06-14-13 The 'Poor' Widow?

Mark 12:41-44 "Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

Now why did this portion of scripture pass through my finite brain when I'm writing about a sacrifice of praise? That's what I asked the Lord. It was an easy answer actually... giving our Father a sacrifice of praise isn't just praising Him in song, in dance, in word, but it's in deed also.

The Bible calls the widow 'poor', but I don't see it. In the eyes of the world maybe she wasn't dressed the best, maybe she may have had a certain smell to her, maybe she lived in little more than a shack.  In the Lord's eyes (and mine) she was rich in faith, in faithfulness, in love for God. She was praising Him through giving all she had.

That's all God requires of us. Just everything we have. 

But He gives us everything He has in return. Why do we doubt that so many times that we hold onto what we have with a strong arm and tight grip like a little kid saying to another, "It's MINE!" No, whatever it is, it's not ours - everything we have is from the Lord. David proclaimed in 1 Chronicles "Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand."

We praise Him through even what we may see as the smallest act of kindness and willingness to give everything to Him.  It's a journey (I try to stay away from the word 'process' - it's over-rated)... we don't give Him everything overnight... but a little here and a little there adds up over time. Then He gives us much more that what we've given him here and there.  It's actually a win-win situation for us... if we so choose to follow Him and sacrifice our praise in action.

Take All of Me - Hillsong  .......  But be careful what you ask for ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytpF2MUTTNo&feature=pyv&ad=3594640885&kw=all

06-13-13 Wait. Pray. Receive. Praise

Psalm 40:1-5 "I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. 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. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him. Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods. Many, Lord my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare."

While we are in a 'slimy pit of mud and mire', how many of us can truly say that we waited PATIENTLY for the Lord? How many of us instead kick and scream and look everywhere trying to get out by ourselves - then becoming a bit angry at God or ourselves or others for getting us into this situation in the first place. Maybe then feeling helpless and/or hopeless that the situation is ever going to get any better - especially if we are slowly sinking down deeper into this pit. People walk by - maybe friends, and we don't say anything because we don't think they can help anyway - or we do cry out and they don't hear us. Resigning ourselves to a slow, but sure death, but having just a little flicker of hope somewhere deep inside that God could still come through and take our hand (after He reaches down into the muck and finds it) and pull us up. I don't know if it would be patience, but we wait for SOMETHING to happen one way or the other, but we are pretty sure that the Lord will come. Though we are not sure when that will be or how we even know He will. It's just there.

He washes us off and sets our feet on strong sturdy rock, where we would probably fall down into a heap because of our striving to get out of the pit ourselves has made us exhausted. On the firm rock we slowly regain our strength as we bask in the sun and our bodies relax and become one with peace. The Lord is still with us - maybe sitting beside us with His hand on our head - maybe gently stroking our hair or head. Then we finally get out the words, 'Thank you, Jesus.' We tell Him how much we love Him and adore Him and are grateful for His saving grace, regardless of how we got there. His kindness leads us to repentance - for getting there in the first place or if it wasn't our fault - for our reaction to being in that pit... our unbelief.

What could this pit represent in our lives today? Addiction - food, sex, drugs, alcohol, pornography, computer games - dare I say, FaceBook ;)  ; Despair; Financial Difficulties; Losing a Job, Home, Friends; Death of a dream, or person; Depression.  What could it be for you?

Can we find it in ourselves to wait patiently for the Lord so that He can put a new song in our mouths (instead of the negative song that has been coming out of our mouths? I don't think so. What?? No, I surely can't find it in myself to do that. But God...  God can give us the ability to wait - if we settle down and ask. Salvation will come - He is the One Who will put a new song in our mouths. He is the One Who gives us even the ability to praise Him for lifting us up out of our pits afterwards.

What do we have to do? Wait. Pray. Talk. Ask for Help. Receive Help. Fairly easy compared to trying to kick and scream our way out - frantically grabbing hold of whatever is around only to have it snap. Wait. God will not let His Name be trampled by the enemy - He will exalt His Name... and then we will so that the world may know we serve a good and gracious, loving God.

MY SOUL LONGS FOR YOU - Jesus Culture

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1QzSF_Y9K4

06-12-13 With All Your Heart

Psalm 86:11-13 "Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths, from the realm of the dead."

I remember once when I was in a very low place emotionally and mentally. I sensed the Presence of the Lord and I said, "I have nothing to give You." He replied, "I'll take anything you have." You know, things like my heart, my mind, my will - those 'small' things.

When we're in "those" kinds of places - we pretty much have to go by faith that the Lord is near to the broken-hearted and a crushed spirit He will not destroy (Psalm 34:18). The other alternative is to lean on others' faith around us to help us hold on to hope. It's not just the angels that bear us up so we don't trip over a rock and land on our faces (Psalm 91), it's friends who have the faith to hold us up in prayer and carry us to Jesus' feet. It's Jesus who intercedes for us - saying something like, "Father, Your Daughter (Your Son), My Bride - have mercy on them and extend Your grace and love to them. They really do believe Your promises, but they have not achieved perfection as I have. I know and believe that they are worthy of Your love, they wear the cloak of righteousness purchased by My Blood." Father looks up at that and surrounds us with His glory so that nothing and no one can harm us while we are in that state. Whether it's grief or depression or whatever, He protects us while we are in process of dealing with it with Him.

We don't have to 'feel' anything to praise the Lord. Sometimes we have to step out in faith and do it anyway, remembering what He has done in the past for us by lifting us out of realm of the dead and remembering His promises to us. This is how our divided hearts become undivided - by remembering Who He is and what He has done; so that we honor and revere His Name. Then we can offer that sacrifice of praise, even when we don't feel like it.

Lord, please give us undivided hearts so that we may fear Your Name. Let it be that we worship and praise you in faith when our emotions 'don't feel like it' because You are always worthy of our praise and honor and thanks and worship. Let us praise you will our whole heart, even if our 'whole' heart doesn't seem like much to give - even when we think that there is nothing there to give. Bless those times when we give the 'next to nothing' we have just because You are Who You are. In Jesus' Name. So Be It.

Yet I Will Praise You - Vineyard
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QjlUDAx53c

06-11-13 Between God and a Whale's Stomach

Jonah 2 "From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. He said: "In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry. You hurled me into the depths, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me. I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.’ The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you, Lord my God, brought my life up from the pit. “When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple. “Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them. But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’” And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land."

I don't know about you, but when I look read the Word of God... sometimes God surprises me with something I've never seen before. Like today.

When I pulled up verses on offering sacrifices of praise, this whole chapter of Jonah stood out like a billboard to me. Talk about being between a rock and a hard spot (i.e., God being the Rock and the whale being the hard spot). 

Now, can you imagine running from God (well, ok - for some of us it might be pretty easy to imagine that), but you get on a boat and all these bad things happening with the boat, the crew, etc. Now, you know that there's been a tad bit of disobedience on your part - not doing what the Lord had wanted you to do. Therefore, little by little you're getting the picture that what's happening to this 'innocent' crew is your fault.  So, with either great faith that God is going to save you or if He doesn't save you you'll die by the hand of God, you tell the crew that the only way that they can save themselves is to throw you overboard. The crew didn't want to do that, but eventually saw they had no choice if they were to live. So into the drink, Jonah goes.

It's just my opinion, but I think the Lord let Him tread water for a while wondering why he didn't listen to the Lord in the first place. Then again, maybe the Lord was allowing him to get a few last breaths of fresh air... Imagine the fear that rose up in his throat when he realized he was just about to become dinner for a huge whale!  

I noticed something though, what do the very first few words say? "FROM INSIDE THE FISH..." Jonah thanked and praised God in the face of death. Jonah had turned away from God, he was thrown into the ocean (or sea), he was swallowed by a really big fish - which I'm sure did not smell very good with everything rotting around him, he spent 3 days and nights in the dark with who knows what else the whale was eating. He was not in a very good situation. This wasn't a 'save me' prayer, it was a sacrifice of praise in the midst of a gloomy, dark place. He basically was saying, 'God, You're good - You're right, I'm wrong. I'm sorry. I know my place now. I will do what You have asked, but I don't think my way is working very well. You are the Only One Who can rescue me.' Then, he didn't ask, he declared that 'Salvation comes from the Lord.' 

Perfect example of offering a sacrifice of praise to the Lord. I'm sure he wasn't all happy and joyful about his circumstances. I would have been pretty depressed - angry - frustrated. I would have tried to get out until I was too tired to try. I would be wondering at some point if I was going to die or if God was listening.  My emotions definitely would have been astir. But I'm also pretty tenacious. No matter how far down I've been in the past, my spirit would always be holding onto the tiniest thread of hope. Maybe that's what Jonah resolved to do and from there, his faith grew.

I figure if Jonah can praise God in His situation, then I can praise Him in mine.  Our situations and circumstances change - God never changes. He's the same yesterday, today and forever. He is still and always will be God.

Yet I Will Praise You - Vineyard Music
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vEjt280PDo

06-10-13 Sacrifice of Praise

Psalm 54 "God, save me by your power. Set me free by your might. God, hear my prayer. Listen to what I’m saying. Strangers are attacking me. Mean people are trying to kill me. They don’t care about God. But I know that God helps me.  The Lord is the one who keeps me going. My enemies tell lies about me. Do to them the evil things they planned against me. God, be faithful and destroy them. I will sacrifice an offering to you just because I choose to. Lord, I will praise your name because it is good. You have saved me from all of my troubles. With my own eyes I have seen you win the battle over my enemies."

Okay, so I'm straying from my usually NIV to the NIV Reader's Version. In writing about the 'sacrifice of praise', this translation goes just a little deeper into what was trying to be conveyed.

This was written at the time when Saul was after David to kill him. He was 'in hiding', but the peoples he was hiding with decided to tell Saul. David launched into this prayer. He asked God to vindicate him, I believe, for two reasons: 1) He had faith that God could and would rescue him, because God had never failed him; and, 2) He would not fight Saul, because Saul was King and therefore, anointed by God. He would not touch God's anointed (1 Samuel 24). He didn't hide because he was afraid. David, afraid? The one who had slain so many people - Goliath being one of them - lions and bears, etc. No, I can't believe he was afraid. He feared God - respected His judgement and revered His ways.

In all of this - the trouble surrounding him, he DECIDED to offer a sacrifice. He CHOSE to praise the Lord because the Lord was GOOD. He knew His God - so He knew He was faithful to do what He had promised to do. He had faith in God's protection and love for him - and He loved God. 

As the years prior had seen witness, God had never failed him. He had probably failed God here and there - but he had seen the hand of God protecting him and giving Him victory over his (and the Lord's enemies - those whom the Lord knew in no way would ever bow down to His Lordship).

Whatever we are going through right now, God will help us... we only need to ask. He has never failed us. We may have been or are in some pretty tight places where we feel a little stuck, or may we're in a bondage of our own making or someone else's. Whatever it may be - I'm sure we can think back to a time when He did make good of His Word and came to rescue us. He will do so again. We only need to reach out to Him... in faith that He will come - that He is here and praise Him regardless of our circumstances, because He is worthy to be praised... not just in the good times, but in the tough times also. He is always God.

Break Every Chain

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNAV98bAqng