the crucified life (galatians 2:20)

I just started doing Beth Moore's Bible study, Living Beyond Yourself. The past couple of days, I've been digging deep into Galatians 2:20- "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me." Beth gave us 10 characteristics of a crucified life. I have been pouring over these recently, and I would like to share them with you.
1. Few will understand
2. Must abandon your own will and agenda
3. Your intimate spiritual companions will be few
4. Intense times of aloneness with God is required
5. You will be constantly on the witness stand
6. You must go "outside the camp"
7. There will be times that your dignity is "forfeited"
8. You must forego your rights
9. You must accept that death is painful
10. Because He was forsaken, you will never be
Lord, I want to know You and the power of Your resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in Your sufferings, becoming like You in Your death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead (Philippians 3:10-11)!

when ministry happens

Luke 5:15-16 “But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.”
Jesus was at the start of His ministry…momentum was picking up…people were hearing about Him, seeking Him, and were amazed by Him. Don’t stop now! Keep going! Full speed ahead! Right?!?
Have you ever been in that situation? …when the ministry you are involved with is taking off and great things are happening! You are starting to see fruit, and you are reaping a harvest from where you have sown seed. As a result, you wake hours before the rooster, and you burn the midnight oil at night. You are busy perfecting your ministry and doing your ministry! Hmmmm… this sounds well and good, but it is not YOUR ministry…it is GOD’S ministry! Because of that, we need to quiet ourselves before Him and seek His direction. Even when we see that things are going well, we CANNOT neglect our time with the Originator of the ministry and the Lord of all. It is through time with Him that we are refueled, redirected, and refreshed.
We must follow the example of Jesus… “He would withdraw to desolate places and pray” (vs. 16). Even when His ministry was booming, He stopped and spent time with His Father. THAT is when true ministry happens- GOD’S ministry!

some good sayings...

"Just Do It." "Where's the Beef?" "Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there." "Taste the rainbow." Yes...we've all heard these before- slogans, advertisements, sayings. There are also some good sayings that I have found to be encouraging in my Christian walk. I thought I would mention them today- kind of a simple blog, but one that, hopefully, will stick with you. Here are some of the sayings that have been on my mind lately:
"Forget yourself for others, and others will not forget you."
"Trade the TRIVIAL for the ETERNAL."
"Go to the THRONE before you go to the PHONE."
hmmm...good thoughts...

victory through stillness

So...picture the scene...the Israelites have just left Egyptian bondage, they are standing at the edge of the Red Sea, and Pharaoh's army is rushing towards them in an angry rage. They come with chariots, weapons, and vengeance...the Israelites stand with cattle, children, and unleavened bread. Surrender? Panic? Or pass out? One might think those were the Israelites' only options. But...through their 80 year old leader, the Lord tells them something different. "Moses answered the people, 'Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.'" (Exodus 14:13-14) Be still. I am reminded of the verse in Isaiah which says, "...in quietness and trust is your strength..." (Is. 30:15). We trust in THE omnipotent God...the One with all power, might, and victory. We can truly be still and know that HE is GOD. (Psalm 46:10) When the world calls for panic, the Lord calls for peace...for with Him, the victory is sure.

testimony in forgiveness

"...For to see your face is like seeing the face of God, now that you have received me favorably..." (Genesis 33:10)
We all know those famous words spoken from the lips of our mothers, "Wait until your father gets home..." Oh no. That's it. You're in trouble now! After that comment was made, you had to wait in quiet torture until Dad walked in the front door. You know what you did was wrong, but now you have to face the reality of consequences. In Genesis 32 & 33, Jacob had this feeling of "quiet torture" as he prepared to meet his brother, Esau. Much time had passed since Jacob deceived their father and had stolen from Esau what was rightfully his- his birthright. Esau had every right to be upset, bitter, and vengeful. Who knows what would happen? So, Jacob tried his best to make this a pleasurable meeting...highly doubting that it would go over well. But, listen to their initial encounter in Genesis 33:4, "But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept." WOW! Can't you picture Jacob? His eyes were probably bugging out, his jaw dropped wide from shock, and he was silent in amazement. His brother, Esau, had welcomed him with open arms, brotherly love, and true forgiveness. It was almost too much to accept. Jacob replied to Esau in verse 10, "For to see your face is like seeing the face of God, now that you have received me favorably." Because of Esau's true forgiveness, Jacob witnessed God's love in a real way...he saw the Lord shining through Esau. When we forgive, it is a beautiful picture of God's forgiveness for us...not in its entirety, by any means, but it gives people a glimpse of God's unconditional love. I would love to have someone say of me, "...to see your face is like seeing the face of God..." Wow! By showing God's love in forgiveness, we have the perfect opportunity to shine for Him!

You've already begun...

1 Thessalonians 4:13- "Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep..." (NIV).
Death is a strong word- it almost sounds like THE END…the grand finale…that's all folks. But, it's not. Paul refers to physical death as "falling asleep". Why would he use those words? Maybe to prove a point…that the physical death does not mean a person's life is over. Yes, for their physical body, but NOT for their spiritual body- their soul. One's soul does not die; it continues on at an eternal location, either heaven or hell. This life here on temporary earth is the deciding factor of where your soul will go…FOREVER. Hmmm…so, do you think we have a purpose? Yes. We are not called to cruise through this life on earth with no thought of eternity. Because in reality, we are in eternity right now…this is just the first part. How am I living my life right now in preparation for an eternal destination? What you do here on earth has a direct effect on how the rest of your eternal journey will go. Knowing all of this, why do we spend so much time at the mall buying our 34th pair of shoes? Why do we devote our evenings watching a box with fictional characters on its screen? Why are we obsessive with exercise to make our bodies fit into a smaller size? This is the start of eternity…you have already begun. Think about today…have you stored up treasures on earth or in heaven? Which ones will last longer? "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Matt. 6:19-21. Live fully…live with purpose…live in preparation…live strong…live for eternity.

"More & More"

You can never get enough of a good thing! Recently, some girlfriends and I ordered a chocolate dessert at a restaurant. (We decided to be “healthy” and split the double chocolate fudge gooey brownie sundae 3 ways…that’s a little bit of an oxymoron!) The waiter gave us a cup of fudge sauce to drizzle on our grand finale to dinner. Wow! Our taste buds were thrilled! But once we had scraped the little cup dry, we looked at each other with the same expression…our eyes and smiles said one word… “More!” After our request, the patient waiter blessed us again with another cup of fudge sauce! Needless to say, he received a great tip! As I said before, you can never get enough of a good thing! The Thessalonians were doing some good things when Paul wrote them a letter around 50 A.D. In chapter four of 1 Thessalonians, he commended them of living lives that were pleasing to God (vs. 1), and showing brotherly love to others (vs. 10). But, he didn’t stop there- he said, “More!” “Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more” (vs. 2) & “Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so (showing love) more and more” (vs. 10). Paul challenged them to continue moving forward…living holy lives…pleasing God more and more and more and more and… While I was home this week, my dad challenged me with these same words…to keep on living for Him more and more. It wasn’t until a couple of days later that I read these verses of Scripture and was reminded that we have to continually ask, challenge, and urge each other to keep on keeping on in the Christian life...to never become weary in doing good (Galatians 6:9). You can never get enough of a good thing! Challenge one another today…don’t settle…live, serve, and love God “more and more!”