Encouragement

Think about what we have in Christ: the encouragement he has brought us, the comfort of his love, our sharing in his Spirit, and the mercy and kindness he has shown us. If you enjoy these blessings, then do what will make my joy complete: Agree with each other, and show your love for each other. Be united in your goals and in the way you think. In whatever you do, don’t let selfishness or pride be your guide. Be humble, and honor others more than yourselves. Don’t be interested only in your own life, but care about the lives of others too.

In your life together, think the way Christ Jesus thought. He was like God in every way, but he did not think that his being equal with God was something to use for his own benefit. Instead, he gave up everything, even his place with God. He accepted the role of a servant, appearing in human form. During his life as a man, he humbled himself by being fully obedient to God, even when that caused his death—death on a cross. So God raised him up to the most important place and gave him the name that is greater than any other name. God did this so that every person will bow down to honor the name of Jesus.  Everyone in heaven, on earth, and under the earth will bow. They will all confess, “Jesus Christ is Lord,”and this will bring glory to God the Father.  Philippians 2:1-11

Sometimes, we need look no further than the Scriptures to find encouragement.  As we read them, we find an ancient yet current truth that surges through us like a bolt of lightning.  The scriptures are said to be "living and active and full of power".  (Hebrews 4:12AMP)  I believe this to be true and have experienced this personally.  From the time I came to know the Lord, He put in me a love for His Word. There are times that it speaks straight to my heart with such precision and personalization, that I am just astounded, for lack of a better word.  It moves me to tears.  It fills me with wonder.  It challenges me.  It corrects me.  Joy, peace, and love are enveloped by every page.  

Romans 15:5 says, "All patience and encouragement come from God."  If we believe God to be in the hearts of His people, then we have to consider ourselves as an important vessel of encouragement, as well.  Those scriptures that we meditate upon are not just for our good, but the good of all.  There is a humongous space in this world for us to share His truth and be an encouragement to one another.  I have witnessed time and again, the strength of an encouraging word spoken.  It is God's Spirit pouring forth a blessing.  It is timely, personal and uplifting.  It can be life-changing!

Today, I encourage you to reach into His Word and engage the Holy Spirit.  Then reach out to someone He highlights to you and offer encouragement.  It will bless you and them!  

Jesus, You are the most encouraging One I know!  Help me to lift others up like You do.  Help me to notice the ones that are in need of a "leg-up" and help them back in the saddle.  You are so full of joy and peace and love, and I come to You as my source of all I need.  Pour Your Spirit into me so that I serve with the same humility and grace You display.  

Learning to Love Like Jesus

Amanda Cook sings a song that is called "Pieces".   It grips my heart when I hear it, because I believe not only is it the way God loves us, but how we are to love Him and others.  His commandment to 'love Him with all your heart, soul and mind, and to love others as yourself' (Matt 22:37) comes alive for me in these lyrics.  They provoke me to want to live more intentionally and more unreservedly towards Him and towards others.  To offer my whole heart - not just pieces of it.

Unreserved, unrestrained

Your love is wild, Your love is wild for me

It isn’t shy, it’s unashamed 

Your love is proud to be seen with me

You don’t give Your heart in pieces 

You don’t hide Yourself to tease us 

Uncontrolled, un-contained 

Your love is a fire burning bright for me

It’s not just a spark, it’s not just a flame 

Your love is a light, that all the world will see 

You don’t give Your heart in pieces 

You don’t hide Yourself to tease us 

Your love’s not fractured

It’s not a troubled mind

It isn’t anxious, it’s not the restless kind

Your love’s not passive

It’s never disengaged

It’s always present

It hangs on every word we say

Love keeps its promises, it keeps its word

It honors what’s sacred, cause its vows are good

Your love’s not broken

It’s not insecure

Your love’s not selfish, Your love is pure

'Cause You don’t give Your heart in pieces 

You don’t hide Yourself to tease us 

As I hear this song, I am made aware of how God offers His whole heart to us.  He holds nothing back.    It is this faithful, trustworthy love that reaches deep into our own hearts, beckoning us to come close.  I want to love this fully and fearlessly.  I want to realize that because of being connected heart-to-heart with Him, I can begin to love this way, too.  I want to be so fully convinced by His love, that it's my automatic response to love Him and others in the same way.  "We love because God first loved us." (1 John 4:19).

Community is all around us, and yet so many of us fail to take part.  We fear rejection or hurt, and so we end up living isolated as a way of self-protecting.  And yes, some people have and will mishandle our hearts.  It is inevitable that we will experience this in a broken world.  But that is why we look to Jesus as the example.  He gave His whole heart to the will of His Father and for us on the cross.  He cried out forgiveness over us as He did so.  His forgiveness, like His love, is complete.  And He beckons us to live in this same way, living in this same kind of love He revealed.

We needed His whole heart.  We needed His forgiveness.  We needed to witness a heart fully awake to God and fully awake to us.  Now that we have, what will we do?

I thank You Lord for teaching my heart to trust and move toward relationship - with You and with people.  Thank You for showing me what it looks like in Your Word and even in the songs You inspire in Your people.  Continue to teach me to pursue, to engage, to be transparent.  Show me how worthwhile it is.  Show me the people out there who need to witness this kind of love.  Equip and empower me to reveal Your love to hurting hearts, so that they will turn to You, fascinated by Your glory and goodness.

https://youtu.be/P0FW--zidYA

Partners

We should think about each other to see how we can encourage each other to show love and do good works. We must not quit meeting together, as some are doing. No, we need to keep on encouraging each other.  Hebrews 10:24-25

Over the past weeks, we have moved our family to a new territory.  While it has not been easy to transition to 'all things new', it has been good.  I hate to say, but I was surprised by how smoothly the process has gone.  I shouldn't have been surprised.  I should have known He would come through for us.  I'm supposed to have more faith, right?!  But I didn't.  I was in the boat, storm raging, and a big scaredy-cat.  Funny how things seem much more frightening (waves seem bigger) than they truly are at times...

Well, truth be told, I am downright surprised that it has gone so well (oh me of little faith!).  The Lord has provided so faithfully and graciously, as is His nature.  He has met us at every step - the grief of leaving "home", the loneliness of living in a new and strange place, the apprehension of engaging with all of the "new"…   God has been so faithfully present through the whole experience that I prefer to think it was nothing short of miraculous.

The thing I love most about this miracle is how God chose to partner with people on our behalf.  We have been held together, encouraged and loved so well through our transition.  Family and friends have prayed fervently for us and encouraged us to continue walking in faith, believing and anticipating that the Lord has something new and delightful for us here.  Let's face it, there are moments in the midst of change or troubles that you need someone to remind you of the goodness of God and His plans for us.  Moments when you accidentally shift your focus off Him and onto the waves.  The Lord was so kind to knit our hearts together with these friends over the years.  I will forever be grateful to them for loving us so well.   There is nothing like knowing that there are people out there that know your heart and love you.  And to think we have a God that knows us and loves us even more so!

Coming from a community that loved us so well has set my heart upon deliberately seeking the same here.  We have seen the intrinsic value of living in community and how it shaped us.  We would not be who we are today without those relationships.  They walked beside us amidst loss, trials, joyful times…the good, the bad and the ugly.  You just cannot put a price on that.

As we engage in this place we now call home, I find the Lord ushering us into new relationships.  We have been blessed by many on this side of the move already - people that have invited us to participate in their communities and reached out to welcome us.  I am aware of an intentionality in my own heart to pursue relationship and to actively engage in community.  There was a time when I wouldn't have taken the risk, or at least would have taken longer to reach out.  In years past, I might have shrouded my heart in layers of pretense even, out of a fear I might not be accepted.  Here in this new place, though, I feel the Lord calling me to reach outward with haste and confidence and with a raw honesty.  

We have to pursue this connection with others.  And not just for ourselves but for others, too.  It's reciprocal.  I have to remember that God is in me and wants to use me, as He does you.  He has things to say and might just choose to use my mouth to say it.  He has people to comfort, and my arms just might be the ones He reaches out with.  He has love to give and I might become the vessel He uses to embrace.  It's a humbling thought.  That the Creator chooses the created to accomplish His purposes.  He lives within us to reveal Himself throughout the earth.  That every soul would see that He is good and He is God… We just need to make ourselves available to Him and be willing to serve!

God, You are a triune Being.  You are in perfect relationship as Father, Son and Spirit.  You model for us what community looks like.   Lord Jesus, You revealed to us the remarkable communion of God and man, making a way for us to be restored to right relationship with our Holy God.  We thank you for Your sacrifice.  We thank You for being our Friend and teaching us how to love.  Empower us to engage in our families, our churches, our neighborhoods, and schools as people who love well and encourage one another.  Reveal Your heart through us and use us to display Your glory.  It is in You we live and move and have our being...   

And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands and territories. This was so that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grasp for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.  For in Him we live and move and exist [that is, in Him we actually have our being], as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’ Acts 17:26-28 

Moving in Him

This marks a busy season for my family.  We are moving to a new state next month - a week before Christmas!  Most people look at us like we are completely nuts!  Moving in December??!!  And it does seem a little crazy.  Maybe a lot crazy.  Nevertheless, we are trucking our household across the state line to start life in a brand new place.

We are filled with anticipation, yet at times experience moments of doubt, fear, and sadness.  It's hard to leave our community of 15+ years.  It's not so much the actual packing up that's hard, but what we leave in the rearview mirror.  It's our friends, our church, our school - our people.  This is where I found Jesus and grew up in the Lord.  It's the physical place we found so much spiritual and relational healing.  Words cannot convey how much our church body has meant to us.  It feels like we are leaving the nest, which is not altogether comfortable.   

Still, we know this is what the Lord wants us to do.  Comfortable or not, we are being obedient to Him.  I am so grateful for the voices of friends and family that remind us God is with us, He has good things in store for us, and will provide for our every need.  I'm thankful that the Spirit is also reminding me that we are moving in Him.

That feels right - moving in Him.  All of this is so much bigger than we can see.  We are having to exercise our faith and adjust our eyes to try to see through His.  It hasn't been easy, but at the same time it's easy.  Sounds ridiculous, right?  But have you ever known that you were doing the right thing and felt such comfort in that - yet at the same time, felt it was still the hardest thing to do?  

When I was reading yesterday about the arrival of the Savior on Christmas, I realized how many times God moved Mary and Joseph from place to place in preparation and protection of the Babe they carried.  They traveled from home to Bethlehem, on to Jerusalem, back to Bethlehem, off to Egypt, Judea and finally home to Nazareth.  I'm sure that wasn't comfortable.  I'm sure it was a little frightening at times, considering all the circumstances.  Yet they moved with God each time He asked, and the Lord was with them.  He directed their steps and gave purpose to each one.  

We are all learning to trust God at a deeper level.  The beauty of the journey is knowing that we are moving in Him.  That is where I find my peace.  That is where I find my joy.

Vessels of Good News

I LOVE Christmas!  I love the smells, the sights, the sounds and the Reason behind this season of festivities.  I love the wonder of it all.  I love getting the tree and listening to Christmas songs.  I love wrapping gifts with my husband on Christmas Eve and sneaking them under the tree, hoping the kids aren't awake and peaking over the balcony.

These days as we anticipate the arrival of the Christmas season, we are inundated with messages of "hustle and bustle" from the culture around us.  Already the commercials and advertisements for the latest and greatest "favorites" and "wants" assault our eyes and ears.  It's hard not to get caught up in it all…even the silent competitions of who can pick out the better gift, make the best cookie, decorate the prettiest tree, or create the cutest family photo card…  Sometimes, we can find our peace and joy dwindling away and being exchanged for stress!  There's a lot of pressure - on moms especially - to get it all just right.

And so I sit this morning and think about how I will fit it all in this year in the midst of moving our family to a new state.  And the reality is - I won't.  It's that simple.  And that's okay.

I am drawn to consider, instead, the privilege of sharing Jesus.

"Jesus You're the sign, Jesus You're the wonder, You're the miracle - there is no other!" 

-- Harvest Bashta 

We are now His vessels to spread the Good News the angels sang about in Luke 2.

Then suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host (angelic army) praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest [heaven], And on earth peace among men with whom He is well-pleased.” When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying one to another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem, and see this [wonderful] thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us"...  So they went in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the Baby as He lay in the manger.  And when they had seen this, they made known what had been told them about this Child, and all who heard it were astounded and wondered at what the shepherds told them.  Luke 2:13-18 AMP

The Shepherds' response to this angelic message was to go straight to Bethlehem to see what they had heard about.  A Savior born.  And once they had seen, they began to share.  They began telling others about what they had heard and seen for themselves.  And people were astounded and full of wonder.  

And so questions pepper my thoughts as I read these beloved scriptures… Now that I am found, am I stewarding my commission to share with others Who found me?  Is heavenly peace and joy emanating from me in this celebration of the Savior's arrival?  Is there a sense of devotion to tell others why He came and what He offers?  Am I allowing this high-priority purpose to be shelved in order to appease cultural demands?  

Lord,  It's the perfect time to tell others about You.  To let our traditions and celebrations be signs that point to the Savior of the world.  Make us vessels that reveal Your mysteriously beautiful love for us.  Let our homes be a place of encounter for the lost and broken.  Infuse our traditions and celebrations with Your love, joy and peace and let Your presence rest upon us.  As Brian Johnson sings, "For the sake of the world, burn like a fire in me.  Light a flame in my soul for every eye to see."  Amen.  

Invitation to Holy Spirit

Over the summer I was blessed to attend a women's conference at Bethel Church in Redding, CA. During the conference, I heard Eric Johnson share a message about "creating a space and a place" where you can encounter the presence of God.  It spoke to me and I thought about it yesterday morning when I was sitting on my back porch. I turned on some music, opened my bible and prayed for God to speak to me through His word.  I created a space and a place to encounter Him.  Sure enough, I felt Him begin to speak to me and remind me of things I needed to remember.  His Word flashed through my mind and entered my heart with precision only He could deliver. 

Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God is living and active and full of power - making it operative, energizing, and effective. It is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as the division of the soul and spirit, the completeness of a person, and of both joints and marrow - the deepest parts of our nature - exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart."

He spoke to a void in my heart...a place I have lost a little hope of late. There was no condemnation for my weakened state. Just loving kindness. He was filling me with hope again for something I was starting to give up on. The specifics are not really important - I'm sure you can think of your own times you've felt a void or a hunger for something more. The part I feel He wants me to share is how He filled the void.  By me 'creating a space and a place', I invited Him to have His way. I invited Him to access the areas of my heart that were in need.  There's no magic formula. It's just simply being still for a moment and inviting Him in.  When my children ask me for advice or help on something, I'm honored and glad-hearted to help. It thrills me to see them humbly ask for direction, knowing I will sit down with them and share what I have to offer.  Just think how much more willing our God is to sit down with us! 

Luke 11:11-13 "What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you, then, being evil that is, sinful by nature, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask and continue to ask Him!” 

Asking the Father for the Holy Spirit is not necessarily a one-time thing. We have an opportunity to ask daily. There's more of Him to discover.  Ephesians 1:13 "In Him, you also, when you heard the word of truth, the good news of your salvation, and as a result believed in Him, were stamped with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit, the One promised by Christ, as owned and protected by God."  We receive the Holy Spirit when we believe and are marked by Christ as His...but perhaps there are more levels of power and presence He wants to unlock in us.  Ephesians 1:17-23 "I always pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may grant you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation that gives you a deep and personal and intimate insight into the true knowledge of Him, for we know the Father through the Son. And I pray that the eyes of your heart -the very center and core of your being - may be enlightened, flooded with light by the Holy Spirit, so that you will know and cherish the hope, the divine guarantee, the confident expectation to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints (God’s people), and so that you will begin to know what the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His active, spiritual power is in us who believe."   When I became a Christian, I wasn't necessarily "done". I am not perfected.  I still need Him desperately.  I still need to be taught, nurtured, held, filled and refilled.  And thankfully, I think He's happy to do so!  And so yesterday (and again this morning) I asked for His Holy Spirit. I asked for Him to speak to my heart. To uncover my voids/wounds/weaknesses and meet me where I was.  He came.  He healed.  He filled.  He refreshed me.  He showed me truth in the word.  He uncovered and revealed what was hidden, and He brought it into the light of His presence.  

Create a space and a place to encounter Him today.  Ask the Father for the Holy Spirit.  Continuously ask.  He is only one invitation away from doing a work in your heart.  Ask for Him to teach You about things you read in His word.  Perhaps He will unveil and reveal things beyond what our human minds can understand.  Maybe He will reveal mysteries we never could have imagined!  Or maybe He will just speak to the void in your heart that desperately wants to be filled and the brokenness that He has healing balm for.  "For God has unveiled them and revealed them to us through the Holy Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things [diligently], even [sounding and measuring] the [profound] depths of God [the divine counsels and things far beyond human understanding] 1 Corinthians 2:10 (AMP)

Come Away, Come Alive

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for peace and well-being (and not for disaster) to give you a future and a hope. 

I love the Word of God - always current, always powerful, always applicable. This verse above is one that I've known a long time. But in this very moment it means more to me than ever before.  Right now it feels so full of promise. A promise of a faithful Father that stands the test of time.  It speaks to this very moment I'm breathing in and out. It's like water to my thirsty soul. 

His Word never fails...to delight, to impart, to strengthen, to nourish.  His Word brings hope.  Life. When things look bleak, these ancient words inspire me to believe and to hope. I find peace in them. Rest. I read of His faithfulness. I read of His heart of goodness. I read of His sovereignty. His miracles. And I'm reminded how much I need His word to walk through my life.  Rain or shine.  

"I want to know You, Lord, like I know a friend." (United Pursuit, Simple Gospel). This has been a desire of my heart since I was first saved - to know Him intimately.  And isn't this a great way to get to know Him?  By being in His very Word?  To listen to Him speak to the very heart?  A current yet ancient promise for us to find hope in and to feel connected to His heart.  The Word is overflowing with promises and love!  Reading them helps us cultivate a deep friendship with our Creator and Father, our Savior and Friend, our Comforter and Teacher.  And through this relationship, we are able to live!  Really live!  Thrive, even. 

As I sit on my porch soaking in the sunshine and cool, autumn breeze, I am moved by how He meets me here.  Right where I am. He speaks straight to my heart. Truth. Promise. All with a tender love that makes me feel gathered up in His arms.  Covered and held together.  I feel like He's been waiting for me to meet Him here, in the pages of His heart.  I am experiencing His glorious presence and peace in this moment. While I often am running around doing, today I'm instead resting and enjoying His presence. I think it delights Him.  It surely delights me. Peace and joy are invading my spirit. I'm thankful He called me to come away with Him this morning. Thankful He's reminding me how much I need Him and how beautiful time with Him truly is. 

"And He calls each one of us by our name to come away. And He whispers to your heart to let it go and to be alive!  Come alive!  You’re full of life now and full of passion!  It’s how He made you. Just let it happen..." (United Pursuit, Let it Happen)

Thank You, God, for meeting me here. For speaking forth Your word to heal me. Thank You for Your faithfulness. For Your goodness towards me. Thank You for the plans you have for me...for allowing me to partner with You in them.  Thank you for restoring my hope. Thank You for refreshing my spirit. I'm honored You care for me so...and humbled...and so in love with You!  I pray for any who read these words to be blessed with an encounter with You.  To dive into Your book of life and breathe in and out, receiving from Your heart.  Let it happen...