God's Word is Alive!

One of the gifts I received for my birthday last year was a daily verse calendar (thanks Nicole!). It sits just to the right of my computer at work, and every morning I look forward to turning the next page and reading a verse to get me started for the day. If I were to lose that flip calendar, I would shed tears...it's such a sweet part of booting up in the morning.

The morning before our first fall bible study, I turned the calendar over and my eyes fell upon my newest favorite verses from Ephesians. Chapter 5, verses 1-2. "Therefore be imitators of God as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."

Immediately I snatched it up as my personal theme verse for the 12 week bible study in Romans, and I shared it with the ladies that night. If studying God's word together should do anything it should challenge us to be more like Christ. Ever since then, the Lord has been using it in my life, in conjunction with other verses and reminders, to cut out habits, behaviors and attitudes that don't belong in a heart seeking after God's own.

Verse one is my favorite part thus far in my study. "Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children." To take the verse in context, I looked back at what Paul had been saying in the verses just before 5:1. He was challenging the Ephesians to let go of their life before Christ, and everything that went with it. Anger, malice, and all evil speaking was to be put aside, and instead put on the new self, found in redemption through Christ Jesus, and "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you" (Ephesians 4:32).

So when Paul says, "Therefore," he is saying that because we have Christ living in us to defeat the sinful and selfish ways of living as we did before, and now that we have a new life with Power to love each other, in doing that we ought imitate our Lord.

The image that came to mind when I focused on imitating was that of a small child. One who is old enough to make decisions about how to treat his friends and how to respond to his parents, but who is young enough to know that the way Mom and Dad do things is the best way. For example, when a small child helps her friend up after a fall at the playgound, and then offers to "kiss it to make it better." Or the way young boys start holding doors open for their mother and sister because that is what he witnessed dad doing. In similar fashion, we are to imitate our heavenly Father who loves us and desires what is best for us. The way we serve, the things we think about, and how we treat others, are all ways to imitate the behavior of Christ.

But not only is it a "beloved" image, that of a child copying his parents, but it is also one of the highest callings we'll ever have, because it requires us not only to modify our behavior but also to prune the very heart condition that motivates our lives. Christ didn't live perfectly because He had to, He did so because His very nature demanded it. On top of that, Paul didn't make it optional. "Therefore, be." Not, "If you feel like it try," or "On good days, do..." but "because you have been saved, do as Christ did." Our new nature should become like that of Christ so that we can't help but behave like Him.

That's a high charter to uphold, and requires much more than simply loving our neighbor, feeding the poor, and studying the scriptures. It also means we must be vigilant against sin, and use the power of the Holy Spirit to help us cut off those dead branches of bad habits, less than perfect thought life, sub par television choices, and earthly pursuits. Maybe the rotten fruit that needs pruning is more internal: pride, selfishness, jealously, laziness, or apathy. Whatever it is, we have no other choice than to evaluate and break out the trimmers.

So, that's where I am now. Holding the trimmers and trying to decide where to start. It's an exciting and nerve wracking adventure that is sure to alter the way we live, if we will but take Him seriously. And it will definitely lead to producing more fruit: aren't flower gardens the most beautiful in the days following the Gardner's pruning spree?

I ask you to consider what God might be asking you to cut off from your life, and also, to hold me accountable to what He has begun in my soul!!

"Don't take lightly the things of our God, but rather step lightly to follow where He has led."

I Just Can't Seem to Quit

Why is it that when it comes to fleshly habits, routines or addictions (here after all are referred to as addictions-more or less they can all be categorized as such) it is difficult almost beyond physical ability, to overcome them. Just getting to the point of being willing to want to stop smoking, drink less, eat better, or watch less is a feat in itself. Once the decision for improvement is finally made, the plan for execution is created, and a time frame established, ACTION is required. But for some reason, it is not uncommon for us to need to start over and even re-vamp our strategy before we find the type of success we dreamed up in our head.

And while it is possible to make progress, change habits, and break free of addictions (one of the greatest success stories belongs to my grandfather-to be shared in a later post), the feeling that "I just can't seem to quit" often leads the charge and postpones the want to attitude which is the muscle of change.

"I just can't seem to quit...smoking."

"I just can't seem to quit...staying up too late."

"I just can't seem to quit...drinking one too much."

"I just can't seem to quit . . ." you fill in the blank.

Why can we rationalize the difficulties in "quitting," while at the same time we can't start other things, like memorizing scripture, choosing church over sports, family over work, or devotions over tv or a good book?

What transformation could take place in our lives if instead of spending so much effort on physically overcoming something in the flesh, we were so passionate for the things of God that we were addicted to His Word, His will, His church, and His Spirit until it began to squeeze the desires of the flesh out of our lives just because there wasn't room?

Could we, then, have the following problems:

"I just can't seem to quit reading my Bible."

"I just can't seem to quit reciting that scripture."

"I just can't seem to quit bringing Jesus up in conversation throughout the day" ?

The cry of my heart is to pant for God's Word like a deer pants for water. That I can't sit still until I've met with Him in person. That my day doesn't seem right until I've showered my soul with His Spirit. That I can't possibly go to bed without one more glass of His grace. To seek Him until "I just can't seem to quit."

Psalm 42:1 "As a deer pants for flowing streams,
so pants my soul for you, O God."

My Mini Miracle and Minor Mishap . . .

. . . Also known as I have real fingernails and I burned my forearm!

The pictures don't need much explanation, but I will say that the fingernails truly are a miracle for anyone who knows me very well :o)

We were making/serving breakfast at an apartment complex, so the kitchen was CROWDED! I accidentally touched a cookie sheet to my arm while trying to find a place to set it down after taking it out of the oven! It didn't hurt for very long, but now the blister is open and it stings now as it heals. I kind of wished it were a more exciting story, but at least it's the truth :)