The Weight of Glory.

"If you asked twenty good men today what they thought the highest of the virtues, nineteen of them would reply, Unselfishness. But if you asked almost any of the great Christians of old he would have replied, Love. You see what has happened? A negative term has been substituted for a positive, and this is of more than philological importance. The negative ideal of Unselfishness carries with it the suggestion not primarily of securing good things for others, but of going without them ourselves, as if our abstinence and not their happiness was the important point...

If there lurks in the most modern minds the notion that to desire our own good and earnestly to hope for the enjoyment of it is a bad thing, I submit that this notion has crept in from Kant and Stoics and is no part of the Christian faith. Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered to us, like and ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."

~C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory and Other Addresses

All for now,
Lisa

Today's Blog Brought to You by the Letter (R)

We've been studying (R)uth in Sunday school. And it's been speaking to me in a very deep way. This Sunday I almost missed class but it was just too cold outside to ride the bike ride I had planned to ride that morning. It was 38 degrees at the start! That's just too cold for me!!!

And today, I am glad we rearranged our schedule to be in class. We're at the point in the story where Noami suggests to Ruth to go down to the threshing floor to be available to Boaz. It wasn't so much about where we are in the story as much as it is the story itself. And something came to me yesterday morning:

God: (R)omances, (R)escues, (R)edeems
Lisa: (R)ealizes, (R)eceives, (R)esponds

It is similar to what I wrote over 7 months ago. But vastly different! I think back to that entry and I smile at how much I've learned about myself, about God over these last 7 months. Blogging has been a great way to mark the mileposts along the way.

The last 7 months have been full of extreme highs and extreme lows, of realizing the character of God, of recognition of strongholds of self-effort, of obedience without understanding, about crises of faith.

And all of it is with thanksgiving. In my Tuesday night study last week, I had cause to flip by Psalm 119. I wrote out to the side of verse 71 "can I say this?" And I knew at the time I could not. That Tuesday night, I wrote a side note "yes I can. Feb 2009".

I see more clearly that these last months have been about feeling God's (R)omance and pursuit of me, understanding His character, (R)ecognizing my depravity and current strongholds, Him (R)escuing and healing me.... even from my own self-healing attempts. Hebrews 12:1-13 speaks a lot to this! He does not want us self-healed (i.e. lame) He wants us completely healed.

He has (R)edeemed me and my heart is His home. It's been a (R)adical work of God that I humbly (R)eceive and not take, and want to (R)espond to His great love for me!

All for now,
Lisa

My Exclusive Trust

God is working on my heart in the area of trust (as you all well know). Yesterday's "Walk with God" was SO GOOD! It spoke of a naked faith - and exclusive trust (and no plan B). The verses were Psalm 40:1-5. I was blessed by reading all of Psalm 40 this morning. I hope you are also! And a great commentary for more information. http://bible.somd.com/henry/H19C040.shtml

Psalm 40
For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

1 I waited patiently for the LORD;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear
and put their trust in the LORD.
4 Blessed is the man
who makes the LORD his trust,
who does not look to the proud,
to those who turn aside to false gods.
5 Many, O LORD my God,
are the wonders you have done.
The things you planned for us
no one can recount to you;
were I to speak and tell of them,
they would be too many to declare.
6 Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but my ears you have pierced;
burnt offerings and sin offerings
you did not require.
7 Then I said, "Here I am, I have come—
it is written about me in the scroll.
8 I desire to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart."
9 I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly;
I do not seal my lips,
as you know, O LORD.
10 I do not hide your righteousness in my heart;
I speak of your faithfulness and salvation.
I do not conceal your love and your truth
from the great assembly.
11 Do not withhold your mercy from me, O LORD;
may your love and your truth always protect me.
12 For troubles without number surround me;
my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see.
They are more than the hairs of my head,
and my heart fails within me.
13 Be pleased, O LORD, to save me;
O LORD, come quickly to help me.
14 May all who seek to take my life
be put to shame and confusion;
may all who desire my ruin
be turned back in disgrace.
15 May those who say to me, "Aha! Aha!"
be appalled at their own shame.
16 But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation always say,
"The LORD be exalted!"
17 Yet I am poor and needy;
may the Lord think of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
O my God, do not delay.

All for now,
Lisa

Psalm 139 From the Viewpoint of Experts

I just read the most remarkable commentary (or collection of commentaries) on Psalm 139. It makes me appreciate it all the more.

Here... it's quick reading... http://www.abible.com/devotions/2001/20011001-0000.html

All for now,
Lisa

Meditating on Psalm 139

Psalm 139

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

1 O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O LORD.
5 You hem me in—behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,"
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake,
I am still with you.
19 If only you would slay the wicked, O God!
Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!
20 They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries misuse your name.
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD,
and abhor those who rise up against you?
22 I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

All for now,
Lisa

God Has a Way of Spoiling Me

Despite all that God is showing me... my yuck, His undefiled glory, His design for me... and the difficulty I've had dying to self, He still has a way of spoiling me.

Case in point #1: I've been doing art for quite a while and have wanted to be involved with other Christian artists for a while now. Nothing has happened in this arena and I thought all was lost. Well, I was just contacted by a guy starting an art group at my church! And he asked me to produce a piece of art for the Easter celebration. How cool is that?

Case in point #2: I've longed to see an American Bald Eagle is its natural habitat. I've seen them at the zoo, but never just "in the wild". A few weekends ago, I took a cruise on Lake Buchanan just to see eagles. We saw a few, but I wasn't really satisfied. We even saw a nest with two juveniles still in it and the mother watching over them. But I still wasn't quite satisfied. Well, on Saturday, while on a bike ride, there was an American Bald Eagle flying 30 feet over my head! I looked up to see it looking right back at me. He was beautiful! And I was amazed!! How cool is that?

God does have a way of spoiling me.

All for now,
Lisa

Alexander Supertramp

I watched "Into the Wild" the other night. This movie was based on the true story of a guy who was not enamored by the world that he was about to be ushered into by his parents. Instead, he broke free, left without saying a word, and went into the wild. It was actually a moving story - he crossed paths with many different people and each meeting had a beneficial effect on both. He changed his name to Alexander Supertramp.

God changes our name too. When we enter His kingdom here on earth we are changed forever. We are holy. Complete.

Feel like you've failed? Me too. But getting back on the path of righteousness does not involve "work" it involves "realization". Today's "Walk with God" devotional said it quite well.

We know what a mature Christian looks like. He or she will have the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal 5:22-23). What we don't seem to know - or forget easily - is that we don't grow these attributes by doing our best at them. We get them by realizing how foreign they are to our human nature, how futile our attempts at achieving them are, and how dependent on God we are for His life wtihin us. It's a supernatural means to a supernatural life.

You were born anew when you believed. Now live by the Spirit.

All for now,
Liesel (living by the) Supernatural

Following God at All Costs

Yesterday's "Our Daily Bread" talked about God testing us to produce a God-devotion; a righteous loyalty.

There are times when God requires something really important to get His work done. He’ll ask us to give up our natural instincts to seek revenge so that we can communicate His forgiving love by forgiving our enemies. He may call us to sacrifice portions of our time or money or comforts to advance His cause. Or He may require us to allow our sons and daughters to go to a far-off land to tell others about His saving love. The way we respond to what He requires says volumes about how we really feel about Him.

But there is another kind of cost. One that very often Oswald Chambers talks about. We have to be prepared for the effects of following God. Obedience and submission means yielding and dying to self. And it means that we must follow God above all. And do what He asks. Even if it means a sacrifice of something you may hold dear. Do you love it more than God? Then it's an idol.

The question you must ask yourself is, "is God ever wrong?". "Is God ever mean?". The answer is always no. Good will come of obedience and submission. You may not see it, but it is always true.

I suppose the bottom line is that you have to look at the character of God. For how I respond to God tells exactly what I think about Him. But realizing what He has done for me reminds me exactly what He thinks about me. But I must look past my little idols to focus on exactly who God is.

All for now,
Lisa

The 48th 11:11

Well, today would have been my sister's 48th birthday.

And to her I say 11:11. :-)

All for now,
Lisa

Always Something New

You know, I've been a believer for a long while. Most of my life. And as I mature, I'm seeing the Bible in more dimensions.

You can read the Bible in two dimensions... take it at face value. And there is so much there. But it's so much bigger... to the nth dimension.

For instance, God is deeply teaching me about the fruits of the Spirit. You can take Galatians 5:22 at face value and go from there. Or you can go deeper into seeing the fruits of the Spirit; there are SO many connections. Like, how often after seeing "spirit" in the Bible do you see an attached fruit?

I would encourage you to look for those connections. It is only a perfect God who could have created such wonderful connections.

All for now,
Lisa

God is Moving

That is a title of a song that we sang this past weekend at a conference I went to at my church. And, for me, that has had multiple meanings:

First, while God does not change, does not move, He moves in us... drawing us closer to Him.

Second, within me, God Himself needed to move. He needed to move closer to His rightful place and better fill up my heart.

I've been learning a lot lately about my heart... and, I hate to admit this, I think I had underestimated my sin by underestimating my worth. So, God has been showing me my utter depravity (which has been eye-opening and actually quite yucky) and yet showing me my inestimable value/worth (which has been equally eye-opening and awe inspiring).

I just had a conversation with a friend on Saturday morning about this very thing. She confessed to me that she realized that she has downplayed her sins in her heart. Oh, how I could relate. "If they are not that bad, then I'm not that bad (I'm not that good, but I'm not that bad)". And actually, nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, I am that bad. My sins are deplorable. But my worth, because of who God made me, is priceless. Truly priceless. And we've taken our true and rightful places.

So, I am that bad, and He is that good. And I needed rescuing. And will always need it. My job is not too try to rescue myself, but receive and respond. And I'm seeing a difference between drawing in vs. pulling in, and receiving vs. taking. Very subtle, but vastly different.

All for now,
Lisa

How Can You Be Right Yet So Dreadfully Wrong?

Each year, our church goes through a devotional together. This year, we're doing "Walk With God, the One Year Devotional". I'm really enjoying it. A few days ago (January 30), the devotional was around commitment and success. It was talking about what it means to commit your ways to the Lord and how to define Godly success.

I began thinking about that. And thinking about how when I do something I want to do it right. Yet, without the power of the Holy Spirit infused in me, I may be able to do it correctly, yet fail miserably. I've failed because it's been I that has done it, and not the Lord. It may appear that I have achieved my goal or done something nice for someone else. But the bounty will eventually die. I may have done a very good and moral thing. But it is without eternal significance because it's been in my earthly power and that effort will be burned up along with everything else mortal. And I may have knowledge of the Lord and scripture, but if I don't obey and follow His lead, I move without the power of the Holy Spirit. I guess I'd just be a knowledgable pagan. That's not walking with Him. We're studying James and Ephesians in our Wednesday study and I was reminded of this verse last week:

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
James 1:22

Over and over again scripture tells us that sin (and not obeying the word of God is sin) leads to devastation, destruction, and death.

There is a great line in the devotional:

The issue is not status, achievements, reputation, or profit. It is godly character and eternal fruit.

Oh that is a mouthful. And probably appears foolish to many. But in that one sentence is the essence of following Christ. For with the Holy Spirit comes fruits of the spirit - and only by the Holy Spirit can one possess them. Great studying is meaningless - if you're not in the alignment of God's will. Oh, there is moral, plastic fruit. But I would suggest you scratch the surface of those fruits. The wax will appear quickly. I have learned quite a bit in this season about character. God's character. My character. And learned about fruit (even from yesterday's devotional) - fruits of the spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control) comes from our motives and attitudes. And it is those two things (character and fruit) that we will carry with us to Heaven. Nothing more. Nothing less.

After all, that is our form of worship. Our motives, attitudes, character, and fruit tell us exactly what we think about God.

I suppose we have to each ask ourselves what is our motive? Is it to try to do it right? Or to do it Godly? ("For the love of Christ that compels us" 2 Cor 5:14). And what is our attitude? To prove what we might know? Or to receive and respond to the Holy Spirit's leading? ("Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus" Phil 2:15). All the work done for the sake of good in this world will burn up and leave all the work done for the sake of God in this world.

Beth Moore said it very well last night: We have a portion and a lot. We are harvesters (of fruit). May I gather up my sheaths and present it to my King.

Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.
Psalm 16:5-6

All for now,
Lisa