May 6 - Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep...

Philippians 3:1-12

What keeps you up at night?

I wonder if there are ever questions that run through your mind, like mine, at the end of the day:

Did I remember to switch over the laundry?

Where is the grocery list?


Maybe our questions get a little more unsettling, just like our hearts that are searching for stillness even as our bodies toss and turn:

Did I get enough accomplished today?

How am I going to pay the bills next month?

Are the kids/parents going to be alright?

Is anyone going to take me seriously?

What does so-and-so think of me?

What if I get sick?

How can I prove myself to be worthy of the promotion/relationship/praise/job offer/love?

These questions aren’t just about whether or not we left the lights on. They are questions that reveal the wiring of our hearts—they reveal to us how much our hearts long for honor, worth, and significance. They reveal to us how much confidence we place in the things of this world and our own strength; health for survival and well-being.

And yet, neither we nor the things of this world will ever quiet those questions and pleadings of our hearts. If we turn to the world around us for answers, we will always be left longing. If we turn to ourselves, we will be left in despair. Even if we successfully climb the ladder of achievement and make ourselves out to have “made it”, there is always a secret fear in our hearts, whispering to us and reminding us that it can all come crashing down at any moment (and for many of us, it has in recent weeks). In order to stay at the top of the ladder of success, we can find ourselves tempted to mistreat others on the rungs below us, lest they pull us down a rung or two in their pursuit of our place at the top.

Whenever I am brave enough to remember and admit that this is true about myself, I am that much more moved by Paul’s words in verse 7: “whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.” Paul does not hesitate to remind us about his place at the top of the ladder, rattling through his accolades that read like something out of a “Who’s Who of First Century Pharisees.” And yet, he is insistent that we realize that all those accomplishments pale in comparison to the fullness found in a life guided by—and lived with—Jesus.

Paul's confidence is not in his accomplishments, or his earthly good fortune, or his status. In fact, Paul, like Jesus, experienced great hardship throughout his life. But it seemed not to sway or unsettle him, because he had emptied himself of the need for his own elevation, and instead found a confidence and enduring hope in Christ.

There is freedom for us in body, mind, and spirit when we step off of the ladder and into the arms of Jesus, where "fears are stilled and strivings cease”. There is not a fragility or fickleness in the fierce and unchanging love of our Lord. And his arms are big enough for all of us, all the time.

That is a truth in which I can have confidence.

In Jesus' arms, I can truly rest.

Hello Father

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.  With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Ephesians 6:18

I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t pray – probably lose my mind.  Prayer is what gets me through.  Whether it’s thanking God for the beauty of another day or asking him to point me in the right direction when making decisions for my family, I pray to God in big ways and small, all day long.

It didn’t use to be like this.  Growing up, the only way I knew how to pray was to say the Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be over and over.  (These are the main prayers of the Rosary.)  I still find great comfort in the prayers and turn to them often, but what has changed for me and my prayer life is that I’ve developed a personal relationship with God.  He’s become my friend and confidant and I talk to him that way now.

I tell him what’s on my heart – though he already knows.  I request things for myself and for others knowing that God will provide in His own way and time.  This is where prayer can get frustrating, because we want what we want when we want it.  Prayer can bring triumphant joy, but it often comes with significant heartbreak and sorrow.  So many emotions wrapped up in one act.  But what would you expect when you’re fighting for your soul?!

Prayer is how we fight against evil, but it’s also how we surrender – knowing that we can’t win this war by ourselves.  The only one who can do this is Jesus and we need to ask him for help.  There’s nothing we can’t bring to him, so we might as well take advantage of the gift the Spirit offers and pray.  It’s the only way we’ll make it through, without losing our minds.

You Want Me To Do ALL That?

²⁵ Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. ²⁶ “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, ²⁷ and do not give the devil a foothold. ²⁸ Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.

²⁹ Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. ³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹ Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. ³² Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. -Ephesians 4:25-32

Today I have posted the entire scripture text for you to read.  The Apostle Paul is so strategic in how he instructs us, that I wanted you to see the entire picture.   This section of scripture ends with a very specific command. “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as Christ God forgave you.”

I think as a Christian we grow accustom to reading and hearing that we should be kind and compassionate and to other and forgive.  We know it’s something we should do, and I bet many of us truly want to be able to live up to that instruction.  There are times, though that we want to yell, “It’s just not fair!”

We don’t feel that God understands the hurt. There are times that being kind and compassionate, forgiving the person who hurt you so deeply is just impossible. That is where I want to introduce this entire passage to you.  Take a look. 

Paul starts by saying,

• ·         Don’t lie, but speak truthfully.
• ·         Don’t get so angry that you sin, and if you are angry make amends quickly.
• ·         Don’t steal.  Work for what you get.
• ·         What you do work for, share with those in need.
• ·         Watch your mouth.  Don’t say hurtful, negative, slanderous things.
• ·         Don’t give credit to something else that belongs to God, that Grieves the Holy Spirit.

Lastly Paul sends out a barrage of don’ts… Get rid of ALL bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with EVERY form of malice.

I think Paul structured this passage in this way for two reasons. First, before he asks us to forgive others he reminds us of our own areas of sin.  Christ has forgiving us completely so we should forgive others.  It’s easier to show compassion when you remember the compassion that was first shown to you.

Secondly, I think Paul wants us to see the impossibility of EVERYTHING he is asking us to do if we are not connected to God.  We CAN’T walk the path of speaking truthfully, not sinning in anger, making amends, honest work, giving to those in need, positive talk, giving God glory, and everything else on our own. It does seem impossible to show kindness, compassion and forgiveness to deep hurts if we do it in our own strength.  God never intended us to do this alone.  He wants us to rely on him and his strength.

We need to be mindful of all of this, but also surrender to the One who can do this work in and through us. 

Consider it PURE JOY

Have you had to preserver under trial?  Has life changed course or gone a way you hadn’t planned? Have you had to bury a parent or child long before expected?  Maybe you lost a job or moved away from loved ones. Perhaps tragic illness has struck your home, and you are now navigating life as a caregiver.

In my younger years, I thought life would get easier with age.  I figured that with age came wisdom, and wisdom meant life would move more smoothly. The older I get though, I see I may be wiser but life is definitely not easier.

The past four years have probably been the roughest I have experienced.  The word, persevere, aptly describes what I have done.  James chapter 1:12 says,“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”  

I have refused to give up.  I even had a scripture verse tattooed to my foot, reminding me that God’s word will guide me. In my time of trial and perseverance, I have found a sweetness in surrendering to God’s will and his plan.  It may not have been my plan.  My life right now looks totally different than what I envisioned as a child, but there is JOY.

I am learning to trust God with my future.  It is in that place of trust where the first words in James 1 have finally become clear. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

Whether the trial is God ordained or God allowed, we are to trust him.  When we trust him with the trial, he will work in us; refining us as he gets us to the other side of it.  And it is in that sweet release of trust that we find joy in the trial, because if God is for us, who can be against us? 

I would encourage you to read today's passage.  Read it a couple times if you can and ask God to show you how to see the joy in the trial when we finally trust him.  James 1:2-15

Isaiah 1:11; Luke 3:23,32

How do we worship God?  What is the proper way to approach worship; does someone who has been a Christian for years worship differently than a new believer?  Does it matter?  During Isaiah's time, before Jesus came to earth, true worship involved sacrifice.  God called Isaiah to tell the people to change their ways.  One of the changes they needed to make was their worship practices and their devotion.

This holds true for us today as well.  Isaiah wrestled with the peoples' attitudes and priorities.  He was charged with leading the people to know God and obey God. The Scripture today is:

The multitude of your sacrifices— what are they to me?” says the LORD. 

“I have more than enough of burnt offerings, 

of rams and the fat of fattened animals; 

I have no pleasure 

in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.

God wants our love and our worship, not messy animal sacrifice.  In Isaiah's day animal blood sacrifice was the accepted and expected vehicle to worship.  Because Jesus became the blood sacrifice, we can approach worship with just ourselves.  We come before the throne offering ourselves by submitting and surrendering our will.  We can lift up our hands and Praise our God in a worshipful pose.

Read the text here.