses. Let's start with the command for those of us who name the name of Christ to depart from iniquity. It is our choice to to leave our former lifestyles behind. We are called to be great because Christ is great. Yet inside each of us are vessels of gold and also vessels of wood. These reflect honor and dishonor. The ability to use either is at our disposal at all times. It is only once we have cleansed ourselves of dishonor that God can begin to use us in honor to Him. Cleansing our lives of dishonorable things prepare us to be used by God. This is often why we move at different rates of promotion within the Kingdom. How many dishonorable things are we holding onto in our lives? 

The second part of this scripture instructs us to not simply walk away from our sinful natures, but to FLEE from them! Our youthful lusts are not only of a sexual nature, but I also believe it's the lust for wanting something that is not our own. Part of this maturing process is recognizing the gifts placed inside of each of us. We are not all created to sing angelic melodies or paint inspired pictures. There is a gift inside of you that can only be used by you and nobody else! If you spend all your time lusting after the blessings in someone else's life, you will miss the gift inside of you. 

Lastly, part of maturing in our walk is knowing how to have discussions with others and also when to walk away from those conversations. I love how the scripture here refers to them as "foolish and ignorant" disputes. To me, any discussion against the word of God falls into this category. Not everyone has reached the same level of maturity in Christ so to engage in a discussion one must be able to educate based on the truth of scriptures. We must also keep in mind that not everyone will accept scriptures as truth. When people argue with us in opposition to the word of God it is because the devil has entrapped them by his lies. It is our job to share the word of God in a loving and corrective way, but ultimately it is not up to us to convince anyone of the truth. This is the job of the Holy Spirit. God's word never returns void so even when it seems the word is falling upon "deaf" ears, we know the seed of truth has been planted. 

All of this said, where are you in your spiritual maturation? Do you feel like you are still a baby in your walk? What is preventing you from moving into the toddler phase? To be honest, this is where I feel I am currently: the toddler phase. I can walk, but I'm not running yet. I stumble often and occasionally I fall. However, my falls are occurring less and less often. This is because I'm learning the art of "fleeing" from the temptations I know can cause me to trip. There are iniquities (and even relationships) I have had to remove from my life in order to move forward in my growth. 

I no longer want to knowingly dishonor God. I want my life to be honoring and pleasing to Him. I want to "flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart." 

How about you?

Living Boldly

When was the last time you did something bold for God? It could be something as small as giving a word of encouragement to a stranger in the grocery store or as large as going as a missions trip. Living boldly does not look the same for each of us. The boldness comes from stepping outside of our own comfort zones. For the person who stands in front of people all day giving presentations in meetings, the idea of speaking to a large crowd would not really be bold. However, to the housewife or stay at home mom, this could be terrifying! For those of us who have dealt with the fear of rejection, walking up to a stranger and telling them God loves them is enough to cause our heart rates to rise. In our minds we know we are called to be obedient and know the reaction of the hearer is between them and God. They are not rejecting us personally.

The results are not where God calls our focus. God calls us to obedience. Obedience for you may be to say "yes" and for me to say "no." We often choose to measure another's obedience against what is obedience in our own lives. This is why it is so important for each of us to develop our own personal relationship with God and not simply depend on the interpretations of our pastors, authors of books, or even myself through my writings. I may read a scripture and because of my past experiences or current situations in my life, reach one interpretation. God can use the same verse to speak to you in a completely different way. 

Is there something you have always prayed God would never ask you to do? I know people who years ago said they would never want to go on a missions trip. Yet, that is exactly what God called them to do. For others it was a prayer that God would never ask them to give an extravagant gift and yet that is what they heard God say. Whatever your fear, that is the area in which we are called to be bold. 

Many of us are familiar with 2 Timothy 1:7, but how often have we heard it quoted followed by verse 8?

" For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord..."

Our ability to conquer fear is not about being able to skydive or parachute out of planes. Conquering fear is about sharing our testimony BOLDLY! It is about living as God directs us without apology or regrets. We are to share the testimony of Christ with love and power. The same power that allowed Jesus to arise from the grave is the same power that can live inside of us to tell others of His love and mercy. Do not be afraid to live boldly! 

What if each person reading this resolved to take one bold action for God? I would love to hear your stories of action and the results that follow! The "results" may not even be physical results, but the results that happen inside of you as you step out in bold obedience!

Olympic Sized Observations

I have a confession to make. I'm an addict. I'm completely addicted to watching the Olympics. I find myself watching sports that I watch no other time than the Olympics and often sports I know nothing about.  I know nothing of water polo other than it appears to be a mix of soccer, hockey, and swimming. Terms such as "inclusion" are used and I have no clue what that even means. During one game the announcer referred to one of the women playing professionally. I had no idea water polo was even a professional sport.

Regardless of the event, the stories of each athlete are the reason I watch faithfully every night. As the second week is in full swing I have realized not one night has gone by that a story has not made me cry. Even as I watched Michael Phelps swim in what he says is his last Olympic race,  I was crying as he swam. After cheering him on during the last four Olympics, I can't imagine an Olympics without him. Even more, without watching his mother as she cheers and cries for her child. As a mom, I can imagine every emotion she must feel watching him. He's the "greatest" Olympian in history in terms of medals, but to her, he is still her baby.

There is another side to the Olympic story though. It's all the people who don't "win". It is often these stories that touch me the most. How can you not watch Oscar Pistorius run, both legs having been amputated as a child, and not tear up? Then in the quarterfinals he came in last in his heat and the first place finisher asked to trade name bibs with him as a show of respect. This man went on to win in the final race and it was the first gold ever for his country. Then there was Sam Mikulak competing in the individual vault competition in gymnastics. You could hear him on the sidelines as the gymnast for Korea came to the mat and he says "I want to watch THIS guy!" He was completely in awe of the other competitors and was appreciating the moment fully. He won the gold medal for sportsmanship in my opinion. 

Then there are those who are not so gracious after losing. I've watched as athletes appear to be in shock over their loss and coldly hug those who placed in front of them. There are those who cry almost uncontrollably over not winning first place. They seem to forget the fact that they are in the Olympics at all. They were so focused on coming in first that nothing else mattered. I understand many of these athletes have given their entire life to their chosen sport. To not come out on top is heartbreaking considering how their lives would change if they won the gold. Often their disgust is at themselves for the misstep or stumble that caused them to come in second. 

Watching the Olympics is very much like watching each of us in real life. Many of us appreciate the fact we are here. Each moment contains beauty, even if we never make it out of the first round. For others, our drive to perform and win is so strong that nothing except the best will satisfy us. We become depressed and devastated with anything less than perfection. Our joy is robbed because of our inability to value the moment. Unlike the Olympics, our choices and "performance" here will matter for eternity. The athletes will come home and train to come back in four years, become coaches, start families, or whatever they chose to do next. No matter what they do, their appearance in the Olympics will not matter in the large picture of their eternal lives. Winning the gold will not get them into heaven. Their medal cannot save them. No matter how good their performance, it does not provide them with eternal life. In this way we are similar. Our performance does not gain us entrance to heaven apart from our faith and trust in Jesus Christ. In fact, our reality in Christ is the opposite of the competition we see in the world. "Many who are last will be first, and the first will be last." Matthew 19:30.

Where do you see yourself in the two examples above? Are you aware of the beauty of every day around you and take the time to appreciate simply being here? Or are you so driven to be on top that you are thrown into emotional chaos when things don't turn out as you had planned? My prayer is for each of us to strive to be the best us we can be as God has created us, but to also value everything about our days.

 Notice the quirky expressions of our children as they talk to us.

 Smell the flowers outside our offices. 

Hear the songs of the birds. 

Smile at a stranger.