TRAINING

 

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.  Hebrews 12:11 (NIV)

 

Phyllis is my trainer, but she’s not what you think.  You see, I have two wonderful dogs, Edward and Frances, who have not yet learned that I am the Boss.  And so we have Phyllis.  One might think she is here to train Edward and Frances, but that would be incorrect.  Phyllis is training me.

 

I am learning that when Edward licks me, he is not showing his affection; he is demonstrating his dominance.  When Frances dashes ahead of me on walks and pulls at the leash, I am following her.  This has become her walk, not mine.  And so Phyllis is training me.

 

This training is not exactly fun, but I am discovering that the more consistent I become, the better my dogs behave.  I don’t like having to give reminders or having to reinforce “the rules,” but Edward and Frances are happier and more obedient when they realize I am in charge.

 

It’s not a big leap to see how this can apply to our daily journey of faith.  However, unlike us, God never wearies of disciplining his children, of correcting us, and he doesn’t let our bad behavior slide.  As we respond to his “training,” our trust is built, our faith is strengthened, our security is increased, and our behavior is greatly improved.

 

John talks about discipline as “pruning.”  The branches of the vine are strengthened when the old dead wood is cut out and the unproductive branches are trimmed back.  Of course, this is painful, and we may wonder what we’ve done to deserve such treatment.  Instead, we should remind ourselves that discipline is intended for our enrichment.  It causes us to produce more fruit, righteousness and peace, and eventually brings glory to God.

 

(I can draw parallels with Frances and Edward.  I envision a time when I won’t have to explain to passing walkers that Frances’ jumping and barking at them just indicates she wants to be friendly.  And that when Edward tries to vault onto the cabinet, it’s only because he’s interested in what I’m cooking.  Yes, I look forward to the time when I can enjoy the results of discipline.)

 

Father, thank you for teaching us your truths through the things we experience around us every day.  Thank you for putting people in our lives to shine lights on our blind spots.  Help us to submit to your training for your glory and our peace.  In Jesus’ name.  AMEN.

GOD’S VOICE

 

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”  Isaiah 30:21  (NIV)

 

Yesterday was Scott’s turn to teach our adult Sunday school class.  The topic from the Believe series was Peaceful.  The lesson was structured around three points:  peace with God, peace with others, and peace within ourselves.  As he addressed the foundational issue, peace with God, Scott gave us a list that contrasted God’s voice and the voice of our arch-enemy, Satan.

 

God’s Voice	Satan’s Voice
Still	Rushing
Leading	Pushing/restraining
Reassuring	Frightening
Enlightening	Confusing
Encouraging	Discouraging
Comforting	Worrying/distressing
Calming	Obsessing
Convicting	Condemning

 

We all have voices in our heads—sometimes they’re our own thoughts, and sometimes God is speaking to us.  But often Satan injects thoughts that are destructive, negative, or in some way detrimental to our spiritual life.  They rob us of our peace and produce distress in its stead.

 

My mom had an interesting method for identifying the voices in her head.  She said, “Always listen to the pronouns.  You can detect the source if the voice says, ‘He or him.’  God always say, ‘I.’” 

 

Jesus told us that we will know his voice if we’re his sheep.  I speak with my two grown children almost every day.  Never do they call and identify themselves; they just begin the conversation as soon as I say hello.  I know their voices, and they know mine.  I’m convinced that frequent conversations with our Lord will make us more and more familiar with his voice, and we’ll at some time be able to recognize him the moment he speaks.

 

We have all these and many more wonderful tools for walking in peace with Jesus:  discernment of the intent of the message, listening to the pronouns, and recognizing the voice.  There’s no need for us to ever be in confusion.

 

Father, thank you for all the wonderful teachers you’ve given us to grow us in our relationship with you.  Keep us in your peace as we listen to you and follow you.  In Jesus’ name.  AMEN.

REJOICING ALMOST ALWAYS

 

Rejoice in the Lord always.  Philippians 4:4

 

Paul tells the church at Philippi that they should rejoice in Christ.  No excuse.  No exceptions.  He repeats himself and says that they should always rejoice in the Lord.  Paul was in prison when he wrote this to the Philippians, and he said that he’d learned the secret of contentment in every circumstance:  he could do all things through [Jesus] who gave him strength. Everything that he couldn’t do, God could do through him.

 

I was working in Uganda and heading north from Kampala for a huge celebration and time of thanksgiving.  I invited Jennifer, a missionary friend, and Bea, a clergy wife.  And Bea invited a friend.  Four of us prepared to leave early in the morning in order to complete the eight-hour trip before dark.

 

I arrived at the meeting place to load up and leave.  No one was ready.  The van arrived, and we discovered that the back door for loading stacks of equipment wouldn’t open – it has just broken, according to the driver.  So we lifted everything over three rows of seats and got off an hour or so after our scheduled departure.

 

Finally, we were moving.  I led the group in a series of praise songs.  I remember that we were singing This is the Day That the Lord Hath Made when the inside of the van began to fill with smoke.  Eventually, our driver decided we should stop and see what might be wrong.  Bea said to me, pointedly, Why did you stop singing?  Woops.  We tried another half-hearted song as our driver checked the engine with a puzzled expression.  And then we sat.

 

There in the middle of a banana plantation, villagers gathered to sympathize and to teach us how to play one of their games.  After all, it looked like we might be there for a while, and they wanted us to be entertained.  Jennifer pulled out her cell phone and called everyone she knew to see if they could send another van.  After numerous calls, she was successful and joined me in playing corro.  Then Bea’s friend asked Jennifer why she hadn’t called so and so because she knew they were nearby and would help.  You can understand why Jennifer didn’t respond at that moment.  Should we have begun singing again?

 

An hour and a half later, the second van arrived; we carried all the equipment back over the three seats and loaded up for our drive north.  By then we were friends with the neighbors and thanked them for their hospitality.  On the road again, we began singing.  This is the day…  Perhaps we had gone ten miles.  Perhaps.  The second van began sputtering and came to an abrupt stop.  Whatever could be wrong this time?

 

Our driver politely told us that when we called, we said we were in a hurry, so he hadn’t bothered to stop for fuel.  I forked over the 100,000 shillings necessary to fill the gerry can with fuel once he found someone willing to part with the precious liquid.  Our driver headed down the red dirt road, hoping to find someone who could help.  Jennifer quoted her oft-stated phrase:  TIA, This is Africa.  And we laughed.  And then we prayed, thanking God for safety and for his provisions of friendship, fuel, and funds.

 

Rejoicing is so much easier among friends.  And the trip north?  A smashing success and another opportunity to experience God’s faithfulness.

 

Lord, we can always rejoice when we remember who you are and whose we are.  We embrace your call to find our joy in you as we ask that you be glorified in us.  AMEN.

GOD’S AMAZING LOVE

 

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end.  Lamentations 3:22  (NRS)

 

Reading about Rahab in the book of Joshua this morning, I am again amazed at God’s mercy.  Rahab was a prostitute whose house was built into the wall of Jericho, that city famous for its walls that came tumbling down.  Spies had been sent to reconnoiter the city prior to an attack by the Israelites.   Of all the houses they could have visited, God led them to Rahab’s.  She welcomed them and hid them from her own townspeople because she knew God was with the Israelites.  In return she and all her family were spared and assimilated into the conquering Israelite nation.  Not only that, but she eventually married a man from the tribe of Judah and became the great grandmother of beloved King David.

 

And then there were Abraham and Isaac (who both had a tendency to tell untruths in tight spots), prideful Joseph, cowardly Gideon, and fearful disciples.  Peter denied his best Friend three times and came back to be a leader and founder of the Christian Church.  God’s love and forgiveness transformed his flawed children when they turned to him.

 

One of the great Father-Love stories in the Bible is that of the Prodigal Son who brought pain, grief, humiliation, and loss to his family.  When all the community (and especially his own brother) would ostracize him, his loving father has apparently been waiting for a sign of his return.  When he finally sees him trudging down that familiar path, he doesn’t wait, bitterly expecting the boy to come groveling.  Instead, he runs to welcome him home.  The boy’s betrayal and repentance are understood by his father’s love with celebration for his return.

 

Again, we read about the shepherd who has a large flock of sheep and leaves them when he discovers that one is lost.  He is willing to give his life for that one lost sheep, and he’s overjoyed when the lost is found.  He’s so happy, he puts him on his shoulders and carries him all the way home. What profound love.

 

I suspect we’ve all been unfaithful or disobedient or thoughtless or rebellious at one time or another, and yet, while everyone else looks at our bad (sinful) behavior, God sees our hearts (I Sam. 16:7).  He sees our desire to please and follow him even as our human nature pulls us in other directions.  And he rescues us and gives us grace to repent and be changed.  Talk about love…

 

Father, your love has been abounding.  Cause us to accept all you have done for and in us through Jesus Christ and not look back.  May our identity increasingly be in you and your glorious plan for us that you may be honored.  In Jesus’ name.  AMEN.

CHEERLEADING

 

 A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  John 13:34 NIV

 

Love is more than sentiment.  At its best, it’s an action verb.  Chapman’s book, The 5 Love Languages lists ways of showing love:  affirming, touching, giving, serving, and spending time with the beloved.  One can love without all the fuzzy emotions we sometimes equate with romantic love by simply doing those things that build up that other person and letting him or her know that he or she is special, is cared for, is thought about.

 

Cheerleading, forming your own one-person fan club, is a potent way of demonstrating love.  Think of all the ways we can build each other up (I Thess. 5:11) once we get out of ourselves.  And think of all the people who desperately need love.  We can praise, compliment, encourage, pray with and for, be available, do random acts of kindness, demonstrate thoughtfulness, and on and on.

 

But we have to move beyond our intense concern for ourselves.  I’ve discovered that the more I become aware and sensitive to the needs of others, the more obscure my own issues become.  The more I embrace others, the more joy and freedom I experience in my own life.  The more transparent I become in loving others, the more reciprocal the relationship becomes.  And healing can even take place when love flows.

 

Think of the transformations in which we might participate if we chose to forget about ourselves and become more interconnected to others.  Of all the unfortunate people imaginable, Job tops the list.  Having lost everything (but his critical wife) and being surrounded by unfeeling friends who only compounded his misery, we’re told that after Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD restored his fortunes (Job 42:10) …  When Job moved beyond his own suffering to see the vacuum in his friends, he was able to pray, and God responded by working in Job’s life.

 

William Carey, the “father” of modern missions (18^th Century) faithfully worked, carrying the Gospel to India and translating the Bible into many Indian dialects.  Many people know of Carey, but few know of his sister who was bedridden and unable to use her limbs for about 52 years.  Every day, Carey’s sister prayed for him and maintained a vibrant correspondence by writing with a pencil in her mouth.  Such was her love for her brother.

 

Who can we actively love today?  How can we sacrificially give our time to affirm someone?  How can we, through God’s love, leave our own cares and be cheerleaders for someone else?   The biggest cost is our own self-interest, but that begins to diminish as we get into the big world of GOD’S LOVE.  Find somebody to love.

 

Father, show me who needs my love and give me creative ideas for encouraging, affirming, building up, and healing.  I want to be your cheerleader.  Thank you.  In Jesus’ name.  AMEN.

LIMITATIONS

 

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.  Ephesians 3:20  (NLT)

 

Only those who were truly intimate knew the difficult circumstances of Ms. Edith’s marriage.  Her husband was demanding, often unreasonable, and extremely careful about money.  The grace-filled life that people saw from the outside was almost entirely due to Ms. Edith’s interior life.

 

She said she’d given her heart to Jesus when she was a little girl of five, and she had never taken it back.  He was her best Friend, and she learned to utilize difficulties as vehicles for spiritual growth.  The very discomforts that could have crushed a soul were transformed instead into parables for the many who sought her counsel and who turned to her for comfort in their own trials.

 

There was a grief, however, that burdened Ms. Edith for years:  She anguished at Christmas or birthdays or occasions for giving gifts.  The budget imposed on Ms. Edith didn’t permit her generous soul to give as she would have liked.

 

After years of agonizing over this seemingly impossible constraint, Ms. Edith did what she did so well.  She prayed.  She asked God somehow to allow her to give abundantly from her heart.  And then the idea came.  Ms. Edith thought of all the fabric scraps she had from years of sewing, and she began experimenting with making appliquéd pictures.  At first they were simple, but as her confidence grew, and her imagination was given free rein, her pictures became works of art.

 

Cleverly, Ms. Edith invited her husband to craft frames for her creations, and together their artistry became known and highly desired in their community.  Friends and family were all hopeful they would be among those receiving a Ms. Edith picture.  As her skills grew, Ms. Edith was invited to teach in a local specialty shop, and her pieces soon were bringing in fees that she could not have imagined.

 

The limitation that had initially brought so much grief to Ms. Edith was embraced and became the incentive for reaching inside to allow the inner beauty to be expressed through her fingers.  While few people knew the pain that had been the impetus of her gift, everyone delighted in the joy that she had wrung from her sorrow.

 

Loving Father, thank you for transforming sorrow and pain and suffering into things of beauty as we trust you to grace and fill and use us for your dear purposes.  May we, like the oyster, learn to embrace the irritants that they might become objects of beauty to your glory.  In Jesus’ name.  AMEN.

NO CONVENIENT TIMES

 

My times are in your hands…  Psalm 31:15 (NIV)

 

When I was newly-returned to university, I struggled to balance parenting, two jobs, and college requirements.  It took all the energy and grace I had to address each responsibility in a fairly adequate manner and still ensure my own spiritual and mental health.

 

And then one of my children had a minor crisis in school – just as I was preparing for a mid-term exam.  I worked with elementary teachers to resolve the issue, and then I spoke to my university professor.  I wanted to see if my mid-term could be delayed a while so that I could take these challenges one at a time.  That made perfect sense to me.

 

She said something I’ve never forgotten.  “Marthe, you will find that life doesn’t stop to make allowances for crises.  There are no convenient times for problems.  It all flows together.  It’s up to you to handle everything as it comes.”  She didn’t tell me how to do it, but essentially she was saying that I couldn’t postpone the exam until I was ready, and that I wouldn’t be able to slow down time for my convenience.

 

This was possibly one of the best lessons I learned in that Early Childhood Development class.  Life comes at you fast, and the only way we can stay poised and at peace with the stresses that make up every single day is to invite Christ into every situation.  We ask for his guidance, wisdom, and grace.  We ask for help in prioritizing the issues.  And it works.  We can’t manage or control the circumstances that intrude into our lives, but with Christ’s help, we can manage ourselves with regards to the circumstances. It works.

 

Thank you very much, Dr. Waldron.

 

Sweet Lord, you see the end from the beginning, and nothing ever takes you by surprise.  Help us to remember that if we’ve asked you to be Lord, we must act accordingly. Forgive us if we complain about the overload.  You know exactly what we can bear and are there to carry the load when we can’t.  Thank you.  AMEN.