shade.

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." Genesis 1:27


The original Greek word used for image is tselem, means likeness or resemblance.  I took it a step further and followed the root deeper.  Interestingly enough, tsel (the root word of the root word) means shade or to be shaded.  My mind immediately went to Jonah and the vine, and sure enough the same root word is used twice in the final passage in Jonah.


To update you on where in the story of Jonah we're at, God wanted Jonah to go, Jonah didn't, whale ate Jonah, Jonah repented, God rescued Jonah, Jonah did what God wanted, Nineveh was spared.  We're looking at after all of that.  There's more to the story.  Until now I never understood what God was talking about here.  I love it when God reveals new insight!


Anyways, after Jonah went to tell the people of Nineveh that God would destroy them and they listened to Jonah with repentant and fearful hearts (3:10), Jonah went to the top of a hill to watch Nineveh's destruction.  The story ends like this . . .


"Jonah went out and sat down at a place east of the city.  There he made for himself a shelter, sat in it's shade and waited to see what would happen to the city.  Then the Lord God provided a vine and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the vine.  But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the vine so that it withered.  When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind . . . the sun blazed . . . [and] he wanted to die. . . .But God said to Jonah, "Do you have a right to be angry at the vine?" "I do . . . I am angry enough to die."But the Lord said, "You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night. But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left. . .Should I not be concerned about that great city?"

There are two times that the word shade is used in this passage, The shade that Jonah made for himself and the shade that God gave to him.  Think about it this way, 'There Jonah made for himself a shelter [life], sat in it's shade [focused on himself,] and waited to see what would happen to the city [ruin, failure, destruction, death. What Jonah originally wanted.  His desires hadn't changed to God's at all.]  Then the Lord God provided a vine [sound familiar?  Jesus, the true vine,] and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade [protection, an example of who God is for us to follow] for his head to ease his discomfort [what a compassionate Savior] and Jonah was very happy about the vine."  


Notice that the shelter Jonah made obviously wasn't enough to satisfy him.  


I think we could say that God was giving Jonah just a taste of what life could be like in God's image, or under his shade and grace. He was trying to show him that the little bit of grace that Jonah was recieving reached all the way to the evil city of Nineveh.  God hit Jonah's issue right on the head by asking,"Do you have a right to be angry at the vine?" Jonah was angry at God for being so compassionate to the Ninevites. "But the Lord said, "You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored." Jonah was angry that God had stopped giving him grace, yet gave it openly to others who he was sure didn't deserve it.  I think we all agree that Jonah didn't deserve it either, but who of us does?


"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23


Being created in the image of God means to be in His shade regardless of how much sin, confusion or anger is in your life.  It means being under His blessing, His protection, and His grace no matter what happens.  Even being saved from something as ridiculous as a whale's gut.  But God's a gentleman.  He won't push Himself on us against our will.  Which is exactly what happened to Jonah.


When we recognize the vines in our lives (especially including the One that holds it all together) we begin to see how much we are under God's blessing.  It's really up to us, because God's grace is offered freely forever and, "He is patient with [us], not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9


When we choose to accept His offer of grace, we're brought under the shade of His vine forever.  When we choose to recognize that we're born into a body and soul that was created in His image, when we realize that Jesus is the perfect example of what it means to be holy, "when you and I embrace surrender, when you and I choose to believe, then you and I will see who we were meant to be." -Chris Tomlin, Made To Worship

ineffective.

"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him . . . so that you may . . . escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

For this very reason, make EVERY EFFORT to add to your faith, goodness;
and to goodness, knowledge;
and to knowledge, self control;
and to self control, perseverance;
and to perseverance, godliness;
and to godliness, brotherly kindness;
and to brotherly kindness, love.

For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." 2 Peter 1:3-8

There is a step-by-step process here. It's like the fruit of the spirit, one quality follows after the first.
Once you have faith, the next attribute you gain is goodness, after goodness, knowledge, self-control, and so forth. Increasing each in measure as you learn each lesson and live each moment.

Goodness. The King James Version uses the word virtue, arete, meaning "moral excellence." It's easy to be good, in the sense that you're not "bad." But being good is a broad spectrum that has been skewed by the ugly world we live in. "I'm a good girl, boy, student, person, man, woman, dog-owner, chess player." Uh-huh.

Knowledge. How do we begin to know something? When we want to learn about someone, do we simply expect to know everything instantly? No. We spend time with them, we read their life's story, we listen to them, we linger around them. God's word is our means of knowing God better. Prayer is our means of knowing God better. Listening to the Holy Spirit it our means of knowing God better. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." Proverbs 9:10 How is your life holding up? Are you in God's word consistently enough to say that you gain a new aspect of Him or His purpose for you every day?

Self-control. Ouch. You mean you want me to control my temper, my worry, my attitude? Fail. An epic one. God had to put that one third. I mean, couldn't He put that one last, something to be awarded in Heaven along with my robes and jewelry? But, no, He must think this one is pretty important. I personally think this is the point that separates Christians who have been talking the talk (having faith, being good, and maybe even occasionally reading the bible and praying before roast) to Christians who are walking to walk (you know those people in your life, they stand out in the strangest ways.) This is where the real, back-breaking, depending on God for every second kind of life comes into play. Self-Control. Or temperance as the KJV puts it, "the virtue of one who masters his desires and passions." Now how are you holding up? Needing Jesus desperately yet? Good. Let's keep going.

Perseverance. That's a fun one, isn't it? "The characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings." How often are we turned to our fleshly attitudes when someone changes our channel? Eats our leftovers? (well, they were MINE!) Asks us for help? Or even just needs someone to cry with and listen? How selfish we are. Have the patience to see the needs around you and fight that strong urge to not do anything about it. Only Jesus can help you do that. "Patient endurance is what you need now, so you will continue to do God's will, then you will receive all that He has promised." Hebrews 10:36 NLT

Godliness. This word means "reverence or respect towards God." It's interesting that this isn't first. It takes time and work to be so deep in a relationship with God that you actually have a true and reverent heart towards Him. It is a holy blessing that God enables us get so close to Him. And a calling that should never be taken lightly.

Brotherly kindness. Wait, what were all those other attributes towards? Wasn't letting my little sister watch her TV show showing her kindness? The original meaning of this phrase is "The love which Christians cherish . . . each other." Did you give your sister the remote because you realized how cherished she was to God and wanted to treat accordingly? I doubt that thought ever crossed your mind. If you do think that way, good work! God's already done a lot in you. If not, ask God to cultivate a spirit of kindness towards those brothers you can't seem to get along with. Then wait, He'll nourish it.

Last, but most definitely not least, you will grow a spirit of love towards our God and His creations. "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:35

In love, kindness, brotherly love, godliness, perseverance, self-control, knowledge, goodness and faith you will no longer be ineffective. Unproductive.
You will have a deep contentment in God's love for you.
You will have unknown knowledge shown to you.
You will connect in meaningful ways with the people around you.
You will be filled so much that you can't help but overflow from all of the joy inside of you.
You will suffer.
You will feel pain, the pain of your own hurt and the pain of your brothers.

But you will live, oh, you will live.

Let God lead you through the painful process of sanctification on earth, so that you may one day stand before Him in Heaven, still unworthy, but spoken for and rewarded ever so graciously.

fine.

I heard a song by the Indigo Girls called "Closer To Fine" on my way home tonight and my mind began it's usual process of applying a biblical (and usually contrary) world view to the lyrics. Yes, I call that a gift. :)

The song's chorus says,
"I went to the doctor, I went to the mountains
I looked to the children, I drank from the fountain
There's more than one answer to these questions
pointing me in a crooked line
The less I seek my source for some definitive
The closer I am to fine."

The first verse that came to my mind was "I am the way, the truth, the life" and the answer to these questions, pointing us in a straight line. "In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:6
I'd assume that someone who hasn't found the Way would have uber crooked lines, as opposed to someone who has found Jesus. But even as believers, we sometimes try many other things (like diets, educations, hobbies, relationships, remedies, workouts, self-help books, medications, vacations, insert yours here) to try and find our "source for definitive." But all we get from those things is a crooked line and that gratifying and satisfying feeling of being . . . fine. I can see why the songwriter is frustrated.

When Jesus came to earth I really don't think 'fine' was exactly His idea for us. "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God . . ." 1 Peter 2:9 Does that sound like a mediocre life to you? It sounds to me like a mighty calling. Like a mission. Like a life with the potential to be lived to it's fullest. Peter goes on to say ". . . that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." We were chosen to be taken out of the darkness and into His light so we could tell others how wonderful He is!

A friend recently told me a story from a show she'd seen. This family was in a situation where they thought that a bomb was heading towards their house. They all ran down to the bomb shelter and, fearing the wreckage outside, remained there for 30 years! When all the time, it was only a plane that had crashed in their neighborhood. Apparently, no one missed them and they were able to survive for a ridiculous amount of time underground. But, imagine if someone knew where they were, what their situation was and came, opened the door, let in the light, and showed them that everything wasn't in disarray. Do you think that they would say "thank you" and immediately pick up where their old life had ended? Of course not. They would celebrate and rejoice and drink in the light and enjoy the brand new life so graciously given to them. That's how redeemed Christ followers should be inclined to act, because He daily brings us up out of the bomb shelter. It just takes enough faith to step out into His wonderful light.

"As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received." Ephesians 4:1

We really do have a mission, whether we choose to accept it or not. When are we going to put away our selfish efforts and realize that we so desperately need Him? Because when we come to Him and He brings us out of the darkness He has so much more than fine planned for us. Be encouraged that Jesus has incredible planned for you!

"More than fine, more then bent on getting by . . . more than just okay." -Switchfoot

"I feel alive and it hurts for a change
I’m looking back, its hard to believe
That I was cool with the days that I wasted
Complacent and tasteless and bored
But that was yesterday," -The Afters

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him." 1 Corinthians 2:9

"With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith." 2 Thessalonians 1:11

entropy.

Merriam-Webster defines entropy as "the degradation of the matter and energy in the universe to an ultimate state of inert uniformity [or sluggish sameness]" or "a process of degradation or running down or a trend to disorder." According to wisegeek.com. "Entropy comes from a Greek word (metamorphoo) meaning, "transformation." The word basically means to "change in form." Wisegeek.com goes on to say, "In more technical terms, entropy is a specific value that measures how much energy is released in a system when it settles into the lowest potential energy."

How is your energy level lately? Is it at it's lowest? I'm not talking about how fatigued your body is, but how is your spiritual energy? Do you have zeal and passion in your relationship with Christ? Are you transforming into the worldchanger God designed you to be? Things are in constant motion and there are only two ways to move: down the narrow and the hard path that leads to life, or down the wide and the easy path that leads to destruction and death. "Because straight is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." Matthew 7:14

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--His good, pleasing, and perfect will." Romans 12:1 Isn't there something inside of you that deeply longs for that? As with so many other things, God has placed that desire in us from the moment of our creation. God never wanted us to fall prey to the devil's schemes, allowing His enemy to create and dwell in that void that separates us from our Creator. But it was the only way that we could truly come to know Jesus. God wanted that deepest void filled in us by our own choice and acted accordingly, no matter how much it pained Him. Now we have a responsibility as children of the Most High to make the decisions that exalt Him and lead others to His face. When we choose to ignore our calling we only aid the universe in it's ultimate state of inert uniformity. In the grand scheme who wants to be known as someone who caused erosion and decay? Don't you want to bring life and purpose and meaning to this ugly world? Don't you want to change it? It begins with transforming yourself. Yes, the world will one day die, as will everything along with it, but we have a chance to bring hope to the hopeless and rest for the weary and love for the broken and for a life after death spent with the One who started it all.

We have Jesus and Jesus is life. Let Him transform you! He came to bring life and reverse degradation and decay.

sharpen.

"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." Proverbs 27:17

The original greek that Solomon used for iron means "harshness, strength, or oppression." I think what we can take from that is the fact that "sharpening" each other can and will be a painful process. Sharpening iron isn't easy, when you hold iron against a stone grinding wheel too long or too hard, you actually "burn" the iron, making it weak and unusable. Proving that it's a slow training process that takes patience and determination. Has anyone ever put that kind of effort into you? If someone on earth has, take time to thank them, that's a rare gem. If you've never felt that from another individual I encourage you to start being that to others around you. God will honor you for your efforts and will bless you 100 times over. (Luke 8:8) God loves to see us work together and learn from each other. He delights in His creation running smoothly and beautifully, but all things ebb and flow, Although God loves to see things run smoothly, it's a process and a long hard, narrow road to get to that place in your life. He thwarts our ways so that we learn to cling to Him. I can't say that I've reached this time, nor do I think anyone ever should. When we stop accepting rebuke and encouragement, we stop growing altogether. God gave us all different talents and we're called to sharpen each other with these gifts.

"Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work." Eph 4:14-16

You see? The teamwork and great effort and responsibility each child of God has to each other, themselves, and our Lord? How are you doing as a supporting ligament? Are you joining with others and holding them up as one body? It's a calling to sharpen one another. No where in the bible does it say that it's easy. Love is never easy. Staying in tune with God's will is never easy. Loving one another and caring about the needs of others is never easy. Molding and pushing each other to thrive is never easy. But it's what we're called to do and it's what God's will is. No longer infants, but mature. No longer not caring or hurting just to hurt, but speaking the truth in love, for the benefit of the other person. Real loving is truly a selfless act.

Just look at the cross. Makes me wonder, who sharpened the nails that were hammered into Jesus' hands? "Jesus' nails would have been made of heavy. . . square, iron material, 7-9 inches long." (allaboutjesuschrist.org) The same material that was driven into Jesus' wrists was the same that Solomon used as a metaphor for how we should sacrifice ourselves for our brothers. The next time someone's trying to speak truth into your life ask God to help you recognize and discern what He's trying to teach you through this person. And then be thankful! Because it'll be one of the many examples that Christ uses to tell you He loves you.

difference.

Have you ever wanted to be different? Culture is pretty much centered around "fitting in," being popular, and having people like you, only because you're not different. "I just want to be normal, like everyone else, so they'll like me." Maybe we should change Who we're trying so hard to impress.

As Christians, our challenge isn't necessarily to be different, but it's to be like Christ, which ends up being starkly contrasted with the world anyways. Christ dined with sinners, spent weekends with beggars, celebrated with tax collectors, conversed with pharisees, and sacrificed Himself for humans. For the world Jesus was born into, interacting with such a wide array of people-types was completely non-conformist. To be like Christ we have to be like black is to white and like day is to night.

The only way to be like Christ is to know Him inside and out. And, you know what's cool? You'll never get to the bottom of His overflowing greatness. Never, ever, can any human learn everything there is to know about Him. That means we shouldn't ever stop searching Jesus out or fool ourselves into thinking that He has been fully revealed to us. Like Addison Road's song says, "I guess I thought that I had figured You out, I knew all the stories and I learned to talk about how You were might to save, but those were only empty words on a page when I caught a glimpse of who You might be, the slightest hint of You brought me down to my knees."

Romans 12:2 says, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God." I don't know about you, but that sounds like a challenge to me. Why not take on the responsibility of not being like everyone else? What do we have to worry about when we have a God who will never run out of love and forgiveness?

What kinds of things can we do? SImply look at the world around you and compare it with God and His commandments. Then "go and make disciples of all nations." That should be a good start.

Let's take a chance and be different, just like Christ was.

created.

Einstein, Picasso, Galileo, Abraham Lincoln, Edison, Edgar Allan Poe, Sacajawea, Ansel Adams, Charles Dickens, Amelia Earhart, Constantine, Ronald Reagen, Elvis, and your Mom. Whether they were smart or beautiful or talented or crazy, they all have one thing in common. They created. They made something out of nothing. A science, an outlook, a theory, a design, a direction, a story, an invention, a standard, an old legend, a view from afar, a family, an education, a long lost belief, a revived hope. They all created. In different ways, yes, but nevertheless, they all shared the same underline principle. Whether we are writers, painters, scientists, parents, photographers, poets, artists, pilots, or presidents, we all have this desire inside of us. We all have a desire to make things better, to improve, to explore, and to discover. Ever wonder why? Let's go to the beginning.

"So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created them, male and female, He created them." Genesis 1:27

He created us and He created us in His image. Therefore, He created us to create, just like Him.

He created us to . . .
. . . procreate. "Be fruitful and multiply..." (v. 28)
He created us to . . .
. . . have dominion, which include building, managing, and eating. (aka, creating) "I give you every seed bearing plant . . . all the beasts of the earth . . . [and] every green plant for food." (v. 29, 30)
He created us to . . .
. . . delight. "And God saw all that He had made, and it was very good." (v. 31)

According to God, it's good to create, it's good to lead, it's good to explore, it's good to change, it's good to discover and it's very good to delight in the work done. Isn't that an amazing thought? The desire to be creative and make things better is because that's what God desires. When you truly embrace God's design for you, your creativity, your talent, and your hobbies become a form of worship!

All throughout the bible I found references to this subject. It's the thread of His word. To delight in Him who created us, ultimately bringing glory to His Name.

"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--His eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that man is without excuse." Romans 1:20

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made, your works are wonderful, I know that full well." Psalm 139:13-14

Do you hear the delight in the writers voice?

Because we are in God's image and are called to mimic Jesus we are given the desire to create and the privilege of delighting in the Creator. We create and delight because we were created and delighted in. Believe that with all your heart!

choice.

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."
Romans 8:1

Condemnation.
katakrima is the greek for condemnation and it literally means "sentenced and damned." Once you become a Christian, you are no longer a damned sinner. You are justified by Jesus' blood and have become free through His sacrifice.

Have you ever let that permeate into your heart, mind, and soul? Do you see what this means? The devil has so trapped Christians into the mindset of the world. How many Christians do you see who are struggling for a "life lived to the fullest" like Jesus promised and can't seem to let themselves be found in the shelter of His wings?

WHEN YOU ARE IN CHRIST YOU ARE FREE.

You are free to do and be anything that follows God's commandments. What are God's commandments? Easy.

"'The most important one,' answered Jesus, 'is this: "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: "Love your neighbor as yourself." There is no commandment greater than these.'"

You see, when you're walking in His counsel and getting to know Him through His word, every single issue you face can be resolved by these two commandments. The two greatest commandments are to love!

In life you will have choices, but what I think a lot of Christians don't realize is that when you are IN Christ, WHATEVER YOU CHOOSE, YOUR CHOICES WILL BE GOD'S WILL FOR YOU. Whatever you do, as long as you're walking with Christ, you will be in His will.

So. Our only choice and the deal breaker for all things: You either follow God or you don't. When you have a relationship with Christ you may not know the road exactly, but you definitely know where He doesn't want you to go. Your job then is to choose God and let all the details fall into place. When you're in Christ, there are good choices, and there are better choices, and there are the best choices. He wants the best for you, but it's your call.

Never before has "you reap what you sow" been so powerful in my life. All the waiting, praying, hoping, wishing, and long nights pay off. God is faithful. And He will reveal to you His plans and your next step when you delight yourself in His mercy. When your heart is your guide and your heart is in love with the Lord, your feet are sure. So, be free! Make choices for yourself and stop worrying! God has you in His hands. Shout for joy because He's freed us NOW and will continue to make us Holy through His holy Son!

Be sanctified. Be loved. Be His.

And, always remember, NOW there is no condemnation when you're in Christ.

fear.

We've all heard the story of the wind and the waves calmed by Jesus. It's a great story of how Jesus can come to our rescue in storms or save us when we're scared, but it's a lot more than that. The Bible says that Jesus rebuked the wind and came to the disciples' rescue, but then scolded them for having so little faith. They were fearful and "timid" (original Greek, "deilos") They were not only afraid of the storm, but they doubted that Jesus could save them.

For His strength is made perfect in weakness, not in timidity. God gave us all a spirit of strength, power, and self-discipline, not timidity. Not fear. He's called us to be strong and courageous.

How many times have we been so caught up in the storm and doubted that Jesus was able to get us out of it? How many times do we just take the Devil's lie that it's a given that Jesus won't save us? It's a sad trick that the enemy uses against us and it's the opposite of Jesus' joyful, grace-filled, and holy lifestyle we crave. Life to the fullest, God promised us that and "not one of all the Lord's promises...failed; every one was fulfilled." He promises to fulfill His promises. I'm tired of typing promises now. But let that sink in! PROMISED security. PROMISED rescue. PROMISED atonement. PROMISED sanctification. PROMISED justification. PROMISED life to the fullest.

Those covenants should wipe the fear right out of our guts. But it doesn't always, does it? I wonder what we have to do to get it out of us. You know what? We can't lose the fear ourselves. We're not good enough. We are sinful and fallen, that's why we fear life. And that's what makes Christ's love so scary. And amazing. We aren't, and will never be good enough for God, but He loves us regardless because He can see what we were originally created to be. Because of Jesus, God doesn't see all the sins, those are washed away, He sees His image and He works with us to make us more and more like Him everyday. Only Jesus can work that fear out of us.

The only healthy fear is the fear of God. But it's not a "God's going to strike me dead any minute" fear. Instead, it's a fear of disappointing Him. Be afraid because you're His reflection, not because you're afraid He can't calm the storm.

"Oh, you of little faith, why do you doubt?" -Jesus (Matthew 14:31

"Be strong and courageous; do not be terrified, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10

bleeding.

Being beaten with a cat-o-nine tails makes one bleed. Having a crown of spikes shoved into one's head makes one bleed. Being stabbed in the side with a spear makes one bleed. But when one says, "I'm bleeding love" they are not in need of medical attention. They are in pain. Heart pain. Like they've loved someone for so long, get nothing in return, and yet still continue to love them. It's unconditional love. It's agape. It's hard and painful. And it's how God loves us.

How often have we turned from our Creator for selfishness, pride, or fear? How often have we walk away from those commitments we've made with Him to gain satisfaction here on earth. Jesus says that those who do things for selfish gain "have received their reward in full."

The cross is a beautiful picture of Christ's bleeding love for us. But, the fleshly pain He endured on the cross is only a part of the pain that He feels for us when we turn away. Because He is God, and God is love, He has no choice but to always love us, even when we turn away. Does that make you want to shout about the joy of your salvation at the top of your lungs? That God, who knit us together in our mother's womb, will love us no matter how far our selfish and scared feet run away from Him? If it doesn't, then it's time to reevaluate ourselves.

So, then, if Christ loves us so much that He bleeds when we tear away from Him, then we, as examples of God, should love each other regardless of the consequences, even if it means bleeding.

"Jesus replied, 'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important. 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" Matthew 22:37-39

Bleeding means pain. Pain and love go together. You either love and get hurt (because we live in a broken world) or your heart freezes over and you feel nothing. As Christians created in the likeness of Jesus, we're called to love. And bleed. Because that's exactly what Jesus did for us.

delight.

I've been reading Wild At Heart. Totally recommend it to anyone. John Eldredge hits tons of good points throughout it.
Here's some points that I just want to process through my head...

Damsels in distress. Mighty princes. Gallant knights. Tall towers. Evil dragons. Rescues. Fairy tales, right? What girl (or boy) doesn't dream of living out a Disney movie? "From ancient fables to the latest blockbuster, the theme of a strong man coming to rescue a beautiful woman is universal to human nature. It is written on our hearts, one of the core desires of every man and every woman." God gives us these desires, so why are we cautious? Fear is what Eldredge keeps coming back to. Men and women are afraid. Afraid to love, afraid to get hurt.

Let this quote sink in... "...but God...give[s] [love], again and again and again, until He is literally bleeding from it all. God's willingness to risk is just astounding--far beyond what any of us would do were we in His position." Later, he goes on to quote Revelation 12. It talks about what was going on in the spiritual world during Jesus birth. The world is the Devil's area, his designated place to roam free and influence whom he may. Think about it, God sent His Son to Satan's corner. Revelation talks about a dragon that is clawing and fighting to stop the birth, literally waiting for the Child to be born, so he can snatch Him away. Ultimate love? Coming to a world completely against His very nature, to save a people who have tuned their backs on Him. Now that's real love.

Ok, not what I got on here to talk about. Well, kind of. I wanted to process the feminine side of God's love. A woman's role in marriage to help, encourage, and support. But it's also to comfort, give life to, and please her husband. Now, God's not male, nor female and if marriage is an example of God's love, then how does that imply we're to love God? As a woman, like Eldredge says, I want someone to delight in me. Really, that's the core of a woman's problems, when she feels no one is pleased with her.

So, think about that in context of God. He wants us to delight in Him. He wants us to tell Him how beautiful and lovely He is. Sounds funny, but if I really think about it, it's life-changing. To know that when I'm rejecting God, He feels like I do when I'm rejected. It's vulnerability in one sense, but because God is God, both masculine and feminine, He's also strong. That's another part of God (like the Trinity) that's very hard, if not impossible to comprehend.

"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4

The original word for delight in Greek is `anag and it means literally to "be pampered, to be happy about, to be delicate." Believe it or not, God wants our attention and He wants to be delighted in. He doesn't NEED it, but He wants it. That's why He gave us a choice, because if we were robots who didn't have a choice, it wouldn't be real love and devotion to Him. Knowing we're made in His likeness, and knowing the difference between the sexes can change the way we love the people around us and most definitely, the way we look at God's love for us.

figure.

When we ask for wisdom, what are we really asking for?

Me? I think most of the time I say I want wisdom, but really, all I want is answers. Answers about my future, answers about decisions I should make, answers about life. I don't think this is what the bible means when it says, "Ask and you shall receive."

All I want is a minute-by-minute outline of the things I'll face and the choices I'll make. Is that such a bad thing? Yes. I think it is. Because it shows a lack of faith in God's plan and, really, a lack of enthusiasm for life in general. I mean, think about it. Imagine if we knew all there was to know before we even began life. That would be lame, frankly.

I was reading a book the other day and, throughout the entire series, there's a prophecy. Not necessarily a bad one, but one that could go either way. As the characters live out their lives, they know this one hint or two from the future and they are so afraid of changing or messing up the prophecy that it's pretty much all their focused on. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to be that afraid all the time.

Ecc. 7:14 says, "When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future."

A man can discover nothing about his future, so why worry in the happy times or the bad times? Makes me wonder why we let the enemy get to us so easily when it's so simple.

For our generation, those of us who actually strive for a strong relationship with Christ, worry too much. I've seen examples of this lately in myself and friends and family. We're all at turning points and times in our lives when the decisions we make will affect us forever. It's fear of failure. Can you blame us? If only being fearless wasn't so hard. I think it's time to stop being afraid and start living. I want to stop worrying about what is going to happen and trust that God will guide me in making the decisions I need to make regardless of what I think the consequences might me.

It's that kind of attitude that's going to keep this generation focused and world changing.

"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but of power, or love, and of self-discipline." 2 Timothy 1:7

roles.

A man and a woman have roles, God-given roles actually. It's hard to watch so many relationships fail because of misplaced expectations and incorrectly applied roles. The man, the head, is over the woman, not as a demeaning, overbearing master, but as a protector, decision-maker, and servant-leader. The woman, the submissive side, has the job of submitting to the man and supporting him in every aspect of their relationship. When a woman is playing the role of the man (making decisions, leading, directing the relationship) the man either assumes the woman's role or lashes out in different, destructive ways. When a man is more submissive and passive, the woman soon becomes confused and is tempted to take over.

For the girls reading this, realize how much we, as women, have a responsibility to the men in our lives to allow them to be men. Simple things like expecting him to open the door, walk you to your car, and such. Realize that if we don't expect this kind of thing out of them, most men will not think you worth the trouble. Also, realize that as Christian women we are called to be submissive, to God first, then to our husbands and fathers.

For the boys, realize that you are leaders and, even if we girls don't recognize it, we want you to be chivalrous and gallant. We want you to "rescue" us in a way. I believe that we were designed that way. And as men, you are designed to be the rescuers.

I was listening to the radio and a song came on (one of my new favorites). Theory of a deadman's Not Meant To Be are lyrics from a man's point of view of how his relationship with his girl is failing and he doesn't know what to do. As a girl, I sort of read between the lines and I can see how much the girl could have fixed before the relationship got so bad. He says, "It's never enough to say I'm sorry, it's never enough to say I care...no matter what I do, you're always mad, and I can't change your mind." I hear a man who's trying (don't get me wrong, for all I know he could be a total jerk) to fix this problem with their relationship, but she's not helping. From the given information, it sounds to me like the girl had a lot to do with the problem. A man will only feel like he isn't enough if his woman treats him like he is. You know the phrase "Behind every good man, is a good woman." Well, I believe that with all my heart and I've just been realizing that, as women, we have a lot to do with how "good" our man is. In Proverbs 31, a wife of noble character, "brings honor to her husband" and "her husband praises her [for it]." If that wife of noble character had dishonored her husband by making him feel like he wasn't good enough, would he praise her? Probably not, unless he was a saint and was very confident in who he was.

It's vital that women begin to train themselves to think against the culture's views of how they should treat men. We really have more power in this area than we realize, and we can completely destroy men if we're not extra careful. We also have the ability to be play an uplifting and encouraging role in our dad's, brother's, friends', boyfriend's, and, eventually, our husband's lives, and I pray everyday that I can be like that someday.

It really just made me sad to hear this song and realize that the woman obviously blamed the man entirely and didn't even second guess her own motives. Plank...speck...hypocrite...


Theory Of A Deadman - Not Meant To Be

"It's never enough to say I'm sorry
It's never enough to say I care
But I'm caught between what you wanted from me
And knowing that if I give that to you
I might just disappear

Nobody wins when every one's losing

It's like one step forward and two steps back
No matter what I do you're always mad
And I, I can't change your mind
I know it's like trying to turn around on one way street
I can't give you what you want
And it's killing me
And I, I'm starting to see
Maybe we're not meant to be

It's never enough to say I love you
No, it's never enough to say I try
It's hard to believe
That's theres no way out for you and me
And it seems to be the story of our lives

There's still time to turn this around
You could building this up instead of tearing it down
But I keep thinking
Maybe it's too late.

But I'm starting to see,
that maybe we're not meant to be."

heart.

There are so many words for heart in the Bible. psychē, Greek for heart (used 550 times in the Old Testament, 90 times in Proverbs alone) basically means, "inner man, seat of appetites, emotions, passions, courage and will."

Our hearts seem pretty important. So important, in fact, that the Bible says in Proverbs 4:23 to,

"above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."

The New King James Version says
"Keep your heart with all diligence; For out of it [comes] the issues of life."

The word for diligence literally means to keep in jail or prison.

If all issues in our lives come from the wellspring of our hearts, it seems imperative that we guard them. But, what will we protect by keeping our hearts in prison? In Matthew 12, Jesus rips the Pharisees by saying, "You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. . .But I tell you that men will have to give an account on the day of judgement for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned." Ouch. Think about some of the simply careless things you've said. I don't know about you, but I don't even have to try to remember. Even the silly, careless things, that really aren't deliberate condemn me. Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. So, really, those careless words can be traced back to the heart. Living a life of transparency is harder than I thought.

We have hope though. We do have a redemption through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ came to take away all our sins, including the evil in our hearts. And He wants to start now! Give Him the reins and let Him dig out the evil in your heart. From experience, I know it hurts, but it's so worth it. The pain of selflessness won't go away, but it will lessen as we go through (what I like to call) daily heart cleaning. So many times in the Bible it talks about how even if we think an evil thing or lust in our hearts for something we don't have, we are sinning. The root of murder in anger, the root of adultery in lust, the root of coveting is by itself a heart issue. It all goes back to our hearts. They are the wellspring of life and if we don't protect them, we can hurt ourselves and the people around us.

How can we protect our hearts? That's up to you and God. It's a personal conviction that is between us and our Creator. Oh, yes, you may not murder, but are you angry at someone? You may not commit adultery, but do you lust at one another? You may not lie, but do you wish you could? It's all a heart issue, and it's something that we all have to deal with. Once we get our hearts under control, God can use our actions for good. I encourage you to take a look at your heart today. Are the thoughts you have something you'd be ashamed to say out loud? Pretty soon, as the Bible says, it's going to overflow out of our hearts and fill our mouths. God will forgive us of all our sins, even the ones we think about, but wouldn't it be nice to avoid some of them altogether?

The next step to controlling what our hearts put out is reading God's word. When we fill our hearts and minds with good things, good things can't help but come out of us.

"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double edge sword, it penetrates even to dividing the soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts of the heart." Hebrews 4:12

Don't let your heart control you, use God's word to judge your thoughts and just watch what God will be able to do through you.

Strive for a life of holiness and practice guarding your heart. You don't have to go it alone either. Find some grounded friends who can keep you accountable. My friends have helped me to get through some of my hardest temptations. And don't forget that God is on your side.

blinded.

As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening.
They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by."
He called out, "Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me!" Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" Jesus stopped and ordered the man be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, "What do you want me to do for you?"
"Lord, I want to see." he replied.
Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has healed you." Immediately, he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.

Luke 18: 35-43

Picture this scene. Pretend you're the blind man. You hear a crazy commotion and you feel the hot dust stirring around you. You fumble around, searching for the source of the madness. You reach for some one's cloak and you beg to know what's going on. They tell you that Jesus is passing by. Passion swells inside you because you know He's the Savior, deep down inside, no matter what you hear people say, you know He's The One. You can feel Him in your marrow. All of a sudden, as if of some inner impulse, you shout at the top of your lungs. You voice raises above the crowd, hurting the man's ears next to you, you shout, "Jesus, have mercy on me!"
Before you know it people are holding you back. You can feel their expensive fabrics and you scratch and claw for freedom. These are leaders and they're trying to keep you from your Savior. They demand silence, but you hold on to the only hope you know. Jesus is passing by. You shout and fight until you hear the Master's voice. He's demanded to see you. You pause for a second, scared, then your fear vanishes and you walk towards the beautiful voice, as you come closer He says, "What do you want Me to do for you?" Shaking, you reply, "Lord, I want to see." Stunned by the silence that's surrounded you, you hear His voice ring out and you could almost swear you can feel His holy breath upon you. "Receive your sight;" He says, "Your faith has healed you." Immediately, the sun stings your eyes, you shade your face with your hands and and catch a glimpse of your Healer. For a moment you gaze at the beauty around you. Then, you have a choice, and you knew exactly what must be done. You drop all you have and follow Jesus.

Can we compare with the beggar? Have you ever been completely hopeless only to wake up and find that Jesus is passing by. We fight, and we claw, and we shout for His mercy, and He hears us. Despite what those around us say, despite their attempts to silence us, we fight so hard just to beg for His mercy. Have you ever tried that hard to get to Jesus? When everyone seems to be against you, do you have the strength to fight to get to your Savior? Even if you can't see? What if you couldn't see Him, would you still fight? What if everyone around you was holding you back and telling you to be silent? It's a battle for us to simply talk to our Creator, to ask for healing and forgiveness, let alone ask for healing.

When we finally get to Him, He's calm and ready for us; He orders us to be brought to Him when we seek Him. Then He asks us, "What do you want me to do for you?" So simple. Jesus is telling us to simply seek Him, come to Him, and ask. When we cry out to the Lord, begging for sight, begging for freedom, He works miracles. The greatest thing happens after this poor man begs for mercy, which, I'm sure made the leaders' mouths drop wide open. Jesus said, "Receive your sight; your faith has healed you." Jesus was making a point to the leaders of that place. Your faith is the only thing that can heal you. Faith in Jesus, faith in His Father.

Maybe someday soon, us Christians in this world will rise to the occasion and let go of the passion we're holding back and beg for mercy from the Savior of the world. Only then will we receive our sight, causing us to praise God and follow Jesus.

"How can we be silent when a fire burns inside us?" -Unknown

chosen.

"And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified." Romans 8:30

What an amazing verse. I want to break down what each of those things actually mean.

The Predestining.
Greek word, proorizō, meaning to "decide beforehand." Jeremiah 29:11 comes to mind. "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you, not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.'" The verse right before verse 30 says we are "predestined to conform to the likeness of His Son." By sending His Son, God has given us a prosperous hope and future.

The Calling.
No specific word for "call" in Romans 8:30 was given on my source for Greek words. I searched on Google and found an article that broke down all the original words for call, calling, or called in the Bible. They determined that the call that Paul was talking about in this verse was that "God sovereignly calls men individually to salvation and to service." (Bible.org) So, those He chose beforehand, He also chose for specific reasons, salvation and service. Another way Paul might have meant the term "called" is that God called us by name before we were born. It shows how intimately and closely He knows us. "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb." Psalm 139:13

The Justification.
The Greek word for justified is dikaioō, meaning "to render righteous." God justified us? He rendered us righteous? The opposite of righteous is unrighteousness, which is basically sin, right? So, rendered us sinless. God made us as pure as snow by sending His Son to take our unrighteousness and replace it with His. In July of 2008 at Harbor, Pastor Tom said something so profound that has stuck with me ever since. He said "Jesus became disgusting to God." God hated Jesus? The Son was forsaken by the Father. Why would a Father forsake His Son? The answer? Because He loved you and me.

The Glorification.
The Greek word, doxazō means, "to praise, extol, magnify, celebrate, to honour, do honour to, hold in honour, to make glorious, adorn with lustre, clothe with splendour, to impart glory to something, and to render it excellent." How can God, so glorious, clothe us with splendor? Honor us, extol us, and celebrate us? All caught up into rendering us excellent? When I look at the mess I am, I can't even imagine how God can see me as something even worth saving. But, He does, and I'm on my knees because of it. How great is the God we worship?

God promises us in His word that simply because He predestined, called, and justified us, we will be glorified for it. Understand the key part of that sentence. HE. He will get all the glory because we're His chosen. He chose us, we didn't choose Him. Trying to grasp the greatness of our God leaves me with a headache and a complete unworthiness in the pit of my stomach. It's hard to imagine such a love without feeling a hard pang of guilt. All I can do is embrace this great love and forgiveness with trembling hands and offer my life and body to the One and Only Jesus Christ. I hope that the world soon learns of this love and begins to realize that God has predestined them for excellence and righteousness.

prayer.

Some interesting things came up when I googled the word 'prayer'. A lot of catholic "how-to" pray sites, a one-eight hundred number to call when you're in need of prayer, (which, if you think about it, might be scary) even a youtube video of President Obama using the word God *sarcastic gasp*. In my Beth Moore study, we recently learned about the story in the gospel of Luke where the disciples are learning about prayer. They ask, simply, "Lord, teach us how to pray." Luke 11:1 His answer is with the all too familiar Lord's prayer. "Father, hallowed be Your Name, Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one." Luke 11:2-4 (also from Matthew 6.)

I don't know about you, but a closer look at these words convicts me so much.

Forgive.
Forgive as He forgives? That section sticks out like a sore thumb in my view. Do we really forgive as much as He forgives us? I think not. Aphesis, Greek for forgiveness means "pardon, of sins (letting them go as if they had never been committed), remission of the penalty." How hard it is for us to forgive and pretend like it never happened? I would say pretty darn hard.

Further into Luke we find a passage that digs that conviction even deeper, Jesus speaks to His disciples and says, "If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent' forgive him."

Faith.
The response His disciples gives makes me laugh, "Increase our faith!" I can just see their faces as He told them this. I love how open and honest they were about all the things they lacked. You can't hide anything in Jesus' presence. I wonder though, if the disciples knew how much Jesus would test their faith in the coming days. I truly don't believe that God simply 'gives' us faith, but he gives us reasons to be faithful. I've seen this displayed so much in my life. Trusting Him in hard times is the easiest way to learn what true faith looks like. In the very next part of Luke 17 Jesus goes on to talk about faith the size of a mustard seed. Just a hint of Christ's power could move a mountain. Amazing.

Yes, I know, the Lord's Prayer doesn't mention faith. (I got off on a rabbit trail. (: There's just so much to learn!) But I did find a connection between the two that was pretty profound, James 5:15 says, "And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven." Well, looky there! All three of our words. Basically...Pray with faith the size at least the size of a mustard seed and forgive as I forgive you and I will raise you up, I will heal you... "Raise you up" literally means "to arouse from sleep." I think God's telling us it's time to wake up.

So, back to the main question. How do we pray? With faith, for one. Not just faith that God will give us the answer we're looking for, but faith that, basically, He'll do His will. Here's another way to pray. Hebrews 4:16 says, "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Confidence. I had to put the entire definition in here.

"freedom in speaking,
unreservedness in speech,
openly, frankly,
without concealment,
without the use of figures and comparisons,
free and fearless confidence,
cheerful courage, boldness,
assurance."

That's a lot to describe one word. Does that describe what our prayer life is like? Open, frank, without comparing it to anyone else, with boldness, and cheerful courage. God really wants us to come to Him boldly, ask what we want, then have the faith to trust His hands.

instructing.

"In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of His appearing and His Kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry." 2 Timothy 4:1-5

Wow. There's so much in this passage, I'm not quite sure where to start.

One thing that really stands out to me is the charge Paul gives. "Correct, rebuke, and encourage." adding to that, "with great patience and careful instruction." I believe that when we're faced with a ministering opprotunity we can do these three things with it. Either correct it, rebuke it, or encourage it.

Take a diet for example, say that ho-ho cupcake is calling your name in the pantry. It's tempting you and you have three choices. (1) You can go grab a banana instead as you stare sadly at the box of heaven, (2) you can grab the box of heaven and, reluctantly, throw it in the trash in such a way that it's not eatable ever again, or (3) you can grab that heavenly box and shove two or three down in 5 seconds(your new world record). When faced with a troubling situation (maybe a little more notable than ho-ho cupcakes) most of the time, one of these three things takes place. Let's take a look at what exactly these words mean.

Correct and rebuke.

The original Greek for both of these words are the same. Elegchō, meaning "to reprehend severely, chide, admonish, to expose, to bring to light." When God says to correct something or someone in our lives, He wants us to have courage and bring the problem out so that it will be demolished. This can be so tough when it involves others. Showing that you care about them by rebuking them is not the greatest way to make lots of friends.

Encourage.

Parakaleō, greek for exhort, is used in the original King James Version. The word literally means, "to call to one's side, to encourage, to strengthen." From my experience, one of the most amazing examples of encouragement I've ever had always takes me back to long talks with my Mom. She literally called me to her side and gave me strength. I'm sure she doesn't remember what she said to me, but I know everytime she sees me do something that takes strength, she knows she once gave that to me. God does the same thing in (sorry Mom) even more amazing ways. He draws His kids to His side and tells them to be strong.

"Do not be terrified, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

Don't let those times pass by when you know someone needs you to come to their side and make them strong. God designed us to be eachother's encouragers. God's word says, from the very beginning that,

"It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." Genesis 2:18

So, quick overview. Correcting is only good if you're not a wuss about it, encouraging can change someone's life, and those ho-ho's are definitely something to be rebuked.

Let's take a look at how these things are to be done. With great patience and careful instruction. Wait, how can you be carefully strong? Rebukingly patient? Woah. This changes things, doesn't it? "Great," I say, "how does that work?" Check out the previous verses in Timothy where we find our threesome of confusing words again, with a couple new friends.

"All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. So that the man of God my be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 3:16-17

Ah, I love how all the answers are there. Scripture is the answer. From this verse, we learn that from His Word, not only can we rebuke and correct, but also teach and train! His word is the secret to being prepared for any situation that we meet. When we re-read our main verse we notice it says in the first part "be prepared in and out of season." For what? To correct, rebuke, encourage, teach, train others to pursue righteousness, and pursue righteousness for ourselves, in every way possible. Skip down after all the depressing things that people will become "for a time" and it says to, "keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry." Basically, sell yourself out to Christ and His calling on your life, by keeping your head about you and drowning yourself in His God-breathing Words.

One trap I can so easily fall into is the "oh, sure, when I'm older and more mature I can deal with all that." Well, let's look at who this letter was written to. Who was Timothy to the Apostle Paul? In the beginning of 1 Timothy, he calls him, "my true son of faith." I couldn't find a reliable source to say the age of Timothy at the time of the letters (if anyone knows, please post so.) but because he calls him his son, he implies young age. In both of the letters, Paul mentions his youth a couple times (see 1 Tim 4:12 and 2 Tim 3:22). So I wish to plead with our generation, a generation so entranced with youthfulness and fun, to step up and take on the life and challenges graciously given to the youth of the nation. Get out there and do what you know God has called you to.

"Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity." 1 Timothy 4:12

knowing God.

To know God is the greatest accomplishment in life, ah! but to know. What does it mean to know?

The definition of “know” is “have personal experience of, be absolutely sure of.” Now, are we absolutely sure of God? Surely, that says if we know Him or not. How are you sure of something that cannot be seen, you ask? God can be seen, I see Him in you, I see Him in the trees, I see Him in the creation all around me. Yet, I’ve never seen His face. I can’t trace the contours of His face in my head, I can’t feel His rough and beaten, hole-filled hands, I can’t look in His untraceable eyes and see the yearning and aching for lost souls that Jesus feels. Then how, you say, can you know God? Maybe, I don’t know, exactly "how-to." He’s called each of us, I presume, differently to each of His chosen. For me, on one hand, it’s easy to look at the sky, the water, and the sun and moon and know that there’s a God. Something or Someone must have created this sphere we call the world. It’s easy for me to say that God’s out there and He’s watching over me and directing my steps, it’s safe. But is it? He’s leads me in the strangest ways, in the strangest fashions. I find myself looking back on weeks and months and wondering how I got to where I am. When I search for Him, He finds me. He finds me even if I’m not looking. It’s like I have a target on my head and He won’t leave me, even if I flee from His sight and rebuke Him, He still finds me. It’s beautiful, the ultimate love.

I wish we, as humans, could understand that love, think about how the world would be different if we all loved with God’s love. Forgiveness would never fail, patience would be abounding and love would never end. But, somehow, I can’t help but think we’d mess it up. It’s human nature, right? We all sin and we all fail. No matter how close and how much we know God, no one can be as perfect as He is. I guess that would be God’s definition. Perfect. But oh! that doesn’t even begin to describe Him. I talk so often with Him and ask Him to give me a word to describe Him, but none comes. Just the soft whisper that He’s there, watching me, waiting patiently for His child to step in faith. The word I’m looking for doesn’t exist in our dimension. Beautiful, glorious, wonderful, holy, they all fall short of describing Him fully. I think He did that on purpose, so we would have to use more than one word when talking about or with Him. It all goes back to knowing Him. He calls us to know him, and who said we could love Him with one word? Can we do that with our earthly relationships? No. Relationships take time to grow and change, there are trials and misunderstandings, good times and bad times. All God wants from us is everything, is that so much for Him to ask for? He did create us. Shouldn’t an artist be entitled to His work? That’s the difference between Christianity and other religions, God came to us. He took on the form of a servant, a child, a wrongly accused criminal. He became disgusting to His father, died a horrific death and gave everything for us, so He could be glorified through us. Now, all He wants is everything from us, and He even gives us the choice to follow Him or not. The “everything” He wants is, purely, unadulterated, uncontaminated time. Yes, time. Time with Him, for Him and around Him. Just as a girl wants to spend time with her crush, or as a young boy wants to spend time with his new puppy. Just time, just talk, just openness. That’s all He wants. Don’t be afraid of it. He created you, it’s not like He’ll be surprised that you wanted to kick the slow old lady in front of you at the grocery store, or the time you ate a cookie when mom told you not to, or the time you lied to your loved one. He knows all about your sins, trials, imperfections, and pains already. He wants to heal them, grow them, change and rearrange them. Let Him, He really knows what He’s doing. Step in faith and challenge yourself to truly know God. I know from personal experience that we'll never know Him fully, so we'll always have more to learn. Keep seeking to know God.

meaninglessness.

In chapters 1 and 2 of Ecclesiastes, the Teacher, who most believe is King Solomon, son of David, writes about three ways that he searched for satisfaction in his lifetime. The first manner in which he sought after atonement was wisdom. Found in Ecclesiastes 1:16, he says, “I achieved for myself wisdom. I became wiser than everyone who ruled before me.” Skip ahead a chapter to find another attempt at a life-filling activity. Searching for pleasure, in chapter 2:1-3, he says, “I began to seek the pleasures of this world. I laughed, drank wine, embraced folly and silliness.” Once again, in chapter 2:4,8,9, he says, “I undertook great projects. . . I amassed silver and gold for myself. . . I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me.” He also states in 2:10, frankly, “I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure, my heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for my labor.” As you see, though he did all these things, his answer was a disappointing phrase at the end of chapter 2 that runs through the entirety of the book, “This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”

The book of Ecclesiastes opens with one of the most depressing and agitating chapters in the entire Bible. “Meaningless! Meaningless! Says the Teacher. Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” Although he tried it all, he came up empty.
The next part of the passage says, “What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun? The Greek word for toil means, “To work, to labor, to torment or put to the test.” Also, the word for gain means, “produce fruit.” So in other words, the sentence is saying, “It is meaningless for a man to labor when he produces no fruit.” But that is not the end of the sentence. Notice carefully the words chosen to describe where this fruitless worker is laboring. Under the sun.
Begin chapter three. Consider carefully the words chosen to begin this new chapter, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.” We see a slight, but very important change in his words in chapter 3, where he states clear as day that there is a certain time, with certain purpose for every activity that is under Heaven. Under Heaven, not under the sun. All the meaningless life that he searched for purpose in was without God. There is a stark contrast between what the teacher says in these different chapters. He searched for the meaning of life without God and found it as useful as “chasing after the wind” but yet in God’s world, under Heaven, there is specifically planned time for everything and all activity has meaning.

Pas, the Greek word for everything, means, “in every matter, in every way, on every side, in all things.” When God’s Word says everything, He means everything. All things are under God’s watchful eyes and in His hands. Ecclesiastes 3:2-8 list things that are under heaven that have a place and time. Birth and death, planting and uprooting, killing and healing, tearing down and building up, weeping and laughing, mourning and dancing, scattering stones and gathering them, embracing and refraining, searching and giving up, keeping and throwing away, tearing and mending, silence and speech, love and hate, war and peace. All these things have a time in God’s universe. NET.bible.org explains well the message the Teacher is trying to get across, “[verses 2-8 is] a figure using polar opposites to encompass everything in between, that is, totality.” In short, the Teacher wanted to make sure that we understand that God is in everything we do, see, hear, feel, and need.

Throughout the entire book of Ecclesiastes, the teacher talks about things completely out of his control, things like the rising and setting of the sun, the wind blowing, the streams flowing, also birth, death, planting, healing. All of these things are out of our human reach, we can’t control them. The difference in these passages is the simple phrasing, “under the sun” and “under heaven.” Life is meaningless without a divine leader, god, or creator.

Most religions, from the time of their founding, have a deity, someone above humans or something to fear. Buddhism, Hinduism, Mormon, Catholic, Islam. All of them have something or someone that they look to for answers, feel the need to worship, or wish to emulate. We humans were created to serve something bigger than us, something that we can’t control, and something that we don’t fully understand. God put these needs in our hearts from the very beginning of the world so that we would always need to seek Him, and He promises that when we seek Him, we will, eventually, find Him. “Ask and you shall receive. Seek and you shall find. Knock and the door will be open to you.”

We have two choices that the teacher in Ecclesiastes is showing us. We can either choose to be frustrated by a meaningless, accidental, purposeless life without Christ, or, we can choose to believe that God is in control of this life, and by trusting Him, we’re able to rest in His “plans to prosper us, not to harm us.” This doesn’t promise us a life free of weeping, mourning, giving up, tearing down, war, and hate, on the contrary, it basically promises that we will experience these things. In fact, there is actually a proposed time and place for all these things. What we are promised is that we can know that our purposeful, good, personal, and prospering God allows these things for a reason. What the Teacher is trying to get across is that if you suffer, if you fail, if you get frustrated and you’re living under the sun, you are accomplishing absolutely nothing. Live under Heaven, and in everything you do, all activity you live out, whether it be easy or difficult, amusing or heartbreaking, it has meaning. It has a place in a plan that we don’t even understand.

As you’ll see in 3:11, the teacher says, “. . .He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” Time doesn’t matter to God, He is there all the time. We understand time in two ways, as chronos, meaning amount of time, and kairos, meaning season of time. The time that the Teacher is referring to in Ecclesiastes, is both. In the way we spend the seasons of our lives and amount of time given to us. Our meaning in life depends if we choose to spend this specifically appointed time, under the sun, or under the Son of God.

I found this quote from an online sermon on the subject, “. . . But we are called to go on in faith, enjoying what we've got while we've got it, and giving thanks to the God who gives us good things. But with eternity set into our hearts, we are also called to move forward in life listening for that eternal melody from God's far country, singing along as best we can as we hear snippets of God's life-affirming music. There is a time for everything but there is also an eternity for everyone. This is not an easy or obvious thing to sense. But we render God our thanks that we sense it at all. . .”