Reconnecting With Our Purpose

We sometimes keep putting band-aids on our problems, when what we really need is get to the root about why they are happening. Everything in our lives has been a culmination of events to get us to HIM.
         
We are Christians. We BELIEVE Jesus is The Way. But do we really understand what that means? 
     
Go back to the very beginning.  Why was man originally created? For fellowship with God!! (Gen. 3:8 – The Lord was walking in the garden with Adam and Eve) But Adam & Eve messed that all up!
   
 When sin entered, our fellowship was broken, and we were banished from the garden. Therefore, the ultimate need for a Savior.
   
 When life hits us where it hurts, God is not surprised. HE CREATED US….each individually as a person, but all with the same purpose…TO FELLOWSHIP WITH HIM…to walk with Him in our lives.  He knit us together while we were in our mother’s womb (Ps. 139:13) so that we could fellowship and share our lives with Him. It’s not a surprise to God the things that come into your life.
   
 All through our lives we chase after that which we think will make us happy…things, money, success…either it never comes, or when we get it, we realize the emptiness of it all. Why? Because that’s not why we were created. That’s not our purpose. We were CREATED FOR GOD.
   
 Seek first His kingdom and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matt. 16:33) Life is a journey, not a destination. It’s a long road. We don’t have the answers. We don’t know how He wants to use us. But we know The One who does know the answers. And when we decide to get to the Root of our emptiness, our failures, our unhappiness…when we get our lives back to where they are supposed to be and understand our true purpose for existence, the journey becomes a little more bright and a little less burdensome.
   

Suffering Builds Character

Romans 5:3-5 – ...we also rejoice in our sufferings

•    Why do we rejoice in our sufferings? Because it is in our sufferings that we see the true nature of what’s in our hearts.  Do we have a “Why are you doing this to me, God?” attitude, or do we have a “What are you trying to teach me, Lord?” attitude?
•    Sufferings – (thlipsis) means trouble, distress, oppression (physical or mental distress), or tribulation (great misery or distress). It can be a big or small issue, and it can come from our own choices as well as being an affect from the choices of others.
•    So, God allows suffering into our lives to show us how we react. How we react, shows us where our heart is, and when we see our true heart, we will see the “work in progress” that God is doing in us.    


because we know that suffering produces perseverance

•    Perseverence – (hypomone) endurance, patience (calm endurance).  The definition of perseverance is: to continue a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition.
•    This time of perseverance is a time for us to learn the proper attitudes to the suffering…it is a waiting time, the wilderness time.
 
perseverance [produces] character

•    Character – (dokime) test, proof…the definition means: moral strength.
•    During the time of suffering we will be see the kind of person that is truly inside of ourselves and we will be given the choices to choose righteousness…choose to do the right thing…no matter what.
Our character … who we REALLY are …begins with our thoughts (how we see the certain the circumstances, our perspective on a situation).
o    Our thoughts become  words, our words become actions, our actions become our character, our character becomes our destiny.
     
and character [produces] hope

•    Hope – (elpis) expectation. The definition is: a feeling that what is wanted will happen; desire accompanied by expectation. ‘
•    As we persevere through this hard time, our character changes as we rely on Him. Usually, we’re not sure what to do about the obstacles and sufferings in our lives. That’s when we need to turn to Jesus. God knew ahead of time these sufferings were coming.  It’s not news to Him. So, we turn our eyes to Jesus, and HE is where we get our hope.
•    As God changes our character, our eyes can see more clearly just how this suffering has removed the unhealthy layers of old patterns replaced them with His Righteous ways.  And when hope comes, that light at the end of tunnel gets a little brighter!
     
And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

•    When our eyes are on Jesus, who IS our hope, we can be ASSURED that when this suffering has ended, we will NOT be disappointed …nor will we be the same person!
   
    So what’s at the end of this suffering?
   
    Hebrews 10:36 – You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised.

•    “The will of God” means HIS decision…HIS desire. And we KNOW that His desire for us is GOOD! But it is also in HIS timing. We seldom know how long we will have to persevere.
   
When something disrupts our journey…when we hit the bumps in the road…or when we’re knocked down by the hurts of another…pay attention to what is going on inside of you. Listen to your thoughts. God will show you the way through.

We must see the good in our suffering:
1) It shows us our heart’s condition.
2) It produces perseverance.
3) It builds character.

    And your character is the only thing that you can take with you to the other side!
   
   

Living with the Rats

I wouldn’t exactly say my back yard is paradise, but it’s pretty nice. One of my favorite things to do is to sit on my patio, looking over all the blooms and various plants, and watching the birds and the squirrels play in my back yard.
   
    One evening, I was sitting on the patio with my neighbor, and all of a sudden her eyes grew very big, and she got real quiet. I turned around to look at what she saw, and sitting there the bird feeder, as if he belonged, was a rat.
   
    The next day, I began my quest to rid my home-made paradise of this invader. I set out to reclaim my backyard for the cardinals, the butterflies and the squirrels.
   
I soon found out I had a slight problem. Rats and squirrels are in the same family. So any trap or any poison I would lay down for the rats, there was the potential of the squirrels getting it, and I wasn’t willing to sacrifice the squirrels just to get rid of the rats.
   
    So, I asked my son to get the bb gun, and I started taking target practice at the bird feeder.  I knew the general area in which they lived, because I’d now seen babies. But the gun was so weak, that it wasn’t even worth the effort it took to pump it up. I think I got close on a couple of shots, but the idea in itself was futile.
   
    My next attempt came at attaching a baffle to the bird feeder so the rats couldn’t get to it. It seemed to work for a short time, until another morning, I noticed a rat on another bird feeder out farther in the yard. And then there was another one by my neighbor’s fence. I realized that no matter what I did, the rats were among us.
   
    Resigning myself to life with the rats took some getting used to. I decided that if I had to live with them, then at least I could try and move them to the farthest part of my yard. So, I tore out all of the foliage where I thought they lived. My motive was to stir their nest, maybe provoke them to move away…far away…but I’d accept just moving them away from the immediate yard area and toward the back of my property.
   
    Now, I’m sure the rats are still living here among us, but removing the plants seemed to work for the moment because I have not seen a rat since. Just like “you’ve got to have the rain if you want a rainbow” and “you can’t have a rose without the thorns”, I guess I can’t enjoy my squirrels without a few rats. 
   
    Isn’t that a lot like life? There’s always some rat…some petty annoyance…that disturbs our tranquility. I don’t think we’ll ever totally rid ourselves of these “rats” in our lives, but just as I removed the foliage that was closest to the house, we can create the environment where we push the rats in our lives to the edge of our property!

Our Place is Secure

Romans 8:29-31

V. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

·      Foreknew – to choose beforehand

·      Predestined – to decide beforehand

·      Conformed – being alike

--> God knew ahead of time that I was going to be a believer…He foreknew it. But more than that, He CHOSE me beforehand…before I ever even knew Him, he chose me! He decided beforehand…while I was yet a sinner, that He wanted me to be conformed to be like Jesus. This is TRUTH for ALL Believers!

--> How am I conformed to the image of Jesus? Romans 12:2 – Renewing the mind. How do we renew the mind? HIS WORD.

V. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

·      Called – invite, summons

·      Justified – vindicate, declare righteous

·      Glorified – give praise, honor

--> So, when God’s timing came, because He’s chosen me beforehand, He invited me in. When I accepted, He declared me “right” again, just as if I’d never sinned ..He vindicated (cleared from blame) me of my sins. And through Him, I will find that praise and honor.

V. 31 What then, shall we say in response to this? If [Since] God is for us, who can be against us?

--> Or, “If God is for us, what are we so afraid of?”

1 Peter 1: 1-2 – To God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout…who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood.

·      Sanctify – to set apart as holy, to make free from sin

--> I have been chosen beforehand – specifically selected – to be set apart as holy, made free from sin,  FOR THE PURPOSE of obedience to Jesus because of what He did on the cross for me.

Ephesians 1: 4-5 – For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love, he predestined us to be adopted as his sons [and daughters] through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.

·      Chose – pick, select

·      Pleasure – goodwill, good purpose, favor, desire

·      Will - determination

--> Before the creation of the world…before Genesis 1:1…God selected us. He decided beforehand that He wanted us as His sons and daughters and He wants good things for us, just as we want good things for our own children.

Ephesians 1:11 – In Him we were also chosen having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will.

--> God knows EXACTLY where I am. As long as I keep my eyes on Jesus, HE is going to work everything out according to what He has already decided for my life. I am a mere mound of clay, willing to be molded.

--> And as I come to the close of this study, I can only come up with one response:

Hebrews 13:6 – “So [I] say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

Victory in Jesus: Christ is Our Example

Victory in Jesus: Christ is Our Example

Christ is Our Example

1 Peter 2:21-25

v. 21 To this you were called because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

·      Christ is our example. We were called to follow Him. He suffered for us on that cross and if we are truly committed to Him, then we will do everything in our hearts to follow His example….especially when the suffering comes.

V. 22-23a He committed no sins and no deceit was found in his mouth, When they hurled their insults at him, he did no retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats.

·      If Jesus is our example, then these are some hard lessons. How many times has someone hurt us and we’ve thrown the fiery darts of hurt right back at them? When someone speaks wrongly of us, what is our first reaction? Usually self-defense! When the insults were hurled at Jesus, where do you think His thoughts went? Do you think He was cursing His accusers in His mind? I doubt it. I’m sure in His mind, He was calling on His vindicator.

V. 23b Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.

·      How many times do we set out to right a wrong that’s been done to us? How many times do we immediately react in defense of an insult? We must never forget that God sees ALL that is being done to and He knows all that is said about us. If we are secure in who we are and are walking uprightly next to Jesus, then we must believe that our vindicator is faithful! God has our back!

V. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds we have been healed.

·      Because of what Christ did for us on that cross, we are called to righteousness. Simply put -> DO THE RIGHT THING! Even/especially when others are not.

·      Our sins that were buried with Christ are not only the outward sins, but also the inward sins of unforgiveness, anger, guilt, etc. If we are holding onto these things, then we are not trusting God to be our vindicator.

V. 25 For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

·      Before Christ, we were each going in our own directions. We were controlled by our circumstances, our emotions, and other people. Before Christ, we were led to and fro by the changing tides of our society. But now we are back in the flock. We are no longer blind in knowing what to do. What have a Shepherd and Overseer of our souls…Christ, our example.

Put Your "Paws" Together and Pray!

The Story of Oscar

We lost our Golden Retriever, Dexter, this past January, 2011. He’d been a part of our family for 10 years. Dexter was definitely my husband’s dog...that dog loved him! Dexter also had a best friend, Jake. Jake yellow lab, is our neighbor's. They’d been best friends for 7 years. So, when Dexter died, we didn’t just lose a family member, Jake also lost his best friend.
 By August of that year, our 16 yr old son and I were ready for another dog. We could still feel the void in our lives from Dexter’s loss.  I was praying for a rescue dog...preferably a Golden retriever, but Labs were my second choice, no puppy. However, my husband was ADAMANT --> “NO MORE DOGS!!!” He liked our life dog-free, and besides, our son will be going away for college in a couple of years.

Although my son and I talked often about the benefits of a dog, we kept those conversations from my husband. I respected my husband’s position, and I let the matter drop as I continued my prayers. I truly believed that if God wanted us to have another dog, He would have to bring that dog to us!

Fast forward to Thanksgiving. We were at my dad’s along with the rest of my siblings. My dad has a large dog pen in his back yard that his neighbor had been "borrowing" for 4 ½ years to house his 2 dogs. Unfortunately, one of the dogs died a little over a year ago and so there was only one left in the pen. My son fell in love with this dog, but we knew that it would be useless to approach the subject with his father, so we left my dad’s without a word about the dog

Now, mind you, my son and I have been to my father’s multiple times over the last year, and I can honestly say that I have not noticed this dog.

Back home, I overheard Dale talking to my mom (who had come for a visit) about this dog. He wanted to RESCUE this dog.

This dog is a lab...a yellow lab, just like Jake! He is the sweetest dog. The owners had a bark collar on him so when we were all outside all you could hear him do is whine because he wanted to be out playing with us.  

So with much haste, lest my husband change his mind, I contacted my dad to inquire about getting the dog.

We didn’t hear from my dad for a couple of days. Seems the man/wife were very willing to give us the dog, whom we had already renamed “Oscar.” However, they had a teenage son who was reluctant to give him up, and they asked for us to give him some time to digest the idea.

My husband started getting fired up about the dog. At a family dinner, he and all of our boys started plotting how there were just going to go up there and steal Oscar. In their eyes, they were being heroes, saving this dog from a life of concrete and loneliness.

In short, everything fell into place, and on Dec. 1, 2012, an older son drove 5 hrs each way to retrieve our newest family member, a handsome blonde lab who apparently was under the watchful eye of a “Savior.”

Oscar is a great dog, and fits in with our family wonderfully. He loves fetching his tennis ball, and cooling off with a swim in the pool. Every time I see how happy he is now, compared to living in that concrete pen all by himself…my heart breaks. How could I have not noticed him before? I now see that God not only has filled that hole in our hearts where Dexter used to reside, but He also noticed a lonely dog in desperate need of a family.

Oscar (front) & J

Oscar and Jake have become fast friends, and I can picture Dexter up in heaven smiling down like he’s had a “paw” in putting us all together. "This dog needs my family, and this is who I want to be Jakes next best friend."

God answered my prayers for a dog. I had a vision of what I wanted: a dog that needed rescued, preferably a lab or a golden retriever, no puppy, it had to come to us & most importantly, my husband’s heart had to be changed. I saw it happen! Thank you, Jesus!

We’ve had many challenges since Oscar’s arrival. I’d been told by the previous owners that he was up to date on all his shots and heartworm meds. So, for the first two weeks we exercised him heavily because he was overweight. It was during the Christmas season, so there were people around all the time, and he seemed to adjust well.

There have been a few instances when we have left the house where he’s gone crazy and chewed/clawed up a few of the door jams around the house. And a set of blinds now needs replaced. At first we thought Oscar had separation anxiety issues so we tried medication, caging, and we even tried the Thundershirt to ease his anxiety. But what seemed to work most of all was time. It seems he’s become quite secure after 3 months with us, and we can now leave the house without any issues. He seems to have grasped the idea that we will return.

Two weeks after Oscar had arrived, he had his first vet appointment. Turns out, he had heartworms. Now, heartworms can be prevented and don’t show up on the test until about 6 months after infestation. This means that the previous owner had not given him the preventative meds like I had been told. Most likely, that is what Oscar’s sister had died of. And I think the hardest part of learning all of this, is that the worst thing you can do with a dog infected with heartworms is to exercise them, and we’d just had 2 weeks of nothing but exercise.

After 3 weeks of treatment for heartworms, 3 weeks of NO exercise, $1000+ in vet bills, and 3 months of adjusting to his new environment, I can proudly say that Oscar is slowly carving out a niche in each of our hearts. It’s not an accident that God brought Oscar to our family…we saved his life TWICE, and gave him the family he deserves.

I don’t know if Oscar remembers his concrete life, but I am reminded of it every time I look at him. And I am certain that God not only heard my prayer, I’m also sure He heard Oscar’s!

 

In loving memory of Dexter! 
Feb. 23, 2000 - Jan. 9, 2011