He'll Finish What He Started

"...Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6).

I still remember it like it was yesterday. It was the summer of 2009 and I had just been laid off of a short temporary teaching assignment. Four months earlier, I had just finished getting my single subject teaching credential in history which seemed like it took me forever.  My job outlook was bleak.  I had entered education at one of the worse times. I began putting in applications everywhere.  I must have submitted over 100 teaching applications and did not receive one call back during the summer.  Unemployment denied me due to a technical error so I was living off credit cards. My monthly bill was getting bigger and bigger.  I was desperate. I began to question whether or not I had done the right thing in quitting my stable job as an administrative assistant to pursue a teaching career. Fear set in as September arrived and the school year began. This meant that most of the few teaching jobs available had already been filled. I reflected on the situation and made up my mind that I was going to trust in God.  He had never let me down in other areas of my life so he would come through for me again in this area. I decided to go on a 21-day Daniel Fast.  I placed three requests before God and sought Him each day for an answer. I will be honest.  It was incredibly hard to trust God those 21-days.  I was weak and I was fighting fear and doubt daily. I still kept trusting though. My prayers felt dry, almost like they were hitting the ceiling, but I kept going.  A lesson in itself, you won't always feel it, but you keep pushing on anyways.  We don't serve God by emotion, but by faith and trust. When those 21 days ended, I still had received no calls from prospective employers. I fought doubt even more than before.  Then out of nowhere, about four days later, I received a call from a district close by.  They wanted to interview me. I was so excited, yet nervous. I was nervous because this would be my first interview for a teaching position.  This might be the only interview I would get that year with the current state of education.  I interviewed on a late Friday afternoon.  I remember my heart dropping when I walked into the school office and seeing all the teachers interviewing for the same position, some of which had way more experience than me.  Then something got a hold of me.  A God-given confidence shifted my thinking.  This was my job.  This job was meant for me and I was going to walk into the interview like this job was already mine. I have to say that out of all of the interviews that I had ever experienced, I never felt such a peace like I did as I sat before those six people on the interview committee.  I spoke like I had been teaching for 25 years.  Where did this confidence come from?  Directly from God. I was certain He was with me.  I walked out of that room knowing that God was in control.  The following Monday morning, HR called me that I had the job!  I finally would have my own classroom and students.  The rest, as they say, is history.  It has been a wonderful three years at my current school.  I have found my purpose in life- working with kids. Everyday I get the opportunity to make a difference.  I get to be a light to kids who have had a hard life.  I get to hug them when they cry. I get to be a sense of consistency to those who don't have it at home.  I get to make kids laugh and sometimes cry (when I call home).   They know that I care.  As many of you know, I received a pink slip this year. The situation once again looks bleak in the natural realm, but my heart tells me, just like it did three years ago, that God is not done with me yet. I don't know what the future holds, but I know that I am perfectly in the will of a Sovereign God. I am saddened by the current state of education and for those who are being affected by it, but my encouragement is to trust God.  When He closes one door, he will most definitely open another.  Whether my lay-off is rescinded or something else awaits me, in this one thing I am confident- He who began a good work in me will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.  My friend, whatever you might be facing, know that God will do the same for you.  :)

Arise and Shine!

"Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee" (Isaiah 60:1-2).

There is a light inside every single one of us. It's a light so strong that no enemy, no opposition, no situation, no device, no critic, and no circumstance can put out.  Sometimes, we don't realize just how bright this light is.  Others see it and it attracts them to us.  They find themselves wanting to be around us more and more. They don't even know why. They are curious about what they see in us. This light is Jesus Christ.  It is amazing that the King of the Universe, the Saviour of this world would choose to abide in plain ol' us, but He does.  A couple of days ago, I sat in my car during my lunch break pondering over the verse above. It was a gray and cloudy day which was about to burst in rain.  As I sat there, the words almost popped out of the pages that the prophet Isaiah penned- Arise, shine, for thy light is come.  The glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. The more I read it, it seemed like the words were coming alive to me.  The verse is referring to Zion and the coming Messiah, but at that moment, God used them to speak to my life. They spoke so strongly to me that I got goosebumps. I realized what a treasure I have living inside of me.  Such a powerful yet tender and merciful God lives inside my heart.  What a privilege!  I read the words over and over again, soaking them in each time. All of a sudden, despite the gray blanket that covered the sky,suddenly a light broke through the clouds.  It came out of no where.  It shined right on me through my car windows.  It kept getting brighter and brighter to the point, that I could barely see around me. For the next five minutes  I was in awe. Despite the rain clouds and gray sky around me, this beautiful light broke through and took the time to rest on plain ol' me. God spoke to me right there and then and said, This is me inside of you.  No gray day can ever block my light in you.  No circumstance can ever keep me from shining in you. I can never be hidden in you. This experience is what I call a love note.  These are moments when God sends sweet little reminders that He is with me and that He loves me.  He says it over and over again, yet I never get tired of hearing it.  I got out of my car and went back to my students that day with the realization that there was something in me that this world needs.  They need the light!  They don't need me.  They need the light. And by-golly I'm going to let Him shine!  

Silly Little Red Hens

We've all been guilty at one time or another of REACTING to a situation.  We either lose our temper and say things we don't mean or we take action without thinking about the consequences.  Many of us don't like to admit that we have temper on us.  Often, we even feel like we are justified in our actions. Although it is normal to be hurt and even angry, it is important that we learn to deal with our anger in a proper way.
    I am reminded of a biblical character who was a reactor.  He was a man who was close to God.  He was so close to God that God entrusted him to deliver His holy commandments to the Israelites.  Also, God chose this man to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. The man that I am talking about is Moses.  We read in Exodus 32:1-19, 24:12-18 that Moses met God on Mount Sinai, during which time, God gave Moses the commandments on tablets to deliver to His people.  Then came the time for Moses to go back down the mountain.  Now think about it, Moses had just been in the presence of God on the mountain. You could say that Moses was probably drunk on the presence of God or on a spiritual high when he came down the mountain.  Ever feel that way?  :) Yet, when Moses encountered the people of God, he found them in a horrible state of sin.  It turns out that while he was gone, the people went and made themselves idols.  He found them holding festivities and dancing around a golden calf.   How did Moses react? He became angry.  Not just angry, but REALLY angry.  He was so angry that he broke the tablets containing the commandments that God had just given him. Talk about a temper!  Now,  I believe that Moses was justified in his feelings and emotions.  After all, the people were sinning against God.  Yet, Moses is still guilty of reacting in anger.  Moses reacted the way that many of us react to our own situations.
    We've all been there.  We love God. We are doing our best to serve Him.  We pray and fast as we attempt to draw closer to Him. Often, there are moments where we have spent hours in prayer, seeking God. Yet, when "people issues" come up, we are so quick to "blow our cool."   I chuckle as I recall a story that I once heard concerning the late preacher B.E. Eckles.   B.E. Eckles pastored a church in a small country village.  The story goes that Eckles had spent hours in prayer one morning.  Eventually, he came out of his room with a fresh renewal of God's Spirit upon him.  He approached his wife, proudly telling her, "Well, he's dead."  She gasped, "Who's dead?"  "B.E. is dead" he replied. "I am no longer alive to myself, but to the Spirit of God. Now, please make me some breakfast dear" he added.   She quickly made her way to the kitchen to prepare his breakfast. In the meantime, Eckles glanced outside of his window long enough to notice a little red hen going through his vegetable garden plucking out the vegetables that were in the process of maturing. By the time he noticed the hen, she was already making her way through the third row of vegetables.  I should probably note that the preacher and his wife were not well-off and needed these vegetables as part of their livelihood. The story goes on to say that the preacher angrily grabbed a broom and ran out to the garden and began yelling and cursing at the hen, shooing it away.  It became such a scene that neighbors came out to see what the commotion was all about. A short time later, a defeated and tired Eckles walked back into his house and plopped himself back in his chair.  His wife, who witnessed the entire scene came into the room trying to hide her grin.  Humbly, Eckles sighed, "Well, he was dead this morning, but I don't know what happened just now."  The moral of the story is that it's often those silly little hens that get us in trouble most of the time.  It's those silly hens that cause us to react and to do things we regret later.
  What are those silly little hens in our lives? Here are some of them. We get an email with some choice words and we reply hastily with a  couple of our own few choice words.  Someone offends us at church and we reply quickly with some sharp words. Some problem occurs with our family members or friends and we post a couple of choice venting words on Facebook or Twitter.  We don't like something our co-worker did and we start a shouting match with them.  We come home after a tiresome day and the house is not clean so we lose our temper with our spouse and kids. Even deeper, we find out that someone has lied to us or someone has hurt us so we take matters into our own hands and go out and do something dumb.   I could go on forever.
    Proverbs says, "He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him" (Proverbs 18:13).  In other words, a person who spouts off before considering a matter shames himself. We've all walked the "hall of shame" in our lives. Some of us more than others-I include myself.  We react so quickly before hearing the entire story and getting all the facts straight.  In the end, we return with our heads hung low, embarrassed and ashamed, especially before God.  We are forced to make apologies to God and man.
     Let me note, it is completely normal to be angry, but it is important for all of us to learn how to channel that energy in a way that can actually better the situation.  My advice to all of us is to step away from the situation at hand. Separate yourself from the situation long enough to think things through.  Take a walk, take a drive, pray (although I know this is hard to do when you are angry), go to the gym, take a nap.  Do whatever you need to do in order to step away from the problem or the person.  During this waiting period, you will get a better assessment of the situation. You will hear from God.  He will allow you to see the different perspectives of the entire situation and will give you the peace you need in order to remedy the situation and forgive the other person. Sometimes, by stepping back and waiting, we look back at the situation and realize how silly the entire thing is and what a big deal it IS NOT.   Keep in mind that we are all a work in progress and God is not done with us yet. He is continually molding us to be like Him. If you are willing, He will teach you how to keep your calm and how to maintain to your patience with others. Sometimes it will take us letting something go even though we are sure that we are right.  I can tell you that I used to be a MAJOR reactor a couple of years back. I realized that this was not the person I wanted to be forever so I began to ask God to help me.  For me, a nap does the trick. Also, it is important for me to just close my mouth, go home to think things through. I usually give myself a one-day waiting period minimum.  After I allow myself a waiting period, I find that the anger has subsided and the situation is clearer to me than before.  At this point, I can either let the situation go or come up with a constructive plan to address the problem.  Am I perfect? Absolutely not. Here and there I find myself messing up and later ashamed of my actions.  Yet, I go to God and ask His forgiveness. He lifts my head and simply tells me, You'll do better next time daughter.  So when those silly little hens show up in your own life, don't be afraid to access God's wisdom and grace. Watch and see those silly little hens become powerless in your life.

God is Enough!

"Now the children of Israel camped in Gilgal, and kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight on the plains of Jericho.  And they ate of the produce of the land on the day after the Passover, unleavened bread and parched grain, on the very same day. Then the manna ceased on the day after they had eaten the produce of the land; and the children of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate the food of the land of Canaan that year. "  Joshua 5:10-12

 As I reflect on my 28th year of life, I can only think about how wonderful God has been to me.  Has He spoiled me with everything I've wanted. Absolutely not. I'm glad that He didn't. He has always given me what I've needed and you know what, serving God has been enough for me. I don't need mansions, fine jewelry, fancy cars, and other material goods to fill me. I have Him. I don't need fame, and the world's acceptance.  I have Jesus Christ. He is enough.  Having this understanding makes me the richest woman in the world!  :)
     Having said this, during the Israelites' journey in the wilderness, God provided them with manna. Manna literally means "What is it?"  Manna was similar to coriander seed, white, and tasting like wafers made with honey. It is described as occurring in flakes or small round grains.   It was nothing fancy, but it was enough to keep the Israelies going. Manna signified that God took care of his people, providing for all of their needs.  Furthermore, God would provide the fresh manna from heaven on a daily basis. You may wonder why God only provided manna when He could have given them the finer foods.  He is God afterall, right?  I suppose that He wanted them them to save their appetite for their arrival in Canaan. Canaan was a land of blessing and abundance. It also contained an abundance of food. In my opinion, God wanted to create in the Israelites an anticipation for Canaan.  He knew that wilderness and manna experience would make their arrival in Canaan that much more sweeter. Yet, we find that the Israelites continued to murmur against God,

"...and the children of Israel also wept again and said, who shall give us flesh to eat? We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick: but now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes" (Numbers 11:4-6).

    Instead of seeing what God was doing for them, God's people chose to see what God wasn't doing for them.  Their attitude showed how ungrateful they were towards His daily provision. Indirectly, they were telling God that He was not enough for them. We read that God's anger was kindled against the Israelites.  God ended up giving them so much quail, that it came right out of their noses (Numbers 11:33).  Yet, eventually, in God's perfect timing, the Israelites arrived in Canaan.  The Bible says that with their arrival, the quail ceased and the people ate from the food of the land or the abundance of the land. 
     My "pearl" to you today is that God is more than enough.  He can satisfy your longing heart. He is our true manna. He feeds the hunger inside of us. His body, which was sacrificed on Calvary, made it so that we never have to go hungry again.  Just like God provided daily manna for the Israelites, God also provides for us on a daily basis.   He doesn't expect His people to live on past blessings, but He provides a fresh batch of grace each day. Each day, fresh from the oven are God's sweet and tender mercies and provision. He allows us to experience Him and all of His fulness.  Yet, don't we often find ourselves telling God we want more. Lord, if I could just have that new car, or get that great job, or find that great guy or girl, my life would be complete. Lord, if I could just take that trip or look like this, and lose this weight, I would be truly happy. The truth is, those things, even though not wrong in themselves, would never fill the hunger inside of us. Only the presence of God can fill us.  God wants us to long for Him more than anything else in this life, but so many times, we push Him away.  We don't necessarily do this with words, but we do this by exalting other things in our lives.  Eventually, God does rain on us physical blessings (ie. houses, cars, careers, family, marriage etc), but what is most important is still Him. You will always remember those times when you were dead broke, but He was there for you and lifted your head up. You will remember those days of being single, but you had Him and delighted in His presence. You will remember those time during your college years when you had little money and food, but God was enough for you. You will remember when you were homeless, but God gave you a roof over your head, even if it was a homeless shelter. Guess what? He was enough for you even then.  You may still be in your wilderness, but remember, God is enough. Eventually, you will reach Canaan (on this earth and in eternity) and the food of the land will be in abundance.  However, right here, right now, God is enough and you need nothing more.




 

Creation Worships God

"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof. " Psalm 19:1-6

On this early Monday morning, I looked out my window.  The grey rain-filled clouds made there way into Redlands last night, ready to water this quiet little town.  In my heart, I see that Spring is starting to make her entrance.  This makes me so happy.  I noticed the winds start to pick up and begin to blow through my window. I could feel a cool breeze making its way through and run its fingers through my hair.  Before long, the palm tree outside of my window began to dance and sway, almost in a magical rhythm. Its branches moved in an upward, then downward motion, as if bowing gracefully. It entered my mind immediately, this tree is bowing to its creator, just like the rest of creation does.  How is it that creation can acknowledge its Creator, yet, as humans, we struggle with doing so?  I can't help but worship my creator every day.   Each day, He breathes His life into me and pours down blessings beyond measure.  Every aspect of creation, from the oceans, to plan life, to the animals, acknowledge that they get life from God.  Therefore they worship.  They worship, in the case of the palm tree, in bowing.  They worship by being obedient and doing what God has commanded them to do. Will you take a moment to bow to your creator?  Will you worship by doing what God has called you to do? How will you worship God today?  You many not always feel it, but in obedience, you worship Him because you know deep inside that He is all-powerful, yet loving towards you every day that you breathe. I'd like to invite you to ponder on the following Psalm.  In it, may you be encouraged to give honor to our wonderful God. 

"Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty. Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain: Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind: Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire: Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever. Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains. At thy rebuke they fled; at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away. They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys unto the place which thou hast founded for them. Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth. He sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run among the hills. They give drink to every beast of the field: the wild asses quench their thirst. By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the branches. He watereth the hills from his chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works. He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth; And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man's heart. The trees of the LORD are full of sap; the cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted; Where the birds make their nests: as for the stork, the fir trees are her house. The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats; and the rocks for the conies. He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down. Thou makest darkness, and it is night: wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth. The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from God. The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, and lay them down in their dens. Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening. O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches. So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts. There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein. These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season. That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good. Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust. Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth. The glory of the LORD shall endure for ever: the LORD shall rejoice in his works. He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth: he toucheth the hills, and they smoke.I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being."  Psalm 104:1-33

Suffering

Some people believe that serving God is a bed of roses or that life is somehow suddenly supposed to work out perfectly once you give your life to Christ.  I'm not here to preach doom and gloom, but understanding how God uses suffering to perfect us can help us to live empowered instead of hopeless and defeated.  Often, when Christians encounter pain and discomfort in their spiritual walk, they begin to doubt God's love for them and some even turn away from the faith.  Yet, we see through the scriptures that pain positions us for spiritual growth and God's blessing in our lives.

If you are experiencing pain and suffering in your life, I'm going to ask you to do something that sounds outrageous-  I want you to rejoice.  Rejoice?  April, are you crazy ?  Absolutely.  :)  Rejoice because you are in the will of God and God is doing something awesome in your life.  If he allows you to suffer, it's because he will bring you out of your pain into a place of  glory and power!   Do you desire to know God in a deep and intimate way?  Then you must suffer.  The Apostle Paul said,

"That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made comforable unto His death"  (Philippians 3:10).

Often, we like to quote the first part of this scripture, "That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection."  Sounds great, right?  We all want to know God and experience His power in our lives. Yet, there is a prerequisite for this kind of intimacy with God. We must be willing to experience pain, or as Paul says "...and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made comformable unto His death."  Like Jesus, you must experience the weight of bearing your cross and then allowing yourself to be "crucified" on it (Galatians 2:20).  Then, and only then, will you experience God's resurrection power.  In order for something to be resurrected, there must be a death first.  Whose death?  Your own death.   Suffering allows that death to take place.  It makes you rely soley on God while your flesh is put to death.  Don't resist suffering. I find it interesting that when the Lord spoke to the church of Laodicea, he called them out for their inability to suffer for the kingdom of God,

"I know thy works, that thou are neither cold nor hot...Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing: and knowest not that thou are wretched and miserable, and poor, and blind and naked. I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed..."  Revelation 3:15,17

God desired (and still desires) a church that has been tried by fire. God tries us by fire to test us and to purge us. It is not a lovely process, but what comes out of this experience is something beautiful.  It's not always easy to rejoice when you are experiencing marriage problems, when you are unemployed, when your kids stray from the faith, when you are experiencing financial hardship, and when God simply says no to what you want. Instead of relying on earthly pleasures and activities to block out suffering (ie. money, career, drinking, drugs, leisure, etc.), we must cling to God and allow Him to perfect us.  Paul once said, "...I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong" (II Corinthians 9-10).  Glory in what God is doing through you.  Rejoice that He counts you worthy to suffer. Know that when you are at your weakest moments, God's grace is sufficient (II Corinthians 12:9)  and He will provide such an abundance of grace to see you through.  God's power will be the strongest in those frail moments. My encouragement to you is not avoid suffering, but take pleasure in knowing that God is working on you.  God doesn't start a job and leave in the middle of it. Rest assured that what He started in you, he will finish (Philippians 1:6).

The Winter Woman

The Winter woman
Although she feels dead inside
Hopes in her God, although it seems the promises have died
Although it may seem that she is forsaken for a season
Deep inside her heart, she knows it is for a destined reason
Her faith, although challenged and tested upon her spiritual existence
Will not waiver in unbelief through her patience and persistence
She is determined to come forth shining as gold after being tried by the fire
Her faith will not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the glory of His power
Pressed down, knocked down,
They tell her that God has not heard her cry
But He has promised her, that certainly, His dreams for her will never die
He will bring to pass the desires and dreams he has shown her
When all is said and done, the waters will not overflow her
The Winter woman stands on God's Word, never wavering in unbelief
The Winter woman, when dawn breaks through, will no longer be